So, two days ago, Danny and I finally had our belated date night. We went to Stonewood in Ormond Beach and got valeted and drank cab sav and had a marvelous evening at the very busy restaurant.

The restaurant was packed because it was V-Day — which, in addition to being a banner night for upscale eateries, is the busiest day in the world for florists and chocolate makers and those stores where forgetful husbands and boyfriends shop when they suddenly remember during their commute home from work that that day is not any other day, but that day when they’re required by law to have a present for their sweethearts.

Some smart husbands and boyfriends in my slice of the Sunshine State skipped the after-work rush in favor of letting Sassy Sweetery handle their loved ones’ sugary needs. Because the cupcake bouquets Chelsea, who owns Sassy Sweetery, delivered around town are a whole lot of pretty yumminess. Believe me, I had a shoot with Chelsea last week, and I did not leave empty handed!

Chelsea has become my go-to girl when we’re planning a styled shoot, or when a bride needs a recommendation for a wedding cake designer who is creative in both the visual and culinary arts. Her cakes taste every bit as fabulous as they look. But rather than raving about them all day (which, believe me, I could!), I’d like to show off some of the goodies she made for our shoot last week, when we worked to get some great new images for her forthcoming website. She — and her little sister/second-in-command — did a fabulous job (of making stomach growl).
See what I mean? Just one picture of a rosette-bedecked cake in progress and your stomach is growling too, isn’t it? But this cake looks far too beautiful to cut into.
Cake pop? Why yes, I think I will….
And then there are those cupcake bouquets I was raving about earlier. . . . Too cute!

Sassy Sweetery also makes plenty of non-holiday cupcakes for weddings, events, birthday parties — you name it, Sassy Sweetery has probably made cupcakes for it!
These cupcakes from Sassy Sweetery are as cute as they are yummy. There are the adorable red velvet ones (above), and the root beer float cupcakes (below), which immediately transport me back in time and pop me onto a high top stool at a drugstore soda fountain.
Next up: Coconut! (That’s what I chowed down on after our shoot. Mmm-mmm-mmm.)
The Oreo cupcakes are every bit as good as they sound, with chocolate cake and crushed Oreo-infused frosting.
 One of the most popular flavors is turtle — which taste just like turtle candies, and feature one on top.
Hands-down, the prettiest cupcakes (I thought) were the white chocolate and raspberry. I love photographing all the textures of fruit, so this was an easy choice for me!
Another Sassy Sweetery specialty are PB&J cupcakes — which are always a hit at kids’ birthday parties, Chelsea said. She makes them with peanut butter cream cheese frosting and a real dollop of grape jelly!
Don’t you just want to eat them all?! (I’m sure Chelsea could arrange this for you. . . . )
But cupcakes aren’t the only thing Sassy Sweetery specializes in. Chelsea whipped up this incredible three tier wedding cake just for our shoot. And for fun. It looked beautiful from a distance, but I think it’s the attention to detail — the vintage brown sugar paste rose, the ribbon-wrapped separators — that really make it shine.
Another things that Chelsea does to set Sassy Sweetery apart: She flavors all her fondant, since fondant isn’t as tasty as buttercream. She always spreads a layer of buttercream under fondant, too — so if a bride wants the slick, polished appearance of fondant, she doesn’t have to give up the delicious frosting!
Once we wrapped up with the cakes, I pulled the lovely ladies of Sassy Sweetery outside for some headshots. Much as I enjoyed photographing all the desserts, I was delighted to have such beautiful living, breathing, giggling subjects in front of my camera again!

After a hard day’s baking, Chelsea touched up her makeup, and looked fabulous.
Both of them were looking pretty incredible that day!
Oh, what was that I said about giggling?
Chelsea, thank you so much for giving me a glimpse into Sassy Sweetery and the world of wedding cakes! I can’t wait to work with you again very soon!

~ Laura