Valentine's Day Specials...finally!

Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats

Valentine's Day Specials

Taking preorders NOW! Be sure to get your order in before my baking roster fills-up!

All orders will be available for pick-up on Friday February 11th.

Cake Ball Sampler

$15

1 dozen assorted Cake Balls, boxed

-4 Double Chocolate Cake Balls

-4 Red Velvet Cake Balls

-2 Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake Balls

-2 Strawberries and Cream Cake Balls

Cake Pop Sampler

$18

1 dozen assorted standard Cake Pops, Valentine-inspired decorations

-4 Double Chocolate Cake Balls

-4 Red Velvet Cake Balls

-2 Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake Balls

-2 Strawberries and Cream Cake Balls

Rose Cake Pops

$18 for 6, or can be purchased individually for $3.50

-Chocolate Cake Pops covered in hand-formed petals made from modeling chocolate

 

Contact me to order TODAY!

Rose Cake Pop Tutorial!

I had TONS of inquiries about the Rose Cake Pops I posted last week, so it seemed only logical that a proper tutorial should follow!

I plan on including these in my Valentine's Day Specials for those of you that don't want to attempt to make them yourself...but for the rest of you....enjoy!

If you've never made Cake Balls or Cake Pops, head straight over to Bakerella's website for a crash-course! Once you have the basic concept and recipes down you can apply them to SO many fun custom creations.

Rose Cake Pops

You'll Need:

Prepared Cake Balls

Lollipop Sticks

Melted Almond Bark or Candy Melts

Prepared Modeling Chocolate

      Quick Modeling Chocolate Recipe: Melt 8 oz of Chocolate or Almond Bark. Once melted, combine with 1/3 Cup Corn Syrup until well mixed. Spread mixture on clear plastic wrap and cover.

Refrigerate until hardened and ready to use.

For the roses, I used a combination of Red Candy Melts and White Almond Bark.

To start, you'll need to form your Cake Balls into tear drop shapes.

I like to roll them in varying sizes so I can have large and small roses.

Dip the lollipop stick into melted almond bark, then insert the dipped stick into the formed Cake Ball....you now officially have a Cake Pop...ready to be dipped! 

Dip the Cake Pop, be sure to completely coat the tear drop shaped ball and gently tap off the excess almond bark.

I use a chocolate melter for super easy melting and dipping!

Put the Cake Pops in a Styrofoam block to set.

Cut a 3-4 inch piece off of your Modeling Chocolate.

Roll until the piece is smooth and workable.

Be careful not to over-handle the Modeling Chocolate.

If it gets too soft and sticky, put it back in the refrigerator for a bit.

Cut the rolled Modeling Chocolate into 8 equal pieces.

Using a spoon, or whatever method/utensil you prefer, flatten each of the pieces to form the individual petals for your rose.

I also used a small amount of Modeling Chocolate to cover the tips of the Cake Pops after they were dipped.

If you are working with a dark colored cake this may be necessary so the color of the cake doesn't show through.

Start wrapping the petals, around the Cake Pop.

The Modeling Chocolate is workable, so after you place each petal you can smooth the edges.

Repeat until all of the petals have been used. I like to vary the amount of petals I use so some of the roses appear to be in full bloom, and others look like rose buds...do what makes you happy ;)

After all of the petals have been placed you can carefully roll them back for a more "in-bloom" look.

That's it...I know it seems like a lot, but really (I SWEAR) it's not!

Have fun!

~Audrey

Everything's coming up roses!

With every New Year comes the obligatory resolutions. I have a few on the roster for 2011, one of which is to focus on the positive and run with it! Sometimes, amidst the rush and bustle of my day-to-day, I lose sight of all the incredible blessings that surround me. So this is a big goal...stay positive...stay focused.

I've found such joy in making Cake Pops. Making these little, edible, pieces of joy on a stick has given me the outlet I needed for some true creativity. It's so rewarding to create something that other people enjoy! I feel truly honored that my treats are considered cute enough to be included in important celebrations in my customers' lives! I love it when people tell me, "These are almost too cute to eat!"

Almost....everyone manages to get over the cuteness and get down to the eating...which is what it's all about in the end ;)

This week I was looking toward the next big holiday on the calendar....Valentine's Day! I'm working on some special items that I think Cupid himself would swoon over. First on the list, Rose Cake Pops! I don't know about you all....but although I can appreciate receiving flowers on special occasions, wouldn't it be even better to receive EDIBLE flowers!??!? Well here they are! UPDATE: I was going to save this as a surprise but....next week's post will feature a ROSE CAKE POP TUTORIAL! So stay tuned ;)

I also tried out a new cupcake and frosting recipe for the Cupcake of the Month Club. I took a break from the CCMC in December, but I think the January cupcakes will be worth the wait! I made Hot Cocoa Cupcakes topped with Marshmallow Frosting. And yes....in case you're wondering...they are as good as they look! The frosting-to-cupcake ratio may be a little off...but I've always been a more-is-more kind of girl myself.

