Royal wedding cakepops have arrived!

Well it has been a week of things all happening in the wrong order; Easter soooooooo late, Summer poking through a bit keenly... just when you thought the chocolate-fest was over for another year, along come Little Cake Factory's Royal Wedding cakepops.

If you're having a street party this Friday and would like to place an order for your red, white and blue cakepops then get in touch!

Royal wedding cakepops have arrived!

Well it has been a week of things all happening in the wrong order; Easter soooooooo late, Summer poking through a bit keenly... just when you thought the chocolate-fest was over for another year, along come Little Cake Factory's Royal Wedding cakepops.

If you're having a street party this Friday and would like to place an order for your red, white and blue cakepops then get in touch!

More Easter egg cake pops

I told you they were coming!  Gone mad with the sprinkles...

Easter cake pop alert!

Take a peek at my Bakerella-inspired Easter cake pops (in case it isn't obvious they are supposed to be chicks!)

And for my next trick, Easter Egg cake pops...

Easter cupcakes, Mother's Day cupcakes, Royal Wedding cupcakes - too many excuses for a cupcake!

Today marked the official start of Easter at Little Cake Factory, (well it is Ash Wednesday).  We've given ourselves a good talking-to and have decided that it most definitely isn't too early to get egg-cited.  Sorry.

Coming soon...

Little Cake Factory will be busy this month making sure you have the perfect Mother's Day cupcakes and whilst we're at it, Royal Wedding themed cupcakes (but we draw the line at Halloween cupcakes this early).

Stay tuned!

What the... Starbucks do cake pops.

Yes, you read it right, Starbucks are SELLING CAKE POPS.

After a big *sigh* this morning, I decided that rather than form an opinion that might be not necessarily deserved, I would purchase said cake pops and review. So here you go:

I bought the Rocky Road and er "pink" one (I think it was vanilla). I have to 'fess up to having a cold at the moment so my senses aren't 100% accurate however I gave it my best shot.

Looks-wise, they are somewhat larger than other homemade cake pops. As another blogger points out, they look a little golf-club like but I put that down to them being more mass-produced than anything else. The coating did seem to be all over the sticks so they did look a little messier than they ought to.

Now for the tasting.  The rocky road one tasted a bit like cardboard.  I'm trying not to be harsh but I can't think of any other way of describing it.  The mini marshmallows just didn't really work as a coating and I couldn't identify any real chocolate "shell".  The cakey part just tasted like dried-out uncooked cake dough with chopped nuts in it.  Sorry Starbucks but you've got a lot to live up to - ask Bakerella for advice!
The pink one faired a little better on the outside, the coating seemed to taste quite nice but again, I have absolutely no idea what the cake part was supposed to be - I am guessing it was pre-made dried cake mix with a bit of water?  Now I'm not claiming to be the world's best cake-pop maker however I think Starbucks have gone for style (and £££ generation) over substance which is a real shame.  Yeah they look good in the shop but I felt quite disappointed!

Nevertheless, despite my protestations at how cardboard-like they were, I still managed to scoff both of them and left only crumbs so they can't have been THAT bad.

It is nice to see that Starbucks are ahead of the game on this but I feel quite relieved that the outcome won't be much to worry about.  If you want something sweet to go with your on-the-go coffee then there's nothing wrong with these but I wouldn't go out of my way to get one!  If you want a delicious homemade tasty treat which looks AND tastes great then get in touch with Little Cake Factory and order your cake pops today!

Red Nose Day / Comic Relief cake pops!

Yes - possibly the first cake pops made for Red Nose Day 2011!

If you'd like them as a fund-raiser for your event on 18th March, please contact orders@littlecakefactory.co.uk

Cool or what!

Cake pops III

You may well be asking what happened to cake pops II...  Truth is that they didn't work out quite so well and I am too ashamed of the results to display them on this blog BUT it was all good testing because I think this last batch look pretty neat!

The secret lies in actually following the advice given in the cake pops book "pop bakery" by Claire O'Connell

Cake pops require patience, practice and a steady hand (and a sweet tooth), I hope to add them to my online cupcake store menu very soon!

Cake pops - cake splops!

Be warned, the following blog contains images of cake pops that some readers may find disturbing...

