Merry Christmas!

I do have a new post, unfortunately I left my camera cord behind. So until then I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!!

Andes Mint Cupcakes

First off, I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving! I was put into a food coma and ready for bed at about 7pm last night, so mine was a success. =]
I am really excited to share these cupcakes. I was invited to a cupcake exchange party last weekend and was thrilled to have the chance at making these.

ITSA ME MAAARRRIOOOO

 

Another birthday cake! I would have put a picture of my bestest friend holding his cake, but I am sick of seeing boys taking up so much space on my blog. Where's the love ladies? It's cool. I get it. So, my very best friend turned the big 2-6 on November 1st. I know. Totally not cool enough to be born on Halloween. hahaha. Since I have begun to get semi-decent at this whole cake decorating things, I have been ever so excited to make Tim's cake. Why? Because he has pretty much the coolest job ever. He works at Game Informer. So he gets his hands on all the latest and greatest games and gets to rub it in our less fortunate faces. "Oh you don't have the new Mario for 3Ds?? I do...look how cool it is!! muahahahaha" Yeah, that is Tim. =] But seriously, go check him out here for a chance to pick his brain about video games.
Ok, where was I?

26th Birthday Cake

It took me quite sometime to come up with this idea. Now that I am officially a decorator, I couldn't just use the easy way out like the last two birthdays...Bylerys cake the first year (gross and expensive) and a Cold Stone ice cream cake last year (good but WAY expensive). Josh likes a lot of stuff, however, most of if it pretty detailed and things that I would have to do with edible images and not out of frosting. Boring. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is a show on AdultSwim that he really likes, so that was that.

Na na na na na nana ananana BATMAN

Yup, Batman cupcakes. A few months ago, my brothers best friend had a birthday. Since i don't live in Minneapolis anymore, I promised him that the next time I was back, I would make him cupcakes. That happened to be this past weekend. I asked him what kind he would like, and to my surprise, he picked something pretty simple and basic: vanilla cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Of course there was something different he wanted on them...Batman. As simple as these cupcakes sounded, I did have a bit of a hard time with them.

My first "order"

If you are a fan of my Facebook page, you have probably already seen this pictures. However, I still wanted to update on this cake.
Besides decorating cakes at Cashwise, I also work on-campus in the career services office. My boss asked me to make a cake for her 4 year old daughter's birthday party, of course I very excited to do so!
The only bad thing was, she needed a half sheet cake; I do not own a pan that big. I had planned on making the cake myself and buying the extra things I needed from work (edible image). Since she needed that size, I had to do it all at work.
It was a half sheet marble cake with whipped frosting. Her daughter loves princess' so I wanted to add as much to it as possible while still making it look good.

Baileys chocolate chip cupcakes with Baileys buttercream

Well it has been a few weeks at least since I have updated ! I baked these cupcakes for our Labor Day weekend outing. My family + significant others are going to a resort "up north" which as of last year is a new family tradition. This year we decided to do a "tasting menu" on one of the nights, so everyone is responsible for a dish. I, of course, got the dessert course. What a perfect opportunity to try out these Baileys Irish Cream chocolate chip cupcakes with buttercream frosting!

Quick fix for a chocolate craving

There are certain times where most of us just need a chocolate fix, am I right? Tonight was one of those nights for me. I wasn't going to post these, but they are pretty cute and a good substitute for shoving a whole candy bar in your mouth.

Still here!

Since getting this job and working so much, I can't help but wonder how these other bloggers do it! Work all day and still seem to update their blogs in a regular basis. Once I get home and go to the gym, I am so exhausted! So good for you guys =]

I promise I am going to get back into the kitchen this week and get some things baked up. Until then, feel free to take a look at the things I have gotten to do at work =]

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.579628070481.2065267.194002383

Work and class update

Well last night I finished up the 2nd Wilton course at a local craft store. I made about 40 RI roses and did a basket weave on the sides of the cake.

I was much happier with how my final cake for the first course turned out, but this one was ok too.

I honestly was a little burnt out yesterday, so I didn't really come up with a great idea for the final cake. I did get a lot of rose practice in and I am getting a lot more comfortable doing them.
So that is the class update...no more Wilton classes until September.

WORK!

