Back from the big smoke

Hi Everybody!

Sorry it has taken so long to report back, I did a huge post and lost it! Argh!

Anyway I’m back from Sydney, and had an absolutely fantastic time! Of course everyone was lovely and I learn’t so much. It’s funny how I used to look at cupcake photos and think how the hell did they do that? Now I look at them and can figure out exactly how :o) They did go through quite a bit of basic information which was good even if you already knew things, it was great to speak to the other ladies and learn a few tips as well as share some. The most exciting part for me was working with the fondant, something I have always been afraid of! I have no idea why I think it’s just because it’s something I have never worked with. It was also great to learn how to ganache and cover the cupcakes which is something I had been dying to learn. Everywhere I look now I am inspired and see patterns and designs I could turn into cupcakes, I even got a design idea off the bottle of bodywash in the shower this morning!

Now I just have the huge task of slowly collecting all the equipment I need (and want!) so I’m hoping to get some orders soon so I have an excuse to buy stuff! It’s so hard when nothing is available here and everything has to be ordered, although I have found a local supplier of fondant which is good.

With thanks to the help of my biggest supporter I have my paperwork all ready to submit to council. There will need to be a few changes to my kitchen (I believe) but nothing we can’t handle (I hope!) I am not going to send it in until we get back from Perth as I have been told they usually contact you 10days after getting the application so I obviously want them to be able to contact me. This is going to work, it has to! I am desperate to start advertising and getting my name out there, it will come in time.

Oh and back to Sydney for a moment. I visited 3 different cupcakeries which I will review in my next post. And I went and had breakfast at Adrino Zumbos cafe one morning before the course and it was lovely, something I had wanted to do for a while. It was so nice to have time to myself and to not have to cook or cleanup after anybody, I did miss my boys but not too much :o)

I have some cupcakes planned for this week and I will be trying a new buttercream method which I learn’t at PC, so I will be back asap with my cupcake reviews.

Happy Caking

I am addicted to PC courses now and am desperate to go back and lean more!

Mind the terrible piping, thats really something I need to practice.

Back in the game...

Ok, so I know I haven’t posted anything on my blog for a very long time and I apologise.

Christmas was hectic, I baked my arse off! (Well not really, but wouldn’t it be nice if you could do that!) I made chilli jam, gingerbread, my Christmas cookies, pudding truffles, rum balls, apricot balls, baileys balls, peppermint bark, white Christmas and baileys rocky road fudge. And I can’t forget my gingerbread cupcakes, they are my new favourite flavour. Photos to follow.

The thing is even with all that baking which I love I just lost my mojo. My last few batches of cupcakes where duds, and I just felt like a failure. I have never had a problem with papers coming away but every batch I have done lately the papers are coming away and I don’t know why. My recipe hasn’t changed and I am using the same papers as always. I have researched on the net and everyone seems to have a different theory on why this happens. I hope to get answers at Planet Cake.

I can feel myself slipping back into the old Kate, the one who had no self confidence and gave up everything the minute it got too hard. I can feel myself getting scared about Sydney, I was so bloody excited but now it’s only a week away I am doubting myself. What if I can’t keep up? What if they see what I can do and laugh? I know that isn’t the case but these stupid thoughts enter my mind.

And then I’m worried about when I come home, then what? I can’t advertise or sell my cakes because my kitchen isn’t licensed. Everyone supports me and tells me my work is good, I just wish I felt the same way. The council are being a pain and giving me conflicting information about getting my kitchen approved and I have as usual given up. There are 2 ladies selling cupcakes in Cairns already and that really upsets me, I wanna give them some competition! My work is so so different to theirs and I wanna be able to get out there and show it! I just wish I could stop doubting myself and hitting brick walls.

Anyway enough of that rot! I’m changing my attitude! With a week to go until I leave I need to change my way of thinking, 2010 is the year I finally start doing what I love. I’m going to be more open to things and just enjoy life. Once I am back from Sydney with my mind full of information and the dive I need I’m pursuing this licence and getting this little business going!

So then I’m off, I fly to Sydney on Thursday 14^th to have a day of shopping and cupcake eating and then my course starts on Friday. I come home late Sunday night and am having Monday off to spend with my baby boy! I will write a post about my experience when I get back and lots of photos, can you believe they let you take photos during the course!

I feel more positive already!