Cherry Blossom Cupcakes

Truffles and Ruffles

2010-07-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but I am mightily partial to a dark chocolate truffle. Very often my shopping expeditions include a stealthy visit to Koko Black for one or two treats of melt-in-the-mouth chocolate goodness. I decided to design a chocolate truffle inspired cupcake for an adults only birthday party I was asked to supply cakes for. The resultant cakes are dark and chocolatey, mildly spiked with coffee liquer to give them a real grown up flavour. These are Dark Chocolate Truffle Cupcakes with 70% Cocoa Chocolate Buttercream Frosting and decorated with handmade sugar peonies and white chocolate lattices.

Southern Belle Cupcakes

2010-07-23T00:23:00.000-07:00

These cupcakes were a creation for a wonderful friend of mine who was holding a fundraiser high tea. She wanted something deliciously girly and frivolous to have displayed on three tiered stands with finger sandwiches and scones. We decided something light and citrusy (I know that's probably not a word but it's the best I can do!) to complement the Lady Grey Tea and champagne she was serving as drinks. I love lemon chiffon cake,which for some reason always reminds me of a Southern American Belle in a Gone With the Wind style gown, with its billowing frothiness and lightness. I decided it would work perfectly in cupcake form for the event. These are Lemon and Orange Chiffon Cupcakes with Citrus Buttercream frosting decorated with handmade sugar flowers and sprinkles. The fundraiser was a huge success and the cupcakes were all gone in a fiddle-dee-dee!

Hello Kitty Cupcake

2010-05-20T03:35:00.000-07:00

Am I the only 30 (cough cough) something year old that thinks that Hello Kitty is ridiculously adorable? Err... probably, but my seven year old neighbours completely agree. Anyway, when I saw some fabulous Hello Kitty cupcakes created by the truly amazing Kelly at Once Upon A Cupcake (in California) I was inspired to make my own. Her designs were so lovely and kitch that I thought any little girl would be thrilled with them. It took me quite a while to decide on a cupcake flavour befitting of the adorable Hello Kitty design, tossing up strawberry, raspberry, coconut but none seemed quite right. Then it hit me, a cute, white, quirky kitten needs a cute, white, quirky cupcake so these are White Chocolate Rocky Road Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream frosting and Hello Kitty motifs. The white chocolate cupcakes are dotted with yummy goodies like mini marshmallows, dried cranberries and chopped macadamia nuts and are cute to boot!

Precious Persimmon Cupcakes

2010-05-13T03:48:00.000-07:00

My parents returned from a driving trip to Bright with 4 cases of the most enormous persimmons I have ever seen. The word 'moderation' has not made it into my Italian mother's vocabulary as yet (and never will). So, what to do with an abundance of persimmons? When life gives you lemons, make lemonade and when life gives you persimmons make persimmon cupcakes of course! I sifted through endless recipes to come up with a cupcake that would complement the unique flavour of a persimmon which, to the uninitiated, apparently tastes "softly sweet and pudding-like" according to my google search. I decided on a spicy, fragrant cupcake with all of those yummy autumn flavours like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. This is a Persimmon Spice Cupcake with Orange Buttercream Frosting and decorated with handmade sugar flowers. These are really a one off creation as I probably won't have an abundance of persimmons at hand very often but they really are delicious and well worth the effort.

The return of the cupcake!

2010-05-12T02:12:00.000-07:00

Well, after a hiatus from cupcaking I have finally returned to the joy of baking and creating cupcakes. Life took me in an unexpected direction for a while there but I have at long last made my way back to the oven. This week I have been taken by the autumnal Melbourne weather and all the yumminess that autumn brings. I've been inspired by gorgeous spices like cinnamon and nutmeg as well as autumn fruits like fresh picked apples and persimmons (but more on those later). These are Caramel Apple Cupcakes with Maple Syrup Buttercream Frosting and decorated with handmade sugar pansies. The weather outside has turned decidedly nippy and these cupcakes are toasty and comforting with brown sugar and caramel flavours as well as a hint of cinammony spice. I really love the idea of being inspired by the seasons, eating the food that not only suits the weather but also is freshest and best at this time of the year. I had a rather large bowl of gorgeous gala apples bought at a farm gate in the Mornington Peninsula that were still wet with morning dew when I bought them so I decided an apple cupcake was a must. Now, I have about a dozen rather gigantic persimmons to turn into cupcake form....

