Weekend Recap - Cupcakes Galore!

Sorry for the delay in recapping my weekend but I really needed Sunday and Monday off to recover. As I mentioned on Friday, my Dad got married this weekend and I was tasked with the role of pastry chef and photographer extraordinaire. 

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Overall, everything went great. The day was somewhat casual which was perfect since this was my first time taking photos that you can't just re-do should they not turn out. As for the cupcakes, I took Friday off work to bake and decorate four dozen of them (and one cake!).

On Father's Day, Birthdays, or anytime he can, my Dad requests chocolate layer cake with "dull" (butter cream) icing and Smarties - why would his wedding be any different? I thought cupcakes would be easier for 60ish people than a bunch of cakes and was too timid to try anything with tiers. I also wanted to make them pretty looking but there's only so much you can do with chocolate butter cream and Smarties...

As they came out of the oven...

I will admit to using boxed cake mix for the cupcakes. In my defense, it was way easier and much more practical for such a large batch AND no one could tell the difference! The reason no one could tell the cupcakes weren't from scratch is because the icing was 100% real butter and sugar - the good stuff!

I used this chocolate fudge recipe from Joy of Baking and it was really easy. Then I just piped it on and topped with Smarties... 60+ times...

Aren't they cute! I was really happy with how well they turned out, and they stood up all night and throughout the day. But the best part was that they were really tasty - after all, what's the point if it all tastes gross?

The cupcake papers made a big impact too - they came from Michael's. 

Although I probably complained throughout the day of baking, now that it's over I can't stop looking for another opportunity to do it all over again. However, my boyfriend said cupcakes aren't a viable career choice... part of me really wants to prove him wrong...

Enjoy!

Calli