Thursday, August 16, 2012

BUTTERcream

I wanted to do a post on buttercream for a few reasons:
1. I get alot of random comments from people all over the internet complaining that my blog is not a blog. That's true- it's not much of a "blog"! It's primary use is to show pictures of the cakes we have done. I used to go into more detail about the decor and involvement of each cake, but since my storefront has opened I don't have the time for that... But there are certain subjects that deserve a blog post! I also say all the time that I am going to start "blogging" more, but never seem to get to it.
2. I got my degree in Communication. Can't let that sucker go to waste!! :) Hi Dad. Using my college degree as we speak.


Okay so onto the buttercream!! We really, really, really, super duper, REALLY, take alot of pride in our buttercream. We only do three types of frostings here: Buttercream, chocolate buttercream, and cream cheese frosting. This means we are putting buttercream on almost ALL of our cupcakes. That means it has to taste good and look good! So now I am going to spill some of our not so secret secrets with you: our buttercream has 3 ingredients: butter, sugar, and pure vanilla extract. We absolutely do not ever use any shortening or oil. You won't even find shortening or oils in the building! Shortening is used in buttercream/cakes for 2 reasons: 1. stability 2. it's cheap. I mean really cheap. We don't use for it two reasons 1. it's terrible for you 2. it's gross. I mean really gross. Have you ever accidentally got shortening on your hands? It's impossible to get off right!?! Imagine that going into your stomach! Talk about tummy ache!! It makes me cringe just thinking about it. I have to admit though- it is most definitely harder to frost a cake with all butter buttercream. But that's why I'm so proud of what Nicole and I can do here! We have mastered the smooth buttercream frosting technique, and I think it's pretty awesome. We never cover our cakes in fondant (unless requested) because our buttercream looks just as smooth.
So how do you know if you are eating "shorteningcream"? I'll give you some hints: 1. the cupcake costs $1.00. How can anyone possibly be making any money if their cupcakes are shockingly cheap? We use all butter, no oils, fresh fruit etc etc etc-- there would be no way to make money on a cupcake like that unless it is cake mix, oil, and shortening. (tummy ache) 2. The frosting is "crusty" or "hard". This can be either because of the shortening or an inordinate amount of powdered sugar. (or both) You shouldn't be able to touch a swirl of frosting and have a clean finger. If you accidentally swipe your finger in our buttercream you're going to have a delicious mess on your hands. (literally). And speaking of the inordinate amounts of powdered sugar- we also really pride ourselves on our "sweentess" level. The complaint I hear most about cupcakes in general is either that they are too dry or too sweet. We like to think that our buttercream compliments our cakes perfectly. It is "mildly" sweet, fluffy, and smooth!
Come in and try our buttercream, let us know what YOU think!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Custom Cupcakes

At Leah's Sweet Treats we like to think we bring something unique to the table with our custom fondant cupcakes. They are a great way to bring your theme to life, they look super cute set up on the table, and are easier to "serve" at a party. Not to mention everybody loves cupcakes these days!!
Unfortunately since I have been open on Camp Bowie we have had a few unfortunate situations come about with our custom cupcake orders. Depending on your theme, custom cupcakes can sometimes be more time consuming and detailed than a custom cake. If we have to make 24 "characters" that is 48 eye balls, 48 pupils, 24 noses, 24 mouths, etc etc etc. It is extremely meticulous. Not only are we charging for the materials used, we are more so charging for the time involved in making them. We have now had multiple instances where people place orders either over the phone or by email and fail to come in and pick them up or respond to our voicemails/emails. This is a huge loss for us- not only monetarily but the time we wasted. No one will want to come in and buy "Happy 30th Birthday ______!" cupcakes. Key word here is "custom". They are custom to your party!
We now have a new policy that all custom cupcake orders placed more than a week in advance will require a 50% non refundable deposit at time of order, and the week of will have to be paid in full. You can either pay in full via credit card over the phone, or you can come in and pay. Before you have paid your order will not be confirmed.
We love what we do, and we love making people happy! We love custom cupcakes! We do not love being burned.
I would also like to clarify what can and cannot be made as toppers:
We cannot do any Disney Characters/Computer animated characters/or extremely intricate detailed objects. Not only are we legally not supposed to do the trademarked characters, when it comes to extremely recognizable characters if you are off the slightest bit it just looks weird. We don't want to give you something that looks weird. If we are not confident in being able to pull something off we would rather be up front with you than have you show up and be disappointed in your order! There are a variety of awesome, fun, cute, unique options- and we can definitely come up with a compromise to make your party that much more amazing!!












Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Safari Baby Shower Cake

The "Safari" theme seems to be one that is not going away any time soon when it comes to baby showers! I love this theme because there are so many fun possibilities. I believe this was our first order for a girl safari cake, so I was super excited to put a girly twist on it!! The cake was a 4" and 6" stacked yellow cake with buttercream filling. There is a fondant monkey and lion and lots of fondant leaves and details. I really love the vibrancy and whimsy of this one!

Retro Flowers 90th Birthday Cake

I really love this cake! (and sad that I had to use my phone on this one too!) This cake was designed off of the invitation for a sweet 90 year old's birthday party! The more we do buttercream flower piping, the more I like the outcome! The cake is a 4", 6", 8" pink champagne cake covered in buttercream with buttercream flowers. The 90 on top is made from fondant. 

Happy Bee-day Cake

This fun cake was made for Hayes' first birthday. There was also a super cute smash cake that went with it that I unfortunately did not get a picture of :( This cake was a 4" and 6" stacked yellow cake with buttercream filling. The top beehive cake was covered in pale yellow fondant with those super cute fondant bee's buzzing around!

Funky 40th Birthday Cake

My darn camera wasn't working this weekend, so I had to take pictures with my iphone. This fun cake was based off of Alyssa's "Fairy Cake", but made for Rita's 40th! The cake was an 8" Lemon cake with fresh strawberries and buttercream filling. The bow, "40" and flowers are all made from fondant. I love the colors!