Sweet Patrick

Sometimes there are those news stories that just hit you straight in the heart. For me, animals are precious creatures that deserve nothing but love and respect. I am a member of the ASPCA, worked with animals at a veterinary hospital, and I donate as often as I can when animals are in need (National Wildlife Federation, local animal shelters, rescue organizations, etc). You may be asking who this sweet pup is, his name is Patrick. He was found in a garbage chute on March 16th in Newark, NJ. Starved, with no body temperature, he was rushed to Garden State Vet Specialists in Tinton Falls, NJ. He was named Patrick because it was miracle he made it through the night, hence named after St. Patrick on March 17th. It's a blessing this sweet boy made it.

You may be asking what this has to do with cupcakes. Well, there is a special twist that I wanted to share with everyone. I know I blog about them a lot, but they are just an awesome cupcake shop! Sweet Avenue Bake Shop, a vegan cupcake shop in Rutherford NJ, was selling red velvet cupcakes last week to help support Patrick. For every red velvet sold, they donated $1 to him. They raised $701 dollars in just 1 week with online sales and walk ins. Even though the fundraiser has officially stopped, they still have dog cookies available. All proceeds go directly to helping Patrick!

Just look at that face! I love this dog so much!

To make a donation to Patrick and his friends in need:

Associate Humane Societies

Ghost Adventure cupcakes

For my Birthday, my husband had these custom printed cupcakes made for me from Sweet Avenue Bake Shop in Rutherford, NJ. They were 100% vegan and absolutely delicious! Vanilla cake, vanilla frosting, topped with my favorite show, Ghost Adventures from The Travel Channel. I am a huge ghost geek and every Friday night I tune in to see what Zak, Nick and Aaron have discovered while ghost hunting!

Check out other custom cupcakes Sweet Ave has been up to: Custom cupcakes!

New Direction for The Cupcake Cauldron!

Hey everyone,

So, I am taking a little break from cupcake orders for awhile. It was becoming a little more work then play and I rather just stick to it as a hobby for now. The Cupcake Cauldron is going to take a new direction soon. I will continue to review different bakeries, cupcakes and update you on my latest finds during my travels. I look forward to sharing recipes and posting pics of my work! And or course, I love hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Ashley

Rule #32 of Zombieland: Enjoy the little things.

I recently created these cupcakes for my best friend. Zombies and cupcakes?? What could be better?!

I made a vanilla butter cake and topped it with my Hershey cocoa frosting. So delicious. On top I food processed Famous Chocolate Wafers for "dirt". For the blood I used Wilton's red gel tubes.

Here is a photograph of the happy recipient!

Top O' The Morning To You!

Hope everyone has a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!

As a treat, here is a delicious Soda Bread recipe!

Enjoy!

Disney Vacation 2011!

It's about that time for me to pack my bags and head to my favorite place in the whole world...Disney! This year, I will be celebrating Valentine's Day with my hubby and my pup Linus in Florida. So excited! This winter has been brutual in NJ!

I have started my cupcake research for the trip and expect to have many reviews of the new

cupcakes Disney has to offer. Here are just a few things I intend on checking out.

1. NYC Babycakes cupcakes NOW in Downtown Disney! I love a killer vegan cupcake and I have been trying to get a taste of these for awhile!

2. Mini cupcakes at Hollywood Studios and Downtown Disney! This I can not WAIT to try! A pack of 6 mini gourmet cupcakes. Flavors are: strawberry

cake with vanilla frosting, red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, yellow cake with red frosting, yellow cake with chocolate frosting, & chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Here is a greatphotograph from Disney Food Blogs.

3. Karamell Kuche is the new caramel inspired kitchen in the Germany pavilion at Epcot Center. I've gotten word they have chocolate and caramel drizzled cupcakes that are to die for. I am very excited to try them and report back!

4. Since it will be Valentine's Day, I will be checking in to some of my favorite bakery locations to see if they have any special for the holiday. The journey will include: Main Street Bakery at the Magic Kingdom, The Boardwalk Bakery at the Boardwalk Inn, Goofy's Candy Co at Downtown Disney and Starring Rolls Cafe at Hollywood Studios.