testing out agave nectar AND...

This holiday season I've given myself a little challenge. I'd like to broaden my horizon's and get some new recipes under my belt. Even more so I'm looking to find some sugar alternatives that are natural and free of artificial sweeteners (yuck!)

I just learned about David's Tea (in Sherway mall in Etobicoke... it's a must try) and one of the best cups of tea I've ever had (flavor was buttery rum with milk). I found out they sweeten their tea with agave nectar... and it was DELICIOUS. I later found out that agave nectar has a lower glycemic index than other refined sugars and thought to myself... tastes good, and is good for you? I want more of this!

SO I am going to be tweaking some of our fantastic recipes and seeing if we can't make them even better by keeping the taste and making them better for people.... now WISH US LUCK... it'll be quite a challenge.


On a more holiday related note I hope everyone is happily preparing for the festivities (Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali etc...).
If you find yourself getting stressed out or overwhelmed in the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping and party planning just remember one thing...


Have a great weekend everyone!

Christmas is Coming...

Good afternoon bakers!

I'm just wrapping up my last fall semester but made sure to take a break from finals to start some Christmas baking with Nikita. Here is what we came up with!


Buttercream Christmas Tree's!


The Snowman Family :)


The whole Christmas crew!




Happy Holidays everyone!

Jen

Happy Birthday Brother!!!

Happy Birthday to my big brother! He specifically requested a NON fondant covered cake... but he wanted a lot of detail and smoothness (yes he's quite demanding!)

Regardless I was able to use a combo cream cheese/butter cream frosting mixed with a little fondant Maple Leaf jersey (I got off on a technicality since the it was only a small portion of the cake).

Here is the final product!!! I think he really liked it.


By the way the mustache is for MOVEMBER, he doesn't always have that.


My next order of business is to learn how to rotate pictures in the blog... woopsie!





Next up... SOCCER themed cupcakes and CHRISTMAS baking!!! Nikita and I are tickled with excitement!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Jen
Jen

happy birthday mama~

The last few weeks have been marked with birthdays in my family. First was my mom, then my grandmother and Wednesday is my brother's birthday. I'm surrounded by scorpio's!


Here is a peak at what's been happening for their special days...




I will be sure to post a picture of my brother's cake after tomorrow... I'll give you a hint: He's a leafs fan!

Have a magnificent Monday!

Happy Halloween update!

WOW it has been a long time.
I won't spend too much time chatting, I'll just let some of the pictures do the talking.

With Nikita back from Africa and baking away I have had my nose buried in books (with the occasional baking binge). Here is what we've been doing...


Miguel's 3rd birthday called for a Diego cake and cupcakes!




Manny wanted to get his mom something special for her early fall birthday:




Nikita helped Panago Erin Mills celebrate their 1-year anniversary!:




Last but definitely NOT least.. Halloween themed birthday cupcakes:

Weekend Whirlwind

Hello there!

This weekend has been one of the busiest we've had so far this summer. With Nikita still in Kenya (and from the last update, she's loving every minute of it) I had the pleasure of completing three orders for very different occasions. On Saturday we had Melissa's Bachelorette Party with Lingerie themed cupcakes. Later that day was Fatima's Baby Shower take-aways (Redvelvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and pink daises on top). Finally on Sunday a 'test' order from a new client wanting to try out some of our most popular flavors. I gave him Vanilla, Chocolate (see below), A Sweet MESS **Not on menu, special flavor** and Mango Delite (see below)! I'm hoping to hear from him soon on how they were received.




I'm not going to lie to you. Lately I have been on a chocolate kick and it has taken a lot of willpower not to make myself a batch of chocoholic cupcakes. This chocolate icing with pure cocoa powder and our classic vanilla buttercream smells (and tastes) VERY good... yeah, maybe I'll whip up a quick batch for myself tonight.


This week officially marks the beginning of the end of summer (hard to believe it is nearly September already). I am thinking of starting to bring back some of the fall flavors, but can't bring myself to do it quite yet.

I hope you all are able to make the most of your summer and enjoy time outdoors!

I'll post more pictures shortly, but for now I must get back to work!
Have a great day,

Jen

Happy Cupcake cookies!

Hello!

This past weekend I had the pleasure seeing some family from Michigan that came up for the weekend. It had been years since we had last seen them and it was a much enjoyed visit. My young cousin, Brian (who I hadn't seen since he was in diapers) came with his vibrant energy and eagerness to learn about baking and decorating cupcakes. I wasn't sure that he'd be that excited about it, but we had so much fun (and he was a big help) in the kitchen.



After mentioning the tray of cupcakes and homemade oreos I had made last weekend we began talking about the idea of putting cookies in cupcakes (one of my favorite things to do). Well Brian took this idea and ran with it...

Friday night with his help we created "A Sweet Mess"- A vanilla cupcake filled with chocolate chip cookie dough and topped with an oreo buttercream frosting. It was D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.! There were about 50 other great ideas that came with him this past weekend and I'm looking forward to trying some of them out in the coming months.

I have a photograph on my phone that I will be sure to put up tonight.

That's all for now. I'm trying to mentally prepare for this weekend. Baby Shower, Bachelorette Party and "just because" cupcake orders coming right up!

See you soon,
Jen