About the Price List

Hello and thank you for your interest in my goodies. For those of you who are new, you will find this blog a little nutty and hopefully entertaining. For those of you who aren't, I'm sorry. You will have to put up with the same mindless drivel you have come to expect from my posts.

It's finally here; I have come up with an introductory rate price list. It is posted on the left...your other left...there it is. You will see pricing for cakes, cheesecakes and cookies. Other treats may be discussed via email (cellassweets@gmail.com.)

On the list there are a few things I would like to point out. The fondant I use is homemade, meaning it is very tasty and I can add a multitude of flavors to it. This is not your "peel the fondant off before you eat it" you may be used to. Trust me when I say, my fondant cakes are very tasty. The prices listed are for a layer of fondant with simple fondant designs layered on top. Other options may be discussed via email (cellassweets@gmail.com.) I am tinkering with 3D cakes as seen in the slideshow. Prices will vary depending on degree of difficulty.

When it comes to the cheesecakes, these are my babies. I love cheesecake and I highly recommend you try one. The crusts I use are the traditional graham cracker, Oreo (and I mean Oreo, no imitation sandwich cookie here, just crushed Oreos and butter...you had better wipe off that drool before you get it on your keyboard), chocolate shortbread and sponge cake. The Oreo and graham cracker are included in the pricing, however the other two are just a little bit more. The Towering Cheesecakes are a combination of cake and cheesecake layers. Very, very tasty. Picture a sandwich cookie, but instead of cookie and filling, you have cake and cheesecake. There is a picture of the Carrot Cake Cheesecake in the slideshow.

The cookies are pretty self explanatory. The Holiday sampler will include your choice of two of the above mentioned cookies along with an assortment of holiday treats, including but not limited to, fudge, thumbprints, fruit and nut balls and cookie crisps, not the cereal. For a nominal fee I will package them in a Holiday tin and deliver them to that special person at home, work or wherever. I can sing a song and have the Rockettes as my back up dancers but that does get a little pricey.

I am very flexible with what I can do, so if you have any ideas not on my list, please contact me to discuss it. I am very excited to offer these treats and hope you enjoy them.

My Red Velvet Adventure

The following is rated PG for overall general frustratedness and mild peril.

Ok, so it has been two weeks since I last blogged about my baking idea, and in those two weeks I have been doing a lot of thinking. You see, the tasting revealed I had no idea how to make a Red Velvet Cake. I mean, it looked the part, being extremely red and complete with the white frosting, but the taste was not up to par with other desserts I have made. So I took a journey, a quest of sorts to create a Red Velvet Cake worthy of accolades such as, "Wow, that's a good Red Velvet Cake," and "Can I have some more please?" So here is my tale.

Our story begins in a small town called Gaffney. Now Gaffney is known for two things, outlet shopping, and a giant peach; grocery stores is not one of them. In the land of Gaffney the townsfolk cried out "We need a Red Velvet Cake!" So our hero, (that's what I'm going to refer to myself as, because, well lets face it, this is my blog and if I want to be a hero I will be. If you have a problem with that you can start your own blog and write about it, but then I wouldn't read that blog, so it wouldn't affect me anyway.)

Our hero mounted his trusty steed named Honda Civic and headed to the wastelands known as Ingles. Here he found only half of the ingredients he needed, because... it's Ingles. He traveled further to the land of Wal Mart to visit the merchants at this location. You see, our hero isn't a big fan of shopping at Wal Mart since every thing he needs in the rear of the store and of course there are only two of 40 lanes open. Sir Joshua, (yep, I knighted myself too) braved the vastness of Wal Mart, bartered with the locals, slew a dragon and rode the lands back to his humble abode. It is there he slaved a fortnight (in this story a fortnight is about 6 hours, I really took my time.) mixing, and stirring and adding potions and ingredients until his hands bled (Ok, they didn't really bleed, it was the red food coloring from the cake, that stuff got everywhere: all over my hands, the counter and even on the rug in the kitchen, we needed a new one anyway.) At last, the Valiant Sir Joshua removed the cake from the oven iced it down with his proven Cream Cheese Icing and presented it to the king.