With thanks

2009-11-15T22:09:00.001-08:00

It's always so lovely to hear that people have been pleased with their Cherry Blossom creations and I quite often have phone calls from happy customers but I was especially pleased to receive a handwritten note from Claire whose 'Chocarama' cupcakes I designed back in October. She wrote, "Thanks a heap for the time and effort you took to make my cakes just exactly what I wanted. They looked and tasted exactly how I dreamt they would and they definitely made my night and were the feature of the party." I was so chuffed it put a smile on my face for the rest of the day!

Cutie Pie

2009-11-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

These cutie pie cupcakes were a request for one of my first ever cupcakes, way back in August 2008, that caught the attention of a gorgeous little girl having her Confirmation. I really enjoyed returning to this fun design because although it is very simple it delights the little girl in all of us. The cartoon like flowers were really sweet and effective enmasse and I was so pleased with the result. These were Double Chocolate and Raspberry Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream frosting and decorated with handmade sugar blossoms and they definitely turned out cute as a button!

Citrus and Sunshine

2009-10-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

Well things are warming up in grey old Melbourne and I decided to create a delicious citrus cupcake to reflect my bright mood. I am experimenting with filled cupcakes at the moment and thought this might be a nice time to try a light, zesty filled cake instead of the chocolatey creations of late. I also wanted to spoil a few of my favourite girlfriends so they reaped the rewards of my experimenting! These are Coconut Flake Cupcakes filled with White Chocolate and Lemon Mousse and frosted with Citrus buttercream and decorated with handmade sugar petunias and pearls. They are a more colourful version of the ivory floral cupcakes I made for Tara's wedding because I loved the feminine design so much but felt like giving it a summery twist.

Tara's dreamy ivory wedding

2009-10-17T13:54:00.001-07:00

When the amazingly gorgeous Tara approached me to make the cakes for her wedding I was honoured and very excited. She had a gorgeous theme of mainly ivory with rose petals and tea light candles. She also wanted to incorporate the design of her wedding invitation which were gorgeous white bows so we came up with some lovely romantic floral designs and also a very minimalist bow design. These are White Chocolate Mudcakes with Vanilla Buttercream frosting decorated with handmade white sugar bows and Vanilla and Almond Sponge Cakes with Vanilla Buttercream frosting decorated with handmade sugar flowers and pearls. She also requested a cutting cake for the top tier which was also a White Chocolate mudcake with White Chocolate Ganache filling and Ivory Fondant Icing. It was a truly stunning and glamorous function and I wish Tara and Brent all the very best, they deserve it!

Spring is in the air

2009-10-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

I may have mentioned that Spring is my favourite season. Being an eternal optimist I just love it when my garden pops out with buds and lavender and the air smells of jasmine and blossoms. That said, I was delighted with Grace's yummy mummy decided on a spring theme for Grace's christening. The room was decorated adorably with pink and green balloon bunches topped with spring creatures like butterflies and ladybirds. It was so unique and pretty, a departure from the usual christening motifs. In keeping with the theme we designed gorgeous girly White Chocolate Mud Cupcakes with Pink Vanilla Buttercream decorated with mint and pink daisies and sugar pearls and Hummingbird Cupcakes with Mint Green Maple Syrup Buttercream decorated with handmade sugar hearts and sprinkles. I also added the occasional mini pink butterfly nestled in amongst the cakes every now and then. Happy Christening Gracie!

Chocarama!

