Beautiful Sunday

The day started like any other Sunday.  Up at 5am to bake biscuits and toast walnuts before heading out into the garden at dawn to pick violets.  Then pack the car and head off at 7am to market. No breakfast in bed for me today, but a promise to do something special when I get home.

Seems a box of our cakes was a popular gift for mums in Hobart.  The market was one of our busiest yet, helped by a quick visit to the local ABC radio to chat to Chris Wisbey and Alastair Wise about cake and custard.  I was very excited to meet Alastair, least of all because I'm a big fan of his mum.  We chatted a little about cake and ate one Alastair's delicious Portuguese tarts before heading back to the market. Before leaving I did get Alastair to taste one of our cakes, I was hoping he'd say "I hate this", but he didn't say anything.  I wonder what he thought....

We returned to the stall and it was just about empty, lovely Kelly who was minding our stall said she'd been swamped with people buying up big as they'd heard us on the radio!  Talk about news travelling fast!

Time enough to barter some market bounty for a Sunday night feast before pack up. When I got home there was a collection of beautiful handmade cards and presents of heart shaped jam tarts, rose petal tea, beeswax hearts to hang in the window and two brand new books to read. Lucky me! We cleared the coffee table and decorated it with candles and flowers before eating the market spoils beside the fire.

A really beautiful Sunday, and not like any other Sunday after all.

Hope your Sunday was a beautiful one too. xx

Read more

10 comments celebrations, cupcake, family

Share:

Movin' on up...

When we heard that Matthew and Ross were heading up to Flinders this weekend, Jo and I moved in on their site at Salamanca for the day.  Muscling in and sharing the turf with Bruny Island Cheese and Anne's legendary jam.  From Rare Foods to cupcakes, it's not such a big leap is it?

Salamanca Markets are big, really huge, with over 800 stalls it's a Saturday institution in Hobart that's been going strong for over thirty years.  Arriving at 7am to set up, already the coffee cart was doing a roaring trade amongst the buzz of zooming fork lifts, the clang of steel poles as stallholders built marquees and burly blokes unloaded box after box of fresh produce.  I found it very daunting and exciting at the same time, and almost, nearly felt like being at one of Paris' open air markets.

We had a great day, with wonderful feed back from lovely new customers, sold a lot of cakes and I got a real feel for the market, having never really spent a great deal of time there before.  It was a huge contrast to our regular Sunday gig, with thousands of people milling through the market, it was amazing to be a part of it for one day.

Today we were back at our home turf at the sunny Tas Farm Gate market, much smaller but I like it like that.  Today I stocked up on favourite sourdough, Jacinta's amazing pasta sauce and Paulette's delicious tomatillos for our Sunday night feast.

Who knows, maybe down the track we might consider being at both markets every week.  It'd be big. It'd be huge. Could we do it? We'd love too!

Hmmm..sorry guys, I don't think you're getting your stall back.

Read more

9 comments cupcake, hooray, tasmania

Share:

New cakes

We've been experimenting in the kitchen today. New cakes, new biscuits and new treats.

For our new spring menu for tomorrow's market.

It's fresh and fruity and a little bit salty.

NY Times Salted Chocolate Chip Biscuit

Apple lumberjack cakes

Lemon cupcakes filled with sticky blackberries

Mini blueberry huckle buckles

Read more

6 comments cupcake, markets, seasons, yum

Share:

Market report

Amy and Jo

Cardamom spiced chocolate filled with quince topped with a cream cheese vanilla bean frosting and cognac soaked raisin from Coco Chocolate.

Chocolate and hazelnut flourless cupcake with chocolate ganache in front of salted caramel pear with a hazelnut crumble topping.

Early Sunday morning the air was warm and still with the sky a glorious wash of pink. Arriving at the market at 7.30, I was grateful for the stillness so a pair of novices could wrangle a marquee for the first time without too much trouble. Even still, the wisecracking gourmet farmer yelled quips from across the aisle. The finished stall looked gorgeous, needing only a few minor tweaks, next week will be perfect.

As soon as the bell rang at 9am, our first customer said "I'll take $50 worth please" Wow! We sold out by 11.30. Not a bad effort. The response from the shoppers and stall holders alike was so positive. We're two very happy bakers. From crusty old farmers selling potatoes off the back of a truck, crusty sourdough, to a slick goats cheese stall, Tasmanian Farm Gate is a true produce driven market with a fantastic range.

