The Perfect Way To Propose...

It's getting to that time of year where people who were so stuffed from the holidays begin to emerge back into the bakery. I completely understand. Sometimes separation only makes a relationship stronger. The fact that this relationship involves food and not another person is another story.. but who am I to judge, right? I specifically remember this one time when a young man came into bakery one January afternoon and said that he had a great idea, but it would only work if we (the bakery) were in it 100%. As I spoke with him I could see he was excited, a little shaky in his voice, but that made sense after he delved deeper into his plan. He wanted to order a custom fondant cake that would say "Marry Me" on it. We were to place it in the main display window on the set date, he was to come by with his girlfriend who would look at the display window and see the message. This was when he would get down on one knee and propose. It was the weirdest feeling because I had known this man for maybe 30 minutes and for some reason, I had butterflies in my stomach, as if I was part of this woman's proposal--which I guess in some weird way I was.

 Every detail you could imagine was covered. Honestly I stressed not so much about the cake, more about her reaction--what if she said no?! I would feel somewhat responsible and that would end up being the most awkward experience of my life...the cake was edible and paid for- would he still want it? Probably not. That's a pretty sad image of a "Will you marry me?" cake smushed in a garbage bag. Regardless, the cake was made and the plan was a go. Everyone in the bakery knew about this, and the days leading up to it was all anyone spoke about. Finally when the day came, my eyes were glued to the clock. At 3:00, just like paperwork, the couple came and at the time I just stopped what I was doing and watched (in a non-creepy way, I was very discrete!) It was amazing-I had never witnessed a proposal before, and when she realized the cake was for her and what was going on, I got so excited! (If you know me, then you'll know that my excitement involves clapping and speaking very quickly!) She said yes (thank god) and they came into the bakery, everyone congratulated them, and we gave them their cake  It was just a great day. All the stress and worry was worth it to see someone's reaction as good as hers. 

After that experience, it made me think-this is the perfect way to propose to someone. It shows that a lot of time and thought went into it, and seriously how could you go wrong? Love it. 

For the recipe, I think it's appropriate to post one that was the same cake and frosting flavour as the cake made for the couple. Red Velvet. This one comes from the Baking Queen herself, Paula Deen. It's absolutely delicious. 

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.