Wow, how sweet is this?!? Congrats to everyone's favorite cake pop creator, Bakerella - a.k.a. Angie Dudley. Her first book; Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks and Recipes for More Thank 40 Irresistible Mini Treats hits book stores. I have blogged about Angie's amazing goodies several times over the years, it is so cool to see (more) success come her way. Yes, Virginia, you really can get your big break by authoring an awesome blog. Way to rock it, Angie! Mine is already on its way!

One of our own has scored a win on the Food Network's Hometown Showdown. Kimberly of Oh That's Cute Cakes answered a casting call for a Food Network Cake challenge home bakers. She was terrified at first, but quickly realized that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
After a long and drawn out casting process, she ended up being cast and spent 3 days in NYC earlier this month. There were 4 contestants and they were challenged to make a birthday cake for a 1yr old little girl, SOPHIE; the theme was Brooklyn. Kimberly tells us that "the working conditions were horrible because they had to turn the central air off because of the noise it was making and the cameras were picking up the sound.......HOT LIGHTS, CAMERAS, HOT KITCHEN, HOT FONDANT and HOT MOIST CAKE...is a disaster waiting to happen. One guy got so frustrated with the conditions and how his cake was coming along HE QUIT in the middle of the show..YES QUIT!"


Kim's final cake included everything Brooklyn in toy form....I had the bear standing as if
it was her bedroom..I even did the floor wood grain...The Brooklyn bridge, the taxi cabs, the famous Nathans hot dog, a Coney Island book, and a piggy back with a onesie on it! All of these tasty treats made Kim a FOOD NETWORK CAKE CHALLENGE WINNER!!!!!

The Food Network Challenge: Hometown Showdown, Birthday Bake-Off. Hometown
Showdown is competition series featuring home cooks, that will be broadcast in a condensed format, called short-form. It will begin airing on 9/5 on the Food Network. See the list below for times you can catch her episode, which will air within the hours listed. You can also meet Kim as she competes in the next IronCupcake:Milwaukee PINK challenge on September 20th. Sounds like she has gotten the baking competition bug!

• Sun 9/5: 7-8p
• Sun 9/12: 7-8p
• Sat 9/18: 5-6p
• Wed 9/22: 6-7p
• Sun 9/26: 6-7p
• Sun 9/26: 7-8p
• Sun 10/3: 7-8p
  

A selection of signage available now on ETSY:

Congrats to the super awesome, totally addictive Top Chef on their Best Reality Show Emmy 2010 win last night. Hooray, they knocked that snoozer, The Amazing Race, off their high horse. But lets talk about what is truly important...CHECK OUT THIS PHOTO that was on the Bravo website. TWO of THE FINEST MEN on the planet, together! Sigh...Tom Colicchio AND Christopher Meloni, be still my heart! (Oh yeah, Padma is in the shot, as well.)

Top Chef - Photo Galleries - 'Top Chef' at the Emmys | Bravo TV Official Site

BRITISH BAKER: David Bennett of the Sunshine Bakery in Chapel Allerton, Leeds, is the newly crowned Cupcake Champion of Great Britain 2010.

Bennett set up the business only six months ago, having worked in Michelin-starred restaurants for 17 years, five of which were under Marco Pierre White. He switched from chef to baker and has quickly found success with his winning Banana & Mango recipe, tweaked from a Passionfruit & Mango recipe that sells in his shop for £1.50. He beat over 60 professional cupcake bakers to the title.

The competition was organized by British Baker as part of its build-up to National Cupcake Week, 13-19 September. The week is sponsored by Renshaw and Chevler and supported by BFP Wholesale and Robert Dyas. Food Network UK is the media partner and will be showing highlights of the competition on the channel (Sky 262, 263+1) during National Cupcake Week. Click National Cupcake Week or see @CupcakeWeek on Twitter or our Facebook page for more.For interview with Cupcake Champion of Great Britain 2010, David Bennett, click here.

A gorgeous cupcake with a quick and easy way how-to for bubble sugar with isomalt complements of The Lone Baker.

In an effort to boost the funds for the PINK CHALLENGE with 99.1 WMYX and the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure, we are introducing our Breast Cancer edition of the CANCER SUCKS/CUPCAKES ROCK buttons. These special 1.5" square buttons will be available at the PINK challenge for $2 each or 3 for $5. Profits will be donated to the local chapter of Susan G. Komen for a Cure. They will also be available for our out-of-town friends via ETSY as soon as the shipment arrives here in Milwaukee.

So excited to finally be allowed to tell you this. Last week, Michael & David (above) from allrecipes.tv came to Milwaukee. Why? They came to film me, in my home, making my AJBombers Peanut Butter and Bacon cupcake! We also shot a brief video tour of Milwaukee, we had lunch at Bombers and they even filmed our ICM Tailgate challenge!

September 9th will be the DEBUT of the Milwaukee edition of What's Cooking will feature all of the fun that was had. If you have not been to their site yet, you have GOT TO check out the awesome video tour of America they are filming this summer. It was an honor to have them add Milwaukee as a part of the ride! Oh, and be sure to follow Michael on Twitter @ARWhatsCooking

I'm sorry, but this ad cracks me up, EVERYTIME!

Announcing the Kerry Bear Art Competition. Kerry Vincent, FOOD NETWORK CHALLENGE JUDGE and The Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show and our buddy, Lyndsay Zoratti of Sweet Cuppin Cakes Bakery have united to bring you this fantastic opportunity to show off your decorating creativity with your best bear! Kerry will judge the bears herself and name the Kerry Bear on October 3, 2010 at the Oklahoma Sugar Art Show! This competition is open to everyone NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! For more information visit If You Can Fimo, You Can Fondant.