I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues

I'm about to run get another wedding cake prepped but wanted to share some pictures of the cake and cupcakes I made for a wedding in the country yesterday. I was hired by Kim of Parisian Events who is a real doll and what a professional! If it's your dream to get married in France, Kim is your girl. One of her specialties is cutting through all the red tape for foreigners who want to tie the knot in the City of Light. See her featured here in a recent issue of the New York Times Magazine.

The inspiration for the theme of the wedding was peacocks. And Kim had a clear vision of what she wanted the desserts to look like. I replicated a contrasting teal/green color theme Kim had seen on some cupcakes created by Coco Cakes. And because I loved the effect so much, carried it over to the cake which was also covered in simple rose swirls. Looking at it, I was taken back to the funny swim bonnets the ladies used to wear in the '50's and '60's. The cake and the cupcakes are simple Vanilla Lovers.

Here's a shot of the set-up I took off of Kim's Instagram account. I'm looking forward to seeing more photos of the happy day!

Just a Little Patience

If I hadn't already changed my name from Little Miss Cupcake, I would seriously start considering a change to Little Miss Cake! Since the beginning of January, it has literally been like a cake factory here in my kitchen. And I gotta tell you, I am not as comfortable with cakes as I am with cupcakes. There is a definite skill to cutting and layering cakes so that they stand up straight. And since I am not a huge fan of fondant-covered cakes, it takes a lot of patience to get a smooth surface with your buttercream. I also firmly believe that there is a real art to decorating a cake. I see that big surface staring me in the face and I don't see a canvas...I see something that I am really not quite sure what to do with!

I have been looking at a lot of different sites lately to get some inspiration as I seem to be getting more and more calls for cake. I've recently discovered Pink Cake Box, Petal Sweet Cakes and Zoe Clark among others. If you're a cake baker, feel free to leave me a note and tell me where you draw your inspiration from. I'll be sticking to cupcakes where I can but do find a certain relaxation in cake baking and making. One of my goals for the year in addition to improving my cake decorating skills is to find a cake style and stick with it. I think that will make the process easier and more enjoyable.

Fist up was a Hot Wheels cake for my son's 8th birthday. The kids at his party were fascinated by the grass and were having fits of giggles when they asked me for more grass please!

Next was a wedding cake for a couple who brought me a shawl worn by the fiance's great grandmother on the day she was married 60 or so years ago. The current fiancee would be wearing it on her wedding day as well. The design on the cake was inspired by the cascades of yellow, beige and white blossoms on that shawl.


They there was a cake for a two year-old's birthday. Her parents wanted an elephant on the cake.

And lastly a second wedding cake for a couple who were both getting married for the second time. They wanted something somewhat traditional but at the same time kind of against the grain. I ordered these absolutely exquisite blood-red roses from my florist and they really stole the show -- this was actually a pretty fairly easy cake to make but the results were extraordinary thanks to the fresh blooms.

I'm Walking on Sunshine & Don't It Feel GOOD!

Happy New Year to you all! Hope your 2011 is off to a good start. I had some amazing news about 1 hour in and am hoping it's a sign of all the good stuff that is yet to come.

Yesterday I told you about the young Frenchman, Jerome, I prepared "proposal" cupcakes for. I first met him this summer when he came to me looking for cupcakes for his girlfriend's birthday. She had discovered cupcakes while living in DC during 2009 for a work project and became a little bit obsessed. Several failed home-baking trials later, and after having dragged Jerome to every cupcake shop in Paris looking for the holy grail, frustration set in as nothing lived up to her memories of what she had tasted stateside. A friend of a friend sent them to me and since then, they have become pretty frequent clients. Slowly working their way through just about every flavor on my menu!



In November, Jerome asked me if I would be in Paris over New Year's - that he had something special in mind and wanted to make me a part of it. I was a bit reluctant to commit as I hoped that we would be away on vacation for the holidays but as fate would have it, we were unable to get out of town. Had I known what he had in store, I would have answered with a firm yes right there on the spot.



A few weeks ago, a follow-up email...."I am planning on proposing to Rose-Marie on New Year's Eve and want to do it with cupcakes." Come again? What? Oh my! An order like this only comes around like once in a lifetime and I was so honored that I had been asked to do this! Once I got over my excitement, I turned into a mini bridezilla over the next few weeks. Pouring over cupcake sites looking for the perfect die-cut cupcake wrappers and suggesting all sorts of flavors to Jerome -- champagne-based, rose for Rose-Marie, etc., etc. He quickly came back and told me, "Let's just make it simple, okay? Chocolate, vanilla, pretty but classic." Well, whatever what the customer wants, right?......



