I skipped my blog post last week because I had this one coming and it's all I really wanted to post about but I couldn't yet.  My husband and I found out what we were having last Tuesday!  Why couldn't I post about it??  Because I made gender reveal cupcakes for my immediate family and then a gender reveal cake for my dad's side of the family to cut at Easter on Saturday; so of course I couldn't post here before then...plus I had the excuse to make both gender reveal cupcakes AND a cake this way!

It's funny how people base their gender guesses.  I had people dead set that it was a boy and even more that it was a girl...my husband being one on the girl side.  People kept saying that when they were pregnant they "just knew" what it was....well I must have missed that pregnancy tidbit because I did not have a feeling.  When asked, I would say boy because my husband was so sure it was a girl and because I live with three boys already (husband, cat, and dog).  

After 35-45 minutes of poking around with the ultrasound machine....yes we have a very stubborn baby already!  It was time to see if we could take a peek at the gender.  Why did it take so long? Well the little one is very low, head pointing down (looking so uncomfortable) so the ultrasound tech couldn't get a measurement of the back of the head like they needed.  So after lots of turning left, turning right, tilting back, really pressing and digging into the belly.... the head finally turned!  Phew!

Once we had the gender I went back to the bakery (I had made the cupcakes earlier that day and had them all ready to fill with the gender) finished them and started delivering them to immediate family.  And....it's a.......BOY!  My husband was in complete disbelief that he was wrong; he even said he never even considered the fact that it could be a boy because he was so convinced it was a girl!  He's pretty excited to have a future 4-wheeling buddy!

With the immediate family "in the know" I then made a cake for my dad's side for Easter.  I love making gender reveal cakes so it was pretty exciting to make my own.  Cake and video camera in tow....we let my Grandma Carley do the honors of revealing the blue cake inside!  If the day wasn't special enough already, my Grandma Carley sweetened it even more by giving me an apron she got when she was only four years old!  I will cherish it forever! 

​So now you know...it's a boy!  Thanks for another week of orders and I hope you had a great Easter!

You may be thinking...what does grilled cheese have to do with cupcakes?  And before you start thinking I made a grilled cheese cupcake..I didn't.  I do however love me some grilled cheese!  My go to at Culver's is a grilled cheese kids meal...and yes, I am aware that I am a full grown adult!

Anyways, back to the Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championship.  I participated as a vendor last year and am honored to be a part of it again this year.  If you don't know what it is, here's some information:

• Takes place Saturday April 23 at Harris Park (doors open to public at 11:00 am and 10:00 am for competitors)
• This is the 5th annual championship...which means it just keeps getting bigger and better every year!
• All day competitors compete in different grilled cheese categories.  There are judges to taste the sandwiches, and if you get VIP tickets you too can taste a few.
• Along with the competition there are food trucks set up, beer, wine, and a lot of different vendors selling items, mostly cheese, and me!...selling cupcakes of course!  What could be better?? Grilled cheese, beer and wine, cheese, AND cupcakes all in one place?!

Last year I had no idea what to expect.  I had been told it was a very popular event and that people come from all over the area for it...but I had NO idea it would be so packed!  It was amazing to see familiar faces as well as meet new people who had never heard of Steph's Sweet Treats.  I stuck with some fan favorites for flavors- vanilla raspberry, chocolate peanut butter, chocolate chip cookie dough, and chocolate chip cheesecake (you know...for some "cheese").  Even though I made over 400 cupcakes, I had to pack up and go home an hour before the event was over because I had nothing left.  Just like with open days, I know people don't necessarily like when I run out...but in my book that means a big success!  I'd much rather run out than have extras.  

I've been told that this year will be even bigger than last year.  Now I just have to decide how many cupcakes to take....500?  600??  Decisions, decisions.  If you've never attended the Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championship I recommend that you do!  It's a great spring event for people of all ages....and did I mention it's free to attend?!  General admission tickets are free, but VIP tickets are available.  With those you get: 

• To taste 4 of the grilled cheese competition sandwiches​
• A cup of Bob's Bitchin BBQ's tomato and grilled cheese soup (my absolute favorite!! The VIP ticket is worth this alone!)
• One free beverage
• Event grab bag.

To get your general admission of VIP tickets, click here.

