Did you miss our newest addition?

FLOATING AROUND

This past Sunday, I introduced the newest cupcake to join our funny family here at Kate's KupCakes...the "Floating Around" cupcake. This is a delicious root beer cake, topped with a root beer glaze and vanilla ice cream flavored frosting! I bet you never would have guessed a root beer float cupcake would ever exist, but here it is! And this opens up for all kinds of soda float cupcakes - so keep your eyes peeled for more new flavors!

Glutenly Delicious!

Well, challenge completed! The first of many 100% gluten free cupcakes was introduced today! "Glutenly Delicious" - a line of cupcakes with absolutely no flour or flour products (aka no gluten) is introduced today! You've always been told not to judge a book by it's cover; following suit, don't let this cupcake's name deceive you! To all my flour-less friends out there - you can now eat cupcakes and be merry with the rest of us! Look how wonderfully moist and perfect it looks! I bet if I didn't tell you, you wouldn't know there wasn't any flour here!

Pictured here in chocolate with simply delicious vanilla buttercream. Glutenly Delicious cannot have by signature frosting, so I added a secret ingredient to this delicious buttercream to give it a sweet smoothness you won't be able to resist!

More Glutenly Delicious flavors will be on their way before you know it. What flavors would you like to see without gluten?

Bucket List

For those of you who have seen my Pinterest work of art "aka boards," you are well aware that I have MANY recipes pinned to try. Well my cupcake bucket list will be shortening itself by one soon....and why? Because it's time for this gal to step up to the plate and bake some GLUTEN FREE cupcakes.

Stay tuned for the results.

Want to taste test the gluten free or other new flavors? Keep yourself up to date and in tune with all tasters opportunities on our Facebook page!

More Pictures You May Have Missed

I've found that I am not very good at keeping things updated here. I ought to figure out how to link the Kate's KupCakes Facebook Page to this blog, so updates automatically post here when I post on the book of the face. But in the meantime, here are some more pictures you might have missed from some projects and cupcakes in the past few months...

A Mother's Day Cupcake Bouquet

Special Order Cannoli Cake

Carrie's Graduation Cupcakes! Easy Peasy and Milk & Cookies (vanilla cake) - May 19, 2013

The Elvis! A delicious combination of peanut butter banana cake, topped with peanut butter frosting and bacon crumbles.

a dozen Easy Peasy (graduation party)

a dozen What's Up Peanut Butter Cup (graduation party)                                                                                

a dozen Chocolate Coma (w/ orange sugar - graduation party)

a dozen Plain Jane (w/ orange frosting and black sugar - graduation party)

a dozen Boston Dream (with black and orange sprinkles - graduation party)

a dozen Campfire (graduation party)

a dozen Split Happens (graduation party)

the final Graduation Party display - July 6, 2013

special order dozen - Chocolate Coma with sprinkles galore

This is most of what I've been up to over the past few months/weeks along with a few miscellaneous orders from new and old clients, from planned to surprise orders! 

Also, I've been contacted for SIX HUNDRED CUPCAKES this September. Lots of planning will go into that, but details have yet to have been discussed, so I'll be sure to keep you all in the loop on this big opportunity!

Discouragement

I just wanted to write to you all to make sure there isn't any discouragement from ordering or asking about a possible order because of my last post. The rules I set forth are quite strict, and if you come to the site a week and a half before the date of your event and see those rules,  you may have turned away. That was not my goal! Please do not let the "Ordering Rules" discourage you from asking if there is a chance I can complete an order for you! If I am available for the date you're requesting, and you are willing to work with me (for a deposit, you have all your flavors chosen, etc), then I can bend my rules some! Any questions or concerns can be posed by e-mail, messages on Facebook, or give me a call (phone number on business cards), and I will be happy to work with you, if my schedule also allows. Please continue to understand that this is a "one-woman show," and that I am baking out of my home, with no extra hands, and I also have a full-time job during the week. This is why I have some rules set out, and need my client's to be able to appreciate that and work with me the way things are right now.

