Cupcake of the Month Club

It's the first of the month, I've delivered the goodies, and so far I'm getting rave reviews. Now of course I can't claim any real credit for these, as they are from the incredible mind of Bakerella. Her Cupcake Bites are adorable and I thought they would be the perfect kick off for the C.o.t.M. This whole idea is about trying out new recipes and techniques after all! I did what I could, what do you think?Cute huh? I actually got to taste one and it was pretty good. If you look here you can see the recipe/instructions that Bakerella has for them. I followed it totally, even though finding the right flower cookie cutter shape proved to be a bit difficult. I split the process up into two days instead of trying it all at once. I baked the cakes, mixed in the frosting, rolled the balls, and stuck them in the fridge last night. Early this afternoon I went to mold the shapes and realized that I'd made the balls too big. Thank goodness they don't harden in the fridge. I ripped chunks right out of those babies and kept on going. Once they had their bases molded I dipped the bottoms in Merckens milk chocolate melts, turned them upside down and let them dry. I went for pink and green melts for the tops, along with sprinkles of course. Andrew couldn't resist biting into one of the two leftovers I had and thankfully he remembered to snap a quick picture.

I packaged them up in these cute little bags and thanks to my Mom, I was able to get fun little tags on them without being killed by all of my alphabet stamps. Her writing is just like a font, no printer needed!

Now for what I learned. First, don't try to make 70 on your first try. Not enough time and I wished I'd had more to practice on. Second, have a helper, or two, or seven. This would be tons of fun as a party or rainy day activity with kids. Thankfully, my guy was a huge help to me today. I'd dip the tops and he throw the M&M and sprinkles on and he kept them all lined up for me. Wonderful man appealing to my o.c.d. tendencies. I also won't be buying the purple Merckens melts any more. I tried a couple different ways to melt them and they'd always end up clumpy. Too bad because I love the color. As far as the club goes, I learned that I need to get more notice out. I sent out a heads up on Facebook yesterday I think and had 8 families interested. Much more than my crap practice run last month where I was practically begging for people to join up. The list is growing too which I absolutely love! It's a total thrill to deliver these to everyone. Also, something that most of the Members suggested was maybe having some kind of a monthly fee for this. Of course it would just be to cover cost as I'm not looking to turn it into a business or anything, but I don't want to turn people off from wanting to be a part of this. What do you think is fair? Any amount ideas per month? Is it even a good idea to have a fee? I'd hate to exchange cupcakes for any money when I drop them off because it makes it less personal. I'm doing this for my friends and I want it to be fun! I'm 90% stuck with the idea that this was my choice to make and I'm doing it more for myself than anyone else. You all have no idea how much I love the entire process, especially delivery time! Hmmm, still thinking through it all.

A little bit of info for anyone who hasn't heard about this yet. Each month I will be trying out a new Cupcake recipe. Some months I'll be focusing on the taste factor, and other months it'll be all about the overall look of the Cupcake. There are so many options! I've got a growing list of families who are official Members and I'd love to know about more people who are interested. I'll be doing all the baking and then delivering the yummy creations on the first of each month. The best part? You don't have to do anything except give me some feedback. I'm learning from the behind-the-scenes point of view, but I'm all for getting comments and pointers on the taste and look of the Cupcakes. I'll post about the baking/decorating process and what I learn, along with the recipes and their creators. I'd also love some suggestions on what to do next. Needing something fruity? A serious chocolate attack? Just let me know. I think it's going to be so much fun!

Now I'm taking some time to breath after a busy couple of days. I'm sitting here listening to the Weepies while eating chips and salsa, and guess what I'm already thinking about? Next month's Cupcake! It's all picked out and everything. It's going to be another Bakerella twist, and I'm jazzed to do it. I'm just happy that it won't require dipping anything! You wanna know the really crazie part? I've got another cake baking right now. I'm making Cake Balls tonight! Yeaaa for Midnight Baking!