VivaLaCupcake

Beaumont leys Leicester

2011-10-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

I have been so busy selling my lovely cupcakes in Loughborough, Glenfield and in Leicester town that I have not had chance to update my blog for a few months.
However, tomorrow I am at Beaumont Leys so if you would like to buy some homemade cakes please come and see me.
Next Friday I am selling my cupcakes inside the Leicester market so if you are in town please pop by.

Anita.

We are at the Belgrave food fair at Belgrave hall. If you missed this,,shame on you.

2011-08-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

The Belgrave Hall Good Food Fair
Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th September 2011
11.00am – 4.00pmBelgrave Hall Museum and Gardens
http://www.leicester.gov.uk/foodfair

http://manillaclub.co.uk/rockafellas/?page_id=75 is the link to the cupcake club night.

What to do over the weekend...how about a music festival in Syston...awesome.

2011-07-29T00:03:00.001-07:00

We are in attendance with some really heavy rock cakes...

http://www.silverbulletleicester.co.uk/

The Central Stage (Saturday)

1 p.m. Chezzy Rocker Rose

1.45 December Giant

2.30 Punching Robots

3.15 No More Heroes

4 p.m. Daniel Angelus

4.45 Free or Nearest Offer

5.30 The Procession

6.15 James Lewis Band

7 p.m. These Roads Arn't safe

7.45 Loaded

8.30 Living Mystery

9.15 Metal Militia (Metallica Tribute)

10 p.m. Stonewashed

10.45 Oxide

The Riverside Stage (Saturday)

2 p.m. Aspects of Infinity

2.45 Sam Hutchinson

3.30 We were beautiful (Liverpool)

4.15 Ricky C & friends

5 p.m. Even more than you

5.45 The Chasers

6.30 Aphtershock

7.15 Kanada

8 p.m. Bury the Ladybird

8.45 Black Sheep Family

9.30 Muze (Muse tribute)

10.15 Ashes to Angels

11 p.m. Elvis Presley tribute

Riverside Stage on Sunday

1 p.m. Michael Day

2 p.m. Morgan Perkins is Frank Sinatra

3 p.m. Scarlett Soviets

3.45 p.m. Chris Armson

5 p.m. Tony Alles

6 p.m. Roy Orbison tribute

6.45 Imperial Circus

7.30 p.m. Spyritus

more acts to follow

(Details may be subject to change)

New Sunday line up

2 p.m. Morgan Perkins (frank Sinatra Tribute)

3 p.m. Imperial Circus

Now including Armson, Kanada (acoustic set), Tony Alles, more to be advised.

Acoustic Marquee (Saturday and Sunday)

Arran McDonagh & friends

Lacky C (rapper)

Scott Williams

Sam Hutchinson

Faye Brotherhood

More to come, more artists booking now

A full programme for all stages will be available on the day

Quick link to the dress agency lady..lady G.

2011-07-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

http://www.georgiesda.co.uk/georgies%20dress%20agency/georgies.html

Give her your size, and she will let you know what she has in.

Some images of the bar...4th August

2011-07-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

Ladies, honestly, would you want to be sitting at home on Thursday listening to his excuse for not cleaning the garden or sitting filling our faces by yours truly.

I tell no lies...
The image is the interior of Rockafellas for those who have yet to take a step up town since Gone with the Wind was at the Odeon.
Remember no email, no likey...rules are rules.

A student is not just for Christmas...

Noel.

rock on girls we have lift off.

2011-07-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

Ladies we have the venue, the infamous Rockafellas at the top of the High street opposite the carpark.
See map link..

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/myplaces?hl=en&ll=52.635125,-1.1395&spn=0.000203,0.001321&sll=52.635252,-1.137346&sspn=0.006295,0.006295&ctz=-60&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=52.635059,-1.139577&panoid=q79qyo6yNHES6viaQwp6tA&cbp=11,32.86,,0,0

The venue will be 4th August which is around 3 weeks away give or take. The added spice will be the attendance of dress agency goddess that is Georgina Dexter.

