Playing Catch up!

I can't believe it has been almost a year since my last post!  Its been quite a busy year here with lots of ups, downs, turn arounds, and of course, cakelet making.  The Cupcake Envy Book is in its finally stages and I am very grateful to the publishers for their patience and guidance throughout the process.  I had no idea how challenging a book is to create and I can tell you, I cannot wait until I can finally hold it in my hands. The publishing date is set for early 2014....whew!

I am very excited about our new class offerings and think there is something for everybody.

Interested in mini cake design? Just click on the Cupcake Envy Classes link below and learn more about each of our classes.  Reserve your spot today!

November 2-3, 2013

  Cupcake Envy Classes

Here's a sneak peek-

Tiered Mini Cakes

Sphere Shaped Cakelets

     Pretty Mini Purses

Flower Power!

I am so excited to see everyone in class this November!  xoxo

New Fall Class Schedule

Fall is just around the corner and we have 2 new classes that we just can't wait to tell you about!

Class Registration can be purchased through Cupcake Envy's shopping cart at:

http://www.shop.cupcakeenvy.com/

Hand Painting on Fondant

This 3 hour class is an introduction to the wonderful world of hand paint on fondant.  Each student will leave with a heart shaped cakelet beautifully painted using techniques taught in class.
Topics covered:
-         brushes
-         mixing colors
-         blending techniques
-         design placement and balance

 In addition, each student will leave with a started set of petal dusts including 5 colors used in class.

Date:  September 15th  
Time:  9 AM - 12 PM
Location:  1624 Heritage Garden St. Wake Forest, NC

Price  $100.00 per person

Mini Wonky Cakes

Welcome to the world wonky mini cakes!  In this class each student will learn how to create, stack, and decorate a 3 tiered mini wonky cake.

Topics covered:
-         baking pan options
-         stacking tiers
-         decorating ideas

 In addition, each student will leave with a set of 3 mini wonky baking pans in their choice of round or squared.  Let the fun begin!
Date- September  15, 2012
Time- 2-5 PM
Location - 1624 Heritage Garden St.  Wake Forest, NC

Price   $125.00 per person

Catching up with Cupcake Envy

Wow!  It's been a long time since I've blogged, so here we go.  The last few months here have been crazy good and crazy not so good.  I have been working on our book which is  coming along nicely.  This is the first book for Cupcake Envy and I can't wait until the word is written and off to the the publishers.  There are approximately 40 cakelet designs for you to try your hand including various difficulty levels, themed projects, and templates  (yay!!!!)  Again, this is such an exciting opportunity and the process has been an amazing learning experience.

Now, for the crazy not so good.  As many of you may be aware, I have lived with Lupus since being diagnosed when I was 10 years old.  I have managed to live a fairly normal life barring my mother's constant screaming, "Amy, put your sunscreen on!!!!!!!!!!  Yikes.   I consider myself a very lucky Lupus patient as the bumps in the road have not been so bad.  About 2 months ago, I started having chest episodes that were very scary and painful as well as significant fatigue.  That led to doctor visits and more bumps in the road.  In addition, I was graced with a bizarre rash on my legs that was leaving scars and leaving a few of the doctor's scratching their heads.  Possible causes included kidney disease or Diabetes.  Now, for those of you out there with Lupus, the last thing you ever want to hear is kidney disease.  I am in my 3rd different treatment and the rash is starting to look better.  This is where Cupcake Envy comes in.  Folks, before anything, I am a wife and mother of 2 beautiful boys; 12 and 10 years old.  Many of you can relate to the ups and downs of parenting and even those times that you feel like you are functioning in pure survival mode.  ANd what killed me the most was not being in control and having to lay down instead of go! go! go!  Unfortunately, Cupcake Envy was put on the back burner.  I had to focus on getting better and being there for my family.  We've managed to make it through these past months with amazing support of neighbors, friends, and most of all, a sense of humor.  Now I have always been able to find funny in almost everything, ask around. It is isn't funny, I would make it funny.  This time, it was pretty hard to find the funny.  Overall, I am feeling better, I have my energy almost back to normal and I've gotten back to teach classes.  Boy, have I missed that!  I t feels so good to see students again and create beautiful cakelets together.

