Orders Orders Orders

Hey Everyone!

I have a few new items for the menu: A Chocolate Cupcake with a Cream Filling and Chocolate Glaze and a Pumpkin Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Pumpkin Empanadas, and Strawberry Cupcakes with Banana Buttercream...yummy.

After we sent out our first ever Seluna Bakery Email the orders came spilling in---I had an order for a Red Velvet Cake to feed 50 people (the biggest I have ever attempted) with a Cream Cheese center and Chocolate Buttercream and also Chocolate Cupcakes for a birthday party. A couple other Red Velvet Cakes, 3 dozen cookies and I have been asked to do the cakes for a company's birthday parties...4 cakes in one month...Needless to say this is the reason I haven't been as frequent in updating as in the past :) I have also made a couple of Seluna Gift Baskets and the recipients said they loved them...Still need to nail down a few things, such as--boxes,bags and supplies for the airbrush gun. It won't be long and we will fully up and running! Can't wait :)

Menu,Baskets and Away We Go!

Hi Everyone!!

It has been a few days since my last blog and that's because I have been busy making sure the menu is ready to go, ( I thought I had it weeks ago but SURPRISE~more has been added!) The menu is looking good and is almost complete- the only thing that is left is to iron out the pricing...I am HORRIBLE at prices- I want to be fair and cheaper than the rest but also put the best homemade product I can out there. After calling a few places I realized I was WAY cheaper than the bigger places, which is ok by me.. Hooray!

Up next is (when I get my logo) buisness cards, little menus to pass out and the finishing of the website.

We are also going to have a "tasting". Which will consist of a few flavors of cupcakes, brownies, cookies and baskets and inviting all of YOU and everyone else I know to come sample, have some drinks and see what Seluna Bakery is all about. I am really excited about this, because word of mouth will be my advertising and hopefully there is a good turn out!

So since I have been away from you all, I had my first offical "catering" gig. My in-laws had a party with their friends and I was asked to make the sweets for the shindig---I choose Mini Strawberry Cupcakes, Pecan Brownies and Strawberry Sugar Bars---They were a hit---Everyone had great things to say and even asked for more information about Seluna Bakery. Hopefully it will result in more customers in the future :)

I also have an order for this weekend- a Birthday Cake and I am making the Pumpkin Empandas that Luann suggested for John's birthday (THANKS LU!!!) I have yet to make these so I'm praying they turn out for John (dont' worry I'm sure you'll hear ALLLL about it) The next weekend I have an order for 15 cupcakes and a 50th birthday party cake for 50 people and last but not least an order for 150 cupcakes coming up the first week in November!! Which means I need boxes and merch bags for these goodies!! The boxes for the cakes I will just pick up at Michaels, but the bags for brownies and cookies plus the boxes for the cupcakes will have to be purchased elsewhere. After I place that order, John has his work cut out for him. Instead of stickers saying Seluna Bakery, we are going to airbrush our logo on the boxes and bags and that is all him.

On another note- I made the first ever Seluna Gift Basket this weekend! A large filled with White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies and Baby Brownie Bites. Obviously from the previous paragraph my bags aren't here yet...so when they DO get here it will be a lot fanicer...but I went simple for the first one and was pretty please the way it turned out. I really hope the unsuspecting receiver of the gift basket likes it :)

SO- this weekend was, of course, filled with baked good spilling out of the oven...After making the goodies for the Gift Basket I made my peanut butter brownies for a certain 10 year old birthday girl :) and today I finally got a chance to make my Peach Cobbler Cupcakes and they turned out great! I also practiced writing with the buttercream just to make sure I've got it down.

If anyone would like to be added to our mailing list please email me at albany@selunabakery.com you get coupons, specials and updates right to your email! :)

Here we go!

Hello Everyone!!

It has been a few days and I have to say I'm going through withdrawals..Ha! After a busy weekend..I came home to some ingredients calling my name. I decided to give the caramel brownies another shot just to ease my mind and make sure that I do, in fact, have it down pat. Taking what I learned the previous time I did away with the hard caramel candies and went straight for the good stuff...that's right my friends..the sauce! I made my brownie batter and drizzle and swirled in some melted caramel sauce....mmmmmm...They turned out perfect! My only problem is that they are fall apart in your mouth chewy and soft...we will see how my taste testers prefer them.