2009-10-01T22:36:00.000-07:00

Can you ever have enough chocolate? This cupcake is a chocoholics dream (and quite possibly a Weight Watchers nightmare!) designed for Claire's birthday party. Claire wanted a cupcake that would double as birthday cake and dessert, something rich and velvety and pretty darned sinful. At the end of a cocktail and canape function we decided it would be nice to have a satisfying and filling cupcake to cap off the night. We decided to use 70% cocoa couveture chocolate to create this cake so that it would be as dark and lucious as can be! This is a Dark Chocolate Fudge cupcake frosted with Nutella and Dark Chocolate Ganache and topped with Chocolate Fondant and a handmade aqua sugar flower. I hope everyone left enough room for dessert!

Coffee-a-holic

2009-09-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

These cupcakes were designed for a friend of mine having a 30th birthday who is even more of a coffee fiend than I am, which is saying something! I've been sinking espressos since I was 15 and am still finding it hard to shake the habit. She wanted something coffee flavoured but still light and moist for dessert to cap off her cocktail style birthday 'do'. Many coffee flavoured cakes are artificial tasting and cloying so instead we went for 'White Chocolate and Walnut Cupcakes frosted with a light Coffee Buttercream and decorated with handmade sugar flowers, pearls and sprinkles'. These were a scrumptious end to an elegant and fun birthday function.

Romancing the rose

2009-09-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

At the moment I am lovingly tending 10 rose plants in my new garden and crossing my fingers that all this love will result in gorgeous roses to make me happy in my home and garden. In the meantime I decided to create some rose cupcakes so that I can have some joyous sugar roses not influenced by the whims of mother nature (and crazy 44 degree heatwaves!). There is something so flamboyant and exotic about a rose in full bloom so I decided to go with a beautifully scented cake to compliment my sugar roses. These are Pistachio Cupcakes with Rosewater and Vanilla Buttercream frosting decorated with sugar roses and mini sugar flowers. They make a beautiful afternoon tea cupcake with a lovely cup of earl grey or would be so stunning for a races brunch.

Old MacDonald had a Cupcake?

2009-09-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

When my fave coeliac buddy asked me to make some gluten free cupcakes for a 3rd birthday I just couldn't resist trying out some new farm animal sugar art on them. The party was a mix of little girls and boys so I figured some cute little moo-cows, piggys and chicks would keep everybody happy! Each animal was a different flavour cake, we had Gluten Free Hummingbird Cakes with Maple Syrup Buttercream frosting decorated with handmade sugar piggies, Flourless Orange Cakes with Citrus Buttercream frosting and decorated with handmade sugar chicks and Gluten Free Classic Chocolate Cakes with Vanilla Buttercream frosting decorated with handmade sugar cows. EE-eye EE-eye OH!

Not so sweet 15!

2009-08-23T01:45:00.000-07:00

My nephew Jordan just turned 15 which had me thinking errr.... WHAT?!! How did my cute little blonde nephew who was watching Spongebob squarepants and playing his gameboy suddenly turn into a huge lump with size 13 feet and a laptop?! Crazy stuff! Nonetheless, such an occassion called for some yummy cupcakes and what better than Jordan's personal fave of Banana Cupcakes with real Maple Syrup Buttercream decorated with handmade sugar stars and '15' plaques. There were a few cakes left on this stand when I left the party but, judging by the circling gaggle of huge 15 year old boys,I don't think they will have lasted long!

Crazy Critters

2009-08-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

It's not often I get asked to make cupcakes for a 7 year old boy's birthday but I just love it when something like this comes along. The extremely bright and adorable Deakin decided on 'Critter cupcakes' for his 7th birthday gala. Not just any critters mind you, but a precise selection of yummy lolly insects including dragonflies, spiders (of course), butterflies and caterpillars. The cakes themselves were deliciously simple Vanilla Sponge Cupcakes with Red Vanilla Buttercream frosting and Classic Chocolate Cupcakes with Blue Vanilla Buttercream frosting. All were decorated with an assortment of lollies and piped milk chocolate for big 7 year old grins.

