Gluten Free or Not?

Hello Readers!
    Celebration are fun, everyone comes together to celebrate a certain event, or just to get together and catch up. The thing with celebrations are that most people include food. The saying that food brings people together is quite true. But it is important to include GOOD food, or else the saying doesn't come into effect. Cake is a traditional dessert for parties, and has been for generations. But current trends are leading towards Gluten-Free, and non-GMO products. Does that mean that the beloved cake will no longer be enjoyed by thousands of people each year? The answer is simply, no. Contrary to popular belief, more and more recipes, delicious recipes mind you, that are Gluten free are being discovered. My business is currently experimenting with different recipes to add to our list of delicious cakes that are also Gluten free. My brother has an allergy to Gluten, and is also a VERY picky eater, which makes him the perfect taste tester.  My mom also has been exploring the world of Paleo, which is a dairy free, grain free diet, and has actually found a couple good recipes. While I am able to create Gluten free, Dairy free, and Paleo foods, I am not able to certify them. Since I do both, and in the kitchen that my family lives out of, there is particles of flour and dairy floating around. I do know of people that have TWO kitchens, because of how sensitive they are.
     But why all the talk about Gluten Free? Simple. This is a craze that has taken off at a high speed, and is growing constantly. Many bakeries are going out of business because they do not offer a certified Gluten Free treat. Most don't even make it somewhat Gluten-Free. This craze is not something that is just going to go away. In fact, my mom has urged me to at least consider doing an all Gluten/Dairy free business. Some bakeries, not many though, are jumping on this bandwagon and converting completely to Gluten-Free. These businesses are actually doing pretty well, depending on the area of course.
     Gluten free is not just something that a witch doctor came up with and everyone believes it. It actually does make the person feel better. But most people still argue, "But they ate it fine in the old days!" while this is true, we can no longer ingest it like they did. Today the wheat farmers actually spray roundup on the crops to make it easier to harvest. When you buy  bread from the local store, you are eating wheat that has been sprayed with non other than one of the most popular brands of weed killer. They also add Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) which are seriously bad on your body. I know you are probably craving a double chocolate cake, with extra chocolate. It's fine to have some if you aren't allergic to it. But it might be better to actually take into consideration these points.
    For those who have a condition such as Ulcerative-Colitis or Crohn's, I understand. I too have Ulcerative-Colitis, and I deal with it everyday. What I know is, is that Gluten is harmful as well. Which is why I'm reading into it, and also coming up with recipes for you guys as well.
    Now if you completely disagree, and are a Vegan, I'm not trying to offend anyone. This is just my understanding and that one should not be eating this much Gluten. Animal cruelty is a thing, and I am against it, but you are being cruel to your own body by eating this much Genetically Modified food. If you are Vegan, try to cut down on Gluten as well. I know it's hard, but it's better for your body. I'm currently looking at Vegan/Gluten Free recipes for you guys.
    Now I also eat a lot of Gluten. I know, I know you are looking at me like I am a hypocrite. But you have to listen, since my brother has Celiac, our family eats Gluten-Free. We have no white bread in our house. We don't have anything in our house that has Gluten, unless it is something for the older kids. So I don't necessarily eat a lot of Gluten. A lot of people look at me like I am deprived but honestly, I have gotten used to the taste of the pasta and I am fine with eating this way. But when I do eat a lot of Gluten, I don't feel well, my stomach hurts, I feel bloated and just not regular. I know I know you say, "Eat Activia!" But activia is not going to help you any more. In order for activia to actually work, you need to make it yourself. But that is another discussion.
   So in conclusion, try making this small change in your diet. You don't have to give up Gluten completely, but maybe just give it up in your choices. For instance if you have the choice between a lettuce wrap, and a tortilla, get the lettuce wrap. It doesn't have to affect your life hugely. Try it for 6 weeks, because 1 week isn't going to make a change. Maybe instead of going to a bakery that doesn't do Gluten free, go to one that does. Gluten free cake doesn't have to taste bad. Maybe do an experiment where you go to the different Gluten free bakeries, or bakeries that have Gluten free options and try out their flavors and see which ones you like better. My at home bakery does do this option, and even has a Paleo option. If you are in the area, come check me out. Hopefully this change in your diet will help you to live a fuller life.

~Sarah
P.S. Follow me on social media. You can get the links at my website: https://sarahsweets.wix.com/home
 
 

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is coming up! For this special event I have a special offer for those in the area!
Offer starts February 1st and ends February 15th at midnight!

New Business!

Hello readers!
I have now created my own website for my business. The name of my business is Sarah's Sweets . Since I now have this new website, I will be using this blog for my business. This business is based in Mt. Pleasant, MI, so for those reading that are in the area, you are in luck! But even if you aren't, please check it out, and share. This business is still in the beginning stages, and could really use some advertisement! ;)  To help get the word out:
~ Like and Share my page on Facebook
~ Follow me on Twitter
~ Add and Share my page on Google+
~ And check out my website! Sarah's Sweets

Thanks so much!

