Baby Shower Treats

This past weekend I attended my good friend Jackie's baby shower, which was a lot of fun & met some inspiring FAB ladies! I was excited to make her cake, and as she's expecting a boy we thought a baby bag would make a cute cake! Our moist Red Velvet cake was the chosen flavour, and we filled this with a White Chocolate Cream Cheese frosting.

To decorate the cake we chose a soft baby blue colour for the main part of the bag  (Colour 1kg of white fondant icing with 2 toothpick drops of Sugarflair Baby Blue colouring), and used ivory fondant icing for the bag flap. We accessorised the bag with fondant blue dots, a B for baby badge, and a cute little brown button. And the baby bag wouldn't have been complete with cute little fondant baby shoes & a fondant dummy (pacifier)! This was definitely a fun cake to style!! Enjoy...it was enjoyed by all!

More treats coming soon and a sneak peek on a fun racing car themed party that we're working on!

Sweet Wishes & 2 Kisses!!
xxCC Treats

Lilac Wedding Cake Details

Although it's sort of Autumn now (unpredictable British weather), it was a lovely sunny day, and yesterday we had the pleasure of delivering one of our luxury wedding cakes to a lovely couple who held their wedding reception at the Gaynes Park venue in Essex. The wedding colours were ivory and lilac, and the couple wanted a simple yet elegant ivory cake with a touch of lilac.

Wedding Taster Box

 

After fun tasting session, the couple opted for the Rich Fruit Cake and a Lemon Touch sponge. Included in the sample box was our Vanilla Bean Sponge, Lemon Touch, Divine Chocolate sponge and Rich Fruit Cake. The bottom 2 tiers and the top tier of the cake were Rich Fruit Cake and the second was the Lemon Touch sponge.

For the detailed finish, we used ivory satin ribbon, and hand piped tiny beads at the base of each tier. The second tier was decorated with simple hand piped beads. We incorporated the lilac colour by adding a cluster of handmade fondant roses on the top of the cake and pearl beads. A sprinkle of Jewel Twinkle White edible glitter added a little eye catching sparkle to the finished detail. 

The cake before its short journey on the M25...

 A few shots at the venue...

We decorated the table with tea lights, lilac fondant roses and a sprinkle of twinkling glitter...

The cake table next to one of the guest tables. I loved how the simple centres pieces complemented the room with it's exposed brick, wooden beams and patio doors that opened onto a luscious green garden...

Looking forward to posting more treats soon...keep checking in!

Sweet Wishes & 2 Kisses!!
xxCC Treats

Summer/ Autumn/ Winter & Vogue

Hello, it sure has been awhile...we have been so busy behind the scene, baking, party planning and developing our cake flavours.

We have had some lovely sunny days, then it was Autumn for 2 days, and now it feels like Winter's here!! So here's a quick update:
Our Autumn/ Winter Cupcake Specials Menu is now avaiable to satisfy your winter cravings!

We are featured in the Vogue UK November Issue!! Check out our luxury Treats in the Truly Scrumptious piece.

I'll be back on the blog later with more updates. My little precious one is ill...!!

Sweet Wishes & 2 Kisses!!
xxCC Treats

Cupcakes & a Berry Cake

We have an new menu...ymmmm! Have you checked it out yet: www.cocktailcouture.co.uk?! Here are a few pics of some yummy treats...oh and and indulgent Fresh Berry Cake.

Walnut Maple & Cinnamon Cupcakes

Vanilla Bean & Hershey Chocolate Cupcake

Classic Vanilla Bean & Chocolate Butterfly Cupcakes

Coconut & Vanilla Cream Sponge Cake

Luxury Vanilla Cream Sponge Cake, filled with Strawberries & Vanilla Cream, topped of with fresh raspberries, blueberries,  chocolate dipped strawberries & red currants.

PS: Our Cupcake Shoppers are now available to buy, visit www.cocktailcouture.co.uk! Get one today, and 10% will go to CLIC Sargent!

Roll on Tasty Tuesday of the National Cupcake Week!

Sweet Wishes & 2 Kisses!!
xxCC Treats

It's National Cupcake Week 2011!!!!

