Totally baked...

Just over a year ago, I made some cupcakes for my partner's birthday. I always used to bake something for his birthday, but this one was different. Looking back, I have to laugh at how proud I was of my early efforts; now I wouldn't want my name anywhere near them! I have to say though, he was always very enthusiastic about the end results.

So, back to May 2016. My partner's birthday was rapidly approaching and I really wanted to make something special. I spent weeks daydreaming and planning, discarding ideas as fast as they appeared. Finally, I decided I was going to make cupcakes with delicate chocolate 'squiggles' as toppers. (The original plan was to make chocolate versions of Prince's symbol, but then I remembered that I needed to manage my expectations!)

I was quite chuffed with these but had NO idea how people were going to react... Everyone raved about them and more than a few people suggested that I should be selling them.

This, of course, spoke to the crazy baker lady trapped inside me...

I then started planning and conceptualising (and plotting world domination, if I'm honest). This all led to me doing things I never, ever could have imagined myself doing: baking wedding cakes (fondant is not for the faint-hearted), having stalls at markets (it is absolutely TERRIFYING having people come and scrutinize your wares), baking insane amounts of cupcakes for said markets (we're talking 500+ cupcakes and no sleep) but most importantly, making new friends and learning so much!

Come early 2017 and the orders were slowly but surely coming in... each one a challenge! Now, just over a year after it all started, I look back and can't imagine doing things any other way. I do still question my own sanity sometimes; I also get irritable if I haven't baked in a while. But that's normal, right?

I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported and encouraged me along the way - I know that I was a pain in the neck at times!

*When I have my totally awesome store you guys can all come and bask in the ambience. Oh and have some free stuff, of course.

#baking #cupcakes #birthday #chocolate