Pumpkins!

Fall is the best. The weather is great, the flavors are fragrant, and I find myself in the kitchen again.




A friend from school had a few of us over for a pumpkinpalooza where we tasted everything pumpkin! I tried a recipe from my new favorite website, pinterest. It seemed too easy to be true but the results weren't terrible. 1 can of pumpkin and 1 box of yellow cake mix. That's it! It was more like a bread than a cupcake, but with some cinnamon cream cheese frosting it was edible.





Later this month, Jared had a function for work that required him to bring "something." (Thanks for the details, Jared!) We decided to test out the cookie cutters. Can't go wrong with a pumpkin cookie.






Finally, after failing to resist a sale at Target, I came home with a giant cookie pan to try... candy corn! It's my favorite Halloween symbol so I couldn't wait to bake it up. Tough to tell in the pictures, but it's bigger than most of my pedestals.





Happy Halloween!

A very Irish Wedding

After a long year of planning, BJ and Angel's wedding finally took place over Labor Day Weekend. Luckily, the MOB is a coworker from school so they were all very understanding of the busy timing... it was the weekend before the first day of school.

Being of Irish heritage myself, I really enjoyed the ideas they both brought to this cake. They showed me a picture for guidance, but added lots of their own decorative touches, all Irish!

The picture displayed were taken before the florist arrived to place the final flowers. I am excitedly awaiting pictures of the finished product, so this will have to serve as evidence until then.

The cake was a white brides cake with a cherry, white chocolate mousse filling. The topper was a Claddagh symbol, the border was a Celtic Knot, and the fondant drape color was appropriately named "clover." After a rainy day delivery, the cake was displayed and eaten up at a very beautiful ceremony.

60th Bday at the Beach

When I was babysitting for two sweet boys this summer their mom, Trish asked if I could make something for her Mother-in-Law's 60th birthday. They traveled to the beach with the family to celebrate, so I knew it needed to be something classy and beachy. Thanks Trish for giving me the freedom on this one! I had a great time using my new starfish cookie cutter.







Pictured: Chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream, Vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream

(Doesn't get much more pure than that!)

Mini Cupcakes

Just for fun!




And of course the stand I found antiquing.

A Circus for Baby Hammarback

When I was home for the weekend I had the chance to bake and deliver these cupcakes for a baby shower. I can't thank Julie enough for calling me to help out. Her ideas and decor (not to mention an adorable invitation!) made the Circus theme over the top, in the best way. She had a favorite recipe, so we stuck with it for all 40 cupcakes. 15 were decorated like popcorn tubs, made out of mini marshmallows. The rest of the cupcakes were topped with my very first purchase from etsy.com, a vendor called Tickled Plum.

Enjoy!

Showcasing a New Cake Stand

If I'm out and about I can't help myself when I see a cake pedestal for sale. Sometimes they're discounted at Sur La Table, or hidden in a thrift or antique shop. I've managed to gather quite a collection in varying colors, shapes, and sizes that are proudly displayed in my kitchen. I was in Homegoods the other evening, and this one caught my eye. It goes well with my cream colors as well as the metallics/silvers.

I had my eye on a cake from one of my favorite blogs that I was excited to recreate. As soon as I saw this pedestal, I thought of my cake.

Despite the homemade look (brought to you by the red plate) I was very pleased with the pairing of the two.





Pictured: Vanilla wedding cake recipe with vanilla buttercream.
Tip Used: Large Star Tip

Just another "business expense..."

Going into Williams-Sonoma with no specific need is never a good idea for me. Need I remind you of the last time that happened? Fortunately, my very first class of first graders surprised me with a gift card at the end of the year to WS itself. How did I get so lucky to have a class full of kiddos that knew my interests that well??

On this particular day I was on the hunt for gold sanding sugar. I had told myself, "I'll either save this gift card for small items only, or if I REALLY like something, I'll let myself spend the whole card on my trip today." Of course, the sugar was front row center and on sale for $1.99. That can't possibly count as my purchase! As I made my way around the store I searched high and low for any other gadgets I couldn't live without. Finally, I found the one item I knew I had to own... a heavy duty, silicone rolling pin. It was as if it jumped out into my sore hands. Sore from rolling pounds of fondant with my French, tapered, wooden pin. I refused to use anything else up until this point since it was a family pin, passed down at least from my mom, (that makes it special, right?)



