Stacey's Sweet Shop - Truly Custom Cakery, LLC

Gourmet Cupcake Easter Special!

2013-03-24T20:28:00.001-04:00

Happy Easter!!! Here are our Gourmet Cupcake Flavors and our Easter Weekend Special just for our best customers!!!

Buy 5 gourmet cupcakes and get the 6th FREE!!! You can call to pre-order (215-441-0111) and we'll package them up for you. Open on Friday, 9-6 and on Saturday, 9-noon. 315 E Street Road (at the intersection of Newtown Road and Street Road), Warminster, PA 18974.

A Girls Best Friend...

2013-01-15T20:07:00.000-05:00

Diamonds??? Nooooooo Its SHOES!!! And you know it too. Over the past year we have done so many shoes at the Cakery. It's kinda funny because recently someone called and said, I need a shoe cake and I was told that I need to talk to you! ME? Really? Huh...

Seeing how I have a wide, flat foot, I've never been able to enjoy shoe shopping or wearing for that matter! When clunky shoes gained popularity, I was thrilled! For the first time in my life, I could have "cute" clunky shoes! HA! Had I been smart, when I found a pair I loved, I should have bought two. But practicality wins every time where I am concerned. So I have one pair, they wear out and I never find another shoe I like as much.

So put me in the decorating room with some gumpaste and I get giddy. It's kinda ridiculous. But for the first time in my life, I am able to get excited about shoes! So what if I can't wear them. I do get to make someone smile with them. And almost every time, I get to choose the design. Hooray! I love shoes!

So here are some of the shoes I've had the privilege to make in the past several months. I'll add booties (the baby kind) as well cause I really like them too.

Hope you enjoy!

Oh So YUMMY!

2013-01-11T19:56:00.000-05:00

So here is the yumminess we prepared for this weekend. Man are these cupcakes tasty!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Chocolate Chip Pound Cupcake with Caramel Filling. Iced in cookie dough buttercream , rolled in mini chips, and then topped with a nice big hunk of cookie dough. OH MY!

Chocolate Lovers Delight
Double Chocolate Cake with White Chocolate Ganache Filling. Iced in our own delicious chocolate buttercream and drizzled with White Chocolate Ganache. Mmmmm

Pumpkin Praline
Moist Pumpkin Cake filled with a Pecan Caramel Praline Filling. Topped with Cream Cheese Icing and an extra little dab of Caramel Pecan Praline.

Raspberry Lemonade
Lemon Cupcake with Raspberry Lemonade Filling, Raspberry Lemonade Buttercream and garnished with drizzled Lemon Curd. Hello Springtime!

Vanilla Wafer
White Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Mousse filling. Iced in vanilla buttercream rolled in Vanilla Cookie Crumbles. Then topped with a white chocolate dipped vanilla wafer.

Free Complimentary Cup of Coffee with any Cupcake Purchase. Just ask and we'll pour! Friday's over but we're open on Saturday (tomorrow) from 9am-noon so don't miss out!

Here's my nephew enjoying his Vanilla Wafer Cupcake. Notice it's almost as big as his head! tee hee

Cupcakes fit for Royalty!

2013-01-10T12:30:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow's Cupcake Flavors are:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - Chocolate Chip Pound filled with caramel filling. Iced in chocolate chip cookie dough vanilla buttercream. Rolled in Chocolate chips and topped with a nice hunk of Cookie Dough! MMMMMM My FAVORITE THIS WEEK!
Raspberry Lemonade - Lemon Cupcake with Raspberry Lemonade Filling. Topped with a Raspberry Lemonade Buttercream and drizzled with lemon curd. For fruit lovers, this is our most popular flavor!
Pumpkin Praline - An Amazingly moist pumpkin cake filled with a Pecan Praline filling. If you are sad that the holiday's are over, grab a complimentary cup of coffee, close your eyes, and take a big bite of this amazing treat. Your mind will take you back to pleasant holiday memories in no time!
Chocolate Lovers Delite - Double Chocolate Cupcakes with a White Chocolate Ganache filling. Iced with our own Chocolate buttercream and drizzled in white chocolate. A chocolate lovers dream come true!
Vanilla Wafer - An OH SO MOIST, white vanilla cake. Filled with a vanilla mousse, iced in vanilla buttercream, and garnished with vanilla cookie crumbles and a white chocolate dipped vanilla wafer. Another one of our most popular flavors!

How big are these Gourmet Cupcakes? Just take a look at the photo below!

Cupcake Pricing:

1 @ $4.50

4 @ $16.00
8 @ $30.00

Friday: 9am - 6pm

Saturday: 9am - noon

315 E Street Road

Warminster, PA 18974

(At the intersection of Newtown Road & Street Road.

About 1/2 way between Jacksonville and Davisville Roads.)

We also offer our breakfast pound cakes in Chocolate Chip, Blueberry, and Buttery Crumb. $15.00/cake

Gluten Free Cupcakes available in 1/2 dozen increments by pre-order only.

And we ALWAYS have Truly Custom Crunch in stock!

