Outdoor Weddings

Outdoor weddings can be scary for the cake. Note the wind-blown drapings in the background of this photo- yikes! The caterer had to prop the chairs against the tables to keep the tablecloths in place and Lori had to strategically place the cake plates around the cake table to keep the tablecloth from taking out the cake.

Ultimately the cake turned out great (see the photo below) and we got this email from the bride: "We just wanted to send a note of thanks for the wonderful cake you made for our wedding last weekend. The cake tasted awesome...there were many compliments. We were very afraid we were going to end up with a lot of cake leftover since we ordered about 30 extra pieces and it was a morning wedding, but every piece was eaten! Also, the cake was just beautiful and we're extremely happy with how it turned out. You really nailed the design, and the chocolate mosaic held up really well outdoors. No melting at all! We'll definitely recommend you guys in the future. Thanks again! -Melissa and Jim"
Here's what our Wedding Cake contract says about outdoor weddings:

"WE STRONGLY URGE YOU TO HAVE THE CAKE INDOORS if at all possible; here is why: bugs and animals are attracted by sweets, heat and/or high humidity adversely affects icings, fresh flowers can wilt, chocolate decorations will melt, rain would ruin the cake, and wind can blow the cake over or take the tablecloth (and cake with it) right off the table. If absolutely set on having the cake outside, be prepared with a backup site just in case of unforeseen extreme weather conditions, and know that we cannot ensure the cake if it is outdoors."

Since we do our best to discourage it, we rarely end up setting up a wedding cake outdoors, but it does happen when the bride & groom have their hearts set on it, so we do our best and cross our fingers that all goes well. So far as we know, melted icings and a slight lean are the worst our cakes have gotten outdoors. We're not happy about that, but in Texas you NEVER know what the weather is going to be like, and hey, it's cake and icing- it tastes great no matter what!

Cutest. Things. Ever.

Sarah, our decorator, saw the cake pops on Bakerella's blog and we decided to try them out on Saturday.

I crumbled up some Devil's Food cake and tried mixing a batch with Vanilla Buttercream and one with Fudge Icing to see which tasted better. Surprising to us, we liked the Vanilla better; the fudge gave the cake balls an odd mouth feel and tasted too chocolatey (if there IS such a thing). We didn't use Cream Cheese icing like Bakerella did because we didn't want to have to keep them refrigerated. Next I scooped different sizes of cake balls to see what would work better with the cupcake forms we have. After a stint in the freezer, Sarah and I formed the balls into various "cupcake" shapes. Then we dipped & sprinkled them into the cutest things we'd ever seen. So cute, we're going to add them to our menu.

The first batch is still in the shelf-life-testing phase, but once we've figured out all the logistics of flavor combos, packaging, selling price, & marketing, you'll be able to buy one of these bad boys all for yourself. They're so cute you may just want to gaze adoringly at it and not eat it. You'd better buy two just in case.

Chocolate is Healthy!

I just watched this video touting the health benefits of chocolate. But of course, you knew all about this already, right? Well, just in case it's news to you, check out the video. Then come get some of our Superfood- 70% dark chocolate blended with dried blueberries and cacao nibs. It's delicious AND high in antioxidants (aka, good for you assuming you don't eat a pound in one sitting).

Candy Mountain

Our friends over at The WickeDeli are obsessed with the Charlie the Unicorn videos. In their honor I created this Candy Mountain cake for our monthly dinner party last week. The cake itself is Peppermint with Peppermint Buttercream frosting and a WHOLE lot of candy. I didn't have any unicorns on hand, but I figured Marshmallow Bunnies were likely to be found in the woods surrounding a place called Candy Mountain.

The Goal- at least 1 post per week

Ok, so I've been told by a very savvy friend that I should set a goal for how often I plan to post to the blog so that my readers won't get bored with checking in and finding zip, zero, zilch. So my goal is at least 1 post a week. I'm already up to 2 for the night, so I may surpass my goal, at least while this blog thing is fresh & shiny to me.

Blogging for Beginners

Ok, so I'm learning to create a blog for Hot Chocolates so we can tell you about all things chocolatey, and, um, hot. So please bear with me as I figure all of this out. Thanks and have a sweet day!