Blizzard of 2013.

Jam packed weekend is on HOLD! 

Look at how cute my husband is, shoveling out Betty and our walk way!

We have rescheduled our events for this past weekend. We apologize to everyone. However Gov. Malloy has stated to stay off the roads. Just because the snow is done, doesn't mean there isn't a lot of clean up that needs to be done. We live on a very steep hill.  Chancing driving Betty down it, and um.. well not being able to stop wouldn't be a great way to start the new week.

Testing recipes all weekend :)

Love is in the air... and so is A LOT of snow!

Valentine Day Sampler Specials

Love Bug: Our Yellow Cake with Oreo Cookies baked in, filled with a marshmellow filling- topped with a chocolate Oreo whipped cream frosting, and of course a little lady bug.

Love Potion #9: A vanilla bean vodka cake is topped with a Godiva whipped frosting, strawberry sauce and an edible rose petal.

Cupids Chocoholic Hold: A devils good cake is baked with chocolate chips, a strawberry frosting, and a heart cut out, with chocolate ganache drizzle.

Baci: An angel food cake is filled with a nutella frosting, fresh whipped cream and coco powder.

Bleeding Heart: A white cake is filled with a berry compote, topped with a chocolate mousse and dark chocolate shavings and heart

Aphrodisiac:  Our dark chocolate and Merlot cake is dipped in a dark chocolate ganache, topped with a chocolate buttercream and drizzled with a Merlot reduction. 

MANcakes Valentine Sampler Specials

Chicken n' Waffles: Our cinnamon spice cake is topped with a maple buttercream, and topped with homemade buttermilk waffle bite and chicken piece.

Burnin' Love: Fit for a King- our chocolate cake is filled with a banana pudding, topped with a chocolate peanut butter frosting and a peanut butter drizzle.

Beer n' Pretzels: Our Guiness Stout Cake is dipped in a chocolate beer ganache, topped with shards of pretzels and caramel and chocolate drizzle.

American Pie: An Apple Cinnamon Cake is filled with Onyx Moonshine reduced apples & brown sugar topped with a whipped vanilla buttercream

Ozzy: Chocolate Bourbon Cake is filled with a chocolate ganache that has caramel and pecans folded in, chocolate buttercream, dark chocolate shavings and salted caramel topper. 

 The D: A cookie crust has a red velvet cake with chocolate chips baked in, a classic cream cheese frosting and a homemade chocolate chip cookie on top.

You can place your orders up to Wed morning, and delivery is free within 15 miles! 
Surprise that special someone with something a lot better then roses! 

Some from the Chocolate Lovers Expo... yes we did it- all of it! I am so proud of myself and Jeremy for doing all this baking, planning, prepping, driving, ordering, messaging just by ourselves that many bakeries have atleast a handful of employees for. We have our parents. Thank God- they help so much with the kids that it really wouldn't be possible.
I have my awesome amazing assistant at our events, Corin- who happens to be our exclusive photographer. Yes, a cupcake shop has a photographer. What can I say.. we are glamorous. Plus pictures are really what do food justice and I love having someone taking pictures of all these events. Check her out on Facebook, and her website- http://corinwintersphotography.weebly.com/contact.html

Can we finish this weekends orders...
I want a BOTTLE of wine, and a whole night of catching up on my bad reality TV shows if I do.

Oh wait, It is Bunny's birthday Monday.
After that, then another jam packed week.

Bunny is going to be 2. If you keep reading our blog- which I really hope you do, I promise I will get better; perhaps more interesting, you will get to know our kids nick names. There is Bunny, Bubby and Babe. Catchy right?

We have a ton of orders this week, PLUS this huge Chocolate Lovers Expo, we were hesitate about- but jumped in and figured WHY NOT?! Then realized Bunny's birthday is the following day, and it lands on Super Bowl. We have some orders for football day. That is one thing that helps- guys LOVE our cupcakes.

Who wouldn't love a chicken n' waffle cupcake, or our superbowl cupcake, with chicken wings on top.
Ok, most people.