Tonight it was on to Blondie Brownies...I tried a few different things here and there to see if they really made a difference, and by that I mean I melted butter instead of having it room temp...beat the egg instead of just incorporating it..stuff like that. I think it did....these are, not to toot my own horn, really good...a little crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside..you can really taste the brown sugar which I love. John was literally waiting at the oven when I took them out...but again I am not the one that counts...tasters, get ready!


I now have a facebook and Linkedin account and the website is well underway!! I have already received a couple orders that I can't wait to get started on.

Now I am researching the best prices for boxes and bags for my goodies all 100% environmentally friendly.

The mailing list will be coming out shortly as well--if you would like to be added please send me an email at albany@selunabakery.com It will give you updates,coupons, specials and so much more!

This Saturday will be a busy baking day-- I have an order for Chocolate Cookies with Pecans, White Chocolate Macadamian Nut and Sugar Bars with Strawberry Buttercream :)

Have a great night everyone!

Whew!

It has been a big week! I haven't been able to write about my baking adventures in a few days (I'm sure you guys were just DYING to know what happened, lol)

First things first:

Wednesday Night--

Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars---

These started out as cookies...Oatmeal cookies with Butterscotch chips mixed in that is...but as I was mixing the batter and guessing how many this batch would make ( 13 1/2? I always count a half because I have to taste it...and really, who am I kidding I usually eat 3 by the time they're done cooling) I thought, why not make them into bars and get twice as many out of the deal? I mix my wet ingredients together and reach for my shopping bag that has the butterscotch chips in it and realize.....they've been in the car...all...day...long------CRAP! Melted...sooooo, I put them in the freezer and literally 2 minutes later they were frozen solid. I took my meat tenderizer and went to town...but Cash was sleeping so I went downstairs and pounded those puppies on the carpet. It still left HUGE chunks, so I went ahead and popped them in the microwave and melted them and swirled them into the oatmeal batter. I spread the dough onto a 13x9 in. pan and went on about my business...I checked on them about half way through and was greeted by a CLOUD of SMOKE billowing out of the oven...WTH!? The batter had rose and spilled over the edge. I quickly grabbed another cookie sheet and put it on the rack below, securing any spillage and preventing it from reaching the already sticky hot mess on the bottom of my oven ....I pulled them out 5 minutes later fully expecting them to be a burnt version of the beautiful golden brown picture I had in my head when I started them. Surprisingly they weren't. They were a little crispy on the edges but other than that looked pretty darn good. I waited until they cooled and dug in...wow, a LOT better then I thought they'd be..they were chewy and moist with just the right amount of butterscotch, but they were missing something. I pulled out some white chocolate and drizzled it on top.

Tasters Opinion: They were super tasty-- Tara-6 (one of the kids I nanny for) said-- "hmmm you've got a lot of flavors goin on here, it's delicious. I give it a 95,000" not to bad -LOL
John took them to work and they didn't last long at all... So instead of Oatmeal Butterscotch cookies---we now offer Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars.

Thursday Night--

Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling and a Lemon Glaze

I have been wanting to try these for awhile now. I had NO IDEA how to make a homemade filling,so I did some research on what I needed to do to pull this off.  I took my raspberries, sugar and water and boiled them down, mixed in some cornstarch and let it sit awhile to thicken up. I made my vanilla cupcake recipe, zested a lemon and put some poppy seeds into the mix. Then made a Lemon glaze to go over top. For me, this is a trial run cupcake. I want to see what tastes better, a zesty glaze or raspberry buttercream.
The cupcakes turned out great- the filling wasn't to runny, although I think it could be sweeter.  All in All the tasters liked it...so next week we will try it with a raspberry buttercream and see which is better!

Today--
Remake of Peanut Butter Cookies
I get off at noon on Fridays so of course while Cash was napping I needed something to waste the time away while I wait for our ride to Springfield. So I thought I would make some cookies to take home for my parents and Grandparents. I wanted to re-try my Peanut Butters--I did a whole new recipe this time--not that the last one was bad, I got great reviews about it, I just wanted to try a little something different. After tweaking my recipe and refrigerating my dough I balled up those bad boys and put them in the oven... they turned out big, brown, chewy and beautiful! These are the kind of Peanut Butter cookies I am talkin about! I went for the white chocolate drizzle again but also left some plain. We will see what the tasters say!

I, of course took pictures of these events but my good camera is broke...so I will have to wait to post them :(

No baking this weekend, we are off to Springfield and then to Garden City with our band Brethren Flow (check us out on facebook! ;) ) to play an after party for CCR and Foghat! See you guys next week, Hope everyone has an AWESOME weekend!!

