Last night I was at Bimbo's for 7x7’s very fun party celebrating our Hot 20 issue and let’s just say after a little too much of the Johnny Walker, I’m feeling a bit like I need a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. And for an instant pick-me-up, you can’t go wrong with cupcakes showered in sprinkles.


Devil's food cupcakes, ready to party.

In the age of cupcake mania, it's helpful to have a good signature cupcake recipe. It's good for being instantly popular with both children and adults. These devil’s food cupcakes are moist and not too sweet and pretty much come out perfect. I dip them into a shiny-as-chrome bittersweet ganache and shower them with some of that sunshine. Click here for the recipe that I clipped from the Times ages ago. (If however, you’re into buying ready-made cupcakes, remember that cute as they might look, all cupcakes are not created equal. Kara’s Cupcakes does them justice, however.)

I snapped this picture before heading out last month for Silas’s sixth. Six years of motherhood … I’ll drink (very responsibly, I promise, passing on the Johnny Walker) to that.