Faith will see me through....

Starting a new business can be a fun and challenging adventure. You definitely have to have an entrepreneurial spirit because you do A LOT of work without getting paid. I've been doing a lot of research to see how other bakeries started out. I want to know the costs, how additional capital was gained, business plan hints, time lines, and a daily production schedule- basically, I want to know it all! Since I haven't been able to find all that information yet, that's why I've started this blog now, so that I can chart my progress throughout this journey and hopefully encourage others along the way. I'd be leaving out a huge chunk of my "how to" if I failed to mention that I am a devout Christian. No doubt, I believe that Jesus died on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice for my sins and through His death I am saved from going to hell. Now, what's that gotta do with cupcakes? For me, A LOT! I have a "spiritual business plan" and it's super simple: PRAY AND OBEY. Every morning I have my prayer time--- kinda like talking to the boss, LOL! By the end of my prayer time I usually know what it is I'm supposed to do for the day. To me it's a very essential part of my day and my business.

Last night *my plan* was to go to the Wednesday night teaching service at my church, then come home and bake my next set of test cakes. The Lord's plan however was a bit different... I really felt the need to come home and further study and pray... which proved to be very encouraging and spiritually uplifting.

In my life, God comes first. I believe His word and it says that he loves me and only wants the best for me. If having a cupcakery is His will for my life, then it's only fitting that He is here with me guiding every step I take. While I take this journey I have found this song to be uplifting:

Today's cupcake experiment was the Strawberry Cupcake! Overall, it's a DELICIOUS cupcake.... it's downfall is that it doesn't have that lovely "dome" top that my other cupcakes have. In the future, I may test this same recipe, but add a bit of baking soda to the mix and see if it helps with that issue. Another "flat" in this cupcake is the frosting... but MAN, it is super good. I've gotta find a way to be able to increase the consistancy without more powdered sugar... I could probably get away with adding more butter to the mix, so I'll probably try that next too... But here's how they look:

and they look cute dressed in sprinkles:

Taste wise, these are right on the money, but they lack my "pretty factor" so I'm still going to work on them. I'm also thinking that maybe once I get the icing to piping consistency, I can drizzle chocolate on them and add a fresh berry on top? But for now, I'm content with licking the beater because this icing is seriously..... delish!

Day #2 Oreo Cookie Cupcakes

Ok, so there's nothing as good as an Oreo, right? It's a taste combination that EVERYONE knows! My goal today is to turn this cookie into one amazing cupcake. I know, I'm super excited about this one! On the net there seems to be many, many, MANY versions of an Oreo cupcake... some are chocolate cakes, some are vanilla cakes, some have cookies on the bottom, some have cookies in the middle. I was really surprised that not many cupcakes actually had the cookies throughout the cake, but rather just throughout the icing. So again, I'm going to venture out into my own territory, and "make it up as I go along". One thing I want is a rich chocolate cake.... after all, it's only the hint of vanilla frosting you taste when you bite into the cookie. I also want the cookie throughout the cake, but in the same time, I don't want a "crunchy" cake, so I'm sure I'm going to be doing some serious crushing when it comes to those Oreo's! I have one secret up my sleeve, that I'm thinking will take this cupcake over the top.... so, it's off to the kitchen I go!

Attempt #1: The chocolate fudge cake recipe that I used came out dry, in my opinion. (I had to take a quick drink to wash it down!) There were mixed reviews about this recipe from other bakers, and it was a bit on the complicated side, so I'm scratching this--- not what I was looking for. Next, I was certain I wanted crumbs in the cupcake, not "chunks".... now I'm thinking "chunks" might not be a bad idea, as long as they aren't huge.

I haven't given up on it, so here goes attempt #2....

Well, it went a lot better this time... thank goodness. Experimenting in the kitchen can be lots of fun, but it can be a lot of work when your doing things for the first time. The batter came out really nice and thick:

I went with the chunk size pieces of Oreo, and the great thing about it is that the Oreo sort of bakes into the cupcake, so it's not "crunchy" when you eat it, but when you get a piece, you can taste the flavor combo even more. I love that!