Peanut Butter Brownies

I told myself I wasn't going to bake anything until Thursday...well.... I made it one day. That being said, tonight is Peanut Butter Brownie night. Yum! I whipped up some melt in your mouth chocolate brownies, melted some peanut butter and swirled it around the batter....I am anxiously awaiting the oven to ding because...well...they smell amazing....

The Sugar Bars were a hit--My tasters thought they were delicious...

"light and soft, not to much sugar..they were perfect." said one. John took the rest of them to work and they didn't last long.So we have added them to the list!

We now have a menu!!--Things will be added in the future of course, but we have the basic menu completed. If anyone would like to see the menu, place an order or have any questions please feel free to email me at

albany@selunabakery.com

I hope everyone has a great night!!

Success!!

Every time I woke up last night I kept running through my head of what went wrong with the cupcakes yesterday and couldn't wait to try it again.....As soon as I got up, Cash and I ran to the store to get more ingredients. John took Cash on a run and I got to work on the cupcakes...I made sure not to over mix the batter, let the batter sit for 5 minutes and after pouring the batter into the cups I dropped the pan to release the bubbles...I was scared to even look into the oven with the buzzer rang...but they rose! Something must have worked which mean the kinks have been fixed! Woohoo!! I made some Oreo frosting and blooped some on the top of those bad boys and I must say they were really good!

I also tried the Sugar Cookie Bars which were really easy to make and turned out perfect as well. I slathered them up with a Strawberry Buttercream. (oooo ya)

The tasters all agreed that they should be added to the list~So on to the next recipes!! 

1. Lemon Poppy seed with Raspberry filling Cupcake
2. French Toast with Maple Frosting Cupcake
3. Peach Cobbler Cupcake
4. Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

Which brings me to my next question~~

Does anyone have a recipe they would like me to try?

Oreo Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Today was a long day...John had a half-day so  I got to spend the day with my boys which was awesome but the peanut butter cupcake recipe I was trying just wasn't happening. Everything I tried did NOT turn out..they sank in the middle every time but, good news is they tasted great. I started out making it with *brown sugar* instead of regular...to me it has a warmer flavor...annnnnd they sank...so I thought well maybe it was to heavy..tried *regular sugar* and a little more milk than the previous batch annnnnnnd they sank again...ugh...I had a little left over in the 2nd batch and put a little more *baking soda* in. annnnnnnnd they sank..WTH!? I HATE wasting ingredients!! Well after some researching I learned allll about leavening and how to let your batter sit, if you're using more acidic ingredients...good to know! So in the morning I will try this again..making sure NOT to over beat my batter, dropping the pan to get all of the bubbles out and letting it sit a few minutes after mixing....That being said, this recipe may be my signature cupcake...It tastes exactly like a peanut buttercup--


As frustrating as the whole sinking cupcakes was..a few good things came out of my adventure in baking today---

1. I got the vanilla buttercream and chocolate buttercream exactly how I need/want

2.I learned how to make oreo frosting

3. I learned what NOT to do when you want perfect little domed cupcakes

Learn something new everyday!

So back to the cupcakes...after about 2 hours of baking, I called it quits for the night but not before frosting those bad boys--- They turned out delicious,and tomorrow I will make another batch so the domes will stay domes and get them right. Practice makes perfect, right?


On the buisness front--

 *I now own http://www.selunabakery.com/! Don't bother going there,nothing is up yet (lol) but it will be in a few months. A BIG thank you to Jamie for setting everything up! Can't wait to see how everything turns out.

*The logo is being created as we speak--and I'm waiting on pins and needles to see how it comes out!

Tomorrow's agenda-- Sugar Cookie Bars and more Oreo Peanut Butter's. I am also making the very first Seluna gift basket as a prize for a purse party..can't wait!

Chocolate Butters

Hello Followers!!

Well, the Chocolate Covered Oranges were a success...for some..lol, I got mixed reviews but mainly the few people who didn't enjoy them as much said--" I'm just not a chocolate covered orange person, but they were good" Which is great to know because now whenever I have a "Special of the month" It won't be as popular as some...or maybe it will surprise me and more people will like it than my tasters did...we shall see!

So, last night I had a meeting with my marketing lady, my Sister-In-Law, Jamie... She has TONS of ideas to get us up and running and I can't wait...The website, the logo, tasting parties, little menus to give to caterers..the list goes on and on......

