Heavenly Yet Beautiful Cupcakes

Starting my own cupcake company was a thrill and I learn so much. But I yearned for the calm of taking my time to create perfect little decorations and unique flavor combinations. After selling my business, I decided to focus on teaching my craft. I hope this site will inspire you to create and indulge in one of the best and most satisfying desserts...the cupcake.

Monday, March 23, 2009

The Cake Challenge


Well, the competition came to an end on Sunday. I drove out to Burke VA to pick up my creation a bit early. I didn't win anything but scored pretty high I thought for my first competition. I got a whopping 46 points out of 50.  I did especially well in the creativity and color categories. 
This cake was a huge undertaking. I have never worked with fondant before and for good reason, the stuff is like Play Dough and covering a cake with it is not an easy thing to do. I had to patch up so many spots that I was forced to create a very artistic crack on the side of my cake. I figured...pots can crack, so why can't mine have a crack strategically placed where the fondant wasn't exactly perfect. The sugar flowers were key. And I was very grateful that my gumpaste classes came to good use. I spent nights making God knows how many Jasmin blossoms and leaves. My mother and partner was the one to credit for the beautiful Sweet Peas (naughty little flowers those are). But I had to add a little cupcake love, so the roses were cupcakes and I piped on the petals...yes, with no help. I thought I did a fabulous job considering I had never piped a rose petal by petal before. The little clay pots also had a cupcake inside them.  I made the pots by using my cupcake pan and turning it upside down. The shape of the cups was perfect to cover with fondant. The soil was made by pulverizing chocolate cookies. It looked so real that it made the cake a tad unappetizing. I worked and worked on this cake noticing imperfections and tried to solve them as best as I could every step of the process. In the end though, I walked into the competition like a proud peacock. I did the best I could and the end result was beautiful, maybe not perfect, but beautiful and made with a ton of love.  The experience helped me realize that I can do anything I put my mind to. And that gave me more confidence that I can do this. This being my cupcake business. I can really do it if I just put my mind to it. I love what I do even if it means staying up until 1am making 150 cupcakes for a bridal shower and looking like a big old mess in the morning. So.... I am signing up for the next competition in May. I already thought of my next creation. Now I just have to find a place to teach me how to cover a cake in fondant. 

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love it!! You did a great job!

SweetThingsTO said...

Yes, beautiful. And I agree - you can do anything if you set your mind to it. And also if you have true passion! And you definitely do - I can tell!

Barbara said...

I just found your blog yesterday and have read all of your entries! You are doing such great work. I lost my job at the end of February and am about to take the leap into my own cake decorating business soon, so I can sympathize with your feelings.


Do you know about http://www.sugaredproductions.com? Sharon Zambito also has a wonderful blog, at http://sugaredblog.blogspot.com/. I have several of her instructional DVDs, including the one called "Flawless Fondant". You may not need it at this point (almost a month after your post), but I do recommend it.

Good luck with your endeavors - I know you're gonna be a star!
Bobbi
bepotter@gmail.com