Come on Spring!

Will Winter ever end?

The sprinkling of warm days tease us.  The tips of the tulip leaves quietly breaking through the earth fills us with hope.....and then here comes another snow storm.  We watch the ice break and float away only to awaken to new ice blocks formed overnight.  Up and down our spirits go as we hope this will be the week that Spring firmly plants her foot and is here to stay.

Nothing slows us down at the Bakery.  We began baking and icing our Lemon Raspberry Delight Cakes the first of April.  They join our other Spring cake, the Coconut Lemon Delight Cake, to round

out some of our favorite flavors at this time of the year.

As the girls carefully stir our lemon curd in preparation to make these Seasonal Cakes the air is filled with such a delightful smell.  Spring has definitely sprung inside the Bakery.

In Annapolis everyone is thrilled with the new cookies, meringues, scones and brownies we are beginning to offer there.  Our new bakery cases have made such a difference to the front of our shop.  How did we ever do without them?

We have many exciting things happening in the next two months.

Follow us on Facebook to stay up to date with all that will here at Caroline’s Cakes.

Come on Spring!  I am ready to ride my bike.

Caroline

Hoppy Easter!

Today as I sat at my desk in our Annapolis Bakery and watched the snow and rain through the window I thought, surely Spring is about to show us the colorful buds and flowers we have come to expect at this time of year.  Their bright reminder of new beginnings is still hiding under the comfort of the warm earth and their delayed presence dampens our anticipation.

So I turn my sights to our shop and see the example of new beginnings I was missing. Our two new bakery cases are filled with colorful cupcakes, cake pops, scones, cookies and, of course, cakes. What a delight it is to see such a colorful, tasty array! The day is warmed by happy planning of all the bakery items we will be able to offer to our long-time customers in the Annapolis area. My favorites

are our meringue shells and meringue layers that we will fill with fruit, lemon curd, whipped cream, chocolate or caramel. Their lightness will be perfect for the Spring!

Spartanburg is delighting with the wonderful aroma of lemon and coconut as our shipments build for the Easter weekend.  The chocolate ladybugs and bees have found their way onto more cakes than ever. It is such a fun time for the girls in the bakery in 'Sparkle City.'

Tomorrow, at our Annapolis location, the day will be filled with a photo shoot for The Scout Guide. If you do not know of this publication, it may be found at www.thescoutguide.com. Susie Matheson and Christy Ford of Charlottesville, VA, have scouted out the best of the best in twenty of the top cities in the USA to help guide you to the destinations you would not want to miss when visiting these cities. Eleven more guides are planned to debut throughout the Spring and early Summer. We are thrilled to have been sought out to be included in the Annapolis/Eastern Shore guide.

With bunnies to decorate, egg whites to whip and caramel to cook with care, I must hop off to the kitchen.

May you all have a wonderful holiday and may new beginnings fill your Spring.

Hoppy, Hoppy,

Caroline

A Special Month!

March is a very special month.

A month filled with all of my Pisces’ friends’ birthdays.....

including mine:) 

The crocuses, daffodils and cherry blossoms begin to bloom,

as the winter drabness begins to brighten with the sprinkling of color appearing all around.  Soon we will experience the color of

‘new green’  before it darkens into the green of summer.

Winter clothes begin to be packed away as the days tease us

with the warmth of the coming Spring.  The last runs down the

snowy slopes are seized with a vengeance to grab the last moments to schuss down the mountain.  Bikes come out to be dusted and oiled for the first rides of the new season.

Who can not embrace the hope and rebirth that Spring brings

with it?

And then in the middle of all of this ‘March Madness’ is

St. Patrick’s Day.  Of course, we will all wear green......because

it is one of the simple, fun expressions of this day of celebration.

I know you do not want to be pinched because you are not wearing the color green;)  Boiled cabbage, potatoes and corned beef will be my traditional meal of choice on this delightful holiday. 

It comes and goes so quickly. The to early morning bike rides, the smell of spring flowers and the celebration of March birthdays........Enjoy it all.

Top O’ The Morning to You........

Caroline

Goodbye February, Hello Spring!

Lots of exciting things are happening here at Caroline's Cakes.

