I'm Jealous

Not every wedding is the same. But I wish every wedding had cupcakes from Bake You Happy. My friend Carrie got to eat a few Bake You Happy cupcakes at a wedding last weekend. Lucky duck!

Although I've actually never been to their cupcake shop, I've tasted their cupcakes and cookies several times and they are some of my favorite in the world! Bake You Happy has come a long way since I first reviewed them in 2009. Since then, they have been on Cupcake Wars twice (won it once) and have opened two cupcake shops. Unfortunately, neither is close to me :( 

Bake You Happy Opens Second Location

Why do all the great cupcake shops have to be so far away? I guess distance makes the heart grow fonder, right?

Bake You Happy made their big debut on Cupcake Wars two years ago. And they won! (Check out my post-show interview here.) They used their prize money to open up shop in Valencia, CA in February 2011.

Looks like business has been good because location #2 recently opened in Canyon Country. My friend happened to be in the area and picked up some goodies for me because she knows I LOVE Bake You Happy. The brown butter cupcake she brought me was out of this world, as knew the cookies too!

Anyone want to pick up some cupcakes for me?! Yum!

LA Cupcake Challenge 2012: The Competitors Part 1

18 competitors, some new, some familiar, some winners, some TV stars. Here's the rundown of each competitor and cupcake. I've broken them down into four posts, so it's not overwhelming to see them all at once.

[Desi]gn Cakes & Cupcakes

Riverside, CA (cater)

3rd place winner of Sugar Rush cupcake competition 2011

Buffalo Chicken: Maybe it was because it was the only savory cupcake I ate, but I loved this cupcake. The buffalo chicken that topped the cupcake was awesome!

Churro (not judged)

Bake You Happy

Valencia, CA

Winner of Food Network's Cupcake Wars

Chocolate Cherry Licorice: cupcake created on Cupcake Wars. I tried a similar cupcake from them last year and loved it. Still a great cupcake!

Spiced Chocolate: Great cake and great frosting. Loved all the chocolatey goodness!

Butter Sweet Minis

Los Angeles, CA (cater)

Red Velvet: Their cupcakes looked the yummiest! I was excited to try them and they didn't disappoint.

Mint Chip: I liked the flavor combination of the mint and chocolate. Yum!

The Cake Mamas

Glendora, CA

Winner of Cupcake Camp IE 2010

Chocolate Salted Caramel: The butter toffee that topped this cupcake was to die for! I wish I could eat this cupcake every day!

Girl Scout Samoa: tasted just like the cookie. I wish the frosting would have been less whipped and more creamy, but otherwise great.

Cupcake Wars: American Music Awards

Four returning Cupcake Wars champions fight to present their cupcake to music's biggest celebrities at the after party for the American Music Awards.

Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats (Washington, D.C.) **Winner**

Bake You Happy (Valencia, CA - they opened shop with their prize money. Check it out!)

Sugar Bakery (East Haven, CT)

Jilly's Cupcake Bar (St. Louis, MO)

I was really hoping that Bake You Happy would win again. I've tried their cupcakes on several occassions and LOVE them! Glad to see they made it to the final round.

Bake You Happy is Open for Business

Also posted on Cupcakes Take the Cake

Last month Castaic-based cupcake company Bake You Happy was crowned champion of the Food Network's Cupcake Wars. In my interview with them, they told me they planned on using the prize money to open a cupcake shop in Valencia, CA.

Good news! The store is open and the cupcakes are selling like hotcakes! A good friend stopped by their new shop to take a few photos and grab a few cupcakes. I love the look of their shop, especially the colors!

I added two more cupcakes to the list that I've tasted from Bake You Happy. Both the Peanut Butter Cup and Snickerdoodle were divine.

Bake You Happy
23628 Valencia Blvd.
Valencia, CA 91355
661-255-5100
Open Tuesday-Saturday 11:30 am-7:00 pm

(All photos courtesy of Carrie)

A Cupcake from Cupcake Wars

This week's episode of Cupcake Wars had some pretty crazy cupcake creations. For Round One, the four bakers had to make a cupcake using items you would find in a convenience store. The items included beef jerky, cheese puffs, yogurt-covered pretzels, nacho cheese, hot dogs, red licorice, and slushie mix.

Two Girls and a Cupcake made a Cuban coffee and cinnamon cupcake with strawberry licorice filling topped with coffee buttercream and yogurt-covered pretzels. All of the ingredients would be good in a cupcake by themselves, but all together they seemed like a mess.

Glenn the Baker made a jalapeno-beef jerky chocolate cupcake with cream cheese and cheese puff sprinkles. I agree with Florian, the cheese puff sprinkles don't have a strong enough presence to count as an ingredient.

The two men from Sweet Daddy Cupcakes attempted to make a cupcake using beef jerky, nacho cheese, and slushie mix. As gross as it sounds, I was interested to see what the judges thought of it. Sadly, the men took too long preparing the batter and didn't finish in time.

Last, but not least, Bake You Happy created a cherry cola chocolate cupcake with a red licorice filling, topped with marshmallow creme and yogurt-covered pretzels. The judges loved this cupcake, although Candace suggested using regular pretzels instead of yogurt-covered ones.

