Will Yum's Cupcakes

My eight-year-old and I have taken to baking cupcakes since my third son was born. Some batches of chocolate, some vanilla and one mocha, topped with vanilla butter cream, caramel, limelight, and chocolate ganache. One particularly good batch was filled with raspberry cream. We make two dozen at a time--too many for our family of four--but our typically shy son has taken pride in passing the extras around to lucky neighborhood kids when he spots them riding tricycles and two-wheelers in front of our house. Between batches, we browse the internet for recipes. He tells me his ideas for future recipes before we turn the lights out for the night. With a new baby who is in my arms and has my gaze more often than not, I feel glad to have this new hobby with my middle child.

Today on a day off from school, we all headed to Georgetown Cupcake, the sight of a reality television show we've enjoyed, to taste their treats. He clicked around their website and made a list of flavors he planned to take home. We stood in line along with many other fans of the shop, but once the boys had Lava Fudge and Chocolate PB Chip in front of them, they were certain it was worth the wait.  I, myself, was skeptical, but had to admit once I sampled theirs and enjoyed my own Red Velvet, that they deserved the hype.

Sophie and Katherine are the store's founders and have celebrity status due to their show, so I thought it was pretty cool to see them come outside for a photo-op with a group of kids on a field trip. "Look, Will! It's them." We were sitting at one of the few tables alongside the open kitchen where the staff decorated countless trays with speed. He humored me a moment and craned his neck to get a view of the them, but after a brief smile of recognition, turned around again toward the kitchen to watch the expert use of the piping tube. On our way out, he let me know what supplies we'd need to achieve this level of cupcake greatness. Call it mother's pride, if you will, I think he's already reached it.