• FOOD
  • HOME
  • SELF
  • HEALTH
  • FAMILY

Natural New Age Mum

Happy. Healthy. Holistic.

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • About
    • Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions

The cupcake of death.

March 25, 2013 · 83 Comments

The cupcake of death

 

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.

the cup cake of death

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?

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

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!

The cupcake of death

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?

Jude Blereau Quote www.naturalnewagemum.com

 

 

vs250x250anim

 

 

Related

Sharing is caring!

2.0K shares
  • Share2.0K
  • Tweet
   

Filed In: HEALTH / Tagged: additives, cucpake, preservatives

Comments

  1. Philippa says

    March 25, 2013 at 11:35 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 25, 2013 at 11:37 am

      Yes, the McDonalds ones scare me too – but until you see it yourself, it’s quite unbelievable!

      Reply
      • Claire B says

        March 25, 2013 at 1:12 pm

        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.

        Reply
        • Natural New Age Mum says

          March 25, 2013 at 2:22 pm

          I would have done that, but silly me threw them out! duh!

  2. TrinaB says

    March 25, 2013 at 11:36 am

    Wow! That’s scary

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 25, 2013 at 11:37 am

      I thought so!!

      Reply
  3. Author Rebecca Mugridge says

    March 25, 2013 at 11:51 am

    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

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 25, 2013 at 11:53 am

      plus they taste like plastic with that fake icing!! ugggh!! yukkky

      Reply
  4. Kirri White says

    March 25, 2013 at 11:56 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Kristen says

      March 25, 2013 at 12:40 pm

      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 😉

      Reply
      • Natural New Age Mum says

        March 25, 2013 at 2:21 pm

        omg! straight from the undertaker’s mouth! I only recommend the cupcakes for display purposes!!! 😉

        Reply
      • Kirri White says

        March 25, 2013 at 2:42 pm

        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!”

        Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 25, 2013 at 2:21 pm

      that would not surprise me!

      Reply
    • Author Rebecca Mugridge says

      March 25, 2013 at 5:46 pm

      Kirri my mum was talking about that exact thing recently! Maybe she watched the same movie. Eeew

      Reply
    • Sandra says

      March 31, 2013 at 10:44 pm

      I wish my body would take less time to decompose while I am alive … LOL

      Reply
  5. Wende - Design-a-Cupcake Party says

    March 25, 2013 at 11:56 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 25, 2013 at 2:20 pm

      …and the big one… they taste YUK! lol

      Reply
  6. Bec says

    March 25, 2013 at 12:02 pm

    Oh my gosh that’s crazy!

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 25, 2013 at 2:20 pm

      isn’t it? I was quite suprised!

      Reply
  7. Lou says

    March 25, 2013 at 1:34 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 25, 2013 at 2:22 pm

      that movie was amazing – should be compulsory viewing for all children

      Reply
  8. Alisha says

    March 25, 2013 at 1:37 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 25, 2013 at 2:23 pm

      the big topics!!! 😉

      Reply
  9. Annaleis from Teapots and Tractors says

    March 25, 2013 at 2:36 pm

    Great post Sonia and a timely warning.

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 25, 2013 at 2:44 pm

      thanks for stopping by Annaleis! 🙂

      Reply
  10. Cathy Reeves says

    March 25, 2013 at 4:01 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 26, 2013 at 3:43 pm

      I never new that people made fudge from powders!!! what the??? ewwww

      Reply
  11. linda says

    March 25, 2013 at 4:12 pm

    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

    Reply
    • linda says

      March 25, 2013 at 4:14 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Natural New Age Mum says

        March 25, 2013 at 5:00 pm

        oh don’t beat yourself up Linda, we all do what we can do!

        Reply
      • Di says

        August 26, 2013 at 6:50 am

        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!

        Reply
        • Natural New Age Mum says

          August 26, 2013 at 4:32 pm

          Aww thanks Di – you are too kind 🙂

  12. Suzie says

    March 25, 2013 at 4:31 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 25, 2013 at 5:01 pm

      thanks Suzie… us mums are changing the world, one dodgy cupcake at a time!

      Reply
  13. Christie says

    March 25, 2013 at 4:54 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 25, 2013 at 5:01 pm

      awesome!! spread the word Christie!

      Reply
  14. Christie @ Fig & Cherry says

    March 25, 2013 at 6:38 pm

    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 😉

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 26, 2013 at 3:41 pm

      You can beat cooking at home!!

      Reply
  15. Kristin says

    March 25, 2013 at 6:46 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 26, 2013 at 3:41 pm

      Isn’t she a gem?

