A fly on the wall

I'm an observer today. I see three women whose faint, crow's feet lines can't suppress the youthful twinkle in their eyes as they reminisce about days long past -- from girlhoods in Saigon to new lives, struggles, and triumphs in California. Laughter fills the air, accompanied by the familiar smell of something cooking. Something authentic. Something good. In this case, it's the filling for bi cuon chay, or vegetarian spring rolls with julienned taro root, jicama, and potatoes coated in toasted rice powder masquerading as fatty shredded pork (note: chewy vermicelli and shredded pork skin are conveniently similar in texture). Or it might be the meaty broth simmering on the stovetop, ready to immerse rare slices of beef tenderloin upon serving hearty bowls of pho tai.

On the other side of of the spacious open kitchen, three men -- two husbands and a son -- are engrossed in a World Cup game: the fight for third place between Germany and Uruguay. The women's chatter is interrupted by the "Oh! Oh!! Ohhhhhhh!!"s triggered by close attempts and "almost" moments on both sides.
And working quietly in the middle of it all is my assistant. Completely focused on crafting the perfect dessert with which to end the meal, she is slicing strawberries, whipping cream, and assembling her chocolate strawberry shortcake -- a sure hit with so many chocolate lovers and strawberry fans converged in one room. She looks up to find her mother and aunts (her mother's two best friends, so close they're practically sisters) deftly wrapping the bi chay in rice paper and lettuce leaves freshly plucked from the garden outside. She hears the excitement coming from the dining table, as her dad, uncle, and friend are unanimously rooting for Uruguay to take third. And she studies her cake -- simply assembled and made with love.

She doesn't need me for inspiration today. She's surrounded by it.

Spotlight on my assistant

So, you know a little something about me -- that I love creating cake concepts (especially when cocktails are involved), that I'm the voice behind this blog, and that I'm imaginary. Well, what about the assistant I'm always referring to? Her identity has been a mystery for over a year and a half now -- maybe it's time to share a piece of the limelight. I am a figment of her imagination, after all. So here goes:
Flash back: My assistant -- let's call her T (oh, you didn't think I'd give everything away all at once, now did you?) -- took notice at an early age when her mom would bake the same rum bundt cake for social gatherings and potlucks. Rave reviews poured in time after time, and when T finally had a taste of this "grown up" cake, she understood why. Melt-in-your-mouth moist and distinctively rummy -- no one could have guessed that this potluck rockstar had humble roots in a Duncan Hines box.
Fast forward. T becomes known throughout middle and high school as the "bundt cake girl" and college as the "cupcake girl" -- consistently arriving to potlucks and birthday parties with cake in hand. Pillsbury is her best friend, Duncan Hines is a close second, and Betty Crocker a jealous, neglected third.
Fast forward. T moves to San Francisco for work and falls head over heels in love with the city and greater Bay Area. Occasionally homesick, she bakes to remind herself of home in L.A. Inspired by some incredible baking blogs, she decides to start her own. As she ponders the waning popularity of the homely, old-fashioned bundt cake and rise of the cute little cupcake, I, Carrie Cakeaway, am born!
Fast forward. T discovers the beauty of baking from scratch and refuses to turn back (save once in a long while for the rum cake that started it all). She bids farewell to cake mix and welcomes fresh, locally produced ingredients into her kitchen. I dream up an assortment of cake creations, while T executes -- baking, decorating, and delivering layer cakes and cupcakes -- learning every step of the way.
Fast forward. T's friend surprises her with a gift certificate for a baking course of her choice at baking arts in SOMA. She's thrilled, as she's done most of her learning on the job, through the internet, and never in a kitchen classroom with a live instructor. She picks a beautiful June weekend to take the "Pretty Cupcakes" class (naturally), which is where she decorates the garden-themed cupcakes you see here.
Thanks for your continued support in our cake endeavors and kitchen adventures! Stay tuned, as I continue to work and innovate with my dear assistant, T. Who knows? I might share a bigger slice of the Carrie Cakeaway limelight before the next year-and-a-half mark ;)

Showering the bride with cupcakes

You know you're a great friend when you surprise a bride-to-be with cupcakes (for a future filled with sweetness, of course) and you ensure that they're mini-sized so she'll have no problem fitting into her wedding dress on her big day. Now that's thoughtful, and that's exactly what Sunny did for her friend Joy (who incidentally had surprised another friend with my chai mini cupcakes during her Bollywood-themed baby shower -- what a lovely chain of celebrations and cupcake-gifting!)Three different flavors, two dozen each, and the miniature size requirement called for a delicate touch and speedy execution (mini cupcakes are done baking in no time and must be immediately released from the pan unless you want burnt bottoms -- and who wants a burnt bottom?!). Fortunately, there was also a lot of room for creativity and fun.
First up, margarita cupcakes for the bride-to be: a tequila-infused buttercake with tequila lime cream cheese frosting, topped with a tiny lime wedge and sprinkle of sea salt to taste just like the first sip out of a margarita glass. Look how petite these are!
Next, Sunny requested that my assistant and I include a cupcake featuring both chocolate and some German beer to celebrate the groom's German roots. I needed something strong enough to stand up to the cocoa, and my assistant -- ever the beer enthusiast -- chose a dark, malty dunkelweizen. Take a chocolate cupcake infused with dark beer, add a swirl of cream cheese frosting with dunkelweizen notes, and you've got yourself a wallop of flavor in a cute little package.
Last, but not least, what's more suitable for a springtime bridal show than champagne? I brought out the bubbly for this champagne-infused vanilla cake topped with creamy champagne buttercream and a sugar-coated grape half. Pop! Clink!
Congratulations, Joy! I hope you and all of your guests enjoyed these one-bite wonders, and that you have a beautiful wedding day. And thanks again, Sunny, for thinking of me for this very special occasion.

