Do you see that little check mark next to my name on Facebook? That means I'm verified!! Normally, I wouldn't write about something so small but I'm on my second cup of coffee and it took so much effort that I have to! 
To become verified, you have to give them your phone number and they call you. Apparently, if you use your cell phone as your work phone, it doesn't count. So the next step is to send them one of the following:

• Utility bill for your place of business
• Local business license (issued by your city, county or state)
• Tax document for your business
• Certificate of formation (for a partnership)
• Articles of incorporation (for a corporation)

You wouldn't think it would be a complicated process but I sent them everything from my business license to my utility bill and they didn't accept it. Finally, I sent them my proof of insurance with my address and they approved it! I have never been so excited to get an email at 7am! Now that I am verified, my business appears higher up in search results to attract more visitors! Woohoo!! Keep an eye out on Facebook! This is an exciting time!

​Speaking of my second cup of coffee today, the new Caribou/Einstein bagels place opened up next to my apartment so I'm writing this from the brand new Caribou! From now on, all my business will be conducted here for two reasons: I am a Caribou addict and I stayed out all night on Tuesday to get free coffee and bagels once a week for a year so I have to get my money's worth! It's the perfect little spot to meet people and discuss cake. It is also really entertaining to see people staring at my dummy cakes, like "did she just pull cake out of her bag?"

Happy St. Patrick's Day week everyone! Tune in later this week for my latest experimental cupcake! I'll give you a hint...it involves minty goodness!

This weekend was the most relaxing weekend I have had in a while. I had time to deliver my cupcake order, experiment with a new cake flavor and go on a horse drawn carriage ride! I guess that is what happens when you realize you don’t have to clean your apartment perfectly from floor to ceiling and you wake up before noon! Check out these beautiful horses from Point Paradise Stables!

​I was scheduled to deliver a few batches of coffee cake cupcakes for a wedding shower on Saturday morning. After two hockey games on Friday night, I quick frosted the cupcakes that I baked the previous night. Having learned from the last weekend, I knew I needed to frost the cupcakes as soon as I got home, or I would be up until 4am again. Thankfully, the frosting process went super quick and I was done before midnight. That is an accomplishment in the baking world…especially after a full time job and hockey! As long as I am learning, I’m always improving, right?

​After delivering my cupcakes on Saturday morning, I accomplished so many things. I ran all my errands in less than an hour, so I had time to experiment with a new cake before my cousin’s hockey game. It started out so well, I found shredded carrots at Target and stuck them in my food processor and it worked perfectly. My biggest annoyance with carrot cake is cutting the carrots so they are small enough (and the fact that there are carrots in a cake). I found a super simple recipe so there aren’t any pineapples, nuts or raisins in this cake, which cuts down on the cost…a lot. 

This little Oster 2-Speed Immersion Hand Blender with Food Chopper Attachment is the best $30 I have ever spent. Actually I'm pretty sure I paid less than that because I like sale items. I chopped these carrots in about 10 seconds! However, I'm thinking shredded carrots chopped up is not the way to go. I'm still debating so if anyone has any advice on carrots in carrot cake, I am all ears!

I baked the cupcakes first to see how the cake would rise. Last time, I stuck in two cakes and they overflowed all over my oven. Another lesson learned that saved me this time! I could write a book! The cupcakes came out perfectly so I was excited to try the cake. 

The cake was great but I learned another valuable lesson: don't take the cake out of the pan while it is still hot! There is a reason the professional bakers put their cakes in the fridge before taking them out of the pan. After finding a few people at work to be my taste testers, I concluded that the cake needs a bit more flavor and maybe more stuff in it. What do you prefer? Nuts? Raisins? Pineapple? This cake is going to be a work in progress but I think I have found a great foundation for the the carrot cake recipe!