Subject: Cake Order
Message: Randy's sister's birthday is coming up... Are you up for a birthday cake order?
Seriously??? Am I up for a birthday cake order??? My instant reaction was, OF COURSE!!! Recipes started flooding in to my mind, only to suddenly to be replaced by panic. Someone was going to pay me for cake? Were they sure? What if the result was a baking disaster and I couldn't deliver the goods? I only put my pretty stuff on this blog for the most part - many disasters have preceded the sweets featured on this site.
Putting a dollar value on my hobby almost seemed like too much pressure. Sure, my ambition is to eventually get paid so that I can finance my sweet tooth, but not until I am sure I am ready. Honestly, I am such a perfectionist that I am not sure if I ever would be really ready. That only meant that I had to accept the offer - you have to start somewhere, right? First, I decided that a layer cake was out of the question. I have a history of fallen cakes, making it too risky. Cupcakes it is. I also figured that bargain pricing ($1 a cupcake vs the $2+ charged at most NYC bakeries would make D more forgiving of deformed pastries. No skimping though - I still planned to use high quality, gourmet ingredients!
D had a few flavor requests. The sister-in-law liked tiramisu-like coffee flavors, vanilla cake with chocolate frosting, and apple cake. I thought that vanilla cake would be least error prone. Though I spent hours researching recipes for tiramisu flavored cupcakes, I lacked enough time for testing to ensure good results. That being said, vanilla + chocolate seemed a little dull, and my standard chocolate frosting is a bittersweet chocolate ganache. No good, birthday cake should be sweet!
After more internet research, I settled on a mocha buttercream recipe that I found at Zoe Bakes. The recipe made me a little nervous. (Ok, so selling baked goods might not be a good idea in the future. It makes me incredibly neurotic!). First, it was an egg-based buttercream (not American style), which can be quite controversial, as many adults find true buttercream to be too sweet. Also, raw eggs scare me. Reading a few too many articles about food safety has left me petrified that I am going to give my friends salmonella. Second, the recipe called for eggs and egg yolks, not egg whites, something I have never made before. My love of experimenting got the best of me, even though I knew that maybe this was not the time to test something new.
Surprisingly everything worked out. Aside from the pile of reject cupcakes on the counter (did I mention that I am a perfectionist!), the frosting came together nicely and I had enough winners to pull together two dozen for the party. Both the flavor and texture were exquisite. The frosting was soft and silky smooth, while the rich, chocolatey flavored seemed almost mousse-like. Garnished with chocolate pearls, boxed up and ready to go: my first sale. Let me know if you want to be number two!
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