There is a lot to do, and there was a lot done today as well. We have been going back and forth on a bakery space, just for commerical baking- then going back and forth on making it retail, and so on. Well I don't know how we did, but we lucked out on who we became partners with.

- Side note, I know many don't know the background, but you can go to our about us page... and figure it out. We partnered up with 2 really amazing, and genuine people. In all honesty, they are smart business people, they are kind hearted and it doesn't feel like a business meeting when we are sitting there for 3 hours, talking about serious discussions and then joking around telling Jeremy to "fuck off." Hey, sometimes you have to lighten the mood.

But yeah, the owners of John Bale saw what we had as an idea, and believed in it- in us, in our dreams.. and now we are trying to figure out the next step... and we did. Jeremy and I thought about it all night while baking and we are really excited about the step up. Stage 2 of Hardcore Sweet LLC so to speak. We will be having our own kitchen area, no more 7pm baking sessions and staying up till 3am, and then up at 6am.. No no, momma is getting on a schedule- which means MORE cupcakes, cakes, brownies, etc... and we will have our own area for retail.
In probably one of the nicest places in Waterbury- with great clientele  with partners that not only support us, but are behind us 1000%. We are excited in this next phase of our business, and can't wait to see what the warmer weather brings! Betty will be out and about as much as we can, that I can bet on! 

Pictures will be up soon from the expo. I am so lucky to have a best friend, who happens to be a fantastic photographer and helper at these events. Corin Winters Photography out of Naugatuck! So I know she will get some Glamour Shots for us.

Ok....
So maybe I am not THE best blogger.
I am not even a great writer.
But I am trying. I am trying to do all the baking, the website updates, the emailing, the inventory, the classes and planning those, so everyone bare with me.

This is not going to be a juicy blog. Sorry. This is just a hey... this is how it is to run a business, from the ground up! Interested? Then keep reading! 

Maybe this is more of a challenge because we have 3 small children (under the age of 6), maybe it is because we are limited in our baking time/area, maybe it is because we never expected to get such a response in a short time- but we are managing all these obstacles, because we really want to make this work.

I quote one of my favorite woman, Julia Child- "No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing."

How true. 

You gain experience by your mistakes I think. I can count on both hands how many dilemmas we had to go through (just this week!) but it makes me stronger, as a baker, a person and as a business woman. 

Wait did I just call myself that last one! Whoa! 
Well I guess I am. We went to vote for a brewery for "Best of Hartford 2013" while scrolling through, we saw Hardcore Sweet on a couple nominations. Is that for real?! 

I guess so. I guess we earned it, I am in a daze about it all. We are with bakeries who have been established in their own store, with their own clientele for 5, 10 and even 20 years. Our little business has only been around for 6 months! It is unreal, it is exciting... it is giving me anxiety!  Literally. 

I know most are on our website because they are interested in Hardcore Sweet Cupcakes, well like I said from the beginning, my life, my children  my husband, is all a part of Hardcore Sweet.. we have no personal life (welcome to being that big business woman right!) So it all molds into one, at least for now... until we work out all these bumps, and iron out our details while we really brand ourselves and get settled into a routine.

I feel terrible because I have all my orders in line, but I forget Wed is cookie day for my 6 year old. I forgot to wash my 3 year old's favorite blanket, I forgot our 2 year old's birthday! Okay that one is a fib. Sort of.

Well, these anxiety attacks I have been having are just out of control. I haven't had one in a while, but the past 2 days are nuts. I can't concentrate, I have the jitters, I felt so silly calling my mom at midnight last night to talk me out of a crying fit. But hey it happens, I am human, and yes I get overwhelmed  There is a lot in my cupcake plate. I want to be the best mom in the world to my kids, because hey, doesn't any mom? I want to juggle it all, and sometimes I feel like I fall short in one or the other. It is really because of my schedule now- Just like my mom left it last night, and always tells me... "This too shall pass..." 

I have a wonderful opportunity ahead of me. I am going to keep trucking along and  hey I got a nom for best of Hartford 2013 :)

http://hartfordmag-survey.wehaaserver.com/survey-9-best_of_hartford_magazine_2013_readers_poll.html

We like to make things custom!

