It's been a very long time since I posted on this blog so this post is pretty exciting for me. Since closing the shop, I haven't filled a single cake order. My life looks so very different now than it did when I was up to my eyeballs in powdered sugar and cake deliveries.

In fact, it's been peaceful! We got a camper and spent much of the spring and fall camping with the boys and building memories. I only work part-time now and that's just wonderful. The kids are happier, I'm happier, and my husband is happier.

But, I'd be lying if I said the artist in me hasn't been crying for release. I miss creating and making something special for my customers and friends. So at the urging of many of my friends and former business associates, I've decided to start selling custom cake toppers and figurines. After all, that was one of my favorite parts of cake decorating.

So stay tuned, I'll be opening an Etsy Shop in the next few weeks! I hope I'll be able to reconnect with many old customers and friends through this new venture.

Tackling Cake Competitions... A different approach...

Each year in April, there is a cake competition in the Philadelphia area to benefit City of Hope. And since 2011, I've entered the competition with a goal in mind. I'll bet you won't ever be able to guess what my goal was...ha ha

The first year, I'd never entered any type of competition before. In fact, I was still a baby to cake decorating.  I had only begun decorating 3 short years before. So for me, I felt very much "out of my league". To go up against bakeries and cake shops that have years of experience and awards under their belts was daunting. And quite frankly, my attitude was a little different than most. If I didn't think I could win, I didn't want to bother with the time or expense to enter. So... I approached it from a different angle than most would.

I researched winning cakes, and then set out to design my cake based on what it took to make a competition cake a "winning cake". I looked at how many various techniques were used, how well they were used, complexity of design, neatness and precision, etc. And I decided that whatever subject matter my cake was going to portray, it HAD to show a variety of techniques and mastery of each of them. Piping, stenciling, hand painting, modeling, sculpting, sugar work, gravity defying, etc. etc. And then I spent a great deal of time planning out the structure and sketching. Then set to work on all the details. It took a LONG time to complete the cake. But hey... It won! My first year, nobody knew who I was. No one had heard of me. And out of 5 potential awards, I walked away with Best Tasting, Most Artistic, and Best of Show. Not bad for my first competition. Hooray!!!

The second year was a little different. I had decided to merge my cake shop with another local shop and we wanted to collaborate on a cake to prove that together, we were a strong and talented team that could accomplish great things together. Again, we approached the design through the eyes of a judge. What would it take to make a winning cake. And we put quite a bit of time and energy into the cake. We spent more time planning and preparing for the build of the cake than we actually spent on making it. But in the end, it paid off. This time we won People's Choice, Best Use of Theme, and Most Artistic. As far as Best Use of Theme, well, the theme was "Under the Big Top". So you can see that we built an entire circus "under the big top". 

The third year and I believe my final year, the theme was "At the Movies". Since the merger with my business partner failed miserably, my new team and I decided that it was important to compete again to show that we were still a strong and talented group of artists who together could accomplish amazing things with cake. We wanted our customers to see that artistically, nothing had changed and we were still capable of producing phenomenal edible art.

So Clara and Kevin and I set out to plan our cake. This time around, we chose a theme we could have some fun with. And what's more fun than a Children's cartoon? We chose Beauty and the Beast. I have to say, of the cakes we've pulled off, it's the most AMAZING show stopper! My team kicked boo-tay! Again, we approached the design with the judges in mind. We wanted to show a variety of techniques and skill level. And with 3 of us working on the cake, there had to be elements we could each work on individually to show off individual talents and skills so when put together, the whole would be remarkable. It it was! 

 For the third consecutive year, Truly Custom Cakery, LLC received the award for "Most Artistic". I am so very proud of my team. My 19 year old assistant Clara created the Beast (all by herself with NONE of my help!), she did the rose, chandelier, and much of the castle. Kevin did all the stained glass work, sketched the whole design, airbrushing, and helped make sure that the characters had "life" to them. My tasks were Belle, Mrs Potts, Lumiere, and Cogsworth (with the help of Kevin). And when it was all said and done, it was AMAZING!

