Mario Birthday

I was asked by a coworker to create some cupcakes for her non-dessert eating boyfriend.  She told me, "He doesn't really like sweet things, but he loves Mario and Taco Bell... can you help?" After a few google searches I had the perfect idea. Unfortunately, it didn't involve Mario visiting a Taco Bell, but the outcome was fun and colorful none-the-less.  I heard he ate the whole cupcake and even liked it! Bonus points for me.

This last little guy was a surprise for his mom since it was a celebration of birthdays and mother's day.  So cute :)

Chocolate Wedding Cake

I can't get enough of this rose cake, and it seems like I'm not alone! I was so excited when my most recent bride Leah mentioned it at her tasting. I also have another excuse to use this design in August for a friend's wedding. Leah and her new husband Jimmy were so fun to meet with back in February, and I've looked forward to her wedding ever since. They were married at the Top of the Town in Arlington, which has the most incredible views of DC. It was definitely worth the ride to the 14th floor, cake in hands.

They only needed a small cake to cut into, and they went straight for the fudgy chocolate. I loved the way the textures can be seen... it's a very dainty cake at 2 tiers, but it has a lot to say!

The time has come... cake pops!

I was told by a colleague at school that I should give up trying cake pops. "They're already popular. They'll come and go," she said. "You need to find something that nobody has heard of yet and make it big."

I listened to her for a little bit, sticking to my comfort zone of cupcakes and fondant. It was last month for my birthday though, that my mind was changed. My (soon-to-be) sister in law sent me a kit for cake pops. If you know anything about me, I LOVE kits! It included the ingredients, the foam block, sticks, and even a how-to book with tons of pictures. It was time... cake pop time.

I kept the decor simple for round one and focused on the inside. We "accidentally" bought too many girl scout cookies this year, (I can't say no to the families of first graders when they're selling things). I ran a box of the Savannah Smiles through a food processor and mixed them in with the lemon cake, and raspberry buttercream. The result, needless to say, was quite tasty.

Here's my close up account of cake pop test #1!


You'll need a few things first: Candy Melts (from Michaels/AC Moore, Etc.) and some fun embellishments, such as sprinkles or dragees.




You'll also need the craft supplies for stability: Candy Sticks and a foam block.




Here are my ingredients: One box of cake mix, prepared according to package, 1 batch of buttercream frosting (in this case, raspberry), 1 box of crushed Savannah Smiles, just for fun.




Now that you've gathered the ingredients, it's time for step 1: smush it all together! This is the fun part. Use your hands and get messy! When it's well blended, roll it up in plastic wrap and refrigerate until it's a bit firmer, about 1 hour.




Step 2: use a small scoop to roll the dough into balls. Once you've done this, refrigerate them for another 30 minutes.




Step 3: pre-poke holes in your foam so that you're not trying to jam a melty- ball of cake into it later. I alternated between 3 and 2 holes on each row to make room for all of the sticks.




Step 4: Dip the sticks into the melted candy coating and poke them into the cake. Give them time to set and harden. This will ensure that the stick will stay put when there is more weight on top.





Step 5: Dip the cake balls into the candy melt, sprinkle them while they're still wet, place them on the block to dry.




Voila! Cake Pops!

New supplies for Cakes by Casey

In the past week or two I've had a great time "expanding the business." I made a list of all the things I might like to have to be more organized, or more successful, and went to the internet to make it happen. Thanks to several sites such as Zazzle and Vistaprint I now have a few new fun things!

Here are some of my new finds-


Pink Boxes!







Box Labels


And finally... Flavor Lists and Pricing Guides!







Feel free to contact me for copies of either. I have digital versions as well as hard copies that can be mailed.

Enjoy!

Onesie Cupcakes... Thanks Pinterest!

I've been waiting to post this until I gave away my last "batch" of onesie cupcakes. I sent a box to my soon-to-be Sister In-Law who is expecting her first baby this spring, and rolled up a second set for a close high school friend's shower this past weekend.