She is an expert in getting the couture brand labels for the pocket budget to match. I can vouch for that personally. I went to Butlins and dressed like Victoria Beckham,aka Kate Perry just for going to the fair.
All class.

Her link is www.georgiesda.co.uk

Second on the night is the class act of ladies from City Spa, and I mean class. These girls have a who's who of Leicester in attendance in the private areas below the ground floor soaking up the best of the best cosmetic beauty therapy that money can buy.

They will be giving some advice and tips on the night.

So more updates tomorrow. Remember, you need to email me to get invited on the night, a head count will monitored.

So we have cakes, fine wines, clothes and advice. What more can we do.

cupcake.anita@gmail.com

All the ladies in the house..

2011-07-19T03:04:00.001-07:00

To my friends, customers and clients.

We have now found a variety of new techniques sourced from different professionals in the catering business to make the cupcake a pure standalone bestseller.

Having tested the competition lately, I thought it was time to have a second tasting session before the new additions to my range.

The last event was at a bar which we took over for the night. Music and all that jazz, but more of a let your hair down for 3 hrs, filling our faces.

This time I'm going to invite a few friends who sell other items of interest, nothing big.

One is a dress agency and the second is a surprise girls.

The conditions last time was that everyone emails me, I then instruct my hubby to collect a £5 deposit from each, this is returned on the night. For the ones who did not turn up last time, this would cover the waste.

The night will be a spoon tasting session, you pick the cake and we feed you. Some girls practically took the experience a bit too far, eating the whole cake and range in one hit.

I need some suggestions for a venue and a possible date in August.

cupcake.anita@gmail.com

Ok, we are going on holiday from 8th to the 15th.

2011-07-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

Love to all guys, thank you for the support over the last year, especially from my hubby as well.

To update everyone, we are doing a little trick to make the day go quicker while the weather is nice.

On our market stall in the Leicster city fruit market, we have Spiderman from 1 until 3.

So, if you want a quick snap or have your little rascals stand with Spiderman, no problem, just ask.

Spiderman, also has his own cupcake on sale. So go ahead and pick your Spiderman design.

My hubby is loving all the attention from the kids shouting Spiderman, even the cool teens have a banter.

If you want Spiderman to deliver your cupcake party pack then just drop me an email, and we will respond with a personal Spiderman email for the lucky person who is getting the special treat.

Uploading pics over the week, so stay tuned Spider fans....

Update

2011-05-28T04:12:00.000-07:00

Big thank you to the insurance company for assisting me in the selling of my cupcakes, very refreshing to see helpful staff, while I understand that the team are cooperative, some companies don't have the same policy of just leaving the cakes in the office, because they always cite some restrictions relating to contamination or some other form of risk.

Has anyone died from butter or a tablespoon of chocolate, please let me know. People have allergies, and they know best what they can eat, not management. Our products are all natural based flavours using blast frozen fruit or very expensive concentrates. If I use a bottle of the shelf, I will give up and pack the cake business in. Simply because I value the old method of giving the customer something that no one else can produce. I'm not claiming to be the best in Leiecester or the UK, simply that I have a style and a method which only works with top ingredients.

If there existed a replacement to sugar icing besides, a sweetner, then possibly I would move to using this. Bar this, then I have to work with sugar icing. A lady commented on that it was sweet, well sampling the caramel and raspberry flavour will be sweet, but no way near as a mars bar or anything else of the shelf that is loaded with sugar.

At the end of the day, I can promise and deliver on my product to be the best for value.

Thank you to everyone on Friday, big help as always.

Noel

We now have 2 little mermaids that dance in our kitchen.

2011-05-25T00:58:00.000-07:00

Just shrunk the smalls and my dancing shoes with my new laser gun..

2011-05-25T00:31:00.000-07:00

Day 1

2011-05-18T02:52:00.000-07:00

Come and get them..

Thank you everyone.

2011-05-18T01:45:00.000-07:00

The morning was fantastic at the food section in the new food market on Friday, we sold out by 4pm. Thank you to all the traders who purchased a cupcake, thank you to the local hair salons, pub managers, mobile phone shops, toy shop, nail salons dotted across the city. The emails I got Friday night was great to read.