We've had it on display in our shop since April and it's such fun to see the reaction from our little customers as well as the adults. Oh yea... and my staff proved that we are indeed, an incredible team!  I love you guys! You're the best. I've never had so much fun at work and cherish all the laughter and ribbing that we have enjoyed. 

Oh So YUMMY!

So here is the yumminess we prepared for this weekend. Man are these cupcakes tasty!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Chocolate Chip Pound Cupcake with Caramel Filling. Iced in  cookie dough buttercream , rolled in mini chips, and then topped with a nice big hunk of cookie dough. OH  MY! 

Chocolate Lovers Delight
Double Chocolate Cake with White Chocolate Ganache Filling. Iced in our own delicious chocolate buttercream and drizzled with White Chocolate Ganache. Mmmmm

Pumpkin Praline
Moist Pumpkin Cake filled with a Pecan Caramel Praline Filling. Topped with Cream Cheese Icing and an extra little dab of Caramel Pecan Praline. 

Raspberry Lemonade
Lemon Cupcake with Raspberry Lemonade Filling, Raspberry Lemonade Buttercream and  garnished with drizzled Lemon Curd. Hello Springtime!

Vanilla Wafer
White Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Mousse filling. Iced in vanilla buttercream rolled in Vanilla Cookie Crumbles. Then topped with a white chocolate dipped vanilla wafer. 

Free Complimentary Cup of Coffee with any Cupcake Purchase. Just ask and we'll pour! Friday's over but we're open on Saturday (tomorrow) from 9am-noon so don't miss out!

Here's my nephew enjoying his Vanilla Wafer Cupcake. Notice it's almost as big as his head! tee hee

Let Them Eat Cake 2012 - Under The Big Top

Every Spring for the past 7 years, City of Hope has hosted a wonderful event called "Let Them Eat Cake". It's held in downtown Philadelphia at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. This year, the event theme was "Under The Big Top". And it was AMAZING! Talk about the perfect theme to get artists and decorators to use their imaginations and bring their A-game!

Suzy and I worked hard to come up with a design that would defy gravity, show off a number of different techniques, draw people from a distance, and then keep them there with details. And I have to say, we pulled it off!

We were thrilled to walk away with THREE of the five available prizes. We won Most Artistic, Best Use of Theme, and Audience Choice. This was a VERY big deal for us, as it was our first project together! And with the merger of Cakes by Suzy & Truly Custom Cakery, LLC, we REALLY wanted to win as a team!

Enjoy the photos! And stay tuned. We hope to be in our new Cake Boutique before the Summer of 2012!!!

 Hidden Object Fun...

You can find LOTS more photos on our facebook page! We've got a whole album dedicated to the event complete with photos of our competition as well as pictures of the building of the cake! 

Let Them Eat Cake Facebook Album

We are booked thru June 5 of 2012 but are accepting orders after that! If you need a cake this summer, please contact us ASAP!!! http://www.trulycustomcakery.com

The Highlight Reel

When I started Truly Custom Cakery, I did it out of necessity. I was starting to get a LOT of requests from people to make custom cakes for them. But, without being licensed, I had to turn them away. So, we decided that instead of watching money walk away, it was time to take the next step. It was an easy decision because the laws of our area allow me to work right out of my home kitchen. For a very small financial investment, I was able to get my inspection, license, insurance, and file all the necessary legal paperwork.

Over time, I started getting too many requests for what my kitchen would allow me to handle. I decided that it was time to raise my minimum order amount so that I could work smarter, rather than harder. I've done that 3 times since Truly Custom Cakery, LLC opened in November of 2009. Then a year ago, we renovated the kitchen so I could have 2 ovens, move counter space, and more storage in my small 10' x 12' kitchen. Raising my minimums increased the quality of the orders I was receiving from a financial standpoint, but as a result, I've had to turn away a LOT of business. It was a decision made out of necessity. I just can't do it all. And if you could choose between a $75 cake or a $350 cake, which order would you rather have??? No brainer...

