So, about last night...

It happened! You may have seen my assistant T on TV last night competing on Cupcake Wars (and if you didn't, the episode will re-air on Sunday and next Wednesday on the Food Network, so read no further, as spoilers follow). And you're probably wondering: What was she thinking?

Well, a couple of things:

• This is our chance to make something epic that the world has never seen before
• We've made bacon cupcakes before with great results - hot dogs can't be that far off! (wrong)
  
• Go big or go home!

Annnd, she went home. But that's okay! I'm so proud of her and Karen for making it on to the show - a huge win for amateur bakers and aspiring bakery owners. And while I would have loved to compete myself (have I ever told you how hard it is to get onto reality TV when you're imaginary?), it was so exciting to see the girls on TV baking their hearts out.

The most disappointing part of it all was that T didn't have a chance to show what we can really do here at Carrie Cakeaway. So take a look around. No frills, no frankfurters (we promise) -- just delicious cupcakes with super tasty frostings, a sense of adventure, and a splash of bourbon here and there.

Please continue to support us by liking us on Facebook and stay tuned for our latest creations! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the episode.

Be frank. And let the hot dog puns begin.

A very Sunny occasion

If I weren't imaginary (I am), I think I'd go all hormonal every time I saw a toddler or a baby -- the nice kind of hormonal that makes you want to hug and laugh and bake many, many cupcakes. And then eat them. (The cupcakes, not the children).

I apologize for sounding a little crazy right now, but I'm just so excited for Sunny and her baby-to-be. Annie, Jen, and Sarah planned a surprise Southern Belle-themed baby shower for her in a conference room under the guise of a "very important meeting." Well, it was a very important meeting, complete with balloons, beignets, pecan pie, sweet tea, and cupcakes. What, you mean to tell me that you don't have all of those things at your very important meetings?

For this very special occasion, T and I whipped up some Peanut Butter Chocolate cupcakes for Sunny and some Bourbon Strawberry cupcakes for everyone else. Rich chocolate cupcakes topped with silky peanut butter buttercream, a sprinkle of course sea salt, and freshly crushed peanuts - one bite, and you'll think you've just sunk your teeth into a fluffier, even tastier Reese's peanut butter cup. And as for the Bourbon Strawberry, we're talking melt-in-your-mouth bourbon-spiked vanilla cupcakes topped with vanilla-bourbon cream cheese frosting and a fresh strawberry half.

Congratulations, Sunny! Warmest wishes to you and your bundle of joy.

Bringing wine country to you

What do you look for in a wine? Do you like bold, spicy zinfandels that pack a tannic punch? Or do you prefer crisp, buttery chardonnays that glide across your tongue? Perhaps you like moscatos, so sweet and dessert-like that you'd think you were drinking juice. Or maybe, just maybe, you like it all - wine in all shades of red, white, and everything in between, with notes of everything from oak to cherry, leather to lampshade...you get my drift.

If that sounds like you, then you're probably a oenophile, and I'd like to bake for you! The sky's the limit when it comes to working with wine, so T and I were very excited when preparing cupcakes for wine-loving Anna's birthday. Here's what we came up with:

Chardonay Peach (pictured at the top) - Chardonnay-infused vanilla cupcakes filled with peach chunks, topped with cream frosting splashed with chardonnay and peach juice and a fresh yellow peach slice.

Strawberries and Champagne - Champagne-infused vanilla cupcakes filled with champagne-soaked strawberries, frosted with strawberry-champagne buttercream, and topped with a fresh strawberry half

Dark Chocolate Cabernet - Cabernet-infused dark chocolate cupcakes topped with silky cabernet cream cheese frosting

Happy birthday, Anna! Hope you enjoyed these. All that's missing now is a trip to beautiful wine country for a day of cupcake and wine pairings.

Just a little nuts

Clouds of flour are whitening your hair and dotting your nose, milk and cream are splashing against your clothes (which may or may not have already been streaked browned with cocoa powder), and your hands are slick and shiny with butterfat -- this is not a good look. Well, not unless you're my assistant T, happily working away by the oven, whipping up our new favorite cupcake: the Peanut Butter Cup(cake). (Sorry, Mudslide, but you've had your throne for over two years now!)

