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 - 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!

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

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

The Marshmallow and Jaffa Cake experiment...

Jaffa Cake Cupcakes...

Marshmallow Cupcakes...

Okay, so let's just say that the first attempt didn't quite go to plan.  Despite looking a bit raggedy (is that a word?), they tasted pretty good.  I think I made the mistake of filling the cases with too much mix after dropping in the marshmallow or jaffa cake... needless to say they overflowed and needed a bit of cupcake "pruning".  The marshmallow also caused giant sink-holes to appear in the cupcake - not sure how to get round that other than fill them in with icing :-)  The jaffa cake actually stayed jaffa-cake like even when baked but the marshmallow pretty much disappeared into chewy goo which, in my opinion was quite nice!  I thought I'd also take the opportunity to try out a different icing nozzle having seen it elsewhere, it looks pretty neat and doesn't detract from whatever else you're dolloping on top!

If nothing else, I hope these pics give you a Tuesday laugh...

LCF Girl

Halloween cupcakes at Little Cake Factory

Boo!

Go on, surprise someone with a scary cupcake this Halloween. We've taken tips from cupcake guru Karen Tack and recreated some of her most popular decorations. Take a look at the website for further information or just email us at orders@littlecakefactory.co.uk.

Okay, so Nightmare on Elm Street might be a bit more frightening but who could resist a spooky chocolate ghost or a sweet little pumpkin?

Get your orders in fast because the next two weeks are sure to be busy at Little Cake Factory.

Eerily yours,

LCF Girl

PS - Seriously, PLEASE no more calls asking me to advertise in every single publication going, you know I can't say no AND my advertising budget is now less than zilch!

Kei's Restaurant - first outing of wedding cupcakes!

Hello!
What a whirlwind weekend. There's something very satisfying about seeing your creation come to life after quite a bit of hard work. As you'll see from the photographs, the cupcake stand for the Chinese wedding on Saturday looked fantastic - even if I do say so myself. I really hope the bride and groom liked it - it turned out to be a bit of a centrepiece in the dining room (or at least it was when I left the restaurant!).

I'd gone along with intentions of adding ribbons and other decorations but there were so many cupcakes on the stand it really just spoke for itself. So, I can safely say that I definitely "do" do wedding cupcakes now. I consider that one a difficult challenge with the double happiness character decoration and if I can do that then anything is possible so please do get in touch if you have any wedding cupcake requirements!

Oh I forgot to mention that I also baked a huge batch of cupcakes for a 21st party on the Saturday also, compared to the wedding cupcakes that was easy!

Back soon,
LCF girl

Send a Boo! in the post...

October. The month to shake the moths out of your winter coat, sweep up the leaves, sigh at the Christmas selection boxes already in the shops and ORDER YOUR HALLOWEEN CUPCAKES!

Over the next week or so I'll be creating and photographing my Halloween cupcake "collection". I've already posted a hint of what's to come on the Little Cake Factory website. If you're having a Halloween party or really just want to make someone smile, get in touch with Little Cake Factory and place your order now.

Don't forget - if you come up with a new and novel cupcake idea (including Halloween) that we say wow to, you'll receive a batch for free. Email orders@littlecakefactory.co.uk with your creative suggestions!

Happy cupcaking,
LCF girl

Little Cake Factory is open for business - homemade cupcakes for all!

Yes, back to school and back to business - the day has arrived, Little Cake Factory is open for cupcake production! The flyers have gone out, samples delivered to local offices and businesses and the word is being rapidly spread up and down the country. I have been given many cupcake-related good-luck gifts, lucky me!

I have to say, I wasn't going to include mini-cupcakes on my regular menu however now that I've been preparing them for the sample boxes, they do look really quite cute and provide a nice little mouthful (or at least I manage to fit them in in one go). I'll post a photograph soon.

Please take a look at my website for loads of information and to place a cupcake order.

This week I'll be focusing on promoting the business locally and ensuring that my cupcake presence is known at a local level - netmums.com is the ideal portal for my business so check out my ad which should be going live soon.

Come back soon,

LCF girl

Cupcakes withstand a trip to Chertsey!

Well today I took 18 cupcakes in the car with me and drove to my friend's office in Chertsey. I packaged them up for a birthday treat and my friend volunteered to be a guinea pig for the "order". I was relieved that they made it in-tact, despite huge piles of butterfrost icing and sprinkles :-)

The initial feedback was that most of them had disappeared and that my friend was having to er, with-hold a cupcake for her boyfriend to try ha ha. I guess that is a good sign?!

This afternoon I am having lots of fun working on my website. I'm pretty pleased with my photos, they've come out quite well albeit I had to take them rather hastily before the sun went down last night - I was trying to get them in a good light! I was a bit unsure of whether to add my own photo to the website but I want to show my customers that Little Cake Factory is actually run by a real human being and to show cakes being made in an actual kitchen (as opposed to being passed around a giant conveyor belt in a warehouse somewhere).

Anyway - still loads to do but I'm having fun with it all. Such hard work!

Till another day.

Not long to go until Little Cake Factory is unleashed!

Hello cupcake-seekers and welcome to Little Cake Factory's blog. We are very excited about the imminent launch of Little Cake Factory, September 2009. Please check back soon as I'll be posting details of our cupcakes, how to order and upcoming cupcake promotions.

We start in September by offering all new customers 10% off their first cupcake order when they quote our special offer code - to be released shortly.

Meanwhile, I have a whole load of cupcake-flavour sampling to do!

See you soon,

littlecakefactorygirl