London are you ready...NCW 2011 is finally here!! Bakers will be busy this week, with cupcake offers, competitions, freebies, you name it! Can you smell the sweetness in the air? We can!

So because we don't have a store front (yet!!), we'll be busy online and you never know where we could Pop-Up...! With the CLIC Sargent theme of "Treat Yourself" or "Try A New Flavour", check out our new Cupcake Menu at www.cocktailcouture.co.uk! We can't wait for you to try a new flavour today!

So far we have raised £23.70, so thank you for your support and keep on supporting us during the NCW!

Go on and treat yourself or try a new flavour today, every bite is truly a blissful treat! Get 10% off on cupcake orders placed by 6pm today by quoting NCW-Mon12.

Look out for Tuesday's offers!

Sweet Wishes & 2 Kisses!!
xx CC Treats

National Cupcake Week 2011...getting ready

Here's a sneak peek of some of  the yummy treats we'll have available during the NCW 2011! Go on, treat yourself!

Vanilla Bean, Lemon Raspberry, Lemon Touch Cupcakes...

Look out for our cute handmade Cupcake Shoppers, available online next week!! You can choose from white, pink or natural cotton, long or short strapped.

More coming...

Sweet Wishes & 2 Kisses!!

xxCC Treats

Countdown to the National Cupcake Week

One more week to go...National Cupcake Week is almost upon us! Are you ready to satisfy your tastebuds with our tasty treats and help support kids with cancer?

Get ready for National Cupcake Week 2011 and help support kids with cancer

National Cupcake Week 2011 takes place from September 12 to 18, when a range of special events, bake-offs and in-store celebrations are staged by cafes, craft, independent and in-store bakeries across the nation.

Created by the journal British Baker to celebrate the passion, vibrancy and innovation of the British baking industry, the aim of National Cupcake Week is to get the nation enjoying at least one cupcake a day.

Since the launch of National Cupcake Week in 2009, there have been cupcake bake offs, theatrical cupcake installations and bids to bake the world’s biggest and smallest cupcakes.

"Baking has never been more in vogue, with shows like The Great British Bake-off tapping into a massive revival in home baking over the last couple of years. Many of these aspiring bakers quickly set their sights on starting their own cupcake businesses,” says Andrew Williams, Deputy Editor of British Baker.

“It is the creative entrepreneurial start-up business idea of our times, with many people dipping their toe in by catering for events, farmers' markets or internet orders. They scale up from there when they find there is a huge and growing demand. The winner of the recent National Cupcake Championships is a classic example: a baker who started small in the past year and has quickly made a success of it."

This year, British Baker has teamed up for the first time with the charity CLIC Sargent, who are asking bakers and cupcake lovers to help raise donations for their beneficiaries during National Cupcake Week itself by buying cupcake pins or holding cake sales.

“National Cupcake Week is now in its third year and established itself as a young and fun event. We wanted to link with a partner charity that we believed our bakery sector would really take to their hearts and sit happily with all of the activities of the week,” says Sonia Young, Publisher of British Baker.
“We knew we had found that natural home with CLIC Sargent and all of the wonderful work it does for children and young people with cancer.”

After an international competition involving more than 100 professional cupcake bakers, this year’s National Cupcake Champion is Jennifer Buls (27) who runs Absolute Treats in Carmarthenshire.

Jennifer beat off stiff competition from 55 finalists to win the coveted title with her unique Lime and Coconut vegan recipe which uses neither butter nor eggs.

The competition, which is an annual milestone in the run up to National Cupcake Week, attracted more than 100 entries from professional bakers.

The expert judging panel included Eric Lanlard, Hummingbird bakery owner Tarek Malouf, Lily Vanilli and Peggy Porschen.
 
