Cake is Good

March 2011: While I'm Young, Spring!

2011-02-28T17:09:00.000-08:00

Is it me, or does winter get longer every year?

Well, the snow certainly didn't deter business. Sugar's enjoyed an unusually busy February and is hoping that March is equally so. It was also the month for people to challenge me with their requests - Superlove Ninja cookies anybody? And I overcame my fear of fondant AND made my first topsy-turvy cake! Whoo hoo! There was also a Wayne State themed graduation cupcake tree made of 100 cupcakes - three flavors and each cupcake was decorated with the celebrant's initials. Yes, Sugar's spread a lot of joy in February...we hope we helped some people get through it!

As spring gets closer (or so I keep telling myself), it's time to think of cheerful and fun flavors, like our lemon-lime mango, strawberry or peanut butter cake. Showers, both baby and bridal, are being planned, so if you're involved in either Sugar's can provide a sweet tray, decorated cakes or the ever popular cupcake treats.Having a St. Patrick's Day celebration? We can provide Irish-themed cakes or cookies for your drunkfest (shortbread cookies can help soak that whiskey right up!) Or perhaps you just need something to help you get through the rest of this cursed winter - Sugar's can help!

Okay, enough promoting. Here's a few facts about salt that you may or may not already know:

SIX USEFUL THINGS TO DO WITH SALT
1. SMOOTHER COFFEE Salt masks bitterness and brings the more subtle flavors out. Try adding 1/8 of a teaspoon to coffee grounds for every 72 oz pot to reduce bitterness.
2. MORE TENDER SCRAMBLED EGGS Add 1/8 teaspoon salt for every two eggs right before cooking. Salt keeps egg proteins from bonding, which means a weaker protein chain and no rubbery eggs.
3. CLEANS CAST IRON Warm 1/4 inch vegetable oil in your cast iron pan for 5 minutes, add 1/4 cup kosher salt then scrub with paper towel. Rinse well and repeat if needed.
4. SMOOTHER GARLIC PASTE (Come on, I know you make your own!) Just sprinkle kosher salt over your minced garlic and finish by crushing into a fine paste using your kitchen knife. Now throw that fine garlic paste into your aioli and enjoy the fruits of your labors!
5. KEEPING YOUR GREENS THE GREENIEST Throw in 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt for every quart of water you're boiling to cook green vegetables. Salt stabilizes chlorophyll and keeps your veggies from turning into that high school cafeteria green - which I actually find strangely comforting, but that's just me.
6. GET YOUR BEERS CHILLED FASTER Salted ice water chills drinks faster than regular ice water or the freezer. The presence of salt causes the water's freezing point to lower, so you can drink your PBR 's more quickly than if you had thrown them in the freezer or in regular iced water. So for every bottle of wine or 3 to 4 12 oz bottles of beer or soda, mix 1 quart water with 4 quarts ice and 1 cup of table salt.

Speaking of the wedding season, a certain client of mine has a really nice invitation business that I'd like to mention to all of you. Check her out at: http://www.soinloveinvitations.com/index2.php

That's all for March - here's to the end of winter, and spring already!

Sugar's November 2010

2010-11-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

HOORAY FOR HALLOWEEN!

It's always fun to create cakes for my favorite holiday, and here's one I did for a children's Halloween party. Amazing what you can do with a little black food coloring and a whole lotta buttercream frosting!

GETTING READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Like I always say, start thinking about what you'd like Sugar's to create for your holiday table. And please take note: I will be out of town starting November 24, so let me know ahead of time so I can get your order delivered or ready to be picked up before I board that Amtrak on Wednesday.

AND NOW IT'S TIME FOR...THE BOOZY BAKER!

For this month's tip, I wanted to share a recent book find. Friends are always throwing links to me about baking and cakes that they think I'd enjoy, and one such link led me to buying a recipe book called "The Boozy Baker." It's by a woman named Lucy Baker (really, that's her name!) and so far all the things I've tried have been successful and delicious. The Southern Comfort Red Velvet cake is a good example - just enough in the batter and the frosting, and you've got one heck of a twist on a southern favorite. So check it out, and if you end up buying the book, let me know what you've tried and how it turned out!

That's it from Sugar's this month - enjoy November, and stay warm!

September 2010

2010-09-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

Sugar's was happy to help celebrate a 60th wedding anniversary with the above red rose themed cake, and a marriage that also took place the same month. There was a bit of trepidation involved with the wedding, I have to confess. The design was one I had never tackled before, and while it was a simple one, you can see that one false move with the black detailing would have doomed me completely. Whew!

Fortunately, I had my commercial interior designer husband with me at the delivery. He's always invaluable as far as being another pair of eyes as well as providing general moral support. He's also the one to finally convince me to walk away from my cake creation, lest I fuss interminably with final details. At this particular job, he came up with the blue ribbon scrolls to decorate the otherwise vast and boring white table cloth. Pretty clever fella, don't you think?

I'm happy to report that Sugar's is building a nice reputation for providing affordable wedding cakes to couples with a limited budget, so many thanks to those who keep referring me! I just got another wedding in October, and have also started booking for spring. And I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunity for you all to have a nice treat for family and friends for Halloween and the soon-to-be-upon-us holiday season, so mark your calendars to contact me early so I can accomodate your orders.