Rich, chocolate cupcakes topped with the silkiest, nuttiest peanut butter buttercream frosting that you've ever tasted. Top it off with some dry roasted peanuts -- crushed or whole -- maybe a couple of mini chocolate chips, a sprinkle of course sea salt if you're feeling adventurous, and you've got yourself a combination of sweet and salty that'll make your eyes roll back. They're that good, and I can't stop thinking about them.

It doesn't help that we're crazy about peanut butter here at Carrie Cakeaway and will find any excuse to eat it: PB and banana sandwiches, PB sushi, PB with celery sticks and apple slices. Only one of those is untrue (yeah, who eats peanut butter with celery sticks and apple slices?)

Did I mention that peanut butter also pairs beautifully with marshmallow and that it's baseball season?

Here's a Peanut Batter Up cupcake with a triple peanut play: a marshmallow-filled peanut butter cupcake topped with peanut buttercream frosting, crushed peanuts, and a cute little marshmallow slice. Take this out to the ballgame and all eyes will be on you.

Cheers to all of the peanut butter fanatics out there! I'd love to hear about the craziest PB creation you've ever eaten. In the meantime, T just made the rookie mistake of turning her beautiful new Kitchenaid mixer on high too quickly, and is emerging from the cloud of powdered sugar with a suspicious-looking streak of the white stuff on her nose.

That girl. Can't take her anywhere!

Afternoon tea

::Insert poor imitation of a British accent:: 'ello! Do you care for a spot of tea?

Do I ever! I'm all about tea time - taking an hour in the middle of your afternoon to sip piping hot cups of tea while indulging in dainty finger sandwiches and bite-sized desserts... You don't have to ask me twice!

T fondly remembers her first real afternoon tea experience. She was studying abroad in the town of Brighton in England the summer before her senior year of college, and made her way to a tiny tea house with three friends. A strict dress code was half-enforced by a snooty waiter who turned his nose at the four Americans but still, politely enough (house rules), rattled off the tea time specials.

You should've seen the girls' eyes the moment he brought out the tiered tray of assorted smoked salmon, roast beef, and cucumber finger sandwiches, mousses, biscuits, delicately iced petit fours, and scones served with lemon curd, berry jam, and clotted cream -- they nearly popped right out of their sockets (how's that for appetizing imagery?)

I wanted to create a unique tea-time cupcake and couldn't resist using a pint of plump blueberries that T had brought back from the farmers market. Feeling a little spontaneous, I decided on a Honey Blueberry Teacake - a rich, buttery vanilla cupcake filled with fresh blueberries (unbaked, so they really pop in your mouth), topped with vanilla frosting, another blueberry, and a light drizzle of clover honey. I'd imagine this would pair nicely with an Earl Grey, English Breakfast, or Darjeeling--okay, you caught me. I'm just rattling off names of teas, but I'd imagine this would go nicely with just about anything.

It's three o'clock in the afternoon somewhere. Cheerio!

Berries are back, and so am I

I've been away for a long, long time. For awhile, you may have missed me. Believe me when I say that I missed you too! But now, the hiatus has been so long that you've probably forgotten all about me. Carrie who? I don't blame you.

May I make amends by offering you a Strawberries and Cream cupcake? Please? Over the past month, my assistant T and I have been swooning -- as we do every year -- over berry season. Sweet, juicy, and gorgeous berries popping up in farmers markets, grocery stores, restaurant menus, and bakery display cases. My friendship offering comes to you in the form of vanilla cupcakes stained pink with the addition of fresh strawberry puree, filled with fresh strawberry chunks, and topped with strawberry-infused cream cheese frosting. And I'll throw in the promise of never using berry puns like "It's berry nice to be back." Never.

A lot has been happening in the past few months, and I'm excited to share with you everything from some sweet inspiration T found in her recent first-ever trip to NYC, some wise and encouraging words from friends, and a wedding for which we'll be whipping up cupcakes come November.

Until next time, love and strawberries,
Carrie Cakeaway

Whoopsies

Hi there! Long time no see.

Okay, so we've really dropped the ball--er, cupcake here.

While there's no acceptable excuse for this two-month posting hiatus, the past two months truly have been the busiest ever in terms of churning out cakes and cupcakes. So get ready as we play some heavy duty catch-up, share some of the deliciousness that has come out of the kitchen (think lots of new flavors and experiments!), and reintroduce Carrie Cakeaway to the world. We have something special up our sleeves, and can't wait to share it with you.

- Carrie