Just came back from my cupcake excursion in Sydney and I can say that I did taste quite a lot of cupcakes, my friend Susan who came along to Sydney said she was all cupcaked out at the end of the trip. All cupcake shops I visited had their highs and lows so I'll be sharing my review on them after the weekend, with lots and lots of photos.
Speaking of photos a friend has a arranged a professional photoshoot of my cupcakes this weekend which I'm so excited about! I can't wait to see how they turn out, they'll be going on my website. Since I have to bake cupcakes for the photoshoot I'll have an extensive cupcake menu this Sunday, so please do come along if you can!
Cupcake Menu
Vanilla & Vanilla Buttercream
Vanilla Chocolate
Black & White
Devil’s Food Chocolate & Chocolate Ganache
Cookies & Cream
Coconut Ice
Hummingbird Cupcake
Mocha
Gluten-Free Chocolate ($3.50)
As soon as I came back home I had a cupcake order and decided to make Vera Wang themed cupcakes, here's a photo from my iPhone (I've become a Twitter & iPhone addict).
I've been waiting for the Council to get back to me about my application and I believe there is about 14 days wait before I hear anything back from them, they sure are a busy bunch - getting a hold of them on the phone is actually quite difficult!
I've been pretty cooped up inside lately, I guess the cold rainy weather doesn't help me to get outside and explore. Dad is coming down from Sydney tomorrow so I've decided to hitch a ride back up there with him on Saturday and stay there for a few days. I haven't been to Sydney since last September when I attended Tony Robbins Unleash the Power Within Seminar. It was certainly an experience to remember for the rest of my life. I remember when I walked into the Sydney Entertainment Centre with thousands and thousands of people standing up clapping and singing in unison, I was thinking in my head oh...my...goodness...have I just joined some kind of cult? This is bizarre. I was sitting next to a guy thinking the same thing. But after 15 mins or so we were both standing up and doing the same thing, and yes I loved every moment of it! The amazing part is that Tony has this unique gift to make a whole stadium full of people feel his energy, to feel excitement, to feel alive. All without the aid of alcohol or drugs.
The one thing I remember most from UPW was the goal I set for myself at that seminar. My goal was to have my own Cupcake business. I never would have dreamed that not even a year later, I'd be closer to my goal that I thought I would be. It may not be a cupcake shop but I do sell my cupcakes at the markets and do an occasional order here and there, so I'm getting there!
My dad was extremely pessimistic and skeptical of this seminar I was going to, thinking it was a scam and was a brainwashing scheme because I had paid so much money to attend it and also hearing my stories of "Dad, we get to stand up, sing & jump up and down..and walk on fire!!!". But before I went back to Melbourne, I gave him a copy of TR's Personal Power. I was pleasantly surprised when he called me up and told me that he was actually applying the methods in the book! He's a recruitment consultant that helps disabled people to find a job and he said that using those methods actually helped him to connect with them better which helped in motivating them to find a job.
Here's a clip of TR, I know that it may not be your cup of tea and a lot of people are skeptical of him but if you just open your mind for a few minutes and take in what he says, it might change your life. I know that mine certainly has. I believe that anything is achievable, if you persist.
So yes a little off track but what I wanted to blog about was that I'm planning to try some cupcakes whilst I'm over in Sydney as they have so many cupcake bakeries and shops over there. I want to visit these shops and enjoy each different cupcake experience, I think it will help me visualise how I would like my customers to feel when they visit my cupcake shop one day. I also know that I'm not the best cupcake baker in the world and probably only a beginner compared to those who have had years of experience so by tasting real cupcakes (not from your local bakery) I can know how far I need to go to perfect my cupcakes. I might do a short review on each of the places I visit and you guys can tell me your thoughts too!
