Hello cupcake… get into my belly…

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Karisa

I talk to cupcakes. Yup, I know, I’m weird. A usual conversation would go down like this:

Hello cupcake… lookin’ sooo pretty, almost you pretty to eat… well I said “almost”, mwhuahahahaha…

This exact conversation in fact went down just last Sat at a friend’s birthday lunch. You see that’s cause she got each guest one of these babies as a little gift:

How pretty is that damn cupcake?

They were beautifully packaged in little cupcake boxes, so I’m assuming Carmen intended that we actually take them home with us. But my cupcake didn’t even make it through lunch. In fact, I ate mine before we even ordered. Ha!

Then at the end of the party, one of the other girls left their cupcake behind (this would never ever happen to me). Carmen then lovingly suggested that I take it home for the boyfriend cause she knows he has a major sweet tooth. I was like ah sweet man, cool, I’ll do that. But come now, that cupcake never made it home… (we’ll just keep this little secret between us OK? )

Anyways, long story short, these cupcakes were amazing, so I immediately asked Carmen for the contact details of the lady behind them so I could add her to my speed dial…

Marisa from Cupcakes By Fairies was the lady behind these heavenly cake babies and when I looked through the photos on the Cupcakes By Fairies Facebook Page I was even more impressed. This woman is super talented. She does anything from wedding cakes to cake pops and everything’s like a work of art. Let me show you what I mean:

Crazy good right? She can also print edible pictures for you and she offers 3 flavours: vanilla, chocolate & red velvet (I freakin’ love red velvet). Also from chatting to Carmen about how much she paid for her cupcakes, Marisa’s pricing is really good, especially for what you’re getting.

So ja, if you’re looking a one-of-a-kind cake or cupcake, do give Marisa a shout on 072 527 8898 or email her at cupcakesbyfairies@gmail.com.

xxx

Cupcakes & art – a perfect match

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Karisa

Last Thu eve I popped into T’Art – Tasteful Art in Loop St for an evening of sweet treats and photographic art. T’Art is a gorgeous little cake shop specialising in delicious, one of a kind cakes creations by the gorgeous Kim Maccallum who is not only an internationally qualified pastry chef but also comes from a graphic design background which seems to give her a bit of an edge when it comes to designing something really special. Check out some of her amazing work:

One of the first things I did as I walked in was grab one of these cute little red velvet cupcakes on offer.

Mmmmmmm… look at that vibrant colour. So yum.

With my sugar fix sorted, I grabbed a glass of wine and started saying hello. Here I am with T’Art ower, Kim, and my girls Clouds and Leigh.

But the evening was not just about us getting to enjoy amazing cupcakes and mingling, it was also to showcase the photographic work of Jaco Herbst. Jaco hails from Pretoria but he says his photography has taken him to lots of wonderful places already. To him photography is all about telling a story and it’s important to build a trust relationship with your subject. He has no formal training – instead he relies on his natural eye for composition and his self taught use of light to create mood and shapes. He also doesn’t believe in doing retouching to his images as he wants the true beauty to shine through.

With Jaco

I really loved the black & white nudes he did for a calendar shoot to raise money for the CANSA association:

Shot in Lüderitz, Namibia

As well as a collection of photographs he took in Zanzibar:

And this beautiful shot taken in Buffelsbaai in the Western Cape:

I was also really drawn to a shot he took in Kolmanskop – a ghost town in the Namib desert in southern Namibia. I think it was mainly because I’ve always had a strong fascination with Kolmanskop. It was once a small yet very rich mining village, but the town was deserted in 1954 after the diamond-field had been totally exhausted. Left to the mercy of the harsh desert conditions it means that today one can walk through the old mansions knee-deep in sand. It just seems so mysterious and interesting… would love to still see it for myself.

Kim then surprised us with yet another tray of goodies. I really don’t understand how someone who works with cake all day can still have such a rockin’ body. If that was me I’d be the size of a house without a doubt.

I have to show you a close up of one of her mini carrot cakes:

Almost too pretty to eat… well almost…

I also got to chat to Kim’s mom, Carol, who owns Just Skin Aesthetic Clinic in Green Point. Carol’s clinic specialises in skin rejuvenation and you can see that this lady looks after herself incredibly well. She looks amazing. Definitely someone to keep on your speed dial…

The gorgeous Carol from Just Skin.

Other lovelies on the scene were Elrico from Luxo blog (a hot new fashion blog to keep your eye on) and his sweetheart girlfriend, Ritza:

Ritza btw was wearing for realz Christian Louboutin shoes – I was sooooo envious.

