milk&honey cafe

Monday, October 05, 2009

An occasion for celebration

sparkling cupcakes

Did you miss me? Please tell me that you did, 'cause I missed you hecka lot. Wow, not blogging felt like a part of me was not being filled, like a void in my life. I'd have pangs of guilt whenever I think about it, as a parent would after neglecting her child. But the matter of fact is, I've been filling that void with something else. Occupying my mind and time and physical energy. What is it, you ask? WORK, of course!

sparkling cupcakes

I don't know if you've been following my blog, but that is a BIG BIG deal! I graduated this past May in the heights (or depths, I should say) of an economic crisis and I was a big fretball, worrying about not being able to start my career like I should. After 5 years of preparing myself as a "designer" the few months idling was very stressful indeed. But guess what? I did it!!! With the support of family, friends, and even you, my dear blog world peers, I survived the icky period of uncertainty, and finally am voyaging through the working world.

sparkling cupcakes

So, I am now officially a permanent junior designer at a very well established and exceptional design agency. I say this not to boast about my position, but because I'm so proud of the firm I am working at. They're all such hard workers and innovative thinkers and my only aspiration is to grow more like them. I was an intern at the agency for over two months, and then fortunately was asked to come on board as a permanent employee! The past few months has been an exciting and scary journey altogether -- trying to not fall short of their expectations, and what's more, my own.

sparkling cupcakes

Confidence seems to be such a key factor in learning and progressing forward and that's something I really want to work on. Of course, I'm not talking about Pride that shadows the potential of genuine relationships and creative flow, but the kind of confidence that revels in challenge and prevails through pressure. A lot of times I think "Oh boy. Am I up for this? Do I really think I can do this?", even for the little things. But each time, I tell myself that I can do it if I really believe in myself and put in all I can. Plus, my creative directors and fellow designers are so awesome that they're always leading, guiding and supporting the team.

sparkling cupcakes

Anyways, so here it is! An occasion for celebration! A "Cheers!" for attaining dreams and a "Thanks!" to all those who helped me get there! And it's just the beginning! :D

sparkling cupcakes

By the way, these sparkly cupcakes were made for a special birthday party order and I especially love them because they are mini. Anything mini is just that much more lovable, don't you think? The vanilla recipe is here and the red velvet recipe is from Joy the Baker, which she got from Hummingbird Bakery. Enjoy!!

OH! And one more reason for celebration: I have finally perfected the Cream Cheese frosting. After much struggle to keep it from being runny, and after my generous readers who left me with their fail-proof recipes, I found out why I have been failing! From some point, I started overbeating my frostings. I think I heard in a cooking show that they beat their buttercream for tens of minutes, and I somehow thought that would be the secret to my cream cheese frosting: WRONG. Totally, utterly wrong. Overbeating results in breaking down the "waters and such" in the mix and results in an unforgiving mess of a frosting. This time, I made sure I beat it just enough to blend everything and stopped there. And the result was a perfect billowy, sturdy frosting that's easy to pipe. Here, I'll post the recipe for you!

Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting

for 2 dozen cupcakes
adapted from Hummingbird Bakery Recipe, as well as from lucyinaz

ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
5 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
8 oz Philly's Cream Cheese, cold


directions

1. In a mixing bowl, beat butter, confectioner's sugar, salt and vanilla until combined. At this point, the mix is going to look really dry and crumbly, but be patient and it will come together, about 4 minutes.
2. Add cream cheese and mix until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. DON'T OVERBEAT. Frost as desired!


22 comments:

  1. Your cupcakes look beautiful! And the frosting looks flawless. I need to improve my piping skills, my swirls always look lopsided. I'm glad to see that your career is well on its way! I'm graduating this coming spring too, and I have no idea what's in store for me after college, but I'll keep your words about confidence in mind.

    God bless, and visit my blog if you find the time!

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  2. Gorgeous cakes - they look soooo pretty! And congratulations on your job! That is wicked! You will be fine and you will learn so much- I'm so happy for you - if not a little envious! I'd love to be a designer! xxx

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  3. PS Will you still be doing the cakes on the side?

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  4. as usual.. the cupcakes look delicious!! :)
    i'm glad your job is going well... congratulations!
    keep blogging, your baking always inspires me. ^_^

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  5. Welcome back, and congrats on the job! Lovely cupcakes, as usual. =)

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  6. I did miss you; so glad you're back. Congratulations on having a job you love - definitely worth celebrating.

    Oh, and beautiful silver baubles on the cupcakes too.

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  7. Congrats on your job! Beautiful pics of the loveliest mini cupcakes :)

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  8. Yay for your job! Congrats. You were definitely missed. Those cupcakes are GORGEOUS. I love the feminine touch you add. Lovely!

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  9. so beautiful pics! good luck with your new job!

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  10. Congrats! You have a lovely blog and the cupcakes look beautiful!

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  11. Of course we missed you! Gorgeous cupcakes as always and good luck with the new, wonderful job!

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  12. Congrats in joining the working force and hope all goes well in your job! And by the way, the cupcakes are absolutely gorgeous. Love the simple but oh so elegant decorations plus fantastic clicks as well.

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  13. Lovely cupcakes as usual, and congrats on the job!

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  14. yay!!! you posted! it was nice seeing you the other day~ post more design stuff sarah! i need inspiration!!

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  15. Gosh, I've missed you and your posts so!

    Please, don't ever leave us again for so long!

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  16. Congrats! Missed you and your posts. Good luck with your job! I know you'll do well.

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  17. Congratulations ^^!!! and oh my god .. those cupcakes look fantastic :-)!! XOXO

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  18. Congrats, Sarah! (:
    Your cupcakes, as always, look delightful.

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  19. Love the cakes............love the silver balls. Beautiful

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  20. Hi Sarah! I have been following your blog for a while and am a fan! I would like to make the mini red velvet cupcakes (from your October 5, 2009 post) for my friend's engagement party this weekend. How should I adjust the time (and temperature) for mini cupcakes? Look forward to hearing back from you!

    Thanks!
    Samantha

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  21. Are those silver balls edible? Where were they purchased? I've been admiring this photo!

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