One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today I posted these sugar cookies to my Facebook page. They were the first I had ever made, and were baked as a test run for my son Elliott's first birthday party. Up until that point, all of the things I baked either came from boxes or my mum's recipe books. Even though I definitely had room for improvement, I had so much fun making the cookies and piping the E's. I found that it was a great creative outlet for me while I was on maternity leave, and started improvising more of my own recipes and discovering even more through some amazing blogs.

Elliott's birthday party was a few months later and I was able to make him some sugar cookies to look like Muno (above) from Yo Gabba Gabba, M&M bumps and all. I also made some more E cookies, to be used as favours for all of the guests, as well as many other tasty treats and a Plex (again from YGG) birthday cake.

Since then I have gotten the chance to make so many more cakes and sugar cookies, that it's hard to believe only a year has gone by. Now to start planning for Elliott's second birthday!

Diamond Anniversary Cake

Last weekend I was asked to make a cake for a 60th wedding anniversary, also known as the diamond anniversary. Having seen a previous lace-piped cake that I had made, the client asked me to create a similar white chocolate cake using white and deep red, resulting in a very classically romantic appearance. 

A single tiered cake such as this one would cost $60.

Golden Gaytime Cupcakes

Making these cupcakes was inevitable. Some of the tastiest cupcake flavour combinations I have made have been inspired by my favourite chocolates, milkshakes, pies, cocktails, and even sandwiches, so it was about time that I paid homage to my very favourite ice cream, the Golden Gaytime. 

While technically Gaytmes are made from toffee (and vanilla) flavoured ice cream, I started with a caramel mud cupcake, because it's such a delicious flavour and texture and admit it, they're pretty similar. To add vanilla, the cupcakes have vanilla pastry cream in the middle, and the for amazing coating that sets Gaytimes apart I used my favourite chocolate icing, which was then rolled in biscuit pieces.

Pictured are the mini Gaytime Cupcakes, which I made because the cupcake liners were a great reference to the ice creams packaging, though I regret not also getting a photo of the cupcake cut in half to better display all of the components.

Golden Gaytime Cupcakes are priced at $40 for 12, or $65 for 24. Please enquire if you would like a different amount and I can provide you with a quote.

Girly Cupcakes!

Pictured are some examples of custom cupcakes that I have made recently. Cupcake flavours can be mixed and matched with different icing, fillings, colours, decorations (all are edible), and cupcake liners to get something personalised for your event. The first photo is of strawberry elephant cupcakes that were made for a second birthday party, and the second is of Very Vanilla cupcakes (vanilla cupcakes with vanilla pastry cream filling and vanilla buttercream icing) with edible sparkly numbers. Click the links below for even more!

Under The Sea Cupcakes

Butterfly Cupcakes

Vinyl (Retro) Cupcakes

Dachshund Cupcakes

Hairdresser Cupcakes

Mudslide Cupcakes

For me, motherhood comes before everything, so as much as I used to love making cocktails almost every weekend when I was younger, those days are long past. I still enjoy a sip of something tasty now and then though, and these cupcakes (which I calculated have approx. 0.15 standard drinks each) are a tasty way that I get to indulge. I had no doubt in my mind that these cupcakes would be delicious, but they exceeded all expectations! The chocolate Kahlua cake was light and fluffy, then the Kahlua and Bailey's buttercream icings both had just the right amount of flavour, and to finish it off I added a dark chocolate ganache drizzle.

Unfortunately despite my research I haven't been able to find the exact laws regarding the selling of alcoholic cakes, so despite the very low percentage of alcohol (and the fact that most is in the cake itself, of which 55% "cooks out"), I won't be able to sell any of this flavour until I know for sure if I can. If anyone has any more information on this, I would greatly appreciate if you could send me an email, letting me know!

Malteser Cupcakes

A short while ago, when I made the Vanilla Malt Cupcakes, I decided that they were too delicious to not also try a Malteser inspired variant. I started with chocolate cupcake, so they would be like a Malteser 'shell', and filled them with a malt flavoured pastry cream. I then iced the cupcakes with malt buttercream and, of course, added a Malteser to the top. Needless to say, they did not survive very long in my fridge.

