Very long week!

So, It's been a very long week! I'm just so happy to have so much to show for it.

This weekend I made a red velvet superman cake for a birthday...

Then a chocolate cherry chip baby shower cake for a very good friend of mine....
And lastly, 50 cupcake favors! (double chocolate chip, red velvet, and yellow)In addition... I also made 144 chocolate cherry chip cake balls which all sold within an hour.

So it was a very long week, but soooo worth it! It's weekends like this that remind me why I love doing what I do. Seeing how much happiness these cakes bring people is really what it's all about.

Cupcake class at ICE

Ok, so I took a cupcake class tonight with my aunt at ICE (Institute of Culinary Education). It was incredible! I have been on the hunt for a great yellow cake recipe and now I have finally found it! That alone was worth the price of the class. But then on top of it I finally learned how to make Swiss Meringue Buttercream! Not only did we have a great time, but we got to taste some great recipes.

Cake wise, we kinda stuck to the basics. We made a yellow cake and a double chocolate chip cake. Frosting wise, I went with stuff I have never tried before. I topped off the yellow cupcakes with a chocolate fudge frosting. Not too hard, but takes a little while to make. Then I went with a vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. I have never made SMB before, so I thought, why not? Well, now I know why not. Don't get me wrong... it tastes great! It's not as sweet as american butttercream... but it's a LOT more work!

My first attempt, I got scrambled eggs. OOPS. But after tasting the instructors raspberry SMB, I was determined. I wanted to make the raspberry one, but I was running out of time so I stuck to vanilla. I really like the fact that it's not as sweet and also, it's much lighter and fluffier. I think this weekend I have to go get a huge whisk and a small thermometer so I can try this again in my kitchen. Seriously worth the trouble!

The other cupcakes that I got to try, but didn't bring any home, were also incredible! There was a peanut butter cupcake with a chocolate truffle center and a carrot cake that most people paired with a cream cheese frosting. I am so glad I took this course and I am looking forward to taking another!

October 4th, 2009

So I decided to take advantage of the 3rd Ave. feast on Oct. 4th. I can't wait! The only thing I'm a little nervous about is all the cupcake competition in the area! Mine may be better, but how do I convince people to try them out with so many others around?

So my plan is to make some standard chocolate and golden and then focus on some specialty flavors. I plan on having lots of my PB&J's, red velvet, chocolate beer, a coconut, a chocolate cherry and I'm working on a strawberry. I can't wait! Save the date!!!!

I really hope to do as well in Bay Ridge as I did in Coney.

"Flea by the Sea" update:

Ok, so we already decided that we couldn't afford to continue selling our cupcakes down in Coney, but today we decided to take a ride down and see what vendors came back after the price increase. It was dead! I could not believe how empty it was. There were so many empty spots that several vendors that paid for the smaller spaces were able to spread out and take up two spaces. In total I think there were about 25 vendors!

To make matters worse, I was told by 2 vendors that last weekend the staff members passed out flyers with new lower prices for the month of August. When they showed up today to pay for the month they were told that those prices are not being honored and it's an additional $300+. Needless to say I don't think those vendors will be back either.

They are making a HUGE mistake. They may not be making much money on this, but think about it... if they manage to rent out both tents on both sides at a lower price, isn't that better than having only 20-something vendors total? It's simple logic.

So anyway, it was good for about a month. We did great while we were there, but now it's time to move on.

I think we will be participating in the 3rd Ave. fair on Oct. 4th. I'm really looking forward to that one!

New Stand Mixer!

For the past year or so I have been using a hand me down mixer that's probably as old as me, if not older. It was my aunt's mixer that we used for countless years to make all our cookies and other yummy treats. I always borrowed it when I had a lot to make, but I usually just used a whisk or a hand mixer. Then my aunt treated herself to a new one and passed old glory onto me. It was great, but lately started making lots of strange noises and it really sounded like it was on it's way out. It also developed had a mind of it's own and would just speed up for no reason. It sounded like a helicopter trying to take off.

So, my mom decided that it was time at last for me to have my own brand new KitchenAid stand mixer! She got me a 6qt and I LOVE it! I got it yesterday and I have already used it to make beer cupcakes, a red velvet cake, and some frosting. In a little while I will be using it again to make more frostings. I can't wait! It works great! LOVE IT!!!!!

It also came at a perfect time. The delivery date was scheduled for Friday, the 24th. I have 3 birthday cake orders for the 25th, so having it delivered early was perfect!!!

The rest of the weekend (July 18th&19th)

Canadian dude enjoying a chocolate Guinness cupcake!

Totally awesome little dude enjoying a chocolate cupcake!

Ok, so this past weekend was pretty much a failboat! I sold enough cupcakes to cover the cost of the booth rental as well as the ingredients, but made next to nothing for profits. And for this weekend I baked sooooo much more than usual because I'm so used to selling out by Saturday and not having the energy to re-bake for Sunday. I just can't believe how dead it was.

The worst part of it all is that it really starts to pick up at around 6pm and by 6:30 they're telling you to start packing up. I didn't go home with much, but going home with anything is a little disapointing.