TIP OF THE MONTH

I know it's basic knowledge, but always read the recipe at least twice before going forward with production. I mention this because I've been guilty on more than one occasion of not having all the ingredients, missing a step, or forgetting to put an ingredient in altogether. Ok, admittedly watching South Park while baking is never a good idea, but it still helps to familiarize yourself with all the items you need (and don't substitute anything - baking is a science, people!) as well as the directions. There's nothing worse than being ready to put something in the oven, then realizing you forgot to add vanilla or you were supposed mix in the egg whites at the end, not the beginning. Sometimes it doesn't matter, but for the most part it will. In baking, you most likely can't fix it. You have to start over, and who wants to do that? Of course, you can always drizzle chocolate over your mistake and call it a day, but better to just make it right the first time.

That's it for September - next month, let us prepare for the harvest season, and Halloween!

Newsletter for August 2010: Sugar's Still Going Strong

2010-06-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

WHAT A SUMMER IT'S BEEN!

And spring, now that I think of it. It's been a long time since I sent one of these out and with good reason - I've actually been quite busy these past few months! It's been a combination of things, actually. There were a number of weddings (thanks to all for the referrals) random events, family stuff, and gigs. So all in all it's been good, but I was dangerously close to overload at times because I'm just a girl who can't say no to cake orders.

As I suspected August would be a bit slower, so time to catch up on all things Sugar's. We really enjoyed doing the tattoo cake for a rock and roll couple this spring, and also I finished up classes at OCC until fall (Eek! That's next month!) In June I had a five-week whirlwind course in basic cake decorating, and the picture to the right is one of the projects I accomplished during that brief period of time. It was my first introduction to royal icing flowers, and as you can see the results can be quite spectacular. However, you need some time and effort - perhaps if I'm motivated enough I'll make a nice arsenal of pansies and the like, just so I'm ready. You just never know when someone wants violets to accent their anniversary cake, ya know?

At any rate, Sugar's hasn't gone away - I just had a lot going on these past few months. In fact, you can check out some photos on my Flickr site just to see exactly what I've been up to. http://www.flickr.com/photos/28917915@N06

In the meantime, who wants to make a homemade version of Baker's Joy? Gosh, who doesn't?

Tip of the Month: Make your own baking spray!

Ok, it's not exactly going to be in spray form, but it's still pretty easy. And it works very well, too. Ingredients are quite simple:

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup shortening

Mix together until smooth and keep in air-tight container. Apply to cake pans (or muffin pans) with pastry brush and commence baking. Saves money on the spray can version, and I have to admit it's kind of fun brushing the stuff on. And it makes one think of simpler times, when women wore pumps while vacuuming and Edward R. Murrow was still fighting McArthyism under a thick haze of cigarette smoke.

Well, now I need to make a martini. That's it for August, kids - hope you're all having a great summer, and remember...cake is good!

January/February Newsletter ... in 2010-avision!

2010-02-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

So far, so good...
As I sit here not looking back at 2009 (because you know, it sucked, to put it mildly) I'm feeling pretty good about 2010. Perhaps this is me building a false sense of security around myself to prevent a doomed outlook, but whatever works, right?

The best thing so far has been going back to school, and boy, do I have lots of interesting tidbits to share. But I'll save that for the end of this blog, because I know you're all dying to know more about the world of baking. Let me just say for now that there were some surprising twists in my mission of learning - like I had no idea how much math and science are a big part of the culinary arts. Of course, the two things that I barely got through in high school, but I persevered. Recipe conversion no longer makes me fall into a quivering fetal position, although I'm probably a little slower than most at coming up with the final numbers. I'd share it with you, but chances are you'll never have to change your favorite biscuit recipe to feed 250 people. However, if you do ever find yourself in that position, let me know and I'll happily guide you through it.

And can I just tell you briefly about my first experience working with one of the chefs as we prepared a lunch buffet for 120? I'm sure you've seen a head chef portrayed as a megalomaniacal dictator constantly berating his or her staff as they cower like sheep. That was pretty much the scene. Fortunately, I've seen enough episodes of Chef! to prepare myself for 8 hours of verbal bludgeoning, and in the end I had learned some pretty nifty things that hadn't come up in class. I'm just thankful he didn't ask me to tourne potatoes. Now that would have sent me running. (Look it up, you'll see what I mean!)

Ok, now let's get back to baking!

This thing called "artisan bread"
You see the word "artisan" a lot these days. Whether it truly is, or if someone just wanted to increase sales with a catchy buzzword, there are characteristics that need to be present if you're going to be flaunting the word "artisan" around:

Must be handmade - As in, mostly relying on the skill and experience of the baker. Some aspects might be done with a machine, like mixing, but human hands have to be part of the whole process.
Pre-ferments and sourdough or culture starters were used - A fermented dough or batter is used to provide leavening for a larger amount of dough.
No chemical additives or preservatives - The ingredients label shouldn't list anything with than two syllables unless it's an herb add-in. You should only see recognizable food items like flour, water, salt, dried fruit, nuts, etc.
Traditional production methods were applied - Baked in a wood-fired hearth oven? Excellent! Of course a deck oven works too, but artisan bakers try to duplicate original methods as much as possible.