2012 - A Year in Review

2013-01-06T17:41:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe 2012 is said and done. What an amazing year it was. In January of 2012, my husband and I sat down to asses the status of Truly Custom Cakery, the cake orders I had and the number of orders we'd turned away, the volume of crunch orders, and the space limitations, etc. We determined that if something didn't change, 2012 might get even more difficult. So we researched various options, weighed pros and cons, prayed hard, and decided to move forward with a retail location.

We found a store front, I took on a partner, we got financing (It was a challenge getting financing but I'm so thankful that Entrepreneur Works approved the funding we needed to outfit the new location.), we renovated, and we opened! If you haven't seen it and you are local, you must stop by, it's so pretty! In January I was working alone, out of my home, and wondering what my options were. By the end of June, I had a gorgeous cake shop, a business partner, some very sweet and patient children, lots of cake orders lining our wall, and was totally exhausted! I can't believe how much change we experienced in just 6 months!

This is what happens when you have 2 days to put a new floor in. We had to get a concrete sander and sand down the kitchen floor, clean, prep, paint, dry, and seal. The kitchen is BIG so it was a challenge for a weekend job but we got it done!!! And our little man learned how to sleep on a cot at the shop.

I'd be lying if I didn't say the transition from work at home mom to retail cake shop owner was without its own set of challenges. We opened for business the last week of June just as summer vacation was starting for my boys. So they came to work with me every day. Thankfully, there was some advance planning and the office had been outfitted with carpet, a couch, toys, a television, and a Wii. The kids were AMAZING troopers for having to spend so much of their summer at work with mom. I know it wasn't ideal and I'm really hoping we can come up with an alternative for this summer. But if not, we have added an air hockey table for them. HA!

Throughout the summer, my new business partner and I put in a LOT of hours. I was working more than 60 hours a week and Suzy was working more than 40. After about 9 weeks, she let me know that it was a lot more work than she anticipated and her family was suffering. So, we worked out a plan, hired new staff, trained them, and before Thanksgiving, she said goodbye to the cake business for good.

It was a stressful time for both of us but thankfully, the new team I hired has been amazing! I've got a very talented group of people working with me including an amazing Pastry Chef, a very talented intern turned employee, and a couple of other part-time helpers. I couldn't ask for a better team. My Dad always said that you interview for aptitude and you hire for attitude. Smart man! My team certainly has the right attitude.

With all the changes, I figured why not one more? So by the first weekend in December, we were open for Gourmet Cupcakes. Because we are first and foremost a custom cakery, we choose to only sell cupcakes on Friday's and Saturday's so we aren't interfering with our ability to fill cake orders. And since most people that want cupcakes need them for weekend events anyway... well... so far, so good.

We opted for the "gourmet" variety as opposed to your run of the mill cupcakes because we pay attention to detail and we wanted AMAZING cupcakes. Our cupcakes are more than 2x's the size of a standard cupcake and boy do we put a lot of love into them. Every week we offer a different sampling of cupcakes. Usually 4-5 flavors. And we go nuts with them! We've been creating new recipes, making lots of delicious fillings from scratch, creating new icing flavors, and learning how to do what we do even better! Most of the time the cupcake flavors are more involved and very different than our flavor/filling menu for cakes. So they are extra special. You won't find these cupcakes anywhere else! The best part, is hearing from our customers after they have tried them. We've gotten such an amazing response! It makes me so happy to read e-mails and messages on facebook from our customers after they have enjoyed our cupcakes. It makes the hours we spend preparing them and making sure they are "just right" so very worth it!

We haven't really advertised yet, but I plan to start advertising this Winter/Spring. As we get a feel for what it takes to be open on Friday's and Saturday's, we will be able to advertise more and handle more business. Slow and steady right?!?!

So, now we start 2013. We have lots more plans for this year. We want to add more items to the showroom for sale on Friday's and Saturday's. More pre-order custom products for our customers, advertising to sort through, some events to plan, a competition to prepare for, and lots of cake orders to fill.

I hope you stick with us for another year! Thanks so much for reading, praying, sharing, cheering me on, and spreading the word about Truly Custom Cakery. Without the support of my friends, family, customers, employees, and business contacts, I'd have never gotten this far. You are all appreciated so very much.

Happy New Year!

Here are just some of the cakes from the end of 2012 for you to enjoy.

The Best of Mitzvah's!

2012-11-17T15:37:00.003-05:00

Whether it's a Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah, or B'Nai Mitzvah, it's a special event and a very important milestone! It's always exciting to get to create a special cake for these events. In fact, Mitzvah's are one of my FAVORITE events to design a cake for. It's the one time where we get to go totally nuts and so some really crazy and amazing stuff!

I hope you enjoy looking at these cakes as much as we enjoyed creating them!

Truly Custom Cake Kits Have Arrived!!!

2012-11-17T15:24:00.000-05:00

Truly Custom Cake Kits are the perfect way to show someone you really care! Put your own creativity into the message and design to create a truly custom gift.

Each kit includes:

Custom Cake baked to order in the flavor/filling combination of your choice. The cake is iced and covered in a layer of crisp white fondant. The perfect backdrop for your creation!
A rolled out piece of white fondant that you can use to practice and get the feel for using markers on your custom cake.