I want to thank you for all of your support and kind words on Cupcake Envy's Facebook page.  It really did help and brought a smile to my face throughout this process.  Now, it's back to work!!!!!!  The old Amy is back so watch out for bizarre cakelet designs, new fall cakelet classes, and favorite new tools and pans I can't wait to share with you.  Let the cakelet revolution begin!

Spring Living Social Deal

There has been a change in class location:

Holiday Inn Express  Raleigh North

11400 Common Oaks Drive

Raleigh, NC  27614

                                                                                                          

Thank you for purchasing our Living Social Deal for a 2.5 cupcake decorating class and double DVD set.  Below are class dates to choose from.  We have a 10 student limit and class dates fill on a first come first serve basis.  Once you decide on a class date that works for you, please email us at cupcakeenvy@aol.com with the following information:

Name

Voucher Code

Phone number

1^st and 2^nd choice class date.

We will in turn, send you a confirmation.  If the class date you wish to sign up for is full, we will promptly email you so that you can choose an alternate date.

We have a 72 hour cancellation policy for our classes. Same date class cancellations cannot be rescheduled.

June 26                                              August 14                                 October 9

June 28                                              August 16                                 October  18

July 10                                                September 18

July 12                                                September  20

Any questions regarding classes, registering for class, or canceling a class should be communicated through our website contact us page or by directly email Cupcake Envy at cupcakeenvy@aol.com.

Thank you again for purchasing our deal, we looking forward to seeing you in class!

Cupcake Envy's Living Social Deal!!!

Living Social Deal

Thank you for purchasing our Living Social Deal.  To redeem your purchase, please choose a class date from below and email us at cupcakeenvy@aol.com with your preferred class date, your name, and your Living Social promo code.
**All classes run from 6-9 PM**

Class dates:

November 21         December 8      January 24          February 9        May 8               June 14

November 29         January  3         January  26         April 10              May 10            August 14

December 6           January 5           February 7          April 12              June 12           August  16

All new classes for November!

Check out the new November Classes!

 

Cupcake Envy is offering 3 fun holiday themed classes and also a class teaching how to ship your goodies anywhere in the country.

For full class description and to register, click here.

Giveaway!

Yay!!!  Giveaways!!!

Cupcake Envy is offering 2 really cool giveaways for all cakelets lovers throughout the world! 

Giveaway #1-

Win a Cupcake Envy Sphere Shaped DVD with the necessary baking pan!  From Christmas Ornaments and baubles to sports balls and planets,  this DVD will teach you everything you need to know and you'll have the pan to make it happen.

                              

How to Enter:

Two easy steps! 
1. Simply tell us in the comments section on this blog post why you think cakelets are awesome.  
2.Copy and paste your response onto our FB Fan Page. (see the link below)

You HAVE to complete both steps to be eligible for this giveaway.

Cupcake Envy

Promote Your Page Too

-Participation in this giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on August31, 2011. 
-The winner will be chosen by random drawing on September 1, 2011. 
-One entry per person. 
-Multiple entries will result in exclusion from the giveaway. 

The contest winner will be announced on our blog September 2, 2011.

Good luck!! 


Giveaway #2-

Win a collection of our most beloved cakelet templates.  
Templates include: 
the flower pot, the baby onesie, and 3 different dress top styles. 

How to Enter:

Two easy steps! 
1. Simply tell us in the comments section of this post which cakelet design  is your favorite and why.
2.Copy and paste your response onto Cupcake Envy's Twitter page. (see the link below)


You HAVE to complete both steps to be eligible for this giveaway.