Starting with crumbed chocolate cake, then added the "glue" (cream cheese, butter, icing sugar = frosting), mulched up into a gooey mix!

Rolled into truffle-sized cake balls...

Dipped in melted chocolate (VERY MESSY - I need to perfect this part!) and sprinkled with colourful er, "sprinkles".  Left to harden off in a cool place...

No they're not supposed to have the excess bit of chocolate around the top but as I said, it is work in progress!

Despite appearances I can confirm first hand that these are by far one of the tastiest, yummiest treats I have made and I can't really take the credit - it is all thanks to Bakerella!  I have a few supplies coming by parcel tomorrow so I shall continue the quest for the perfect cake pop before I unleash them on the paying public.  In fact, I don't normally eat the cupcakes I make (simply because too much of a good thing never did anyone's waistline any good) BUT I have just been into the kitchen and snaffled one - yum!

Cake Pops come to Guildford!

Okay well not quite yet BUT I am experimenting...  Someone pointed me in the direction of Bakerella - how cool/cute are they?!  So I've baked my basic chocolate cake and it can't cool fast enough - I wanna get cake popping!  I hope to add them to my regulars in time for Easter, maybe before so stay tuned.

Little Cake Factory is open again following maternity leave!

Dear cupcake-blog readers,

I'm sure some of you will have seen the tumbleweed gathering outside Little Cake Factory's front door over the last 4 months - well, it has blown away and Little Cake Factory is once again baking!

With Valentine's Day fast approaching (and various supermarkets skipping Valentine's and going straight into Easter...), we are offering our signature Raspberry and White Chocolate Valentine's cupcakes once again - back by popular demand.

I have a few exciting additions to make to the regular menu and will post them here when they become available.  I have been perfecting the art of the Whoopie Pie - stay tuned...

That's it for now, thanks for reading,
LCF Girl

Aggie Mark II

I have a new love... (well it is nearly Valentine's)!

The new Aga went in today, she is gorgeous.  Lovely glossy, sleek and sophisticated.  Take a look for yourselves:

So, once it has stopped crying (it generates a lot of condensation when first warmed up apparently!), and smelling like a new cooker, I can activate "AIMS" (the energy-efficiency module) and get baking!  First cupcakes should be out tomorrow, yippee!

Watch this space...
LCF Girl

Share the Little Cake Factory Love

HEY, CUPCAKE EATER!!  Yes you!  

If you've enjoyed a Little Cake Factory cupcake and have often wondered, "how can I spread the word about these yummy treats?" here's the answer:

http://www.thebestof.co.uk/national/uk/sharethelove

Click on the link and enter a few simple details, then tell the UK what it is that you love about Little Cake Factory's cupcakes.  Not only could you win a fantastic prize each day (hence, "14 Days of Love"), you would be helping Little Cake Factory's future success by spreading the word(of love).

Small businesses really do depend on this type of viral marketing, we don't have huge budgets for advertising (actually I don't have one at all any more) and our businesses thrive on great customer feedback and word-of-mouth recommendations.

Thank you so much for your support!

LCF Girl

Goodbye Aggie!

This morning I had an Aga, now I have just an empty space where she used to be... sniff!  She's gone to be recycled which eases the guilt a teeny bit.

(yes, I am fickle, as soon as the new one arrives it'll be like "what 2-oven aga?")

So here goes, the sad demise of old Aga:

Going... Thermalite lining...

Going...

Going... (that gritty stuff is "vermiculite" by the way,

you learn something new every day)

Er, still going...

Almost there...

Goodgye Aga!

Valentine's Cupcakes - Raspberry and White chocolate...

...now available to order!  I'll be taking Valentine's cupcake orders now so go ahead and pre-book your gift today!  Call 01483 535300 or alternatively email orders@littlecakefactory.co.uk

Poetry really was never my thing - I might even be tempted to offer a free Valentine's cupcake to anyone who can come up with a better "roses are red..." poem (there, the challenge is set).

For those of you following Aga-watch, Aggie the Aga has now been turned off, sniff!  She's cooling down in readiness for being "capped off" tomorrow and then taken away to Aga-heaven on Thursday.  I've had a very turbulent relationship with her over the years.  There have been days when I've slammed her doors shut out of anger and also days where I've been comforted by her cosy warmth but she has always been there for me - cupcakes and all!

