valentine's day A Cupcake from Cupcake Wars

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This week's episode of Cupcake Wars had some pretty crazy cupcake creations. For Round One, the four bakers had to make a cupcake using items you would find in a convenience store. The items included beef jerky, cheese puffs, yogurt-covered pretzels, nacho cheese, hot dogs, red licorice, and slushie mix.

Bake You Happy created a cherry cola chocolate cupcake with a red licorice filling, topped with marshmallow creme and yogurt-covered pretzels. The judges loved this cupcake, although Candace Nelson suggested using regular pretzels instead of yogurt-covered ones.

A friend attended Bake You Happy's viewing party (I couldn't make it). She brought me home a cupcake from the party, the same cupcake Bake You Happy made in round one, with one change: regular pretzels. My husband and I were fighting over the cupcake...does that explain how good it was?! The pretzels added the perfect crunchiness and saltiness to the cupcake. I would definitely eat this cupcake again!


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valentine's day Interview with the Newest Champion of Cupcake Wars

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Did you catch last night's episode of Cupcake Wars? I love this show more and more with each episode I watch. I was so excited to see Bake You Happy, a Southern California cupcakery, take the win! Between their viewing party last night and the busyness of opening their new store, I was able to score an exclusive interview with Kim and Kim, owners of Bake You Happy.

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Your name and your company name: Kimberly Thurman and Kimberly Aeck Co-Owners of Bake You Happy

Where are you based out of? Santa Clarita

How did you get started baking cupcakes? We both have been baking since we were little. Kim and I met one day at 5am kickboxing class and would share recipes, ideas, and pictures of our creations. We respected each others talents and shared a love of baking, especially for our family and friends. So 9 months later we decided to make a career out of something we love and start a business together! It has been so much fun! Kim and I really balance each other. We make a great team.

What, if anything, did you do to prep for "Cupcake Wars"? Since we are in season 2, we were able to watch season 1 to know what to expect, especially from the judges. We definitely experimented with some recipes as well.

What were you most worried about on "Cupcake Wars"? From watching the first season, we really worried about time as well as being able to create something in such a short amount of time with ingredients we had quite possibly had never used before.

Was it hard coming up with a recipe for a cupcake using items from a convenience store? It was really challenging to make the cupcake in round 1. We definitley did not want a sovory cupcake, which eliminated some ingredients right away, so the toughest part was to come up with a cupcake that wasn't too sweet, because most of everything else was practically pure sugar....

If you could change anything that happened on your episode of "Cupcake Wars," what would it be? Honestly, I don't think I would change one thing. It was such an amazing experience. I can't say enough good things about the people that work on the show.

Was Candace Nelson really that nice in person? Candace was lovely. Not only was she so very nice and beautiful, but she seems to have a great sense of humor. She was always smiling. I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet her and spend a little time with her on the show.

Tell us one thing about "Cupcake Wars" we didn't know. Florian isn't as scary as he seems.

Do you have plans yet for your prize money of $10,000? We absolutely do...we are putting right back into our cupcake and cake business. We are opening a retail location in Santa Clarita in the next few days.

What will set your shop apart from the other cupcake shops in your area? We have delicious moist cakes as well as cupcakes. We have cupcakes available daily and we do take custom cakes orders for weddings, birthdays, etc. as well. Kim and I have over 50 years of baking experience together. We love our community and the people in it. We hope our cupcakery is a place people can come and know they are not only going to get a delicious cake, but feel comfortable, taken care of and walk away satisfied and Happy:)!

One last question, what's your favorite cupcake flavor? It depends on the season, the day and my mood:)..But today, I would have to say our Lemon Cupcake. It is a vanilla cake with lemon curd filling and topped with lemon zest cream cheese frosting...YUM!

And there you have it. Congratulations to Kim and Kim of Bake You Happy, the newest champions of Cupcake Wars! I can't wait to see your new cupcake shop. Good luck with the new venture!

valentine's day Interview with "Cupcakes Wars" winners Sift Cupcakery!

I had the pleasure of meeting the Sift Cupcake and Dessert Bar team this summer on my northern California cupcaking trip:

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I loved my experiences at Sift, so when I heard that they won Food Network's Cupcake Wars, I was delighted for them! Jeff and Andrea Ballus, owners, agreed to take a moment from their hectic schedules and give us their behind-the-scenes take on their experiences with the show.

How did you decide to appear on Cupcake Wars? Did you create a video application?

We created three audition videos! We never heard back, so we would just make a new one and keep calling the producers to see if they watched it. By the end, I'm sure they only said yes to make us stop calling. ;)

What was the filming/taping like?

It was incredibly intense. The crew on the set was amazing...I don't know how they are even standing at the end of the show...we were only still standing because we won $10,000!! Everyone worked so hard, it was a very looooong process. I remember begging the producer to let me change my shoes...my feet were killing me! Corey was a natural, she helped keep us grounded and calm (or so it seemed).

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What was it like behind-the-scenes?

It's so sureal actually being on the set that you've only watched on TV. It's also a little intimidating being in someone else's kitchen and having four or five cameras running after your every move. Many times we were like, "Woah! Watch out for the cameraman!" as we're running with a hot pan.


How different were your experiences than what we saw on TV?

It's really amazing how long you film for versus how LITTLE of it actually makes it in the 30-minute show. We tried giving Justin some of the wine we were using...that didn't make the cut. Ha!

Were you given guidance by the Food Network? Were there things you wanted to do but were unable to?


Take my shoes off, sit down, and enjoy a glass of wine. They didn't allow that...




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How did you choose your winning cupcakes?

We decided on our Samoa and Pink Champagne, which is one of our best sellers (and perfect for weddings!). Then we decided to bring in a little wine country with our Zinger (Zinfandel Ginger). We could have used our Ooh La La (top-selling red velvet), but we just felt that flavor was a little played out.


What was the competition like?


Competition was tough. Lucy & Leo's gave us a run for our money. And at the end we really had no idea which way the judges would go. We had two completely different wedding looks and themes. We called them on the air date to congratulate them on a great show. They were good competition!

How has winning affected your business, if at all?

Wow. We imagined business would increase...we just had no idea by how much. Let's just say that we took in extra money in sales that week...and paid for it in overtime! Ha!

In all seriousness, our Sift family has worked so hard, they are simply amazing and we couldn't be more grateful. They must love what they do because they keep sticking around.




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What are you planning on doing with your winnings?

We are launching a Wine Country Cupcake Truck! We'll roam the valley and vineyards and pass cupcakes to the wine-weary...or wine-happy. Follow us on Twitter @Sifted.

Is there anything else you want to share with our readers?

We just received our first Food Network order for Guy Fieri's birthday cupcakes! We're doing sushi, burgers, bbq, pizza, and Jack Daniels-themed cupcakes. We'll send pics when they're done.

[Images used by permission.]



We can't wait to see the Guy Fieri birthday cupcakes, and whatever Sift dreams up next!