-Participation in this giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Sept. 14, 2011.  
-The winner will be chosen by random drawing on September 15, 2011. 
-One entry per person.  
-Multiple entries will result in exclusion from the giveaway. 

The contest winner will be announced on our blog September 16, 2011.

Good luck!! 

Zombie Attack!!!

Fight Zombies with Cakelets!

 Zombies are everywhere!!!  So, you must be prepared in case of an attack.  There are a few necessities you'll need if you are going to stand a chance. We'll get to that later, let's start with the cake board.

The board design was pretty straight forward.  I didn't even bother to cover in fondant.  It just had to be bloody.  Using a mixture of red gel coloring and vodka, I made the blood splatters by flicking the end of a fan shaped paint brush.  The effect was pretty cool but I knew I needed a hand print.  It was late and my hand was the only one available at the time.  Although the bloody hand print turned out cool, it is day 3 since creating this design and my hand stills appears suspect.

 Next, it was on to the Survival Kit.  Again I made a small sheet cake and cut out a rectangle shape.  The box was covered in white fondant and using a ruler, I indented a line going around the side of the box then dusted the line with charcoal petal dust for depth.  I added 2 latches and a handle then adhered an edible image Zombie Attack Survival Kit image on the top.  Lastly, I dripped some "blood" (see above) along the sides.  Yuck!  That must have been one hell of a battle.

Next, we needed a weapon.  The most common and efficient weapons for fighting zombies include bats and shotguns.  Due to space issues, I went with an axe.  It will still do the job and let's assume the bat and shotgun are in the survival box. Hee!
The tree stump is stacked circles of cake and covered in chocolate fondant.  The top of the stump is a lighter shade of brown with scribed circular rings. (it was an old tree ;)  The axe was created using brown fondant for the handle and gray fondant for the blade which I painted with a mixture of silver luster dust and vodka......and of course, I added some blood!

A quick Beware Sign was created using edible imaging.

And if you look close, you can see a silhouette of a fallen zombie. I killed the zombie and won the battle....this time........ 

Fortune Telling

Fortune Telling Cakelets?

Okay, I admit it.  I love to get my palm read on the boardwalk.

 If someone offers to do a tarot card reading, I'm there! So, it only makes  sense to celebrate all things mystical.  

To start, I covered the cake board with red fondant and using a ruler, I indented vertical lines.  Next, I used charcoal peta dust and a paintbrush to bring out the lines and add a bit of "old and spooky" look to anchor the cakelets to come.

The Ouija Board was created using edible imaging.  It wasn't until I Googled ouija boards did I realize how many different styles there were!  But I went with a classic look.

Next came the crystal ball.  The ball itself is a sphere shaped cakelet covered in white fondant and dusted with silver luster dust.  The base is a circle shaped piece of cake cut from a small sheet cake baked in a brownie pan and covered in blue with fondant stars.  I dusted the ball with antique silk luster dust and charcoal petal dust to give it some depth. Lastly, I added a tarot card printed using edible imaging.  I chose The Fool because that is not far from the truth for me.  If they had crazy lady, that would have been most fitting.

The final Cakelet design was the Fortune Telling machine. The Zoltar takes me back to my childhood when I used to love the movie Big. ( I still do)  I used the remaining cake left from the brownie pan stacked and shaped it accordingly.  The machine is actually 2 pieces; the base and the curtained top secured with a lollypop dowel.

 I covered the machine in chocolate fondant adding wood grain accents.  The red curtain was attached and then I dusted the creases with charcoal petal dust for depth.  Lastly, the fortune and the Zoltar sign were done with edible imaging. I hope my fortune was a good one!

Kitchen Cakelets

Retro Kitchen Cakelets

There's something really cool about the 50's era.  Fun colors, shapes, and style are evident in every part of 50's life.  From furniture and cars to fashion and architecture, everything about the 50's are so cool.