Baby on board

Today, I state the obvious -- babies are as cute as they are precious, and there's so much to adore about them:

• Baby laughs -- don't you just melt when a baby laughs?
• Toothless smiles -- probably the only instance in which toothlessness is adorable
  
• The way they wrap their hands around your index finger and squeeze
• How peaceful they look when they're sleeping
  
• The unmistakable baby smell most potent at the top of their heads
  

The beauty of baby showers is that they foreshadow all these joys-to-come for the glowing mom-to-be. Candice graciously coordinated a baby shower for her coworker, Breda, who is expecting a baby boy. What better way to celebrate than with teddy bear cupcakes?
Two dozen rich chocolate cupcakes (to satisfy any chocolate cravings) with creamy vanilla cream cheese frosting tinted baby blue and topped with a sweet little Teddy Graham. (By the way, it's been too long since you've had a Teddy Graham. They're as good as you remember them to be, so go get a box, stat! Trust me -- I know these things).
Anyway, I digress. Congratulations, Breda, and thanks again, Candice for choosing me for this very special occasion!

Strawberries and sweethearts

There's nothing quite like seeing a loved one's face light up after surprising him or her with something sweet. Some of my favorite requests have come from folks looking for the perfect cake with which to surprise their significant others on their birthdays or on Valentine's Day. These requests are usually very specific, with the romantic "surprisers" detailing exactly what their sweethearts like most, whether it's a favorite cocktail, liqueur, or fruit. And to be sure, they never fail to disclose elements to be avoided -- protectively shielding their loved ones from flavors they may find offensive. The cute little strawberry, for instance, is one man's gem and another's pet peeve.

Well, Li-Ming is certain that her husband, Dave, loves rather than loathes strawberries and wanted to surprise him with a cake featuring them as well as a handful of his favorite flavors, including Kahlua, Bailey's, and lots and lots of chocolate. The occasion? A birthday, and a very special one at that -- his 30th!
Having crafted an almost identical Valentine's surprise (but in cupcake form) from Li-Ming to Dave before, my assistant and I were happy to oblige. We whipped up a rich chocolate cake infused with the deep coffee notes of Kahlua, frosted with silky Bailey's cream cheese frosting, topped with fresh strawberry halves and coffee cream cookie crumbs.

Li-Ming, thanks again for trusting me with a cake for such a special occasion! I hope Dave had a very happy birthday and that you both enjoyed the cake!

Work-life balanced

What ever happened to the nine-to-five workday? You know, the one in which you'd start your day with the morning news, a cup of coffee, and a hearty breakfast before getting to the office... The one in which you'd leave at five-thirty sharp after a productive day with the rest of the evening ahead to wind down and rela--wait, I'm sorry, what? You're telling me that the workday I just described is as imaginary as I am? Well, excuuuse me!

Every now and then, we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of putting out fires, fulfilling client asks, and prioritizing so that we can pick off low-hanging fruit before taking strides towards our stretch goals and pies in the sky. And then there's the constant pressure to streamline processes (pronounced, processEEZ, mind you) and identify opportunities for synergy in order to avoid duplicating efforts -- all while managing expectations in order to avoid burnout.

So. How'd I do with all the corpspeak?

(A knowing nod followed by a roll of the eyes and a big groan from my assistant -- all signs point to nailed it).

The point is, it's easy to get completely wrapped up in work, allowing the stress of it all to seep outside of business hours. My suggestion? Take a deep breath, close that laptop, and grab yourself a mid-day Mudslide. And if your boss isn't keen on having spontaneous cocktail hours at the office, then make it a Mudslide cupcake. Heather had the right idea when she requested a batch of Mocha Mudslide cupcakes to celebrate a coworker's birthday.
There's nothing quite like a dark chocolate, Kahlua-spiked cupcake with Bailey's cream cheese frosting, some chocolate sprinkles, and a coffee cream cookie "straw" to chase away the stress of the workweek and have you speaking in plain English again.
Thanks again, Heather, for bringing some fun into the office. I hope you and your team enjoyed the cupcakes!

Fiesta and a photoshoot

Being head over heels in love with all things sweet and with a name like Carrie Cakeaway, I'm unabashedly dessert-obsessed and cake-minded. The proof is in the pudding: I've come to associate almost every single holiday and special occasion with a particular sweet -- be it a generously frosted cake with sprinkles (birthdays), a warm, spice-filled slice of pumpkin pie (Thanksgiving), or an indulgent libation like rich, rum-spiked egg nog (Christmas). Well, ladies and gents, I hope you need no reminder that it's Cinco de Mayo and time for a refreshing margarita...and perhaps one of my signature margarita cupcakes!
Heather requested a second round of margarita cupcakes for her friend's Cinco de Mayo party over the weekend, and my assistant and I were happy to oblige. Sweet little buttercakes were infused with tequila, filled with tangy lime custard, and topped with lime cream cheese frosting, a fragrant key lime slice, and a sprinkle of course sea salt. No straws this time because my assistant so obnoxiously reminded me that margaritas are rarely -- if ever -- served with straws. I know that...but they're just so cute (albeit entire nonfunctional) on a cupcake!Heather, thanks again -- I hope these festive little party favors helped get the fiesta started and that you and the party guests had a fantastic time. And happy Cinco de Mayo to all!

P.S. Thanks, Alastair, for these lovely close-up shots. SLRs are amazing, and now my assistant's little point-and-shoot has developed an inferiority complex.