A calm fell over the towns folk as the king took a bite. "Too dry," he proclaimed. This really crushed the handsome, Valiant Sir Joshua, but giving up was not an option. He consulted many wise men and magicians. He sat at the feet of many philosophers to ascertain wisdom on the Red Velvet Cake matter. You have heard of Paula Dean, Bobby Flay, Martha Stewart; all fools in the eyes of our hero, he did however combine the teaching of such food magicians and came up with his own recipe. A recipe so divine, its contents must be shared with the world, so here it is.

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The brave and handsome Valiant Sir Joshua of Columbus offered his creation to the king. Again the towns people looked on in wonderment as the king sampled our hero's creation. His eyes lit up as he savored the bite. "Scrumptious!" he proclaimed as he took another bite. "Ahh, delectable, as was the first," he shouted with cake in his mouth. The towns folk cheered with glee and excitement, for no longer will they live in a realm where the Red Velvet Cake is dry. No longer will women and children search for a glass of milk to dip their cake into. No more will tyranny reign down on the Gaffneyites. No, from now on, moist cake will grace the lips of every citizen in Gaffney (who possesses $4.95 for a slice.)

THE END

Sorry about that, Marcella was on my blog again.

Here is what really happened.

I made a Red Velvet Cake and it was dry. I made another one and it was dry. I made a third one that was ok. I got red food coloring all over the place. My fourth recipe ,which was actually a Paula Dean recipe that I "fixed," was phenomenal. Now, wasn't the other version better?

The cake at the top was the final result of a Red Velvet Cake I made for a friends baby shower. Four layers of Red Velvet goodness. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures once it was cut into. This week I am working on Biscotti, German Chocolate Cake, and various pound cakes.

That's What I'm Talking About

Last night I was prepared for a few family members to stop by and tell me how good my deserts were. I was even prepared for a couple friends to do the same. I was prepared to sit around for an hour or so waiting on people to show up while fighting the wind over the table cloth and paper napkins. Basically, I was prepared for a little turnout and disappointment. I had already convinced myself no one was going to show up and I was not going to let that get me down.

Well, a few family members did stop by, as well as the friends. I did fight the wind, and the wind won most of the time. I'm sure there are still surveys, and menus blowing down Woodruff Rd. with cream cheese icing on them. Hopefully some one will pick up a menu, lick off the icing, enjoy the icing, and call me to order a cake...now that's a marking scheme I bet no one has tried before. What I wasn't prepared for was the great turn out.

Last night we had over 50 people show up, resulting in the complete annihilation of the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake, the utter destruction of the Carrot Cake, the near fatal wounding of the Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, and the Red Velvet Cake...well, it probably left with a severe headache or something (this recipe needs some work, but I will fix it soon). We received over 35 surveys, as well as two orders for cakes, two leads on business loans, some marketing advice on how to improve my survey, and a possible business opportunity. Thank God for blessing the evening.Statistics aside, here is the part where I tell you about the desserts, all of which are pictured on the blog.

The Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake was, by far, the most popular. Picture a larger, creamier, and, in my opinion, better tasting Reese Cup, and you have a good idea what this dessert is all about. Peanut butter lovers will thoroughly enjoy this. The Carrot Cake, pictured in an earlier post, received excellent feedback as well. The secret to a decadent cake like this one is...love. Ha, ha, I'm sure that's not the secret you were looking for, but the cake is very moist and very tasty. The Chocolate Chip Cheesecake was not sampled as much as the previous two cakes, but the reviews for it were outstanding. It' is a New York style cheesecake with a chocolate chip-graham cracker crust and chocolate chips throughout. The Red Velvet Cake was the least popular, and rightfully so. While the appearance of the cake was very pretty, the cake portion was a little too dry. So, I'm scrapping that recipe and trying again.

I would like to thank everyone for coming last night and helping me out. The feed back and connections I get from a tasting like this is worth the time and effort put into it. I am already excited for the next one and I am looking for some ideas on what to sample next.

The Best Things in Life are Free...and Delicious!

So here is the low down. Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 1, I will be sampling a red Velvet Cake, a Carrot Cake, the pictured here, Chocolate Chip Cheesecake and possibly one other cheesecake, if I can squeeze it in. I will be set up in the Woodruff Rd. Wall Mart parking lot, in the corner nearest to the Chic Fil-A (just look for the red table). Sampling will take place from 5:30-7:30 pm.

