Sweet, Simple and Nostalgic

"I continue to think of cupcakes as sort of sleek and simple and nostalgic, but the reality is, it’s a very competitive marketplace out there, and I think it’s genius for the Food Network to pick up on that, because the show is really a mirror of what’s going out there in the industry." - Candace Nelson

And, just as sweet and simple cupcakes are, so was the opportunity to talk cupcakes with Candace Nelson, judge on Cupcake Wars and owner of Sprinkles! Sweet indeed! We discussed everything from opening your own cupcake bakery, to the most disgusting cupcake she has ever eaten! We even talked about the signature Sprinkles cupcake look! She was warm and inviting to chat with. I seriously want to take her out for a cup of coffee and just talk cupcakes all day everyday!

Ever wonder where the signature Sprinkles dot came from? I sure did!

"At Sprinkles what we did, is we reinvented the cupcake. We modernized it, we made it more sophisticated, more elegant with more beautiful ingredients, and we wanted to do the same thing with the look. So, playing on the traditional with the color of the modern dot; having that element of fun, but then also making it more sophisticated and sleek."

And according to Candace, strange and unusual things are coming for the series premier of Cupcake Wars on the Food Network!

"It’s a Sea World based event, so you can imagine the contestants are working with ingredients from the sea…and I’ll leave it at that. It’s a really unlikely combination obviously, you think of cupcakes and you think vanilla and chocolate, you’re not thinking about the sea or fish or seaweed or any of those things."

I am really excited to see what crazy ingredients the contestants need to incorporate in their cupcakes! Keep checking back, I will have much more of the awesome interview with Candace throughout the week!

And don't forget, check out the series premier of Cupcake Wars tonight at 9 PM/8PM central, only on the Food Network!