~ Socialbutterfly

My first wedding

Hello Readers!
Aren't these beautiful?
I made these for a wedding, and they turned out beautifully! If you remember, I actually the same thing for the Victorian cupcakes. They are just in white, and have really cool cupcake wrappers.

And by the way, Thumbs up to the new Wilton boxes! They are so much sturdier than the others, and I was able to transport all 160 cupcakes in them without any of them breaking!

Thanks for reading!
Keep Baking!

Socialbutterfly
 

Victorian Cupcakes

Hello Readers!
Look at these gorgeous cupcakes that I did for a little girl's birthday!

 

These were so pretty, and so easy to do! The first step was to create the flowers that were on top of some of them. The smaller flowers are violets, and the larger ones are prim roses.

I made three different kinds:

The ones on the far left were probably the most simple to do. All they are, is a swirl of frosting, with edible pearls from Wilton, and a buttercream flower on top.
The ones in the middle:

 Were also pretty simple. I just frosted the cupcake, then I took a large star tip and piped stars all over. Then I put edible pearls in the middle of each "star", and added leaves.

 

The Last ones were a bit trickier. I used my large star tip and made a shell border around the edge, then I piped a large mound in the middle. I added leaves and put on some edible pearls. 





Thanks for reading!

Keep Baking!

 

Socialbutterfly

Two cakes

Hello readers!

Today I made two cakes:



 

 

 

 

 

 The one on the left is a dark chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling, and fudge frosting.

The decorations are white wilton roses made with a #104 tip, and green leaves, and a white shell border using a #32 closed star tip.

 

 

 

The one on the right is a yellow cake with raspberry filling and cream cheese frosting. The decorations are smaller wilton roses using a #101 tip and the color was made by adding some golden yellow to pink. the shell border is made with a #32 closed star tip, and green leaves.

 

Thank you for reading!

 

Socialbutterfly

 



Summer Testing

Hello Readers!
 Summer is here, which means no school, and a little more time to relax. But, as summer gets closer, cake orders become more frequent. But this year I am determined to try some new recipes to add to my "menu". Here is a list of what I am hoping to try this summer:

Gluten-free:
Lemonade Cake
Hot Cocoa Cake (really want to try this one!)
Passion Fruit
Chocolate Orange
Banana
Strawberry
Chocolate
Yellow
White

Regular:
Red Velvet Cake
Lemonade Cake
Hot Cocoa Cake
Passion Fruit Cake
Orange Cake


Yes, you read right! Gluten-Free Lemonade Cake. Sounds a little weird. I heard it is really good, and decided that I should try to convert it to a Gluten-Free cake, so that my little brother, Beany, can have it. Plus, it would be a good edition to my business, on account of how many people are Gluten-Free. I am also working on adding Dairy-Free as well, on account of my other brother, Builder, not being able to have Dairy, which is really hard on him, since he is the first one that offers to lick the spoon! Now since two of my brothers have restrictions, that helps me in a way, because they are my official taste testers. I also have a few friends who would love to help me. Who knows, maybe I will figure out a Gluten-Free recipe that is really good!
Thanks for reading!

Keep Baking!

Socialbutterfly

~How To~

Here's another "How To"! Don't worry if you are getting tired of the "How To's", I'll soon be posting about how to make a cake from a box taste like a cake made from scratch.

Anyway let's get to it!

This cake is a triple chocolate cake, filled with dark chocolate ganache. 

You can either use canned frosting, or make your own dark chocolate frosting.

After you have made your frosting, frost the cake generously with it.

Then place Hershey's kisses and pipe stars around then as well as on on top of

each. Then with a larger tip, pipe stars around the bottom for a boarder.

Then pipe on the words.
This cake was made for my neighbor's radio station.

Thanks for reading!

Keep Baking!

...Socialbutterfly...

~ How To ~

Hello Readers!
Today I will be showing you how to decorate this cake:

 Isn't it pretty? 

Ok so to get started, the first thing you do is bake two heart-shaped cakes. Then you want to cut a little bit out of one of the hearts, and fit the two together to look like they are interlocking.

 Then you frost your cake with whatever frosting you desire. I was making a sugar free cake (I know, right?) for an anniversary, so I used white, but you can use what ever color you want. Then you do a simple shell border around the bottom.

 Then just like the bottom you do a shell border around the top: 

Like I said before, you can use what ever colors you want. This is just what the customer wanted for this particular cake. The next step is to add your roses. I made the Wilton style rose, but you can use what ever flowers you want, it all depends on your preference. You are going to want to put an odd number of roses on each side of your cake, I know it sounds weird, but it makes the cake look a lot prettier.