Finally, here's a sweet order I worked on this week for a very generous Mom-to-be. She contacted me a few weeks ago wanting treats to give out to visitors when her little-one arrived. Isn't that too cute?!?! I was barely coherent in the days following the arrival of both of my kiddos....maybe if I had handed out sweets our visitors wouldn't have noticed ;) Congrats Nelson Family!!!

Thank you all for the amazing support in 2010! I hope I can continue to win you all over in 2011!

~Audrey

My GIFT to one of you!!!

I had plans to post this giveaway earlier....but...well....Christmas kind of took over! The Holiday orders I filled kept me up late all last week, but it was so super exciting to know that my treats were going to be gracing so many tables!

This little side venture of mine has been SO truly rewarding. I love having a reason to be in the kitchen creating on a regular basis. I am BEYOND thrilled by all of the friendships I have made. I feel truly blessed to have found an outlet and a way to connect with like-minded people!!!

Many of you probably don't know this, but I just made my first ever Cake Pop in July of this year! It was, as they say, history from there ;) I fell head-over-heels and have been at it ever since. I've had so much fun finding inspiration from my fellow Cake Poppers....which of course includes the Queen of Cake Pops herself....Bakerella!

I got to meet Bakerella at her Chicago book signing earlier this year. You can read all about it here. I had preordered a copy of Bakerella's Cake Pops book ages ago, and I also ended up winning a copy as part of my Pizzazzerie prize pack (you remember....when back when I won the Cupcake Skewer Contest right?!?!) Well....when we went to the book signing you had to present a receipt showing you had purchased the book from Williams Sonoma to be able to have it signed....so I bought another one. This might sound like overkill....but at that time I hadn't received my copy from Pizzazzerie yet and I didn't want  to miss my chance to have a signed copy!!!

Really...it's good news....because it leaves me with an extra copy....you know....one I'm willing to actually part with ;) Maybe you'd like a copy for yourself....or maybe you know an aspiring Cake Popper...

Photo by Bakerella!

All you have to do is become a Follower of my blog and leave a comment on this blog post...tell me what Cake Pop is your favorite or what one you most want to try! I'll be selecting a winner at random on January 1st!!! UPDATE: WINNER IS HANNA! HAPPY CAKE POPPING!!!
You can have your name entered in the drawing twice if you also become a fan on my Facebook page and leave a comment there!!! If you are already following me just leave a comment and you're golden!

Here are some of the Cake Pops I've created over the past year!

Spread the joy!
~Audrey

Reindeer Food!

I shouldn't even be posting...I have too much to do! Plus, every time I spend more than 5 minutes in the blogosphere my To-do list gets longer! There are just so many fun holiday ideas out there right now, and not enough time to do them all :(

I've been spending most of my "spare" time feverishly working on holiday orders. I still have a bit of space on my baking schedule, so if you want something and haven't contacted me, this is the week to do it!

I made a point today to set aside a bit of time for a super quick and easy project. I made a big batch of Reindeer Food (our holiday version of Puppy Chow) and packaged it in a fun and festive way for the kiddos to take with them to daycare as gifts.

This isn't really a tutorial because it's just TOO easy....but here's what I did:
1) Collected Frappucino bottles for about a month, removed the labels and ran them through the dishwasher.
2) Made some Reindeer Food, filled the bottles.

3) Embellished the bottles with super cute printables from Paperglitter...these are from her Funky Holiday Line and can be purchased in her Etsy shop!

That's it! Super cute and super easy...just how I like it! I've seen these bottles used for similar purposes on other sites so I can't take credit for the idea...this is just my take on it ;)

~Audrey

Sweet Cheeks December Specials!

Do you have a hard-to-shop-for person on your list this year or a Holiday Gathering around the corner and no time to bake?

I would love to create something truly special to satisfy your Holiday Sweet Tooth and meet your gift-giving needs!

I am taking preorders for Gourmet Cake Rolls and Holiday Boxes containing a variety of my favorite seasonal treats NOW through December 17^th!

All Holiday orders will be available for pick-up on December 23^rd. **

You are strongly encouraged to place your order early to ensure availability!!!

If you would like to order a Holiday Box or Cake Roll for an earlier date please contact me to discuss.