Marker Options Include: (Please note: these are high quality edible markers. We tested several brands and have found these to be the best for customizing your cake.)

Purchase Markers Individually at $2.25 each
Purchase Markers as a Set for $20.00 (10 markers in each set)
Use our markers and decorate here at the shop for $10.00 (per cake)

Design Options Include:

A blank canvas with a base border color of your choice.
Edible image printed on the top of your cake in the theme of your choice (no copyrighted images please). $10 edible image charge.
Edible coloring sheet printed on the top of your cake in the theme of your choice. If you are artistically challenged, all you have to do is color it in!!! $10 edible image charge.
Need help with a custom design on the top of your cake? Just ask! We're happy to create a design specifically for your cake that you can color! Fee varies. Please inquire.

Cake Sizes:

8 servings (6" diameter) = $40.00.
10 servings (7" diameter) = $50.00
15 servings (8" diameter) = $75.00
22 servings (9" diameter) = $110.00
30 servings (10" diameter) = $150.00

Delivery is NOT available on custom cake kits.

Appointments required for cake orders that will be decorated in the shop.

Minimum of 3 business days notice for ALL Custom Cake Kit Orders.

Payment required at the time your order is placed.

Truly Custom Cakery, LLC

315 E Street Road, Warminster, Pa 18974 - 215-441-0111 - info@trulycustomcakery.com

Grand Opening Specials!

2012-08-15T20:24:00.005-04:00

So much has happened in the past couple of months. It's been a whirlwind of adventure and we'd love to share some of it with you. Most of you already know that we merged with Cakes by Suzy, back in April. Since then, we've been working very hard to get organized, settled, and to get some new programs up and running for our customers!

We're beyond excited to announce that we've come up with some programs for our loyal customers so that you don't have to spend our minimum just because you want one of our yummy cakes! We're got two new programs that offer cakes that range in price from $45.00 to just under $200.00. Whether you just want a cake for dessert or a small celebration cake, we have just what you're looking for!

We're working on adding a variety of themes in our Budget Friendly (under $200) menu. You can see the current options HERE. But remember to keep checking back as we're going to continue to add more cakes to this menu.

Budget Friendly Gift Box Cake.
Only $125.00

Blueberry Pound Cake with
Lemon Curd Filling

Each month we'll be offering a special dessert cake as our Cake of the Month! This 8" round, homestyle iced cake serves 15. The Cake of the Month for August is our Moist and Delicious Blueberry Pound with Lemon Curd.

In September we are offering a yummy Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Cup Filling!! See the Cake of the Month Calendar HERE.

We've also got a program for those of you who can't stop talking about your favorite Cake Boutique! We are now offering a Rewards Program for Referrals. Check out our Rewards Program on our website HERE!

Even though we have lots of reviews and feedback on our website, sometimes, you want to see for yourself if our cakes taste as good as they look. So we're hosting an Open Tasting on the last Sunday of every month (holiday's may affect scheduling), where you can come in and taste three different cakes, three delicious cookies, and our famous Truly Custom Crunch! Mark your Calendar for August 26, 2012 from 2-4pm and come taste for yourself! View the Free Tasting Schedule HERE.

And of course we want to share photos of some of the cakes we've done recently! Hope you enjoy these cake photos!

A New Home for Truly Custom Cakery,LLC

2012-06-18T19:46:00.001-04:00

It's been a very busy time here at Truly Custom Cakery, LLC. So much so that we neglected to keep you up to date on the many exciting changes that are taking place.

In April, we announced that Truly Custom Cakery, LLC and Cakes by Suzy had decided to merge! This was a huge and very exciting step. A little scary for both Suzy and I, but we also both know, that once we transition and overcome the adjustments, we'll make a GREAT team! I'm so very excited to work with such a talented and capable decorator.

For our first collaboration, Suzy and I entered the 7th Annual "Let Them Eat Cake" competition at the Lowes, Philadelphia Hotel. We walked away with 3 of the 5 possible awards and were so happy to share with everyone what amazing possibilities are in store with this merger! We make a GREAT team! Just imagine what we'll be able to accomplish when we work together on a daily basis!

We won Most Artistic, Best Use of Theme, and People's Choice!

The next change is much more involved and a lot more stressful. With the merger, we needed a common place to work and grow our business. That was NOT in our home kitchens. This is the BIG step. Going from two separate home based cake shops into one, retail, cake boutique. It was a little more challenging than we imagined it would be, but thankfully, we overcame many obstacles and we are in the home stretch!

315 E Street Road, Warminster, PA 18974
215-441-0111
info@trulycustomcakery.com
http://www.trulycustomcakery.com

We hope you enjoy these pictures of our progress so far and that you will make plans to come visit us in our new cake boutique soon. We are so thankful for our wonderful friends, customers, and fans for all of your encouragement, business, and support! Without you, we'd have never made it this far!

Before... We took this photo the day we signed the lease

During... It really does get WORSE before it gets better! It was a MESS!