Gourmet Cupcakes such as these cost $40 for 12, or $65 for 24.

St George Dragons Cake

This is the second logo cake that I have done, and it was for my hometown NRL team, the Dragons. The chocolate cake was carved into the shield shape of the logo, iced, and then covered in white fondant. The logo itself was as simple as printing out the image and then tracing a template for me to cut the fondant to the exact right size. I allowed each piece of fondant to dry out for a while so that the overhanging pieces wouldn't droop. From there all of the detail on the dragon was done by hand and I transferred all of the pieces to the cake - that's all there is to it! To finish it all off I added the St George Illawarra lettering, a simple red border to the bottom of the cake, and the birthday message to the cake board.

Vanilla Butterscotch Cupcakes

I had never made butterscotch cupcakes - or butterscotch anything - when someone special ordered these Vanilla Butterscotch Cupcakes. There were so many different ways of going about combining the two flavours, but in the end we decided on a vanilla cupcake, with a creamy butterscotch filling, vanilla buttercream icing, and a toffee decoration on top. The recipe made a few extra cupcakes so I got to taste how they turned out and I ended up wishing I had made a full double batch - they were that great. I was also so pleased with the toffee decorations, not only were they heaps of fun to make but they added a great crunch in contrast to the rest of the cupcake, and they look so festive!

Harry Potter Inspired Cake

Here is my interpretation of a Harry Potter inspired cake. The chocolate cake was make to look like a big spell book, and the birthday message was written on top in a HP style font. I also added a fondant Gryffindor scarf, an 11 inch wand, and the iconic round glasses. I loved the way this cake turned out and there were so many details involved that I went a little photo crazy, so here are a bunch more angles:

Vanilla Malt, PB&J & Caramel Fudge Cupcakes

Why is it that one weekend I can be overwhelmed with orders, and then the next there will be only one? It can get a little bit hard to predict when I will get some spare time, so I made the most of it recently and finally got to making a bunch of cupcakes on my (somehow ever-growing) flavour to-do list. Pictured above are Vanilla Malt Cupcakes which were inspired by my favourite milkshake, so I added a little paper straw garnish. They were so yum that I have promised to make a gourmet Malteser cupcake hopefully sometime soon.

I also made some nostalgic PB&J Cupcakes recently which consist of vanilla cupcakes with a strawberry filling, and topped with peanut butter icing and crushed peanuts.

Last but not least are Caramel Fudge Cupcakes - delicious caramel mud cupcakes with vanilla buttercream and topped with a caramel fudge heart.

Black Lace Engagement Cake

I made this monogrammed cake this week to celebrate the engagement of two of my friends. I was asked to incorporate the black lace and ivory ribbon that was used on their wedding invitations, and the result was a romantic and elegant cake that was suited perfectly for their engagement party. The chocolate cake was then personalised with the use of an edible cake topper which combined the happy couple's first initials and were joined together by two silver hearts.

How To: Chocolate Mint Leaves (& Mint Chocolate Cupcakes)

I have made mint chocolate cupcakes a few times before, but since they're so yum and I hadn't made any since last Christmas (when I made some with candy cane inspired peppermint swirl icing), I decided I was well overdue. These pictured are gourmet chocolate cupcakes with a choc-mint cream filling, topped with peppermint flavoured icing and chocolate mint leaves. The chocolate mint leaves are so simple and take no time at all to make, here's how:

Chocolate Mint Leaves

1-2 dozen fresh mint leaves

50g dark chocolate

1.  Chop chocolate and put into a small glass bowl, then microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring thoroughly until melted.

2.  Brush chocolate onto the reverse (veiny) side of the mint leaves.

3.  Allow to set in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes, then carefully peel back the mint leaf so that only the chocolate remains. 

4.  Enjoy!

For Hire: Apothecary Jars

A popular wedding or party trend at the moment is to use apothecary jars for a dessert buffet. These jars range from 20-50cm and are a great visual way to display assorted candy, and also add some extra height and dimension to a table.

Prices for a two day hire are $10.00 per jar (with a $50.00 deposit), or $40.00 for the set of five (with a $200.00 deposit).