Cake International - London 2013

Ever been to a mouth-watering show??

 

Ok, at first glance, this may not seem edible, but it IS cake. This amazing cakes was competing with other amazing cakes at Cake International - The Sugarcraft, Cake Decorating and Baking Show in London this past weekend.

I will be the first to admit, that I like watching tv programs like Cake Boss, Cupcake Wars, Ultimate Cake Off, The Next Great Baker because of the creative process. They could create something reminding of the cakes on display at this show.... but getting to see works of art like these close up is priceless.

I know that this owl is cake - but just look at this creature: How can one eat that? Or even cut slices of cake from that?

All the details on the cakes - spoke to some of the competitors as they were hanging around the creations talking to us visitors. Was mindblowing to hear how fast some worked, that some have only baked/ decorated for a very short time and what inspired them. They shared a lot of their thoughts as they could sense how a lot of us appreciated the creativity.

As an amateur baker it was great to get inspiration - somthing to look up to and something to aspire just a little bit when creating a cake. May never be as good as the competitors, but they do inspire you to move just a little out of your comfort zone every time.

More photos to be found here

Holidays Are Coming......

Received this season's first Christmas card today, so what better than mentioning a nice holiday read.

Pre-ordered this book, so received it in my mailbox on publishing day, and could not wait start reading it. It should come with a bit of a warning though, as you will find scrumptious recipes for Christmas bakery that will fuel cake cravings while reading it.... but help is not far away if you have the ingredients needed, as it is packed with recipes.

 

Austin is going to New York pursuing a good work opportunity leaving Issy in London, where she is considering her future: Should she remain in London with her beloved Cupcake Café that she has worked hard on creating or should she pursue new dreams in New York as surely, they need cupcakes too in the big apple.

 

One ca not help thinking about the phrase: "The grass is greener n the other side" - which you can encounter if you change jobs. You might get that strange feeling and thought "Did I really make the right decisiom?"

 

All this, recipes and then preparing for Christmas you have a story entertaining you for hours :o)

Cupcake Heaven

Just turning pages in that magazine makes my fingers itch to make some cupcakes... some of them are really mouth watering to look at... but here is the funny thing about me and cakes.... the might look scrumptious and tempt me.... but I can never eat much cake.

For me, most of it is the actual process making a cake/cookie... and sometimes friends persuade me to bake for them..... next year I am going a little further as has signed up for some classes :o)

A Treat For Me After Treatment

After the monthly MS treatment at the hospital (past month went by soo fast) I usually treat myself with a little something, that I usually does not indulge in the days between treatment. No more liquirice cupcakes from Agnes Cupcakes, since I do not like the flavour caused by the new way of frosting the cupcake - and Ben&Jerry's Cookie Dough icecream was sold out in the local store ?!?!?! Found a treat that is going to last for a couple of days: Marabou cookies - good!! Marabou happens to be my favourite kind of chocolate, and some of you know that I do not eat chocolate often. YUM!

Sigh..... They Changed It :o(

Yes, I know: Sometimes change is good. But not this change!!! Last autumn I found the liqurice cupcake at Agnes, that was scrumptious, and it soon became my after-MS-treatment-treat so sweeten my day.

They have changed the way how they frost this cupcake (see link to old post with previous look above the photo) and it actually totally changes the taste of the whole cupcake. After I found out this Monday, I asked a friend (who also loved this flavour) to check out the new version and she called me up immediately, asking me if I too thought that it tastes differently now. We both believe that the old frosting-way allowed the liqurice taste to seap into the cupcake, now it seems like two seperate parts, where the cake does not quite fit the topping.

Buhu!! They have spoiled my monthly favourite treat after the visit to the hospital, so now it is back to Ben&Jerry's chocolate chip cookie dought ice cream.

Busy As a Bee

WOW did I really manage to do all that today?? And still little over one hour left of the day :o) So what is much? Well saw 3 (!!) photo exhibitions, attended 1 Sakura festival (celebrating the blooming Japanese cherry trees), laundry, grocery shopping, 2 cards, update of the wardrope (as in buying 6 pcs of clothing that can be mixed and matches so can be used both for work clothes and casual clothes), saw one movie on tv..... and created a scrumptios present for a teemage boy that I will give him tomorrow.

He is not allowed to eat sweets etc often, but tomorrow will be an exemption, and he loves cake. Had to improvise a little, as the tip I wanted to use for the frosting is soldout nationwide, but think these will make him smile before eating.

Ohh and the not decorated ones? They will be individually wrapped and placed in my freezer for "a rainy day" :o)

CupCake Meeting

So what is it with me and cupcakes? Well must admist that it was partly the title, that lured me into buying this book - but also the fact that I already own two of Jenny Colgan's books :o)

Jenny introduces Issy to us, that is suddenly without a job and with a redundancy payment, that equals some months' pay. As a young girl, she used to spend hours at her grandpa's bakery giving her an interest in baking scruptious cakes, that just might be her way out of the looong unemployment queue.

Her grandpa sends her letters with recipes - and how I wish that recipe books would be written like that, as it will give you a healthy laughter: "3 whole eggs. Plus an extra tree to break therapeutically by throwing at the wall" - "Now, to all intents and purposes, your cake wil look like an ugly dissaster. When people see your calke they will feel sorry for you....." Ohh did I mention that the recipes are actually written in the book, and tried one of them, that was a hit when bringing it to my friends house forgot to take a picture of it :o( 

How I sometimes wish that I could quit my job and do something creative for a living, but just have not found that niche yet, where I create something that stands out a bit. Surroundings often reminds me, that we are in an aftermath of a recession, as about 14 stores are idle in my neighbourhood. Saddens me, as I am actually living in the centre of the city. Always happy when I read a feel-good book like this just pushing that litlle "maybe someday" thought in the back of my head :o)

Two of Jenny's books already on my bookshelve

There Is Always a First Time Awaiting Somewhere.....