Oh man, I am just in love with my decorating job it is not even funny. Since I started I had just been icing cakes and doing boarders on them, until today. Today I got to do my first flower cakes (which are a big deal because they are more expensive and popular)

This one with roses

These were just drop flowers, but I really liked the color combination!

I thought this one was just really fun. The flower in the middle, which I didn't make, was gum paste.

I think they are slowly going to have me start doing orders and continue to do flower cakes as well. I have so much creative freedom this job, I just need to be confident and go with it =]
I hope to have an actual baking update soon, but this past week has just been crazy with work and other things!

Have a great week everyone =]

Scentsy

Ok...I am new to this whole "Scentsy" trend but have you guys seen the latest warmer they have?? It's a CUPCAKE!! And OH so cute! I ordered mine last week along with the "Happy Birthday" Scent and I cannot freaking wait to get it. There is a great consultant out there that would love to help you with any questions you have as well as take your orders =]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Scentsy-by-Ashley-Nelson/166558800075773

Macaroons re-visited

We all remember my last macaroon attempt, right? Or should I say my pink cookie making... yikes. Ever since I attempted my last batch, I have been wanting to try these little buggers again. A twitter friend of mine, Michelle @kissedbysweets, suggested we try them together and hopefully get positive results. However, when she attempted hers, the humidity here in MN was ridiculously high so I had to wait to do mine. After seeing how great hers looked, I was even more nervous to try them again. Although, I did feel like I figured out what went wrong last time.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Those of you who are fans of my blog on facebook (which I would love if you would take the second to "like"!) have already seen the breast cancer cupcake toppers that I did. Last night I finally made the cupcakes that the toppers would go on.

Update!

Just wanted to let you all know that I received a call today informing me that I got the job as a decorator at Cashwise!

I am so excited for this job and I hope it is the beginning to my decorating career!
Thanks for all of the support =]

New post to come this weekend!

Spur of the moment cake!

I know, great picture.

Aaaand I'm back! Finally after broken promises I am happy to say I have found my card reader and am back and ready to go! =] I have to admit, I have missed my blog so much, but I have missed baking even more. I was definitely in a bit of a rut which lead me to stay out of the kitchen for some crazy reason, especially when baking makes me so crazy happy! Anyways enough about me, how have you all been? So my first post back was supposed to be mini chocolate strawberry buttercream cupcakes...but I have realized that NONE of the pictures turned out.

See? Pretty awful

To be honest, the cupcakes were nothing special, so we will just pretend those never happened. The cake I am going to post about was a total spur of the moment. Our friends had invited us over this afternoon, and instead of leaving right away, I had to bake them a cake first!

Crossing my fingers!

I I know I promised a new post, but I of course have misplaced my memory card reader! So it will have to wait a bit longer.

Something that is exciting though, I have a potential cake decorating job! Cashwise called me in for an interview on Tuesday. So I will go in and decorate a cake and if I do well enough, I will get the job. I am so excited for this, and I think it will be the perfect place for me to start. Also the experience I would gain from this position would be so so great! So this weekend I am going to continue practicing piping, especially my writing.

I have a really good feeling about the job, but I am still keeping my fingers crossed. The manager kept saying how much she loves my enthusiasm about the position, so that has to be a good sign!

The shell boarders were something I had struggled with, but I think I have figured them out after much practice Thursday night!

I will keep you all updated and will post again as soon as I find my card reader =]
Have a great weekend everyone!

Where have I been?!

I am shamed to say that I have been MIA in the kitchen lately! I have started a new job and have been out of town the past 2 weekends.

Do not fret though dear followers, I shall return tomorrow with a new post. Try to contain your excitement =] I have missed my little blog and can't wait to get back to it tomorrow.

My first blog award!

This morning I woke up to an awesome email. Michelle from Kissed By Sweets had given me my first blog award! I was so happy to receive this. Seriously, the smile on my face was ridiculous. Michelle and I seem to be on similar pages right now, which is awesome and pretty great to see someone else in the same boat as me.

I know I am supposed to mention a lot of blogs for this award, but I am going to have to come back later and update that part.

