2011 was a great year for the Sweet Shoppe. We did so many events this year and we were also our most creative in the shop! So, we decided to compile our favorites and show them off.. one last time!

1) 2011 was the year of the cake pop. But, not your average cake pop- creative, unique, delicious cake pops! Our favorite from the year was the watermelon cake pop. People loved the delicious, yet different, taste of our watermelon cake and the fact that it looked like an actual watermelon when they bit into it! Doesn’t get much more creative than that!

2) This year, we helped a few couples celebrate the sex of their unborn babies with cake cutting parties! We created delicious and colorful (pink or blue) cakes for the expecting parents and their families to dive into.. which revealed the sex of their baby. What a fun time!

3) For the third year in a row, we honored our local fire and police men and women for their courage on the anniversary of September 11, 2001.

4) One of our favorite orders was for the Russian Orthodox Church and their annual festival. We loved how these Russian nesting doll cookies turned out!

5) Halloween is one of our favorite holidays at the shop because of all the cute ideas floating around. These cupcake cookies were a huge hit this year!

6) Our summer was filled with wedding orders. Lots of cupcakes, lots of cookies, but one bride opted to go a different, more creative route… and we were thrilled! Check out these personalized fortune cookie favors!

7) Strawberries had a short season this year.. but we made the most of it! Chocolate and Strawberry tacos were a hit!

8.) Last but certainly not least, we tripped back to our youth with these push up CUPCAKE pops!

Thanks for a SWEET 2011!

Well, here we are- our final sweet surprise! We really enjoyed reading all the awesome stories of wonderful people in our community, and we got many more than we expected! Lots of stories of mothers, fathers, army families, and just awesome friends. It’s so easy to get caught up on what people don’t do that we sometimes forget about what people do. We hope you all enjoyed reading these stories as much as we did. And, without further adieu, our final surprise went to Julie Kolenda. See what Julie’s friend had to say about her:

I would like to nominate Julie Kolenda.  Julie truly is a marvelous individual who is constantly thinking of everyone else in what she does each day at work, to her friends and family.  When I moved back to Erie 3 years ago, Julie was one of the first people that I met and has been a fantastic cheerleader for me along the way to finding my dreams.  She has a heart of gold and I would love for her to know she is a sweet ray of sunshine in my life, and in the life of all of her friends and family.

Short and sweet.. but reminds us that we should all have a “julie” in our lives!  Enjoy your cookies

Ahhh don’t you just love surprising people? And it’s even better when its really awesome people who deserve a little somethin’.. but don’t ever expect it.. like our next recipient- Jeff Lund. Jeff’s friend writes:

I’m sending this e-mail because their is someone that I think needs some attention given to them.  This person is Jeff Lund, he owns Lund Martial Arts Academy.  He gives a great bit of attention to kids and tries to make their lives better through martial arts.  He believes that martial arts isn’t for fighting but mainly for self discipline, added responsibility, and to help a person realize that they are able to do anything that they put their hearts into.  Jeff even has a scholarship program for kids and their families that can’t afford the class because he hates to turn anyone away.  Along with that he offers an after school program for anti-bullying and anti-abduction for elementary kids.  He offers these programs free of charge and says that the schools should charge and use the money for the school.  Jeff is a tremendous guy that I think needs to be recognized.

Well, we thought so too. Jeff- we hope you enjoy your cookies and thanks for all you do!

If you know us well enough, you know we like to do fun things. Fun things usually involve giving out free cookies to deserving folks- and that’s just what we did today! A great bakery in Franklin PA, Pink Champagne Cupcakery, had this awesome idea that they started to “pay it forward”.. we liked the idea so much, that we “borrowed” it (giving all credit, of course!) and “paid it forward” to some great people in our own community. Our first do-gooder of the week? Charnettie Bush! Check out what her dear friend had to say about her:

I am nominating my babysitter/daycare provider, Charnettie Bush. She has been taking care of my 2 children since they were newborns (they are now almost 6 and 3).  She has 3 children of her own and plays mommy to a handful of other children through out the day.  She is so loving and nurturing to all of the children and knowing that my children get so much love from someone else while I’m at work makes it so much easier to go to work on a daily basis. Spending so much time there has created a second family for my children. She juggles all of her daycare children along with a crazy schedule with her own 3 children’s sports and activities.  “treating” her would let her know how much I appreciate what she does for me and my family and i know all the other mommy and daddy’s are just as appreciative.