Ok, so it's not about cake or the sweet stuff, but I still think it's pretty interesting. At some point I will be attempting some kind of bread recipe away from the safe guidance of my instructor, so wish me luck with that - I'll let you know how it went!

Next time, who knows what new information I'll be sharing with you. Perhaps a basic pie recipe to get you through the rest of winter, or how to assemble a meat slicer blindfolded. Until then, keep warm and think about cake!

Sugar's Newsletter December 2009

2009-12-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

To the right, a little something I did for Macy's Christian Dior team (Somerset Collection) for their holiday party. I wanted it to match the J'adore perfume bottle which was going to go on top, and I think it turned out quite elegant.

This holiday season is going to be tough for a lot of people, but perhaps it will remind folks that it's best to just focus on being together with family and friends. Who needs another pair of socks, anyway? And you barely wore all those turtlenecks from last year. Of course, I'm not suggesting that you not make some attempt at keeping our economy going - I'm just saying there are other ways to celebrate this time of year that don't involve the mall or stressing over gifts in general. What say we discuss what treats we can have in the house?

Putting the Hot in Hot Cocoa
It's nice to keep it simple, but sometimes you just gotta have something extraordinary to get that festive fire going. How about some hot cocoa variations to get you started?

Aztec Hot Cocoa for 2
Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 red chili pepper, split with seeds removed
1 cinnamon stick, around 3-4"
1 1/2 oz chocolate (bittersweet)

Simmer milk in saucepan with vanilla bean, cinnamon and chili. Heat through for about a minute. Whisk in grated chocolate, and continue to simmer until melted. Remove from heat and 'steep' for another 10 minutes. Strain out the spices and serve with slice of Like Water for Chocolate cake.

Brown Sugar Hot Cocoa
Ingredients:
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup water
4 cups hot milk
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/8 tsp salt

In a double boiler, melt chocolate and water together. Slowly mix in milk, sugar and salt. Whisk until chocolate is smooth and blended. Serve with a nice slice of Snickerdoodle Cake.

And if you just feel like using instant hot cocoa, have a can of Redi Whip handy and put any of these in your cup to give it an extra bit of merry:

Kahlua
Chambord raspberry liquor
DeKuyper Buttershots
Hot Damn

All of which pair well with any of Sugar's chocolate cakes, as well as K'booms (a favorite of the folks that make Garden Fresh Salsa in Ferndale).

Sugar's Holiday Special Discount!
If you order anything by Monday, December 14, you'll automatically get 10% off your total! So check out the site (http://www.sugarsinfo.com/) and the flickr.com gallery and let us know what we can do to make your holiday season extra festive!

Thanks, everyone - be happy and stay warm!

Raquel

November 2009

2009-11-09T19:32:00.001-08:00

I really love it when someone give me a general theme, a color palette and then just lets me do my thing. The above cake was done for a lovely bride who wanted champagne, gold, silver and black details, with Chinese characters that represented some aspect of marriage. I chose "happiness" and "love", and added the orchids to also reflect the couple having exchanged vows in Hawaii. Mahalo for the creative freedom!

This month, I thought I'd start throwing some learnin' into this blog to maybe get some of you interested in the art of pastries, so for November I thought I'd show you how to make ...cream puffs!

Cream Puffs? Cool! But aren't they hard?Not at all. And once you make a bunch of them, you can keep them frozen until say, Thanksgiving, or the next time you're planning on watching The Devil Wears Prada and need some bon bons to go along with your champagne. Here is a simple recipe from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook, which everyone should have in their home:

Ingredients for choux paste (that's French for "that stuff you make cream puffs out of")
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and grease 2 large cookie sheets. Then put butter, water and salt in 2 quart saucepan, and heat until boiling.
2. Throw in the flour all at once, and mix with wooden spoon until a ball of dough forms and doesn't stick to sides of pan. This happens fairly quickly - then you're ready for the hardest part, which isn't really that bad if you are strong like ox.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with spoon after each addition until smooth. (My arm tends to get tired during this, but that's about as bad as it gets).
4. Now the fun part. You can either use a spoon or a pastry bag for this, or you can even use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. You just need to get uniform mounds onto the sheet pan, perhaps 12 about 3 inches apart. Leave a swirl on the top of each just for extra sass, then bake 50 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, cut a slit in each puff, then return to oven for 10 minutes. Then turn the oven off, and leave them in there to dry out another 10 minutes.

When puffs are cool, try any of these ideas:

Fill with ice cream, drizzle with carmel
Fill with custard, vanilla or chocolate pudding, and dust with powdered sugar
Fill with whipped cream, drizzle with chocolate sauce
Eat with your favorite stew - cream puff pot pie style!

Great. Now I'm hungry. Well, guess I'm off to throw some cream puffs together - if you decide to try this recipe, let me know how it turns out. Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!