      Reply
  16. kathy says

    March 25, 2013 at 7:40 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 26, 2013 at 3:41 pm

      sounds like you are doing great Kathy… every little bit helps and everyone is on a different stage of the health journey…!

      Reply
  17. Sonia Life Love Hiccups says

    March 25, 2013 at 9:53 pm

    Now THAT is really scary! x

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 26, 2013 at 3:40 pm

      It is just a bit hey?

      Reply
  18. wendyblume says

    March 26, 2013 at 12:57 pm

    love love love this post Sonia!

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 26, 2013 at 3:39 pm

      Thanks Mrs Veg – and thanks for the share xxxx

      Reply
  19. Brenda Janschek says

    March 26, 2013 at 1:05 pm

    The irony being that all that crap that keeps the cupcake alive, is really doing the opposite to us.Bren.

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 26, 2013 at 3:39 pm

      It’s the price paid for convenience unfortunately!

      Reply
  20. Vanessa says

    March 26, 2013 at 1:56 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 26, 2013 at 3:39 pm

      that is the craziest thing I have ever heard!!

      Reply
    • Jacqui says

      March 26, 2013 at 5:05 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Natural New Age Mum says

        March 26, 2013 at 5:30 pm

        It’s getting the word out there!! sharing info in a non judgemental way and educating people!

        Reply
    • Pip says

      March 31, 2013 at 8:25 am

      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.

      Reply
    • Julia says

      April 1, 2013 at 8:58 am

      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.

      Reply
  21. Jennifer says

    March 26, 2013 at 5:56 pm

    It really make you wonder what they do to your insides, doesn’t it!! Great post

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 26, 2013 at 7:07 pm

      thanks Jennifer!

      Reply
  22. Kristen says

    March 27, 2013 at 5:06 pm

    Woah, slightly terrifying! Great post, and excellent Jude Blereau quote to end on too.

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 27, 2013 at 6:03 pm

      thanks Kristen… Jude is a goddess!

      Reply
  23. Cassie says

    March 29, 2013 at 12:54 pm

    Ok this is scary. Nothing will ever beat homemade cupcakes where REAL ingredients are used.
    Thanks for sharing this info!

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 29, 2013 at 5:42 pm

      real food rocks! thanks for stopping by Cassie!

      Reply
  24. Pip says

    March 31, 2013 at 8:21 am

    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. 🙂

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      March 31, 2013 at 12:10 pm

      thanks Pip… science was never my strong point!! lol 😀

      Reply
  25. Sharon says

    March 31, 2013 at 11:22 am

    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!!

    Reply
  26. Sandra says

    March 31, 2013 at 10:46 pm

    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!!!

    Reply
  27. Julia says

    April 1, 2013 at 8:54 am

    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).

    Reply
    • Christine Town-Treweek says

      April 6, 2013 at 7:11 am

      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.

      Reply
  28. Christine Town-Treweek says

    April 6, 2013 at 7:15 am

    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.

    Reply
  29. Maxabella says

    April 7, 2013 at 4:47 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      April 9, 2013 at 10:56 am

      and a cupcake from Coles!

      Reply
  30. Alice says

    June 1, 2013 at 12:20 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      June 1, 2013 at 7:20 pm

      That is crazy!! I would be happy to have your cakes!!

      Reply
  31. Mel Smith says

    June 1, 2013 at 8:13 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Mel Smith says

      June 1, 2013 at 8:15 am

      *throw not through sorry

      Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      June 1, 2013 at 7:19 pm

      eeeewwwwww!!!

      Reply
    • Denise says

      July 4, 2013 at 6:11 pm

      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.

      Reply
  32. Robyn says

    June 1, 2013 at 8:24 am

    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 🙂

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      June 1, 2013 at 7:18 pm

      I completely agree with you Robyn!

      Reply
  33. Julie says

    June 14, 2013 at 10:53 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      June 16, 2013 at 10:15 am

      whoah that is so gross !!!

      Reply
  34. Robyn (Modern Day Missus) says

    July 4, 2013 at 6:45 pm

    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.

    Reply
  35. Belinda says

    August 27, 2013 at 8:26 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Natural New Age Mum says

      August 28, 2013 at 11:34 am

      ewwww yucky!! you might be able to send me a piccy and how old they are?

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 30 Super Healthy Lunch Box Snacks | Natural New Age Mum says:
    January 21, 2014 at 3:02 pm

    […] Cake. Let them eat cake. Seriously. But don’t buy it, make it with whole […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I’M A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

PEOPLE I RECOMMEND

 

Search

Categories

  • FAMILY
  • FOOD
  • HEALTH
  • HOME
  • SELF

PRAISE

Archives

Copyright © Natural New Age Mum | Branding + Site by Robyn Birkin