Book Feature: Ice Cream Cupcakes

We are very excited at Partymakers since we will be featured in a TV Land Segment of the 'Ultimate Birthday Party'. Linda Kaye will be talking about how to plan the best Children's Birthday Party and demonstrating a few items from her Bake a Cake Party Book. In the book there are many creative ways to design your own cake to cater to your specific party theme, we decided to feature the Ice Cream Cupcakes and give you the sneak peak on our blog to show you how easy they really are to make!

The Bake a Cake Party Book features one easy recipe that you can use for all the cake ideas.

Make sure to beat the ingredients well with a mixer to avoid any lumps.

Prep all your empty ice cream cones (note these have to be flat bottomed cones, not the waffle or sugar cones) and place them on a muffin tin. This holds them in shape without risk of toppling over and baking into each other. If you don't have a muffin tin, use a cake pan but be gentle when moving it into the oven so the cones don't tilt.

You can fill the cones with a pastry bag for a clean rim, or you can use an ice cream scoop or spoon.

You don't want to fill the cones up too much or the batter will overflow. Allow half an inch on top.

When baked, the cupcakes will not all be perfectly smooth, they will be uniquely cracked, which is fine since we want to frost them and that way it gives them a more unique ice cream look! If you are a stickler for perfection and want perfectly round tops, don't fill the cups as much, allow 3/4 of an inch of space, and don't bake as many cupcakes at once. Spread them out more in the muffin tin so they aren't close together, this will alow the heat to reach all of them more evenly.

When the cupcakes have cooled (you can cool them in the fridge or freezer) make your frosting and color it with as many or as few colors as you want!

When your army of frosted ice cream cupcakes is done, you can chose to decorate the top. You can write letters as we show in the Bake a Cake Party Book, or you can add sprinkles, flowers, whatever you wish.

Buy the Bake a Cake Party Book Here for more great and fun ideas for party cakes by Linda Kaye's Partymakers.

Underwater Adventure Party

Our partnership with the American Museum of Natural History gives us the ability to bring to you the most creative and entertaining birthday parties for your children. You may be aware of our Safari
Adventure, Cosmic Blast Off, Dinosaur Discoveries and Underwater Treasure parties but what do these parties actually entail? Well, we just threw a fabulous birthday party for a 4 year-old this past weekend, with the underwater treasure theme. Here is a party helper's story:

This birthday boy's party was a fantastic combination of creativity and fun learning during the full 2 hours of the party. As the guests entered the brightly decorated room, they were all given name tags with their name and taken over to the Special Birthday Banner- an over-sized banner that read 'Happy Birthday' and that was in need of a lot of color. As the children waited for the rest of their friends to arrive, they entertained themselves by coloring and drawing on this birthday banner, that would then be presented to the birthday boy as a special momento of his 4th birthday party.

When all the guests had arrived, they all sat in a circle and learned from the Party Professor, all the amazing facts about underwater creatures that would later help them in their treasure hunt around the museum.

The children boarded the 'Train of Love' rope and were off on their quest for the birthday boy's treasure: a gold crown with jewels. They visited Willamina the blue whale, the sea lions, the dolphins, sea horses, and last but not least, found the magic treasure with Nemo the clown fish.

After such a long treasure hunt, the children were ready for a celebratory coronation feast. They headed to the birthday cafe where a delicious pizza lunch awaited them.

They finished off their meal with a delicious slice of vanilla chocolate cake.

This party went 'swimmingly' and the birthday boy had a blast!

Decorate-a-Cake Parties

Children decorating their Chef Hats before they start.

You all know we are famous for our Bake-a-Cake Parties, but now we are also launching our Decorate-a-Cake parties. This party is fully dedicated to decorating cakes and cupcakes. This party concept works great with children 4 and older. In the party they learn to make buttercream, flowers, basket weaves, grass, and every body's favorite, the buttercream clown!

Some of the children's masterpieces.

We just hosted one decorate a cake party this weekend and the 10 year olds loved it. They were excited from the moment they saw their unfrosted tye died cupcakes to the moment they took a bite out of the cake they decorated all by themselves.

The sense of accomplishment after the party was tremendous. And every little chef received their very own Bake-a-Cake Party Book by Linda Kaye.

Linda Kaye's Partymakers hires professional Pastry Chefs to teach at these parties, so the children are learning from the best! They also ask them questions about their profession and become intrigued with the art of Pastry in a brand new level.

In the Decorate-a-Cake parties, children can decorate cupcakes with the flavor of their choice, and in the end they help the Pastry Chef decorate the final birthday cake, using all the techniques they learned during the party.

The Party Planner to the Stars is in the News!

This morning we were featured in two newspapers about our famous Bake-a-Cake parties!

