All Occasion Cupcakes

You don't have to have a specific theme to have pretty cupcakes! My client said they wanted something simple and pretty that included their favorite color - purple. I made about 100 cupcakes: vanilla, cookies & cream, and chocolate chocolate chip. Each cupcake got a generous swirl of purple or chocolate frosting, a sprinkle of sparkly sugar or purple non-pareils, and a little purple flower made from fondant. I always try to match the paper cupcake liners to the theme as well - the chocolate cupcakes got dark brown liners, and the vanilla cupcakes got purple & white checkered liners. The simple design turns out so elegant, and they look fantastic when displayed on a tiered cupcake tower (I have a few that I am renting out now...ask me about options). These simple cupcakes run $2.25 per cake.

Sesame Street Birthday Cake & Cupcakes

There's something magical about Elmo when you're a toddler. Maybe it's his big grin. Maybe it's the giggle. Maybe it's how he talks in 3rd person. I don't know, but both my kids were under his spell as well. So it was alot of fun to get to make the treats for my friend Zeena's big 2nd birthday bash for her daughter Zaleeya. The cake was vanilla cake layered with raspberry and cream fillings, covered in homemade buttercream icing. The Cookie Monster, Bert, Big Bird and Oscar characters that were on the sides of the cake I made out of fondant. Elmo's fur was piped on and his eyes, nose and mouth I molded out of chocolate. I loved seeing Zaleeya give her Elmo cake a big kiss before cake cutting.

I also got to make 4 dozen cupcakes to go along with the cake. So I made 4 characters: Elmo (strawberry cupcakes), Big Bird (lemon cupcakes), Cookie Monster (cookies & cream cupcakes), and Oscar the Grouch (chocolate chocolate chip cupcakes). I piped fur and feathers in buttercream icing, then molded chocolate faces for Elmo & Big Bird, and chocolate eyes for Oscar and Cookie. Oscar even got a trash can lid made from fondant and topped with silver luster dust (so everything on the cupcakes were edible). It was fun to see all the kids (and adults!) with blue teeth and red lips from all the wild frosting colors! And it was really fun to see everyone enjoying my treats at the party. We had a great afternoon. Thanks to Zeena, Azeem & Zaleeya for a fun day and a fun project!

Sesame Street Cookies!

So I just had to share these. I picked up a Cookie Monster cookie press in a thrift store a couple years ago and never got to use it until this week. I love making spritz cookies at christmas with my other cookie press, but this one was so fun because it came with discs that make Elmo, Cookie Monster and Big Bird from Sesame Street! So I tinted the butter cookie dough and got to squeezing! They turned out really cute, especially with the addition of chocolate eyeballs and a chocolate nose for Elmo. I think next time I would use royal icing for the eyes (they started melting before they made it to the party...blasted heat!). My daughter loved helping to squeeze the trigger for these cookies. I think the cookie press will be a Christmas favorite for her...and I bet we'll end up with Elmo Christmas cookies this year!

More Mermaid Cupcakes!

So I guess I've become very popular with the 4 to 6-year old girls this summer. My mermaid cupcakes have been the talk of the tot-lots! So I made another batch for Miss Roxy's Birthday. Since I sent them on their way in a box, I didn't get very good photos of my blonde mermaids, but you get the idea. Also, another noteworthy variation on this batch was the addition of the chocolate flip flops on the beach cupcakes. They always turn out really cute, if I do say so myself.

Casino Cupcakes

These cupcakes were for a 50th Birthday party with a "casino night" theme. I made chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with chocolate and vanilla icing. Then I topped the cupcakes with diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades that I molded in chocolate. I even made some dice with Starburst candies and chocolate dots. I also found some sprinkles that were the same diamonds, hearts, clubs & spades which made a really cute finishing touch. I "bet" they were a hit!

Margarita Cupcakes

Ole! These cupcakes turned out really fun. I borrowed the idea off the internet, but developed my own recipes for the cake and frosting. And after 4 batches, I finally found the winner. They were for a bachelorette party where the girls started out with dinner at Javier's in Newport Beach. They took the cupcakes along with them to the restaurant, so I thought this would be a great addition to their evening. (And besides, I really wanted to avoid having to buy dirty chocolate molds and make x-rated treats! This is a family blog.) The cupcakes actually had tequilla, margarita mix and triple sec in the cake, and were tinted a light green. The homemade buttercream frosting had a twist of lime. I decorated the cupcakes for the girls with a dollop of lime frosting, a straw, and rolled the "rim" of the frosting in sanding sugar, which mimicked salt. And for garnish, I used candy lime slices. On batch #3 (bottom photo), I used actual slices of lime covered in sugar for garnish, which were also fun. Rats. Now I want chips & salsa! Is it taco tuesday yet?

Pool Party Cupcakes 2

I thought I would post these cupcakes just so you could see a different color variation on my pool party kids. This client saw photos of the pool party cupcakes that I did earlier and wanted some for her daughter's birthday party. I was happy to oblige. I made vanilla and chocolate cupcakes and used pink and purple as the main colors. Cannon ball!