You thought I was posting travel photos?? Well have not browsed through all of them yet, so you have to be patient at least a day longer.....

Hurried home from the airport and just dropped the suitcase, looked up an address and hurried to a cupcake course. 2½ hours later and I could bring home these....... still have not touched even once, cause having a hard time taking the first bite.

Definately not the last time, that I am doing cupcakes myself - now that I have tried to make some myself I might just lure myself into trying some more :o)

Have You Ever Had One Of Those Days....

.... where you see something that looks absolutely scrumptious, and you buy it, since you had already promised yourself to buy a little something to enjoy when you do all the things on your enourmous to-do-list?

I purchased these three the other day, from a bakery where I noticed cupcakes in Copenhagen for the first time a few years back. Was in that area anyway, so decided that it was time to give those a try. Left to right vanilla, caramel and mint.

YUCK!! Nothing but dissapointment - tried to take a bit of all three of them, but incredible dry and un-eatable - the vanilla and caramel had the same cake and absolutely not fitting the topping. This bakery is located at the busiest shopping streets of Copenhagen, where a lot of tourists passes that bakery daily - a lot of them were having a hot bevarage (temperatures are still freezing cold) and a cupcake on the side, and it was not until after I got home, that I realised that there had been a lot of un-eaten cupcake leftovers on the tables.

I dare to write, that those cupcakes you can sometimes get at the baked goods isles at your local supermarket are a lovely treat compared to these horrible cupcakes.

What??!! Already....

It amazes me how fast times flies by, and today my monthly MS treatment was scheduled. Nothing is on my agenda tonight except for relaxing and indulging in a cupcake (Italian almond) and a chai-latte. Most times a little Ben&Jerry icecream would also have been part of my post-treatment self-treatment, but with the cold cold weather outside, I opted for something a little warmer :o)

Agnes Cupcakes

Yes, I know. Agnes Cupcakes is a dangerous place, as the mere sight of the scrumptious cupcakes persuades you to buy a cupcake. When I purchased one to-go the other day, the cupcake box was sealed with this sticker, that immediately triggered my imagination:

The Lily of the Valley stamp "Never Too Old for Cupcake" was perfect for a card.

The brown background paper is from an Agnes Cupcake paper bag, and the sentiment was to be just words that fuelled the idea for the card - and orange is a color you will see inside the cupcake boxes and paper bags. Color of the cupcake frosting could be no other colors than a light brown, symbolising my favourite flavour: liquirice :o)

There are two outlets of Agnes Cupcakes in Copenhagen, and today my favourite one will receive this card with my thanks for their scrumptious cakes. Why? How often to we forget to show appreciation for something we like? Often "just" taking it for granted, that you can always buy a good cupcake - well someone decided to bring cupcakes to parts of our city.... guessing that someone has a strong passion for her business, which as brought smiles on my face when eating the cupcakes.

I Just Couldn't resist....

Could not resist a cupcake today from Agnes Cupcakes since it was time for the monthly treatment at the MS clinic - a HALLOWEEN cupcake with a nice cinnamon taste :o) You know what else I couldn't resist? .... Well, when I described Agnes Cupcakes delicious cakes after my first encounter, Claire bugged me for details to decide, if they were indeed scrumptious looking.... Well - here you are Claire :o) *LOL*

TLC - Tender Loving Care - Part 2

CupCake Sisters

Onlike CakeBoss, I have read about these two baking sisters before watching the reality show on TLC. An online article described how they were making a cupcake wedding dress and I was intrigued. Untill then a cupcake was merely a cake and no hanky-panky about that.

The two sisters Katherine Kallinis (former eventplanner for Gucci) and Sopie LaMontagne (formerly employed in the finance sector) quit their jobs and opened DC Cupcakes in Georgetown, DC, USA. Well a cupcake is much more than a cupcake, and I can not wait to see the next episode :o)

Browsing though the October 2011 issue of Oprah Magazine, and I saw this little add - DC Cupcakes supporting the fight agains breastcancer:

To Sweeten A Day

The other day I went to see a photo exhibit, that had excellent reviews in various newspapers, but only to get really dissapointed. I am sure that those photos are great, but did not get to see them as the access to that "gallery" was an obstacle: Either a ladder or impropmtu stairs made by wodden pallets, each step 3 pallets high. Got halfway up when my newly operated knee refused to go any further :o(

On my way home, I passed a cupcake place, that I have wanted to try for a few weeks now - and since I did not get to spend entrance fee on the exhibit, I exhanged the ticketmoney with two cupcakes.... it was my vacation time, so a little extra would not hurt.

When you buy the cupcakes to-go, it is no problem as you get them in a box like this at Agnes.

There were two kinds of cupcakes, that caught my attention, so why settle with just one :o)



Liqurice




Italian Almond


Two cupcakes in my place last... two days :o) And they were scrumptious!! I do not usually treat myself with cakes, so not worried about my weight, and eventhough they were heavenly I will not stop by very often. By only doing it once in a while, they remain more special.