The category winners of the 2011 National Cupcake Championships are:
·Best Decorated Cupcake – Rosalind Miller, Peggy’s Cupcakes, London
·Best Free From Cupcake – Jennifer Buls, Absolute Treats, St Clears, Camarthenshire
·Best Presented Cupcake – Victoria Forward, Let Them Eat Cake, Waterlooville
·Most Innovative Cupcake – Rufaro Matsinde, Cocktail Couture – CC Treats, London
·Best Cupcake Crafted for Multiple Outlets – Sean Coughlan, Munch@Coughlans, Thornton Heath
·Best Tasting Cupcake – Jennifer Buls, Absolute Treats, St Clears, Camarthenshire
·National Cupcake Champion – Jennifer Buls, Absolute Treats, St Clears, Camarthenshire
 
To find out how to get involved in National Cupcake Week and what’s happening, visit www.nationalcupcakeweek.co.uk

About CLIC Sargent

CLIC Sargent is the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people. It provides clinical, practical and emotional support for young cancer patients and their families, from diagnosis onwards. For more information visit www.clicsargent.org.uk

More details to follow on what we have in store!

Sweet Wishes & 2 Kisses!!
xxCC Treats

Zimfest, Rain & Cupcakes

It has been a busy 2 weeks, and I am exhausted. This past weekend, we took up a stall at the Zimfest 2011 Festival. Zimfest is an outdoor festival, that began 11 years ago, where Zimbabweans come together to celebrate the spirit of Zimbabwe. Founded by the WeZimbabwe Charity, the event attracts not only Zimbabweans, but friends from all backgrounds for one BIG party, Zim style. With plenty to drink, steaks & traditional sausages - borewors to Braai (BBQ), traditional dishes to eat, and a cupcake or 2, markets stalls for a spot of shopping and the main attraction being the musical entertainment it's a fun day for all!

So, we took up a Stand Alone stall...hmmm!! With very dark clouds hanging over London on Friday, the rain poured and poured, as we baked our yummy treats, hoping that Saturday would be a lovely day...An early start at 6am, saw light clouds and no rain...so we set of to Raynes Park quite optimistic, goodies packed, and the sun teasing us here and there...As soon as I pulled into the field, the dark grey clouds appeared out of nowhere, it was windy and cold...and we still had a gazebo to erect! That had to be to most hilarious sight, and as we attempted to get the cover on, the wind wreaked havoc, so an hour later and little help from someone who felt sorry for us, the gazebo was up! Time to dress the table... battling the wind, we put the first cakes out, and it poured for a few mins, enough to soak everything and this happened 3 times, so by that point I was ready to pack up and go home! We had the wind blowing away our cards, napkins, popcorn bags you name it, but a little perserverance, goes a long way!

Eventually our warm spirited Zimbos arrived, giving of so much love appreciation, we forgot about the weather issues and enjoyed meeting and interacting with everyone who stopped by our stall! On the menu for the day we had:

Lemon Pound Cake, Cinnamon & Walnut Pound Cake, Chocolate Brownies, Vanilla Bean  Sponge Cake, Chocolate Fudge Cake, Vanilla Cookies, Cupcakes ranging from Vanilla, Granadilla (passionfruit), Lemon Touch, and Chocolate, Popcorn bags and the Award Wining Midnight Safari Cupcake to give away!

It was a long day until 10pm, but worth every minute and kind of makes you home sick. I do miss the Sunshine City, life was good, always exciting and full of happy people, even when it rained! Here are few pics of the day, I didn't get a chance to take that many, but it defintely was a fun family day! We stayed true to CC, dressing the table in our signature hot pink with hints of chocolate brown and a touch of yellow. The cupcake cases honoured the Zimbabwean flag colours with the mini cupcakes in white, yellow for the Lemon cupcakes, green & red for the Vanilla Bean and black for the Granadilla.

  

 

 

 

 

Click here for more pictures of the event!

So with Zimfest over, roll on the National Cupcake Week, we'll be posting details on what we have in store for the NCW soon!

Sweet Wishes & 2 Kisses!!
xxCC Treats

A Sweet Day in London...CC Treats is a winner!!!

The Midnight Safari Cupcake has won the title of Most Innovative Cupcake of the Year 2011...