I guess the tradition goes that when you receive an award you have to list 7 things about yourself, so here it goes:

1. I am 25 and still in school. I am getting a general degree because I know baking is what I want to do with my life. It is pretty difficult sitting through classes when I would rather be at home in my kitchen.
2. I am obsessed with the show Felicity. For real. (Editor's note: Bri is not kidding. This lady continually quotes the late 90s college drama).
3. Anything baking-related makes me happy. Whether it's spending hours reading baking blogs or making a disaster in my kitchen, it all brings a huge smile to my face.
4. I love the blog world, I am so thankful for how many doors twitter and my blog have opened. Every time I see a new view on my blog, it makes this road that much more exciting.
5. I am very passionate about organ donation. I do not understand why people choose not to be part of this. You are more likely to receive an organ donation then you are to give one. It's a proven fact. I am more than happy to talk with anyone about it.
6. My siblings and mom are my best friends.
7. Thank you to all who look/have readat my blog. This is such an exciting journey for me and I love that I can share it with people as I learn and grow in this process.

Oh macaroons...

Macaroons come with a pretty negative baking rep. many bloggers that I have found have had nothing but failures when it comes to making these airy delights, but I stumbled upon this blog that did a great job of putting my fears at ease. Please take a mental image of the above picture. Now continue on to see what mine looked like.

The wait is over!

Brace yourselves, I know you have all been on the edge of your seats waiting for this post. I am happy to report the wait is over. My first fondant cake is here! Try to contain your excitement. My friend Mark graduated from college back in December, but one weekend I really wanted to make a cake, so he received a very late graduation cake. I used the same fondant from my last post to cover this cake with, and I did have to microwave it for a few seconds to get it nice and soft again. When you do this, make sure you only do a few seconds at a time. Ok, where was I?

Premade fondant=yuck. Homemade fondant=marshmallowy goodness!

I feel like I have been a big tease with the "no more cell phone picture" topic, but I am happy to announce that it is finally true! My friend Mark found a memory card reader for me, so now I can easily pull the pictures off an ACTUAL camera!! Since I now have this device, I can finally update on what was stuck in the camera.

Advice needed!!

I was sitting here pondering to myself about how to get my name out there a bit. Is it a good idea to go around to local businesses and give them a few cupcakes to enjoy? I figured I could include my info (as well as a list of ingredients) and at least add some sweetness to some peoples day. To people that work at legit businesses, it this a good idea or no? I just don't want to waste my time if people can't take baked goods from people or something. Please, any advice would be greatly appreciated!

"You wanna know what the difference is between a cupcake and a muffin?"

"Nothing. A muffin is a bald cupcake!" - Jim Gaffigan

There's a little comedy to help start out your Monday. I have been dying to try and experiment with the lavender that my mom bought for me, but sadly I am lacking the money to go crazy baking right now. So today while I was searching and searching for things I could make with the ingredients I had on hand, I stumbled upon blueberry muffins and my mouth started to water.

Tiny Brownie Pops!

I never intended to make these, I actually am going to blame these little guys on boredom. Sometimes for me, boredom can make me want to snack. A lot. This particular night when I opened my cupboard, the only thing that stared back at me was a box of brownie mix. Well, it may have been the only thing I wanted to see!

Tastes like summer!

My fondant cake will make an appearance here someday, but I'm still working on getting the pictures off the camera. Turns out I need to get an extra thinger for it that will be an easy fix. Only problem is I don't have the extra money for it at the moment. Just as I was getting you all excited for some non-phone pictures! Such a tease. Oh well, onto the baking!

The weather here in MN has been jumping around like crazy! One day it will be 60, the next in the mid 80's. I wouldn't be surprised if it snowed tomorrow. Thankfully the produce is slowly but surely getting better here. Strawberries are something I very much miss during the long winters, so I really wanted to incorporate them into my next baking project.

Pictures

I am still working on my camera, so until then I have uploaded some new pictures to my Facebook fan page. Oh, what's that, you aren't a fan of it yet? Glance over to the right of this post and you will see my "like" button. Click it and then you can see all of the pictures and posts on there. Plus you would be even more awesome :)

Too cute to wait

First off, I made my first fondant covered cake this weekend! I was happy with how it turned out, and hopefully I will get to sample a piece to see how the fondant worked with the cake. That post will have to be on hold though as I am having some technical difficulties with my camera. My uncle was nice enough to donate a very nice camera to me (I am sure you are all bummed that there will be no more cell phone pictures) but I have the wrong cord, so the pictures of the cake are temporarily unavailable. So due to that, I thought I would give a quick update on some fondant work I did.