Take a look:

Herald Online, March 21, 2011

Party planner to the stars offers 'bake-a-cake party' tips

ANDREA PYROS - http://www.retailmenot.com/

 

When Linda Kaye's two children were young, she was like any other mother: busy, sometimes harried, and always short on time. One day she looked at the calendar and realized her daughter was turning six in a few weeks, and she hadn't planned anything for the party: no location, no invites, no entertainer. Nothing. "I'd been doing a lot of volunteering at my son's school and didn't realize my daughter's birthday was two weeks away. I thought, 'What am I going to do?' Then I thought, 'What about baking a cake with the kids?'"

Kaye's first-ever Bake-A-Cake Party was held: Her daughter and her friends made a cake from scratch, and the experience was such a hit that Kaye launched a successful business from the idea. Kaye and her staff would go to clients' homes, bringing everything necessary (save for a few eggs) to help them have a simple, successful, hands-on party. Ultimately, the New York-based party planner, who's thrown major events at FAO Schwartz and the Central Park Zoo and claimed Madonna, Kelly Ripa, and Chris Rock as clients, decided to write the "Bake-A-Cake Party Book," so any parent could plan and host their own baking bash on their own. "I think that the simplicity of this is a fantastic thing. People worry it might be a mess, but it's not. It's a great bonding experience for the children, and a bonding experience for the mother with the child." It's also a unique way to entertain your guests - without having to spend a small fortune.

Want to make baking a cake the party itself? Kaye says keep the following in mind:

- Guests should be a minimum of 4 years old. For this age group, pre-measure all ingredients before the kids arrive.
- Shop ahead of time so you don't realize you're missing an ingredient the morning of, and make the frosting ahead of time, too. Let guests add food coloring to it at the party.
- Set up the workspace with your birthday child the morning of their event as a nice way to spend time together one-on-one.
- A total of eight children works best. Break the groups into two so that each group is charged with making one layer of a two-layer cake. If your child wants more guests, think about having another adult or two on hand to help, and making a second cake.
- Where there's one job to do, make it for two! Have one child hold a bowl while the other whisks, and then switch roles so each kid gets a turn.
- No toothpick? Use a raw strand of spaghetti to test doneness.
- Give your pint-sized bakers pastry bags (or freezer-weight zippered plastic bags) to make decorative flowers and other pretty designs. They can do their creations on parchment rounds while the cake is baking (Kaye suggests cooling it in the freezer for faster results). Once the cake is frosted and ready, help the kids slide their edible artwork onto the cake with a small spatula.
- All oven activities are strictly for adults.

For more tips, yummy recipes, and 12 adorable, easy-to-do design ideas (like a Fourth of July pinwheel cake to a rainy day cake), pick up Kaye's book or visit her website, partymakers.com. Andrea Pyros lives in New York's Hudson Valley, where she raises her two kids and writes for http://www.retailmenot.com/, the No. 1 coupon site in the world.

Read more: http://www.heraldonline.com/2011/03/21/2924780/party-planner-to-the-stars-offers.html##ixzz1HGBfpMie

A Colorful Spring Celebration

As we tire of the snow and wish for warmer weather, we all want to welcome Spring. March 20th is officially the first day of spring so why not welcome it with a Spring party? Here is a great idea that one of our partymakers Sara, Owner of Stardust Cakes, came up with for a sweet and colorful Spring celebration.

She started with  brightest tablecloth she had. She bought a couple of colorful chinese food boxes and colorful pails from the dollar store. She pulled out all her glassware- you don't need fancy items to make great decor.

She grabbed colorful twizzlers and drooped them from the glasses and pails. For the glassware, she bought some fake grass and filled them with it. She also used paper butterflies to give the spring feel that we all look for in Easter.

No guest went home empty handed either. She bought extra pails and filled them with a variety of candy.

She also found some egg shaped candles and arranged them with pastel colored jelly beans.

It's very easy to create a party ambiance with what you have at home. Don't take for granted all the miss matched porcelain or glassware you may have lurking in the back of your cupboard, it just may help you pull together the most creative party!

Sharing Ideas Too Good Not to Share With Us

There are so many fantastic  ideas that are created in the course of planning a party. The Party Times is the perfect place to let other party givers benefit from great ideas that you have seen while both attending parties as well as hosting them.

We love for you to send in any of your special party ideas!

Our First Idea Contributors are Debbie and Linda

My  friend Debbie received our newly launched blog The Party Times and immediately called me to tell me about her friend Linda who created a fantastic cake for her husbands birthday. The concept was unique, the cake was created with four blank fondant “canvases” and the artists were four family members ranging in age from 3-40!

Here is Linda's Story:

"I am a professional cake decorator. Recently I had to make three family
birthday cakes in one week. When I got to the third cake (my husband's) I
felt I needed a new approach to impress everyone. I asked my daughter, my
son-in-law, and my two little grandsons (ages  3 and 5)to each paint a
surface of the cake, using food coloring as paints. I painted the letters
on the top. The result was an original, colorful cake which showcased
everyone's amazing artistic talent. My husband love it!"

