I have never gotten so many requests for the same themed cake! I had 4 Yo Gabba Gabba cakes within a week! I LOVE YGG so I was happy and thrilled to do them all. It was so fun coming up with different designs to please each customer. I really wanted to make each one unique…a cake is something special and i love when I can make something special and unique for someone who is equally special and unique. This cake was for 2 year old Sadie. 

We incorporated the signature starburst with a happy birthday message and the bottom tier was decorated with each character made out of fondant.

I have to admit…I walked into Jillian’s (Sadie’s mom) house and I was totally scoping it out for ideas for my daughter’s birthday party the following day! She had all kinds of cute decorations for the party. She put Sadie in a homemade YGG shirt with Foofa popping out of a cupcake (that’s where I got the idea to incorporate a cupcake into my girls shirts). The cake went perfectly with all she had set up for the party. Such a fun cake to do.

Thank you again for the wonderful cake!!! We had SOOOO many compliments and comments on it! And then there was almost an all out war on who got the first character slice!

-Jillian, Sadie’s Mom

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SADIE!

That’s right, Football season is upon us and with the Super Bowl right around the corner you don’t want to be tackled at your party because you forgot to order your cupcakes early. We’ve got cupcakes to represent any team. Anything from team colors in icing or sprinkles, to helmets and footballs, to more elaborate team logos! Here are a few of the cupcakes from last year. 

Steelers vs Cardianls

Falcons vs Broncos

We’d love to hear from you! Let us know if you have any questions or would like to place an order. 

One of my 3 little cupcakes turned 2 today! My middle child Anabelle celebrated her birthday today. Actually, the real celebration was Sunday. We threw her a Yo Gabba Gabba party and proclaimed that our Ani was turning “TWO”dee (one of the characters names is Toodee). I have to be honest, there were lots of really cool ideas running through my head for the cake and decorations, but things are just way too busy, I had to hold back a little (actually a lot) in order to even get a party together. I pulled an all nighter the night prior to the party and while I was content with the outcome, I had so much more I would have loved to have done. So here’s a peek at the festivities! 

My little Ani on Halloween dressed as Toodee…we used this picture in the invitations.

I was swamped with work and a new baby and moving, so didn’t get to ordering any themed party decorations. Yo Gabba Gabba is SO hard to find in stores. So, 2 DAYS BEFORE the party I ran to find something that would work…heres what I did:

I was able to find bubbles in some of the colors of the characters and just added some of the simple facial features and POOF! they all came to life. The bubbles were a hit with the kids, but messy. I applied the same idea to the goodie bags, party hats and buckets for centerpieces. I was going to do the same to all the balloons but ran out of time! On a side note, I asked my 3 year old what kind of party she wanted, response: a Foofa party!

Here’s what the cake table looked like almost complete:

Here’s a shot of the cake!

So, the original plan was to do a 4 tier cake…each tier was going to have one of the Gabba lands as the background and the coordinating character on each tier with Toodee on top holding a ballon and the Yo Gabba Gabba starburst somewhere. Well, it was either a huge cake (with tons of leftovers) and no decorations, or a small cake and decorations. I opted for the tiny cake with cupcakes…much easier! I had a slight catastrophe with the liners…the all began to separate from the cupcake…solution: ribbon tied around each cupcake. 

I got SO many great shots of my angel on her big day, and I really tried to limit the number I posted.  Here’s my Ani enjoying her cupcakes! If you look closely you can see the shirt i made her is Toodee holding what else? A CUPCAKE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANABELLE!

Last week we had an order for some too cute cupcakes. Little Adam was turning 2 and his mom wanted cupcakes to match the party decor (plates/napkins, etc.). How fun! So we worked out all the details and she sent over a photo of the decor. Here’s what we came up with:

This was my first time attempting to swirl the icing colors…it was a little heavy at first and I feared there’d be kids running around with dark blue tongues (which I’m sure they’d love). We did 3 dz cupcakes, each with swirly blue frosting (the “water”) and chose some cute elements off the plate to decorate each cupcake with. We were very pleased with how they turned out! 

“Thank you for the yummy cupcakes! They were definitely a big hit!” 

Tiffany…Adam’s mom

First, can I say WHAT A YEAR! One year ago this month I embarked on the journey that is cupcakes.

