I find cake decorating to be a daunting task. I have issues with perfection and the way things "should" look & when I look at this picture all I see are the imperfections...
Let me list them for you:
- the little black & white balls aren't perfectly symmetrical
- the cake was leaning...literally
- I have water spots you can visibly see (that's how I make my fondant stick to fondant)
- I free handed everything...so nothing is perfectly straight
- my icing wasn't even underneat...so my fondant was a bit "wavy"
- my hot wheels signature blue was a bit off
Some of you may think I'm being a bit hard on myself...seeing as how I've only done 2 cakes...but to me...I'm making myself better...improving each day...cakes aren't my passion (if you're looking for an amazing cake...check out http://www.newberncakes.com/ and you can be guaranteed a beautiful and delicious cake). My passion is the marriage of flavors...that's why cupcakes make the most sense...I get to experiment with flavor combinations and make them look beautiful at the same time...I did this Hot Wheels cake as a favor to a friend...she entrusted me with her son's 5th birthday cake...that's why I'm blogging about it...this cake was a fluke...
I'm a bit of a "Wild Card"...get it?
At the farmer's market I am approached by many people expressing their delight in regards to my cupcakes. They comment on their seemingly delicate nature and my attention to detail. Some of these individuals become clients that entrust their special occassions to my skilled (yet at times hesitant) hands to accompany them to birthday parties, graduation ceremonies, dinners, nurse's appreciation days, luncheons and community functions. About a month ago I met a woman by the name of Ruth who had inquired about ordering cupcakes for the annual Greenbrier Christmas party. She had stopped by my booth at the market and had commented on how wonderful cupcakes would be at their party...they add a little extra flair and convenience to any party...deciding which flavors would be the most difficult. If you've ever cooked for anyone then you know just how hard it is to please people...and who wants to be displeased at a Christmas party...Ruth most definitely didn't want to be responsible for any disappointment in the flavor department. She decided that the flavors should be red velvet (because it's a classic), white chocolate peppermint (a wintery classic) and cranberry (because it's classy). I was left with the responsbility of making Christmas themed cupcakes for a super nice woman and an entire Crhistmas party...yes...I was nervous. After many hours of baking, creating and beating myself up (you see...I'm my own worst critic...nothing is ever good enough until it's perfect) I delivered the cupcakes to the Greenbrier Country Club and I hesitantly loaded the beautiful white cupcake tier with my hand made creations...
Here's a secret...I am anxious until I have spoken with or heard from a client in regards to an order...I want to know what you think...was it dry, tasty, perfect, amazing, horrible? Did you love it, hate it, think it was "ok"? My goal is not to be "pretty good"...it's to be the best at what I do...I'm slowly building my empire...one cupcake at a time...Thanks, Ruth...you rock...
Owning a business is difficult. Of course, there are added benefits of being your own "boss", for example; I come to work in sweat pants, take my lunch break whenever I feel faint, clock in at any point during the morning or night, I have complete control of anything and everything and most importantly...I have the final say. Ok...now the negatives (I wish someone would have told me); I work for everyone else, I have to keep my home exceptionally clean (even when I don't feel like doing dishes), I don't have a set schedule...I either work or I don't (it's hard to plan accordingly when you don't know what you're doing) and finally...I'm covered in batter & buttercream (horrible...I know ;). With all of that being said...I love what I do...
When I'm bored (and yes...it does happen) I fill the void with new pastries...this time I made Teeny Pear Tartletts. I began by caramelizing pears with cinnamon and sugar and baked them in teeny hand made phyllo shells and topped them with a cream cheese frosting. I have an obsession with teeny things...teeny cupcakes and bite size whoopies...teeny things are cute and dainty...and teeny enough to eat all at once. These pear tartletts were splendid...but not perfect yet...once they are...I'll be adding them to the ever growing Wild Cupcake menu...
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies...Once upon a time a red velvet cake met a red velvet cookie (because these things exist in fairy tales) and they fell in love. Friends and family told them it was a union destined to fail...how could a cake and a cookie share a life...one was destined to be dunked in a glass of milk and the other was to be served on china. Cake and Cookie eloped and nine months later a beautiful whoopie was born...Whoopie had been blessed with the best of both worlds...soft cake/cookie like shell with a creamy buttercream middle. Cake, Cookie and Whoopie lived happily ever after (in my stomach). This is the untold "true" story of the creation of Whoopie Pies ;).
I had been wanting to try my hand at whoopies for quite some time...and it went really really well...well enough to add them to The Wild Cupcake's menu, which seems to expand every single day...
At the farmer's market I am approached by many people expressing their delight in regards to my cupcakes. They comment on their seemingly delicate nature and my attention to detail. Some of these individuals become clients that entrust their special occassions to my skilled (yet at times hesitant) hands to accompany them to birthday parties, graduation ceremonies, dinners, nurse's appreciation days, luncheons and community functions. About a month ago I met a woman by the name of Ruth who had inquired about ordering cupcakes for the annual Greenbrier Christmas party. She had stopped by my booth at the market and had commented on how wonderful cupcakes would be at their party...they add a little extra flair and convenience to any party...deciding which flavors would be the most difficult. If you've ever cooked for anyone then you know just how hard it is to please people...and who wants to be displeased at a Christmas party...Ruth most definitely didn't want to be responsible for any disappointment in the flavor department. She decided that the flavors should be red velvet (because it's a classic), white chocolate peppermint (a wintery classic) and cranberry (because it's classy). I was left with the responsbility of making Christmas themed cupcakes for a super nice woman and an entire Crhistmas party...yes...I was nervous. After many hours of baking, creating and beating myself up (you see...I'm my own worst critic...nothing is ever good enough until it's perfect) I delivered the cupcakes to the Greenbrier Country Club and I hesitantly loaded the beautiful white cupcake tier with my hand made creations...
Here's a secret...I am anxious until I have spoken with or heard from a client in regards to an order...I want to know what you think...was it dry, tasty, perfect, amazing, horrible? Did you love it, hate it, think it was "ok"? My goal is not to be "pretty good"...it's to be the best at what I do...I'm slowly building my empire...one cupcake at a time...Thanks, Ruth...you rock... 
