Cocktail cake challenge

So if you've been following this blog, you'll know that many of my creations pack a slightly naughty punch, spiked with spirits, liqueurs, wines, and even champagne. In particular, I pride myself on my cocktail cakes customized to taste just like their namesakes. Whether it's a stiff Manhattan or sweet Lycheetini, creamy Mudslide or fruity Margarita, no cocktail lacks the potential to be transformed into layer cake and cupcake form. Imagine my surprise when Karen requested a birthday cake for her roommate, Carolyn, that had me stumped for the very first time -- a cake inspired by the Amaretto Sour.

Yikes! I needed to blend the robust almond flavor of Amaretto with the tartness of Sweet and Sour mix without ending up with something tasting like it had far too much going on or, worse yet, had gone bad altogether! I was concerned that the nutty almond and tart lemon flavors would compete against rather than complement each other, and so chose to highlight these flavors in separate components of the cake. Boy, am I glad I did because I feel confident calling this Amaretto Sour Cake a big, boozy success tasting true to its namesake:
Here we have two cake layers rich with almond flavor (and we wouldn't expect any less with our healthy pour of Disaronno Amaretto), filled with sweet and sour lemon custard, and frosted with a tangy cream cheese frosting flavored with pure almond extract and more Disaronno. Thin almond slices were toasted in the oven to bring out their essential oils and nutty flavor before being pressed against the sides of the cake. And what Amaretto Sour would be complete without a maraschino cherry? Or sixteen...
Take a bite and you'll find yourself sipping on an Amaretto Sour, with almondy, sweet, and sour flavors blending in harmony -- but don't forget to chew!
Thanks, Karen, for ordering. I hope Carolyn had a happy birthday and that everyone enjoyed the cake!

And a friendly reminder to all: Ditch those steins and shotglasses and bring out the forks and plates because Carrie Cakeaway, your friendly cake bartender, is at your service ;)

Babycakes for a baby shower

Filled with oohs, ahs, and plenty of love and warm wishes for the glowing, expecting mom, baby showers are lovely celebrations and perfect occasions for cupcakes -- particularly of the teensy variety. My assistant and I were thrilled when Joy requested a batch of mini cupcakes for her friend, Jaclyn's baby shower, sharing with us a copy of the invitation to the "Bollywood Baby"-themed shower for inspiration. And inspired we were!

The word "Bollywood" sent my head reeling with possibilities, from a tangy mango and yogurt combo for mango lassi cupcakes to even a cashew and curry walk on the savory side. The fact that the shower would be held over brunch inspired me to craft a cupcake tasting just like a steaming hot cup of spicy Masala chai. With Joy's stamp of approval, my assistant and I whipped up this batch of Vanilla Chai Latte Babycakes:
Made with strong Masala chai, milk, and plenty of aromatic spices, including cardamom, cinnamon, ground ginger, and clove, these petite cupcakes were rich with chai flavor. And topped with a floret of vanilla cream cheese frosting speckled with chai spices, these babycakes were something of a tease: "But we're too cute to be eaten!" I hope that didn't stop any of the guests from indulging in these one-bite wonders!
Thanks so much, Joy, for trusting us with such an important order and for giving us free rein to design a cupcake matching the Bollywood Baby theme. I hope everyone enjoyed the babycakes as much as my assistant and I enjoyed making them. And congratulations, Jaclyn!

Autumn celebrations aplenty

Happy Halloween, folks! As if that wasn't reason enough to throw a huge shindig, my assistant's Aunt Betty and Uncle Soph hosted yet another of their epic barbecues -- this time to celebrate the birthdays of good friends, Ryan and Mae. I always find myself having to fend off serious pangs of envy whenever my assistant excitedly makes her way to her aunt and uncle's gatherings -- gatherings brimming with great food and wine, fantastic company, but, alas, no invitations to imaginary folk like me. Well, one can live vicariously, and boy, were the butternut squash soup and coconut chicken curry tasty!