While yes, a majority of the business was in my hands, from baking, decorating, and flavor concepts, to marketing, blogging, and even clerical….by NO means did I do it alone. I’ll try and make it quick, but here is where my gratitude lies: I am blessed to have help from my NUMBER 1, my husband. Thanks for ALL the PATIENCE and SUPPORT. My now three daughters Alicia (3), Anabelle (2), and Angelica (1 week)….they have no idea what lies ahead in the cupcake world! My Mom and sisters who have been there to help with baby sitting, taste testing, and creative ideas. My Dad, who is my voice of reasoning. My genius of a brother and sister who help in all creative aspects from packaging, marketing and website design. Ruth my beautiful model. Kitchen Couture for partnering up with us to bring you a couture line of aprons exclusive to Two Parts Sugar. Sugar Cat Studio for partnering with us to bring you couture cupcake wrappers. Dan Silberstein for getting us in last minute for last year’s LA Cupcake Challenge. The ENTIRE Super Delicious Team, Food Network and Ren Messer for believing in me! Katie B for graciously extending a hand to someone in need. Andy Ortega Photography for some amazing photos. The awesome bloggers out there….Zen Cupcake, Bake And Destroy (Natalie),Cupcakes Take The Cake, The Cupcake Activist, and anyone else who has helped spread the cupcake word. The CUSTOMERS……without you we would not have a place in the kitchen! Thank you to anyone and everyone who has crossed our path and helped to get us where we are today! 

So, as I was saying….This time last year we launched our website and life has been madness (in a good way) ever since. I have to admit, being a wife…no wait, a coach’s wife,  raising 2 children (now 3) and running a business is no easy feat. There were many times I wanted to give up, but my stubbornness wouldn’t allow me to. In the past year we have whipped up lots of cupcakes, cakes and treats, and have learned lots along the way. Our favorite moments of the year include participating in the arthritis walk to help spread the word about amazing kids like Faith who suffer from Juvenile Arthritis. Almost as rewarding, our blog was featured in the OC register, we took second in the LA Cupcake Challenge in the best traditional category, and auditioned and earned a spot on The Food Network’s CUPCAKE WARS (due to air December 27)! Needless to say it has been quite a BIG first year of baking for us!

This post is just to let all of our supporters, customers, family and friends how much we truly appreciate EVERYTHING! Also, to let you all know we are NOT slowing down! We have lots of aspirations for 2010! Some of our newest features include….a “make-over” for our website, new packaging exclusive to Two Parts Sugar, our “shop” which will include couture aprons and cupcake wrappers, new gourmet treats added to our menu, and much, much more! Events where you can find us: The Food Network’s CUPCAKE WARS, air date December 27, 2009…..The LA Cupcake Challenge, February 20, 2010…..The Arthritis Walk May 16, 2010! Please keep checking back for the latest, and if you have an event you’d like us to participate in or would like to place an order let us know!

twopartssugar.com

That’s right all you cupcake enthusiasts…WE HAVE AN AIR DATE! The Food Network’s Cupcake Wars will air on December 27th! We do not have a time yet but will keep you posted! For those of you who don’t already know, we were fortunate to be one of the competitors on the show. SO, tune in on the 27th and watch what happens!

We recently posted a little bit about the upcoming LA Cupcake Challenge and how excited we were about participating. Well….a few days later I was contacted by Angela Potter of the O.C. Register about having it published in today’s paper! So, if you haven’t already, pick up today’s paper (Sunday, November 22) and turn to page 3 of the Local section! It reads:

The blogosphere moves so quickly, it’s hard to catch it all. So each week we’ll bring you a taste of standout posts from local bloggers. The LA Cupcake Challenge isn’t until February, but the ladies over at Two Parts Sugar (www.twopartssugar.com/blog/) have already thrown down. They have big hopes for the competition…..

And yes, we do have big hopes for this event, but really just want to have fun with it. For those who know me, you can probably sense the sarcasm in my post. Do I REALLY think we will SWEEP the competition…probably not, but isn’t that the whole point of a “competition”…to WIN! There are LOTS of cupcake bakeries out there who work very hard and have AMAZING cupcakes. We’ve been around for a year this December, have NO shop YET and realistically are up against ALL odds….but that’s what keeps it interesting, and FUN! This event is so much fun and our main goal this year is to meet the competitors, judges, and cupcake lovers of LA. We want to HAVE FUN and if we happen to come out with a win….EVEN BETTER!