Someday, Kate's KupCakes will have a shop where you can stop in any time, but for now, this is how I operate. Let's make it a fun adventure from home kitchen to a storefront in the future! Help me help you!

Ordering Rules

Hello all!! It's been a while since I've been out here updating everyone on what's going on. Long story short - I've been cupcaking as often as possible. There's an update in a nutshell. Now, more importantly, with graduation parties approaching quickly, and other family occasions for ordering cupcakes, I want to make sure my ground rules are out there, up to date, and you are all aware of what's up. Being that this summer could potentially be quite busy for me, and I have a very limited amount of vacation time I have been able to take from my "real" job, I will be very limited on orders I can take, and definitely can't guarantee I can continue to take all these short notice orders. So, here goes...

1. For orders over 4 dozen, I need at least two weeks notice. This means you must have placed your order with me 14 days prior to the date of your event. All details must be determined at this time (flavor(s), size, decoration, display, etc). If you want to "reserve" the date of your with Kate's KupCakes more than two weeks in advance, all order details don't need to be set in stone at that time, but a ball park of number of cupcakes and flavors must be provided, and two weeks prior to the date of the event, all details must be set. If you "lose track of time" and call/e-mail to place a large order and give less than 14 days notice, I reserve every right to tell you I am unable to work with you. This is a one-woman show and I do have a full-time job on top of this venture. I am only so capable of working quickly, especially with large orders. They take lots of planning and organizing time, and I am unfortunately unable to drop everything at the drop of a hat.
2. If you have never placed an order with Kate's KupCakes and/or your order is larger than 4 dozen, I may ask you to give a non-refundable deposit for your order. This means if you flake on me once I've already purchased ingredients or other order needs, I'm not losing money. Sorry, but this is only fair when a business agreement such as this has been made. 
3. When placing your order, please keep in mind the extra cost that may be involved for special decoration (cupcake topper, unique frosting color, etc) or display decor. The supplies involved for these may very well be out of the norm, or things I will never use again. For this reason, I cannot absorb the full cost for things that will sit around my house for years to come. 
4. If you are ordering for a wedding or other large event and would like to have a "cupcake tasting" meeting, I am happy to do so. These meetings would need to take place one to two months in advance of the date of your event, and cost for this type of meeting will be determined based on the number of flavors you would like to try.
5. If you are interested in trying cupcake flavors that aren't on our flavor menu, let me know! I will be more than willing to try a totally new flavor, or to mix and match cake with frosting flavors that are already out on my menu. And if you want to try something 100% off menu, I will test one or more recipes, and will allow you to try the flavors in advance of your event, if you would like! Off-menu requests must be made at least one month before they would be needed for your event, allowing plenty of time for recipe and taste testing.

These rules are all in place to make my life, and yours easier. I don't mean to seem rude, but I can't allow myself to be screwed over by anyone out there, especially those of you I don't know. As the business continues to grow, I can guarantee I will become more lenient, but these are the rules as they stand! 

Let's make great memories for you and your guests - place your cupcake order today!

The Cupcake 500 - Greatest Opportunity Yet

It's been two weeks since I completed the largest order in Kate's KupCakes history, and I am still overwhelmed by the reality of it all. In three days, I prepped, baked, frosted, transported and displayed 500 cupcakes. It was such a great opportunity, and the best experience of my life. I still cannot put into words how grateful I am, and how proud I am of the work I've done. And since I can't put it into words, why not show you some pictures of how it all went down.

All my dry ingredients were prepped by the Wednesday night leading into the big weekend.

This is what 21 dozen cupcakes worth of chocolate batter looks like. 

Those are 8 quart bowls - they're so very large!

All my boxes of chocolate cupcakes after baking and cooling, waiting to be frosted.

All my boxes of vanilla cupcakes after baking and cooling, waiting to be frosted.

