Piece of (cup)Cake

Deja Vu in the kitchen.  Another friend's birthday, another round of cupcakes to be quickly baked.   I was starting to feel like I owned a Bakery after all!  In the interest of time, I went with same basic design, only changing the shade of Fondant and the Letter that graced it's surface.

Again, I put my resident Taste Tester to work and was informed this sweet treat was better than the last.  My cupcakes were getting tastier.  This was very encouraging!

By now I had heard back from my Bakery Owner friend and we'd set an afternoon date this week to visit his facility. He was on the business end of things and could provide me with tons of useful information.  I had lots of questions, so I'd come fully prepared.  I also remembered that I knew another Baker - who specialized in Fondant Cakes!  How could I have forgotten?  She would be a wonderful resource and she'd probably be willing to help me hone my own baking skills.  

For any fellow bakers out there, my fondant (the smooth, playdough-like frosting you often see on wedding cakes) is delicious, but not always as stable as I'd like.  I knew at the outset, Buttercream Fondant was more delicate than regular, manufactured fondant you could buy in a plastic container - but I wanted my desserts to be made from scratch.  Plus, I'm proud to say my frosting takes the cake when it comes to flavor over any pre-made fondant - so I'd become a bit of a Frosting/Fondant snob. :)  She could help me trouble shoot and could teach me so much more about decorating from a hands-on perspective.   Maybe I could hire her to teach me a class or two...or three!  Another thing to add to the List!

I was cooking with oil now and things were starting to fall into line on my Laundry List.  One by one, they'd be checked off.  I was happy knowing that even small steps forward represented progress.

A fourth book I had ordered arrived today.  By this time next week, I hoped to crack some of those pages open and finally begin to read!  It's been a hectic week but a good one.  This week would focus less on being creative than it would being proactive in learning the trades of Innkeeping and owning a Bakery.  It was time to hit the books for sure.

Sweet Dreams,

Me

"When you look at a cupcake, you've got to smile." - Anne Byrn