Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Short & Sweet




Summer is a lot like a cupcake, short & sweet. I can't believe how fast it flew by. Four days and counting til the 1st day of school. And where did all the cupcakes go in the last couple of months? Well I made several different batches - some a success & others a terrible mess. The time just got away from me and writing about those gooey moments got lost in a cloud of flour & whirl of children.

Like the week I tried to make special sugar free cupcakes for my sister-n-law, Kim. She was having a Splenda party. I attempted to make dark chocolate cupcakes with Splenda. They were a hot awful mess. So the next morning I thought I would try again with a Caramel Espresso & started by making caramel shards to decorate. My sugar never turned a dreamy light brown, but rather solidified and caught on fire!!! It was the morning of the party & I still was cupcakeless. I had to try one more time. I was successful in creating mini vanilla cakes with the help of Jamie. But then I proceeded to forget the flowers for decoration and to top it all off I tripped on my way to the car and dumped the entire batch down the front of me. Needless to say, I arrived at the party empty handed. Oh well.

Oh and who could forget the ones that tasted like a maple bar - I hate maple bars! They looked as bad as they tasted. There were a few successes. Of my favorite was an Almond Raspberry Creme & Banana Cheesecake. Plus I had my first paying client. She wanted cupcake bouquets. I loved putting them together and think they came out beautifully. With these bouquets I had to attempt my first gluten free cupcakes. I think they were pretty successful. Much like my oldest son who has been learning to ride w/o training wheels this summer, I have emerged with a few bumps & bruises in the cupcake world, but will end the summer with a victorious smile of accomplishment. I believe I can make cupcakes without my training wheels.

So, end the sweetness of summer with a divine lil cake of your own & welcome the school year with hopes of learning something new.