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!

and they're off!!

HI! Yesterday was my first Melbourne Cup with no big people or champagne :o) The kiddies and I made hats for fashions on the field and we had a horse race and everyone won a "Kate's Cup"!

Even though I was having a lovely day with the kids there was something constantly popping into my head, I HOPE MY CUPCAKES ARE OK!?!?! Haha I made some cupcakes (up till 12:30am, so tired!) for a friends function and had to drop them off in the morning. Normally I am in control of the cakes up until the very last minute and set them up for functions but today I had the kiddies and couldn't do it!

Anyway I needn't had worry as apparently they where a success and all went very quickly!

These are lucious lemon cake filled with tangy homemade lemon curd and iced with a sweet lemon buttercream and handmade sugar roses.

Nice side view of the pretty pink papers

And these are my new favourite! Moist Chocolate cake filled with Raspberry Chocolate ganache and topped with Raspberry Italian buttercream and handmade fondant butterflies and folwers. DELISH!

All packed and ready to go in the Cupcake Couriers

Happy Caking Everyone!

Will eating brains make you smarter?

I hope so...

Oh dear I have neglected my poor little blog...

Anyway I’m here now!

Now I’m not fond of celebrating Halloween, it’s not my kinda thing but with all this cool spooky stuff around there has been lot’s of craft project available to me for FDC. So this afternoon the boys wanted to bake, and Mark had suggested I make Halloween cupcake for him to take to work on Friday. So we set to work making Vanilla cuppies with a swirl of blood (raspberry puree) and gray matter buttercream.

I don’t wanna toot my own horn but they rock! One of the best vanilla cuppies I have made, I have been experimenting with recipes to try and get the perfect vanilla and I *think* I’m pretty close. Spence was following me around saying CAKE! CAKE! CAKE!

Also in exciting news I am finally the proud owner of 2 cupcake couriers! I can now safely carry 72 cupcake without fear, it’s so frustrating working for hours to perfect your cupcakes only to have them destroyed in transport!!! I have one pink and one blue.

11 weeks till I hit Sydney and Planet Cake BABY!!

I shall be back probably on Tuesday as I am making Melbourne Cup Cuppies, will be working all weekend on my fondant decorations.

CYA then and happy caking!

I'm too late...

to enter IronCupcake earth this month... :( I was going to do it tonight but I started cleaning and have only just stopped.

Might still whip something up tomorrow. The theme this month was music and I had decided to make a "Lady Marmalade Cupcake" I'm so annoyed with myself that I didn't get better organised, oh well there is always next month.

Happy Baking Everyone!

Soda Pop!

Hi!

Sorry haven't posted in a while! Anyway this past weekend my little sister had a rock'n'roll themed party, of course it was my job to make the cupcakes!

I decided to make some Sundae style ones and saw this recipe for Creaming Soda Cupcakes on NQN that I really wanted to try. I made a batch of IMBC (as I had baby shower cupcakes to make too) and flavoured some raspberry and some vanilla.

And here is the result...

With a cherry on top!

As mentioned I did make some baby shower cupcakes too but I left the good camera at Mum's so couldn't take any photos. They where chocolate with mint bc and vanilla with vanilla bc, baby blue buttercream with handmade blue and yellow sugarflowers.

Now for my EXCITING NEWS!!!! I am going to Sydney, to do a course at Planet Cake!!!!! I am so excited. over the moon...it is a 3 day workshop all about CUPCAKES!!! I think I have come as far as I can teaching myself so I can't wait to be shown hands on some new amazing skills!!! Sorry for all the !!!!!! but did I mention I was EXCITED ;o)

It is lovely rainy weather, perfect for baking...

Nutty!

Hi! *waving*

Well I made my hazelnut cupcakes...yummy! They don't look very spectacular but they taste great! Yet another recipe I have gotten from The Red Deer, love this blog!

Mmmmm gooey nutella centre...

I have some super exciting news, might just share it in my next post...

Take care