Menage a Tois...

Ok, so I promised a peek at the Tres Leches cupcakes and here they are...

A fluffy vanilla genoise cake soaked in 3 different milks, topped with a real whipped cream, lightly sweetened and dusted with cinnamon, and garnished with a slice of rich guava paste. This reminds me of living in FL and taking trips to Miami, feasting on all things Cuban. This would go great with some of that strong Cuban coffee. Yummers!

On another note, the wedding weekend went off without a hitch! Beautiful Polynesian wedding complete with dancers and my cake at the forefront of it all :-) What can I say, I'm a proud Madame ;-)

There were 144 girls total in addition to an 8" sculpted cake and a 6" sculpted topper cake (for the anniversary). I handmade all the sugar flowers and the couple's monogram that topped the 6" cake, as well as the "bamboo" pillars that held up the cake (they were covered in sculpted sugar paste). Also, the stand itself was made by yours-truly and custom-decorated to match the wedding theme.

As if it weren't honor enough just to be asked to make the cake, I got to make it for 2 of the greatest neighbors and friends a gal could have! Congratulations to Terri and Henry. Here's wishing you all the best in the years to come!

Feel The Excitement, Baby...

Well, I have been working diligently on a project to become a vendor for the soon-to-open Avoca coffee on Magnolia in Ft. Worth. Yes, exciting, I know, but you know what's even more exciting? In going through my financial statement, all my costs, and performing a feasibility on whether this deal would work in my current situation, I realized it wouldn't. No, no, this is a GOOD thing! Why? Well, because in doing all that work I also realized that I can get my own place! Yes, that's right, I am on a mission to bring the Bordello to a neighborhood near you! I looked at 2 places today, one of which I am absolutely in love with and spent most of the day drafting a design for the interior, and the other, well, not so much. I'm not going to release the whereabouts for fear I may jinx things, but I will say it is in Fort Worth (lol, big surprise) and it's in a walkable area. I am soooo freakin excited I can't stand it!

How About a Peek??

Wow! Today we became one of only 3 companies chosen to be featured on the CRAVE, Ft. Worth website in the Sneak Peek section for the Ft. Worth book scheduled for release in December. :-) Not only are we in the Sneak Peek section, but we were also featured in the CRAVE blog!

The book is scheduled for release in December which is sneaking up on me it seems. If you purchase the book (I believe they will retail for $19.95), then you will get discounts on many of the shops featured, including the Bordello. I have a 10% coupon for any one item you purchase.

On another note, having your own business never fails to present you with adventures. Some good, some hilarious, some just freakin sad. Today I experienced one of those 'sad' ones. Not 'sad' like crying or upseting, but 'sad' as in, Man, that's just sad that these people are like that.

So, there is this scam that has been going around forever in the baking world...yeah, I know, crazy, lol. Anywho, these folks claim to be disabled (a crime in and of itself if you ask me) then they say they need a wedding cake, no expense too much, and they will have someone come pick it up on their behalf...a "private shipping company." They go on to say to bill their credit card (which has been stolen, no doubt), and then they want you to wire the money to them for the shipping for which they will reimburse you. Of course, if you fall for this, then you soon realize there is no shipping company and you have busted your @$$ making a cake for no one and are out not only your labor but your "shipping" money as well.

Luckily for me, I don't buy the fact that a bride from Ontario who is "hearing impaired" visited me and tasted my cake (I do consulations for all my brides) and I totally forgot about her and had no paperwork on her, and waited until 2 weeks before her big day to frantically call me and request a 5-tier stacked cake, lol. I was suspicious from the word, go. Needless to say, when I sent her a lovely email declining the order and informing her of the similarity between her request and a national bakery scam, I didn't hear anything more. I may have added a few choice words in my reply, but I'll keep those to myself ;-)

Yeah, we do that...that too...

