Red hats and yellow chicks... a cute combination!

So... my dislike for cupcakes is slowing dissolving... don't mind coming up with some cute and yummy creations as long as I have time. I still think some cupcakes are way too time consuming, but when some turn out really darling like these little chicks, I can't help but smile. These were cupcakes that I designed for a friend who belongs to the Red Hat Society. Her group is "Yellow Chicks." So she wanted cupcakes for a luncheon party, and this is what we came up with. They were lemon cake with lemon curd and lemon buttercream icing... one of my favorites! And, of course, I do have a special fondness for "chicks." 

Whipped cream icing... tastes great, but not a favorite decorating medium

Yes, whipped cream icing tastes great, especially for those who like a "lighter" taste, but sometimes it can be a real "bear" to decorate with... and I found out  last weekend that edible pearls and stabilized whipped cream are not a good combination. I had never used edible pearls with whipped cream icing before. I decorated the cake the night before since it was a Saturday morning wedding delivery. Everywhere where I placed a pearl, the stabilized whipped cream cracked slightly. Still don't know why that happened, but I will not use them again. I will stick to the dots. Whipped cream is also very unforgiving, and is hard to get on the cake smoothly. Needless to say, whenever possible I will stick with the buttercream, ganache, and fondant. Thank you. 

Cake was vanilla with lemon curd, and yellow with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, covered in whipped cream icing.

Dolphin Cupcakes

If you follow my blog, by now you know that I don't care much for cupcakes, but... I must admit...these turned out pretty cute. A past wedding cake customer ordered these for a friend's bridal shower. They were having a beach theme, because the bride and groom are planning on getting married in the Bahamas or Virgin Islands, or somewhere tropical (I can't remember for sure) and the bride especially loved Dolphins and flowers. So, I looked for patterns online for dolphins and ocean waves, and with a little help from my Cricut Cake, this is what I came up with. The flavor was lemon with lemon curd filling and cream cheese icing. 

Looks like a pod of dolphins swimming their way into your tummy