Jerome came by yesterday to collect the cupcakes and I have to admit he looked as a cool as a cucumber. I on the other hand was a bundle of nerves. I could barely get the cupcakes in the box my hands were shaking so much and my thoughts were on them all evening! I was so anxious to have news last night and then at 0H53 a text...."elle a dit oui!" (She said yes!). I cannot even begin to describe how happy I am for the young couple. Preparing these cupcakes was a major highlight for me on both a professional and personal level. Wishing Jerome and Rose-Marie all the best for a happy and bright future. I'm already thinking about the cupcake tower I want to build for the wedding; I have just the right decoration design in mind....kidding! Okay, not really! ;P

The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow

Well, at least I hope it does.....Two of my most frequent customers and getting married and I hope the sky will clear for them. After a week of glorious weather here in Paris, I don't think it got above 60 degrees today and it feels more like October than the end of June!

T & L are a really cute couple who booked their wedding order with me back in November. They have been huge fans and I thank them for their support! (One of the kindest compliments I ever had was on their return from London when they told me they hadn't tasted a single cupcake that even came close to mine. Really? Aw shucks!).



The colors of their wedding are lavender, light green, pink and cornflower blue. They were tremendous to work with -- sending me everything from a Powerpoint presentation that showed some images for what they had in mind, to going through my cupcake photos and picking ones that were in-line with their tastes. They even went so far as to order the cupcake liners (originally they found an Etsy supplier in California but decided later on to go with a plain silver foil which was easily found in the UK). I only wish every wedding client could be so inspired.



The assortment of cupcakes they chose for the wedding are: Caramel Dolce (vanilla bean cake with caramel frosting which I tinted light green and added handmade gumpaste flowers and sprinkles), Vanilla Lovers (vanilla bean cake and buttercream which I topped with a single pink pearl dragee), Chocolate Squared (chocolate cake and bttercream which also got handmade gumpaste flowers and pearl and silver dragees),



Cookies n Cream (these aren't pretty so I covered them in discs made of gumpaste which I embossed with butterflies), Broadway Blueberry Swirl (lightly scented lemon cakes studded with blueberries and topped with a swirled blueberry and lemon buttercream), Berry Berry Good (vanilla cakes with strawberry buttercream and handmade gumpaste flowers) and California Dreaming (lemon cakes with pistachio buttercream).



The last piece was the giant cupcake which they decided upon just a few weeks ago. I amde a lemon cake with a layer of strawberry buttercream in the center and then covered it with vanilla bean buttercream and handmade gumpaste flowers.



To T & L, I wish you nothing but sunshine in your lives, for tomorrow and forever. My sincerest congratulations to you, and enjoy tomorrow (and the cupcakes)! Okay gotta go translate this into French so I can leave the same message for them where they can read it! :)

It's a Nice Day for a White Wedding

The hubby and I are coming up on 9 years of marriage this week. I honestly cannot believe it. The time has passed so quickly. I have been reading lots of stories in the press of celebrity couples who have renewed their vows recently -- Seal and Heidi Klum make it an annual tradition, Mariah Carey has renewed her vows 3 times in just 2 years, and apparently Fergie just did the same with her husband (who I understand might need a little help understanding what exactly those vows mean) but I digress. I'm thinking this might be a fun thing to plan for next year's 10 year anniversary. In the meantime, I have been contenting myself making cupcakes for lots of May brides!

I had the pleasure of preparing cupcakes for two weddings this past weekend. After weeks of grey, rain and cold, the clouds parted for just a few hours and the sun shined down on these two fortunate couples. First up was an assortment of mini cupcakes for a bride who was married in the country. She wanted color and left the flavor assortment up to me. I ended up making her Chocobutter and Raspberry Berry Berry Good in simple designs, complemented by pink I Want (Cotton) Candy topped with hand-made pearl-dusted fondant hearts and mini pearls and gold dragees,



Pale purple Vanilla Lovers decorated with simple silver and pearlized pink dragees,


Chocolate Squared cupcakes topped with pale green hand-made fondant stars and colorful discs and mini star sprinkles,


and Storm cupcakes topped with gold stars and dragees.


The second bride requested much simpler cupcakes in colors that matched the theme of her wedding: cream, brown and green. We ended up with 100 mini cupcakes in assorted flavors with an After Eight cutting cake that sat atop the cupcake tower (I'm hoping the photographer -- who also happened to be from the US even though the couple was French, and is a very talented guy -- will send me some pics of the final set-up to show off here!). I hand crafted the mum on top from home-made fondant colored pale beige and dusted with a very sheer layer of gold luster dust.



I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to drop these off at the reception hall cause it allowed me a sneak peek into the wedding itself while the guests were dining. Such a beautiful and festive atmosphere; I so enjoyed having my cupcakes be a part of these very special moments! Felicitations to the two young brides!

Here Comes the Bride, All Dressed in...Red?!?

Yup, you read that right. For the bride in this case is of the non-conventional variety. She and her partner decided to tie the knot after several years of "living in sin" (oh, the horror!) with 2 kids at their sides during the nuptials and a 3rd proverbial bun in the oven tucked under that gorgeous red throw she was wearing!



