Sunday, January 20, 2013
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!
Saturday, January 19, 2013
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!
Monday, January 7, 2013
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
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)