It's been awhile since my assistant and I whipped up a layer cake, as we've been sidetracked by a flurry of cupcake orders. In fact, the last layer cake we made was for Auntie Betty's birthday in August. The Sweet and Sassy Strawberry Shortcake is a hard one to top, but we were up for the challenge and ready to present not one, but two tabletop stunners.
For Ryan, we went with a decadent Chocolate Mousse Triple-Decker:
Three layers of rich chocolate cake filled with silky dark chocolate pudding, frosted with creamy chocolate mousse, and topped with fresh strawberry halves...
this is the making of a chocoholic's dream.

And for Mae, we really honed in on autumn's finest flavors for this Apple Pumpkin Spice Cake:
Two generously cinnamoned apple spice cake layers studded with raisins, filled and frosted with pumpkin cream cheese frosting, and topped with paper thin apple slices and a drizzle of pumpkin butter -- this cake is chock-full of the homey, spicy flavors that we relish this time of year.
Aunt Betty and Uncle Soph: Thanks for hosting yet another wonderful party! Ryan and Mae: We hope you both had very happy birthdays and enjoyed your cakes. And readers: Happy Halloween! Cheers to receiving more treats than tricks this year. That, and no admonishment from dentists or dietitians ;)

A good ol' cup(cake) of joe

A steaming cup of coffee is a great way to jump start the day, keep those engines running through the afternoon, or melt into the evening with after dinner. Like my sweet-toothed assistant, I prefer mine with a generous helping of cream and sugar -- and I can't think of anything creamier or more sugary than a rich, generously frosted Mocha Cupcake.

My assistant's friend, Jalees, was in town for the weekend and wanted a batch of cupcakes to share with his traveling companions. He made a specific request for mocha cupcakes made with Kahlua -- a perfect way to keep him and his friends fueled through the grueling drive back to LA from San Francisco...and through all of the adventures along the way.

Well, here's what my assistant whipped up for her fellow foodie and beer connoisseur:
Mocha cupcakes made with cocoa, freshly brewed coffee, and Kahlua liqueur, topped with Kahlua buttercream. The third row of cupcakes (the ones topped with crushed Oreos) were frosted with Bailey's buttercream to add some variety to this mixed dozen.
Aromatic coffee, dark chocolate, coffee liqueur, and Irish cream? One cannot go wrong!
Thanks, Jalees, for your visit! Hope you and your friends enjoyed the cupcakes and had a fantastic road trip. My assistant would like to hear stories, thank you very much ;)

Just another day at the office...sweetened

Have you ever:
Started your day with a cup of coffee?
Brought your A-game to (or struggled to stay awake through) a morning meeting?
Spent over half an hour clearing the ol' inbox?
Shared some serious gossip over lunch?
Taken a deep sigh of relief at the end of the day at around, say, 5:30?
If you answered "yes" to any (or all) of the above, chances are: you've experienced just another day at the office.

Whether you love or hate your job, a surprise treat between your sleepy post-lunch 1:1 and mid-afternoon rendezvous with the espresso machine does a body, any body, good. And what better surprise treat than an ever-so-slightly spiked cupcake to bring a little sweetness to your workday?

Chris had the right idea when he requested a batch of cupcakes to thank a group of hard-working engineers on his team at Microsoft.I've lovingly nicknamed these Bailey's and Berries Cubicle Cupcakes as the slightly oversized cupcake-tops took on a square-ish shape during transit. It's as if they knew they were making their way to similarly shaped office cubicles.
Rich chocolate cupcakes topped with Bailey's-spiked buttercream and a juicy, fresh strawberry half, these beauties were a nice way to give kudos for a job well done. Thanks, so much, Chris, for ordering these. I hope you and your teammates enjoyed them!

Fiesta Time!

What better way to kick off a weekend than by happy houring with delicious cocktails and good company, you ask? Well, how about celebrating a birthday with great company and cocktail cupcakes?

