Wow.

Are you kidding me???? How long do you think it takes to bake 80 cupcakes? For us, it took us 10 hours. I am twelve years old and my feet are killing me! My friend MF, my mother, brother and I were in the kitchen all day. And tomorrow, we will put all 10 hours of baking and put it to the test. My neighbors/ judges came over and one of them said, “….. It paralyzed my whole body” the other said, “Everything was perfect. There’s not one thing that is missing.It’s exactly right.” regarding my cupcakes that I am entering in the benefit. We have scooped, mixed, lined, and cleaned! Clean, clean, clean! We are exhausted. Somehow I got to write a freestyle poem for today so here it goes:

Cupcake

Cupcake lives on 1234 Pastry Ave. In a box shaped apartment.
Cupcake wears all different kinds of skirts like zebra stripes or bright,bold colors.
Each day she goes to her work at Frostings R’ Us.
After work she goes to the Sugar Factory to fuel up on sweet sugar and crazy calories.
 She is individually made with love.
 Her mother is Sprinkles and her father is Batter.
Her brother is Compote and her sister is Flour.
Her grandfather is Ganache. 
 She is rich in personality but can be fresh and vivid also. 
She has her hair up high almost reaching the sky and usually has a hairband or clip.

Signed,
Hope

Last day of writing camp and petsitting.

Well today was the last day of writing camp and petsitting the guinea pig. I have been going to bed at 11 and waking up at seven every day for 10 days along with baking our heads off. It has been a tad rough but fun all in all. I enjoyed spending time with Daisy but honestly its not my thing.Messy.Partly smelly when it comes to the cleaning. And cute. Somehow someway a guinea pig is cute.
And writing camp has been quite enjoyable as I have been going for 4 years now. I recommend it to young writers. It is super cathartic and actually(wait for it) fun. Yeah I know. How can essays be fun? Well they can! And anyway, we are heading into the cupcakes for cancer event and tomorrow will be completely dedicated to baking. Lots and lots of it. Not to mention we still are going to bed at11 and waking up at 7. Ugh. Well it is just another adventure.
Signed,
Hope

The sun is shining today …… Literally and figuratively.

So I guess that intimidating reality cloud has passed over my head. Hallelujah!!!! Now we are at the Preparation Stage of this benefit, as we think, ponder, question and wonder how we can improve these pretty little cakes. A friend told me today that baking is precise. Cooking is casual but baking is a work of art.
We have worked so hard and I feel so happy with myself that I am sharing a bite of happiness with the world. Everyone has been so supportive. I would like to thank my aunt in texas for giving me all kinds of ideas especially the texas big hair meringue recipe, my neighbor for making me banana chips and giving me special advice, my grandparents who have supported me and helped me with Tia Maria suggestions and everything under the sun. And everybody reading this blog right now! You are the people who make me motivated every day.

Brainstorming: What we have learned in this baking ordeal so far.

1- bananas turn brown in a dehydrator with out lemon juice.- MW

2- Cream of disgusting Tartar solidifies eggs.- Web.

3- To infuse cupcakes with a filling, an old baby syringe for liquid medication can be used for an even amount.- Mom

4- Always preheat your oven before baking.-Mistakes

5- chocolate has to be soft when you grate or vegetable peel it to make
curls. I have not been successful with the veggie grater but have used one
made for cheese and I got more of a shredded look. Oh yeah and put it in
the freezer for 30 minutes to keep its shape.- Bristol Farms bakery guy

6- Never measure over bowl.-Mima

7- Some people don’t like chocolate ( hard to believe ). -Dad

Not all support is great, as some people feel that cupcakes have not only taken over our kitchen but also our lives.- my brother

Signed,
Hope

Wow, my heart is heavy in cupcakes today. What I mean by that is life hurts. as I am baking and baking and baking I am fighting tears and my throat is tight. I am listening to my mom pray for a friend of hers who is fighting to live from that stupid cancer. She has two kids younger than me and my brother. Then when I was at the store getting baking soda (how trival) I saw in the paper about a young guy that was in an accident and burned so bad he can’t be himself ever again, how do you say goodbye forever to yourself????? My Mima works for Hospice and lots of boys and girls are meeting tonight to talk about life without the parents they loved. How do you say goodbye to a mom or dad forever?????? Well, I know a cupcake won’t change a person back to what they used to be. Maybe a smile on a face (if there is a face) is all I can think of. I hope that each one of those kids at hospice will smile just for a moment when they eat their cupcakes tonight, but I know it won’t last long. Is it possible to change the world one cupcake at a time??????