So on top of crazy flavored cupcakes, we are trying to really show off our cupcake topper skills. Edible wafers, fondant, we try to do it all. This isn't Cake Boss or Ace of Cakes... This is just us.. We aren't too fancy, and hell not classically trained.  Our baking classes are tested by trial and error. Not everyone needs a degree to put out good food. You need creativity and a good palate.

Dental Cupcakes
Which brings me to getting an email from a secret foodie blogger! Someone actually wrote a review about us secretly. This is the second time. First this happened during Garlic Fest. A woman posted in her blog she went to the Fest to review local food in the area. She had pictures of the truck and cupcakes and she was crazy about the whole idea, and concept. We just happened to stumble across her blog and glad we did. This recent blogger however was different. He went on a mission to review us. He does this for a lot of bakeries, diners, wineries, etc...

His review was very well written and detailed and hearing any review about your product helps you grow. The compliments assured me of our cupcakes and the hard work is worth it and we are pretty damn good. His negative, well..his input didn't upset me..it is helping me realize this is something that can grow. I need to believe that and push it. His downside to our company isn't the cupcakes. It is about the  accessibility to get them. Which leads me to...are we ready for a store front!?
I go back and forth... Let's just save and run the truck, then the calls come in asking where is our storefront, what are our hours because the locations we sell out of are closed, sold out or not having too much of a selection. It is all true.  We have lost out on so many orders because our cupcakes are not injust their store. People love our freshly baked style, but sometimes in  a pinch people just need to grab dessert on the way home from work. Daily we miss those sales. Whenever Jeremy is on the phone and hear him explain the setup, and then hang up without someone placing an order..my heart sinks a little. 

We have good ideas and style.. I don't see Hardcore Sweet in a strip mall I see us in a tiny store, with vintage bowls, and tables. And records on the wall. I see local art and music throughout our beautifully painted red walls. I need people signing our "guest  book" which are old 45s hanging. I see our company expanding. I see a lot of work ahead. 

I can see it and I believe in it. 
Isn't that where you need to start believing in yourself, your product and most importantly your dreams. Ede brought me to her friend Rita's chic chocolate shop in Mystic. It is beautifully hers. Nothing fancy, but inviting. It was nice to talk to two business woman who didn't have a degree, a background in the food industry but both are thriving and have their own business, their own place to make their own.  It inspires me.

So this is the New Year... and I don't feel any different!

Actually this year has been the year of change, and growing.

I didn't watch the ball drop.

3 kids. crazy work schedule.

10pm was the new year for me! 

To be honest, I kind of felt upset. I didn't get to get a midnight- "New Years" kiss, but I am sure it will be just as good at 9am, on January 1st while making coffee.

I am starting this blog, because really I love to write, I remember writing my own stories, and even newspaper when I was little. My mom loved them, and said it was so well written. I was 8. I am sure any type of newspaper that your daughter writes is good in a mothers eyes. 

There will probably be typos, mis-punctuation  etc.. and I am OK with that. So the Grammar Police, don't harp on me too much. This is a blog from a mother, wife and new business owners stand point. How do you really juggle trying to be the best at everything and having it all. 

Is it possible?
Is it possible to be the best mother with the Pintrest Fad going on. How the HELL do I keep up with all those DIY projects I should be doing with my kids, when I have 950 cupcakes to bake with a 2 day notice.

Is it possible to build a brand out of a deli, and having to be up from 7am all day doing online management, deliveries, kid duties, then going in at 6pm to bake all night... is it worth it? HELL YEAH. 

Is it hard, is it draining.. is it not as "Fun" as everyone thinks. Absolutely  I swear I feel people just think you have your own business, and you are a millionaire  I think in my blog, I will be honest... too honest of how hard this really is to start up. Not to scare people away- but to make people realize, that I am not sitting on millions, not even thousands, and sadly right now not even hundreds (thanks Santa!) But to keep your eye on your goal in life. 

I will be able to not just talk about the "behind the scenes" aspect of Hardcore Sweet, but be able to show you what we are up to.On top of showing you how we do it all.

Best-

Nicole