My assistant and I were thrilled when Kristine requested two dozen cupcakes featuring her friend Chrissie's favorite cocktail -- the fiesta-friendly Margarita -- for her birthday. I dove right into brainstorming mode, and my mind was sent reeling with the possibilities. Did we want to use rum or tequila? Lime juice, lime zest, or a combination of both? Should we pour margarita mix in the batter? A zesty lime buttercream frosting or a naturally tangy cream creese frosting? The possibilities were dizzying (one might say, in a one-margarita-too-many kind of way...), but entirely exciting.

After plenty of brainstorming and some executive-decision-making on Kristine's part, we came up with this little beauty:
Hellooo, cupcake! What we have here is a tequila-lime cupcake brushed with tequila syrup and filled with refreshing lime pastry cream (oh, if only I had a photo of a cut cupcake so that you could see the custardy center colored bright green by a generous heap of lime zest!). The cupcake was then topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting and a sprinkling of course sea salt to capture the flavor of the salted rim on a traditional margarita glass. Topped with a lime wedge, this little cupcake truly embodied the margarita in all its glory: the zip, the zing, and the savory-sweet-and-sour combination of flavors.

But still, I thought it could use a little something-something.
Aha! Now we're talking. So I know that one doesn't drink a traditional margarita with a straw, but this was just so darn cute that I couldn't resist.
Kristine, thanks so much for the opportunity to whip up our first batch of margarita cupcakes. I hope Chrissie enjoyed a very happy birthday and that everyone enjoyed the cupcakes!

P.S. Anyone try sipping out of the straw?

CupcakeCamp!

Exciting news: My assistant entered her very first cupcake competition! Not so exciting news: She didn't win (I told her that boozy cakes, while delightful and certainly our specialty, don't appeal to everyone). However, her entry received a lot of rave reviews from tasters, the most frequently heard one being, "Mmmm..." and her personal favorite being, "Now that's a cupcake," said by a man with a nice glob of frosting hanging on his beard.
CupcakeCamp was nothing short of awesome (it's things like these that make me wish I weren't imaginary) -- with around 70 bakers and over 700 attendees armed with forks, plates, and little cups of milk, it was a cupcake wonderland! Batches of cupcakes were released in 15-minute intervals, creating something of a highly organized free-for-all. However, there was no pushing, shoving, or flagrant-line-cutting--just patient waiting, free-flowing conversation, lots of eager anticipation, and big frosting-specked smiles from tasters and bakers alike.

Now for my assistant's entry: She wanted to enter the "Best Breakfast-Inspired" category and went with another iteration of what we love to call the "Breakfast of Champions" because, well, seriously...you're some kind of champion if you have bourbon first thing in the morning. Inspired by Humphrey Slocombe's "Secret Breakfast" ice cream flavor and by yours truly, my assistant whipped up a batch of what was essentially spiked milk and cereal: rich, buttery bourbon cupcakes filled with vanilla milk pudding, topped with a bourbon buttercream frosting, crushed Vanilla Almond Special K flakes for lots of crunch, and get this--a bruleed banana slice. I can't think of a better cereal topper than fresh banana slices sprinkled with sugar and browned under a hot, hot broiler. Yum!
And from another angle:
Well, the Maker's Mark didn't do the trick: the winners in the "Best Breakfast-Inspired" category were both savory, with first place going to "Gruyere and Mushroom" and second place to "Bacon and Maple." Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and my assistant would like to give a couple of shout-outs and thank-yous to friends in order of appearance:

Justin - Food buddy! Thanks for coming out and partaking in cupcake madness!
Natsuki - It was awesome meeting you the day before (that was so much fun!). Thanks for coming with your friends.
Nav - Thanks so much for coming and for saving me from the brisk cold with your fleece pullover. Sunshine can be deceiving in the city!
Pandas - I was so stoked to see you all! Congrats on winning your game, and thanks for coming out, showing your support, and making room for cupcakes even after a hearty lunch.
Eric - I'm so glad I found you towards the end of the event with my very last cupcake. Thanks for coming.

Okay, okay, Little Miss Exclamation Point. That's enough now. You're cramping my style ;)
Just teasing -- I'm so glad you entered and am proud of our entry. Can't wait for the next one!