This Valentine’s Day, I seriously considered making a sentimental cupcake post about love to go with all the romantic cupcake orders. Thirty seconds later I remembered that I’m really crap at being sentimental and that idea went straight out the window. Instead I was just going to stick a load of pictures up.
Since then though, a few things have happened that I really wanted to share. This is now a three-part post and I’m sorry in advance for the length!
Part One
My little sister arrived to pick up her special Valentines order yesterday afternoon- mini valentine cupcakes for her class at school. She’s ten years old, has a teenage attitude straight off the family channel that makes you want to strangle her, and is one of the most precious things I’ve had or will ever have in my life. I always know how much she means to me, but I sometimes forget that the feeling is mutual. Until I realize that out of all the people in her little world, she chooses to put her time and effort into making her Valentine’s card for me. It might just be a construction paper heart- but it’s got her best stickers on it and a painstakingly handwritten message inside and that’s all I need. My fridge is literally covered in ‘I Love You’ drawings of flowers and scarily disproportionate stick people with bellybuttons on their heads, but today, this little paper heart takes the cake.
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| Chocolate & Vanilla Valentine Minis :) |
Part Two
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Just in case rainbow sprinkle batter wasn't enough...
A rainbow sprinkle heart seemed necessary. Just so he'd know
what was inside, right? |
A little later a friend came over to get help making a cake for her boyfriend for Valentine’s Day. Nothing fancy- vanilla cake with rainbow sprinkles and about a ton of vanilla frosting was the order of the day. As we set out to make the tackiest looking cake we could possibly create, this pretty quickly became my favourite baking project ever. It wasn’t about looking good, it wasn’t about impressing anyone with fancy piping or decorations…it was about the time and love she wanted to put into it and the end result was adorable. At the end of the day, the tackiest thing I’ve ever put out of my kitchen is also the best thing I’ve ever sent out, because it was lovingly made (using a seriously excessive amount of sprinkles.)
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| All together now: D'awwwwwwwww |
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What's better than a fondant heart? A tye-dye
heart with a face, duh. |
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Normally I'd rather die than use those toothpick paper
toppers....but I think they really tied the whole thing together here. |
Part Three
As I’ve mentioned before, I work in a pub. It’s not the kind of place you’d expect to find a sentimental love story- mostly it’s full of alcohol and poor life choices. But everyone has a story, especially the old men drinking alone at the bar. One of our regulars found out about MeowCakes a few nights ago and immediately ordered a dozen Valentine’s cupcakes. “Make me your best ones, charge me whatever you like.” I was pleased, assumed his wife would be getting them to make up for him practically living at the bar and went about my business. Later that night, I found out that his wife has been dead for two years and he just wants to support my little project. It’s the same story with a few other regulars- one is a ninety-something guy who gets up at the crack of dawn every Sunday morning, visits his wife’s grave to tell her all about his week, and then waits outside for us to open so he can come have some lunch and a chat. Another was married to his wife for 65 years before she passed away- he pops in for a coffee and some company every single day. Even though he has the short-term memory of a goldfish, he can take you through every detail of his marriage beginning to end. I am one of the most jaded, cynical people you will ever meet- but the way this guy talks about his wife usually sends me running for the bathroom to have a little cry. So that Valentine’s order is going to be as fantastic as I can make it, because in my own little way I’m making it for all three of those men and the women they still worship.
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| Red Velvet Valentine |
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Valentine Order- top to bottom: Raspberry White Chocolate,
White Chocolate Amaretto, Chocolate Hazelnut. |
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| Red Velvets & Raspberry White Chocolate Roses! |
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| White Chocolate Amaretto Valentines |
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| Petal Dusted Rose |
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| What it's all about. |
