Seashell project complete!

Seashell Cupcakes

Here is a picture of the seashell project we completed. All the edible designs (all 3oo of them) were made by hand. The flavor of the cu
pcakes were dark chocolate with very vanilla meringue frosting. The box the cupcakes were in also had matching starfish, seahorses, and seashells on the outside. We believe the cupcakes fit perfectly with the baptism's decor and theme.

Na sas zisei h Savvina!

Multi-tasking at its finest!

Multi-tasking at its finest!

*Painting lustre on an edible seashell design.

Plastic is not Fantastic!

Plastic is not Fantastic!

Some may wonder how plastic relates to a cupcake blog. Well this is the term I use when I refer to fondant. Fondant has been extremely popular in the past few years, and has been used to cover cakes, make rolled figurines, and pretty much destroy the taste, texture and freshness of a cake. In addition, not only are you eating something that tastes like the sole of your flip flop, you are also paying some serious cash for it. Although it was a trend that I never bought into, I'm elated that others are finally starting to realize that plastic is not fantastic!

Check out this link to read about cake trends for 2010:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Wedding-Cake-Trends-2010&id=3528310

Seashells, Shimmer and Sunshine!

Seashells, Shimmer, and Sunshine!

If that's not a tongue twister I don't know what is! This will be the theme of a 300 cupcake order we received for a baptism. The cupcakes will be a collaboration between Sonia (the new co-owner of Simply Rita, Athens) and myself. We envision crumbled graham crackers sprinkled on each cupcake to represent the sand, topped by edible bronze shimmered seashells and starfish. The theme colors will be coral and turquoise. We believe these cupcakes will look beautiful and fit perfectly with the party theme. Here are some of the edible designs we made. We are anxious to see the end result. More pictures will be posted when the cupcakes are complete!

Butterfly Kisses!

This was our latest creation. It was inspired by my daugher's butterfly themed birthday party. The pyramid can be custom made to accomodate any party theme. Pyramids are available in both Simply Rita locations.

(Connecticut location will be opening in September).

Crystal Clear

This is our new cupcake stand that is now available for rent!

It's a boy!

These cupcakes were created for a baby shower. The flavor was double chocolate with vanilla butternut buttercream frosting!

Tiers of Joy!

T hese cupcakes were made for a little girl's 8th birthday party. The cupcakes were arranged on a glass pyramid with the birthday cake being on the highest tier. There were candles on each tier which really made the pyramid glow!

Cupcake: Vanilla bean cupcake stuffed with raspberry cream, and topped with vanilla buttercream frosting.

Cake: Dark chocolate and vanilla bean cake (four layers) with raspberry filling and vanilla buttercream frosting.

Double Trouble!

T hese cupcakes were double chocolate cupcakes with dark chocolate buttercream frosting, and vanilla bean cupcakes with madagascar buttercream frosting.

Wedded Bliss!

A n event coordinator contacted me and wanted to order a fondant covered wedding cake. She however, opted for a mini buttercream wedding cake along with individual cupcakes. This way the couple had a wedding cake to cut, and individual cupcakes to serve to the guests. I believe this option is more practical and most importantly not as costly. This cake was intended to be placed on a glass cupcake pyramid, with the cupcakes scaffolding down on the other tiers. The flavor of the cake was bourbon vanilla with raspberry buttercream filling, and vanilla buttercream frosting.

In Style Magazine

I was featured in this month's In Style Magazine Issue. I guess all my hard work has really paid off!

To read full article go to:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43241644@N03/3985079670/

~ (C) is for (C)ookie ~

T hese cookies were custom made for a five year olds birthday party. The customer requested that her son's name be written on the cookies, therefore instead of using royal icing to pipe the child's name, I decided to use fondant. I believe the fondant gives the cookie a more polished look. Although these cookies aren't part of the four basic food groups, you can convince yourself they are by thinking a balanced diet is a cookie in each hand!

Viva Las Cupcakes!

T hese cupcakes were created for an Elvis themed birthday party. The party planners and I decided that we definitely wanted the cupcakes to say, "Niki Rocks the Big 30", but when it was time to execute this idea I really had to think it through. The cupcakes were for a mature crowd, therefore I wanted them to look sophisticated but yet spunky at the same time. I decided to use sugarpaste for the lettering and I embellished them with silver dragees (which is what really made them pop). The final project was exactly how I had envisioned it. It was a lot of fun bringing the party's theme to life, and it gave me an opportunity to get my creative juices working. All I have to say is Dimitra and Elisavet... Thank you thank you very much~Elvis~

Cakespy Interview!

S ince I'm new to blogging, I've been trying to network by introducing myself to my favorite bloggers, Jessie Olsen from Cakespy being one of them. She emailed me back and was nice enough to request an interview. Check it out at

http://www.cakespy.com/2009/09/batter-chatter-interview-with-rita.html

Baby Phat!