 With all the flowers placed:

Then the next thing, and this is important if you have made any mistakes in the process of transporting your flowers to the cake, is to add the leaves. With leaves you can add as many as you need, and it makes the roses stand out a bit more, as well as hide any mistakes. ;) 

And finally the next thing you do is add your writing. You can also add rings, to symbolize marriage, but I didn't here. You can also add anything else you think it needs depending on the reason you made this cake. :)

 This is a great, and simple cake for any occasion.

Thanks for reading my blog!
Keep Baking!
Socialbutterfly

Cupcakes for a graduate!

How many cupcakes do you think there are? Well, there are 150! I had to bake and decorate 150 cupcakes for a graduation party and I only had 2 weeks to actually do all the baking. It took 2 weeks to experiment with the different flavors. The first flavor was just plain vanilla with buttercream frosting. The second flavor was German chocolate with it's special coconut frosting, which is more like a filling then an icing, but is still delicious! The third flavor was a dark chocolate cupcake with raspberry filling/frosting. The filling/frosting is regular raspberry filling, but mixed with whipped cream
 to give it a fluffy texture. It is really good!

 The fourth cupcake is an apple cupcake, with a caramel apple filling, and a caramel apple frosting, which incorporates the apple filling as one of the ingredients. The fifth cupcake is a chocolate cupcake with peanut butting frosting. These were topped with graduation hats that I made with a peanut butter cup, Ghirardelli caramel filled chocolate square, and topped with yellow licorice. (seen below)  And the sixth and final cupcake flavor is a mocha flavored cupcake with a mocha buttercream. For the recipes of the apple and the coffee flavored cupcakes, I will post the links on my list of recipes, (on the side bar of my blog). The apple one is from Java Cupcake, and the coffee one is from Brown Eyed Baker.
Socialbutterfly

15 Roses for a graduate.

Look at this beauty!
This cake was for a special friend for her high school graduation!
The cake was a plain white cake with cream cheese frosting, YUM!
I first did the writing because, lets face it, it is tricky! Then I put a mound of frosting on top of the cake to make the roses look like a bouquet. Then I placed the roses on the way I thought looked best and added leaves to fill in any mistakes, and they do make the cake look a lot better. Finally I added a shell border.
This cake was simple but elegant! It is definitely a cake that you could change the look of, depending on the occasion. Like instead of roses you could do drop flowers, prim roses, or even a bouquet of wild flowers! (Made out of frosting.) You could change the border to drop flowers, and instead of writing on the side do a garden scene!

Thanks for viewing my blog!
 
Keep Baking!

:)

Socialbutterfly

You will be having goose bumps from these creepy, cute cupcakes!
      The silly pumkins, all I did was make a apple shape with a large writing tip, added eyes nose mouth, and a green stem and a leaf.
      The cute cyclopes are so cute! You put green or yellow icing on a cupcake add a mouth, eye, tooth, and pocka-dots!
       The spiders and cobwebs are pritty much make the shape or shapes with a writing tip.
These are some cute cupcakes for any Halloween party! Or for that matter, any time!

Socialbutterfly

Pretty but simple

This cake was a very simple, but cute cake!
The first thing I did was I frosted a two layer yellow cake with vanilla frosting mixed with whipped topping, that was colored purple. Next I added the border using a large star tip. Next I placed 7 white wilton roses on top and added leaves. And finaly I added the words.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Socialbutterfly

RUBY RED FROSTING IS EVIL!

This is one of my recent cakes.
This one was hard because ruby red frosting and white do not work well together.
This cake is, as you can see, in the shape of interlocking hearts. One heart is red velvet cake, and the other is white cake. The frosting is a cream cheese frosting.
The roses are made of buttercream frosting. The border and the writing are vanilla. So if you think that is it, ha ha ha, that is not it my friend. To top it all off it had to be SUGAR FREE! This was not the easiest cake to make, but it was fun! And I welcome the challenge!

Socialbutterfly

How did I do it!

I did this little beauty two years ago!
The first thing I did was I took vanilla cake mix and baked it into a cross shaped cake pan. Then I frosted it with vanilla frosting and used a closed star tip to do the border. Next I put on seven wilton roses I had prepared with royal icing three days before and let them dry. Next with a leaf tip I, well, added leaves. And finally I wrote the words. The hardest thing was either making the roses or icing the cake.

Socialbutterfly

Hi! my name is Socialbutterfly.
That is my pen name because everybody calls me a "Socialbutterfly"
I am also a homeschooled teen who owns a business decorating cakes.
On this blog I will be posting pictures of cakes that I have decorated and I will also write about how I did it. sometimes I will write about school and hobbies.
I have five brothers, no sisters. One of my brothers is a freshman in college. The rest are all younger than me. All of us (except the one in college) are all homeschooled.
My brothers names are Night owl, jetter, Builder, Beany, and PJ. PJ is the youngest.
We are a Big Happy Family!
Thank you for visiting my blog!

Socialbutterfly