Signed,
Hope

Happy but secretly tired

I am tired today. The guinea pig I am babysitting is doing quite well. I made a batch of chocolate chip cupcakes yesterday, the reviews I got were that it tasted like a chocolate cookie captured in a cake. Eight out of nine people who sampled them were impressed, very impressed! Today I have baked an out of the park banana cupcake. Yes I know that you know that I have already baked these cakes, but these are the two cupcakes that I am entering in this cupcake for cancer event. I have been perfecting them and it has been hard, I mean hard. My family helped me come up with a fun idea so I don’t gain 9000 pounds (same with them) during this journey. Ok…the idea is to send out mass e mails for cupcake tastings! The first four people to respond will receive five cupcakes and they MUST provide honest feedback even if it is hurtful or humiliating. My first e mail went out today for the banana surprise!!!!! Cross your fingers. I want to thank my aunt in Washington (only in the summer) for the mountain icing tip, a family friend for the “m” in the batter tip, the Vons bakery lady for letting me ask a million questions about frosting, another family friend for the cute cupcake liners, and friends who are rooting me on. I would like to leave you with a poem I wrote today.

IF I WERE IN CHARGE OF THE WORLD

I’d cancel escargot,
Tuesday evenings,
Dr. And dentist appointments,
and also the devil.
If I were in charge of the world
there would be no poverty,
everlasting dogs, and
volleyball nets 1 meter lower.

If I were in charge of the world
you wouldn’t have garbage
you wouldn’t have messy
you wouldn’t have homework
or “don’t kill that fly”
There wouldn’t even be flies.

If I were in charge of the world
A CUPCAKE would be a vegetable
All movies would be rated G
And a person who sometimes forgot to shower,
And sometimes forgot to brush,
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world.

Try try try again!

This cupcake stuff is harder than it looks. When you think of baking cupcakes, you probably think you just mix stuff together and throw it in the oven and when it comes out, it Will be perfectly done and moist. But actually all this piece of pie baking is the complete opposite of the real baking world.Five words to describe baking is:

Costly
Frightening
Crazy
Mind boggling
Challenging

Five things that you need to bake are:

A good memory.
Math classes.
Counseling.
Money, money, money.
A clock that works.

Brainstorming: What are cupcakes?

Little paper lined pieces of craziness
Love
Laughter
Arguments
Cakes in a cup
Frustration
Perspiration
Exuberance
Fulfilling
Comforting
Satisfying
Discouraging
Liberating
Intense
Unconfined
Informal
Polite
Girl next door
Big hunk
Immense
Petite
Rare
Common
Glorious
Hideous
Luscious
Gregarious.

Going back to what I was saying, baking is…. Unyielding.

If you love chocolate chip cookies, you will love this one. I have made my own from my own recipe. You simply combine NESTLE tollhouse cookie dough and add one egg and 1/4 cup of flour and the same for some milk. Then bake it in the preheated oven(350) for 20 minutes and cool for ten minutes on a rack. Well, you cant put a chocolatey frosting on top of this one, a light whip cream that can stand up. Chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk captured in a cupcake. Simple but sure to knock your pants off. We are trying to find a yummy frosting that is liGht and airy. Dust with cocoa powder and it will work well.This is my 4th batch and has worked well. I am loving this one. If you can put ganache onit that is good but we added Magic Shell and stuck it in the freezer. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Also, the guinea pig is doing quite amaziNg. For what this is starting to cost me, I am seeing many guinea pigs in my future. The cupcake world is not what i thought. It’s crazy around here! Its a good thing I am going to be a youth contestant,competition is pretty rough.
Signed,
Hope

Cupcakes for Cancer

I am entering a cupcake for cancer benefit in Santa Barbara. I hope you could maybe attend to try a cupcake of mine there. I am a little nervous though because I have to decorate my space of 3 feet. I also have to make a minimum of 50 and have to buy cupcake stands for my display. I hope you can come. Her are the details:

Date: Sunday, July 24th
Time: 1 – 4 pm
Where: Fess Parker Resort , Santa Barbara
Entry Fee: 10$
Parking Fee: FREE

I hope you can come to my station and try out a couple of my cakes.
For more information, leave a comment.
Signed,
Hope

Another day

Well today is just one of those exhausting days. I haven’t baked a cupcake yet. I don’t have any supplies but just my luck because tomorrow I babysit daisy the guinea pig and get 110 dollars for cupcakes. Yippee! Well. As you know from my previous post, I didn’t blow the chocolate chili cupcake out of the park. I thought it was good but my family members weren’t huge fans. It’s easy for me to say I made them. I don’t know it’s crazy.
Signed,
Hope

Banana Cupcake w/cream cheese frosting pic