So as it stands right now, we will not be at the FTBS anymore. It's just too expensive and the price just keeps going up. If it goes down again, then we'll see.

Banana Nut Cupcakes

Ok... decided to try out a new recipe. Banana Nut cupcakes!

I love banana nut, so I hope these are as delicious as they look!

I already tried one while it was still hot and I'm not quite sure if it's "cupcake" or "muffin", but it was delicious. As soon as it cools i'm going to top one with some cream cheese frosting and then judge it's "cupcake" quality.

10 minutes later....

Ok, they cooled enough to be frosted and eaten. I tried one with peanut butter frosting and one with cream cheese. They were both incredibly delicious, but slightly more muffin like. They are very moist, but dense. I guess my hunt continues for the perfect banana cupcake recipe.

BEER CUPCAKES!

I've been dying to try these and OMG did they come out amazing! They don't taste much like beer at all, but they are incredibly moist and chocolaty.

I was going to top these with a chocolate frosting, but since I had some beer left in the bottle (I halved the recipe) I decided to pour some into vanilla buttercream. I would like to try these again with chocolate stout I found at a local grocery store.

July 17th, 18th and 19th!

Ok, so I'm going back to Coney Island to sell some cupcakes! Some small changes may have to be made though.

As much as I LOVE doing this... I have not been making any money off it. I charge way too little for my cupcakes and at the end of the weekend I usually only break even. And that's not even factoring in the HOURS it takes me to bake over 200 cupcakes and whip up all the different frostings. So, as much as I don't want to, I may have to raise the price a little and cut back on other things that don't sell as much... like the chocolate chip cookies. Last week I spent over 12 hours just baking over a 2 day period, not to mention all the time in Coney Island selling them.

Now... I really don't want to raise the price of all my cupcakes, so I'm thinking about just raising the price of the red velvet. They take 3 times as long to prepare and the frosting is made with cream cheese. It's probably the most expensive cupcake I bake.

Last weekend in Coney I was able to sell out of my peanut butter and jelly cupcakes at $3 each. They're expensive, but they still don't even cost as much as the red velvets do to make. So I think from now on I will have to sell the red velvet as a "specialty" cupcake to try to compensate.

I really hope that everyone realizes that when you come down to Coney Island to buy my cupcakes they are never more than 12 hours old and all the frostings stay on ice in a cooler. It really can't get any fresher unless you eat it hot out of the oven!

4th of July!

Us!The "info" corner with the fake cupcakes I made out of plaster and Spackle!The PB&J cupcakes!Festive cuppies!"Independence Balls"

Had a GREAT time! Thank you so much to those of you who came down to show your support! Friday, July 3rd, we sold so much that I had to come home and bake a few more batches of cupcakes, a double batch of brownies and whip up more frostings! Saturday, we sold out of everything but the brownies (Guess I only needed a single batch).

Due to the increase in booth rental prices, I am not sure if we will be able to do this again. I was so happy to see how many people came back looking for us and how many people were told about us by other people.

4th of July weekend!

I am so excited! Tomorrow starts our weekend of selling cupcakes! I have been in the kitchen for just about 2 days straight, but it's worth it.

Cupcake choices:
Golden
Chocolate
Red Velvet
White

Frosting choices:
Vanilla buttercream
Chocolate buttercream
Cream cheese
Peanut Butter buttercream

*option of a grape jelly injection for a PB&J cupcake!

Other choices:
Brownies.. OMG these are to die for! Super thick, super fudgy... with chocolate chips!
Chocolate chip cookies... VERY soft!
Red Velvet cake ball truffles... Limited amount, and they go fast!

Come down to the Flea by the Sea and check us out!

Day 2 of the "Flea By The Sea"

Thank you so much to those of you who were able to make it down to Coney Island!

The "Flea by the Sea" was HUGE success! Had a great day on Saturday! Completely sold out of brownies and cupcakes and sold most of the cookies. Our biggest seller... red velvet with cream cheese frosting! We had one staff member come back about 5 times for more!

We also had an order of 21. The woman wanted 15 golden with chocolate frosting and 5 red velvet with cream cheese frosting for her daughters birthday party. Then her daughter wanted a chocolate to eat on the way home! Mike had to run to Dunkin Donuts for a box big enough and that wouldn't squish the frosting. I hope they survived the trip!

I really can't believe how many cupcakes we went through in the 2 days! It makes me happy when people can really enjoy what I love to do. One girl came back twice and said she can really taste the love that goes into the baking. I hope it's just a matter of time until I can open up my own shop.

4th of July Idea!

Ok... so thanks to Bakerella I just figured out how I'm going to spice up the 4th of July bake sale! Cake burgers and cookie fries! I've seen something like this before, but these are so simple to do that I just have to make them! LOVE the idea!

Still making regular cupcakes, brownies, cookies and cake pops... for those of you who don't like your food to look like other foods. lol

Oh... and an update on the dog treats...
Made another batch today using regular skippy peanut butter and it worked out great. I didn't need to add an egg this time. It even rolled better. So, I guess the type of peanut butter you use really has a lot to do with it. So, for those of you who like using all natural organic for your furry little friends... just keep in mind that you may have to add an egg.