BUT... What if I could take those smaller orders too? What about all the people that were my customer when I started and can't afford me anymore? What about the people that taste my cakes and like it so much, call to order, and then walk away when they hear my price? Is it good business to turn them away? Or should I have been growing instead of shrinking my customer base? And how do I combat the feast/famine scenario? It happens all the time. You have a week with more orders than you can handle and you turn away several more. Then, the very next week, NOTHING! Not even a phone call! I'd probably have cakes those weeks too if I hadn't raised that minimum... But, like I said, I can't do it all. I'm just one person.

And therein lies the next question. Should I remain just one person? When is the right time to expand? How do you know when you should take that leap of faith and change your circumstances so that you CAN take all the orders that come your way. When do I say "YES" to all the Pastry Arts students that ask to intern with me?

And of course, if I do move forward.... HOW? I mean, the economy is pretty lousy! Do I get a business loan and take a chance at a brick and mortar shop? Isn't that a bit risky in this economy? And then I'm not a stay at home mom anymore. Which I really would miss! Do I build a garage out back for my husband and convert my existing garage into a shop? I could have displays, a workroom, a place to meet with clients, and a place for staff/interns to work! But all that takes money and a loan... When is the right time to move in that direction?

And of course, all my insecurities... Am I good enough, am I ready, would I get all the business back that I turned away, would I be able to pay the loan back, would it be worth it? WILL I FAIL?

And it is always worse when you look around. I should know better. In the last few years, Cake Shows have made the custom baking/decorating business EXPLODE! People are flying out of the woodwork to try their hand at it and succeeding! And not only that, but they have blogs, facebook and twitter accounts, pinterest, flickr, and a whole bunch of other stuff I know nothing about. And they have followers. LOTS OF THEM, thousands of them! And it's no wonder. Some of the work these people put out is phenomenal! It's breathtaking, astounding, and downright intimidating!

When I look at some of their work and see that they charged $12.00 for ONE CUPCAKE and the order included about 100 of them plus a super fancy cake and they have only been in business for 1 year, I start to doubt myself. SERIOUSLY! OH, and they do it out of their home kitchen... And they have about 10,000 followers on facebook...

And here come more doubts... am I doing things right? Why don't I have 10,000 followers? Do I engage my fans properly? Do I come across as a snot? Am I not thanking my customers and fans enough for their loyalty? Etc.. etc.... etc....

It doesn't take long to make yourself feel like you are doing everything wrong. I was chatting with a friend of mine this morning and she reminded me of something. That "when you compare yourself to others, all you are seeing is their highlight reel too". 

I needed that! People look at my work and see what I've accomplished. They don't see my insecurities, fears, doubts, and struggles. They just see the final product. And when we compare ourselves to others, we are ONLY seeing their highlight reel. We don't know what they went through, their fears, challenges, finances, or insecurities. We see the best of the best. What they want us to see. As if they'd walk around town in their underwear. There's always more going on than what you can see. And often, that more, is layers deep.

I know that the Bible tells us in II Corinthians 5:7 "that we walk by faith and not by sight". AND I do have faith in my Savior and I know my eternity. What I do not have faith in, is myself and the economy. So if you are a praying person, I covet your prayers. Somethings gonna have to give and I just don't know what or how.

And a BIG thank you Kristie, for reminding me not to compare myself to someone else's highlight reel. I love you Chickie!

Cranberry, Apple, Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

I recently saw a recipe by Paula Dean for Apple Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes. They looked soooo good. BUT, lately, my palate has matured to a point where I like a LOT going when I bite into something. I don't want to be overwhelmed by a single flavor.

So I decided to mix it up a bit and make Cranberry, Apple, Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes! And MY OH MY! I made 3 dozen and in 4 days my husband, the boys, and I ate them ALL!!! They were delicious! 

 I used Paula's Recipe for the Bread/Roll. Then I mixed it up a bit. The recipe seems like it has a lot going on, but bear with me. It's not that bad. While your dough is rising, you can work on preparing your filling. And then while the cupcakes are baking, you can prepare the icing. We'll be having these for Christmas Eve Brunch this year!