In my spare time, I handle PR for a wonderful parents' association for English-speaking families here in Paris called MESSAGE. We organize all sorts of great family-fun events, provide many support services like breastfeeding help and pre-natal classes, and overall serve as an extended family for throngs of expats who find themselves far from home. I've made many terrific friends over the years through this organization - people from all walks of life, from every corner of the globe, with all sorts of traditional and non-traditional family lifestyles. One of my greatest pleasures has been the opportunity to steer the organization via serving on its Executive Board, and that is how I came to know the afore-mentioned bride. Though she was married over the summer, we were unable to coordinate cupcakes for her actual wedding day and so the ones you see here were fashioned for her and her betrothed belatedly.



She is Dutch and her husband is French (And a fireman too! Woo hoo!). The only guidelines she gave me for these were that they be orange - you can read the history of the Dutch passion for orange here - and could they include "E's" for both her and the mister's first initials are "E" as well as pay tribute to their nationalities in the form of flags? Oh, and maybe have some sort of liquor in them too (I told you she was non-conventional!).

What did I come with? Two varieties of cupcakes : one that is wildly Cointreauversial (I was inspired by the lovely Dita von Teese who the hubby and I saw live last week; what a performance!) and one that is oh so de-lovley and delicious: the Orange Zinger cupcake! The chocolate ones that you see here with the Dutch and French "flags" are made from dark chocolate cupcakes, lovingly drizzled with a Cointreau glaze and topped with a milk chocolate and Cointreau buttercream. The heart flags are marzipan printed with words of love like "Cherish, Adore and True Love" and hand-painted with food coloring. The Cointreauversial Cupcake will be joining the Little Miss Cupcake line-up soon along with a few other Adult-Only varieties.



The Orange Zinger Cupcakes are orange cupcakes filled with an orange spice cream and topped with a white chocolate ganache frosting. They are decorated with home-made marzipan and marshmallow fondant. Here's the recipe; the cupcakes are great on their own plain if you want to add a little zing to your breakfast plate.



Orange Zinger Cupcakes
Makes approximately 14 cupcakes

For the Orange Cupcakes:
4 ozs. unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups flour
½ cup buttermilk
¼ cup hot water
¼ cup Pulco or other concentrated orange syrup
zest of one orange

Pre-heat oven to 350/180 degrees. Grease 1 12-cup cupcake tin and 2 cups of second tin or insert cupcake liners.

Sift baking powder, salt and flour in medium-sized bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and blend well. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, blending well after each addition. End with a flour addition.

Add hot water and mix well. Add zest and Pulco last and mix.

Fill cupcake tins 2/3 full. Fill unused cup molds halfway full with water. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Once cool, remove cupcakes from tin and continue to cool on a wire rack.

For Orange Spice Cream Filling
(adapted from a recipe from I Heart Cuppycakes, originally from Dorie Greenspan's Book, Baking: From My Home to Yours)

1/2 cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
2 large eggs, preferably at room temp
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from about 1 medium sized orange)
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 teaspoons cornstarch
3 ozs. (1/2 cup+2 tbs) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon size pieces, at room temp

Combine sugar and orange zest in a heatproof bowl. Rub the sugar and zest between your fingertips for a few minutes, until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of orange is strong. Whisk in the eggs, then whisk in the juice and cornstarch.

Bring water to a simmer in a saucepan.

Set the bowl over the saucepan and stir with a whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch. Cook the orange cream until it reaches 180 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling – you’ll see that the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as it gets closer to 180 degrees F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. When it starts to leave “tracks” the cream is almost done.

As soon as it reaches 180 degrees F, remove the cream from the heat and strain the cream; discard the rest. Let it cool until it reaches 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes.

Add ginger and cinnamon. Whisk to incorporate. Add the butter a few pieces at a time until butter is incorporated and continue whisking for another 3 minutes until mixture is thick and creamy.



Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface and refrigerate the cream for at least 4 hours, or overnight. (The cream can be packed airtight and frozen for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.)


For White Chocolate Ganache Frosting:

4.5 ounces white chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp butter, room temperature
2-3 cups powdered sugar

Break up chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. In a small casserole, heat cream until just about boiling. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined. Next add the butter and vanilla and stir until combined.

Let cool for 10 minutes. Using a whisk or electric hand-beater, sift in powdered sugar one cup at a time beating after each addition. Continue adding sugar and beating until mixture is of good spreading consistency.

Optional : I added a few drops of orange coloring to make the color really pop.

For assembly, cut a small inverted cone out of the top of each cupcake and set aside. Spoon about 2 tbsp. cream filling into each cupcake. Cut off most of the cone/part that fits inside of the cupcake and replace cap on cupcake, eat scraps.



Once filled, frost cupcakes with an offset spatula or a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Eat, enjoy!