These things were just too freaking cute, I couldn't wait until morning to post about them quick. I had seen these on a couple of blogs and for some reason I got the kick to try them out tonight.

Hi Hat Cupckes= A Disastor!

Oh boy, where to start with these poor little things? First of all, you guys should check here on what these were supposed to look like.

Ok, so you have the idea? Now look at the picture above. Sad, isn't it? I know, I know,

Dad winter of '08

baking these cupcakes started off innocent enough. I went home to Minneapolis this past weekend to be with family, the 13th of May marked the 3 year anniversary of my dad passing away, and going to a bar in St. Paul is our yearly tradition to celebrate my dad. The following Sunday we were headed to my grandmas to celebrate some family birthdays (a lot of family time that weekend!) so I knew it would be a perfect opportunity to give these cupcakes a shot. Saturday night my Mom and I gathered all of the ingredients and started baking.

Back to cupcakes!

It has been quite sometime, and honestly, I kind of feel like I have been abandoning you. However cupcakes, I am ready for you once again. I have been on this cake binge for so long, I really did miss doing cupcakes. My boyfriend Josh's mom asked for a cake a few weeks ago, and since he didn't make it back for mother's day, those cake plans fell through. Luckily we are heading back to the cities tomorrow, so his mother Alona will finally have her cake... err.. cupcakes!

Cake= a great gift for Mom!

As promised, I am excited to share the cake I made/decorated yesterday! The other day My roommate Leif and I were watching TV and out of the blue he said, "So what's the going rate for a mom's day cake?" I got the biggest smile on my face and just said, "REALLY?!?!" I was so ecstatic that he asked me to make a cake for his mom. I am at the point where I feel weird/bad charging people (since I am still learning and practicing) so I just asked him to replace the materials that I used. I was excited all week to make the cake and yesterday it was finally time. I know I have not updated on my 2nd level of class yet, but it is all about flower and cake design using fondant, gum paste and royal icing. That being said, I really wanted to do some fondant work with this cake. For the class I bought Wilton fondant that was already made and colored (definitely does not taste as good as making your own fondant) so practicing some flowers was pretty easy.
Leif didn't have any specific ideas for the cake, just that he wanted it to say something regarding mothers day, so I had a lot of creative freedom with it.

Finally

Alright guys, I finally figured out how to make a Facebook page for the blog! I would love it if you could take a second to "like" my page!

Also, my roommate asked me to make a Mother's Day cake! It was pretty special to me and I can't wait to tell you all about it. Stay tuned!

One level higher!

Tonight I start the 2nd level of the Wilton classes! I will be working with gum paste and fondant. I am so very excited. Stay tuned for pictures and updates :)

First session of class is over...(updated)

Well guys, tonight marked the end of my first session of cake decorating class. You might think I would be really sad and devastated about this, and I probably would be if the 2nd session didn't start on MONDAY! Wooo!! haha
First of all, I realize I have pretty much abandoned my poor blog for the last week, and I promise I had a reason. What is that reason? Well I simply didn't want to "over-bake" myself. My mom and I (well more like my mom) did a lot of baking for Easter, and I didn't want to burn myself out before my final cake.

Scribble cupcakes

The weather here in MN has been pretty depressing. One might think that since it is near the end of April, it would be Spring weather. Wrong. Snow, cold, clouds and rain. Due to this frown-friendly weather, I have once again been in a pretty lazy baking mood.

So excited I could burst!

Oh my gosh you guys. I said earlier I was going to decorate my first cake this weekend, and I did. Yesterday I finished decorating it and I have been all smiles since. It was SO much fun to do and it's just so so great.

I said I needed a purpose for a cake, and thanks to my boyfriend Josh, I had one. One of his buddies had a baby last week, so I made them a cake. I have never met these friends, so I am going to be the weird girl who gives them a cake, haha. Poor them, having to be the guinea pigs for my first cake.