These photos were taken on the day we passed our final inspections with the Township. We aren't "done" yet, but we are almost there! It's the home stretch and we'll be moving in, decorating, and working out of our new kitchen in the next couple of weeks!

Stay tuned for some exciting Grand Opening Promotions from Truly Custom Cakery, LLC! We'll be announcing these in the very near future!

-Stacey

A Cake Backlog. From Baby Showers to 50th Birthday's and everything in between.

2012-05-09T21:23:00.000-04:00

Suzy and I have been very busy lately between preparations for the new shop, filling orders, and the school year winding down for our kids. This spring has most definitely been a wild ride. We've had a variety of different cakes over the past several weeks and wanted to share them with you. Hope you enjoy! And stay tuned. Construction has finally started on our new shop and we hope to open for business in June!

Let Them Eat Cake 2012 - Under The Big Top

2012-04-04T00:32:00.000-04:00

Every Spring for the past 7 years, City of Hope has hosted a wonderful event called "Let Them Eat Cake". It's held in downtown Philadelphia at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. This year, the event theme was "Under The Big Top". And it was AMAZING! Talk about the perfect theme to get artists and decorators to use their imaginations and bring their A-game!

Suzy and I worked hard to come up with a design that would defy gravity, show off a number of different techniques, draw people from a distance, and then keep them there with details. And I have to say, we pulled it off!

We were thrilled to walk away with THREE of the five available prizes. We won Most Artistic, Best Use of Theme, and Audience Choice. This was a VERY big deal for us, as it was our first project together! And with the merger of Cakes by Suzy & Truly Custom Cakery, LLC, we REALLY wanted to win as a team!

Enjoy the photos! And stay tuned. We hope to be in our new Cake Boutique before the Summer of 2012!!!

Hidden Object Fun...

You can find LOTS more photos on our facebook page! We've got a whole album dedicated to the event complete with photos of our competition as well as pictures of the building of the cake!

Let Them Eat Cake Facebook Album

We are booked thru June 5 of 2012 but are accepting orders after that! If you need a cake this summer, please contact us ASAP!!! http://www.trulycustomcakery.com

A Plethora of Pretty Cakes

2012-03-11T01:20:00.000-05:00

It's been crazy busy lately! So many wonderful and exciting things happening and so many late nights trying to keep up with it all. One day soon I plan to get some sleep! ha ha

In the meantime, I'll enjoy this phase of my life and thank God for the excitement and the adrenaline rush to keep me moving when I should be a zombie from lack of sleep.

Here are several of my recent cakes. It's kinda cool that I really like most of them. As decorators, even if the cake turns out the way the customer wanted, we sometimes just aren't "feelin' it" and when that happens, we just feel kinda "blah". But I've gotten some great orders lately. Bright, fun, and pretty. And well...it's no secret that I like pretty cakes!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Match Made in Cake

2012-03-07T23:40:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to share this wonderful news! For a couple of months I've been working with a very talented fellow baker/decorator on plans to merge our custom cake shops and move into a retail location. All of our planning is coming together and we are very excited to announce that we will have plans to open our retail location before the Summer of 2012!

Suzy is an incredibly talented cake artist located in Penndel, PA. She's been featured in several magazines and has won some local awards for her work. Our skills and talents compliment each other nicely and we are very excited to be working together. Please feel free to check out Suzy's work at http://www.CakesbySuzy.com. One of the things I love is that our quality and look is similar. We are truly a Match Made in Cake!

What does this mean for our customers?

We'll have a showroom complete with displays and a place to do consults and tastings!

Better Availability! With the move to a shop with commercial equipment, we'll be more efficient. We can focus on our strengths and delegate tasks accordingly. And that means that YOU will get better service AND a better product.

TWO AWARD WINNING Cake Artists in one location! What could be better than that?

A merger of our menu's which will give you more options. Over time, this will expand to include some specialty flavors. Stay tuned!

More price points so that you can come to us for the big events and the small ones.

When is all of this happening?

We still have some details to work out and of course there are several different parties involved. We anticipate that we'll be open before June 1st of 2012, but we'll let you know an actual date as soon as we get it.

Where will the shop be located?

We are still negotiating the terms of our lease, but the proposed location is at 315 E Street Road, Warminster, PA. (Bucks County)

It has easy access to the turnpike, I95, 611, and several other major arteries in the area.

Will I still have to order my cakes well in advance?

Our availability will be better once we merge, but we'll still be a custom cake shop. And custom cakes require advance planning and time. You won't need to order SO far in advance, but you will still need to order at least 2 weeks out for custom cakes. More detailed and larger cakes will need more time. So it's always best to contact us as soon as you know you are planning an event where you will be serving a "special" cake.

Will you have a greater variety of products available?

Over time we will start introducing some new and exciting options. However, our goal in the beginning is to focus on the orders we already have in the books and make sure those customers are well cared for during the transition. After we are settled, we'll start rolling out some new options!

Valentine's Day Cupcake Special

2012-01-25T15:49:00.000-05:00

Truly Custom Cakery, LLC is offering a Cupcake Special for Valentine's Day this year!

