Toilet Paper Cake

Anyone who knows me knows how much I hate covering a chocolate cake in white icing lol.

Well this cake is a roll of toilet paper, with poop cupcakes.

I use as little fondant as possible with all of my cakes because it is heavy, expensive (means the client has to pay more) and it tastes like crap. When clients send me photos of cakes that are covered in fondant I do my best to recreate them in icing and only using fondant as decals.

With this cake I learned I need to change my chocolate icing, I am not a huge fan of it. The client said everything was awesome but for me the chocolate icing needs to be different.

Because of the brain injury I can't remember what my chocolate icing recipe was before which means I have to play around until I get it just the way I want it. No, I didn't write it down, I never do because I always go by memory.

The sign is written in edible markers, the cupcakes have fondant faces.

Super Hero Cake

Last minute cake requests can be a pain in the butt and I don't always say yes but I was making a cake and cupcake order for the same weekend and its not really that much work to add another order when I am already working away in the kitchen anyway.

I made a GIANT oops with the cake, I don't know how I messed it up but I did. I put the name Carter on the cake and it was supposed to be Carson.

Well I decided about an hour before delivery to put the batman symbol on the top of the cake and I am very very glad I did.

I get to the bowling alley to deliver the cake and they can't find a child who is having a party there named Carter but there is one named Carson. I go out to the truck to check my phone for the name low and be hold yup, the child's name is Carson. DAMN IT!!!

Back to the kitchen staff I go to ask for a knife so I can remove the name on the cake (I did it out of fondant which I normally don't do, another stroke of luck I would say.) I got name off and smoothed out the icing so no one other than the kitchen staff would have any idea.

This cake order came with a cupcake order as well and each cupcake had tiny fondant toppers on them.

On another note, I still suck at Spiderman's head so Deadpool it was lol.

The cake is Vanilla, the cupcakes are chocolate. 6 of the cupcakes have vanilla icing and 6 have chocolate icing.

As most bakers know HUMIDITY sucks when it comes to fondant, that is why you will notice in my photos my fondant is shiny!

I totally rocked the hulk fists though!!!!

Unicorn cake and cupcakes

I wanted to start doing a few cakes again because I missed creating edible delights for people but I didn't want to go all out like I did in the past, well first because I just can't physically, mentally or time wise. What I figured would be 1 or two a month this summer turned into one almost every weekend.

Of course I always do Jess's cakes for the kids and I love doing them. Mercedes cake and cupcakes turned out stunning, I surprised even myself that I was still capable of creating something that beautiful!

Here party of course was unicorn themed what else would a little girl want for a party!

I want I want I want...but for cheap

Reading posts looking for custom made cakes or anything for that matter but that want it cheap or "reasonably priced". Here is the thing, would you want your boss to say to you I want you to do this work but for $5.00 an hour because they feel its a "reasonable" price for your work. Would you do it? Would you find a new job? Would you feel devalued because you know your work is worth more?

Well this goes the same for those of us who create from home.

I did a cake and cupcakes for a friend this weekend so I didn't charge for it, but when people complain about prices, CUSTOM ISN'T CHEAP! If you want cheap go to Walmart.

What I would have charged for someone other than a friend 78 cupcakes and 6" cake is $130.00

How my costs break down and my time.

Cost to make 78 cupcakes and a 6" cake: $16.00
Time: 3 hours

Cost to make fondant for 78 cupcakes and a 6" cake: $10.00
Time: 4 hours

Cost to make the chocolate horns: $20.00
Time: 3 hours

Cost to Ice 78 cupcakes and a 10" cake: $34.00 (I use real butter)
Time: 4.5 hours

Hydro usage: $30.00

Total Cost: $110.00
Total Time: 14.5 hours

Which makes my time worth: $1.34 an hour........

What is your time worth?

Princess Party.

This weekend was jammed back with having my sons birthday party as well as doing 150 cupcakes with 150 fondant toppers for the Sarnia Humane Society Annual Princess Party.

