Cupcakes, Cobbler & SNOW

What a week this has been! 

Earlier in the week we were covered in nearly 14 inches of snow in 24 hours and the temperatures this week have dropped to record lows in the single digits. 

Of course I can't complain much since I love snow. 

However, the snow coincided with a baking order I had promised to fill on Friday and with roads nearly impassable and businesses closed it made for a bit of a tricky situation. 

A good friend of ours asked me a few weeks ago if I would bake treats for a surprise birthday party for her husband who turned 60 and her son who turned 40 at the beginning of January. She wanted to serve their favorite desserts which were German Chocolate Cake and Berry Cobbler. Initially the serving count was for 100 but later adjusted to the final count of 70. I was more than happy to to accept the order and suggested individual servings since the party was being held at a venue downtown and it would make transporting and serving so easy. She agreed and I began to prepare.

Since I had only ever made German Chocolate Cake I went through a trial run last weekend to be sure my measurements and recipes would work in individual form and to make adjustments as needed. I also began searching for the individual baking cups, lids and spoons I wanted to use, which I could only find online, so I went ahead and placed my order. It was to arrive in 3 days making Monday the scheduled arrival date. Plenty of time. 

Snow began to arrive on Sunday however we ventured out anyway,  against all warnings, to get the ingredients in case we were snowed in later in the week as the forecast predicted. We were able to get to all but one store before the road conditions forced us to head back home. My personal shopper and driver this week, Mr. Wonderful, was able to get out later in the week to shop for the remaining ingredients,

thank goodness.

Wednesday after work I prepped all the ingredients. I chopped nuts, pre~measured dry ingredients and set out all the equipment needed. Everything was ready, except, my baking cup order had not arrived! It was stuck in route and it was no wonder since trucks were having trouble getting into the city in all directions. Thankfully I had a back up plan just incase it did not arrive. I had purchased foil baking pans for the cobbler to use in the event that the cute little cups did not get here in time and sure enough,

that is what happened. 

I turned on my ovens at 2:30 Thursday when I got home from work and turned out the kitchen lights at 9:30. 

Mission accomplished! 

I followed my baking plan to a tee and it worked. 

70 German Chocolate Cupcakes and 6 pans of Berry Cobbler

baked, packaged and delivered. 

In spite of the weather and road conditions the guests arrived and the 

Birthday Surprise Party

was a success.

Have a warm and wonderful weekend!