Itty Bitty Cakes

2009-08-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

I was really thrilled to be asked to make mini versions of two of my favourite cupcake designs knowing that they would look so cute in mini and taste great together. The lovely Ivon made such gorgeous selections for her birthday soiree that I knew the cupcake tower would look delightfully elegant and girly. These are miniture versions of the 'Diamonds and Pearls Cupcake'- White Chocolate Mud Cupcake with Vanilla and Rosewater Buttercream frosting decorated with handmade sugar 'pearls and diamonds' and the Flourless Orange Cupcake with Citrus Cream Cheese frosting decorated with a handmade sugar petunia and sugar crystals.

Mary Poppins Cupcakes

2009-07-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

My favourite line of all in Mary Poppins is in the song 'A Spoonful of Sugar' which Mary purports "changes bread and water into tea and cakes'. There really is nothing quite like tea and cakes, especially when they're yummy cupcakes! When I was asked to make cupcakes for a ladies morning tea with a lemon and pink theme I decided to try out my new strawberry cuppies on the grown ups too! I thought surely even sophisticated gals still like a pink cupcake? It turns out they do and these Strawberry Pink Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream frosting decorated with handmade sugar flowers and pearls went down a treat with a cup of tea or even a cheeky champagne so I've heard!

Strawberry Shortcake

2009-07-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

I designed this cupcake for a 3rd birthday party for the extremely cute Teagan. Her 3rd birthday 'Tea Party' was an adorable affair with mini scones, fairy bread and of course, cupcakes! While I made these sugar paste strawberries I was reminded of 'Strawberry Shortcake' who was a HUGE fad for us children of the 80s. For those not familiar, Strawberry Shortcake was an adorable ragdoll character with a large pink bonnet and endless amounts of merchandise for little girls to collect. These cupcakes are Strawberry Pink Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream frosting and decorated with handmade sugar strawberries and sprinkles. The cupcakes are made with real strawberries and are a delighfully girlie pink inside. Yum yum!

Very Merry Cherry

2009-07-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Cherries make me think of Christmas. Every Christmas my mum has a huge bowl of cherries on the dessert table and it doesn't matter how full I am, I can always fit a few in. Being a bit gloomy in this Melbourne weather at the moment I decided a little Christmas might cheer me up. I found a yummy sounding cherry ripe cupcake recipe and decided it was just what the doctor ordered, some merriment in the shape of a cupcake! This is a Chocolate and Cherry Ripe Cupcake with Coconut Buttercream frosting and decorated with handmade sugar flowers and cachous. It was so yummy, velvety chocolate cake with cherry ripe chunks interspersed and finished off with some fluffy coconut buttercreanm.

Life begins at 40

2009-06-27T18:24:00.001-07:00

The insanely fit and truly glam Gayle asked me to design some cupcakes befitting her 40th birthday celebrations. A chic cocktail affair required a chic cupcake design to fit in with her dark red theme. These are very luscious Chocolate Espresso Mudcakes with Vanilla Buttercream frosting decorated with piped 70% cocoa chocolate and handmade sugar and pearl daisies. The lush coffee/dark chocolate cake was a sophisticated adults only cupcake with a strong espresso flavour spiked with a dash of Kahlua. These made the perfect end to a very glamorous black tie cocktail affair.

Sugar and Spice

2009-06-27T15:38:00.001-07:00

My lovely cousin Marlene recently gave birth to the first little girl in our family for 21 years, the gorgeous Abigail. I decided to whip up a yummy batch of baby girl cupcakes in her honour but also as some comfort food for her sleep deprived mummy. Marlene is a chocaholic so I decided to make a real 'old school' chocolate cupcake. Not a fancy pants mudcake or flourless cake, but an old fashioned, light and fluffy chocky cake like mum used to make. These are Classic Chocolate Cupcakes filled with Malteser mousse and frosted with Vanilla Buttercream frosting. The first design is based on a design by the amazing Not Quite Nigella and i have been dying for an excuse to make my own adorable baby booties. The second design are huge handmade sugar pansies and handmade initialled sugar love hearts with 'A's for Abigail.

Hey! That's not a cupcake!

