RIP Hand Mixer

It must have been karma... I was thinking just the other night, about how many great memories I have had with my hand mixer. Silly as it seems, my little Hamilton Beach Bowl Rest Model has helped me create all of the cakes and cupcakes that have led me to this point. I bought it right before I moved into my first JMU apartment in 2007. If my math serves me correctly, it's mixed over thousands of cupcakes, close to 50 different tiers, and at least 100 batches of buttercream frosting. That's a lot for its tiny motor!


It was Thursday night that the motor stopped, the night before a wedding cake was due. Luckily there's a spare in our apartment here, but if you think that creating 7 tiers of cake with a hand mixer is hard, this "other mixer" sure didn't help. It only has one speed: turbo. Adding confectioners sugar turn after turn for the buttercream was a nightmare. I was covered by the time I stopped. It also makes a very audible screeching noise when it's turned on. It was a recipe for a headache to say the least.


My combination of upcoming cake events, a hefty tax return check, and a childhood dream led me right into the doors of Williams Sonoma this afternoon. I hoped to do some price comparing, a bit of note taking... I never thought I'd come out the proud owner of my very own KitchenAid! It's a "Professional 610 model" in Nickel Pearl, with a bowl lift. You should hear the motor on this thing! The best part is, I got a great deal AND a rebate for a free ice cream maker attachment. Anyone who's interested in coming by this spring/summer for sundaes, just let me know. My hand mixer will certainly be missed, but this is one professional step I am happy I've taken. Bring on the double batches!

Cayce and Kyle's Wedding

Now that the marathon month is coming to a close, I have time to add a few snapshots from Cayce and Kyle's wedding! Cayce is someone who heard about me from a friend, and after finding out how many people we knew in common, I'm surprised our paths haven't crossed sooner! She was so much fun to work with, and her flexibility made the 250 cupcakes for her wedding a breeze. From a drop off tasting, they narrowed her flavors down to the following:

Chocolate with espresso chip frosting





Almond with vanilla buttercream





lemon with a raspberry filling and buttercream (my favorite!)





Their wedding was held at one of my favorite places in Harrisonburg, Cross Keys Vineyard. I was the most excited because I was able to try out my new cupcake stand. Thanks Cayce and Kyle for giving me such a fun project!

The Week of 100 Cupcakes

A busy week indeed! It might have been easier to spread out three occasions such as these... but to be honest there is something relaxing about a day in the kitchen turning over batch after batch of cupcakes. I'm so thankful to have three great women who will give me this excuse!








Occasion #1: Cayce's tasting for her April wedding. The decision is still unmade, so we'll just have to wait until next month for the final product photo! After many emails and choices, we finally settled on four flavors to be passed off via her fiance when he came to the city for business.












Occasion #2: Megan's friend's baby shower. Again, another detailed set of plans, but the perfect excuse to drive home to Botetourt for the weekend. These were inspired by an online picture, but adapted to the colors of the shower. It was bright, and whimsical and so much fun to create.













Occasion #3: Kristina's friend's wedding shower. Half of this batch came from a previous topper idea (the chocolate hearts) and the other half was new and modern. The new monogram of "F" was done with fondant buttons in a sophisticated purple and gold, the shower's theme colors.







It's weeks like this that make things interesting, and give me the excitement to try new things. All in all, a fantastic precursor to the busy cake month ahead.

Super Bowl XLV

I love pot luck events, and parties where everyone knows we'll be doing some "serious eating." Although these are the ones where it's the most fun to bring our own creations, I sometimes run out of time and show up with something sub-par. Luckily I had plenty of time to prepare for this one! Also, my group of friends from JMU that throw these events always go full speed ahead. It motivates me to step up my game as well.


This year for the superbowl I came up with plenty of ideas, some that involved bright green, yellow, or black frostings, some that were clever and "100 yard field" related, but I went with a more sophisticated approach. If nothing else, they spared us all a green or black smile from the food coloring.

The Steelers cupcakes were called "Pittsburgh Peanut Butter" and were made with a fudgy chocolate chip cake and a peanut butter frosting.



The Packers cupcakes were a lemon cake with a tangy lime cream cheese frosting, appropriately dubbed, "Citrus and Cream Cheese-Head" cupcakes.



All in all, they were a big hit and I came home with two empty plates.

TOUCHDOWN!

Snow Day Cookies

Wow, it's been a while! I realized that although I have a lot on the horizon, I've taken my sweet time throughout the holidays, and not a single post has resulted. As I get more excited for the two weddings, and two baby showers in the next few months, I've been brainstorming ways to jumpstart my cake creativity again. The juices are flowing, I just need a few extra days to devote to it. I was given the gift of time today on my icy day off and I decided to use up some store-bought sugar cookie dough. It is always a bit too doughy, even after adding flour, so the snowflakes are more of an abstract form. Also, my royal icing was runnier than I hoped so please excuse the lack of detail. Hopefully something so simple, even store-bought cookie dough, can get me going during this cold weather!

To each his own!

This cake was one of the funniest cakes to make. It was even funnier to explain! A good friend Robyn asked me to make a cake for her boss who had taken a new job. It was filled with inside jokes, nick names, and key phrases from her "dutch hammer" employer. The end result was a tasty vanilla cake with raspberry filling. Thanks for the occasion Robyn!!

I need your help!

Hi friends and cake lovers! I'm writing with a very big request. WEtv.com is running a contest from now until noon on October 8th. Contestants (that's me) can upload photos of cakes daily to be "rated" by other website viewers. The cake with the highest ranking at the end of the contest will win $2500! The contest allows for two runner ups, but let's face it... it's more fun to win first place!

Right now there are a few impressive cakes in the lead, but if I can get enough votes I can definitely win! If you have a moment to vote, please do. It is my understanding that you can "rank" cakes as often as you want!

To find my cakes search (on the right hand side of the page) for these titles:

Tasty Tree
Something Blue* (not borrowed)
One Sweet Lime
Madison Project
Zebra Print
Birthday in the Sky
King of the Jungle


They will each be added daily (one entry per day, they say) so start at the top, and work your way down if you are searching.



THANK YOU EVERYONE!

http://www.wetv.com/amazing-wedding-cakes-contest/

Melissa and Clayton: "The Party of the Year"

What a night! I love attending the events for which my cake is created. It makes the connection between the cake and the client so much more meaningful. Melissa and Clayton's wedding was an absolute BLAST! Everyone in attendance cut loose, and it was clear that we all shared and supported the love they both showed for each other. Melissa looked beautiful and they put on quite a show. I feel proud to check this event off my list, but I'm a bit sad that it's come and gone! Luckily I'll be able to keep Melissa and Clayton in my life as friends. I hope every couple is this enjoyable to work with!

The baby shower cake fit for a king

I've found with cake making that it's "once a client, always a client." I really enjoy making second and third cakes for the same people. One of my best friends growing up threw a baby shower for her older sister, and her mom and her thought to call me for the cake. I love baby showers because they have such fun themes. The possibilities are endless! Clearly, this shower had a jungle theme.

A big weekend coming up!

Melissa and Clayton's wedding is this weekend. This is a cake I've been looking forward to for almost a year now. Melissa is a friend who, like many others, have trusted me to make their cake as a friend first and a vendor second. I have loved the chance to build my business alongside Melissa and Clayton (among many other friends) and I can't wait to see how the cake turns out. I will be attending the wedding as guest as well as the cake maker and it means a lot to share in their special day in more than one way. Pictures of the cake will follow the weekend's celebration. As for now- let the baking begin for this 5 tier creation!!