For the ones who have pre ordered, then thank you as well for the return custom.

Making the leap to take on a stall and trying to make things work as a future business is hard, but worth the effort. My hat goes off to the local market traders, they are all work horses. People should visit the market more, why pay £2 for strawberries, when the market sells just as good for under £1. I did my shop on Friday in the market and saved well over £15 in normal fruit and veg for the week.

Bless all...

OH YES, one word...LOROS...

We have our first stall at the Food section in the fruit market in Leicester City market.

2011-05-10T07:08:00.001-07:00

Oh, yes, bring it on...

We will have around 15 flavours and will bake around 150 cakes for this to start, we have some other sites to go first, hence the low show, but the first come first serve will be order of the day.

I tasted the poor effort in the shires today, not my think to comment on other cakes, but that issue of quality for £1:50 is raising the blood to boil.

We have a chocolate sponge that at least is best part 100% cocoa. This is traced back to our wholesaler. The eggs are from Gorse hill farm or the nice laddies at the A47 carboot. Butter is top secret and the fluffy magic ingredient that makes them taste like angel delight. We have fresh fruit and a plastic case.

Image A-Cupcake from the shires shopping centre stand on the upper level

Viva la cupcake chocolate caramel with strawberry...£1:50

What did I get for £1:50...see image A

Has everyone forgotten about manners,

2011-05-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Not naming some big companies that reside in Grove park in Leicester, but today the attitude and rudeness from staff was very fresh to say the least. Now, is it because I'm a student who sells cupcakes, is it hard to swallow or, the fact that I'm actually raising my own funds for my degree.

Pressing the call button and hearing, '' that it is something we are not interested in'', is normal. What is hard to understand is that one person can speak for an entire company.

This is off putting, especially when a senior staff member who work's in this blue chip company, says at the local fete,' to drop by and speak to the reception. Can't see how a student selling cupcakes is not a worthy cause.'

So please take into consideration when you say your not interested, please seek permission to speak for the company as a whole. Many directors have been gracious and aplogised for there staff's response.

When this blog is copied into my forums for netmums and similar forum links, the feedback is they all can't believe they work there or their partner works there. Hence why I came to your business in the first place.

Noel...

OMG....REDBULL, COLA and BUBBLEGUM FLAVOURS..

2011-04-27T03:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, we now have within the bakery lab some new interesting mixes.

The cupcake has moved up a gear, REDBULL, COLA and now BUBBLEGUM flavours.

The trial run will start next week, once there is no reactions to our special butter icing. But today's tests are going down really well.

Well, all that selling has now paid for our local graphic designer to create our flyer..

2011-04-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

If you want him to create something in a short time and very quick, then drop him a line. He can work on all budgets from £150 to the bigger graphics.

Hi all, attending the Abbey pump festival this Sunday, straight after the A47 carboot.

2011-04-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

Peppermint chocolate ganache and caramel with cherry

the party order for NWA

Vanilla with caramel and chocolate ganache

Double chocolate and caramel

So my lovely customers, I have now completed my HNC, my focus is now on my BSc Hons PT degree in Quantity Surveying, so if you know anyone who is looking for a Jnr QS, drop me a line..hickey.noel@googlemail.com.

8th April-We love Viva hearts, plus expensive cocoa Hawain chocolate.

2011-04-08T01:35:00.000-07:00

Two hearts-strawberry

Orange and peel with orange ganache

oh yes, chocolate and cherry

Why, how and what with.

2011-04-05T16:39:00.000-07:00

here is the wifes effort, flowers are nice, interflora darling

what more can I say,

To show you all the techniques on flavouring would be very time consuming, so for now a few pics to wet the appetite.

thinking, one day, I will be a QS.

Oh, I 'm the real little chef

Everyone, thank you for your support. We love emails,so keep sending us the feedback.

2011-03-31T17:59:00.000-07:00

Viva is going 3 days now that my hubby has finished his HNC, well done old man. We have updated our flavours with pineapple and apricot.
Big thumbs down for a high street retailer for copying our designs and method, you know who you are guys.
Big thumbs up to our new guests, so please can you use the blog for feedback, too many emails to read in the morning.
We are also launching at the piaza market in the city centre when they get it finished (MAY).