Be prepared...this entry is going to be pretty photo heavy.

Update on Class

So I realized that I have not updated on my class at Crafts Direct! I am taking 1 of 4 classes right now. The first one I am in right now is "cake decorating basics."

On the first day we didn't get to actually do anything, but the teacher did go over a lot of techniques with us and I honestly learned a lot.

Yesterday was the 2nd day and our 'homework' was to bring in a batch of frosting so we could start decorating. We did a lot of different piping techniques and practiced with them. My hand KILLED after doing them so much! We also got to decorate a picture entirely out of frosting. During the first class we picked out a picture and for the second session she brought in a larger version of it for us to decorate. I did not pick the best one and definitely drew the short straw color-wise, but here is how it turned out:

It is a little hula girl and I got to do some leaf piping on the bottom and added some little flowers. Her face is SUPER creepy with that red frosting (we didn't get to pick out color) but overall it turned out pretty well. I am going to make a cake this weekend so I can do some more practicing. I can't wait.

This four part class costs $30 and I have learned more in these two sessions then I did in my three months at Le Cordon Bleu.

I will try and keep you guys updated about the classes! Have a good weekend all and stay tuned for my future post on the cake I make/decorate this weekend :)

Peanut Butter and Chocolate. Need I say more?

I think I am one of the rare people that is not a huge fan of the peanut butter and chocolate combination. Yes, I enjoy eating several Reese's cups in one sitting, but anything besides that has never really been at the top of my favorites list; I think this is because I feel the peanut butter over powers everything. So when I came across these cupcakes, I went into it knowing I would probably not love these (which meant I would eat 2 instead of 10).

Nerves!

I submitted my application to Crafts Direct today. I really hope I get the job. This is the place where I am taking my baking classes and the variety of supplies they have is... well, I was in awe when I walked down the baking isle.

I am beyond excited for my next baking class on Thursday, we will actually get to work with some icing and do some decorating. The first class was just intro and the teacher showed us some really great techniques. Even though we didn't get to do anything, I really learned a lot.

I want to bake a cake SO bad. I just wish I knew someone that wanted one otherwise I know I would eat that whole thing myself. :)

These classes are just great and I am so glad I found them. I will keep you guys updated on the job, but keep your fingers crossed for me.

Something delicious, easy, and pretty darn cute!

After making the cake pops (which I thought were pretty adorable) I really wanted to make something else.."mini" So I went back to the same blog (Bakerella) and found an idea for mini pies.

Apple pie is pretty much my favorite pie; the only thing I look forward to during the holidays is my mom's apple pie. She makes it from scratch and I honestly have not had a better slice of pie. It was a pretty easy decision to use apple as filling for these little delights, but even though they may be adorable, they in no way would live up to my mom's!

My first disaster

It had to happen eventually, right?

Making these cupcakes started off innocent enough, I found the recipe for pina colada cupcakes here. I made some changes though...instead of draining the pineapple slightly, I drained it all of the way and then added some Malibu rum to the pineapple and blended it together

Something different!

The weekend is usually when I do my baking, and this weekend I wanted to try something other than cupcakes. After reading all of my usual blogs, I came across my new favorite baking blog, Bakerella

I went through pages and pages of her entries and reading them made me really happy, especially when I saw this blog entry (go towards the end of the post, most of you should understand why this particular entry caught my eye more than others)

A chocolate-loaded cupcake that is not excessively sweet

A chocolate cupcake with chocolate chips in the batter AND chocolate cream cheese frosting?! Chocolate overload? Yes... but in a delicious way. To start off, I am a huge HUGE dessert fan. At a restaurant, whenever the server asks if we would like dessert, my family laughs and looks in my direction because they know I am powerless to the dessert menu. The point of that story is that I have had my fair share of overly sweet desserts. They are always very tasty, but something you can only eat a couple bites of (unless you are me and still demolish the entire thing).

Intimidating!

Okay, so I have been looking at This awesome baking blog and I decided that instead of making cupcakes this weekend, I am going to do some sugar cookies. However, I am also going to attempt some type of design with the frosting. After looking at some of these blogs, however, I am pretty intimidated. Besides having to make a ton of different frosting with different consistencies, it looks like it is going to take a lot of practice and patience.
Stay tuned for future updates of this possible disaster.

