Cupcakes in the park

About a month and a half ago, I apparently signed up for this Cupcake Meetup/Swap. I was reminded of it a few days prior, but not feeling quite as social as the day I had signed up, I contemplated not going—plus, it seemed ridiculous to drive all the way up to SF for, what, cupcakes?* I did, however, RSVP for the event and after some coaxing from cousins and friends, I relented and said, “FINE! Damn it, I’ll go.” And I’m so glad that I did!

I had an awesome time. The park was lively and it provided a fun and laid-back atmosphere for our little meetup. People came from all over the Bay Area and everyone was super nice, but that was to be expected because who else could be die-hard cupcake aficionados if not the nicest people in the world? There were about 20 of us and everyone, amazingly, brought a different flavor (I brought Strawberry with Strawberry buttercream).

Here’s a sample of what I brought home with me:

Flavors included: Chocolate with a pear filling and vanilla buttercream, Pink lemonade, Carrot/almond/coconut with vanilla buttercream, lemon, banana with chocolate buttercream, vanilla with a nutella center, chocolate with a marshmallow-based frosting, chocolate with a vanilla center (à la Hostess cupcake), vanilla with vanilla buttercream (with sparkly sprinkles), chocolate with peanut butter cream filling and a fudgy frosting, toasted almond with vanilla buttercream and gingerbread with maple frosting (vegan).

*In retrospect, not so ridiculous as my sisters and I have driven all the way to Redwood City for cream puffs and to Union City for doughnuts, so naturally a trek would be made to SF for cupcakes.