Betty Crocker, upgraded

Move over, Betty Crocker! Martha Stewart types who want to wow their friends and family with delectable baked goodies fresh from their own ovens can now whip up a batch of Sprinkles Cupcakes—the trendy Beverly Hills cupcakes made famous by such celebs as the cast of Desperate Housewives and Oprah Winfrey—from a prepared mix. Available in red velvet, dark chocolate, vanilla and lemon, Sprinkles Cupcake Mixes are made from the highest quality ingredients, including Callebaut cocoa and Nielsen-Massey vanilla. Kits come complete with Sprinkles’ signature ‘Modern Dots’ decorations and a recipe for frosting. Packaged canisters retail at USD 14 and can be purchased via sprinklescupcakes.com or from Williams-Sonoma. Each yields about a dozen cupcakes. While new Sprinkles Cupcakes locations are slated to open in several major cities across the country, the mix product provides customers across the US with a chance to literally get a taste of what the hype is all about. More than that, the concept is another shining example of one of our favourite mantras: everything can be upgraded! If customers are willing to spend top dollar for haute cupcake batter, enterprising food & beverage manufacturers should be asking what else can be upgraded with similar sophistication. Spotted by: Susanna Haynie