Cup Cakes - 1st Trial Batch

Cup cakes seem to be the trend these days, there are shops, websites as well as blogs dedicated to these cute, little, edible delights. We decided to join the hype and bake up a batch to see how ours would match up to the others out there. So with plates piled high in the sink waiting to be washed, we attemped to make use of the little bench space we had amongst all the preparation for dinner.

The recipe isn't anything complicated, just the standard butter cake type with a few extra large eggs to ensure it doesn't come out too dense. The batter ended up being a bit on the lumpy side as the butter wasn't as soft as it should have been, impatience got the better of us and the patty tins were quickly filled with lumpy goodness and baked in the oven at 180 degrees.

After 20 mins baking in the oven and 10 mins cooling, a quick cream cheese and butter frosting was whipped up and spread generously on top of each cup cake, next came the customary decorations and we opt for the good old rainbow coloured sprinkes!

The finished product:





The verdict? The cup cakes looked cute, it was moist and pretty tasty, the only downside was the slight issue we had with the lumpy butter, it melted of coursed in the oven and made the cup cake a bit too buttery. Not bad though for the first trial batch! =) Come to think of it, we probably should have baked ANZAC cookies to commemorate ANZAC DAY...

Deterrents?

We all know that the statistics say:

"8 out of 10 new business fail within the first three years"

Walk down the aisle of any book store and there are rows and rows of books on how to run your own business, how to succeed, how to manage your funds, how to manage your staff etc etc... there is also the trusty "Small Business for Dummies" which was googled and found here Will we read this? We highly doubt it. Do we think it will provide some much needed advice and shed some light on those business-y type questions? hrm maybe. Will we lose sleep over not purchasing this or similar books. I don't think so. Retailing at $39.95 you can obtain the same useful information if not better for free from the World Wide Web, some great examples include:

www.business.gov.au
www.ato.gov.au
www.abs.gov.au
www.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au

So in trying to remain positive and optimistic about starting out, we can't help but also be realistic about how our first day/week/month/year will be even if that is bordering on being negative!

A recent feature article in SMH's Good Living titled "Hard Slog Cafe" will better explain our concerns/experiences to date. Some quotable quotes from the article on starting up a cafe/restaurant include:

"Our first couple of weekends, we didn't have a single customer come in on a Sunday. Silent Sundays, we'd call them,"

"Then you get a long weekend and everyone leaves town and you have an empty restaurant. It's no wonder 25 per cent fail if the success of the venue relies on so many factors being aligned."

"They don't even consider the legals, accounting, staffing, even bothering to research the right locations. They think it's going to be easy but it's often 16 hours a day, seven days a week. It's damn hard work."

"Just because you cook a good barbecue at home is no sign you can run a restaurant,"

"People told me, 'Don't expect to make any money in the first 12 months.'

So after all that has been said, is it enough to deter us away? Naahh.

First Sightings

After compiling a very snazzy little business plan in about 4 days, our first business prospect didn't follow through like we'd hope...however it turned out to be a good thing as we spotted this little gem in Concord West in Feb 08. Great location and a quaint little place with POTENTIAL written all over it!