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.

Ode to the weekend

There's something just so blissful about weekends, isn't there? Sometimes it's staying up and out as late as you'd like on a Friday night, knowing you can sleep in the following morning. Other times, it's the excitement over plans you've made with friends and loved ones -- excursions that feel like a lifetime away on Monday but become so deliciously tangible by the time Thursday rolls around. And every now and then, it's not having any plans at all -- just having the freedom to relax and do whatever you feel like without an agenda.

Well, lucky me! The beauty of being imaginary is that every day feels like a weekend day. I know not everyone has this luxury, so that's all the more reason to celebrate those Saturdays and Sundays when they make their appearance. Heather knows this, and she made sure that her friends did too when she brought a round of margarita cupcakes to a friend's birthday party.
Tequila-spiked butter cupcakes filled with zesty (literally!) lime custard, brushed with tequila, and topped with lime cream cheese frosting and a fresh lime wedge. Add a sprinkle of course sea salt, and you've got a cupcake that tastes true to its cocktail namesake, a cute little party favor, and a nice way to wish a friend a very happy birthday.

Thanks, Heather -- I hope these cupcakes brought some extra sweetness to your weekend!

The different flavors of birthdays

Birthdays. It's interesting how varied our feelings toward and reactions to our own special day can be. Some people shout it from the mountaintops, throwing elaborate fetes or even multi-part affairs with plenty of food, drink, and rowdy, uninhibited fun. Others let the day come and go quietly -- treating it as just another day and no reason to make a fuss. And still others dread the reminder that, in the blink of an eye, they've grown another year older as they stare fixedly on the reflection before them, searching for the newly sprouted white hair or wrinkle that hadn't been there the day before.

Well, my assistant's friend, Alastair, belongs somewhere in the second camp. He was going to let his birthday slip quietly by, lost in a sunshine-filled spring weekend. My assistant, who while in no way a "shout-it-from-the-mountaintops" kind of birthday girl, believes in the beauty of birthdays and wasn't about to let a special one slip by unnoticed -- without warm wishes and, more devastatingly (IMHO), without cake.

So here's what she did:
You wouldn't guess from the looks of it, but this is a coffee cake. Not coffee cake in that it's meant to be paired with coffee, but coffee cake in that it's loaded with it. Here we have a single layer of dark chocolate mocha cake topped with Kahlua-infused cream cheese frosting, patted with coffee cream cookie crumbs, and garnished with fresh strawberry halves. A nice little pick-me-up for a long day at the office and an even better birthday cake for someone who enjoys Kahlua and strawberries.

I hope you had a fantastic birthday, Alastair! And I certainly hope you enjoyed the cake :)

Spring's a'bloomin'

I know, I know – this post is long overdue, but my assistant has been away on a family vacation, leaving me with nothing but daydreams of cakes to be made and blog entries to be written. Before she left to explore a bustling and very delicious Hong Kong (egg tarts, dim sum, and noodles galore…with plenty of tropical fruit to boot), she had the chance to craft a birthday cake for a repeat customer. A year ago, Joshua ordered a birthday cake for his wife Mai. This year, he wanted to surprise her with something new. Never having tasted red velvet cake before, he decided to take the plunge and order a triple layer red velvet cake for Mai’s special day.

With red velvet now among my favorites in my cake repertoire, I was happy to oblige. However, the challenge came in crafting a red velvet cake that looked pretty. I’ve noticed that so many red velvet layer cakes look homemade (good!) but homely (not so much…), with bright red crumbs poking haphazardly through otherwise white frosting. I wanted Mai’s birthday cake to have a neat outer appearance with the bright red interior coming as a pleasant surprise. For this mid-March birthday, I looked to the blossoming spring season for inspiration.
My assistant filled three rich buttermilk cake layers – bright red in color with just a hint of cocoa – with two layers of creamy Bailey’s cream cheese frosting before frosting the assembled cake with a thin coating of Bailey’s buttercream to hide any red crumbs. After allowing the cake to rest in the fridge, she added an additional layer of freshly whipped vanilla cream before piping pink rosettes and a border of green “grass.” Throw in a circle of white chocolate chip “mushroom caps” and you’ve got yourself a cute little garden-themed birthday cake that’s easy on the eyes and certainly easy on the palette.

Thanks, Joshua, for trusting me with such an important cake, and happy birthday, Mai! I hope you enjoyed a beautiful spring birthday and a cake themed to match.

Do you see what I see?

My assistant was grocery shopping at a small neighborhood market when something caught her eye and made her jaw drop before putting a big smile on her face.
The first strawberries of the season, and these were huge. We're talking gargantuan! (The above photo features either a mini cupcake or a giant strawberry, and let me tell you -- that is not a mini cupcake). Better yet, they were sweet, juicy, and everything a berry should be.

Three cheers for the return of the strawberry! We've missed you.

Mojito magic

If you're new to Carrie Cakeaway, you may be thinking: Bailey's, Kahlua, Grand Marnier, Amaretto, rum, rum, and more rum? I think I see a trend here...

Well, it looks like I can't pull the wool over your eyes! I'm something of a cake bartender, specializing in cocktails cakes and cupcakes designed to taste like the real thing -- with high-quality liquors and liqueurs infused throughout. My favorite part of the process? Making the cakes and cupcakes look like the cocktail inspirations behind them. Kristine gave me the chance to do just that when she requested my very first batch of margarita cupcakes. When she put in a request for a batch of mojito cupcakes to celebrate her friend Aaron's birthday, I simply couldn't wait.
My assistant had a ball whipping these up, crushing fresh mint leaves with a mortar and pestle and zesting limes for the frosting and filling. These rum-infused cupcakes were filled with a mojito custard (flavored with lime juice and crushed mint), frosted with a refreshing lime cream cheese frosting (see all those little green specks of lime zest?), and topped with a fresh mint leaf and lime wedge.
As refreshing as a cool cocktail on a hot summer day.
And here's a look at the filling inside that truly captures the refreshing lime flavor and minty goodness of a classic mojito.

Thanks, Kristine, for the opportunity to craft a new cocktail cupcake. And happy birthday, Aaron! I hope you enjoyed devouring these as much as my assistant and I enjoyed playing bartender.