I'm exhausted tonight, but tomorrow I will upload the pics of the doggie treats. You can see the difference in the dough. I even tasted it.. not bad, but not as peanut-buttery as it smells.

Recipe from BullWrinkle.com:

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth, I use smooth)
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375'F. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk, then add to dry ingredients and mix well. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Bake for 20 minutes on a greased baking sheet until lightly brown. Cool on a rack, then store in an airtight container. --- This is the original recipe, but I have found the cookies burn easily.

They said it burns easily... I found that a little tonight. The first time I made it with the egg I had no problems at all but this time they did seem to cook faster. Keep an eye on them. I set my timer for 15 minutes and them kept a close eye on them after that.

Flea By The Sea update....

So, we went back today to get a permit for this coming weekend... we were smart this time and made sure it would be valid for the full 14 days. I can't wait. I really hope it doesn't get rained out again.

This weekend we will have cookies and brownies again, all individually wrapped for convenience.

We will also have golden cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes and red velvet cupcakes.

Our frosting varieties will be vanilla buttercream, chocolate buttercream and cream cheese.

I wanted to make some cake balls, but we agreed to hold out until the 4th of July... so make sure to come on down!

Fathers Day Bake Sale!

Happy Fathers Day!

So, even though the festival got rained out yesterday we still got to sell some baked goods today! We set up in Mike's driveway, tent and all, and pretty much broke even. We sold out of cookies right away and ended up with only a few bags of brownies left. The golden cupcakes sold pretty fast, but we still had 4 left by the time we got rained out.

Had lots of fun though! Big thanks to Linda, Rob and Kristen for the help and support!!! <3

Tomorrow we are going to get the permit for next weekend and the 4th of July. Can't wait! I really hope this rain lets up soon.

Come Check Us Out!! This weekend!!!

Ok.. so I'm back to my old self again! I hate being sick, so glad it passed. Went to the doc and got a clean bill of health.

"Flea By The Sea", here we come!!!!! This means that over the next 2 days I will be baking my buns off! Pardon the bad pun. We will have a booth right off Stillwell Ave. on Saturday, June 20th. Gates open at 12 noon!

Anyway, tomorrow I will be baking a double batch of chocolate chip cookies as well as a double batch of fudge brownies. If I have time left over I will also start baking some cupcakes.

On the menu for this Saturday, June 20th:

Custom Cupcakes!!! Who doesn't love a good cupcake?!?!

Cupcake flavors:

Golden

Chocolate
Red Velvet

Frosting flavors:
Vanilla Buttercream
Chocolate Buttercream
Creamcheese

Pick your cake, then pick your frosting!

Chocolate Chip Cookies!!! Moist and chewy!

I <3> I may even top them with some fudge!!!! Chocolate overload!!!

*Also going on in Coney Island this Saturday:
Mermaid Parade, The Cyclone, Wonder Wheel, and other rides are open AND the Circus will be there! Come on down and enjoy Brooklyn! Rain or shine!

That's about it for this weekend. We will also be there for July 4th and our menu will include much more, like "Liberty Ball" cake pops and possibly Margarita cupcakes with a twist of lime! So come on down and enjoy a cupcake with your fireworks!

PB&J Cupcakes!

Ok, so after doing a lot of research on cupcakes... mostly peanut butter and jelly cupcakes.... I decided to try it for myself.

I used a white cake batter that was incredible! I only made enough for 7 cupcakes, so I hope when I try to make this in bulk they are just as tasty.

Fresh out of the oven!

Then they got a grape jelly injection

And I topped them with an incredible peanut butter frosting and grape jelly drizzle.

I am so happy with the way these came. I ran a few over to my friends house after Mike (the fiance) and I taste tested them ourselves. It was a hit! So excited!!!!

The white cake recipe was much more than I bargained for. I got it from AllRecipes.com and set it to only 8 servings. The measurements were a little screwy, calling for 1 1/4 egg whites. (I only used 1) and some odd amounts of sugar. It also called for vanilla extract and almond extract, but I left both out. I wanted it to be as pure as possible. This is what I got:

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup and 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour
• 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/4 egg whites (I used 1)
  
• 1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 3 tablespoons and 2-1/2 teaspoons butter
• 1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon milk (I poured a bit in slowly... don't think I used that much)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (Left out)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (Left out)
  

The frosting recipe I got from the How To Eat A Cupcake Blog It was seriously incredible! It wasn't an overwhelming peanut butter flavor. Mike compared it to peanut butter ice cream. It was light and fluffy.

Peanut Butter Frosting (this is the original recipe x1.5)

3/4 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons milk

Combine the peanut butter, butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer beat until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the confectioners sugar along with the milk, and beat until well combined.

My rating: Delicious!!!!
1-5 system... 1 being the worst... 5 being the best.

Cake flavor: 5
Mostness: 5
Frosting: 5

Cupcakes!

Ok, I will be working on this blog as often as possible. I would like to post up some recipes that I have as well as images of the cakes or cupcakes produced by them. I will also include a rating of some sort. I have lots of good frosting recipes too!