We love this idea, how original and easy! Try this at your next birthday party, allow the children to paint on a fondant covered cake (marzipan-like coating) with edible paint markers, the result will be a surprise for everyone!

Irish Coffee 101- St Patty's Day Specials

My favorite neighborhood restaurant is Neary’s , an Irish pub that is truly a New York Institution.  A family owned business celebrating it’s 44^th year in NYC.

St Patty’s Day at Neary’s is a must do for my  family and friends. While coffee is not on most peoples mind for St Pattys Day, we always end the evening with Irish Coffee - a delicious way to top off a fun filled evening of Irish Songs, Irish dancing, bagpipers and the best corned beef and corned beef hash. 

Irish Coffee 101 

Jimmy Neary  offered to share with us the special secret behind a perfect Irish coffee.

1. Swirl boiling water around the glass to warm it up, then pour out.

2. Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar to the glass.

3. Fill the cup halfway up with Irish wiskey.

4. Fill the rest of the cup with hot coffee, leaving a little room on the top.

5. Put some heavy cream on top to finish it off.

6. Enjoy!

Now, of course we love our music to set the ambiance so how about the international ambassadors of Irish Music the Irish Rovers, to make that party even merrier.

If you are feeling super adventurous, how about trying to make an Irish Soda Bread from Scratch? King Arthur Flour has a fantastic recipe for it that's quick and won't have you slaving in the kitchen all day.

And here are some party items which we love to celebrate the luck of the Irish.
Or you can get this fabulous full party pack. You don't have to worry about all the party essentials separately!

And how about making your own St Patty's pub-style poster to announce your party? eighteen25 allows you to download the print out below and then you can frame it and display it anywhere you like!

Celebrating Women Around the World

On Tuesday, March 8^th, I joined thousands of women to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of International Women’s Day by walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. 

This event was organized by Women for Women International and Google, Take a look at their Google Map to see all the different Bridges all over the world that were walked!

Zainab Salbi, the founder and CEO of Women for Women International, was inspirational  reminding us that women were meeting on more than 300 bridges in over 50 countries around the world!
 

Each participant was given a beautiful tie dyed piece of fabric to wave in the air as we made our way towards City Hall Square.  The enthusiasm and spirit were infectious, all with one single hope- to have a world of peace and equality for women .

 

Elizabeth Jordan captured the spirit of the day with some amazing photos.  She has an impressive portfolio of images from places all over the world including Burma, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Ghana.

Women for Women International is a leader in educating and empowering women in war torn countries. Its   fantastic sponsorship program helps women rebuild their lives, earn an income, take care their families, and become a voice in their community. The program encourages sponsors to correspond with their “sisters.”  It's a rewarding experience in itself, I recomend anyone to join.

I am helping Women for Women International to organize a luncheon on May 18^th,  which will feature a  stimulating program on The Future of Afghanistan. So if you missed the walk, come join us on May 18^th.  Save the Date!

Race Car Birthday Party

Linda Kaye's Partymakers just had a fun filled weekend hosting many children's Birthday Parties. Here is a highlight of one of the birthday parties, the Race Car Birthday Party for a 3 year old.

Race-Car-Themed party goods and festive bouquets of helium balloons greeted the guests as 21 three-year-olds entered a gym filled with fun filled activities. There was a large personalized Race Car banner  displayed prominently just above the birthday table to highlight the birthday child.

 

 

Popover cupcakes in race car cupcake holders awaited the children to try their hands at  a cupcake decorating station. Children added sugar cars,  traffic light colored candies and sprinkles to make their individual cupcakes a masterpiece.. The children loved this activity because it meant they could eat cake just after breakfast! The parents would have loved for the kids to wait to eat their cupcakes later but they gave in when they saw how much fun they were having.

A  facepainter granted the wishes of each child for a special design to wear, including a very special unicorn princess and a spiderman. Even the grown ups loved having their faces and hands painted with colorful designs.

And there was no physical activity lacking either, between the toddler tumbler and a VW car filled with balls. the children couldn't have asked for a better way to spend their sunday!  They were also thrilled with the carnival games which offered them a multitude of prizes- no winning necessary!

The children also received a very fun surprise visit from a Race Car Driver (Entertainer) who led them through a series of physical activities such as the limbo, tube crawling and even showed them how to make balloon figures! After having completed all the race car tasks the children 'graduated' from Race Car training with their very own Race Car Cap.

The afternoon continued delicious refreshments and a fabulous race car cake designed by Chef Sara Pereira for Partymakers.  The color of the car reflected the birthday child's favorite color: green. 

And of course no birthday party is complete without a few goodie bags given out at the end of the party for each child:  toys, stickers and their individual personalized place mat!

This was a fantastic party, lots of fun and play, the happiest birthday a child could ask for, and that's all Partymakers asks for!