That's a LOT of icing color! Since I didn't want to run out of color (especially red, because dying red frosting takes more color than you'd want to know), I found myself buying extra within the last week, just in case.... Turns out I will be able to frost red, white and blue cupcakes for the next couple years without fail with all the extra color I have laying around.

How patriotic is this?!

And this! This was right before we started packing them into my car to bring to the school.

After two hours of agonizingly getting the cupcakes onto the displays - the finished product! I only say "agonizing," because it is hard to vary vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, while also trying to vary three colors of frosting, and making it look symmetrical. But, with the help of the best mother on earth, we got it done just in time for the doors to open for the school's basket raffle!

The most perfect red, white and blue display ever.

Couldn't forget about the opportunity to promote future business!

 

Happiest moment of the day!

Now that I've done this - anything is possible! Can't wait to see what opportunities this brings. I'm also very excited for the upcoming season - summer means graduation parties and family cookouts. Are you thinking of placing a large order for your upcoming get togethers? Contact Kate now to save your date. A one-woman show can't take on multiple large orders on the same day. All my June, July and August weekends are open right now, so if you want to order, please call and/or e-mail to claim your date. Order details must be confirmed (including number, type, decoration, and display necessities) two weeks prior to your event.

Pictures You May Have Missed

In the past month, I have been slacking in keeping my website updated with what's been going on. If you want instant and constant updates, check us out on Facebook. "Like" our page (http://www.facebook.com/kateskupcakesonline) and get updates right on your news feed!

For those of you who aren't on Facebook, and haven't seen our cupcakes in the past few weeks, here's what we've been serving up!

Caribbean Dream

a moist pineapple-coconut cake topped with coconut cream cheese frosting - a Pina Colada treat! 

(contains alcohol)

Milk & Cookies

(vanilla shown)

  

Milk & Cookies

(chocolate and vanilla shown)

your choice of vanilla or chocolate cake with an Oreo cookie baked into the cake, 

topped with cookies 'n cream frosting

Grasshopper

chocolate cake with mint Oreo cookies 'n cream frosting

Half-Baked

(vanilla shown)

your choice of vanilla or chocolate cake filled with a scoop of cookie dough,

 topped with a chocolate chip cookie dough frosting

Apple Of My Pie 

moist vanilla cake with a cinnamon-apple pie filling and topped with fluffy cinnamon buttercream frosting

I Love New York

a New York style cheesecake flavored cupcake, 

topped with a graham cracker crumble and a dollop cream cheese frosting

Tickled Pink

a strawberry champagne cake topped with a creamy champagne-infused frosting

Car Bomb

Guinness-chocolate cake with Bailey's buttercream frosting and a drizzle of Irish-creme ganache

(contains alcohol)

Clock is Ticking Down...

Boy, it has been a while since I've dropped by to update you all on what's going on over here!! As most of you should know, from previous posts, that "The Cupcake 500" order is due this Saturday. Today, I spent the day mixing 11 batches each of vanilla and chocolate cupcake batter, and I've made 5 batches of frosting so far, planning on getting a few more out of the way tonight.

I've realized that working 8+ hours on your feet is a totally different experience than working 8 hours at a desk in a chair at a job you really do not enjoy. I have never wanted a massage so badly in my life. However, I can say that although the majority of what I've done so far is just prep work, this has helped me realize that I truly want to make a career out of cupcakes. I was recently told that I turn cupcakes into a delicious art and that they are perfect. It's moments like these that confirm my decision to continue on this wonderful cupcake venture and fuel the fire of my dream to make this into a career.

In the weeks leading up to this big event, I did have quite a few orders, and I will have to get pictures of the cupcakes up for you all soon, since there were quite a few flavors made that I don't have any pictures of on the website. In the meantime, I'll be working my little butt off in the kitchen completing my biggest cupcake accomplishment to date and will post pictures and stories for the past few weeks soon.

May The Force Be With You

This past weekend, I had a little fun with a special order birthday cupcake cake. Let me start of by saying that I am most definitely the "Queen of I Don't Give a Crap About Anything Star Wars." That being said, I did enjoy this past weekend's special birthday order. A good friend of mine from work has three kids, the middle of which is a HUGE Star Wars fan, Commander Cody being his favorite. Now, when the idea was presented to me back in January when I did her daughter's cake and cupcakes (Success Never Tasted So Sweet), my first thought was "Who the heck is he?" And my second thought was "I've got plenty of time to figure out how I'm going to make this happen." And then it was the week before, and I had less than zero thoughts. Let's just say it was a "let's wing it" situation. And the outcome, although not perfect, according to young Jonathan, was quite the hit!

I'm excited about how it turned out, even more so about how I was able to so easily put the whole thing back together when I arrived to set them up for the party. Even the toughest critic of all had to admit it was quite cool. I can't wait to see what this means I am able to throw together at the last minute in the future. Maybe procrastination isn't so bad after all!

500 Cupcakes?!

Yep. I have received an order for 500 cupcakes. Am I nervous? You bet I am! But what is outweighing that nervous feeing? My excitement for this wonderful opportunity that unexpectedly fell into my lap? It is things like this order that make me wonder what made me so lucky. All I know is that I have found my calling, I am truly blessed for the opportunities I have been given and continue to receive, and I am never going to give up on this dream of mine.
The event which these cupcakes are for is Saturday March 23, so I've got ample time to panic, but I also have plenty of time to plan, and let you all know how things are going. This weekend was spent thinking about how this will all go down, and beginning to plan for all the ingredients, time and preparations that will go into one girl baking, frosting, transporting and setting up 500 cupcakes for consumption.
Are you ready for Kate's KupCakes biggest order to date?!

New Addition to the Family

Let's all give a warm welcome to the newest addition to the Kate's KupCakes family. Drumroll, please.........

What's Up Peanut Butter Cup?

The "What's Up Peanut Butter Cup" cupcake is the long lost cousin to "The Buckeye." Instead of a peanut butter ball inside the cupcake, when you bite into this delicious treat, you will find a Reese's peanut butter cup baked right in the middle of the cake. If you are a peanut butter lover, you will fall in love with this new treat. 

Featured above with both peanut butter and chocolate frosting.

Getting ready for the next step

Well, now that we've been approached for many birthdays, and anticipate event orders will expand, it's time to start preparing to take on these special requests. Maybe you are interested in having cupcakes at your next big event (birthday, wedding, bridal/baby shower, etc)? Can't decide what flavor you want, or maybe you haven't tried any of our cupcakes yet? Contact Kate today to schedule a tasting! We will gladly get you set up with some cupcakes to try, and meet with you to discuss all your cupcake needs for all your special days to come!

Success Never Tasted So Sweet

I was too exhausted to share with you all last night, but I had such a wonderfully successful day in the kitchen, and I would like to share pictures of the delicious product with you all!

I SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED MY FIRST FULL-SIZE CAKE EVER!!!!!

I cannot express how great it feels to be able to say that!

A good friend from work had been asking me for about two months if I would be able to make a cake for her daughter's 5th birthday. Of course, I said yes, and in my mind, I was continuously thinking: "I've got plenty of time to get ready. I'll be able to do this with no problem!" And then it was the week before she needed it, and I had nothing (and I mean, nothing at all) ready. Lucky for me, it was a cake AND cupcake order, so the stress I had for the cake, was slightly lowered knowing that I would be able to spend about 1/2 of my time focusing on the thing I do best.