Ingredients for Roll:

• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 tablespoon (.5oz) active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter (room temperature)

Ingredients for the Filling:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) of room temperature butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of AllSpice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 cups finely cut chopped Granny Smith (or other tart apples)
• 1 cup of chopped cranberries

Ingredients for the Icing:

• 4 oz Cream Cheese (1/2 of an 8oz block)
• 1/4 cup of softened butter
• 1 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt

Directions for the Roll:

• In a small saucepan or a microwave oven, warm milk to about 110 F.
• In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in the milk.
• Add salt and two cups of flour and beat for two minutes.
• Beat in eggs and butter.
• Stir in the remaining flour a half cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about five minutes).
• Place the dough in a large bowl and cover it with a towel.  Set in a warm place and allow to rise for 40 minutes or until approximately doubled in volume.

Directions for the Filling:

• Mix together the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt, and allspice in a mixing bowl until smooth and combined. 
• Using a spoon or spatula, fold in the apples and cranberries.

Assembly:

• Divide the dough into two parts. Using 1/2 of the dough, roll it out into a large rectangle. 
• Smooth the filling over the dough. Avoid the outer edge or you will have a mess. 
• Roll the dough up to encase the filling and create a large log. 
• Then take a very sharp knife and cut the dough into 3/4" rolls. 
• Place them in paper lined cupcake tins. 
• Repeat with the remaining 1/2 of the dough. 

 Bake: 

• 350 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

NOTE: this is a messy and juicy process. It creates a sticky mess while assembling and while baking. During baking, the apples and cranberries create quite a bit of juice. It is best to place your cupcake tins on a cookie sheet for the baking process to catch any juices. I DO NOT recommend using colored foil papers for this process as the liquid will remove the color from the foil and create a technicolor mess.

Directions for the Icing:

• While the Cinnamon Rolls are baking, beat together the cream cheese, butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth and creamy. 
• Drizzle or slather the tops of your cinnamon rolls in the cream cheese icing after they have cooled a bit but are still warm. 

REMOVE your cinnamon rolls from the cupcake tins before they cool completely to ensure that the cooled sugar does not glue the cupcake wrappers to your baking pans. 

And ENJOY!!! 

Melted Snowman S'Mores... Mmmmmm

 

Last night I tried making Marshmallows for the first time. I'll share photos of the actual "marshmallow's" later. But in keeping with tradition, I had to try making snowmen out of marshmallows BUT I wanted them to be REALLY tasty.

So I took some graham crackers, split them in 1/2, and cut off the sharp corners. Then I dipped them in milk chocolate. After they cooled, I made homemade marshmallows, and piped the marshmallow onto the prepared graham cracker. Once they set up for a bit, I got my royal icing together and decorated them. And of course, I'm a fan of glitter, so I made them sparkle with a little rainbow disco dust. (totally optional, but for me, it's a sickness! lol).

 

 I'll put together a tutorial later. And let me tell you, I'll NEVER be able to stomach a standard s'more ever again. My husband LOVES these and my 6 year old ate one for breakfast! ha ha ha (Shhhh... don't tell)

 

 Happy Baking, Caking, and Decorating!

How'd you arrive at that number?

Setting a Budget for your Custom Cake...

Sometimes I get a phone call or an e-mail from a potential client inquiring on a cake. They have very specific ideas about what they want and have the cake designed in their head from top to bottom. They know the colors, accent pieces, sculpted pieces, flavors, and they know what they want to pay.

So when my client calls I have some questions that need answered so we can get down to business.

- What is the date of your event?

- How many servings of cake will you need?

- Do you have a design in mind?

- Do you require delivery?

- What is your budget?
I want to elaborate on this one. Some people think it's a trick question. But it's not. There are many techniques and materials that can be used to get from raw cake and filling to finished piece of edible art. I need to know how much money you want to spend so I can choose which methods to use to get to your finished product. I need to know how much detail to include, if I can use fancier techniques like poured sugar, hand sculpted pieces, or possibly even purchasing special tools for your project. Do I need to employ a carpenter to build a frame for your cake? It's all going to play into your quote and that is why your answer is so important.

So, when you tell me you want a cake to serve 60 people and you want it to defy gravity, you want specific detail pieces (about 30 of them), you want sparkle, you want your guests to go "WOW", and you only want to spend $300.00. I need to know, HOW did you arrive at that number?

