So folks, I did it again – word got out that I know how to bake, and I’ve become the “cupcake guru” with friends and loved ones. To be perfectly honest, I really enjoy it – there’s something almost therapeutic (for me) in baking, decorating, and delivering a batch of treats…in fact, it has few parallels. It’s a finished product, and one that you can receive direct feedback on. So in this instance, two very close friends of mine recently said “I do” – Robert Myers and Brandon Martinez. It was perhaps one of the most beautiful services I’ve ever seen (I cry in the movie Bambi, so of course I was a basket case). Like the last wedding I baked for, I had three varieties of cupcakes – the comedy and stress of making 150 cupcakes and getting them to the wedding (pictured above), once again, totally worth it.
This first variety was perhaps the most difficult. Robert and Brandon had a Fall-themed Wedding – hues of orange and cocoa created a warm, hunting lodge-esque ambiance (and the outfits of the bridal party and happy couple were stunning). So this first cupcake was a complement to that Autumnal feel: Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Caramel and Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s important to note that Brandon also requested caramel, and this was the perfect fix 😉
The hardest part of these cupcakes was the garnish : candied orange peel. I got a serious burn from these puppies (but that’s what I get for attempting an “Iron Chef” adroitness with boiled sugar…never again). They are a beautiful topping, but be warned – boiled sugar is a dangerous ingredient. Caramels, nut brittles – the secret lies in the risk. What’s funny about the caramel for these cupcakes is that it never reached the thickness I had planned for…and the result was a thin sauce that soaked into the cakes. While that may sound odd, trust me when I say that there were no complaints. Click HERE to see the recipe for these elegant cupcakes! 
The second cupcake was a Robert request – he is huge fan of all things tiramisu and chocolate, so I immediately came up with the idea to create Chocolate Cupcakes with Kahlua Ganache and Mascarpone Frosting. They were just as delicious as they sound. I used my go-to chocolate cake recipe, which always promises an extremely tender cake with a deep flavor. The best part about this recipe? It can all be made in one bowl, saving time and energy (a big plus when you have to make 50…)
Kahlua + chocolate = gold medal. The edge of espresso really deepens the “chocolatey” nature of the ganache, and kahlua is sort of awesome all on it’s own; a win-win situation. And for those of you who are curious, the alcohol is NOT cooked out of the ganache (though a single tablespoon will have little if any effect, I can guarantee it). Topped with a mascarpone frosting, these were absolutely decadent. I topped each one with a chocolate music note, to honor the happy couple’s musical lifestyles 🙂 Click HERE to see the secret to making these indulgent cupcakes! 
The third cupcake was the most playful of the three: Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with Fluff Frosting. I loved making these, mostly because I love saying “Snickerdoodle” (you can’t help but smile every time you hear it). These were surprisingly reminiscent of the beloved cookie. They had just the right amount of spice, were beautifully sweet and yet perfectly light. You’ll find yourself looking back on those childhood days, sitting close the oven while awaiting these sugary sweets…
When thinking about what to frost these with, I looked to a baker’s best friend: Marshmallow Fluff. I know what you’re thinking, but when it comes to cupcakes it is truly a godsend – it’s fun, sweet, and will make a frosting with the ideal piping consistency. Of course, topping these with an actual Snickerdoodle cookie was just too good to resist. Click HERE to see the recipe for these fun little cakes! 
For the wedding procession, Robert and Brandon chose one of my favorite opera excerpts: the “Final Trio” of Der Rosenkavelier (Knight of the Rose). To say this is a beautiful moment hardly does it justice – it’s breathtaking and a real tear-jerker (you guessed it, this was another “Bambi” moment for me). Given it’s a trio, I started to look at how the characters of this scene could relate to the three cupcake varieties. The trio has the following three characters:

Princess Marie Therese von Werdenberg (The Marschallin) – an older woman who laments her early marriage to a Field Marshal.
Octavian – the Maschallin’s young lover, who she elects to be the Knight of the Rose for her cousin Baron Ochs’ marriage announcement.
Sophie – Sophie von Faninal, the fiancée of Baron Ochs who falls in love with Octavian.

The trio is the moment where the three come together, knowing that Octavian must choose whether he continues to be The Marschallin’s lover or leaves to be with Sophie. It’s a beautiful scene that speaks to the undeniable power of love, and was the perfect start to a gorgeous ceremony. In terms of these cupcakes, each one can be paired to this trio of dynamic characters. The Pumpkin Cupcakes suit The Marschallin quite beautifully – not only are they elegant, but they are far more complex than meets the eye. Octavian has to be the Chocolate Cupcakes with Kahlua Ganache – he is “filled” with an irresistible passion for life, and a capacity for love that is unstoppable. That leaves the Snickerdoodle Cupcakes for Sophie – a young woman whose heart and character are the definition of youth. The clip below is my personal favorite, with Anne Sophie von Otter (Octavian), Barbara Bonney (Sophie), and Felicity Lott (the Marschallin).