I hear folks so often ask, can you make a cake that looks like this or that? Or, do you make this flavor of cupcake? I may not always have a recipe developed yet for a particular flavor, or have made a cake that looks like your uncle Jim-Bob's maple sap bucket stuck on the tree that you and your sister carved your names into when you were five, but I LOVE a challenge;-)

This week, I was challenged with the infamous Italian Cream cake and another favorite, Tres Leches cake. I have to admit, I've never made either. I've eaten them once...twice...ok, maybe a lot. I knew what I liked and what I didn't like about them, so I put my pen to paper, pulled out my tried and true recipes and went to work.

Like all my recipes, I used only natural ingredients. Many of the Italian Cream cake recipes I studied called for shortening or margarine in addition to butter. One recipe had no butter at all...it was ALL shortening and margarine! BLECH! Another called for sweetened shredded coconut. Uh, can we say, high fructose corn syrup?!? Well, I am proud to say, the end result is nothing short of perfection in all its real butter, natural coconut flaked, Austin Nut pecan filled, mascarpone topped, glory.

So, without further ado ~drum roll~ here she is...

P.S. - Still working on the Tres Leches. Stay tuned!

Well, here we are!

Wow, my first blog as a business-owner. How exciting!

The past 3 1/2 months have been an absolute whirlwind of activity. I have had such a great response to the Bordello that I find myself going crazy trying to keep my life organized. I guess that's a good thing, eh?

I've been at 3 different markets: The Beach Street Market, The New Public Market, and the Grapevine Open Air market, and have met so many folks and seen return customers over and over. I've also heard a lot of questions and comments about the Bordello, what we sell, and what we're all about. Sooo, I think it's only appropriate to start my first blog entry by answering some of those questions and introducing all of you to my passion!

• What's the deal with the black cat in your logo? Do you sell cat food?

Uh...no. We do not sell cat foot, cat treats, cat-related merchandise, or cats. The black cat (translated, Le Chat Noir, in French), represents the first cabaret opened in 19th century France. It was a place for poets, artists, and other eccentric folk to enjoy musical acts and female entertainment. That's one explanation anyhow. The other is, I actually own a little black cat who is the love of my life. She is getting-on in years and having her depicted in my logo and business name is my way of thanking her for making me so happy. Ok, wipe the tears away now ;-) Moving on...

• What is a "Cupcake Bordello"? It sounds dirty.

Dirty, no. Alluring, mysterious, and just plain fun, yes. Every one of my cupcake creations is named after a type of woman or describes a woman in some way. Why? Why not? I figure it's only fitting that a dessert so beautiful, so seductive, so sinful, and so tempting, be named after a woman, don't you?

• Ok, I've seen your macaroons and they don't look anything like the ones I grew up with. I mean, no coconut? What's up with that?

The macaroons you're thinking of are a southern tradition, are made with coconut and sweetened condensed milk. MY macarons (notice the spelling, M-A-C-A-R-O-N), pronounced, Mac-Rahn, originated in France. They are made with almonds, sugar, and egg whites, and are a meringue-like cookie. Each one is flavored differently and filled with a homemade filling, either fruit curd/jam, buttercreams, or ganache. And I actually DO make some made with coconut if you just can't bear to part with it;-)

• Where is your storefront?

I do not have a retail storefront. Wait, wait...don't leave yet! I do have a location where you can pick up your orders. All you need to do is give me a call, tell me what you'd like and when you want to pick it up, and I'll be there, girls in hand, ready to pass them on to their new home with you. Think of it this way: no lines, no waiting. I can't promise that you still won't have the hard decision about which flavor to get though; with a repitoire of over 40 flavors (and growing), you'll want to order more than one, I'm sure.

• Do you make anything else besides cupcakes and macarons?

ABSOLUTELY! I make pies for the holidays: pumpkin meringue (with bourbon infused meringue), apple, and more, all with homemade pate brisee pie crust. If there is something you have in mind, whatever kind of pastry, give me a call and we'll talk about it.

Wow, I guess that's enough for my first blog. If I keep going I'll run out of things to talk about! Oh, who am I kidding, I never run out of things to talk about;-)