2009-05-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

So... what beats a cupcake? Actually, nothing beats a cupcake and it was silly of me even to imagine that something could. Still, if something COULD conceivably be as good as a cupcake it might be this yummy creation. I made this for my Mum's 62nd birthday and knowing that she goes ga ga over sponge cakes and gingerbread I made her this gorgeous girly cake. Based on a recipe by the wonderful Jennifer Graham, this is a Ginger Fluff Sponge with Apple sauce filling and loads and loads of whipped cream topped with gorgeous magenta roses and tied with a satin bow. I think if this cake was a person it would be Ginger from Gilligan's Island, girly and fluffy but somehow sultry and spicy at the same time.

All you need is love (and a cupcake or two)

2009-05-10T01:37:00.000-07:00

Alysse and Ben had a gorgeous engagement soiree for 100 people and decided on a cupcake tower with a top cake to cut for their function. To keep the masses happy we selected a variety of flavours including Hummingbird cupcakes, Vanilla sponge cupcakes, Gluten Free White Chocolate Mud cupcakes all frosted with Vanilla Buttercream frosting and decorated with sugar love hearts. The top cake was a Milk chocolate mudcake decorated with wire sugar love hearts to top off this romantic tower.

High tea for you and for me

2009-05-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

When lovely Rose's church group decided to hold a High Tea Mother's Day function they knew they wanted cupcakes as the centrepiece for each table. They didn't just want any cupcakes, they wanted gorgeous, glamorous, showstopper cupcakes. To complement their pink and white theme, two tiered trays of cupcakes adorned each table, served with ribbon sandwiches and petit fours. After much contemplation we designed two gluten free styles of cupcake, a Gluten Free White Chocolate Mudcake with Rosewater and Vanilla Buttercream frosting, decorated with sugar pearls and diamonds and a Flourless Orange Cupcake with Citrus Buttercream frosting decorated with a handmade sugar petunia and sugar sprinkles. Not only did these centrepieces look amazing, there's nothing better than a centrepiece you can eat!

Cupcakes at Tiffany's

2009-04-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

My best friend LOVES Tiffany blue. Her kettle is Tiffany blue, her toaster is Tiffany blue, her wedding cake was Tiffany blue.... you get the picture. I have been planning to create a cupcake in her honour for ages and have seen many Tiffany inspired cupcakes around and thought I'd have a go. I decided on a light and fragrant cupcake to match the elegant theme and created this Vanilla and Rosewater scented Sponge with Vanilla Buttercream frosting decorated with a handmade sugar bow and sugar 'diamonds'. Did I mention my best friend also loves bling? Well, she does!

Ganache and grenache?

2009-04-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

This little number was created for one of my favourite customers who regularly challenges me to come up with a new gluten free creation. She's off for a girly weekend and I wanted to create a really sinful, luscious cupcake that would go down nicely with some red wine (sorry to all you wine snobs out there!). I am currently in love with my flourless chocky and hazelnut mud so this is a Flourless Chocolate and Hazelnut Mudcake with Whipped Dark Chocolate Ganache frosting and decorated with a wine coloured handmade sugar flower and sugar pearls. Hmmm.... come to think of it, I could use a nice glass of red!

A whole lot of flourless love

2009-04-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

For Clare and Jason's engagement we designed some gorgeous love heart cupcakes to fit in with the pink and silver theme. The couple requested a cake that was luscious and rich but simple enough to please tiny tummies too, so after much discussion we decided on a gorgeous Flourless Chocolate and Hazelnut Mudcake with Vanilla Buttercream frosting decorated with gorgeous embossed pink love hearts and pink sugar sprinkles. These yummy cakes are a real crowd pleaser, big and little kids all love a good chocolate cupcake!

Cherry Blossom Classic Cupcakes

2009-04-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

While most of my designs are very decorative and labour intensive, sometimes you may want a simpler style for possibly a children's birthday party or a low key function. In response to this I have designed a range of 'Classic Cupcakes' that impart the joy of a simple Vanilla Buttercake or White Chocolate mudcake frosted with classic Vanilla Buttercream. These cakes are decorated with sugar shapes, flowers and sprinkles and come in a wide variety of colours. These cupcakes are fun, yummy and still made with quality ingredients that Cherry Blossom customers love,like free range eggs and pure Australian butter.