After a night off, I couldn't WAIT to get home and make some goodies,I had visions of a great Vanilla Buttercream Frosting but that will have to wait until tomorrow as my supply is running low on ingredients. In the midst of brainstorming on what to make I  had an AHA! Moment. We already have Occasion Baskets (You pick it, Cookies, Brownies or Cupcakes that come in..Thank You, Sorry, Get Well, Congrats and so on) on top of everything else, then it hit me...Cupcake Parties! Little girls LOVE decorating, So we will offer parties where I bake the cupcakes and make the frosting and bring all of the supplies over to the party and let the little girls(or boys) go at it..so after jotting a couple notes and  putting our little man to bed I got started on Chocolate Butters--My Peanut Butter Cookie with Chocolate Drizzle.

The first batch, yes FIRST batch, didn't go so well. I tried it with honey instead of sugar and the bottom burnt and the top didn't bake hardly at all--I threw them out and started again..this time using 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 of brown sugar. (I like trying new things just to see what happens, isn't that what it's all about?) This batch baked well, except the bottoms got a little crunchy while the rest is soft and chewy. (Which makes me wonder if it was the honey that made the first batch crunchy??) My top taster, John...REALLY liked it this way, but call me old fashioned I like my cookies soft all the way around.....I went ahead and melted the chocolate and drizzled, dipped and dunked. Tomorrow I will try again, definitely exnaying (sp?) the brown sugar because I'm pretty sure this was the reason for the crunchy bottom. Once again, this is why we are in research and development! :)

**Be sure to check out the poll to the right and let me know what you think*

My goal by the end of the month is to have two new recipes to add to the list. Next months goal is to have all my frosting's on lock... like I said before,I think I have found a way to get my buttercream frosting perfect.I want these all to be perfect, these products are a reflection on me. I want to know these recipes like the back of my hand, be able to do it in my sleep. It's going to take a lot of work but like my Dad always says " You can't half-ass it" lol...words to live by right there.

Next up tomorrow-- a retry of the Chocolate Butters and Sugar Cookie Bars with Vanilla Buttercream (yet to be named) and making the first gift basket that Seluna will offer!

Chocolate Covered Oranges

OK- The brownies from last night were a success...except the caramel that I put into them to create the creamy goodness? Ya it sunk and hardened up so when you bit into it you just about broke your teeth...luckily this didn't happen and my tasters teeth are safe! This is why I do research and development--The tasters did say that the brownies were awesome...so that's great! Lesson learned--caramel sauce will be substituted for the caramel candies...

On to tonight's recipe---

Today was an awfully quiet day as I only had Hunter and Cash to look after and the girls were at school..so of course recipes are a-swimming in my head :)

We went to Walmart to get some groceries on Friday and they had a HUGE bag of oranges for 4 dollars--hell yes! I love oranges let's get them---(it's now Tuesday and I haven't eaten one) so as they sit in their bag on my kitchen floor I wonder what the hell I'm going to do with 20 oranges...yummy orange cupcakes are the answer! Thanks to my boss Melissa saying that she likes butter cream frosting this morning I whip out my Chocolate Buttercream recipe and get to mixin'....the result? Chocolate Covered Oranges! I took one of the oranges and added the zest to my vanilla cupcake batter and I must say- I am NOT a big chocolate covered orange fan..but this was pretty tasty...makes me wonder..What other flavors can I cover in chocolate??

Tomorrow my marketing lady is coming over for a meeting to talk business-- Web page--logos you name it and best of all I pay her in cupcakes...Where did I get free marketing? My sister in law of course!

Coming this weekend---Peach Cobbler Cupcake...

Chewy Caramel Brownies

Good Evening everyone!

Let me just start by saying I had no intention of making anything tonight. My plan was to make dinner, give my little man a bath, put him to bed and head that way myself. Big day tomorrow--the girls I nanny for are starting school and sometimes it is a little challenging getting everyone out the door. Needless to say, my sweet tooth kicked in and all of the recipes that were swarming through my head all day long were dying to get out...What's quick, easy and delicious? YES! BROWNIES!!! Can't go wrong with brownies!

So what is going to make them special...No no..not THAT kind of special..although I know a few people who would pay good money for those kind of brownies, Sorry folks..not that kind of bakery...