When I first moved to Tasmania, I didn't know exactly what direction my career would take, but I knew I wanted to do something with food and perhaps sell it at a Farmers Market. It's only taken 5 years but I'm finally doing it. And that feels great.

Thank you so much for your kind words of support and encouragement. You are super nice!

Read more

12 comments cupcake, markets

Share:

Stamp of approval

Years ago I used to stamp wrists for living. Now I'm stamping cake boxes and brown paper bags with our very own stamp. I still have the touch.

I'm a little emotional to see our logo in the flesh. Having a stamp makes us official now. And we've banners and a marquee too. Yep it's all systems go at the cupcake factory as we get ready for our first stall at the weekly Tasmanian Farm Gate markets. We'll be there every Sunday. A proper job. Hooray!

Tomorrow I'll post some pics of our baking efforts :: we're working on salted caramel pears and cardamom spiced quinces for our fruity specials. Should be delicious.

Read more

13 comments cupcake, yikes

Share:

Introducing...

....our new logo, designed by the incredibly clever Alex Miles, just hours before giving birth to her son. True!

I really likey, yes I do.

And I would love to know what you think.

Read more

14 comments cupcake, me

Share:

Cakewalk

It may sound tough, but really, baking 200 cupcakes is such a lovely way to spend the day. We always make the classics of vanilla bean and chocolate. But it's the fruity flavours that are the most fun. First, we source ingredients we'll use to flavour our cakes from friends, neighbours or our own gardens. This keeps our special flavours local and seasonal. Today we had pears, figs, lemon, walnuts, bay leaves and mountain lilac honey to work with.

Honeyed thyme figs and walnut brownie

vanilla bean with lavender and pineapple sage

old fashioned chocolate with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting

Tomorrow's menu will be

Honeyed thyme figs and walnut brownie.

Pear filled lemon cake with honey buttercream

Quince filled lemon cake with lemon cream cheese buttercream with a damson paste star

Vanilla Vanilla with dried lavender and pineapple sage flowers

Old fashioned chocolate with vanilla bean cream cheese buttercream and Valrhona chocolate pearls.

And of course, our vegan, sugar-free, gluten free truffles.

We're looking forward to tomorrow's market, celebrating it's first birthday, it's sure to be a big one.

Good night!

Read more

8 comments cupcake, markets

Share:

The sweetest thing

Another successful day at the cupcake factory baking for tomorrow's market. Inspired by the abundant fruit available, I'm just loving the new flavours we baked today. A fragrant lemon cake filled with plump juicy blackberries and a very special vanilla bean cake filled with rhubarb. We tinted the the vanilla bean frosting with cassis then topped them with a piece of rosy pink dried rhubarb.

So pretty, they're the sweetest thing.

Read more

3 comments cupcake, markets

Share:

Damson in distress

The damson's been pureed and spiced then filled in this cupcake. So not really distressed. A chocolate cupcake filled with damson plums with a vanilla bean cream cheese frosting.

A sneak peak of the menu for Sunday's Market.

Do you like the polaroid? It's my new iphone app - shake it photo. You have to shake your phone to develop the picture. Lots of fun.

Read more

3 comments cupcake

Share:

Love stuff

Saturday's Odd + Even Market was such a delight. I loved it. The venue, the stalls, the craft workshops, the music, everything. Hats off to Jess and Cat for organizing such a great day.

I had a crochet lesson with the lovely and v.e.r.y. patient Bec. Not sure I'm totally in touch with my inner granny. Ack. See exhibit A in the picture above. Bec's is the perfect grey heart and my attempt to make one is the lumpy pink knot. She made the box too. Clever. And there's some cute mini bunting from Catherine. Love it too. (However, I. can. not. get. this. picture. to turn around and do not love that.)

I also picked up this adorable skirt from Lauren at Owlet. Which Elsa loves. I loved meeting Lauren, and that our truffles made her husband a bit teary! And I also loved catching up with other bloggy friends. Like the super nice Hazel, who delivered two these gorgeous Tasmanian botanical flips. I really love that.

Sadly, the truffles all sold. None left for me to eat. And fruity cupcakes like the vanilla with a lemony gooseberry filling and the strawberry filled one with white chocolate buttercream all sold out too. All in all, another cracking day at the market. You absolutely extremely gotta love that.

Read more

8 comments cupcake, friends, good things, markets, yum

Share: