Robicelli Matt - Robicellis: a love story, with cupcakes: with 50 decidedly grown-up recipes

Preface

Thank you for opening this cookbook! I know there are many, many people out there thinking, Ugh. This is just what America needsanother fucking cupcake cookbook, so honestly, just getting you to the opening page is a great start. I mean, you could be reading any cookbook right now: Jacques Ppins Techniques, Guy Fieris Slamma Jamma Porkorama, 101 Jell-O Shots for Passover. Yet here you are with us, and thats incredibly special. Welcome! Your presence is appreciated!

As the title suggests, this book is about more than just recipes. Robicellis is far more than just a brandits the name of the family Matt and I started the night we met and fell in love. And because right now, as you and I are entering into a relationship of sorts where I talk and you listen, it seems only right that I give you a quick primer before you metaphorically jump into bed with us. Unless you made it through the Jell-O shot book first, in which case youre free to take off your pants and meet us in whatever damn chapter youd like.

The first thing you need to know is that our life is about so much more than cupcakes, and so is this book. As much as were writing this to teach you how to make our world-famous buttercream or to answer questions like how do I select a good wine for baking? were also here to tell you about other things weve learned along the way: what its like to be a struggling mom-and-pop business in the worst economy since the Great Depression, how to keep your sanity when hitting rock bottom, why you should keep at least one emergency cupcake in your home at all times, or why we named a collection of cupcakes after The Golden Girls (hint: because its the greatest television show in human history and so tremendously awesome that I dont understand why my eyes dont literally melt when I watch it). Okay, maybe that was more of a straight answer than a hint, but lets be honest herethe answer was totally obvious. Not like all the questions Im going to be posing later, such as what the different types of butter and cocoa powder are. The answers to those questions are going to shake the very fiber of your being.

Second thing you need to know is that weve both spent just about our entire lives in Brooklyn, meaning that yes, there will be plenty of foul language in this book. Four-letter words, seven-letter wordswere also planning to make up some brand-spanking-new ones just for this book because this is kinda a big deal for us. While there are people out there who may take issue with the cursing, I need to remind you that this is pretty much a cornerstone of our native tongue. I could argue that I find it just as offensive when people butcher the English language by saying things like yall, arsle, hella, or Kardashian. If it wasnt for curse words and grandiose hand gestures, I dont know if Brooklynites would even be able to communicate. In fact, I had requested that holograms of me making dramatic hand gestures be included in the book, but my publisher said it was too expensive, which is total fucking bullshit.

Matt says: You cant put a price on awesome, motherfuckers!

And finally, know that we love you. Yes, you. Some of you are just discovering us; many dont know our full story except for the fact that were two of the most lauded cupcake bakers in the country. None of this happened overnight, none of it was easy, and none of it would have happened if it wasnt for people just like you supporting us. Weve had only one dream in our lives, and that was to make millions of people happy. If you make one or two of our recipes, share them with friends, help us make more people smile, then we love you for it. Thank you.

So, welcome to this book. Robicellis: A Love Story, with Cupcakes is more than just, well, a love story with cupcakes. Its a recession survival story. Its about being as brave as you can when life throws its worst at you, and coming out on top. Its about challenging yourself, laughing at yourself, making mistakes and forgiving yourself for them. Its falling on your face over and over again and not letting that stop you. Its about never giving up on what you love, no matter how bad things seem to get.

And in between all that, its about cupcakes. And yes, they are ridiculously delicious.