The cake board is covered in black and white fondant squares then brushed with vodka to give it some shine.  I chose to do the color blue for the stove and frig. cakelets for 2 reasons; blue is my favorite color and also a very popular 50's color.  

Next, we're on to the stove cakelet.  I did a ton of Google searches to find the exact stove I had in mind.  It had to have rounded edges, alittle bit of chrome, and a touch of whimsy.

To finish off the stove, I brushed the entire cakelet with vodka. (ps- brush the blue part first and THEN the black.  Vodka will pick up the black color and smear it into the blue which kinda sucks.)

Lastly, there is the refrigerator.  Again, I Googled like crazy until I found the right one.

 The refrigerator cakelet design is pretty simple and complimented the stove well. I also brushed it with vodka for some shine.

  I swear my Hungarian grandma still has a similar looking frig. in her basement to this day.

Step by Step - the Purse Cakelet

Purse Cakelet with Coordinating Cupcakes

Today I worked on a really fun purse design and wanted to share with you the step by step process so you can make them too!  Also, I included some coordinating cupcake designs that would go perfect with this pretty little cake.

We hope you enjoy the pics and pass this how-to on to others.  Oh!  And don't forget to post your cakelet masterpieces on our Facebook fan page.  While you're there, join in the conversations and welcome to the world of cakelets!

Here we go!

Time to decorate!

The end result........

All finished....yay!

 

September Classes- Weekend Workshop is back!

Cupcake Envy's Cakeletpalooza Weekend Workshop is Back!

When:  Friday and Saturday, September 9th and 10 , 2011

Where: The Hampton Inn of Wake Forest, North Carolina

Back by popular demand, we are offering another weekend workshop.  The last time we offered this workshop it sold out!

You can pick one class or take them all!  If you choose to take them all, you get one of the classes free.  Also, Cupcake Envy offers ICES members a $25.00 rebate for each class.  This is a really fun workshop filled with tips, tricks, and cakelets! Below are descriptions of all of the classes being offered.

Register today through our website or by clicking here. 

10 fun decorating techniques and a Flower Pot Cakelet

Class date -Friday, September 9th  9 am -12 pm
Location The Hampton Inn of Wake Forest, Wake forest, NC
This class is jammed packed with fun and easy decorating techniques that will surely elevate your skills to pro!
 In addition, each student will create a flower pot cakelet using various decorating techniques learned in class.

Techniques include:

1. Making flowers
2. stenciling
3. painting on fondant
4. cutters
5.  veiners
6. luster dusts and pedal dusts
7. adding texture to fondant
8. using silicone molds
9. making templates
10.  piping with royal icing

All supplies are provided by Cupcake Envy.

$175.00 per person

Coffee, shopping, and Dessert Cakelets

 Class date -Friday, September 9th  2 pm -5 pm

Location The Hampton Inn of Wake Forest, Wake forest, NC

What's better than a cup of coffee with dessert after a day of shopping?  In this class, each student will learn how to make the following cakelet designs:

The Coffee Cup

The Shopping Bag

The 2 tier mini cake

All supplies are provided by Cupcake Envy.

$175.00 per person

Baby Themed Cakelets

Class date -Saturday, September 10 th  9 am - 12 pm

Location The Hampton Inn of Wake Forest, Wake forest, NC

This class teaches you how to create 3 of Cupcake Envy’s most popular baby themed cakelets .  Each student will create and decorate the following cakelet designs:

The Onesie

The Diaper Bag,

The Maternity Shirt. 

All supplies are provided by Cupcake Envy.

$125.00  per person

 Girly Cakelets

Class date -Saturday, September 10 th  2 pm - 5 pm
Location The Hampton Inn of Wake Forest, Wake forest, NC

Back by popular demand, Girly Cakelets is all about the ladies.  In this class, each student will create the following cakelet designs:

Purse Cakelet

Dress Cakelet

Sandal Cakelet

The last time we offered this class it sold out!

$175.00 per person
 

 See ya in class!

