Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Monday, July 18, 2011

made to order monday: 40th birthday party!

another older order that i never posted.... these cupcakes were for a 40th birthday party. the order was for the cupcakes to match the decorations being used. i pulled the colors, the number 40, and "splashes" of the other colors in the background... and if i do say so myself, it was a pretty sweet match :)
note- the cake on top was provided by someone else.


one of the prettiest cupcake towers i've ever been a part of :)



here you can see the design on the tablecloth that the cupcakes were based on...



the 40 cupcakes have a lot of sparkle... you deserve lots of sparkle at 40!


 and the splashes add more colors to the tower




Friday, July 15, 2011

favorite friday: rachel's pictures

rachel is an incredible friend of mine. she has more energy than anyone i know and enough talents to keep her moving all the time- or so it seems to me. i tell her all the time if i was going to be a mom, i want to be a mom like her. one of her awesome talents is photography- i wish i could have her take all the pictures of my cupcakes! i have three favorites of the ones she has taken and that's what i am sharing this friday.
ps. she also makes a big sacrifice and takes all my practice cupcakes off my hands :)


i love the cupcake on its side, the tea pot in the back, how different it is from my usual pictures. this is one of my favorite of my cupcake pictures period. it makes me want to try different backgrounds for future cupcakes.




this one is from my first official order. it made me try different angles and close ups with all my following pictures. i don't have the camera to do the focus tricks but she still inspired me to look at my pictures with a little more flare :)


and this one is a favorite for its simpleness... shows off the cupcake from three angles. plus i love the part of the stand that is included.


when i attempt cupcakes decorated with hydrangeas i will be sure rachel and her camera are available and i have no doubt i will end up with another favorite, beautiful picture!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

tasty tuesday: blueberry velvet-jelly belly cupcake

ok, there is no recipe today, just a picture of what i imagine to be one of the best tasting cupcakes i could ever have if i could have one. to say i love blueberries is a big understatement. i think nothing of eating an entire pint in a sitting. so this cupcake..... yum! and the fact that it is beautiful doesn't hurt either!




Blueberry Velvet-Jelly Belly Cupcake by msamandacupcake
Blueberry Velvet-Jelly Belly Cupcake, a photo by msamandacupcake on Flickr.
http://amandacupcake.blogspot.com/2011/07/jelly-belly-cupcake-contest-amanda.html

made to order monday: bachelorette party!

this made to order monday is a day late, but it still counts :)
the theme of this bachelorette party was lingerie. it was the first time i got to make pretty, girly cupcakes!



this was everyone's favorite, but as always i had my own favorite...


... which was this one. i love the detail and perhaps its something i would wear ;)


here are all the decorated ones ready to go. since i was also attending the party i didn't have much time for pictures.





and here is the tower at the party!





pinks and pearls and purples and polka dots! definitely one of the most fun orders thus far :)

Friday, July 8, 2011

favorite friday: my toes!

after my second or third cupcake order i noticed something in my pictures.... a lovely pedicure! my photography skills leave something to be desired, i know (love when rachel takes pics for me, i'll feature my favorite pics that she's taken next friday). but i love taking a picture from above and for some reason that always includes my toes. needless to say, i check my polish before i start to bake :)

the first time i did football cupcakes for the cowboys vs. vikings... cute toes!



art cupcakes for jordyn's bday... shy toes!



game night cupcakes for carla's bday... summer toes!



goodbye and good luck cupcakes for becky... well this one is more about shoes :)
(i loved those shoes.... they broke about a week later)


Tuesday, July 5, 2011

tasty tuesday: not a cupcake

i am dying to try and make gluten free donuts. not that not having doughnuts in my life is a bad thing.... but would it be so bad to have the skills to whip up a batch for a sunday morning in bed with a good book? exactly. so now i just need to procure a doughnut pan and make sure i have lots of sprinkles!  :)

http://www.babycakesnyc.com/



Plain Cake Doughnut
Makes 12


1/3 cup melted refi ned coconut oil or canola, plus more for brushing trays
1 cup vegan sugar
1/3 cup garbanzo and fava bean flour
1⁄2 cup potato starch
1⁄4 cup arrowroot
1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1⁄4 cup vanilla extract
1⁄2 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 325. Brush two six-mold doughnut trays with coconut oil; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flpurs, potato starch, arrowroot, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda. Add the coconut oil, applesauce, vanilla and hot water, and continue mixing with a rubber spatula just until the ingredients are combined. Using a melon-baller or tablespoon, drop 2 1⁄2 tablespoons of batter into each doughnut mold. Using a toothpick, spread the batter evenly around the mold.

Bake 8 minutes, rotate, and continue to bake until doughnuts are golden brown, about 7 minutes more. Let cool in the molds for 5 minutes if sprinkling with toppings such as cinnamon sugar, or 15 minutes if using glaze or icing. Run a knife around doughnuts in the molds, lift them out, and place them on a baking sheet. Coat them in your choice of topping.

Recipe from Babycakes Covers the Classics

http://www.babycakesnyc.com/books.html

made to order monday: my birthday (april)

ok so this monday's order is being posted a little late. and technically its not an order as i made them for my own birthday. but i'd love to do the same for someone else's birthday so i am going to go ahead and post them here and now  :)


probably obvious but i love flowers- roses, daisies and hydrangeas are my favorite. and pink!



the highlight of the cake for a lot of people was the "lit" candle. or at least it was at first....



but then i offered them a slice! the cake really was designed as a chocolate cake with rolled fondant icing :)





not the best picture, but it when all the pieces came together it was a very yummy birthday!!

Friday, July 1, 2011

favorite friday: a yummy gf cupcake

while i have baken gluten free for myself, i tend to make breads or brownies. me and a dozen cupcakes alone together? not a good idea. so i rarely get to eat a cupcake and couldn't wait to try one made by Cupcrazed . today's gluten free flavor was sundae and it was sooooo goood. the cake wasn't at all dry which can happen with gf and the buttercream frosting - think everyone knows its not my favorite thing - was good! sweeter, less buttery than others so paired with a bite of cupcake it was perfect. i ate one there, the shop has a great atmosphere, and brought one home (pictured below). definitely a favorite!