Enough sentiment - I've got admin to do...

LCF Girl

Gym guilt, cupcake heaven!

Well, I can't promise to shift those pounds but I like to make it easier!  A good friend of mine gave me a wonderful book by Harry Eastwood as a Christmas gift.  "Red Velvet and Chocolate Heartache" has provided me with some fantastic post-Christmas inspiration.  The cupcakes (tried and tested) are packed full of taste with less of the fat.  The recipe omits butter and wheat flour and replaces it with ingredients that make you go "mmm"!

So far my DD has consumed a record three-in-a-row and once you pass the toddler-test, you know you're onto something good.  Put these lower-fat cupcakes in a cupcake-calorie line-up and you would be hard-pressed to identify them as the healthier alternative!

Orders are being taken now so if you fancy a not-so-naughty treat, or know someone who would love a guilt-free gift then please contact me at orders@littlecakefactory.co.uk or 01483 535300.

Meanwhile, if someone could invent a device that could prevent me from saying "yes" to so much classified advertising then I'd be grateful.

Back soon,
LCF Girl

Wake cupcakes and more...

Well this weekend saw a first for Little Cake Factory.  Wake cupcakes.  Initially I was unsure of how to go about decorating cupcakes for what I assumed would be a sad sombre event however I was given free reign to go over the top with the cupcake sparkles so I did just that!

I hope the cupcakes were fitting for the event - I enjoyed making them, it isn't often you can go OTT with colours, sprinkles and so on - they were pretty!

Wedding orders are flooding in - it would appear a lot of you became engaged over Christmas and New Year - congratulations to you all!  Do get in touch for a wedding cupcake quote - or even to see if I have a particular date free, 2010 is proving to be busy so far - exciting.

My new years' resolution was to BE FIRM with the classified ad sales people.  Perhaps it is because I once worked in classified ad sales but I am a bit of a sucker for little printed ads - get a GRIP though - enough is enough - this is money I could be spending on snazzy new cutters!  On a positive note I have sent off a lovely wodge of paperwork to my accountant in time for the tax return deadline woo hoo.

Oh, not that it is at all cupcake-related in any way whatsoever but here's the view from Little Cake Factory in the snow last week - nice hey?  Glad the snow is finally melting, I have some postal cupcake orders to catch up on...  even "Omen" cathderal looks less imposing!

Come back soon,
LCF Girl

Happy New Year to LCF cupcake fans

Dear LCF-blog readers,


At the time of writing I am wondering if I will ever be able to leave the road I live on again - such is the volume of snow outside right now - still falling.  Perhaps inspiration for snow-cone cupcakes...


Just wanted to update you on two new happenings at Little Cake Factory - soon to be announced on the website so you're the first to hear: 

1. We are developing a "no-so-naughty-new-year" cupcake variety to be added, for a limited time only, to our menu.  And no, that doesn't mean you can consume twice as many as the regular variety.
2. We are upgrading our two-oven Aga to a three-oven Aga - yes... even more cupcakes!  Whilst I will be sad to see my beloved 20-year old oven dismantled, I am really excited to meet my new kitchen-companion - she'll have a thermo-regulator and everything ha ha...  This means that our kitchen will be out of cupcake-baking action for approximately 5 days - dates to be announced on the website soon.

Bye for now

LCF Girl

Christmas Cupcakes... Put one out for Father Christmas!

Hey Christmassy Cupcake-blog readers!

After a short break I am back and I bring you photos of Little Cake Factory's latest creations:

With Christmas fast approaching (and with Little Cake Factory needing to hibernate for a short while during the festive season), don't forget to pre-order any New Year cupcakes soon!

Check out the website for details of our opening hours during Christmas week - if you're quick you can still place and order AND have cupcakes with your turkey,

Take care all,

LCF Girl

Little Cake Factory is fully refreshed and ready to bake after mini-break!

Let Christmas Cupcakes commence...  despite having lovely jetlag, Little Cake Factory is open after the quick break to NYC.  I checked out the competition and have to be honest, I think I could give them a run for their money (or cupcakes...).  I'll upload pics soon - it was all in the name of "research" - honest!

December seems to be the month to get the wedding cupcake orders in - I would advise brides to book now to avoid disappointment, the weekends are getting pretty busy for summer 2010.

LCF girl