CAKE ROLLS

Pumpkin Roll      $15 each; with chopped Pecans $18 each

Banana Cake Roll $15 each; with chopped Walnuts $18 each

Limited Time Seasonal Rolls

Red Velvet Roll $15 each

Chocolate Mint Roll $15 each

***BONUS***           

Order more than one roll and get 15% OFF every roll in your order!!!

HOLIDAY BOXES

SANTA’S SNACK

$5 each

This sweet sampling of old fashioned sugar cookies, cake balls and Reindeer Food is perfect for Secret Santa gift exchanges, stocking stuffers….or as a special treat for the kiddos to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve!

Contents*: 2 Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies, 2-3 cake balls (assorted flavors), 1 bag of Reindeer Food (my holiday version of the ever popular Puppy Chow snack!)

SANTA’S SAMPLER

$30 each

The Sampler Pack is perfect as a take-along to parties and would be a truly special gift to give to…well…anyone....including yourself!

Contents*: 1 doz Cake Balls, 6 Holiday Pops, 6 Decorated Sugar Cookies, 6 Dipped Pretzels, Peppermint Bark

SANTA’S PARTY PACK

$50 each

Contents*: 1 doz Cake Balls, 1 doz Holiday Pops, 1 doz Decorated Sugar Cookies, 1 Doz Dipped Pretzels, Peppermint Bark

**All Holiday orders are PICK-UP only, unless delivery arrangements are made at the time of ordering

*Specific Contents may vary and can be changed without notice

As always….please share this with anyone you know that may be interested!

I have you all to thank for keeping me busy in the kitchen!!!!

~Audrey

That's how I roll...

Let me start by saying that this post is going to be a little scattered, but it's been a busy couple of weeks and I have a lot to share ;)

Where to start....well...the inspiration would probably be as good a jumping off point as any....here goes...

A couple of weeks ago I was reading the Simply Iowa blog created by my good friend Barb, something she wrote struck such a chord with me I've been thinking about it ever since. She included a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt that I hadn't heard before...."Do one thing every day that scares you."

It really got me thinking about all of the things I just don't do because I doubt my ability. The age-old fear of failing...you know (it's not just me right!?!?) Well, anyways, I decided that I was going to make a point to check a few things off my To-Try list that had been haunting me for awhile.

Of course, being the sugar-fiend that I am, one of the first things that came to mind was making a Pumpkin Roll. This dessert has been taunting me for seriously years. I love eating them but never had the nerve to try making one myself. Just the idea of rolling up a cake made my tummy do a flip-flop. So what better excuse than a Thanksgiving at home to prepare one right?

I was so proud of myself when that first roll was finished....I had to make two more! One with crushed pecans, and the other one...well it was a Banana Cake filled with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting...yeah...it was good. Why did these things intimidate me so much? I don't know, but I'm so glad I took this task on because now the ideas are really swirling....just think of all the cake-filling combinations!!!!

I actually tackled a few scary tasks on Thanksgiving Day. This was the first Thanksgiving that I prepared the entire meal. I've never made a Turkey because...well... it's just not my job...you know...my Mom or Grandma or whoever was in charge of the bird and we brought a side dish. We were staying home this year to dedicate the 4-day weekend to a Potty Training Bootcamp for my son (I don't think I need to even mention how scary that task is!) Well, since we didn't have a big crowd, and we're not huge turkey-people (gasp!) I opted for the less intimidating option of preparing some Cornish Hens....or Starter Turkeys as I prefer to call them. They turned out great, and it was really fun for each person to have their own, my 2 year old was very impressed.



The meal turned out delicious...we had Pumpkin Roll for dessert....and I kind of felt like I had a Blue Ribbon Day.

The final scary thing I went after this weekend was a little sewing project. Let me just say that I am not, by any means, skilled in the art of sewing. I own a sewing machine that rarely sees the light of day. But for some reason I got it in my head a few weeks ago that I wanted to try to make handmade ornaments for Christmas gifts this year....out of felt....so I figured this would be a relatively simple, starter-type sewing project for someone with absolutely no technical knowledge, but with a sincere wish to make something cute. So far I've made one little mitten ornament. I was encouraged by the fact that it does, in fact, look somewhat like a mitten....and as a starting point I don't think I did half bad.




I must admit, this weekend left me feeling fairly exhausted...the Potty Training alone, ugh...let me tell you! All-in-all I feel like I really accomplished a lot and plan on trying to make a point to do "scary" things more often....cause you know....that's just how I roll these days ;)

How about you? Tried anything you've been wanting to for a long time....or have anything on your list? I'd love to hear ;)

~Audrey