Okay, so ‘the cupcake of death’ may be a little sensationalist for a blog title, but that is what I have been calling these little suckers.
This is the story of ‘the cupcake of death’.
When I am not blogging, I also work in a kitchen store. I am the ‘window dresser’ – that’s the title I give myself. I love doing it. Often I use props like apples, lemons and ….. cupcakes.
We sourced these cupcakes from our local Coles supermarket, which is conveniently located near us. They were from the bakery section.
These cupcakes have been in our display window, under hot lights for 8 hours a day, unpackaged.
Guess how long they have been there now?
9 weeks, people, 9 whole weeks!
They are still perfect looking (apart from a little dust) and just a tiny bit hard.
Not one bit of mould to be seen. Not one bit of deterioration.
It scares me.
Now do you see why I call them evil? They are ‘the cupcake of death’.
I brought them home to photograph for you. I had used them for so long in the windows it was time for a change.
The kids thought I had gone bonkers when they saw store-bought cupcakes!
My gorgeous friend Wende actually makes cupcakes as her job running Design-A-Cupcake Party. She uses good old-fashioned butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, milk and eggs. I asked her how long her cupcakes would last without going mouldy.
She says “I once popped 6 cupcakes into a Tupperware container and a week and a half later remembered them. … they were hairy”.
I have had banana muffins, kept in the pantry, riddled with mould within three days.
Real food goes off.
I don’t have the original package anymore to tell you what the ingredients are, but I am betting there is a heck of a lot of preservatives and artifical stuff in there.
So, what’s the moral of my ‘cupcake of death’ story? I think it’s – ‘don’t eat fake food, eat real food.’
What do you think?
Love this article – it is so true – I went to a health food store in NZ where they had a McDonald’s cheeseburger that had been there in a display about 10 years!
Love the Jude Blereau quote too – so true.
Yes, the McDonalds ones scare me too – but until you see it yourself, it’s quite unbelievable!
I thought of the Macdonalds burgers too. I thought you should pop them on a plate on a shelf and take a photo once a month and then do a timeline blog post after a year or two. It’s this sort of scary thing that really hits home with just how un-foody a lot of what people eat really is.
I would have done that, but silly me threw them out! duh!
Wow! That’s scary
I thought so!!
Love that last picture/quote, how true is that!
Just start. Home-made is everything x
I used to make and sell cupcakes (and cakes) too Sonia and my cupcakes are not edible past day 3, seriously.
I once, years ago read about a hot dog that was found in the US that was 20 years old and the guy who found it was so fascinated he ran all these tests and it would have still been edible, dry but it would be considered safe to eat!!
Eeeeeek!
Great blog post
And PS bought cup cakes are always sooo dry anyway.
XXX
plus they taste like plastic with that fake icing!! ugggh!! yukkky
I saw a movie on the weekend “Liberal Arts”. I loved it but the one thing that keeps popping up in my mind was when someone in the movie said that we consume so much preservatives in our life-time, that it’s taking longer for our bodies to decompose once we die!
Urban myth perhaps but it sooo creeped me out.
Kirri, when we said goodbye to my grandfather 2 years ago, the undertaker told me that they are using less and less to embalm bodies these days due to all the chemicals we ingest, he thinks about 25% less to when he started 20 years ago. So I would be inclined to think there was some accuracy to what you heard!
Good to see those vile cupcakes are good for something Sonia 😉
omg! straight from the undertaker’s mouth! I only recommend the cupcakes for display purposes!!! 😉
Eww. This is actually the kind of stuff that gives me nightmares and makes me sad for our beautiful kids. ‘The attack of the mini-killer cupcakes!”
that would not surprise me!
Kirri my mum was talking about that exact thing recently! Maybe she watched the same movie. Eeew
I wish my body would take less time to decompose while I am alive … LOL
It is really scary. I have people often comment that they can buy 12 cupcakes for $10 at Coles or Woolies. I let them know that they are more than welcome to them, but they will get no quality and heaps of additives … and they can never be sure of how fresh they are.
…and the big one… they taste YUK! lol
Oh my gosh that’s crazy!
isn’t it? I was quite suprised!