Fluffy Nutty Fun

2009-03-22T00:53:00.000-07:00

In search of the perfect nutty cupcake I created this fluffy concoction. With the temperature reaching 36 degrees celcius in Melbourne last week I wanted an all white cupcake to remind me of frost and snow. This beauty is a Triple Almond Cupcake filled with Rianna's White 'Nutella' with Meringue Frosting all topped with sugar pearls and torrone. Torrone is a delicious hard, nutty Italian nougat that we usually eat copious quantities of at Christmas. It finished my yummy sticky cupcake with a nutty crunch.

Diamonds and Pearls

2009-03-13T15:30:00.001-07:00

I've been working on a Mother's Day cupcake and wanted something very glam, no chrysanthemums and carnations thanks! One of my friends received a diamond for her first Mother's Day (I know, spoilt!!) and it inspired me to design a 'Diamonds and Pearls' themed Mother's Day cupcake that is ladylike but has some bling too. This is a White Chocolate Mud Cupcake with Vanilla and Rosewater Buttercream Frosting decorated with Sugar Diamond and Pearls. I must say it tastes incredible, the perfumy hint of rosewater finishes it off wonderfully.

Gluten free for Morning Tea

2009-03-12T16:10:00.000-07:00

One of my lovely gluten intolerant customers ordered a couple of Cherry Blossom Cupcake boxes to take to a morning tea with the girls. I whipped up her usual favourite, Flourless Orange Cupcakes with Citrus Buttercream Frosting topped with a handmade sugar petunia and also made her a box of Gluten Free Coconut and Raspberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting topped with toasted coconut flakes and a handmade sugar daisy. She will definitely be very popular when she turns up with these goodies!

High tea and cupcakes

2009-02-28T19:36:00.000-08:00

One of my dearest friends had a birthday this weekend and is very soon leaving us on a Spanish adventure (yes, a man is involved!) To celebrate I planned a yummy high tea with mini scones, ribbon sandwiches and, of course, cupcakes. Liza put in a special request for chocolate cuppies so I made Double Chocolate Cupcakes stuffed with Strawberry Ganache with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (thankyou chockylit!) and topped these with handmade sugar flowers and sugar disks that spelled out her name. I also made some very ladylike Vanilla Sponge Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting topped with handmade sugar pearls which were inspired by the gorgeous creations of Kel from sweet treats. Served with a lovely warm pot of Lady Grey tea and it was the perfect afternoon.

Victorian Bushfire Appeal

2009-02-17T01:58:00.001-08:00

When my lovely electrician hubby volunteered his services for bushfire victims I felt a bit useless and wracked my brains for something I could do for the Bushfire Appeal. So I hatched an idea to do a fundraising bake-up and sent out the word that I would bake boxes of yummy cupcakes with all the proceeds to be donated to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal. I baked HEAPS and HEAPS of cuppycakes in three flavours

Flourless Orange Cupcakes with Citrus Buttercream Frosting

White Chocolate Mud Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and

Hummingbird Cupcakes with Maple Syrup Buttercream Frosting.

These have all gone down a treat and I have raised around $600 for the appeal.

On a final note, sorry to those waiting to hear about my Iron Cupcake entry, I have had to postpone entering until next month due to all of the frantic baking for the bushfire appeal.

Cupcakes for grown ups!

2009-01-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

What could be more indulgent and wicked than a Double Chocolate Cupcake? A grown up version, the Double Chocolate Cupcake with Rum Soaked Raisins and Chocolate Fudge frosting. Definitely not for the faint hearted (or children!) this is a sinfully rich chocolate cupcake laced with mouthfuls of moist rummy raisins. Very very yummy and very naughty, these would be perfect for an adults only birthday party or dinner party as the perfect sweet end to the night.