Thanks so much to Kim for inviting us to be part of this fun evening and also to Jaco for sharing his beautiful work with us. This definitely beat going to gym and then vegging on my couch… my usual “fabulous” Thu eve routine.

xxx

A lazy bday lunch in a garden setting

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Karisa

Cafe Paradiso in Kloof St is really a favourite of mine, especially in summer. Why? Well firstly it has a kick ass garden in the front which is the perfect setting for soaking up some rays and getting some fresh air. Then you also really need to see how pretty it is on a hot summer’s night when you can enjoy a romantic dinner under the stars. Aaaahhh. Secondly the food is always top notch – amazing quality, fresh ingredients, interesting mix of flavours, in a nutshell – just plain brilliant. What more could one ask for really? Cafe Paradiso also happens to be part of the Madame Zingara group and everyone knows that those people are known for serving up great food in a seriously fun atmosphere.

It has also become a preferred spot for birthday celebrations. In fact I had a Mad Hatter’s tea party themed bday party there a few years back and this past weekend we headed over there to celebrate my gorgeous friend Carmen’s bday…

It was such perfect weather. Hot but not unbearably so. A slight breeze, but nothing that would ruin our hair. And the leafy trees created lots of shade for us to enjoy. Food wise I really was stuck on choosing, everything just sounded so good. In the end I went for something light – an open health sandwich with roast chicken and cranberry mayo (R45). It was really tasty, but I have to admit that as other people’s food arrived, I had serious food envy. Let me show you what I’m talking about:

My sandwich on the left (pretty impressive), then the linefish special in the middle and the chicken Milanese burger stack on the right. All like little pieces of art on a plate...

We also got to enjoy some deliciously evil cupcakes from the famous Charly’s Bakery. These ladies are doing seriously well these days, I see they even have their own TV show on SABC. Hectic stuff.

After lunch I was totally lusting over my friend Clouds’ Paul Smith wallet. I absolutely looooove Minis and bright colours, so this baby is something I’ve been wanting for years now:

Seriously, how amazing is that?

Maybe one day when I’m a big girl I’ll have one of my own. And then I’ll probably even cuddle up to it at night!

A huge thanks to Carmen for including me in her special birthday celebrations. I can’t think of a better way to spend a summer afternoon. And for being awesome time and time again, Cafe Paradiso gets the following Miss K Kiss-o-Meter rating from me:

xxx

The Cake Wizard

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Karisa

I first got introduced to Najia’s heavenly baked treats when I started working at my current “place of incarceration” back in 2008… Here it is customary to bring in cake for the troops on your birthday (if you don’t – you’re secretly judged by everyone from that point on and I’m pretty sure it also impacts on your performance rating )

So month in and month out we’d get to sample these amazing cupcakes, mini milk tarts, chocolate eclairs and the pièce de résistance, the worlds best (according to me) carrot cake. I could tell they all came from the same source as they had a distinct level of awesomeness, so I decided to do some investigating. Turns out people were ordering from Najia’s 3 sisters, who all happen to work here with me. Hectic hey!

When my birthday came around, I of course followed suit and placed my order with her as well. I mean I couldn’t exactly pitch up with some store bought stuff and risk my incentive bonus now could I. hehe. Then for my 30th bday party which was Moulin Rouge themed, she made me these awesome cupcakes with little golden top hats and scrolls:

Devilish dark chocolate cupcakes with red & purple icing… was a HUGE hit.

I definitely think the real selling point is not just that they look pretty – but that the cake part is super fluffy and moist and you just can’t stop eating way more than you should. I’ve been disappointed many times before by cupcakes for example that look pretty, but then end up being really dry on the inside. Bleh.

Anyhoo, so why am I blabbing on about this? Well up to now, she’s pretty much been operating from home through word of mouth. But she’s finally decided to share her talent with a wider audience by setting up a Facebook page where you can check out some of her amazing work.

I’ve selected some of my favourites (and am now very hungry):

Seriously… how cute is that?! It’s a freakin’ bunny!!!

Gorgeous wedding cake

A more classic style bday cake. But still packs a good punch.

What little boy wouldn’t want a cake like this?

Love this one for a little girl… but the “21″ on the side did throw me a little… haha.

Love to shop? Well why not express that on your cake…

And then this one is just bloody crazy… she actually made a full blown sewing machine!

And she even caters for “the nerds”

Another thing I can totally vouch for is that her prices are ridiculously good. So do yourselves a favour and go check out her page. You’ll be seriously impressed, if not already. He contact details are on there as well, so if you have something specific in mind, give her a shout and she can give you a quote. Prices will depend on how crazy you want to go.

xxx

The Stellenbosch Fresh Goods Market

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Karisa

So clearly I’ve been living under a rock… cause I can’t really explain how it’s taken me this long to stumble upon the Stellenbosch Fresh Goods market. And I’ve soooo been missing out.