SO WRONG!!! It’s just that that bit on the doco “Super Size Me” when they keep the Mcdonalds for ages and it still looks pristine, ew ew ew.
that movie was amazing – should be compulsory viewing for all children
Love it, great element, great post , cute pics! I’m glad you used that title because if I saw the pic without the title I would have thought you had gone bonkers too! Ps. we both have posts with life or death in them published in the last 2 days! 😉 xx
the big topics!!! 😉
Great post Sonia and a timely warning.
thanks for stopping by Annaleis! 🙂
We make all our fudge from scratch with fresh ingredients which also makes it gluten free. People ask why we suggest they store their fudge in the fridge and keep it out of the sun. That is because it is FRESH and not made from premixed powders with heaps of preservatives. We get lots of people come into our shop and say “I don’t like fudge” then taste ours and go WOW. Fresh Ingredients people!! Nothing like them.
I never new that people made fudge from powders!!! what the??? ewwww
im ashamed to admit i bought those cupcakes to send to school last year for the soon to be kinders & parents orientation day as i didn’t have time to bake real ones & i figured well its cheap and my kid isn’t eating it so why not 🙁 great post
i should also mention i do take the time to make real ones for Mr 6’s birthday to send into school just to redeem myself lol
oh don’t beat yourself up Linda, we all do what we can do!
Dear Natural New Age Mum,
You’re awesome! Thank you for blogging, it’s great to be reminded of things and have a community that is interested in their own health along with their childrens. Thank you, Thank you, thank you!
Aww thanks Di – you are too kind 🙂
It’s like the “bakery fresh’ Anzac Biscuits… scary they have messed up something so simple all in the name of shelf life and profit. These big supermarkets have a lot to answer for. It’s great that with social media the general public are waking up to all their dirty tricks and marketing. Keep up the great work NNAM! Love reading your blogs!
thanks Suzie… us mums are changing the world, one dodgy cupcake at a time!
This is so timely – I am organising my son’s class ‘Muffin Morning’ and we are trying to encourage all parents to provide fresh, healthy items for us to sell. Many of these ‘Cupcake’s of Death’ are showing their ugly heads at these muffin mornings. Now I have more ammunition as to why they are a bad choice!
awesome!! spread the word Christie!
Oh Sonia, that is truly horrifying! What a great post though, this should definitely be read by every person so they can make informed choices! And get into their aprons 😉
You can beat cooking at home!!
Holy freaking cannoli! I have seen those at kids parties! I just love that quote from Jude Blereau…she is my absolute food hero xxx
Isn’t she a gem?
I despise those things, I am also trying to educate my kids about any packaged biscuits etc, they all have too much extra unknown stuff! I know that my kids have more sugar than they need but having said that I also know that my two eat probably 90% less than most kids and I am talking about general run of the mill ‘healthy’ families, the ones who think a bit of juice or some prepackaged biscuit treats are OK for lunch and morning tea EVERY day. I bake cakes and slices to have as those treats and yes I know it takes a little bit of time but heck I can not put a price, dollars or time on my kids health. i am trying, little steps at a time.
BTW thanks for the post.
Rant over…sorry! and I by no means meant to offend anyone
sounds like you are doing great Kathy… every little bit helps and everyone is on a different stage of the health journey…!
Now THAT is really scary! x
It is just a bit hey?
love love love this post Sonia!
Thanks Mrs Veg – and thanks for the share xxxx
The irony being that all that crap that keeps the cupcake alive, is really doing the opposite to us.Bren.
It’s the price paid for convenience unfortunately!
Thanks Natural New Age Mum, love this & I think I should send a copy to my local council as they have just decided to ban any homemade cakes, cookies or cupcakes used for birthdays at kindergartens and are now making us use store brought products. This is mainly because of allergy risks with some kids (which I completely understand) but having seen your story & the ‘cupcake of death’ I’m wondering if we are now risking all our kids!
that is the craziest thing I have ever heard!!
Vanessa I was just gong to write the same thing! What can we do to make people understand that homemade from scratch is better?
We need to help the kids
It’s getting the word out there!! sharing info in a non judgemental way and educating people!
Vanessa, the need to protect allergic kids is important, but replacing it with this rubbish is obviously not okay! In that situation I would be sggesting some non-food solutions. My kids’ kindergartens had a fake cake, with real candles that they lit and everyone sang happy birthday. No-one expected to receive a piece of cake. (lol) Then often the parents would bring a small gifts for all the kids to take home. Pens, notepads, spinning tops… that sort of thing.
At my son’s specialist Autism school we sent in the ingredients for any party food and kids with severe allergies have a note sent home to inform parents that there is going to be a party and could they please provide suitable food. It is, I admit, easier with only 6 kids in the class.
It really make you wonder what they do to your insides, doesn’t it!! Great post
thanks Jennifer!