I have been getting many inquiries about how to become a judge (which I have no control over) and also how to get your hands on some tickets. There isn’t too much info out yet, but you can find out more here….I’m sure it will be updated soon! We will do our best to keep you all in the loop on the latest news with THE CHALLENGE!

Yes, you heard right…we absolutely LOVE Kitchen Couture and all it represents! For those of you unfamiliar with Kitchen Couture, they are a mother and daughter team, Dalyne Easley & Michele Fox that create beautiful couture aprons! You can read their story here! We LOVED their aprons so much, we HAD to have some made exclusively for Two Parts Sugar! This is one of our coordinating mommy/daughter aprons. Complete with cupcake and butterfly prints,hidden pocket, and princess tulle!

We really wanted something unique and AMAZING! Since children are a HUGE part of my life, I wanted to be sure to include some children’s aprons. We went with a few different styles to coordinate with the “mommy” aprons. They turned out fabulous! I can’t wait to get our “shop” up and running to be able to bring you the opportunity to get your hands on one of these exclusive couture designs! Keep checking back for the latest! A BIG thank you goes out to Kitchen Couture for some amazing designs!

AND…a big THANK YOU to Zen Cupcake for the post!

We just got word that the LA Cupcake Challenge is already in the works! This is the 3rd Annual Challenge and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of it. It will be held on Saturday, February 20, 2010. It will take place from 2:00-5:00 pm at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel. The event sells out each year, and for those that think cupcakes are just a fad, this event (and the media attention it garners) proves otherwise.  The goal this year is to get about 30-40 “judges” (in addition to the attendees’ votes) consisting of bloggers, editors, etc. Oh, and the icing on the cupcake (so to speak)…a percentage of proceeds will support Noah’s Bark Animal Rescue.  

For those of you who made have missed all the “buzz” last year, here are the results:

Best Traditional:

1st:  Susie Cakes: Red Velvet

2nd:  Two Parts Sugar: Raspberry Red Velvet

3rd:  Blue Cupcake: Chocolate

Best Original:

1st:  Polkatots: Dulce De Leche

2nd:  Sugar Jones: Blackberries and Cream

3rd:  Southern Girl: Sweet Potato Pie

Best Overall:

1st:  Polkatots:  Dulce De Leche

2nd:  Sugar Jones:  Blackberries and Cream

3rd:  Sugar Jones: Casanova’s Kiss

While we took 2nd last year in the best traditional category, this year we want a SWEEP! Yes, you heard correctly….bakeries BEWARE, we are holding nothing back and WILL be the talk of the competition! OK, but really, we can’t wait for this event! We had such a fun time last year and win or loose, we know this year will be even better. We will be sure to keep you all posted on what’s to come!

We have been working extra hard these last few months coming up with unique designs and working on some things you will be seeing here shortly. I can’t tell you the struggles, long hours (and I’m talking LOOOONG hours…like way too many overnighters), and set backs we have been faced with….but along with that has come some AMAZING opportunities. As many of you know we have been cast on The Food Network’s Cupcake Wars and couldn’t be more honored. While yes, that is probably the high point in our careers thus far, there are more things that we are proud to have been a part of. Even the smaller things…..from having the opportunity to create cupcakes for customers with AWESOME themes, to being featured on different blogs, to learning about and participating in the Arthritis Walk, just to name a few. We value every order that comes through our kitchen and truly appreciate all the well wishes and support from EVERYONE! That being said…we couldn’t be more thrilled to see our Sex and the City (which I have never seen and actually called it Sex in the City until I googled it!) cupcakes featured on Zen Cupcake! Be sure to check out the post and read the very kind words that were written about Two Parts Sugar.

Here’s what Selena (our  customer) had to say:

Hello! I requested these Sex and the City cupcakes from Monica. I’m telling you…I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect cupcake for our themed party! Not only were they adorable, they were OH SO tasty! Even the NY skyline was tasty.  Monica, you are so wonderful! Your talent is such a gift. I will rave about these for a while. 

Thank you Selena for the kind words! Wishing you the best with your first born…Sam!

We’d LOVE to hear your feedback…or if you have any questions or would like to place an order you can reach us here.