Just a short little post to share some thoughts and awesome cupcake photos. I have been receiving a few emails from lovely cupcake lovers & bakers from all over the world. It's so exciting for me to read your comments, words of encouragement and your thoughts. This love I have for baking is more than just that, it represents a dream, a passion, something that I wake up in the morning and think about endlessly. I believe that in life - to truly be living is to be doing that you love with a pure passion. It could be singing, cooking, volunteering, dancing - everyone has a dream. But as we get older we slowly let go of our dream because we are expected to find a job to make ends meet, to have that security of waking up to a paid job because that is what we've been taught to do since we were young. "Go to school, get a good education, become a doctor or a lawyer" because that is what a successful person is. But stuff that! WE have choices in life. We can choose to wake up and decide not to go to work anymore and do something that we love doing instead. My epiphany came about 5 weeks after not having to go to work anymore after working for 5 years straight. I realised that I don't need to rely on an employer for an income, I realised that I am much more happier...living my life. I am out of the rat race and dammit it feels good. If you take that plunge, have faith in yourself, you'll be fine. You'll be more than fine because you'll be doing exactly what you want. So if you find yourself waking up day after day, feeling like it's Groundhog day again and that you'd rather die than go to work again. That's no way to live. You have a choice so make it today, make a change. Life is truly too short to be doing something that you don't enjoy. And yes, we all get scared, you're thinking that I've got a mortgage and bills to pay without a job I can't survive. Yes you can, start daydreaming and writing down what you want to do. No matter how stupid or silly it sounds.
I started writing in my journal that I wanted to have my own cupcake bakery about two years ago. In my journal entries I would write down what flavours I would have, what my store would look like, how the customer service would be like and even to the detail of how people would feel when eating my cupcakes (answer: they would feel super awesome). I would tell my mum time and time again about what I dreamed of doing, she would always encourage me and when she asked "but how will that work?" I would tell her. Remember it all starts with a dream. If you stop yourself from daydreaming about it and keep on going day-by-day, you'll wake up one day feeling unsatisfied. So let yourself dream, let yourself have a few sleepless nights because you're so excited about an idea because that excitement, that passion reminds us all that we are alive.
Here are some fantastic photos my friend Tim took at Dingley Markets last Sunday. It was a very chilly day and I didn't sell out all my cupcakes but I have some of the best customers. There was the cutest little kid that was no older than 2 years old that came back three times for babycakes. And there was a guy that bought a cupcake and came back for another saying that he had half and his large chocolate brown labrador had the other half so he had to buy another. heehee.
Strawberries & Cream - the base had fresh strawberries and was super moist.
Coconut Ice Cupcake Line Up, this is one of my favourite photos.
Mixture of Babycakes. The vanilla ones have Jelly Belly jellybeans on top and the chocolate ones have dark chocolate Maltesers on top.
Princess themed cupcakes for a 21st Birthday cupcake order. I love these black & silver cupcake liners, they just look so elegant.
Also, I'm always happy to answer any questions you may have...so if you have a question about anything at all or if you want to just share your thoughts, drop me an email. I have some exciting news in the upcoming weeks so stay tuned...I'm making progress. I hope you are too!!
Come along to indulge in some tasty treats. Taste my super delicate and moist cupcakes - I've been improving my cupcake recipe with lots of practice and feedback from food critics (i.e. friends & family) and I am excited about my winner cupcake recipe. And of course if you think it's not up to scratch, please give me your feedback because I believe in ongoing improvement and need all the constructive criticism I can get to develop the best tasting super cupcake ever.
Cupcake Menu
Vanilla & Vanilla Buttercream
Devil's Food Chocolate with Dark Chocolate Ganache
Cookies & Cream
Strawberries & Cream
Coconut Ice
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting (limited amount)
Cupcakes $3 each Babycakes $1.50 each I use the freshest possible ingredients such as real whole vanilla beans from Madagascar, unbleached fresh flour, free range eggs, creamy unsalted butter and I bake them fresh for the day of the Market.
Also I'm so excited to say that I've finally settled on a name for my online cupcake business which is still in the works. The domain name has been bought and I will reveal the name of my cupcake business very soon!
Some cupcake photos for your viewing pleasure. Please Note: Do not lick the screen.
Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Whipped Cream and Drizzled Dark Chocolate - The whipped cream isn't as sweet as buttercream which makes it easy to scoff down without getting too much of a sugar rush. When I brought these to a Karaoke birthday party on the weekend, several of the guys had 2, 3 or even 4. See guys do like eating cupcakes as much as girls (perhaps even more cos they don't need to watch their waistline *cough*)
Honda Cupcake Order for a 21st Birthday - These were a mix of Vanilla Cupcakes & Devil's Food Chocolate cupcakes with dark chocolate ganache.
