oh.my.gosh....

I CANNOT believe I forgot to blog about this one specific event that happened this summer. Here's the background.

I pretty much love Bakerella. When I went to Cupcake Camp I met her.

It was definitely a happy moment in my {very} amateur baking career!!

Over the year and a few months that I've known about cakepops...I've made quite a few of them that you can see here. I also have NO doubt there are many more to come!!

After I made my 4th of July cakepop stand I decided to send a little email out to the one and only Bakerella...see, she has this spot on her website called pop starts. It is a goal/dream/no longer a secret of mine to be a pop start someday :) I knew this cakepop stand wouldn't get me on pop starts - but I wanted to share it.

Flash forward a few weeks...I'm sitting at my cousin's house in Phoenix, AZ. It's like midnight and we are headed for bed. I check my email one last time and I see this...

I wanted to FREAK OUT...and on the inside I kind of was!!!!!!!

I, of course, had to go check the Internet to make sure it was real....

AND IT WAS!!!

I am a dork.

cupcake camp ~ Bakerella

I have been a fan of Bakerella since my friend Megan showed me some cake pops she make a year or so ago (the chicks). And while I hadn't tried any of my own until a week or so before Cupcake Camp I checked her blog regularly. Speaking of trying my own, it was a semi-failure. The first time the chocolate melting chips were Wilton White Candy Melts and they turned out with less than desirable results. The white chocolate didn't stay "warm" very long and it was very frustrating. I posted about it on facebook and got some advise from some of my friends about adding vegetable oil to loosen up the chocolate. So I tried that with the Wilton Red Candy Melts and had okay results but they were rather oily (surprise) and didn't harden as they set. Another failure - though slightly less so than the first attempt. Then I went to cupcake camp, and learned a lot!

The class was at Nye Beach Market in Newport, OR. The owner, Celeste, was the founder of this specific Cupcake Camp (anyone can put one on...you just have to have the drive) and she owns the shop. Bakerella talked about so many things from chocolate, to sprinkles, to cake - it was heaven. She did a whole demo from start to finish, minus the baking part because the cake has to cool. I was SUPER glad I'd already tried a few batches because I got to ask some stellar questions and was one of about 5 people out of 30 that had even tried to make them before.

Cakepops/cake balls/cupcake bites/cupcake pops were the items she showed us how to make. All are made of the same basic ingredients: 1 box cake, 3/4 of a can of store bought frosting, candy melts. Sprinkles and such are extra but fun! The reason she says to use boxed cake and store bought frosting is consistency. Homemade goods are delicious but often vary in texture, consistency, and density.

We sat for three, yes 3, hours learning, talking, watching, laughing and enjoying ourselves with Bakerella. It was in heaven. I wish I had had a bit better seat for the pictures aspect but I could hear just fine and learned a lot!!

Her book! We got to sit down with her and get her signature!!

Her work station! Pink and full of cake decorating supplies!! Loved it :)

Cupcake Julie (one of Bakerella's BBFs was taking a ton of pictures)

Showing us the cookie cutter that started it all!

This is the brand she uses...wish we had it here. Kroger is a Fred Meyer 'brand' but Fred Meyer doesn't carry it...hum. Maybe my family in the mid-west will send me some (hint*hint*wink*wink*).

Cupcake pop. Not to be confuse with a cake pop.

3 of the 4 cakes are seen here. Cakeballs (the round ones in the holder), Cupcake pops (the ones that look like little cupcakes on a stick), and cupcake bites (the one's she is making).

Making my very own cupcake bite.

Dip and swirl.

Fill in the gaps.

Decorate.

Smile. Wish this was lighter...I just handed someone my camera and asked them to take pictures of me :)

Our treat. Her book and a bag. I now use this bag for lunches!!

Sprinkles galore!!

Bakerella and I :) Smiles!!!

The scene. Pretty awesome.

Signed and smiling :)

cupcake camp ~ michelle bommarito fondant 101...

The first thing I did when I got to the Oregon Coast on that Friday was take a Fondant 101 class from Michelle Bommarito (linked in a previous post).

Though I have worked with fondant before and even taken a Wilton class on it, I figured I would learn something and DID I EVER!!! I learned about the different types of fondant, tricks of the trade, how to kneed it correctly and how fast it dries! I sat next to a girl named Holly who liked taking pictures almost as much as I did so that was a plus. This class was more "demonstration" than hads on, but we did get some time to play around. She showed us so many tools, tricks, patterns, colors, and I was soaking it all in. I did take some notes but am not sure where I have since put them so hopefully it will come back to me.

My work station. Yes, I sat right up front :-)

She's super sweet AND super sassy :-)

The rest of the class watching.

Kneeding.

Rolling.

Covering. She was amazing at this part!!

Perfecting.

After the class.

I do have another story with Michelle...but that is for a different day. Bakerella was next :)

Oregon Coast Cupcake Camp!!!

I spent this last Friday and Saturday at cupcake camp! By now you know I love baking and have began to dable in cake/cupcake decorating. I found out about this camp through a friend I went to high school with who was one of the main volunteers. And then once I found out that Bakerella was going to be there I was SET! I also got to meet, take a class from, and actually assist Michelle Bommarito!!! I also entered some cupcakes into a contest and donated some to the worthy cause of Donate Life Northwest. You see, this whole cupcake camp was a charity even put on by Celeste of Nye Beach Market in Newport, Oregon. Everyone there had something to share, learn, or give about this event. I myself am an organ donar should that time ever come. It was a toucing, exciting, fun, and pretty much "one of the best things I've ever done for myself" kind of weekend.

I'm going to post some pictures tonight and I'll write more about the events of the weekend soon! Jason and I are currently cooking like crazy in the kitchen - we're finally trying to make a menu for one week, go shopping for the 'little' stuff that week (we do our big grocery shopping at Winco or Costco once a month). This will hopefully make us become more mindful of our food, our meals, and help us to not eat out as often, though that is still on the menu, but only a few times a month... baby steps :) More on that later too...

Onto the cupcake camp pictures!!!

:) Can't wait to make more cake pops!!

Meeting Bakerella :)

Dipping a cupcake pop in Bakerella's class.

Myself and Michelle Bommarito

Look at all the cupcakes! And they were all donated!!!

I bought some cupcakes!

The judges eating MY Marionberry cupcake!!!

reposting & intro about CCOC...

So I figured out how to get all of my 'old' posts from the family blog over here...so I'll be adding those as time goes by. Though...I will tell you I am going to my first ever CUPCAKE CAMP at the Oregon Coast (Cupcake Camp Oregon Coast - CCOC) this weekend so the next two nights I'll be busy baking!!! Well tonight is more about getting things lined up and making sure I have all the ingredients before the baking starts tomorrow! I have one of my favorite friends Sabrina helping me with production tomorrow and a husband who's agreed to watch TV in the bedroom to avoid the madness :) Actually, that was his idea! There will be SO MUCH more on Cupcake Camp this coming weekend...fingers crossed!