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!

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.