Catching up with Cupcake Envy

It's been a really busy few months here at Cupcake Envy!
To start, we had the pleasure of traveling to Icing Inspirations in Ontario, Canada to teach a 3 day cakelet workshop.  Collectively, we creative over a hundred cakelets making it the coolest Cakeletpalooza we've ever seen.  Icing inspirations is a great shop filled with the coolest cake decorating supplies and a wonderful selection of classes you can take throughout the year.  If you live in the Kitchener area, I highly recommend stopping in.
You can check out their website http://icinginspirations.ca/ 

Holy Cakelets!

Here's me and my assistant who is also my sister and partner in crime

Next stop, Cupcake Envy will be traveling to Maryland in August teaching a one day cakelet workshop. This is coordinated with ICES and a Day of Sharing 

Moving on to September, Cupcake Envy will be teaching at Cakelove 2011 in Vancouver, Canada along side some of the best cake designers in the country.  Cakelets are certainly taking off and we love leading the way!

 You can check out our class offerings at http://cakeloveyvr.com/classes.html

October is going to be great!  Cupcake Envy is an official instructor for Cake Central and will be  heading to NYC teaching a 2 day workshop!  Ah, my old stomping ground. 

I was born and raised in Northern Jersey and look forward to seeing friends, family, and getting my cakelet on.  Eating at a diner again will be the icing on the cake !

Here is the link for class information and registration.

http://cakecentral.com/classes/instructors/amy-eilert/ 

Lastly, you can read all about Cupcake Envy and Cakelets in June's edition of Baking Buyer magazine.
Very Cool!
Cakelets: Small Size, Big Buzz
http://www.nxtbook.com/sosland/bb/2011_06_01/#/30/OnePage

For all the latest info. regarding cakelets and Cupcake Envy, follow us on
 
Facebook
Twitter

Three new classes for July!

We've managed to squeeze in 3 new classes July before we hit the road for Ontario, Canada.  We are keep the classes small with a 10 person limit so sign up today if you want to snag a spot!

Register today! 

See ya in class!

10 fun decorating techniques and a Flower Pot Cakelet

Click To Enlarge

Class date - Saturday, July 16th 2 PM - 5:30 PM
Location The Hampton Inn of Wake Forest, Wake forest, NC
This class is jammed packed with fun and easy decorating techniques that will surely elevate your skills to pro!
 In addition, each student will create a flower pot cakelet using various decorating techniques learned in class.

Techniques include:

1. Making flowers
2. stenciling
3. painting on fondant
4. cutters
5.  veiners
6. luster dusts and pedal dusts
7. adding texture to fondant
8. using silicone molds
9. making templates
10.  piping with royal icing

$175.00 per person

Edible Imaging Systems and Cakelets

Click To Enlarge

Edible Imaging Systems and Cakelets

Class Date - Saturday, July 16th 9 AM - - 12 PM

Location - The Hampton Inn of Wake Forest, Wake Forest, NC

This class will teach you how to use edible imaging systems to enhance your cake decorating.
In this class, each student will:
-Learn about edible imaging systems and incorporating edible images to  cakes, cupcakes, and cakelet designs.
 -Learn about using icing sheets
-Create a design using our edible imaging system
-Adhering your edible image to your cakelet design
-Various ways to use edible images

Each student will create a  custom book cakelet using edible image decorations
 $175.00 per person

The LV Purse Cakelet

Click To Enlarge

Date - Sunday, July 17th 9 AM - 12 PM
Location - The Hampton Inn of Wake Forest, Wake Forest, NC
Learn step by step how to carve, cover, and decorate the famous LV Purse. Once we teach how to paint the pattern, you're going to want to make this design for everyone!
Each student will:
1. Carve and shaped the LV Bag
2. Cover with chocolate fondant
3. Add decorative detail
4.  Learn how to hand paint the LV logo pattern
5.  Hand paint your very own LV Purse.

 Register today!