Sugar's Newsletter October 2009

2009-10-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is a mustache cake
Well, it's about time someone asked me to do a facial hair themed cake. Thanks to Dana of On the Rocks Detroit for the request. This events, publicity and promotion company was having a 'Stache Bash at the Stonehouse in Detroit, and also celebrating some birthdays. Sugar's was happy to come up with a little something for the occasion.

Speaking of promoting . . .
We recently attended an open house hosted by Wonderland Lanes in Commerce Township, where numerous vendors were in attendance hoping to catch the interest of major events planners. While the focus was bar mitzahs and bas mitvahs, Sugar's was also approached by individuals planning weddings and graduations. We did our best to convince people we should be their main provider of all things sweet, and hopefully we'll hear back from all the folks we talked to. K'booms, World Peace cookies and chocolate-dipped macaroons were offered as samples, and tangible proof that Sugar's can deliver the goods.

Some very cool people we met in the food vendor room were Vince and Jacke from Enzo's Catering and Doug and Patti Glover of Big Willi D's. Check out their menus - Enzo's is known for their great food and excellent service, and Big Willi D's makes some really tasty ribs and chicken wings, all smoked and served with their own excellent barbecue sauces. We highly recommend both for any catered event you may have in the future!

Lastly, one of our readers recently sent a link that actually proves cake is good for you. Now there's statistics to prove it! (Thanks Sunil!)
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/09/23/eating-a-piece-of-cake-makes-you-more-productive-115875-21695479/

Hey, it's on the internet, so it must be true. Sounds good to me, anyway. So eat some cake, people, and Happy Halloween!

Sugar's Newsletter - September 2009

2009-09-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

CUL-101

Yes, I've started my mission to acquire a pastry and baking certificate, and so far my first class has been quite enlightening. CUL101 is Food Standards, Sanitation and Hygiene, and after attending my second session I'm surprised that 80% of the restaurant-going population hasn't dropped dead from botulism or amnesic shellfish poisoning. However, after recovering from Chapter 2 of the ServeSafe handbook (which discusses the wonderful world of pathogens and the many ways they can kill you) my husband and I went out for sushi. I figure that like violent crime, it's a roulette wheel of luck and I'll just have to take my chances. So bring on that futomaki! You know, maybe a little extra wasabi will kill those that pesky domoic acid fellas. Then I can hold on to to what little short-term memory I have.

But cake is safe...honest it is! I mean, who could die from eating something this cute and tasty?

Behold, the outcome of my first request to make building block cakes for a baby shower - for 80 people! But as I said before, I can't pass up a challenge. It's too much fun to see if I can actually pull something off.

Summer? Over? Waaah!!

Summer might be over (or is it? Who can really say in this crazy state of ours?) but that's no reason to pout. Autumn signals the coming of winter, but instead of getting upset about bidding our flip-flops and shorts farewell, let's get Buddhist for a moment and think about living in the moment. Appreciate the change in the air, that first sip of your venti mocha latte double espresso frapahooha in the chill of morning as you breathe in that brisk fall air.

Aahh. Now doesn't this all get you thinking about . . .fall cakes? Of course it does!

Now is a good time to think about Halloween before it's suddenly the week of October 26 and you have no costume and nothing to bring to the costume soiree you're planning to crash. Sugar's can help - it's a perfect time for that Chocolate Armageddon cake, dark and delicious and resplendent with sinister silver eyeballs. There's also cupcake options as well, if you need to bring something to your kid's school or just to get in the spirit of things in the privacy of your own home. So think about it, and let us know what you'd like preferably the first 2 weeks of October so I can get you all on my production schedule.

Now that I've got you all excited about Halloween, isn't there something called Sweetest Day coming up in October as well? I know, too much to think about. You kids just let Sugar's know, and we'll be there as always for ya. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of September!

Sugar's Newsletter - August 2009

2009-08-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

I'm back from ICES 2009, and what an experience! My mission to get inspired accomplished, I also concluded that I have a lot of work ahead of me. While I'm grateful for all the compliments and positive responses I've gotten so far on my work, I saw some incredible stuff that people are doing and suddenly I'm feeling like I'm not quite up to snuff. But that's not a bad thing - the purpose of the trip was to see what else was out there, and what more I could develop to offer you, the cake chomping community. And there's a lot more, let me tell you. Just check out these creations!

But here's a couple of weddings I did recently, which I was quite happy with. One was for 100 cupcakes (All for Erika and white coconut), and the second was a traditional three-tiered wedding cake (chocolate raspberry, All for Erika and carrot cake). It was the largest one I've done so far, with rounds measuring 16", 14" and 12".

That same week the I also had a 40th birthday cake with a rubber ducky theme, a slight variation on the first one I did for a friend's one-year-old. Still kinda cute, in a bad ass way.

True, I'm not quite as skilled as some of the artists I saw at the cake show, but it's all about the power to create, people (and having some minimal sculpturing skills helps, too). This past month I've also decided to go to OCC in Farmington to acquire some culinary schoolin'. Of course, the focus will be on baking and pastry arts, but who knows - they might let me wield a chainsaw so I can try my hand at ice sculpting. Frozen replica of the Taj Mahal, anyone? Yee-haw!

