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Community Corner

The Cupcake Lady

Dina Neils takes her obsession with petite desserts to the next level.

Name: Dina Neils

Age: 27

Occupation: Owner of online cupcake boutique Cupcake and the City and account service representative at Sacramento Press

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How did you come to love making cupcakes?
The first cupcake I baked was actually with my mom when I was around five years old. It was a lemon cupcake with old-fashioned vanilla cream frosting. It was for a garage sale. I was young, but it was still really good.

What made you decide to create an online bakery, and where did you get the idea for the name? For so many years, I've been baking just for fun, as a hobby and also for friends and family, for birthdays and parties. So, I finally just decided [in July 2010] that you know what if I'm going to do this, I should just do it. I'm a huge Sex and the City fan. And I just thought it was a cute name, it was catchy, so that's what I chose.  

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What cool things can people find on your website?
It's a resource for people who love to bake. I use my blog to share my favorite recipes, and all things cupcake, even if it's not a cupcake...like cupcake stickers, cupcake lip glosses. I try to make it trendy and fashionable. I also have my menu of cupcakes that I like to make, for people to see what I have to offer.

One of the things that's new on my site is pupcakes. It started out as something that I've always done for my own dog. I make a banana one, an apple sauce one, a peas and carrots one, and a peanut butter one. I don't top them with human frosting, of course—all the ingredients are dog-friendly. I usually top them with a dog treat so you can tell it's for dogs.

If you were to make cupcakes based on the personalities of the four main Sex and the City characters, how would you make them? For Carrie, a strawberry cream cake with buttercream frosting, maybe chocolate filling and bright-colored toppings. I feel like Carrie has a really sweet demeanor, and I think that she can be kind of spunky as well.

For Miranda, a chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting and simple, traditional decorations. Being that she's a lawyer, she seems more straightforward and to-the-point.

Samantha kind of reminds me of a Marilyn Monroe-type because she's kind of slutty. [I'd do] a chocolate-strawberry topping because of her sex appeal.

For Charlotte, a red velvet cake with a white or pastel frosting. She's innocent, she seems really classy, and when I think of red velvet, I think of class and sophistication.

How do you get ideas for your cupcake recipes?
I always have cupcakes in the back of my mind. And whenever I see things, you know, if someone's drinking a coffee or something like that, I might think like, "Oh, what kind of coffee is that? What if I made a cupcake like that?" It just kind of happens in my head.

What's the craziest cupcake you've ever baked?
Maybe my raspberry-mocha cupcake. I made coffee cake and mocha frosting and I infused the inside of the cupcake with raspberry puree. 

Any plans for the future?
I'm working on a T-shirt for Cupcake and the City. I'm going to sell them on the website. They won't say Cupcake and the City, but they will have my logos somewhere on them just for legitimacy.

 

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