They have this party every year as a fundraiser for them. One year it was Glass slipper themed. One year it was Woodland Fairies themed. One year it was Mermaid themed and this year is was dwarf themed.

There are lots of activities and crafts at the event along with a special visitor to meet and greet with all the children. Each year I get the honor of providing all of the cupcakes. I have such a great time coming up with ideas and seeing the smiles from the children. They are one of the only ones who I still any baking for. It takes a lot of out of my shoulder but in the end its worth every moment.

This year I decided to go with Apples, bows, and mining axes on the cupcakes to compliment the theme of the party. They are also rolled in red sanding sugar to make them look pretty! Nothing adds sparkle like sanding sugar.

It is always a successful event for them and I am sure they have a blast putting it on for all the kids!

Summer Contest winner: Summer Cupcakes

I had so much fun doing the fondant work for this cupcake cake. I put a lot of work into all of the fondant work I do, because I enjoy watching them become what I want them to be.

Each month we have a contest for C & K Custom Cakes facebook page.

These cupcakes are half vanilla half chocolate.

Ice cream cone cupcakes

When I was young my mom and grandmother used to make ice cream cone cupcakes for school. Back then I thought they were the best thing on earth. Today I make these for the kids, but I have found a way better idea. A twist on making full sized ice cream cupcakes.

I got the idea when eating out at East Side Mario's with the kids. For dessert they were given mini ice cream comes. I got thinking they were enjoying their dessert that I bet I could make mini ice cream cone cupcakes!!

These are perfect for little hands and no one is over loaded with cake.

I made these for National Ice Cream Day

We will be serving these at our next C & K Custom Cakes event!!!

Canada Day Draw for C&K Custom Cakes.

Every month at C & K Custom Cakes we do a Facebook draw. Each month is a different theme in honor of Canada Day we decided July's contest was going to be for a Canada Day cake or cupcakes.

We use a website random.org to pick the winner each month so it is never bias. This time the winner picked 6 chocolate cupcakes and 6 vanilla cupcakes.

I made 12 fondant maple leafs. Each cupcake was iced with homemade vanilla butter cream and then dipped in red and white course sugar.

Batman Cupcakes

I LOVE doing themed cupcakes, yes I know I love a lot of things about baking cakes and the cake business. Well other then I am kinda of slack on the paperwork and filing right at this moment :).

I was soooo mad I bought a mini bat cookie cutter just for the purpose of making Batman shapes, do you think I could find it NOPE!! So I had to cut all of these by hand which by the way is a huge pain in the but. Turns out no one sells bat cookie cutters any time other than Halloween, so I have decided this Halloween I am stocking up :).

I think despite having to hand cut them and it taking twice as long as it normally would, that they turned out pretty good. The kids and parents were happy with them so that is the important part!

Half of the cupcakes are vanilla and half are chocolate!

With all the flavours that we offer those two seems to be our most popular. Of course they are covered with my homemade buttercream!

Cupcake Bouquets (First attempt)

It has been a long time since I have blogged, things have been very busy I am hoping to get all caught up with my blog posts including a new update and photos of Owen!!

I decided around mothers day I would give a new idea a try. They are called cupcake bouquets, now my first attempt wasn't that great and I haven't really had time to work on them.
These photo's show the basic idea on what I was trying for.

I am hoping once things slow down a bit I will have a chance to get them perfect!

Tractor Cupcakes

I got a message on our facebook page asking us to make 40 cupcakes with tractors on top of them. I thought it a little odd of a request for a little girls birthday. I have never made fondant tractors and neither had my business partner. We are both pretty good at bringing ideas to life using fondant and creativity.

With all the cakes order that we have been having lately my partner has been handling 90% of the fondant work and I have been doing the baking and the icing work. We make an awesome team and its great that we have been busy and the orders just keep rolling in.

These cupcakes were cherry chip with yellow and green butter cream icing. To top it off a little fondant tractor on the top of each cupcake.

The mom let us know tonight that "everyone loved them and there are some left over but that is okay because they were so delicious!" I love hearing comments like that makes me feel great about what we do. The main reason we love baking is because of the joy it brings others.