Anyway, I think I'm off to make myself a mango smoothie and think about the day I'll be able to make bird cages out of spun sugar. Won't that be swell? Oh, it will. Until then, think about cupcakes, ice cream cakes, and whatever else you think you'll need from Sugar's to make your event memorable and delicious. Have a great rest of the month, everyone!

Sugar's Newsletter June/July 2009

2009-06-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

Here it is...my very first Hello Kitty cake. Meow!

This was for 60 people, and so to ensure that there was enough for everyone I made two 12 x 18 inch layers - enough to feed 75 before carving commenced. Needless to say, this was one big kittie. It took me three days to complete, and the mother of the birthday girl was very pleased when she came to pick it up. Once again, very hard but very gratifying work - and despite my lack of experience in sculpting, I think it turned out pretty cute!

All in all, June was quite excellent. Our garage sale was hugely successful and many Sugar's treats were sampled to celebrate our fifth year in operation. In addition to the Hello Kitty cake, a rocket ship cake was requested and delivered to another five-year-old June birthday celebrant. (Hmmm..anyone else sensing a theme here?) Guess I'm getting pretty handy with the paring knife!

July promises to be just as busy. Sugar's has two weddings and is also planning to attend the annual ICES convention in August. For those of you not in the know (which is probably all of you since I think I'm the only cake nerd here) the ICES is the International Cake Exploration Society. Every year, they hold a convention at a different location where they have a huge gallery of highly decorated cakes, demonstrations, and a whole lot of vendors who are there to help you deal with your cake decorating addiction. If all goes well, I'll be in Illinois enjoying the quaint city of St. Charles and getting inspired.

In the meantime, work continues on the website, and new photos continue to go up on my flickr site. http://www.flickr.com/photos/28917915@N06/ And I almost forgot - Sugar's has finally entered the world of healthy and vegan baking and now offers some slightly less naughty but still delicious choices. We recently had a cupcake tasting just to see how I did with these new recipes and I'm happy to report they were all quite delectable. So if you're interested in ordering something along these lines, check out these new flavors:

Blueberry coconut

Ginger

Low-fat vanilla

Vegan chocolate

Chocolate avocado

Rhubarb

Banana

I also have healthier frosting options as well - feel free to email me if you have any questions on these items and I'd be happy to tell you what ingredients are in them or what I'm substituting for the sugar.

That's it for now - hope you're all having a great summer, and I will check back in August!

Sugar's Newsletter - May 2009

2009-05-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go, anyway?

One moment, it's 11:00 am and you have the whole day ahead of you to get all manner of tasks accomplished. You run some errands, field some emails, play with the cat...then suddenly it's 5:00 and you've run out of day. At least that's our excuse for postponing the Sugar's anniversary/tasting/garage sale to June 13 and 14. That's two weeks away, and it's probably not even enough time to get truly prepared, but ready we will be. Though I must admit, it is extremely difficult to focus now that the weather is finally nice. As you know, every moment spent in sunlight is like sweet ambrosia to us Michiganders!

So, if you or anyone you know is in the market for collectible vinyl records or CD's, then please stop by and check out the collection that's for sale - or just see what else we've decided to part with. Believe me, it should be interesting. I can also bet we'll be the only garage sale offering tasty baked goods as well. I'd like to think that's worth a few minutes of anyone's time - at least enough time to chomp a K'boom.

Unfortunately, my lack of focus also resulted in no pics of the latest cake creations - a tiramisu cake, Boston cream cake, and a Faygo Black Cherry chocolate cake. Believe me, they were delightful, and very much enjoyed by a special client of Sugar's in Detroit. (Hang in there, people!) But here's a nice photo of a special last minute order I did this month. See, turning 40 doesn't have to be that bad - you get cake out of it!

Hope to see some of you on June 13 or 14. Should be a fun weekend of music and Sugar's treats!

April 2009 - An End to Sprinter

2009-04-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

As I stood in the foyer of the Royal Oak post office observing the dismal weather (which included a delightful three minute hailstorm earlier that morning) a woman said to me "See, I've been telling people...it's sprinter!" So there you have it. Michigan now has six seasons: summer, fall, construction, winter and sprinter. Lovely!

But nothing like activity to get you through those gray days. Orders, events and sample drop-offs have been keeping us out of mischief, and now it's time to get ready for May. What happens in May, you ask? Well, for one thing I have to renew my license tab. But more importantly, there's Mother's Day and the Sugar's fifth anniversary/garage sale/tasting celebration!

I know, it's multi-tasking at its most ridiculous. But we had to make the garage sale a little more interesting, so please come on by the weekend of May 22,23 and 24 and see what goodies we have for sale. And, if you're in the market for real, actual vinyl records, there will be a section dedicated to audiophiles looking for mint-condition classic and rare albums as well as some CD's. And of course we will have some Sugar's items for tasting and for purchase if you want to bring a little sweet stuff home. For address info, go to the Sugar's site: www.sugarsinfo.com or email me if you have any questions at sugarsinfo@hotmail.com.

For Mother's Day, please get your orders in by May 2 if at all possible so I can help make your momma's day extra special. My suggestions would be a nice box of K'booms, some cute cupcakes in her favorite flavor, or perhaps a small cake with a stencil design:

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to plant some freesia bulbs - have a great rest of the month, everyone!