The bf baked these cupcakes all by himself and I was pleasantly surprised that they turned out so well. He can't pipe so I did the swirls but slowly he'll get there. I think the apprentice might out-do the chef one day - he also remembered to put the cupcakes in the pan for 5 mins before putting them on the wire rack to cool. I thought that was amazing...well coming from a guy that can't remember the exact day of our anniversary...
Believe it or not but I love cars. Yes I love cupcakes and I love cars. They are my two favourite things in life. I was meaning to post this up a while back but haven't gotten around to it but here it is. My two loves come together...
I love my Honda Integra Type R (DC5R), I've just had my two year anniversary with it and I still love it to bits. I know it sounds weird that a girl can love a car but I can't explain it, when you drive on your own on a sunny warm day with the windows down, your favourite music playing, the slight breeze in your hair, sunnies on and on the slight occasion you rev over 6,000 rpm - all your worries fade and you feel free. I wonder if anyone else feels that way or if it's just me..
When I first bought my car I met a bunch of friendly fellas at clubitr they taught me a lot about cars, especially Honda's, I even took my car onto the race track at Winton once and at the time I had no fear because I didn't really think I would stack... but after two close encounters with the wall and spinning out to the point where half my car was covered in mud and my hands trembling with Adam who was a passenger at the time & giving me tips, turned pale ghost white whom is usually cool as a cucumber type of guy and nothing really phases him... well I've been weaksauce (as Tom would call me) about going back on track and have been sticking with something safe...like cupcakes.
Below is a short clip of me at Winton Motor Raceway. Aaah isn't the sound of VTEC music to your ears? And I don't care if your turbo will beat me on a straight every single time, I still think it eats corners up and it's so much more fun and safe to drive. I sometimes like to be a smartarse to people that bag my car because it's not a turbo...like when they ask "Why are your seats so snug?" I answer back with because they're Recaro bucket seats and they need to hug you when you're cornering on track or you slide all over the place. "Why don't you have a mirror on the sun visors?" Because it's a track car and you don't need to look at your reflection when you're trying to clock your PB time. "Why do you rev-match when you don't need to?" Because your mum likes it smooth...
Remember guys stick to the speed limits on the streets and only speed in controlled environments like a supervised race track. Hoons are not cool and most times everyone else is in their own car thinking that you're a tool if you try to do hoonie things.
A few of the guys decided to chuck a bbq for McGuyver's going away party cos he was heading back to the States, I decided to make some pretty awesome Honda Type R cupcakes to bring along and impress. These cupcakes are up there with my favourites. They were Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache and fondant icing tops with the Honda Type R logos and Type R flags.
I also want to mention how grateful I am for this post Letitia made about my blog at Dujour Magazine which is a fashion & beauty print & online magazine based in New York, I just realised that you can actually buy this magazine here at MagNation so I am going to go check it out.
Thanks for all your support everyone. I am on my way to designing my website and stay tuned for a launch party in the near future for my cupcake order website (have to get all my registration and licensing done which I'm sorting out now). I'm already day dreaming about my launch party which will include A LOT of free cupcakes and champers. Ciao for now,
It has been so so so cold lately and because of that it has been so painstakingly hard to get out of my warm comfy bed in the morning. Not having a job to wake up to means you set your own hours and schedule, it sort of feels like school holidays when you don't have to wake up at 6.30 am for school so you sleep in until your body magically wakes up (or your mum starts screaming). Last week was especially lazy because I caught a cold that lasted a whole week, it was pretty depressing because you want to get all these things done but your body just can't cope with it so you just have to rest it out.
So this week has been a much better week for me...the sun is actually shining today and there's just something about sunshine that makes you happy! My business plan is coming along but with the distractions I've had, it's not coming together as quickly as I've hoped. I know this is something I've dreamed of doing for a very long time and deep down I know it will work but there's always that little voice in your head that says "What if it doesn't work? What if you fail? Then what?" Almost like that Miley Song, The Climb
I can almost see it, the dream that I'm dreaming. But there's a voice inside my head saying "You'll never reach it". Every step that I'm taking, every move I make feels lost without direction. My faith is shaking.