My secret? I decided to fill these cupcakes with Oreo Frosting inside too. It was the plain vanilla (like in the cookie) so it had a contrast from the frosted top. I didn't put too much in, just enough to give someone that "lick" of frosting. :)

Overall, it tasted like biting into an Oreo! It wasn't dry but I did enjoy my cupcake with a big glass of milk! :)

Day #1 Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Ah, the Vanilla Bean cupcake... I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about how this cupcake would come out because I still don't think I've perfected the "vanilla" yellow cupcake... and you'd think that one would be the easiest! I was pleasantly surprised at how this cupcake came out... I did a lot of research on various vanilla bean cupcakes and after doing so many test cakes, I've got a general idea of what types of recipes I'm looking for. This one was right on, I only had to adjust the amount of vanilla paste because I have a higher concentrated version. I also applied the chemistry skills I learned from Rose and let me tell ya, this lady knows her stuff! If you've ever got spare time to read a cookbook (yes, really read, like a real book) check out her CAKE BIBLE. So after my few small adjustments, I got a nice batter...look at all of the yummy vanilla beans in there...

The texture of the cake was just as I was looking for... very light, fluffy and spongy. The amount of vanilla in the cake wasn't overpowering at all.

Then it was on to the frosting. Now, because the frosting, in my opinion, is the crown jewel of this cupcake, it took me a couple of tries to get it just right. The first batch of Vanilla Bean Frosting had too much confectioner's sugar to the ratio of butter and even adding a bit of extra vanilla and milk didn't seem to help balance this frosting out. It was an okay frosting, but not the shining glory I was looking for. The second round however didn't disappoint. After tasting the first batch, I had an idea of what the ratio's needed to be, and how'd it turn out? Well lookie here....

Yummy.... just what I was looking for.... the butter/sugar ratio was perfect so it gave off a more creamy vanilla taste... just like melted Breyer's Vanilla Bean ice cream!

So what did the end result look like?

Couple things I've learned from this test run: Don't use white cupcake wrappers. Although the cake is a perfect golden brown, I don't like the appearance of it showing through the cupcake wrapper. I think a darker wrapper would look nice, and as one of my kids suggested, some of those chocolate sprinkles to give it a more "vanilla bean" look. I think he's on to something.... the cupicakeness of it all is rubbing off on him. :P

Check in tomorrow to see what cupcakes I'm making... I haven't decided yet. Oh, and if you have any cute name suggestions for these cupcake flavors, let me know what they are!!

28 Days 28 Cupcakes

Hello! My name is Angela... welcome to my blog, CUPIECAKE (cup-E-cake) ;P I am an artistic entrepreneur who is about to take a journey of exploring the possibilities of opening up a cupcake shop in west Atlanta. Already I have been doing a lot of research and saving up some funds to get it off the ground. I'm excited, nervous and blessed all at the same time. I have a great husband, Phil, who supports me 110% and is willing to walk through this journey with me... my ultimate goal would to be able to be so successful that he can quit his chaotic job and work with me... not that I don't think the cupcakery business won't be chaotic, but if we're together, it's just more fun.

As it stands now, I've begun working on my business plan and researching out a lot of suppliers, costs, etc. I've also been testing various cupcake recipes. That's the fun part! To me, a delicious cupcake has to meet the following standards:

* Moist Cake... if you have to run for water before you can even taste the cake, it's no good!

* Flavor... each bite should offer a nice "flavor burst" of whatever flavor it is. I love to mix textures with my cupcakes through the use of fillings and various buttercreams/toppings.

* Design... Cupcakes should be pretty... or cute.... or blissfully romantic. I'm also all about the occasional cocktail cupcake! Yum!

So to speed up my testing process and to make sure I have a solid "menu" by the end of February, I'm going to be baking 28 different cupcakes in 28 days. As I experiment with various flavors and decorating styles, I hope you'll bookmark my blog and check back everyday to see how I'm making out. By the way, anyone in the west Atlanta area wanting cupcakes... I'm sure I'll have a few to giveaway this month! ;P

Also in the next two weeks my goal is to finish up my business plan. I worked on it hard one day and got a good bite taken out of it, but I definitely have to start making a timeline for me to have things completed by. So by Feb 13th, I should be finished and on the 14th, I can LOVE not having to think about it anymore.

So now, I'm off to decide what will be Cupcake #1 in my 28 Days of 28 Cupcakes.... See you tomorrow! ;)