A fter giving birth around 4 months ago, my body has not been so kind to me! Prior to becoming pregnant I ate relatively healthy, therefore, I would treat myself to a cupcake or two a week. After the birth of my daughter however, I found myself struggling to lose the last 12 pounds of baby fat, therefore I put myself on a healthier regimen which meant NO more double chocolate chip cupcakes. Although I have an occasional bite here and there before I send out my cupcake orders (only to ensure they meet cusomter satisfaction that is) I pretty much have been keeping my lips sealed. Although its been rough trying to lose the extra weight and and even harder not being able to indulge in my creations, I can still get my cupcake fix in other ways!

"Damn that's a lotta money!"

I was organizing a party with my maid of honor not too long ago, and the customer requested a fondant covered cake from a well known cake decorator here in Athens. When the cake arrived to the party (650 euros later) it was beautiful! Covered with hand rolled princesses and fairies! I thought to myself if this cake tastes as good as it looks this woman is a goddess! After taking the first bite of the cake, I soon realized that this woman was not a goddess she was just really good at rolling figurines out of fondant. The cake was like a Styrofoam brick with a plastic like flavorless topping! I'll admit I think the fondant covered Louis Vuitton and Manolo Blahnik cakes are pretty impressive, but with that money you can buy your own pair of Manolo Blahniks! So what are other options for a super trendy birthday cake....cupcakes! You can still incorporate your theme with minimal amounts of fondant and sugarpaste, they taste AMAZING, and they won't leave you saying "Damn that's a lotta money!"



Fondant should be used for decorative purposes, not to drape over an entire cake.

Elvis Inspired Cupcakes...

So I was collaborating with two customers to think of an Elvis themed cupcake and their enthusiasm encouraged me to create some yummy new flavors!

I t's now or never:

Banana cake with peanut butter filling and chocolate buttercream frosting.

A big chunk of love:

Banana cake with chunks of dark chocolate and vanilla buttercream frosting.

A lways on my mind:

Peanut butter cake filled with chocolate ganache and topped with chocolate buttercream frosting...(one bite and this cupcake will always be on your mind!)

A re you lonesome tonight:

What to do on a lonesome night? Gorge yourself with cupcakes of course!

Chocolate cake with cream cheese filling and vanilla buttercream frosting.

T he all shook up cupcake:

This cupcake is a bit confused:

Vanilla/Chocolate Swirl cake with hazelnut buttercream frosting ~Compliments of Elisavet and Dimitra~

In Style

~In Style Magazine .. by Mina Birakou~

To veiw full size

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakespy/3951063349/sizes/l/

FYI...No it wasn't one too many cupcakes I was pregnant with my little cupcake!

Inspirations...

I must say our cupcake menu is truly unique. Mostly because the cupcakes are musically inspired; such as The Holla Back Girl (B-A-N-A-N-A-S), The Smashing Pumpkin and The Sweet Thang. One turn of the radio knob or one spin of the DJ's record may result in a new flavor for that week. It's amazing how the sweet sound of a melody can inspire me to create something that satisfies my palate!

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DEPRIVATION!!

When I first moved to Athens, Greece I figured I would continue to bake cupcakes. I however, never realized what a challenge this would be until I moved here. Simple ingredients that were once so easy to come by were near impossible to find. For example: Pure vanilla extract, gum paste powder, crisco, superfine sugar, chocolate chips were nowhere to be found. Therefore, recipes that were once easy to make were now extremely time consuming. Why? Because chocolate chips were no longer found at the nearest Stop & Shop they were now piped out of a pastry bag. Marshmallows were not bought in the big industrial sized bags, but rather made from scratch. Fondant was not purchased in the Wilton tub that was sold at Joanne Fabrics but rolled out with the homemade marshmallows! Canned pumpkin? Boil a pumpkin! This at times was frustrating because when I wanted a quick solution it was not at hand. I must say this brings a completely different meaning to the word HOMEMADE!



*Picture of fondant flowers made with homemade marshmallow fondant

The Cupcake 600
I suppose nothing is impossible, considering the fact that I had to make 600 cupcakes within a 48 hour time frame! One might say I procrastinated and should of started baking 3 days in advance, but my anal retentive character will never allow me to compromise the freshness of the ever so beloved cupcake! So what is one to do with only 3 cupcake tins and one oven that only bakes 12 cupcakes at a time? Pull an all-nighter OF COURSE! Although it was arduous and extremely time consuming it was definitely worth it. Nothing beats the feeling of seeing the final project, and the look on my customers face when they take their first bite!

Cupcake Creations:

* Double chocolate chip stuffed with chocolate ganache and topped with chocolate buttercream

*Raspberry filled coconut cupcake with white chocolate buttercream

*Brownie cupcake with nutella filling and hazelnut buttercream frosting

*Madagascar vanilla cupcake with mint buttercream frosting

DIET?? WHAT DIET!!