When I finally got my ingredients, and got ready to start the cake, I felt like this was going to be a breeze, and I could get through it all. Made the batter, threw the cake in the oven, and even walked away to get ready for the day while it was in the oven - no stress here. When I came back, I was eager for the cake to be ready, but of course, it was 100% not baked in the middle. After at least 15 minutes more baking time than I had anticipated, the beautiful flower cake was ready to bloom from the oven. Took it out, waited 10-15 minutes to flip it over and try to get it out of the pan......and crumbling out of the pan it went! I must say, it was a bit disheartening, but, unlike my last cake attempt, I knew I had to get back on the horse and try again. I left the kitchen for a few hours, came back, and did it all over again. While waiting a bit longer for the second cake to cool, I decided to take it out. All seemed well, felt like we had a smooth landing onto the wire rack, until I lifted the pan to find that two petals had partially stuck in the pan. I panicked. How was I going to have time to bake, cool, and frost a THIRD cake? What if I made a third cake and the same thing happened? Panic. Panic. Panic. And then, I stopped, looked back, and realized, the piece that crumbled out could be salvaged. Slowly, I worked my icing spreader (what? it was more forgiving than a knife!) under the cake that had stuck, got the piece out, and placed it right where it would have been if the damn cake pan hadn't given me so much trouble! And....VOILA! All was fine! Once we get a little frosting on there, she'll be good as new!

And I was so right!

If I hadn't told you, would you know there was a bit of a crumbled mess under there?

A beautiful flower bloomed, and I cannot wait to see the reaction on the beautiful birthday girl's face!

Oh yes, and the cupcakes! You're probably wondering about those! Can I take a moment to say - the cupcakes, in the end, caused me more stress and took much longer to work on than the cake did...BY FAR!

Have any of you heard of the TV Show "Yo Gabba Gabba?" No? Well neither had I. I was challenged by this order, to make a cake or cupcake that could have the shape of the character "Foofa" included. I think, based on the collage with the characters image below, I did a decent job replicating the character.

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY DEZIRAE SCHLAEPFER! I hope the cake and cupcakes are as delicious as you hoped, and give you wonderful memories to look back on in the future. P.S. you have one great mom, who would do anything for you. Don't ever forget it!

New Year, New Goals

I'm sure you'll find it no surprise that with the arrival of the new year, I, and Kate's KupCakes have plenty of things in the works to make 2013 a great year! Of course no one needs to hear about all my own personal goals and resolutions, but what will Kate's KupCakes be planning this year? Let's see...

• Bake two-three new cupcake flavors each month. 

This means, you may see some changes and updates in the online menu/flavor descriptions. Always keep your eyes peeled for the newest flavors. If, for some reason, we eliminate a flavor, don't be scared - I will always be willing to take a former menu item for an order!

• Participate in more craft fairs and farmer's markets

I am beginning my research now to determine what it would take to participate in many of the wonderful local events happening all year round. I want to get my name out there, expand clientele, and bring smiling faces to all those who try our cupcakes! There is no better way to continue the beginning of this wonderful venture than to continue the word-of-mouth marketing!

• Create other items to sell 

This means making cupcake "merchandise." I have found some awesome crafty ideas on websites like CraftGawker, and Pinterest that all relate to cupcakes! I plan on giving some of these a try to sell alongside cupcakes at craft fairs and farmer's markets. Also, at these events, I would like to begin featuring other sweet treats for purchase, not just cupcakes.

• Complete layout for printed menus - TO GO

For those of you who attended the RCS Christmas Bazaar, you may have been asking if I had any menus to take. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite ready at that time to print menus/flavor descriptions to take home, so now, I must finish it if it's on this list, right?

• Get more organized for event and large orders

My first ever order was 150 cupcakes, and was, lucky for me, accomplished easily. However, I have come to realize that these orders that get large will more and more often require displays and event coordination. That being said, it's time to pull out ye ol' google for some research in ways I can be more organized and prepared for these large orders, or for orders for a personal event (birthday party, wedding, etc). This way when someone asks me about it, I could have separate information for those types of orders, or at least I'll be able to say, "this is what I need to know," sit down and discuss details right then and there!

So now that you know what we're up to, what were some of your best resolutions? What are you looking forward to in this new year for Kate's KupCakes? Maybe you also have some ideas how we can spruce things up around here and take more giant leaps towards the future of cupcakes!