I hope to see you all there!  Thanks for another week of orders and for making another successful open day last Friday!
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Don't get me wrong, I love all my orders and get excited to fill everyone's orders...but there are times when I get extra excited to fill an order.  This usually means I get to do something new, over-the-top, or something I've had my eye on.  In this case...the cake was all of the above!

The cake that was floating around Pinterest, Facebook, social media, etc. was a wood slab cake with a plaid inside and an ax coming out of the top.  Naturally, I wanted to make it!  Unfortunately, there are some technical things that needed to be done and known...and the only way to get them...pay a subscription to the site...

Then, a bride emailed me wanting the cake for her cutting cake!  (Minus the ax).  I was immediately excited and gave her a few options.  To do my own version of the cake, which would be close but could have some differences to the pattern inside and maybe the outside since I didn't have the exact methods that were used; or to add the website fee to the cake so I can get the inside scoop and apply it to the cake.  She opted for the website fee and getting the inside scoop...and here's what the end result was!

Sorry to plaster you with what may look like the same photo over and over...but I felt like I couldn't take enough pictures of the cake and just kept taking them (for your sake, I didn't put them all up!).  I did veer a little from the information I obtained from the site for the top of the cake, which was supposed to be done with an airbrush.

I just hand painted it instead....because while I have an airbrush...I've only used it once.  Not because I don't want to use it...but because I somehow managed to make it not work properly after only one use!  Oops!  And I have yet to figure out how to get it going again.  In the end, I was happy that my airbrush was broken because I LOVED the outcome of the hand-painting.  I liked it more than the airbrushed version.

To make this cake even more exciting...it was plaid on the inside!  It's a little hard to see, but the couple was kind enough to have pictures sent my way so I could see the inside.  I couldn't exactly cut the cake, take a picture and put it back together now could I?!  

As you can probably tell my my over enthusiastic photo taking, and blabbing, I love this cake!  It's always stressful when something you've never done comes your way, but at the same time...sooo exciting!  So I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I do!

Thanks for another week of orders, and I hope to see you at Friday's open day!

 Even though there really isn't a time of the year where there aren't any orders (knock on wood), there is definitely a busy season in baking....and it's about to hit!  I know it's hard to plan ahead, but if you have big events and parties from April-October PLEASE contact me as soon as you can to schedule things.  For example, I can only book so many graduation parties per weekend, so if you have a graduation party to plan, contact me now before it's too late.

Easter is only a little over three weeks away.  Since I have a wedding that weekend, I will have to limit the number of other orders I take.  If you would like to order for Easter, here are some ideas:
- Cake decorated for Easter
-Cupcake cakes (bunny, cross, spring flowers, etc)
-Cutout cookies (or decorated cutout cookies)
-Carrot cake cheesecake...yes this exists!!
​-Cupcakes (decorated or not)

Graduation season may seem like it is a long ways away...but it's not!  It's almost here!  If you are planning a party or know someone planning a party, please contact me as soon as you can or let the person know to contact me soon.  Even if you don't have exact numbers yet, holding your spot is key since I can only take so many a weekend....especially when parties overlap with weddings.

When most people think of graduation parties, they think cake, but you don't have to do cake!  You can do cake, cupcakes, cookies, or any combination of the above.   I can incorporate school colors (college or high school), career choice, hobbies, interests, and/or sports. Depending on the size of the party, I'd say people usually go with all cupcakes or a cake plus cupcakes.  If the party is smaller or just for family it's common to just do a small cake. Here are a few cakes to give you some ideas.

Weddings are all year round, but definitely pick up from June-October.  Even if it's not exactly wedding season right this minute, I have been doing a lot of wedding tastings and do have at least a couple weddings a month starting this month.  When I have weddings, it makes it even more important for people to give me notice for their orders.  I hate turning people away, but the likelihood of that happening goes up drastically if you contact me with less than a weeks notice during wedding season....especially this year since I will be farther along in my pregnancy and taking less orders.  

If you still have a 2016 wedding that you haven't booked yet, I have very limited availability, so contact me as soon as you can.  If you aren't getting married until 2017, it's not too soon to book!  The sooner the better...dates go quickly.  Don't forget to refer someone to Steph's Sweet Treats. If you know someone getting married, you refer them, and they book...you get a gift certificate!

So if you have parties and events already planned out for the next months, please contact me as soon as you can!  Thank you for another week of orders and I hope to see you at next Friday's open day!