At least for heavy duty rolling, I decided I could make an exception.

It's not in my nature to waste a pound of fondant just for rolling, but it won't be long until I can't wait to use my pin any longer! Be on the lookout for that experiment, pictures to follow.

Anne Merrin and Everette's Wedding

I'm happy to announce that I have another pleasant wedding experience under my belt. Anne Merrin has such a descriptive way of seeing things, and she was able to offer me a lot of her vision as we planned for her wedding. We certainly had a few setbacks along the way. That's bound to happen when most of the communication is done online, and the wedding is so far out of town. That being said, it all went very smoothly on the day-of. I'm excited to enjoy this couple as they enjoy their married life!

Pictured: 5 tier cake with fondant drape and stargazer lilies.
Flavors: Chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream and White cake with lemon curd and lemon cream cheese frosting

Cocktail Cupcakes

It was brought to my attention recently that I rarely "cut loose" with flavors. It's true, I have recently stayed close to a few of my favorites. Now is the time to try a few new things though since I'm in between projects. Seeing as it is summertime, and I (like many girls) love fruity drinks, I modeled my latest batch after some of my favorite cocktails. They were almost as good as sipping the real thing out on my porch during the summer evenings.


In Order: Margarita, Pink Champagne, Peach Bellini

Let's play PLINKO

As I've mentioned, I LOVE the chance to take an idea and run with it. When Kait reached out to me a few months ago with a request for a friend's bridal shower I couldn't say no. Her friend just so happens to love "The Price is Right," and I immediately thought of the lifelong favorite- plinko. The cupcakes were fun, but the display was even more so! I was so excited with the result.

Thanks Kait for another fun chance at creativity!

Jen and Josh Get Married!

One week ago Jen married Josh in the town we had in common- Harrisonburg, VA. It was so fun to revisit some of my favorite places while delivering and setting up for her reception. The stand was originally created with her vision in mind, but it was tested out in April for another wedding. I was excited to accessorize it with her and Josh's colors as the final product finally came together. Jen was a fantastic bride, and it was so calming to work with her as she graciously picked her cupcakes, and finalized details.

Flavor lineup:
Coconut cake with lime buttercream
Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting
Chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream

Girl's Getaway with Class

One of my FAVORITE friends/clients asked me to come up with something fun for a girls' getaway she had planned. Nothing makes me happier than the power to create cupcakes with no specific plans. I love having a picture to model or an idea to go off of, but for this occasion Lynn said, "I trust you! Do something fun!" What a treat.

Pearl necklaces immediately came to mind as I was brainstorming. I saw a similar technique on a cookie a few years back, and I've been waiting to try it out. They were my ever-popular lemon with raspberry buttercream, and the fondant coin on top made an easy decorating surface.






The second thing I couldn't resist was something in tiffany-blue. I pulled out my one and only jewelry box to get the shade just right, and added a bow on top. What girly-girl doesn't love bows and jewelry??

My other fun experiment on this batch was my new cupcake pan. I found it at IKEA a few months ago- leave it to the sweedish to bring us a funky shaped cupcake. They even sell their own papers to go with them. I had a great time filling these chocolate fudge cakes and topping them off. I think the pans will definitely have to be used again.

Jamie and Nick's Wedding

Two weeks ago one of my best friends from childhood got married. I was lucky enough to represent her in the wedding as well as create her cake for her. It was a challenge that definitely pushed my limits, but the memory of her weekend made it all worth it. I felt so excited to see Jamie plan and execute such a successful wedding to her perfect other half! Jamie loves all things old fashioned, which explains the "Gone with the Wind" cake topper and elegant scrolls on the side of her cake. She also loves doing things with Nick that he enjoys, such as rock climbing. This is why she asked me to make a groom's cake for him that represented that. It was so much fun to create both because I knew how well-planned each of her ideas were. It was a weekend that I'm proud to show off here, and I know I'll remember it for a long time!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to everyone! I just had to try out the new mixer and sugar cookies seemed like the perfect way to do that. My mom taught me how to use royal icing at a young age when we made our own Easter Cookies. I hope I'm making her proud today in my own kitchen. Have a warm and happy day today and enjoy!