Love to all..

Viva...

Christmas time over, make way for the new flavour rush

2011-01-17T13:48:00.000-08:00

To my loyal fans, big thank you for all your support. Sorry, If I cannot reach you on the day, but when you sell out, you sell out. That's just the way it goes. But you will be top of the list next week for sure.

To all the large corporates and the section managers who have given me the privilege to enter the business offices and sell cakes, a big big thank you.

I'm looking to enter more sites to spread the love of vivalacupcake, so please pass the word around. It all helps me out.

PS. The same message goes as before, if you email me your order, then you will get it for sure. I always have to text sold out, even at 5pm on Friday. The minimum qty for drop off to an office must be 6 in the city, that just pays for the parking per hour....

New flavour next week, just doing the ground testing.

try these little babes

2010-11-30T07:28:00.000-08:00

Party on.

2010-11-28T14:27:00.000-08:00

Eggs, some wrist action and yehaa. 4 new flavours,

Party time

2010-11-28T14:09:00.000-08:00

Vivalacupcake has new disciples, converted on the spot. So much for just one bite, take one for your mate I bet.

Love the comments guys..

2010-11-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

FAO Anita:
                   Just to let you know how much we enjoyed your cup cakes with the ganache toppings bought from the Market Event today.

                   Really delicious !!!

                    Hope you sold out and have warmed up. Nice to talk to you both.

                    Regards Margaret & John

We had some cupcakes at the Irish Clothing store on the corner of High St/Silver St over the weekend.

Although, I did not get to try any, they looked very nice. Would you kindly tell me what the lead times
are and how much they would cost please.

Thank you

Dharmesh

13th Nov Local fete extravaganza

2010-11-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Lots of good feedback about the cognac and orange flavour cupcake. But the best in order was:

Vanilla base-Vanilla pod butter cream with cappuccino and peppermint chocolate centre masses.
Cocoa base-Vanilla pod butter cream with Lemon, Lime chocolate centre masses.
Cocoa base-Lemon with zest shreds, caramel and peppermint centre masses with raspberry fruit inset.
Cocoa base-Strawberry butter cream with Belgian 80% ganache with strawberry fruit inset.
Vanilla base-Strawberry butter cream with caramel and peppermint ganache with strawberry fruit inset.
Cocoa base-Strawberry butter cream with Belgian 80% ganache with Jamaican rum.
Cocoa base-Belgian 80% butter cream with 1.5 tablespoon Belgian 80% ganache with malteser crunches inset.
Vanilla base-cappuccino butter cream with caramel and peppermint ganche with strawberry fruit inset.

They all went by 4pm.

Also, Lots of love to my new followers at the offices in Meridean.

The business has turned a corner recently, the testing and selecting of new chococlates has made me more determined to stick to quality of flavours than tastesless sprinkless.

But the childrens parties will have the little devils sprinkled as a normal design.

This week we will have a blast, I will be making:

Concentrated raspberry with Belgian centre masses
Irish Coffee with Belgian centre masses
Orange and Cointreau with Belgian centre masses
Bourbon Vanilla with cappuccino centre masses
Mocca 'Rio' and chocolate peach centre masses.

I may change mix designs, all depends on what get the juices going. But one thing is for sure, all ganaches will be made last thing at 10 am Friday, these will rock until Sunday dinner with the fruit.

I only received requests late last week after the deadline mixing for the concentrate and chocolate. I do this 24hrs in advance, this way the chocolate absorbs all the juices before the tempering with the cream.

So if you have a favourite, drop me a line on quantity, also don't forget your

Extension to office tel number
Floor level
Company if it is not attached to your email string (yes I get the request for Jenny 01@aol.com want 5 of the killers.)
QTY.
Time.

We can normally hit delivery time within 2 hrs, but everyone ordering for 5pm calls before the girls night out is now gaining some status. We try to be accommodating, but you will have to bare with us for these little extras.

The secret is in the mixing...