I'm still in shock, but overjoyed & thankful!!! So we made it to the ICA in one piece! It was a fun day, with several demos, presentations and then a "cake talk" from David & David of Outsider Tart. It's a pity we didn't get to speak with the judges, but the time just went by so quickly! Some of the judges I saw were Eric Lanlard (!!), Peggy Porschen, and Tarek Malouf of the Hummingbird Bakery, who took some to speak to me (yaay!!). A quick lunch & viewing of all the cupcakes, then it was time for the Awards! I met the 2009 Cupcake Championship Winner, Kevin from Mamas-Cupcakes, who's  a really cool & down to earth person! Check out his site! The overall Cupcake Champion 2011 was Absolute Treats, who specialise in a Free-from range of cakes, well done!! There were alot of well presented cakes, and at the end of the day it came down to the taste! Taste is paramount for a good cake!

Our winning cupcake was a Rich Dark Chocolate Sponge with a hard Divine Chocolate centre filled with an Amarula fused Marshmallow Fluff, topped with an Amarula Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue, decorated with dark chocolate shavings, a gold dusted dark chocolate disc...and boy have I had my fair share of them...(I will be running everyday this week to shed those few extra kilos). Thank you to everyone who sampled our Cupcake, and the great feedback we received!! Nailing the flavour was our main aim aswell as incorporate the spirit of Africa, and we nailed it!! I didn't fuss over the decor details, and kept the cupcake very simple, although I did miss my 1M swirl! So all, in all, it was a really Sweet Day in London!!! Well done to everyone who took part!

I captured a few shots, but when I was annouced as winner, shakey hand syndrome took over, so the focus wasnt too great! Hey, I'd just won!!

The judging tables

The Winners...

The National Cupcake Champion 2011

Some shots of the judges and the British Baker Team...

What a day, and a week it has been!! It's not over, The National Cupcake Week is right around the corner, so we'll be updating you on what we have in store for the 12-18th September, and how you can help us raise money for the partnering charity, CLIC Sargent, which is a childrens' cancer charity that supports and provides clinical, practical, and emotional support to help the whole family cope with the impact of cancer and its treatment, life after treatment and, in some cases, bereavement.

Sweet Wishes & 2 Kisses!!

xx CC Treats

It's National Cupcake Championship Day!!

Today's the day... Just thought I'd write a quick note to say Thank you for the words of encouragement and support that you've given me!!

So, I'm on the train to London Charing Cross with my cupcake entry...and it's rush hour!! Help me!! I managed to get a good seat, where technically no-one can bump or step on my cakes, but I'm so anxious & keep checking on the BIG bag!!

Anyway I'll be back on the blog later to share all the details on the event!!
So excited!

More people have squeezed onto this train, and I have a cocky man drinking his coffee right in front of me and the treats...We will survive!!!

Sweet Wishes & 2 Kisses!!
xx CC Treats

CC Treats Cake Pics

Check out some recent pics of our baked treats! Click on...CC Treats cake pics & enjoy! Feel free to leave a comment!



Sweet Wishes & 2 Kisses!!
xxCC Treats

Chic Red & White Wedding Cake

This weekend saw us deliver a chic cake for a lovely bride Bini, who celebrated her wedding this weekend!

We were called upon to make her a simple cake, infusing her wedding palette of deep red & white. For the 3 tier cake, we baked our Madagascan Bourbon Vanilla Bean Sponge filled with a MB Vanilla Bean buttercream. For the cakes structure, we infused a combination of 2 square cakes for the top and bottom tiers, and a round cake for the middle tier, and covered them in white Regalice. We used a satin ribbon in 2 thicknesses to bring in the deep red colour and hand piped royal iced pearls for a simple but stylish details. For the chic bow detail, we added a gold acorn style brooch, and displayed the cake on a simple beaded gold square cake stand.

Here are some more cake pics for you to enjoy...

We also had the pleasure of making her bouquet, which was made up of white Calla Lilies and beargrass, wrapped in a red satin ribbon, secured with gold beaded pins & a pearl & diamante wired butterfly...

Our Best Wishes go out to the lovely newly weds as they embark on this exciting journey together !!

Sweet & Stylish Wishes & 2 Kisses!!

xx CC Treats