Sweets Bakeshop Externship

Hello again! I thought I'd write up a little post about my externship experience. I'm about half way through my externship at Sweets Bakeshop in St. Paul (they have a shop in Minneapolis now, too!)

You can check out their website here: www.sweetsbakeshop.com

Last week I had the opportunity to help with this awesome cake that won first place in the Czar of Cakes competition at the Food & Wine Experience. Pretty cool, right? The challenge was to make a food and wine themed cake that showcased a pan from Nordic Ware. Ly, one of the owners at Sweets and the lead decorator, came up with this great decorative urn design using a turkey pan. We must have baked eight or nine turkeys in order to get as much perfect detail as we could! I think I cut out a million fondant leaves. It was a great experience! A lot of work but it's all worth it when you see the final result.

Sweets is known for their French macarons. Not too many places in the Twin Cities have them, although they are growing in popularity. The fan favorite is Salted Caramel (not pictured, as I ate it before I got around to taking photos).

The retail shop also features ten flavors of gourmet cupcakes each day. Everyone asks me what my favorite flavor is but it changes all the time! I do love the peanut butter cup (moist chocolate cake and pb buttercream) but I also enjoy the Kettle corn (a dense cornmeal cake with a carmelized top and honey buttercream). Or maybe it's the Pucker Up (Bright, tart lemon buttercream and a raspberry-filled cake). See? Luckily, I don't have to choose.

Everyone is super friendly, and I've had the opportunity to work on lots of different projects. I'm learning a ton about running a small business. I know it will help me tremendously when I eventually open my own place!