Sugar's Newsletter March 2009

2009-03-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

As I learned not too long ago, if someone asks you to do something special, just say yes and figure it out. So this month has presented some interesting challenges.

Here we have a pyramid cake which came to fruition through a metal pyramid mold, crushed 'Nila wafers and some investigative research on our pal, the Internet. Lessons were learned during this mission, but altogether I think it came out well. This was for an Egyptian gentleman who was turning 40 - better than one of those "Over the Hill" themed cakes, wouldn't you say?

And here, a little something I'm going to title "Just Ducky". I dare say this is the cutest thing that's come out of the Sugar's kitchen. Also, I overcame my aversion to fondant, which can come in handy when you're going for dimensional objects. Yes, it was quite a task getting the color in but with a little patience and minimal expletives, I got the job done. However, I still do prefer buttercream or ganache when it comes to covering cakes as the taste of fondant can be summed up in one word: patooey! (ok, maybe that's not a word, but you know what I mean.)

Speaking of expletives, I decided not to name this new Sugar's item after the immediate response it got from Ferndale Celtic band Shoot Out the Lights, which was"Holy &^*! That's great!" I'll go with calling them K'booms as they are bomb-like when you pop one in your mouth. You know, if bombs were made of a combination of cake and chocolate ganache, enrobed in a hard chocolate coating and didn't destroy stuff. My advice is to be sitting down when you eat one, and prepare for the luscious chocolate experience ahead of you. Your toes will curl, I promise!

Lastly, Sugar's will be updating the site which will hopefully be completed by early summer. Look for even more delicious choices for all your events, as well as complete pricing information and specialty items.

March was quite a month - onward to April and spring and leaving the house without a coat on. Have a great rest of the month, everyone!

Sugar's Newsletter February 2009

2009-02-16T16:51:00.001-08:00

Okay. I admit it. Having a business is exhausting work. But even though my back still aches and my legs aren't really ever going to forgive me for making them stand 12 hours a day, I still think it's worth it.

Why so tired? Well, let me tell you. Sugar's recently hopped on the self-promotion band wagon via some Detroit pre-Valentine's Day events. Of course, we couldn't do just one - we felt compelled to do three over two weekends. So intense preparations were underway as we focused on logistics and getting enough product to have available at these events. Over 200 cookies and 300 mini-cupcakes were baked and decorated. Whew! Fortunately, I got some very nice friends to help me out so I wouldn't end up in the special place for overwhelmed entrepreneurs - you know who you are, so thanks again for your valuable assistance!

But as I said, it was worth it. We got ourselves out into the world and also launched our new line of bachelor/bachelorette baked goods (Curious, aren't you? Email me, and I will tell all). Hopefully all this activity will result in a busy year, sales, ultimate world domination, but in the meantime I plan on getting the bod in top shape just in case another marathon baking session comes up. Well, after my massage, that is. There is no doubt in my mind that I worked hard for that reward.

Talk to you all in March - remember, spring is almost here! And by the way, congratulations to James and Dana - hope you enjoyed the tattoo cake. Thanks for the picture!

Sugar's Newsletter January 2009

2009-01-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

Well, what an interesting last couple of months it's been.

Heck, I'll come right out with it - I joined the growing number of unemployed back in December, a couple of weeks before Christmas. After the rollercoaster of emotions (anger, denial, wallowing in self-pity, mindless panic, etc.) I found myself deciding on a very clear course. Yes, friends of Sugar's - it's time to focus on what I like to do and make a living at it!

Brave words, I know. But to start this new venture off, Sugar's is offering a 20% discount for referrals. That's right, if you told someone about me and they ended up ordering something, you get money off your next cake order! And I know who has done this already for me, so don't be surprised when I give you that special discounted price. It's just Sugar's way of saying thanks for keeping the sweetness going!

Oddly enough, the day after I was laid off I received three orders, and there was also a special CNN report on a site called ladieswholaunch.com. This site is dedicated to women entrepeneurs and offers great information pertaining to launching a business and everything it would involve. Check it out - I signed up for the newsletter and so far I've received a lot of helpful tips and advice. I'd also like think this was part of a series of good signs supporting my efforts.

There's no question that times are tough right now, but people still need a little break from all the bad news. Sugar's is happy to help by providing treats for birthdays or any other events, and would also be willing to drop off samples to interested offices or companies. It's been my personal experience that gathering around a nice cake with your workmates does help one's mood, even if it's only for 20 minutes. Don't you agree? Of course you do. And besides - we all have to get through winter somehow, so why not with cake?

Keep warm, everyone, and thanks again for your support in 2008. Let's hope 2009 is even better!

December 2008: The World Peace cookie

2008-12-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

They look harmless enough, don't they?

It was just an ordinary assignment by a fellow member of the exploited working class. Said co-worker described the cookie to me and asked if I could make some, and even though I'd never seen them before I thought, well, damn the torpedoes I'll do it. A peanut butter cookie with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup stuffed into it? Who ever heard of such an outlandish concept? So I find the recipe online, show it to him and he confirms that it is correct. I make four dozen cookies, am pleased that they look like the picture online, then proceed to bite into one for testing purposes.