There's a new cupcake store opening in Melbourne Central very soon, it's called The Cupcake Bakery. I was so shattered when I saw it, I know I know a cupcake bakery is not an original idea nor is it my own but I just wanted so badly to be one of the first to open an amazing cupcake bakery. It just seems to me like a dream that's so far away from actually eventuating. I don't even know how I'm going to do it and practically have no capital to start it up. And you hear about the statistics of only one in five small businesses actually surviving the first 5 years of operation. It's not exactly motivating thoughts here... But then I read all these amazing stories of people that started off with nothing and have become huge successes like Soichiro Honda, Sly Stalone and of course Tony Robbins. (Yes I am not afraid to admit that I h e a r t Tony)
So it's time to remain focused and I've had a few cupcake orders in the past couple of weeks which keeps me motivated. Exercise is also extremely important, it keeps me happy. I will be updating my blog more frequently now, just been a little under the weather and didn't want to write depressing posts.
Oh would also like to mention that the last cupcake stall on June 7th went well (it didn't rain hoorah!) - thanks to those who came along. Lavender & Lemon Curd cupcakes were a fail, they tasted good but not many people wanted to buy them cos it must've been more of an adventurous flavour but hey at least I tried.. will give more details next post.
Cupcake time!
Cupcake order for Mr.Fish.. Mini Oreos are so adorable!
Yes, Melbourne is in dire need of rain as our water storages are only at 26.1% and we're still facing water restrictions. However, this Sunday 7th May I'll be holding my second Cupcake Stall at Dingley Village and am hoping it will be mostly dry and I'm too hopefully wishing that there will be some signs of sunshine. But alas, we are in Winter and wow it certainly does feel like that in the past week.
I am pretty excited about this stall because I want to experiment with new ingredients and flavours. I've found this awesome USA Foods wholesaler quite close to my area that sells real American food and candy! You can imagine the excitement when I saw Hershey Cocoa in a big tub, Reeses Pieces as dessert toppings, mini oreos, CHERRY COKE ZERO! Not only that, there were heaps of really cute sprinkles that I picked up for the cupcakes. There were really cute pig ones but don't think I will use that until the Swine flu disappears, I swear if I hear that 'swine' word one more time... "so whaddaya rekon of the swine flu" conversation starters are as common as the "gees the weather's shit eh?". And yes being in Melbourne which is the capital of this swine epidemic means that we hear that word that much more often. Ok enough of the swine...
Cupcakes, I've been sorta busily putting my business plan together and have bought a fab book to get me started. It's called "How to Bake a Business" by Julia Bickerstaff. It must've been some sort of sign because when I walked into Borders in search of a business plan book, this one caught my eye as soon as I reached the business book aisle. First of all, this book had a cupcake on it, my eyes never miss a cupcake. Secondly, this was superbly named since I am trying to build a business that bakes. Thirdly, I need guidance on how to start a business plan! And I am loving this book. The author used to be a Partner at Deloitte and there's a connection because I used to be a Consultant at a competing consulting firm. Anyway, besides the point. The book has small bite sized pieces to follow to start writing a business plan. Let me tell you, I've always wanted to write a business plan for my cupcake idea but it feels like a Mt.Everest so I've always put it off... now I've found something that's easy to follow and seriously writing a business plan doesn't have to be the most complex document on earth, it's so much better if it's easy to follow, succinct and if the common sense shows then who knows I'll be able to find people willing to invest! So that's my goal. One step at a time. Oh and I hope I will come across a great mentor, that's one point I'm getting stuck at.
Remember to drop by my Cupcake Stall this Sunday! The address is 31B Marcus Rd Dingley Village and no it is not the sticks (for you folk that don't speak Aussie, it means the bush or the countryside), it's very close to Clayton/Springvale.
I haven't decided on the flavours yet but will have the Vanilla, Devil's Food Chocolate, Cookies & Cream, Red Velvet. I really wanted to make Lemon & Lavender but haven't been able to get my hands on fresh English Lavender! Boo. I will be using my new Hershey's Cocoa instead of Cadbury in the Devil's Food Chocolate so hopefully that will turn out delish.
Ok time for cupcake pics. Ciao for now! xx lotsa love!
Below: Lemon Meringue Babycakes - Vanilla babycake filled with homemade lemon curd, topped with meringue, fresh strawberries and passionfruit. Pupcake order! Personalised cupcakes for two dogs Monster and Kobe (free from chocolate safe for dogs to eat of course) Above: Hummingbird Cupcakes with Cream Cheese