Woah, slightly terrifying! Great post, and excellent Jude Blereau quote to end on too.
thanks Kristen… Jude is a goddess!
Ok this is scary. Nothing will ever beat homemade cupcakes where REAL ingredients are used.
Thanks for sharing this info!
real food rocks! thanks for stopping by Cassie!
I hate to ruin a good story… but this is bad science. The cake didn’t get moldy because it was dehydrated under the hot lights. No moisture = no mold. Same with the McDonalds burger. If they did the same thing with a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder, they’d find it would grow mold… because it would take longer to dehydrate.
Not that I would buy these cakes in a (naturally coloured) pink fit. I wouldn’t. I avoid additives due to the effect they have proven to have on my kids and on me (once you start looking!!) I fully support the sentiment and idea behind all of this. But it’s wrong that preservatives are being blamed, when in fact it would have been the environment. IF these cakes had been kept in a closed container, they would have (eventually) gone moldy.
Peace and love. 🙂
thanks Pip… science was never my strong point!! lol 😀
I did the same – had a rushed planned bday party – bought the mini muffin ones from woollies – left a couple in the cupboard – and forgot about them – a couple of weeks later found them fallen down the back and no mould – knew something was wron with them then!!
I always try to home make “from scratch” as much as possible. Always tastes better. I have often wondered about those cupcakes and you have now confirmed my ponderings. Yuk!!!
My son has Autism and reacts badly to Artificial Additives. With his sensory issues this makes shopping for food, especially for lunchboxes, very tricky. If you find yourself stuck for time to make things from scratch (as I am ALWAYS with a high needs child) I saw a great idea on a blog where you keep jars and bottles with lids then make up the dry ingredients for you favourite cakes/muffins in bulk then bottle them in 1 cake lots. Pop a label on them for the wet ingredients you need to add and they take no more time than a packet mix to bake. Do a standard butter cake recipe and you can just add whatever flavourings take you fancy at the time (berries, coco, dried fruit etc).
That’s a great idea Julia and a makes it more manageable I’m sure. My daughter has sensory issues too so when I found something that she was okay with I’d want to stick with that. Time is always a factor.
Wow that is sadly incredible and a great reminder. They are made to look bright and inviting but that’s where it ends. Finding time to bake is an issue but it feels so good to have home baking in the house. Not to mention the delicious smell. Thanks for the great post.
If we ever need to bunker in for armeggedon, I’ll know what to grab at the supermarket. I’ll stop by McDonald’s for a cheeseburger on my way into the bunker. x
and a cupcake from Coles!
Very interesting post. I sell cakes to shops in town, made with my grandmother’s recipe(real butter and so on). Recently one of the shop owners complained that my cakes were going off in 8 days. My husband told them that real food/cakes are supposed to go off in about this time.
I find so sad how people don’t know anymore what real food is like.
That is crazy!! I would be happy to have your cakes!!
I took photos of a big mac and a cheese burger over 6 months with a school group. Had to through the burgers away as the smell was really bad – but they still looked fine and some kids still wanted to eat them. If you plan on doing this – don’t keep them in a container – make sure the smell can’t be trapped.
*throw not through sorry
eeeewwwwww!!!
I have to say its the smell that puts me off the experiment! Even bought cupcakes have an awful plasticky smell!
Would love to do a time lapse of a bought cupcake sitting on a shelf next to a home made cupcake and see how long it takes to spot the ‘fake’ one.
Hi, these cupcakes are a great example as to why a lot of the processed foods are so bad for us. I have been doing a lot of reading about additives and preservatives over the last couple of months and I have been amazed and disgusted at what goes into our food. I read last night that some brands of ice cream has car anti freeze in them. Fresh is best and the sooner people realise that and stop buying this crap the better they will feel. If there is no demand for it then the supermarkets will stop stocking it 🙂
I completely agree with you Robyn!
We once travelled back from the UK and the kids got lunch boxes. One of my kids kept the lunch box without us knowing and there was a bread roll in it. We found it a long time after (at least a year), it was hard but no mould! Very scary!
whoah that is so gross !!!
Yikes!! What the heck is in those things!
The funniest bit though – I saw these for the first time today when someone offered me one for afternoon tea.
A colleague at work bought these same cupcakes over a year ago and has been taking photos regularly. They look the same now as they did over a year ago!!! I keep telling people – that’s not food!
ewwww yucky!! you might be able to send me a piccy and how old they are?