Oh, man.

The peanut butter met with the warm chocolate, then hooked up with the sweet, peanut buttery cookie, then a merry dance took place in my mouth. My heart beat just a little faster and I couldn't wait to take another bite. Yowee!

This cookie will make the downtrodden blissful again, the grumpy glad to be alive, and the perpetually negative finally see that nothing is as bad as it seems. It could end all wars and political strife, or at least a bad case of the Mondays. The online recipe is called Reese's Peanut Butter Cookie, but I'm going to call it the World Peace Cookie. It's that miraculous.

World peace, of course, comes with a price. If you'd like to have some of these delightful treats at your holiday buffet, they are available for $30 for 4 dozen. However, I won't be responsible for anyone that may faint from the sheer deliciousness of them.

Have a great holiday season, everyone - and get your orders in soon!

Sugar's Newsletter November 2008: On to the Holidays!

2008-11-04T18:48:00.000-08:00

My friends, last week was a cake marathon. Six cakes had to be delivered on four different days and somehow I pulled it off. However, while I was cracking my 18th egg I decided that rest and relaxation were in order once all cakes were delivered, so that's exactly what I've dedicated myself to this week.

I deserved it. Monday I was in the kitchen until 4:00 am, Tuesday until 2:00 am, then I sort of staggered through the rest of the week at work and at home. But you know what? It's all worth it. Nothing is more gratifying than hearing that the Chocolate Armageddon cake was a hit at a 40th birthday party, that everyone loved the Like Water for Chocolate cake at another birthday celebration, and that a first anniversary Berry Bomb cake was not only enjoyed by the celebrating couple but by the husband's co-workers the next day when he brought them what was left.

So I might be tired and hallucinating from sleep deprivation, but knowing that people were cheered by something so simple as a cake makes it all better. Right now, however, I'm enjoying some quiet time, sipping a sidecar and lounging in my favorite pajamas. I'm also hoping that people will think about ordering for Thanksgiving in the next week or so - I will most certainly be ready for you, right after I mix myself another nightcap.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

Sugar's Newsletter October 2008: Thinking Outside Your Comfort Zone

2008-10-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

This month I was asked if I could make a cake in the form of a Cabo Wabo bottle to feed about 35 people. Having never ventured into the realm of cake carving, my first inclination was to say no. Then I thought about the advice of my wedding cake class instructor, who had told the class at one point to always say you could do something then to figure it out later. That's how you learn, right?

So I said yes. Then I figured it out. Of course, I watch Ace of Cakes and all those cake competitions on the Food Network, so I had an idea of how to go about it. A vague idea, but an idea nonetheless. The cake was completed over about four days (unfortunately, work gets in the way of cake creating, and it had to be done in stages). The only thing I overlooked was potential transportation issues. There was a wee little mishap once I got it up to the office, so I had to race back home, get some extra frosting and some tools, then come back and fix some spots. Not a big deal, but next time I'll be sure to be prepared for any unforeseen incidents.

The lesson here? Just go for it. If you have any doubt in your mind that you can't pull something off, then do it anyway. What's one little doubt against a larger amount of faith in your abilities? And by the way, the Cabo Wabo cake was made with lemon-lime cake, homemade lime curd, and buttercream frosting. Oh, and some other things I had laying around. Cool, eh?

September was crazy busy with orders, and October looks like a big month for Sugar's as well. So get your requests in for November early, people, so we can be part of your Thanksgiving sweet table. Have a great rest of the month, everyone!

Sugar's Newsletter September 2008

2008-09-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

A quick excerpt from the soon-to-be famous "My Trip to Alaska":

August 12, 2008 6:50 pm

We return from hot tubbing and gazing at the grandeur of Tracy Arms fjord. Ice bergs decorate the water like free-floating glass sculptures. I now understand what iceberg blue is -I didn't expect them to be that color! I don't know what I expected, but there it was, Narnia only colder. We saw eagles, mountain streams, snowy mountain tops and lush greenery. Breathtaking doesn't even cover it. Wow.

There is nothing quite like a vacation to clear the head of life debris. Even if you don't do something as intense as an Alaskan cruise, the brain really needs to release its regular burdens and just concentrate on simpler things like "Should I have grilled tomatoes with my hash browns or just toast and marmalade?" or "Lychee martini or sidecar?" Once you get away from it all, you remember that things don't need to be as complicated as we make them.

But there are certain realities that one must face upon returning from said vacation. The thought of returning to work made me whimper pathetically, but feigning illness or doctor's appointments for the remaining part of the year was not an option. However, I did miss the cake biz, so I'm back with renewed enthusiasm to help all of you and your friends (and your friends' friends) with all your cake chomping needs. Here is one delightful new concoction I came up with upon my return. I call it. . . Chocolate Armageddon!

Chocolate cake w/ chocolate chips, chocolate mousse filling, chocolate skulls and chocolate shards for extra horrificness. I know. It's diabolical, but I'm thinking it could be useful for milestone birthdays, Halloween, Cinco de Mayo or any sort of goth or metal celebration. The possibilities are endless, really. As it says on my Flickr page, what else are you going to eat when the end of the world is nigh?

