How it all got started...

August of last year I got word that my sister (MJ), brother-in-law, and nephew (Joey) would be visiting from LA for the weekend of Joey's 6th birthday. This was WAY exciting for me, and of course I wanted to throw a decent 6-year-old party! I emailed my sister and asked her what theme Joey might be into this year, and she turned and asked him...

Several days later I got a call from my sister and Joey... She had just asked him how he wanted his cake, and because he was getting so detailed/complicated, she decided he should tell me himself! So Joey got on the phone and proceeded to tell me he'd like a baseball field, with "the kids" on it, that the catchers arm should move, and "cupcakes underneath." All I could envision was a layer cake set atop cupcakes, (which made little sense to me). So after MJ mitigated that the moving arm was probably not possible, she got on the phone and described the "cupcake cake" phenomena that had apparently struck Southern California...

Also known as "pull apart" cakes, a cupcake cake is constructed of cupcakes shoved together and then is frosted as one...

So I got on the phone calling every bakery and grocery store on the No Shore of MA... most had never heard of these, one wasn't doing them "anymore" and one actually said yes, they make cupcake cakes! Tom and I headed to said store and got the specs on what a baseball cupcake cake would entail and cost...

In his usual way, Tom asked a lot of questions... (Tom likes to maximize what he can get from any service provider...) He wanted to know if she could make a batting cage (of all things!)... he wanted to know what shape it would be ... she said a rectangle (picture 1/2 sheet cake)... When we got in the car Tom was like, what's the point of using cupcakes if it's going to look like any grocery store cake?

So I started looking around online and found a rendition of a baseball cupcake cake and got inspired. I was able to order some supplies for the same amount on money I would have spent on Joey's cake. The result was something very special... something Joey really adored... and something I wanted to make AGAIN!