My Best Friend's Wedding

We had been planning this day for a year! And on 9/12/2015, I finally got to watch my best friend marry the love of her life!

This was the first time I was ever a bridesmaid, which was super special and exciting! Not only was I a bridesmaid, but I did the entire dessert table and wedding cake too! It was a bit stressful being IN the wedding and catering for it, but it was completely worth it in the end, despite my exhaustion.

Getting ready was a blast! We drank mimosas, listened to Mariah Carey and got our make up and hair done! Can you say permasmiles!??? We were so excited!

I wanted Maureen and Caleb's cake to be simple and rustic.  They got married in a lodge in the woods, and vintage rustic was her theme with fresh flowers , burlap and lace! I had never done the rustic buttercream look before but I went for it and I was so happy with how it came out! Basically, the buttercream needs to be soft enough to really be able to manipulate with an off set spatula to create waves.

I added fresh flowers on top!  This was a vanilla bean cake with honey vanilla buttercream.  I used my delicious honey from Greece!

We decided on a gourmet cupcake bar as opposed to my usual fave--cake pops, just because it was warm and I didn't want everything to melt! They came out fabulous!

 Lemon Almond Raspberry -- almond cake, raspberry preserves filling, lemon buttercream

Hot Fudge Sundae -- chocolate cake, chocolate fudge filling, vanilla buttercream,  chocolate drizzle, jimmies & a cherry on top

Peanut Butter Lover -- peanut butter cake, chocolate fudge filling, peanut butter butter cream, chocolate drizzle & crushed reese's pieces

Coffee Toffee Crunch -- coffee infused cake, caramel filling, coffee buttercream, caramel drizzle, topped with toffee bits

Strawberry Fields -- vanilla cake, strawberry preserves filling, pink vanilla butter cream and a strawberry on top

Yum yum yum!! 

My handsome fiancee and I!

Dancing the night away with the most beautiful bride I've ever seen! So so so happy to have been a part of her and Caleb's special day!!

Love Anchors All

A month or so ago, I posted the beach themed wedding sampler for Kathy and Paul, two people I have known for a very long time.  It was an exciting event and I was insanely flattered that they asked me to contribute cake pops to their special day in place of a traditional wedding cake. After careful planning and color coordination, yesterday was the day, and I spent all week prepping for this one.  It meant a lot to me to do these, and I think they are my most favorite so far!

To be successful in this display, I needed to create something "beachy" but classy, keeping in mind the very elegant venue which was the Branford House on UConn's Avery Point campus.  The colors needed to be eye catching but muted, and the designs had to be intricate but not gaudy.

I wanted them to stand on their own without any distraction from ribbons or "cake topper" focal points. I wanted it to be 100% edible, because it's to easy to get beach themed stuff at the craft store to put on the top. I needed sugar starfish...just HAD to have them.

This display required a lot of detailed fondant work.  The bride told me she was incorporating anchors into her centerpieces so I wanted to add them to my display as well.  They were gorgeous with a pretty gold rope.  The anchor is such a beautiful symbol of love and marriage, and I love how it was used in the decor. The fondant work was tedious but totally worth it!

Now my favorite design ended up being the ones I decided to create on a total whim.  As I molded the flip flops, I couldn't help but think sticking them on would be cute but not enough, I needed something more.  I once had seen cookies that looked like a wave washing onto shore with sand and flip flops, so I decided to create this on a cake pop not knowing what I was getting myself into! These were tough!! But I think they came out beautiful!

The pictures of the Branford House do not do it justice. I was literally floored when I walked in and saw the fireplace.  The detail in the woodwork was exquisite and the ceilings were so beautiful.  

I could not have been happier with the finished product!

The woodwork was the perfect backdrop for these bright cakes.  I took a million pictures, completely obsessed with the dark designs against the white plates.

Such a beautiful venue for a beautiful wedding. Could not be happier for the couple and they had a perfect day for the occasion!  I absolutely love catering weddings.

Anything is Possible for Restaurant Impossible!

"You're off to great places,

today is your day,

your mountain is waiting,

so get on your way" - Dr. Seuss

Well, this has been one hell of a week to say the least and it's only Wednesday!