Ivory and lemon make the wedding from heaven

2009-01-10T20:09:00.000-08:00

When my lovely friend Alison asked me if I would make her wedding cupcakes I was both delighted and honoured. I know Alison is an absolute perfectionist so working on these together took a lot of toing and froing (it didn't help that she was in London at the time). With the wedding theme of ivory and lemon in mind, we finally settled on a 5 tier tower of Vanilla Sponge Cupcakes with lemon coloured Swiss Meringue buttercream frosting topped with an array of sugar pearls and Coconut Cloud cupcakes with ivory coloured Swiss Meringue buttercream frosting also topped with sugar pearls. Alison also wanted a traditional wedding cake to top the tower which could be cut in the ceremony so for this we decided on a very simple double chocolate mudcake with ivory fondant icing. The whole stand was decorated with the wedding flowers, gorgeous ivory and lemon lillies.

There's a pear in there

2008-12-17T23:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, pardon the silly title but I'm the mother of a one year old and you do start to go a bit mad with all of the Playschool! These lovelies are scrumptious Pear and Buttered Pecan Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream Frosting decorated with handmade petunias and sugar crystals. They were deliciously buttery but light and fruity. These were for a morning tea do that our local hairdresser held for their clients and went down perfectly with a yummy cup of tea (or even a festive morning champagne!)

Cupcakes fit for a princess

2008-12-13T17:50:00.000-08:00

These cupcakes designed for Kate's christening and 1st birthday were made to fit the pale pink and lavender theme. We created a gorgeous 5 tier tower of Gluten Free Coconut Cupcakes with Lavender Vanilla Buttercream topped with handmade sugar butterflies and silver cachous and White Chocolate Mud Cupcakes with Pale Pink Vanilla Buttercream topped with handmade sugar daisies and silver cachous. We also added some mini cupcakes to the top of the tower for the kiddies and just because they're so darned cute!

Rubber Ducky you're the ONE!

2008-12-07T18:05:00.000-08:00

To celebrate my little boy's first birthday we went all out with the rubber ducky theme. Rubber ducky invites, rubber ducky balloons and of course, RUBBER DUCKY CUPCAKES! These were Coconut Cloud Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream frosting. Sadly, or not so sadly, by the time I remembered to take the photo most of the 36 cupcakes were gone!

Another day... another cupcake

2008-11-30T01:47:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a cupcake wonderland weekend at my intensive cupcake decorating course. I really felt like I was back at school but this time with a hairnet and an apron! I learnt some amazing skills and above are the fruits of my labour, the Chocolate Mud Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream with a piped rose. I must admit I was pretty proud of the results even if I am exhausted now!

First Birthday Boys and Girls

2008-11-22T21:25:00.000-08:00

Our Mother's Group joint first birthday could only mean one thing.... cupcakes! With 8 beautiful boys and girls turning one at once we had a fun and crazy day at our local play centre. This occasion called for yummy cupcakes for little girls and little boys so a unisex pale green design was the go. These were White Chocolate Mudcakes with Lemon and Lime Buttercream frosting topped with handmade flowers and dots. If the truth be told, more were eaten by the mummies and daddies than the bubbas who were more than happy with fairy bread and the ballpit!

Christening Bomboniere

2008-11-21T19:52:00.000-08:00

These creations are Christening Bomboniere as thankyou gifts for all the guests at Xavier's christening. Special personalised jumbo cupcakes packaged in perspex cubes and finished off with pretty polka dot ribbon were given to each guest to commemorate the special day. This was also a chance to try out my new Citrus White Chocolate Mudcake with Lemon Buttercream frosting. This is a yummy summer time cupcake with zesty citrus flavours and the rich, buttery white chocolate cake to complement it.