By the way, I finally took some time to get some more photos onto the Flickr site. Check it out at http://www.flickr.com/photos/28917915@N06/.

If anyone has questions on what they see, please send me an email (sugarsinfo@hotmail.com). This was roughly four years of photos to go through and pick out the best, so hope you enjoy!

That's it for now - talk to you all next month!

New items on the site!

2008-07-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot to tell you in the newsletter that there are new items on the site. So check 'em out! www.sugarsinfo.com

Sugar's July 2008 Newsletter

2008-07-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

The mini cupcake is a magical thing. They're cute, they're cuddly, and they don't make you feel bad about having two of them. How perfect a friend is that?

In fact, some were recently seen at The Ringwald Theater in Ferndale, MI, during a hilarious and downright naughty performance of "The Facts of Life" that was put on by the Who Wants Cake? theater company. Moved by the name of the company to drop off some samples, I was delighted to discover that somehow the tray ended up backstage and then in Natalie's mouth while she was engaged in some witty banter with Blair. I received some very positive reviews via email from cast members later that week, so maybe there will be another Sugar's appearance at The Ringwald Theater - coming soon?

Ok, enough of the theater puns. If you're interested in some mini cupcake action, they start at $35 per tray of 70 for something like the pictured Reese's Peanut Butter cupcakes. Adorable, are they not? As usual, I was too tired to take pictures of the Mango Sunshine cupcakes that I had brought to the theater, but I can honestly say that they'll give you a little joyous jump start, especially with the little bit of mango to make one think of Pacific breezes and the sweet taste of the islands.

Another interesting development this month started with my husband's sudden statement two weeks ago. There we were at the gym, doing our pre-workout stretches (which was mostly me doing a mock aerobics routine to a song on my iPod) when suddenly he says "You know, if you want to pursue this Sugar's thing, you have my full support." Huh?

This from the voice of reason, the man who kept reminding me that I can't get fired from my job, especially since all my efforts had been ignored thus far. I asked him what nonsense was he spouting, and he stated that we should look into everything that was involved in opening an actual location. Better to at least know, he explained, than to not even have tried.

So we've started the research, and after a short burst of enthusiasm I have to recover for a bit. There's a tremendous amount involved in opening a cake shop, and it's very overwhelming to think about. For the many that are supporting this venture, I thank them for their belief in my abilities to pull it off but I honestly have to say it's going to be a while. For now, I'll get the information together, the business plan and all the numbers, and perhaps in a year or so a Sugar's cake shop will be opening its doors to the hungry masses who need a little sweetness in their life. And really, who doesn't?

Lastly, Sugar's is delving into the world of diabetic and low-fat, low-sugar treats. So far, I've experimented successfully with one recipe which I found in a book called The Big Book of Diabetic Desserts, by Jackie Mills, MS, RD. This was a fruit-filled layer cake with white chocolate frosting, and it was pretty tasty for a something that didn't have two sticks of butter in it. If anyone has any recipes they'd like to share, or some tips on diabetic baking, please pass it along as a comment here or email me at sugarsinfo@hotmail.com. Any info is appreciated!

That's it for July - see you in August when we return from our Alaskan cruise!

June 2008 Newsletter: And Now, Summer

2008-06-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

As usual, Michigan summer falls from the sky with jarring suddenness, catching me yet again without a good supply of tank tops and shorts. It's 90 degrees, and my sweaters still inhabit my drawers - but I did manage to force myself through the annoying task of switching wardrobes, which I put off every year until it's really, truly summer. And that it is. Everything is green again, June bugs are flying kamikaze at my screens and all my flowers are planted, needing minimal maintenance to keep up their cheerful countenances.

For Sugar's, it's time to take advantage of summer's bounty. The berries are abundant as always, and you can't go wrong with a simple yellow cake filled with whipped cream and meticulously studded with some succulent beauties:

And, the Strawberry Cake ain't so bad lookin' either.

And in case you're curious about the Comic Book cake pictured in the previous blog, send me an email at sugarsinfo@hotmail.com if you're interested in buying one for your favorite comic book geek. I think they'll dig it - I know I would!

Lastly for this month, I wanted to give a quick report on the Pamper a Camper event that Sugar's participated in back in May. Equilibrium Studios (equilibriumstudio.com) raised $2,300 and were able to send over 40 kids with cancer to summer camp. Sugar's donated treats to the cause - three 6"round cakes as well as a multitude of mini cupcakes. And I met a new special friend!
So May was quite a month, and June is already whizzing by. Let's make the most out of this short season, everyone - and remember, Cake is Good!

Welcome to the Sugar's Blog!

2008-05-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

So I'm embracing technology and going with a blog instead of a newsletter. I will now be able to give you, the loyal fan of Sugar's cakes and other tasty chompables, timely information, amusing anecdotes and delightful photos that will hopefully brighten your day and make you just a little less cynical about the world we live in.

I will email everyone in a monthly fashion as usual, but instead of attaching a document I'll just send you the link to this blog again. Less steps for me, and I'll actually be able to get new info out on time in a more efficient manner.

Let's begin, shall we? On to the June 2008 newsletter of Sugar's!