Tasting session 23 rd November -NatterJacks in Braunstone Gate

2010-11-08T12:03:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

I'm holding my new tasting session for the new flavours, this is about everyone who has purchased a cupcake to come along and taste the variations in the range.

I hope everyone can spare a hour, the session is booked from 7pm to 9pm on Tues 23 rd Nov. It will hold about 100, so not everyone can come. There is almost 1000 people now who have my cupcakes every month.

So, if you send me your details on cupcake.anita@gmail.com, then I will create a list of first come first serve basis.

There also will be a special chocolate drink, this is not drinking chocolate,but the stuff you find in Harrods.

At the end of the session you can pick your cupcake of choice and be able to purchase anymore if your stomach and taste buds will allow.

I love my new flavours.

2010-11-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

Just to let everyone know that I now have some new flavours to add into my mid dark chocolate, only for strong hearted. The recent requests for something for the liquor artisan in us, has created the interest to find these new little new additions.

Jamaican rum, Cognac and Orange and Cointreau. These have bite. BEWARE.

Also, my new passion fruit is smelling and tasting like heaven. My new chocolate taste this week is Lemon and Lime, a very citrus aroma and taste.

Fridays round was great yesterday, big thank you to all the late sales at 6pm in the call centres, big thanks to all the office managers who gave the opportunity to sell my little delights.

Christmas orders for Dec 4 onwards are now being taken

2010-11-02T02:20:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Viva la Cupcake is making some small sample Christmas sets for advanced ordering due to last minute rushing for office party treats.

Its all in the wrist.

2010-10-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

First of all, big thank you to everyone at LHA Leicester.

You made my day with some of the feedback my assistant returned (hubby god bless him).

It was great to know that bigger corporations, will let the small lady in of the street to sell her special cupcakes to its wonderful staff.

From what I hear, it sounds like fun place to work. Everyone was friendly and appreciative.

My cupcake ethos is only about creating the indivudual flavour and smell, rather than tasteless decorations that are bone dry.

I spend a few hours aweek, simply mixing and tasting fruits with high quality chocolates and desert addititions such as vanilla pods, etc.

The positions for my resale are going to be in the Braunstone gate area, ideally this will be two spots.

1 coffee bar and 1 eaterie to be named shortly. The interest is hot, but the Viva brand needs a loving home to show off her colours and aromas.

The two families providing a meal for the young hearts, which send them into a drunken conscious stupor under a new moon, viva la moon.

So this week is all about the new inner tastes, cocoa and chocolate mass centre with a dulce de leche toppings.

This is a truly silky smooth look with a selfish indulgent aroma. The classic feel to this is alike to toffee cheesecake.

Of course, I will add some small twists to these centres based on flavours that are for the mind and heart as always.

Love to the diary, x

My top flavours are for this month

2010-10-28T03:36:00.000-07:00

Hello diary,

Today is the best day of my week, creation and fantasy. I sit down and find natural concentrated flavours from top fruit artisans who then supply me with sample pots. I have a process of testing the flavours with my eyes closed and then have a small intake of the aromas. Then comes the small tastes followed by the big spoon.

This week, I have some new ideas, a hint of chocolate coffee ganache topping with my favourite butter cream mix. This went down well yesterday with my friends, they are so fussy, but honest. And when one of them who says coffee is not her thing, is now converted.

This was followed by my new ganache range; orange, lime, peppermint, strawberry, dark chocolate 85%, white chocolate, honey, cappuccino and caramel.

The whole production kitchen was smelling of fruit and chocolate sweetness. The testing will be my new round of potential clients and 1 new restaraunt. The small run will be around 100 cupcakes split into 10 flavour sections. Since Friday is my new week round, I will increase the production from 3 to 4 days to expand on Fridays potential new clients and customers.

My weekly list for Saturday and Sunday is almost full, but its a sellout in its own right in terms of sales.

The cupcakes tomorrow may have some hidden features on the filling that are top secret, so, I will expect more questions on what is inside the centre filling.

Since swapping all of my cheap off the shelf for high end quality chocolate from the chocolate artisan, the response from my existing customers and the feedback has been brilliant.

Bye for now my little diary..