All that I ask in return is that you fill out a small survey on the cakes you taste. I'm basically using all of you as guinea pigs as well as conducting a little market research. This allows me to update my portfolio, as well I can see what types of cake work, and what types of cake need work. I will have contact information and a general price sheet if any one wants to order a cake or cheesecake.

This is a very exciting step toward opening up a bakery here in Greenville; a baby step, but a step none the less. I hope to have a tasting every couple of weeks, and I hope to see more and more of you as we progress.

Let them eat cheesecake!

I was thinking, the longer I put off scheduling a taste test, the less likely it is to occur. So here it is! I will bring at least 3 desserts to Greenville NEXT WEEK! I'm tired of setting goals weeks and months from now. It is time for action! So here is the low down. Either Tuesday September 1 or Wednesday September 2, I will set up shop for friends, family, strangers, imaginary friends, pets, and anyone else with a sweet tooth. I will have a location and time set by this Sunday.

I'm thinking Tuesday evening around 7 or Wednesday afternoon around 2; depending on who responds to showing up. Please let me know what works for you and any ideas on where this can take place.

There will be a Red Velvet Cake, a Chocolate Chip Cheesecake and a TBD dessert at the minimum. If I can get enough people to commit there might be a Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake (pictured here) in the forecast, and believe me it is tasty.

I will have some prices together for anyone who wants to place an order, but by no means will this be a high pressure sales pitch. I am doing this mainly to sample new recipes, add to my portfolio, and create a little buzz about my new adventure. I'm looking forward to seeing you there.

Help! Help! I'm Being Repressed!

Ok, so not physically repressed, and there is no violence inherent in the system to behold, but I do need your help.

I plan on carrying 3 or 4 staple cakes while rotating 2 0r 3 seasonal cakes. I'm set with a coconut cake, and as soon as I can get my edges from getting crispy I have a carrot cake (as seen to our left). What I'm looking for is a recipe for a Red Velvet Cake, German Chocolate Cake, oddly enough is my favorate and I have never attempted it, Devils Food Cake, and a White, or Caucasian Cake, don't want to offend any one. Also I'm taking any suggestions for other types of cake I am forgetting about or possibly a childhood.

While I have your attention, I wanted to run an idea by you. I really don't need to be eating all these desserts I'm making, so this is what I suggest. I suggest that once a week or so I will select a location in the Greenville area (and probably once in Ohio) and sample 2 or 3 of my creations. This will give me a chance to get feedback on my creations and to spread the idea of what I am doing, and for you, well, it is free dessert. The more people I can get to commit to coming, the more desserts I will bring with me. Bring a friend, or a loved one if you want, and help out an entrepreneur...wait what am I talking about, I'm sitting in a Starbucks with shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt, I'd hardly call myself an entrepreneur...help out a dude looking to follow a dream. There will be a 3-5 question survey to fill out regarding the desserts and I will have a price list together by then if anyone wants to order a cake or cheesecake I'm sure we could work something out. Feel free to make your opinions known on the matter and let's see some of those favorites I need to carry.

These Apple Turnovers are delicious! This picture just makes my mouth water.

12 eggs, 7 sticks of butter, 1/2 bottle of rum and a coconut.

No, this isn't breakfast in the Caribbean. It is my newest attempt at a coconut cake. The final product (pictured below) is a four layer cake standing about 4-5 inches in height. Inside,the cake is an extremely moist blend of vanilla and coconut, among the best I've had. The icing, while very tasty, was very difficult to make and spread. It didn't set as much as I would like an icing to, so the jury is still out on that. The coconut crunch on the outside of the cake, I could just sit down and eat from a bowl. They are shavings from a coconut...that I cut open myself, thank you very much...tossed with a coconut rum and sugar glaze then baked until toasted...mmmmmmm!In the end I will probably add another 9 inch cake round to the top and drop the cake to a three layer cake, but with thicker layers. I will also find away to make the icing a little easier to use. However, the batter and the coconut shavings are here to stay.