My friend Carrie was able to attend Bake You Happy's viewing party. She brought me home a cupcake from the party, which is the same cupcake that Bake You Happy made in round one. She made one change: regular pretzels. And my honest opinion is: that cupcake was amazing! My husband and I were fighting over it! The pretzels added the perfect crunchiness and saltiness to the cupcake. I would definitely eat this cupcake again!








Maybe I was biased because I already knew I liked Bake You Happy, but they seemed to be the forerunner the entire episode. Bake You Happy was right to create futuristic cupcakes and display for the LA Auto Show. Glenn The Baker had a great car theme, but it just wasn't right for the LA Auto Show. In the end, I wasn't too surprised when Bake You Happy won. I can't wait until next week's episode.

Interview with Bake You Happy, winner of Cupcake Wars

Did you catch last night's episode of Cupcake Wars? I love this show more and more with each episode I watch. I was so excited to see Bake You Happy, a Southern California cupcakery, take the win! Between their viewing party last night and the busyness of opening their new store, I was able to score an exclusive interview with Kim and Kim, owners of Bake You Happy.

Your name and your company name: Kimberly Thurman and Kimberly Aeck Co-Owners of Bake You Happy

Where are you based out of? Santa Clarita

How did you get started baking cupcakes? We both have been baking since we were little. Kim and I met one day at 5am kickboxing class and would share recipes, ideas, and pictures of our creations. We respected each others talents and shared a love of baking, especially for our family and friends. So 9 months later we decided to make a career out of something we love and start a business together! It has been so much fun! Kim and I really balance each other. We make a great team.

What, if anything, did you do to prep for "Cupcake Wars"? Since we are in season 2, we were able to watch season 1 to know what to expect, especially from the judges. We definitely experimented with some recipes as well.

What were you most worried about on "Cupcake Wars"? From watching the first season, we really worried about time as well as being able to create something in such a short amount of time with ingredients we had quite possibly had never used before.

Was it hard coming up with a recipe for a cupcake using items from a convenience store? It was really challenging to make the cupcake in round 1. We definitley did not want a sovory cupcake, which eliminated some ingredients right away, so the toughest part was to come up with a cupcake that wasn't too sweet, because most of everything else was practically pure sugar....

If you could change anything that happened on your episode of "Cupcake Wars," what would it be? Honestly, I don't think I would change one thing. It was such an amazing experience. I can't say enough good things about the people that work on the show.

Was Candace Nelson really that nice in person? Candace was lovely. Not only was she so very nice and beautiful, but she seems to have a great sense of humor. She was always smiling. I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet her and spend a little time with her on the show.

Tell us one thing about "Cupcake Wars" we didn't know. Florian isn't as scary as he seems.

Do you have plans yet for your prize money of $10,000? We absolutely do...we are putting right back into our cupcake and cake business. We are opening a retail location in Santa Clarita in the next few days.

What will set your shop apart from the other cupcake shops in your area? We have delicious moist cakes as well as cupcakes. We have cupcakes available daily and we do take custom cakes orders for weddings, birthdays, etc. as well. Kim and I have over 50 years of baking experience together. We love our community and the people in it. We hope our cupcakery is a place people can come and know they are not only going to get a delicious cake, but feel comfortable, taken care of and walk away satisfied and Happy:)!

One last question, what's your favorite cupcake flavor? It depends on the season, the day and my mood:)..But today, I would have to say our Lemon Cupcake. It is a vanilla cake with lemon curd filling and topped with lemon zest cream cheese frosting...YUM!

And there you have it. Congratulations to Kim and Kim of Bake You Happy, the newest champions of Cupcake Wars! I can't wait to see your new cupcake shop. Good luck with the new venture!

(Also posted on Cupcakes Take the Cake)

Tonight's Episode of Cupcake Wars: LA Auto Show

I love seeing so many Southern California shops featured on Cupcake Wars. Tonight's episode features one from Castaic, CA. Bake You Happy is a custom made-to-order cake and cupcake company...until now. This week they will be opening a retail shop in Valencia, CA! Congrats to them!




I tasted and reviewed a cupcake from Bake You Happy almost two years ago. I think they have what it takes to win Cupcake Wars. We'll find out tonight at 9pm on the Food Network. The other bakers on tonight's show are Sweet Daddy Cupcakes (Glendale, AZ), Two Girls and a Cupcake (Miami, FL), Glenn The Baker (Los Angeles, CA, another Southern California bakery!).




What do you think of this season of Cupcake Wars so far? I love being introduced to cupcake shops and bakers from around the United States. Now I know exactly where to go when I'm traveling.

Bake You Happy makes me happy!

I love trying new cupcakes, especially if they are good cupcakes! Last week I came across a cupcake from Bake You Happy, a made-to-order cake and cupcake company. Bake You Happy was started by two women named Kim who wanted to do something they love, but would also allow them to stay at home and be involved with the community. Their company is based out of Castaic (which is in northern LA county near Six Flags).


Last week a good friend passed along a cupcake from Bake You Happy (I say she is a good friend because she passed along a cupcake to me!). The cupcake I received was a chocolate cake cupcake topped with vanilla bean frosting and mini chocolate chips along the edges. The cake was perfectly moist, very delicious. The frosting was a sweet buttercream frosting. I really like the mini chocolate chips lined around the edges of the frosting. Sometimes adding a little crunch to a cupcake is a great idea!

Check out their website and blog to see photos of the creative cakes and cupcakes they have made. I wish I lived closer to them so I could try more of their cupcakes!