We are putting two new bakery cases  in our Annapolis Bakery to showcase all the cakes, cupcakes and cake pops more glamorously.  

You are sure to say 'WOW!' when you step in the door.

Be on the lookout for our new selections in Annapolis.

You are going to be thrilled.

In Spartanburg, we are preparing for the launch of  

four new very special cakes........all are a surprise........

and have an extraordinary component to go with them.

You will just have to wait, but I am bursting to tell you:)

If you have not seen Martha Stewart's magazine,

'Cakes and Cupcakes,' you should flip through it when you do.

I saw so many cakes that were just like ours,  I have to wonder.....ummm!  One cake alternating chocolate and caramel layers,  

now who else does that:) Then the impatiens on cupcakes.....OK, anyone can do that, I know.......and the daffodil on the cupcake, ah ha! A few pages further, what do I find but the ladybugs on cupcakes.....wrong color green for the leaves, if you ask me...... 
and the bumble bee.....sting!

Facing page, the daisy design on the slices of cake.....well, 
I certainly have seen that before, oh yes!  

Well, well, there is a dot cake, too.....I must admit my jaw dropped;)  

The sailboat cake is a real compliment to our fish bowl cake........  

I think we will just do a sailboat cake, too.......so there!  But the final 'ah-ha' moment is the

Buche de Noel filled with Caramel Buttercream!

Well, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.......just saying.  

Thank you, Martha. I think I will do a little imitating on my own.

With chuckles,

Caroline

Caroline   

Thanksgiving! My favorite holiday!

Thanksgiving! My favorite holiday! 

It is such a special time, sharing the most special gift of all with family and friends.......

time.....our time....It is the most meaningful thing we can give to another and there never seems to be enough of it.

At our shop in Annapolis they are busy baking our adorable 

Terrance the Turkey Cakes  and Cupcakes. Terrance is my favorite seasonal cake.

I remember the first one  we made in Annapolis.........

I just had to give him a little kiss on his beak!

Of course, then he was mine.......all mine.....

and I placed him on the side of my desk until I shared him, to much delight,

with my staff. Over those weeks hundreds of Terrance the Turkey Cakes went out of the shop. Pumpkin, Chocolate, Caramel, Vanilla, whatever the flavor our Terrance the Turkey added great delight to many Thanksgiving gatherings. The shop is, also,

beginning to offer new bakery items for you to enjoy.

  

Here in Spartanburg, in our new 'International Headquarters,'   

time is flying faster that it ever has before. We have been hustling in every area  

of our new space setting our systems in place and making sure

they all work better than ever. Well, I alone, have lost eight pounds dashing

across the bakery floor, helping out in every different department to be sure

all of you are taken care of properly and receive our wonderful cakes

and gourmet items as you always have.

We began baking the middle of September and shipped our first cake

from South Carolina two weeks later.

As my dad would say, 'We have been running like a sewing machine.'  

And that we have. All of our time, that has been spent planning   

how we do things here at Caroline's Cakes to best take care of our customers,

paid off in spades. In our spacious new building, we became more efficient  

as we completed week after week of perfect performance.

Once all of our signature cakes were baked we FINALLY were able to

bake our  7-Layer Pumpkin Cake just in time for Thanksgiving.

It was a sign for us that we were organized and that all the time we had put into planning our move was time well spent. Those of you who had already called in to  

put your name on the list were called back and your Pumpkin Cakes were shipped out.  It has become one of my traditions for Thanksgiving,  so I was especially delighted when it came out of the oven.

Thank you for your patience as we have been quiet these past eight weeks.  

Our time was time spent with thoughts of you and it was time well spent.

So to all of you who are so special to all of us........

Gobble, Gobble..........

Happy, Happy Thanksgiving!

Caroline

Summer entertaining at it's finest!

The 'Dog Days of Summer'  

have never been truer than this year.  

These are the hot steamy days of my youth.  

Memories of catching fire-flies,  

flying kites and roller skating fill my head.  

We were a gaggle of kids back then.  

Our secret bike paths through hedges,

across back yards, waving to Mrs. Flowers  

as she plucked the early morning flowers

from her garden was our summer way of life.