Design as Shown in Photo.
$2.75 each for Standard Flavor
$3.00 each for Premium Flavor
Add. $.25 for filling
Minimum order 24 cupcakes
Two dozen standard flavor cupcakes decorated as shown $66.00!
Order must be received by Tuesday, February 7th, 2012.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Current Specials at Truly Custom Cakery, LLC

2012-01-24T10:06:00.003-05:00

As you know from recent posts, it's been an exciting two years since we opened for business and our future success is contingent on our ability to continue growing and getting the word out to the Bucks County, Montgomery County, and Philadelphia areas. Our goal is to reach the entire Philadelphia area with our Delicious and Award Winning Custom Designed Cakes.

So, every now and again I like to offer a special or two in an effort to spread the word about Truly Custom Cakery, LLC.

We currently have three specials available!!

To view these specials in detail, VISIT OUR WEBSITE.

We have 3 fixed price cake options for when you want a special occasion cake that stands out from the crowd, tastes AMAZING, but you don't want to pay custom cake prices.
We have a $25.00 coupon for your custom cake order of $200.00 or more.
AND most exciting, for a limited time we have reduced our minimum order to $150.00!

To view these specials in detail, VISIT OUR WEBSITE.

The Highlight Reel

2012-01-18T10:42:00.000-05:00

When I started Truly Custom Cakery, I did it out of necessity. I was starting to get a LOT of requests from people to make custom cakes for them. But, without being licensed, I had to turn them away. So, we decided that instead of watching money walk away, it was time to take the next step. It was an easy decision because the laws of our area allow me to work right out of my home kitchen. For a very small financial investment, I was able to get my inspection, license, insurance, and file all the necessary legal paperwork.

Over time, I started getting too many requests for what my kitchen would allow me to handle. I decided that it was time to raise my minimum order amount so that I could work smarter, rather than harder. I've done that 3 times since Truly Custom Cakery, LLC opened in November of 2009. Then a year ago, we renovated the kitchen so I could have 2 ovens, move counter space, and more storage in my small 10' x 12' kitchen. Raising my minimums increased the quality of the orders I was receiving from a financial standpoint, but as a result, I've had to turn away a LOT of business. It was a decision made out of necessity. I just can't do it all. And if you could choose between a $75 cake or a $350 cake, which order would you rather have??? No brainer...

BUT... What if I could take those smaller orders too? What about all the people that were my customer when I started and can't afford me anymore? What about the people that taste my cakes and like it so much, call to order, and then walk away when they hear my price? Is it good business to turn them away? Or should I have been growing instead of shrinking my customer base? And how do I combat the feast/famine scenario? It happens all the time. You have a week with more orders than you can handle and you turn away several more. Then, the very next week, NOTHING! Not even a phone call! I'd probably have cakes those weeks too if I hadn't raised that minimum... But, like I said, I can't do it all. I'm just one person.

And therein lies the next question. Should I remain just one person? When is the right time to expand? How do you know when you should take that leap of faith and change your circumstances so that you CAN take all the orders that come your way. When do I say "YES" to all the Pastry Arts students that ask to intern with me?

And of course, if I do move forward.... HOW? I mean, the economy is pretty lousy! Do I get a business loan and take a chance at a brick and mortar shop? Isn't that a bit risky in this economy? And then I'm not a stay at home mom anymore. Which I really would miss! Do I build a garage out back for my husband and convert my existing garage into a shop? I could have displays, a workroom, a place to meet with clients, and a place for staff/interns to work! But all that takes money and a loan... When is the right time to move in that direction?

And of course, all my insecurities... Am I good enough, am I ready, would I get all the business back that I turned away, would I be able to pay the loan back, would it be worth it? WILL I FAIL?

And it is always worse when you look around. I should know better. In the last few years, Cake Shows have made the custom baking/decorating business EXPLODE! People are flying out of the woodwork to try their hand at it and succeeding! And not only that, but they have blogs, facebook and twitter accounts, pinterest, flickr, and a whole bunch of other stuff I know nothing about. And they have followers. LOTS OF THEM, thousands of them! And it's no wonder. Some of the work these people put out is phenomenal! It's breathtaking, astounding, and downright intimidating!

When I look at some of their work and see that they charged $12.00 for ONE CUPCAKE and the order included about 100 of them plus a super fancy cake and they have only been in business for 1 year, I start to doubt myself. SERIOUSLY! OH, and they do it out of their home kitchen... And they have about 10,000 followers on facebook...

And here come more doubts... am I doing things right? Why don't I have 10,000 followers? Do I engage my fans properly? Do I come across as a snot? Am I not thanking my customers and fans enough for their loyalty? Etc.. etc.... etc....

It doesn't take long to make yourself feel like you are doing everything wrong. I was chatting with a friend of mine this morning and she reminded me of something. That "when you compare yourself to others, all you are seeing is their highlight reel too".

I needed that! People look at my work and see what I've accomplished. They don't see my insecurities, fears, doubts, and struggles. They just see the final product. And when we compare ourselves to others, we are ONLY seeing their highlight reel. We don't know what they went through, their fears, challenges, finances, or insecurities. We see the best of the best. What they want us to see. As if they'd walk around town in their underwear. There's always more going on than what you can see. And often, that more, is layers deep.