Congrats, Charnettie! We hope you enjoyed your box of cookies!

Keep sending in those nominations- we play to continue this for the rest of the week! (email to sweetshop402@gmail.com)

In recognition of the 10 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, we will be honoring men and women in uniform. On Friday September 9, 2011, we will deliver cookies to area firemen and police men and women who put their lives on the line every day for our city. Those receiving cookies will include:

• Erie Police Department
• Lawrence Park Police Department
• Wesleyville Police Department
• Millcreek Police Department
• Central Station
• South Central Station
• Engine 8 Station
• Engine 11 Station
• Engine 6 Station
• Engine 13 Station

This will mark the 3rd year that we have delivered cookies to our local heros.  Keep up with us on our facebook page (www.facebook.com/yeolesweets)  on Friday to see where we are on our journey! Thank you to ALL local heroes!

One thing my fiance always hears from people is how lucky he is.. his soon-to-be wife owns a bakery which means he must be eating good every night.  We both have to laugh at this. Since I own a bakery, I own no baking items of my own. I have no sugar or flour ..I dont even have mixing bowls! why would I have it all at home when I have it at work? Who wants to bake at home after they baked at work for 10+ hours?

However, this weekend something came over me. Actually, it was a box of cake mix I saw at the grocery store for a zebra striped cake. Too cool. I read the directions on the back and hurried home to create my own….err I mean.. one for my fiance..

So, the instructions say you create a white and a chocolate cake mix. Then, you use a 1/4 cup measuring tool to quickly do a dollop of white mix, with a dollop of chocolate on top of that, a dollop of white, a dollop of chocolate and so on. You are not to touch the cake mix once its in the pan- it will spread on its own. You must do it quickly so you have even amounts of white and chocolate spread together.

Your pan should look like this before you put it in the oven:

My first attempt didn’t work out, because I wasn’t quick enough. There were big white spots and not enough black.. totally not a zebra print.

My second attempt was much better:

and my third attempt was the best- pink and black zebra print cake:

Great cake, easy to make, endless possibilities of cuteness and now my fiancee has three cakes to eat. THREE!

One of my favorite things to do is surf the web looking for unique, sweets inspired, fun products. This is one of my favorites so far. My mind is filled with all the different things you can use this cute cupcake holder for. Think of  all the parties that can revolve around this simple display!  Use this to display cupcakes for a baby shower, or maybe babys first birthday (carnival themed?! yes please!)…What else could this awesome display be used for?

Ferris Wheel Cupcake Holder!

Too cute for words! A little on the pricey side at $75 but, all the ooos and ahhs and compliments might be worth it.

Purchase it at Horchow:

 http://www.horchow.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=cprod80270028&eItemId=cprod80270028&cmCat=search&searchType=MAIN&parentId=&icid=&rte=%252Fsearch.jhtml%253FN%253D0%2526Ntt%253Dferris%252Bwheel%2526_requestid%253D2572

or Neiman Marcus:

http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod134540168&parentId=cat18060740&masterId=cat14070773&index=22&cmCat=cat000000cat000553cat14070772cat14070773cat18060740

Let me know what you think and what you would use this awesome display for.. Leave a comment!

*photo courtesy of pizzazzerie*

For those who perfer to eat a cookie that is … *ahem*… pretty.. during their bachelorette party.. check out these simple and sweet creations…

picture courtesy of “I am baker” blog.

Recently, I was approached by one of my very good friends to do a special cake for her. She just found out she was pregnant and her and her husband decided that they were going to find out the sex of the baby. However, they still wanted it to be somewhat of a surprise.  How would they like to find out? By cutting a cake which will reveal either a pink or a blue (or, if they are really lucky.. pink AND blue) interior.

 They aren’t alone because this trend is popping up all over the country. Here’s how it works: the couple never finds out from their doctor the sex of the baby. The doctor either writes it in a sealed envelope and it is delivered to the bakery or a family member finds out and tells the bakery. Then, a party is held to reveal the sex of the baby by cutting the cake. What an awesome surprise!

We have now received a few requests for cakes of this nature and we can’t wait to make them. Fun for mom and dad but fun for the bakery as well!

-Lea

photo courtesy of seasonal home blog

Is this not the cutest… whatever it is.. you’ve ever seen? I literally laughed-out-loud when i saw it! Looking into getting a few of these for the shop..I believe its a pendant that can be used as a necklace or a tag of some sort. Whatever it is, it’s adorable!