Banana Cupcakes with Maple Syrup Buttercream Frosting

2008-11-10T12:53:00.000-08:00

One of my darling nephews is sick of the girly swirly cupcakes and requested a more manly cupcake instead of my usual pink, floral creations. His particular penchant for banana cake made a banana cupcake and obvious choice. This is a Banana Cupcake with Maple Syrup Buttercream and topped with Caramelised Banana Disks created just for him. The Buttercream is made with real Canadian maple syrup whipped through it and then topped off with small disks of banana caramelised in butter and cinnmon sugar. A small sprinkle of caramel coloured sugar crystals finishes off this rich and velvety (and manly) cupcake great for a function dessert or just a wicked treat.

Flourless Orange Cupcakes with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting

2008-11-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

These scrumptious beauties came about when I realised the need for really yummy gluten free cupcakes. I make two delish gluten free varieties, this Flourless Orange Cupcake with Citrus Cream Cheese frosting and also a Flourless Chocolate Mud with either Raspberry or Vanilla Buttercream frosting. (but more about that bad boy later!) These yummy citrus cupcakes are moist, dense and lush and wonderful for morning or afternoon tea or as a lovely gift box for a gluten intolerant friend (they are very nice for the rest of us too though!)

Gracie turns one!!

2008-11-09T19:39:00.000-08:00

When Gracie's yummy mummy commisioned me to make 'any cupcake I want' for Gracie's first birthday, the pressure was on! How to decide from the plethora of yummy options and make something a) pretty, b) yummy for adults and c) a kid pleaser? I couldn't narrow it down to one flavour so settled on Double Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes with pink Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting and White Chocolate Mud Cupcakes with white (cream) Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting both topped off with handmade sugar daisies. From all reports these were a hit with bubbies and mum's and dad's alike.

White chocolate and Rosewater cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting

2008-10-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

These are a girly design for my new neighbours, twin 6 year old girls and a seven year old girl who love cupcakes. I lightly scented the white chocolate mud cupcake with rosewater, created a real raspberry and buttercream frosting (no colouring was used to tint the frosting, that is pure raspberry!) and topped them with organic crystallized rose petals. Finished off with clear sugar sparkles these are fragrant, fruity and girly yet elegant enough for a wedding or the races.

Raspberry and Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

2008-10-24T02:13:00.000-07:00

These are a special treat for a raspberry loving buddy of mine. Delicious light as air Raspberry and Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting and hand made pink sugar daisies to decorate. Finished off with toasted coconut shavings make these cupcakes pretty as a picture.

Cupcake homage

2008-08-31T02:04:00.001-07:00

In a tribute to the true cupcake blog goddess, Cheryl from the now defunct Cupcakeblog.com, I decided to have a go at the Strawberry Ganache filled Chocolate Cupcakes. These incredibly sinful creations are simple chocolate cupcakes filled with bittersweet 85% cocoa Lindt chocolate ganache with strawberries blended through it, topped with vanilla buttercream icing and a half a strawberry. Rich, lush and very adult, these are the perfect dinner party cupcake and a real show stopper.

2008-07-20T18:43:00.001-07:00

Nothing Says Thanks Like a Cupcake

When our wonderful neighbours did us a huge favour (our real estate sign is living in their front garden) I thought they might appreciate a custom made box of Cherry Blossom Cupcakes as a thank you. These were Almond and Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate Ganache Frosting with rose pink coloured frosting and sugar flowers to decorate. I am pretty sure we made our appreciation known!

Beautiful Zara's Beautiful Butterfly Baptism

2008-07-20T01:33:00.000-07:00

Zara's Baptism cupcake order is one of my favourite cupcake creations ever. White Chocolate Mud Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Icing were the order of the day with a butterfly theme. Unfortunately every cake decorator in Melbourne had sold out of sugar butterflies but I made them myself and they were a big success. Three shades of icing, white, baby pink and candy pink with an assortment of sugar flowers, sugar butterflies and silver cachous to decorate made them every little girl's dream.

2008-07-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEAGAN!

This weekend was Teagan's special 2nd birthday party and I set myself the challenge of making some scrumtious girly cupcakes that were kiddie friendly but yummy for adults too. This was the result, Double Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting.

I made minis too and the little kiddies loved these especially, perfect two year old size. There were chocolatey two year old grins everywhere I looked!