(credit Adam Workman)

To Robert and Brandon –  I wish you all the happiness in the world, for I don’t know a couple who deserves it more than you. There is no doubt that the two of you are meant to be together, and I feel truly blessed for having had the opportunity to experience such a beautiful union – all my best.

Sources Cited:
“Der Rosenkavalier,” Wikipedia.com

We all grew up with the notion that our lives will lead to the iconic “happily ever after” – Disney can take ALL of the credit when it comes to my own history. Yet having seen that life doesn’t always brings you castles in the sky or a plethora of critters willing to  clean your apartment, reality eventually kicks in and brings us to what our childhood equivalents had deemed the “real world”. Yet watching Elizabeth DeVore’s and Christopher Patrick Maguire’s wedding was about the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a fairtytale. They just married this past August in Promise City, Iowa (a fitting name) after two wonderful years together. For their Boston celebration, they asked if I could cater the dessert course with cupcakes. While I still can’t believe that I actually baked that many cupcakes, I was even more surprised at how well they went over – yet for Elizabeth and Chris, it was totally worth it.
So there were two factors that had me somewhat anxious about this task : a) I had never baked more than 40 cupcakes at once and b) where in the world was I going to find space for 120 cupcakes?! I quickly established a game plan: bake 40 cupcakes a night, make creative use of freezer space for the multitude of containers filled with the cakes, prepare garnishes whenever possible, cream the frostings the night before, decorate the morning-of…I don’t know how much sleep I actually got that week, but it all turned out beautifully (and thankfully there is no evidence of the frosting process…I was all but covered in butter and sugar by the end of it!)
Let’s start on the Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Guinness Buttercream: Elizabeth and I have been friends for nearly two years now, and I’ve come to learn that she’s always down for a good beer. This was actually the first cupcake I thought of when she had asked me to bake. The original makes a ridiculous amount of batter: I managed to get 40 cupcakes PLUS one 9-inch cake out of the batch…so for the sake and sanity of my readers, I’ve halved the recipe (but feel free to go for the full batch if you’re willing!)
You don’t have to worry about taking a bite and instantly think “college frat party” – these aren’t like that at all. The chocolate’s flavor is beautifully enhanced by the stout, while the carbonation adds an effervescent quality to the batter. Yet don’t be fooled: like Guinness, these are hearty cupcakes, rich and dense – sure to satisfy anyone who loves chocolate. If you prefer to cloak the taste of stout, omit the Guinness from the frosting and replace it with milk or cream: click HERE to see the recipe for these rich, dark treats!
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are a classic at any wedding – the scarlet cakes are dessert’s most popular exemplification of “true love.” What’s tricky about red velvet batter, though, is achieving that dark hue…you would be surprised at the amount of red food coloring it takes. I kept adding more thinking, ‘this just can’t be right…I must be going overboard!’ Yet the result was exactly what I had hoped for.
Funny story about these: I made chocolate hearts for garnish by melting chocolate and piping it onto parchment sheets. When transporting them to the actual event, silly me forgot to put them into a refrigerator upon arrival…so I suddenly had a mangled mess of what used to look like perfect little hearts. Though I managed to salvage most, I was at least 10 garnishes short. I ran (in heels, of course) to the nearby corner store, bought 4 bars of Hershey’s special dark, ran back and quickly made additional garnishes. How this worked I will never know, but the fact that the bride didn’t find out until later that evening proves it was a complete success 🙂 Click HERE to see the recipe for these loving sweets!
So I saved the best for last, and I say “best” because of the number of recipe requests and compliments for these Lemon Buttermilk Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. I actually thought these would be the “leftover” flavor, but there were hardly any to be seen by the end of the reception. The cake is perfect – just the right amount of lemon with a beautifully tender crumb, with a cream cheese frosting to round it all out.
Their true beauty was thanks to the garnish: a pineapple flower. When I saw this adorable idea (a Martha Stewart creation, no less), I knew it would be perfect for the occasion. I didn’t realize that it would also be quite messy and time-consuming (though not as much as the frosting undertaking, ahem)…but the result was absolutely perfect! Aside from their visual appeal, they were also quite delicious (I’ve always against non-edible garnishes…) So all-in-all, these took the trophy for “best cupcake of the day” – click HERE to see how to make these show-stopping beauties!
The musical pairing for this was a no-brainer – as you read from the beginning of this post, Elizabeth and Chris have a love that is truly remarkable. They have both been through some really tough times, and yet their devotion has never waned. The wedding was, in a word, “magical” – both the bride and the groom were glowing, from the start of the ceremony to the end of the party. I don’t think I saw a single moment where they weren’t simply beaming. For the service itself, they asked Christopher O’Riley (host of From the Top, and a close friend) to perform. During the Sand Ceremony, he played his arrangement of Radiohead’s True Love Waits…this song is too perfect, and I couldn’t think of anything that would be better suited for this post. While I still can’t say that I believe in fairytales, Elizabeth and Chris have certainly proved that dreams can come true – enjoy!