I BAKE for taste.

When I BAKE, I BAKE for taste. I don't BAKE for the spectacular showmanship.The fancy artistry of frosting flowers or fondant rolled and cut to look like animals or people is beyond me. I BAKE for the cake part of any cupcake or cake. Heck's Bells...I would eat just the pie crust if it was BAKED all flaky and yummy!
I am not a frosting kind of gal. I believe that is one of the reasons why I have failed Cake Decorating 101,102,3,4...I've never gotten the hang of it. I have tried. Too many times and too many $'s to count. Maybe it's because I am left-handed and all the instructions seem backwards to me. Who knows.
Don't get me wrong...I love to make frosting. My people say I make amazing frosting. But, to finally be honest, for many years I have been "putting one over" on my people. My BAKED goods are the product of a psycho manic perfectionist, not an artist. If the frosting doesn't look right I take it off and do it again. The secret to my moist cakes? Lots of frosting layers.
In less than 3 weeks, I am BAKING cupcakes for a wedding. 150 cupcakes. The mom of the bride and I talked today about the cupcakes and she said to me "too bad we can't have these frosted like hydrangeas." Without even a thought or one bit of research I said, "sure we can ". What the heck was I thinking? What had I just done? This is on the level of Cake Decorating 102. I must be half-BAKED.
Well, can we say You Tube?  I found videos of people make hydrangea frosted cupcakes!
I studied.
I BAKED some chocolate cupcakes.

And I frosted them and they actually look like hydrangeas...

                     And I think that they are pretty...

                      and I think they are fancy...

                    and I think that they are spectacularly awesome...

                                                          and I think I will go eat one. Frosting and all!