I know that the Bible tells us in II Corinthians 5:7 "that we walk by faith and not by sight". AND I do have faith in my Savior and I know my eternity. What I do not have faith in, is myself and the economy. So if you are a praying person, I covet your prayers. Somethings gonna have to give and I just don't know what or how.

And a BIG thank you Kristie, for reminding me not to compare myself to someone else's highlight reel. I love you Chickie!

Holiday Baking Projects!

2012-01-15T19:26:00.000-05:00

The holiday's are always crazy busy at Truly Custom Cakery, LLC. Not just because of the cakes, shopping, and parties, but because of Truly Custom Crunch. It's a good busy and I certainly can't complain. I'd much rather be running in circles with too much work than to not have enough. In this economy, each and every order is a blessing from above.

Each holiday season that goes by, I say things like, "If next year is busier than this year, I don't know what I'm gonna do." And each year, I'm amazed at the volume of orders and the incredible help I receive from my staff, friends, and family. I'd be nothing without them.

This year, I made 39 batches of Truly Custom Crunch. It might not sound like much to you, but when each batch has 2lbs of brown sugar, 1lb of butter, 2 cups of popcorn, and 3 cups of nuts and 3lbs of chocolate, you KNOW that things were crazy around here!

I was amazed that I went through about 125lbs of dark chocolate! My husband liked to joke with me and tell me I needed to join a support group. ha ha I'd agree if I'd have eaten it all!

Anyway, here are some photos of what left my kitchen this holiday season. I have to admit, I was REALLY glad when it ended. BUT despite being busier than I'd ever been, things never went more smoothly!

5oz package of Truly Custom Crunch.

Truly Custom Crunch comes in 5 sizes and I also offer custom packaging. The little bear is holding the 5oz bag. The packages below are 2.5lbs with a custom label and a special box of dark chocolate snowflake cookies for this custom order. In less than 48 hours I was able to roll, cut, bake, ice, and package more than 800 snowflake cookies. Toward the end I was so batty I was dancing around like a crazy person. It was tedious work!

Icing 800+ cookies in my mini cookie marathon.

This is a custom order of corporate gifts for a local pharmaceutical company.


66 custom packages ready for delivery. My truck never looked so pretty!

While all that Crunch making was going on, I was also filling cake orders. I was a little worried about having to shift gears but in the end, it worked out really well. The change of pace from mass production to focusing on details and "pretty" work, was good for me. Otherwise, I think I might have gone batty. Generally, I worked on Truly Custom Crunch from Sunday through Wednesday/Thursday. And then the other days, I focused on baking, filling, and decorating.

This little Snowbabies 1st Birthday Cake won 2nd place in Cake Central's Hoilday Cake Contest.

I think this little Santa is my favorite sculpted figure from the Holiday's. I don't even particularly like Santa stuff but I just LOVE how he turned out.

Baby Shower Cake in a "Nesting" theme.

There were 50 individually wrapped cupcakes for this order. Each cake got its own little box to be used as favors for the shower guests.

Candle Cakes always re-appear during the holiday's. I love this one with the "Snowballs for Sale" theme.

And a more "mature" candle cake for the adult crowd.

My Delorean Cake. I LOVE how well this car turned out. I have to admit I was a little nervous about the doors "shutting" on their own. But they held up to delivery amazingly well

And aside from the cakes and the crunch, I did a few other projects. Call me crazy....

Christmas Cookies

More Christmas Cookies

Every year for Christmas I give out special "treats". This year I made plain pound cakes and blueberry pound cakes in little ceramic loaf pans. Each gift bag included both flavors of pound cake and the Truly Custom Crunch.

Of course I HAD to make melted snowman cookies. I mean... it's tradition at this point! This year I made them on dark chocolate chip cookies.

Homemade Marshmallows! My first time making them and they turned out pretty good! I made 3 flavors. Plain, Rum, and Kahlua. The Kahlua are particularly yummy in hot chocolate!

Cranberry Apple Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes. These were sooooo yummy. I made them for our Christmas Eve Brunch. So glad the holiday's only come around once a year!

Playing with Sugar...

2011-11-28T20:28:00.001-05:00

There is so much excitement and mystery in trying new techniques. Especially when you like to learn as you go. One of the things I have found that I really enjoy, is playing with sugar. HOT sugar.

And yes, I've gotten LOTS of burns. But I keep going back to it and trying new things.

My most recent project was for a 21st Birthday. It's a hand painted, poured sugar, champagne bottle surrounded by gift boxes. It's VERY feminine. And it was a lot of fun to deliver.

Here are some other cakes that included poured sugar work.

The beer bottle and shot glass are poured sugar on this cake

The ice is sugar too!

A close up of the Beer bottles and melting ice.

If you haven't tried working with poured sugar or Isomalt, but you want to try. I recommend starting with edible gems.

They are a great place to start without being too overwhelming. You can see how HERE.