For about two years now, I have been working for a catering company in Springfield on a need basis.  Their kitchen is too small to produce desserts, but often their customers want them at their event so they give me a call and I make it happen! 

On Friday the owner called me and told me she was hired to prepare food for the cast and crew of Food Network's hit show Restaurant Impossible while they shoot a show at a restaurant outside of Springfield, in Wilbraham MA. She said Food Network was demanding cupcakes, and needed me to do them!

Naturally, I freaked out a little. I am a Food Network junkie, love every show, loveee Robert Irvine.. just WOW!  But she wasn't sure of what she needed and I did not hear from her until Monday at 4pm when she pulled the trigger on the thing.  She wanted cupcakes and we decided to throw in cake pops as a break from the norm, and it was all going to be Dr. Seuss themed since she was trying to fit a theme of Springfield... and Dr. Seuss was from Springfield!

Now anyone who knows me and Lou knows, Dr. Seuss holds a special place in our relationship. Oh how I love the Doctor. 

So after working til midnight on day one, and with the help of my lovely mother, working until 9pm on day 2, they were complete! 

Now this order wasn't huge or overly complicated, I just had nothing planned! Not one cake baked.. No buttercream made.. nothing.  Usually I plan my orders far in advance and get cakes baked and frozen and so on so I am not scrambling every night to finish, since I do have a full time job.  So this was a challenge.  

I think they came out great! Very fun, whimsical and very Dr. Seuss. 

Green eggs anyone? 

 The Cat's Hats.

 So my mom came with me to deliver the pops to the restaurant in Wilbraham, MA.. It was a tight spot for the catering crew up we made it work (even being on a giant hill, I thought the cakes were gonna slide right off the trays!) 

I even found a Dr. Seuss font generator for my taste cards ;)

 So after I left, I received a text from the owner of the catering company who told me every cake was gone, the Food Network crew ate them all and absolutely raved over them.  It made me so happy to hear! So So So So happy!!!!

A huge thanks to my mom for helping me out with the tedious fondant work, for doing the dishes, for delivering them with me! To my friend Becky for giving me instant inspiration when I found out the theme! To Louis for dealing with a very messy apartment for two days (or well, all the time!) To my brother Nick for being my social media marketer and sharing my page all over Facebook! And to my Dad for bringing my Mom and I dinner yesterday after working insanely hard! 

Most of all, thank you to everyone who posted support on my social media outlets.. Can't believe the overwhelming responses to my posts, wishing me luck. I am especially lucky for such great people in my life! 

Each day I spend doing this stuff, the more I love it and the more serious I get in trying to find a place to get this thing off the ground. This opportunity was VERY amazing and I am just feeling so ambitious and so lucky and especially THANKFUL.  Going to keep chasing my dreams.. and you should too!

Isn't Dr. Seuss just the best? :)

-Elena

Getting Social

Wow, it has been a while!

My mind can't stop thinking about cake, and chocolate, and frosting.

It has been 1 1/2 months since my last dessert creation..

I am having withdrawals.

Frankly, May was the busiest month ever for me, and June hasn't slowed down much either.  I really took some time for me. Beach trips,  making gourmet dinners, getting the apartment decorated, catching up with family and friends... It has been so amazing! But I am ready to get back into the kitchen for the purpose of desserts, and I have some really awesome things in store..

In a few weeks, I will be preparing a 100 cake pop display for a jack and jill that is.. wait for it..... Disney themed.. Yes, Mickey and Minnie will be edible! And it is going to be great!

Also in store is a vintage wedding in the country.. then a beach wedding.. and some other festive things in between!

So I figured right now is a good time to get social!! How am I doing that? By expanding my blog's brand of course! Being a communications major in college, I understand the importance of an online presence, however I haven't had much time to get myself together online! Tonight I quit the excuses and executed-- now I have a facebook page here and an instagram page here http://instagram.com/onesweetbiteatatime#!

By expanding myself online, I really just hope to reach more people in order to grow my following and to keep my creative juices flowing! Having people ask me to provide treats for them is just an added bonus!

This is my passion and I am sticking to it! So please, check out One Sweet Bite at a Time on Facebook and Instagram! I will love you forever for it :)

XO-Elena