Candace Nelson Adds a Sprinkle of Flavor to Home Kitchens with The Sprinkles Baking Book

Founder of America's first cupcake bakery shares 100 mouthwatering dessert recipes for home bakers

Waukegan, Ill (November 28, 2016)—In 2005, Candace Nelson took America by storm when she opened Sprinkles, the country's first cupcakes-only bakery. Now Nelson is prepared to take home kitchens by storm with her first cookbook, The Sprinkles Baking Book: 100 Secret Recipes from Candace's Kitchen (Grand Central Life & Style, October 2016).

The Sprinkles Baking Book delves into Nelson's personal recipe vault to share her very favorite sweet treats. In addition to sharing the secrets for her bakery's adored cupcakes, the book includes some of Nelson's treasured recipes for pies, quick breads, cookies and more.

"While Candace is known for her mastery of cupcakes, fewer home bakers may realize that she is an expert with all baked goods," said Beth Nielsen of Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Inc. "By sharing some of her personal favorite recipes, Candace uses The Sprinkles Baking Book to share a new piece of her life with us and broaden our understanding of her passion for baking".

One of the secrets Nelson shares with readers is her list of Sprinkles pantry essentials, which she notes are best when kept fresh and used often.

"When you bake everything from scratch, every ingredient is important," said Nelson. "We have used Nielsen-Massey Vanillas from day one at the bakery and I recommend it for at-home use as well. Many of my recipes rely upon a pure base flavor, and I know I can always expect the best pure vanilla flavor from Nielsen-Massey products".

Nelson's recipe for Cinnamon Sugar Cupcakes, below, is inspired by the donut muffins at a California bakery. The cupcake base - enhanced with Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Extract, cinnamon and nutmeg – is rolled in a cinnamon sugar topping, mimicking a classic cinnamon sugar donut.

Cinnamon Sugar Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
2/3 cup buttermilk, shaken
1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Extract
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 ½ tablespoons lightly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and vanilla.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, add the eggs one at a time, and beat until creamy, 1-2 minutes. Slowly add half the flour mixture, then the buttermilk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture, beating until just blended after each addition.

Divide the batter evenly among the liners and bake until the tops are just dry to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 21 to 23 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely.

Cinnamon Sugar Topping
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions
In a shallow bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the melted butter, turn them upside down, and roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, tilting them from side to side to cover as much of the top as possible. Invert and serve.

Excerpted from the book THE SPRINKLES BAKING BOOK by Candace Nelson. Copyright © 2016 by Candace Nelson. Reprinted with permission of Grand Central Life & Style. All rights reserved.

Cover art courtesy of Grand Central Life & Style.

About Candace Nelson and Sprinkles
Candace Nelson is the founder and pastry chef of Sprinkles Cupcakes, the world's first cupcake bakery. Started in Beverly Hills in 2005, Candace's sophisticated take on the classic American cupcake made Sprinkles an overnight bakery sensation. Candace's cupcakes, made from the best ingredients and baked fresh throughout the day, inspire long lines of devoted fans as well as accolades from the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Blake Lively, Katie Holmes, Ryan Seacrest and Barbra Streisand. Today, Sprinkles has 22 locations nationwide, a traveling Sprinklesmobile – the world's first cupcake truck, and sells its cupcake mixes at over 250 Williams-Sonoma stores throughout the U.S. and Canada. In 2012, Sprinkles debuted the world's first Cupcake ATM and continued its foray into classic American desserts with the launch of Sprinkles Ice Cream. Candace, a former investment banker, is a graduate of Tante Marie's Professional Pastry Program in San Francisco and Wesleyan University. Candace is a dedicated philanthropist, an angel supporter of Baby2Baby and a board member of LAXart.

About Grand Central Life & Style
Grand Central Life & Style, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group, aims to publish the most exciting and authoritative authors and brands in the lifestyle and wellness categories, including cooking, style, diet, fitness, self-help, and relationships. Learn more at www.hachettebookgroup.com

About Nielsen-Massey Vanillas
Throughout its more than 100 year history, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas has earned its reputation as a manufacturer of the finest extracts in the world. The full line of Nielsen-Massey's Pure Vanilla products include: Vanilla Beans and Extracts from Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico; sugar and alcohol-free Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Powder; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar, Alcohol Free Madagascar Pure Vanilla, Organic Fairtrade Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract and Organic Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Beans.

Nielsen-Massey Vanillas also offers a full line of Pure Flavors: Pure Chocolate Extract, Pure Almond Extract, Pure Orange Extract, Pure Lemon Extract, Pure Coffee Extract, Pure Peppermint Extract, Orange Blossom Water and Rose Water. All Nielsen-Massey products are All-Natural, Allergen-Free, and certified Kosher and Gluten-Free. The company is headquartered in Waukegan, Illinois, with production facilities in Waukegan and Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.

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For more information about Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, contact: Stephie Predmore, stephie@wilksgrp.com, 708-434-5006