Cranberry, Apple, Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

2011-11-28T10:12:00.001-05:00

I recently saw a recipe by Paula Dean for Apple Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes. They looked soooo good. BUT, lately, my palate has matured to a point where I like a LOT going when I bite into something. I don't want to be overwhelmed by a single flavor.

So I decided to mix it up a bit and make Cranberry, Apple, Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes! And MY OH MY! I made 3 dozen and in 4 days my husband, the boys, and I ate them ALL!!! They were delicious!

I used Paula's Recipe for the Bread/Roll. Then I mixed it up a bit. The recipe seems like it has a lot going on, but bear with me. It's not that bad. While your dough is rising, you can work on preparing your filling. And then while the cupcakes are baking, you can prepare the icing. We'll be having these for Christmas Eve Brunch this year!

Ingredients for Roll:

2 cups 2% milk
1 tablespoon (.5oz) active dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter (room temperature)

Ingredients for the Filling:

1 cup (2 sticks) of room temperature butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 tsp of AllSpice
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups finely cut chopped Granny Smith (or other tart apples)
1 cup of chopped cranberries

Ingredients for the Icing:

4 oz Cream Cheese (1/2 of an 8oz block)
1/4 cup of softened butter
1 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon of salt

Directions for the Roll:

In a small saucepan or a microwave oven, warm milk to about 110 F.
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in the milk.
Add salt and two cups of flour and beat for two minutes.
Beat in eggs and butter.
Stir in the remaining flour a half cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about five minutes).
Place the dough in a large bowl and cover it with a towel. Set in a warm place and allow to rise for 40 minutes or until approximately doubled in volume.

Directions for the Filling:

Mix together the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt, and allspice in a mixing bowl until smooth and combined.
Using a spoon or spatula, fold in the apples and cranberries.

Assembly:

Divide the dough into two parts. Using 1/2 of the dough, roll it out into a large rectangle.
Smooth the filling over the dough. Avoid the outer edge or you will have a mess.
Roll the dough up to encase the filling and create a large log.
Then take a very sharp knife and cut the dough into 3/4" rolls.
Place them in paper lined cupcake tins.
Repeat with the remaining 1/2 of the dough.

Bake:

350 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

NOTE: this is a messy and juicy process. It creates a sticky mess while assembling and while baking. During baking, the apples and cranberries create quite a bit of juice. It is best to place your cupcake tins on a cookie sheet for the baking process to catch any juices. I DO NOT recommend using colored foil papers for this process as the liquid will remove the color from the foil and create a technicolor mess.

Directions for the Icing:

While the Cinnamon Rolls are baking, beat together the cream cheese, butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth and creamy.
Drizzle or slather the tops of your cinnamon rolls in the cream cheese icing after they have cooled a bit but are still warm.

REMOVE your cinnamon rolls from the cupcake tins before they cool completely to ensure that the cooled sugar does not glue the cupcake wrappers to your baking pans.

And ENJOY!!!

Homemade Marshmallows!

2011-11-28T09:04:00.001-05:00

If you are anything like me, you've purchased marshmallows at the store your entire life and never gave much thought to "how" they were made. If they ever crossed your mind, the thought was fleeting.

Standard Homemade Marshmallows

So when I saw a post a few weeks back about homemade marshmallows, I decided I HAD to try making them. I mean really, if that blogger could do it, I certainly could. Right!

So I set out to find the recipe I wanted to use and settled on Alton Brown's Marshmallow Recipe. I like his for several reasons. First, he has a video posted with the recipe so you can actually WATCH him make them first. (This eliminates the "duh" moments) And secondly, he's very scientific and I know I can trust his recipes.

So here is the recipe I used. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-marshmallows-recipe/index.html. I do recommend you watch the video he has posted.

Marshmallows are STICKY. In fact, so sticky, that I believe you will lose about 1/5 of your mix to the mixing bowl and spatula because you won't be able to get it off. Thank goodness for hot water! With that in mind, imagine how hard your mixer will be working. I DO NOT recommend you make homemade marshmallows with a hand mixer. The mixer will burn up and leave you with a sore hand and a sticky, soupy, mess! I also have to say that if you have a smaller KitchenAid stand mixer (about 4.5 qt), that you keep a close eye on it! I used my 6 quart and it got HOT and you could hear the strain the motor was under.

Now, if you want to get fancy, you can take those yummy marshmallows and using chocolate and other treats, you can fancy up your marshmallows to use them as gifts for the Holiday's.

Dark Chocolate and Toffee Marshmallows

Peppermint Crunch Marshmallows


Dark Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows. In the mug are Kahlua and Coffee Marshmallows!

Okay... so I know the next question... Kahlua and Coffee?!? Yep, and I'll share that variation shortly. Just think about some yummy grown-up Hot Chocolate with those little babies on top. mmmmmm Yummy!

Also coming shortly, how to make those cute Melted Snowman S'Mores.

They are AMAZINGLY good! I mean... I'll likely give them as gifts this Christmas good because they are better tasting than ANY S'More I've ever had in my life! I've even given several out as taste tests. It's so much fun watching the faces and hearing the noises that come from people as they enjoy!