As much as I'd love to take credit for these sweet creations, it was no doubt a pinterest find that inspired me. I think I've found my newest baby shower gift for all of my friends that will be needing fun baby clothes in the future!






Check out the tutorial here.

Enjoy!

Wedding Shower Cupcakes

I'm so excited about this event because it not only gave me the chance to reconnect with a JMU friend Dara (sister of the bride for whom this was held, and bridesmaid), but it also gave her sister Taryn a reason to contact me about a groom's cake! I love it when I can make something for the same client/family twice!

These cupcakes were modeled after some that we had both eyed on pinterest, but after a few tweaks they took on their own personality. They were fluffy and romantic, and perfect for a girly afternoon.

Flavors pictured: Lemon cake with raspberry buttercream, and yellow cake with whippy vanilla frosting.

Kayla and Joey's Wedding Weekend

I can't think of anything more romantic than a Valentine's weekend wedding. Kayla and Joey are the sweetest couple with so many great ideas. I really enjoyed getting pictures from them with ideas throughout the cake process, and for each decision they were so laid back. It was a perfect team to have as clients! After 180 regular cupcakes, and 180 mini cupcakes for each guest (cool idea!) their wedding dessert was complete.






Cupcakes for the happy couple!






Featured Flavors:
Yellow Cake with a light chocolate buttercream
Funfetti Cake with a whippy vanilla frosting
Red Velvet Cake with a cream cheese buttercream

Super Bowl and Valentine's Day

...two of my favorite holidays! The Super Bowl doesn't technically count as a holiday, but when food and friends are involved, (and the Patriots!) it's as good as any. This year I took a particular liking to Super Bowl Sunday since I'm a Pats fan. I was tempted to make the Giants cookies uglier so nobody would eat them, but that wouldn't have been fair. It also would have made me look bad.

Although the Patriots didn't take home the trophy, the old fashioned sugar cookies did ok.





And then there's Valentine's Day. I've always enjoyed the decorations, and colors of Valentine's Day, although I'll agree that it can be a bit over the top. Now with the help of my first graders, and all of the fun weddings in my life, I've had many excuses to create heart shaped treats! These were for Kristina's birthday weekend in Harrisonburg. We ambushed her on the 12th and drove her to one of the happiest places.

I'm the luckiest!

A quick blog post to show off some of my new baking stuff!

I'm so lucky to have friends and cake eaters that think of me when they see fun cake and kitchen things!

This apron came from the fabulous bride, Bonnie from before the New Year. She was so sweet to include it in a thank you card. The pictures of them eating my cupcakes at their wedding would have been thanks enough!




And these earrings, perfect for a first grade teacher and baker deluxe :)
They were dropped off by my dear friend Zoe's mom as a Christmas gift. (They're 100% inedible.) Thanks McDowell family!

Back, and ready for 2012!

After a holiday hiatus, filled with tons of baking, and not enough pictures (I never remember my camera,) I'm ready to kick off 2012 with a bang!

The exciting news of my own engagement has gotten me thinking about cakes in a new way. Now it's not just, "what can I do?" but rather, "What do I want??" There are so many possibilities. I'm excited for the perspective that the other side will offer to my business smarts. Tastings, here we come!!

I ended 2011 with the beautiful wedding of Bonnie and Shane. They did a lot of planning for their wedding from out of town, so I feel honored to have sat down with them for the planning and tasting. Their venue was beautiful and for a Dec. 30th wedding, they were pretty darn lucky to have 50 degree weather. Who could ask for a better wedding day?





I was able to create a cupcake display using some of my pedestal collection. Although the provided table was round and didn't fit their vision exactly, we made do, and the result was festive and abundant! Happy wedding to Bonnie and Shane, and Happy New Year to everyone else!





Featured Flavors:
Chocolate Chunk with Peanut Butter Frosting
Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Buttercream
The growing classic, Coconut with Lime Cream Cheese Buttercream