If we were very lucky and happened to be out  

in the afternoon riding through Mrs. Hyman's yard  

she would often call us over and  

serve all of us 7-Up floats as we sat  

on her back steps. You know, it just did not

get much better than that.

So at this sticky, muggy time of the year,

we move a little slower, drink more lemonade

and enjoy lighter cakes. I am up with the sun,  

checking off my list before the sun gets high

in the sky and bakes all of us below.  

Quiet lunches in cool houses and possibly

a nap in the afternoon. It is summertime and it

is so important to slow down

and enjoy life at this different pace.

Wishing you all a few fun memories

of childhoods and always moments with loved ones.

-Caroline

PS: I love to promote my friends and am so very, very

       proud of my friend Dr. Ballentine Carter, who not

       only grew up in my home town Lake City, SC,  

       but our families go back over 50 years.

       His book, The Whole Life Prostate Book, came out

       in June and has been the top health book on

       Amazon. He is so brilliant and equally so very

       nice and kind that I must share him with all of you.

   The Amazon link is:

     http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Life-Prostate-Book-Maintaining/dp/1451621213/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342799082&sr=1-1&keywords=ballentine+carter 

A Special Mother's Day note from Richard, Caroline's youngest son!

As Mother's Day quickly approaches  

I thought that it would be appropriate  

to take the time to say thank you to  

my Mother.....

the ONE and ONLY

  Caroline Ragsdale Reutter,

founder of Caroline's Cakes!   

As many of you may know

Caroline's Cakes started with serving the  

very first Caramel Cake   

at my christening...(You can thank me later!)   

  I, like my mother, grew up enjoying this cake at special and everyday occasions.   

All the Mother's Day orders for Caramel Cakes,  

7 Layer Lemon Cakes, and my current favorite Lemon Raspberry Delight Cake,  

 reminds me of the importance  

of this very special holiday.  

I was thrilled to be with Mom as she accepted

the Crandall Close Bowles '65  

Professional Achievement Award

at Ashley Hall last month.   

Check out the event photos at:  

 www.facebook.com/Ashleyhall  

   

The awards luncheon was filled with so many wonderful moments and all of the award recipients have such an amazing support  

group in the Ashley Hall community.   

We spent the afternoon walking  

on King Street enjoying some time together  

outside of the business as Mother and son.    

 At the end of the weekend Mom returned to Spartanburg and I continued onto Annapolis.   

It was back to work for both of us!

  

I hope that you all remember

the Moms in your lives on  

Mother's Day and every day!

Richard Ragsdale Reutter

Caroline's Cakes

1580 Whitehall Road

Annapolis, MD 21409

888-801-CAKE(2253)

 www.carolinescakes.com

 caroline@carolinescakes.com

Flowers say I love you,
CAKE says I love you,
No Matter What! 

 Lemon Raspberry Delight 

 This is the perfect Summertime cake!  

The delicate lemon cake layers are  

filled with our lemon curd buttercream  

alternated with our raspberry buttercream.  

We then ice the cake in the  

lightest lemon flavored buttercream.  

It had us waving our forks before we dove in for more!

   

9" Round  

 Serves 14-20

$58 + Shipping

 

7-Layer Lemon Seven-layers of Lemon cake are filled  with our crisp and tangy  Lemon Curd infused Buttercream and delicately Iced with our  Lemon Flavored Buttercream. This is the best Lemon Cake ever!!!       9" Round    Serves 14-20 $58 + Shipping

Coconut Lemon Delight One of our favorites for the Springtime is  coming back this March!  A special twist on Caroline's classic  Coconut Cloud Cake.        The taste of Springtime! Four moist layers of yellow cake are filled with our Lemon Curd all gently iced with our  fresh Coconut icing.  What could be more perfect! 9" Round    Serves 14-20 $58 + Shipping

7-Layer Caramel Cake      This is our most popular layer cake by far! The moist yellow cake layers are filled with  Caroline's Famous "melt-in-your-mouth" Caramel Icing. A traditional Southern favorite,  this cake may be frozen and refrozen  for up to six months, giving you the luxury of elegant entertaining at your finger tips.     9" Round   Serves 14-20 $58 + Shipping