Let’s get the important info out of the way first:

When? Every Saturday 9am-2pm (and that’s rain or shine people)
Where? Oude Libertas, Stellenbosch

This market is another pioneer for the Slow Food movement as it showcases producers selling goodies they have sourced/grown/raised/harvested/caught/ preserved or transformed themselves.

Just look at the inviting garden area that welcomes you as you walk up:

There’s a huge section filled with clothing, accessories, jewellery and such:

Then fresh fruits & veggies and some greenery:

Food wise you’ll find anything from marmalades and pestos to amazing cheeses & meats and then lots and lots of freshly made items to enjoy.

Bjorn went mad for the regte egte stroopwafels:

While I was totally lusting over some yummy looking flatbreats:

Mmmm… a little reminder of Italy.

To escape the heat for a bit we headed inside:

And it was buzzing!

Here we hit the sweet tooth trifecta – 1. Belgium waffles, served with whipped cream, cherries & syrup:

2. A table of freshly baked goods to tempt those tastebuds:

And then… the pièce de résistance… out-of-this-world cupcakes!!!

No no I shouldn’t… OK maybe I can… no no no don’t!

For the sake of my ass… I had to get outta there, and fast… I picked up 2kgs just drooling over those evil sweet treats. Geeze.

As we stepped back outside, Bjorn caved for that all-time awesome idea – a dik meat sausage on a roll:

I’m a boerewors girl, but Bjorn’s a bratwurst boy… whateva, it still rocks!

For the rest of our time there, we took refuge in the shady amphitheatre:

Ah bliss…

We didn’t have enough time to check out all the various market sections as we had to head back into town for the Queens Plate (more on that to come), so I’m really keen to head back again soon for a nice leisurely exploring session.

If you’re keen for a winelands excursion – get your butts over there. You’ll leave with bags full of great things and a smiling tummy for sure.

xxx

The Cape Quarter Market

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Karisa

There’s a new market in town ladies & gentlemen… introducing the Village Market @ Cape Quarter! The market launched this past Sun and will be open every Sun from 10am to 3pm. They refer to themselves as:

A unique, European Lifestyle Market that supports local goods and produce, all the while striving to be as organic and environmentally friendly as possible.

But to be totally honest… the first thing that went through my mind was: “But will there be pancakes?”

We kicked off our market shopping with some interesting sounding spring rolls:

I went for the Thai hake & Braised Lamb… Mmmmmm…

Then I was also tempted to try a fresh pie. My friend Johann had one and he looked pretty damn happy. Just look at this awesome display of featherlight crust:

The lovely lady at the Frying Dutchman stand gave us some free “poffertjes” to sample – basically they’re like little pancake puffs sprinkled with cinnamon and dripping with chocolate sauce & fresh cream. How great does that sound?

BOOM! These babies were absolutely delicious…

After that I had to be dragged away from the Voila! stand with all their evil cupcakes, tarts & macarons:

My friends totally fear my sugar high’s I think… mwhahahahahaha

Next we headed upstairs to what seems to be the main market area – but you’ll find stands all over the new Cape Quarter extension. Here there was lots of seating place and it was buzzing with people.

The Heavenly Treats stand was a real stand out for me. Those quiches just looked… well… heavenly!

And then for some reason the sight of this bagel stand just made me want to run up and jump right into that stack. I dunno why exactly. It must have been a carb attack. hehe.

My friend Grant, who loves to cook – especially curries & potjies – went mad when he saw all the spices on offer. And I must say, it did make for quite a pretty photo:

He noted that a lot of these spices are very hard to come by, especially fresh, so this was a real score for him. Good to know. If I ever learn how to cook – I will keep this in mind.

I was very tempted to support the oysters & champers stand… well more for the champers than the creepy, slimy, gross oysters (can you tell I don’t like them?). But seeing as it was only 11am – we hadn’t quite reached “wine-o-clock” yet.

As we went back down, towards the outer edges of Cape Quarter, my dreams finally came true… we found the pancake stand! (well the dude called them “crêpes” – but that’s just a fancy pants name for the same thing right). This guy was a real pro – just look at the ultra smooth hand movement, creating the perfect thickness for the fluffiest pancakes ever:

Best R15 I’ve spent like ever…

After all that eating, I felt like I needed a nap. But hey, that’s what Sundays are for!

All and all, I think this market offers up some great things. I suspect that it’s going to become very popular. I personally LOVE markets, so I think it’s truly great that Cape Town folk have yet another cool one to check out.

xxx

My Love Affair with Cape Town…

Just random fun in my mother city

Tag Archives: cupcakes