Happy Baking!

Melted Snowman S'Mores... Mmmmmm

2011-11-17T10:44:00.001-05:00

Last night I tried making Marshmallows for the first time. I'll share photos of the actual "marshmallow's" later. But in keeping with tradition, I had to try making snowmen out of marshmallows BUT I wanted them to be REALLY tasty.

So I took some graham crackers, split them in 1/2, and cut off the sharp corners. Then I dipped them in milk chocolate. After they cooled, I made homemade marshmallows, and piped the marshmallow onto the prepared graham cracker. Once they set up for a bit, I got my royal icing together and decorated them. And of course, I'm a fan of glitter, so I made them sparkle with a little rainbow disco dust. (totally optional, but for me, it's a sickness! lol).

I'll put together a tutorial later. And let me tell you, I'll NEVER be able to stomach a standard s'more ever again. My husband LOVES these and my 6 year old ate one for breakfast! ha ha ha (Shhhh... don't tell)

Happy Baking, Caking, and Decorating!

The long road to inspiration...

2011-11-13T21:21:00.013-05:00

I'm often asked where I get the ideas for my cakes. And sometimes I can give you a very specific answer. Like, the client was very clear, they told me what to do, I followed instructions, and there you have it. Other times, the route to inspiration is anything but direct.

This past spring one of my display cakes was being transported to a show, when the box that held it was picked up by a very disagreeable gust of wind, carried several feet, and thrown to the ground, where it was smashed into an unrecognizable mess. This was a very stressful moment for the caterer that was transporting my displays. (No worries, I didn't yell at him.)

The display cake before the wind took it on a wild ride.

It is moments like these that have a way of forcing your hand. There were no plans for an additional display cake. Over the past 2 months, I'd made six! As far as I was concerned, I was all set. But... ummm... yea, things happen. The smashed cake was the biggest display cake I had. It showed a variety of techniques and well... I figured if I had to remake it, I might as well take it a step further. The whole idea of a display cake is to show potential clients what is possible. For me, it's not about creating a cake that I can copy in the future. I just want them to see what their options are. And with very little time until the next show, I was a little stressed.

And I was quickly reminded that I often do my best work when I'm under the gun. I don't know why. It makes no rational sense... And yet, I was so pleased with the resulting cake, that I was happy the original cake was smashed. In fact, I decided that I no longer liked the original cake. Go figure!

Isn't it pretty!?! I really love it. It's so very romantic and soft looking.

A little later... I had the opportunity to make a baby shower cake for a client's daughter to match the theme of the baby's bedroom.

Isn't it cute!

Fast Forward to this fall... The same client saw that pretty display cake that I had to make under the gun this past spring. Seeing how they love all things super girlie and feminine and of course PINK, she wanted that cake used as the inspiration for the Christening Cake.

So, I was able to adjust the design down a bit to make the perfect Christening Cake for Janel's precious baby girl. I added a little more pink into the mix than the original cake had and we removed a few of the more mature elements. And Voila!

Isn't it interesting how cakes are born? Inspiration comes from all around, and you never know what will inspire you to create something new. Sometimes, even a disaster can result in something amazing.

Happy Baking, Caking, and Decorating!

Popular Prints for a Trendy Cake!

2011-11-10T09:00:00.008-05:00

Animal print cakes are all the rage right now and Zebra Stripes are probably THE MOST popular of all the prints chosen. There is something striking, crisp, and bold about those stripes. No matter what color background they appear on, they always seem to look good! And I've certainly done my share of zebra stripes.

This weekend it was a Sweet 16 in Teal, Black, & White. The Birthday Girl is a Soccer Fanatic so we also worked in a custom topper that coordinated amazingly well (black and white).

I thought this would be a good time to show you how many different looks can be achieved with zebra stripes. These are some of the cakes I've done! Enjoy!

Manly Cakes....

2011-11-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

So what kind of cake do you get for your man? Well, you could do just about anything. The sky's the limit. And sometimes, I think you should reach for the sky. Because those cakes can be so very cool!

This was one of my favorites. Not because I'm a huge fan of the subject matter, but because it was challenging, fun, and required the use of several different cake decorating mediums.

I hope you enjoy. EVERYTHING on this cake is edible. The bottles are poured sugar, the ice is poured sugar, the pretzels, peanuts, bottle caps, and can opener are all sugar paste, and the bucket itself is White Almond Sour Cream Cake with Lemon Curd Filling.

And here are some other "manly" cakes for you to enjoy!

Feeling like a kid again...

2011-11-09T08:50:00.003-05:00

Sometimes when working on a cake, I have so much fun it's like being a kid again. Which isn't a real far stretch because my husband says I never really grew up. he he I really LOVE letting it all hang out and having fun with my kids. So this cake was a very enjoyable project. The two little guys in the back seat are twin boys, the cakes recipients that were celebrating their 1st Birthday. Of course you can guess the theme of the party! And what child (big or little) doesn't love all those amazing books written by Dr. Seuss.

This was a moist vanilla cake with buttercream filling.