Let's get the facts.

Those shops you see on TV have a minimum order for custom cakes. One has a minimum of $1,000. And it doesn't matter if you only want to feed 25 guests. One charges $100.00 just to sit down, taste some cake, and talk to them about your design. No finished cake included in that price. And the per serving cost of a fondant decorated cake usually STARTS at about $8.00 a serving. But more likely will cost you about $12.00 - $14.00 per serving because we already know you want WOW factor.

So let's break it down. 60 servings of cake. WOW FACTOR. Budget of $300.00. That's $5.00 per serving. Which is the base price at my shop for a fondant cake. You know, where we start. (Remember those TV guys start at about $8.00) So HOW did you determine your budget of $300.00?

Did you research what custom cakes cost before you got that number? Or, is it how much you have to spend, it's a number that "sounds good", and really, it's just Cake and Icing! Right?! Let's nip this one in the bud. If it was JUST Cake and Icing, you'd have gone to the Warehouse store and picked up a sheet cake. You don't want cake and icing. You want mouthwatering edible art! There's a difference. And creating a custom sculpted/carved/designed piece of art work, requires talent, experience, time, materials, and skill. And that cost money.

So before you "decide" on your budget. Do a little research. Make sure that your budget makes sense. Make sure you account for what you are asking for. And be honest with your cake designer when they want to know your budget.

You see, you might not be able to afford a Carved 3-D cake of your fiance's dog. BUT you could afford a smaller tiered cake with a sculpted topper that looks like his dog, Rusty. There's a difference of about $300.00 or more in those two cakes. So keep that in mind. If your budget isn't reasonable for what you requested, ask your designer HOW you can still match your theme but get closer to the budget. And don't be offended if they tell you that you can't afford a custom cake. It's okay. I know I can't afford a Mercedes. I just buy the car I can afford. I don't try to tell the Mercedes dealer that he HAS to change the price of the car because I only have $15,000 to spend. He'd laugh at me.

So when you figure out your budget, make sure it is backed by a little research. AND make sure that the shop you choose has a gallery of photos that show they can pull of what you are asking. Don't be disappointed in the end because you didn't research in the beginning.

And have fun with it! Custom Cakes can truly be the centerpiece of your event. And considering it's art that you are paying for, they should be!

Win this beautiful Silver & Diamond Live, Love, Hope Necklace!

This week I was fortunate enough to take part in City of Hope's, Let Them Eat Cake, Wedding Cake Competition.

City of Hope is a leader in Cancer Research and Treatment. So it's only appropriate that one of the prizes I received was this beautiful Sterling Silver and Diamond Live, Love, & Hope Necklace. The necklace was designed in memory of Roberta Z. Kanfer. They call it "Bobbye's Dream". You can read about her story on City of Hope's Website HERE.

To help celebrate, I thought it would be appropriate to give away one of my prizes and I chose this necklace.

The pendant is .925 sterling silver with a disc laser engraved with Live, Love, Hope. The diamond ribbon has .05 ctw of HI-I1 genuine white diamonds. It is on an 18" sterling silver cable chain.

The contest is taking place on Truly Custom Cakery's Facebook page. Just visit this link to comment on the photo. If you are unable to comment, you will need to "like" the page first.

If you would like to donate to City of Hope, just visit this link. With donations of $100.00 or more, you will receive your very own Live, Love, Hope Necklace.

God Bless and Good Luck!

Brown & Blue Baby Shower Cake.

Not all show cakes have to be "Weddingish". Whether your event is a wedding, anniversary, Birthday party, shower, or "just because", if you are celebrating something, people expect cake! So show cakes should depict a variety of themes. Since wedding cakes generally go in a more feminine direction, I decided to do a baby shower cake for a boy. And of course it needed a figure on top!

So here's the shower cake I designed. It's always fun to create my very own design without having guidelines. It allows me to think on my feet and do whatever comes to mind. I'm particularly fond of the texture on the bow and blanket as well as the little teddy bear the boy is holding.


Have I said lately how much I enjoy what I do?