I check the cupboard for something to fancy them up...hmmm caramel sounds good. I pick up my once full bag of caramels and it's strangely light....seems I have a mouse in my baking cabinet which explains why I have been finding caramel wrappers in the couch and on the coffee table...Luckily for John I have exactly enough--he dodged that bullet.... because nothing worse than going to the cupboard with something in mind and finding an empty bag of what used to be your supplies...no fun

SO as I'm whipping up some Spaghetti and Meatballs I work on the brownies...luckily Cash is happy with Daddy, which makes this go A LOT faster... I start with the butter and sugar...add the eggs and Mexican vanilla ( yes it is from Mexico, it's all I use- get that imitation crap outta here!) Sift the dry ingredients and incorporate them---Very important--- Always...ALWAYS use room temperature ingredients--this helps incorporate better and just makes everything smoother in my book. I unwrap the caramels and place one directly in the center so that once you get to the middle around all of the yummy, fudgy chocolate- you bite into creamy sweet caramel...

Now my problem with brownies is they are always fall apart chewy- for my taste these are perfect--melt in your mouth BUT...I need them to be somewhat firm so that when I sell them they won't fall all apart in bag or fall apart right when you pick them up...refrigerate them perhaps?? We shall see....

John enjoying his Caramel Brownie

My top taster and awesome husband said " it's all I look for in a brownie..chewy, melts in your mouth with just the right amount of caramel." One down...My other testers get their taste tomorrow---My boss's Melissa and Jason and their kids- Joey, Tara and Hunter---( Today when I asked them to be my testers Tara asked " do we have to pay you for them?" I told her "You do....two hugs per cupcake." She replies " hmmm I think I can swing that.") My brother Austin- his wife Jamie and our friend Clay.....We have all of these baked goodies on a rating system so we know which ones will make the list.....

I also checked to see if our name is taken--No, thank goodness....if no one guessed where we came up with the name---it is my two last names together Self and Luna :)

Lots of ideas today...so much fun ahead of us....CAN'T WAIT!

Research and Development

I have always loved to bake and in the past few years I have really started to get serious about it. For some, running is an outlet to relief stress, for me it's baking and singing. Singing aside, baking lets me unwind and create something that makes people feel good, even if only for the moment that they are consuming that delicious treat. So it's been a dream of mine to start a bakery for some time....so this is the start of that journey and I thought~ Why not document it from the very beginning. This will allow you to follow me through the whole thing...Research and Development, Naming process, and the opening of what is Seluna bakery.

So...here we go...where do we start? Well luckily my husband knows his stuff...Start with a business plan he said and don't get ahead of yourself. Good advice. Anyone who knows me knows that once I get an idea in my head I want to do it NOW..no waiting...quick planning (because to me EVERYTHING needs a plan)...NOW. Alright--lets start with a name.... .uhhh ok....blank... hmmm. After a few ideas---Autumn (My middle name) Delights, Half stacks, Cross bone Cupcakery etc. We have decided on Seluna Bakery--Can anyone guess why??

So on to research and development--First we made a list, everything I know how to make and things we want to add to the list. Everything on there I will make two a weekend until perfected and we can add to the website. (coming soon thanks to my sister-in-law who is also in charge of marketing)


First on the list-- S'more cupcakes-- A chocolate cupcake with graham cracker crust and marshmallow frosting...Cupcake with graham cracker crust-check...Marshmallow frosting-not so much...as soon as we tasted it it was awesome but the after taste was SALT...gritty salty mess...So now I know..No salt in the S'mallow frosting! What's next? Strawberry cupcakes with strawberry frosting, not just any, I found the Sprinkles recipe--for anyone who is not familiar with Sprinkles http://www.sprinkles.com/-It is the worlds first cupcakery out in California and is delicious.So why not try it?---Maybe I'll just put the strawberry frosting on the chocolate gram cupcakes--then cream cheese frosting on the strawberry cupcakes...yep sounds good.

Strawberry cupcakes were a success--Our friend Clay put it best I think--almost like pound cake--moist and dense so it doesn't fall apart when you bite into it...Cream cheese frosting went perfect with it...So on to the Strawberry frosting---DO NOT OVER WHIP---the directions say---phhft I can do that...or can I? With an 8 month old crawling around your legs and almost trying to walk can quickly divert my attention away from the frosting..so guess what..it got over whipped and Incorporated to much air...it was runny..not at all creamy and dense like it was supposed to be, BUT still tasted it great...Lesson learned--Don't make frosting you have to watch closely when your son is biting your leg, trying to crawl up the stairs or being brave and letting go of the chair to see if he can walk....doesn't always work....

Today's challenge--chocolate butterscotch cookies... according to my taster ( who is camped out on the couch) they were a success..the new name- *Chocolate Craters* add it to the list!

Next step--putting together made to order gift baskets,logo, overhead, more recipes and most important CLIENTS! More to come~~