Guinness Cupcakes

For the first few months of having my KitcehnAid, I was unable to make cupcakes due to the fact that my piping stuff was at my mom's house (Ok, I could have made them...but they wouldn't have had piped frosting like I wanted). Luckily after I came back from vacation, I was able to bring those items back with me.
I got back from Maui the day before St. Patty's day so when I came across this recipe for Guinness Cupcakes with vanilla butter cream, I knew I had to try out.

Chocolate + Baileys could never be a bad combination

After a few batches of chocolate chip cookies, I was ready to try something new. So I browsed through some ideas, and I came across chocolate truffles. They seemed pretty simple to make, and candy was something I had never attempted before.

 Chopped up semi sweet baking chocolate

All of the chocolate with the butter

I had to temper the chocolate with a double boiler (which I obviously don't have) so I had to get crafty and and use a pan and a glass bowl. (it actually wasn't crafty, it was a tip in the recipe)

Once it was all nice and smooth, it was time to add the Baileys (I used one of the small "airplane" bottles)

All poured out and ready to get firm in the fridge (1 batch was with Baileys, the other was just chocolate)

I covered the Baileys truffles with a pinch of sea salt instead of rolling them in coco powder, and I topped the regular truffles with a little powdered sugar

I have to say, my first truffle attempt turned out pretty well. I was a bigger fan of the Baileys than the regular chocolate (weird) but both were good. The biggest complaint I have about making these is scooping them into the cupcake liners. The chocolate is pretty messy to work with - my hands were totally covered by the time I was done. Also, I got tired of scooping all that melted chocolate pretty quickly. However, they were easy and pretty tasty. If I would have felt more motivated, I could have coated them in another layer of chocolate to give them that nice hard shell on the outside. Maybe next time :)

Thanks to "My Baking Addiction" for the recipe. 
Click here for the recipe!

Couldn't resist

Ok... my last post for tonight. After a horrible night at work, I came home to these packages waiting for me!

Fondant rolling pin, measuring rings, fondant smoother...and of course a "how to" book.

Have I said how excited I am for my baking class next week!? :)

What is the first thing a girl makes with her very own KitchenAid?

Chocolate Chip Cookies, of course :) I think CCC's are pretty near and dear to every kid's heart. Personally, I remember making them all of the time with my mom, and they were one of the first things I made "all by myself." Plus, it was always fun saving a bowl of dough for my dad to eat later.

As I previously stated, I recently bought my very own KitchenAid. No big deal. Except it was a HUGE deal to me. I told my mom that it was like I was finally a grown up. So of course CCC's had to be the first thing for me to make in my brand new kitchen aid!

Well...here it goes!

Alright, this marks the first entry for my blogging future! I am very new to this, so please bear with me as I learn! I want to use this first entry as a "get to know me" type thing.

Baking is something I have always been passionate about and a career I have always thought about. Out of high school, I enrolled in the baking and pastry program at Le Cordon Bleu in MN. I was there for four months and honestly did not learn a thing. After talking to people in the baking industry, I learned that the particular branch I was at was not highly regarded by professionals. So that was that, and I quit. Sad to say, that school really turned me off to the whole profession for awhile. So I went back to 'regular' school and tried out several majors...changing my mind often.

So here I find myself again...I am a year away from graduating with a geography degree and have rediscovered my passion for baking. The degree will be good to have, but i know for sure that baking is what I want to pursue. I went out one day a few months ago and bought a KitchenAid and knew that was a turning point. Over these last few months I have just been practicing things in my own kitchen. Next week though, I start a baking class at a local craft store and I CANNOT WAIT!

I am going to use this blog to chronicle my progress with things like recipes and just overall struggles/triumphs I guess.

Disclaimer: I am not good at photographing food, so I apologize in advance for the unspectacular pictures. I honestly follow a lot of baking blogs and their pictures are so beautiful...someday I will get there :) 

Also I want to send out a sappy 'thank you' to...
My family for always sticking by me throughout my indecisiveness.
My best friend and editor Tim for suggesting this whole blog idea to me! 

Enjoy and thank you for stopping by!

Me, my brother, sister and my mom (Maui '11)