Interview with Bake You Happy, winner of Cupcake Wars

Did you catch last night's episode of Cupcake Wars? I love this show more and more with each episode I watch. I was so excited to see Bake You Happy, a Southern California cupcakery, take the win! Between their viewing party last night and the busyness of opening their new store, I was able to score an exclusive interview with Kim and Kim, owners of Bake You Happy.

Your name and your company name: Kimberly Thurman and Kimberly Aeck Co-Owners of Bake You Happy

Where are you based out of? Santa Clarita

How did you get started baking cupcakes? We both have been baking since we were little. Kim and I met one day at 5am kickboxing class and would share recipes, ideas, and pictures of our creations. We respected each others talents and shared a love of baking, especially for our family and friends. So 9 months later we decided to make a career out of something we love and start a business together! It has been so much fun! Kim and I really balance each other. We make a great team.

What, if anything, did you do to prep for "Cupcake Wars"? Since we are in season 2, we were able to watch season 1 to know what to expect, especially from the judges. We definitely experimented with some recipes as well.

What were you most worried about on "Cupcake Wars"? From watching the first season, we really worried about time as well as being able to create something in such a short amount of time with ingredients we had quite possibly had never used before.

Was it hard coming up with a recipe for a cupcake using items from a convenience store? It was really challenging to make the cupcake in round 1. We definitley did not want a sovory cupcake, which eliminated some ingredients right away, so the toughest part was to come up with a cupcake that wasn't too sweet, because most of everything else was practically pure sugar....

If you could change anything that happened on your episode of "Cupcake Wars," what would it be? Honestly, I don't think I would change one thing. It was such an amazing experience. I can't say enough good things about the people that work on the show.

Was Candace Nelson really that nice in person? Candace was lovely. Not only was she so very nice and beautiful, but she seems to have a great sense of humor. She was always smiling. I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet her and spend a little time with her on the show.

Tell us one thing about "Cupcake Wars" we didn't know. Florian isn't as scary as he seems.

Do you have plans yet for your prize money of $10,000? We absolutely do...we are putting right back into our cupcake and cake business. We are opening a retail location in Santa Clarita in the next few days.

What will set your shop apart from the other cupcake shops in your area? We have delicious moist cakes as well as cupcakes. We have cupcakes available daily and we do take custom cakes orders for weddings, birthdays, etc. as well. Kim and I have over 50 years of baking experience together. We love our community and the people in it. We hope our cupcakery is a place people can come and know they are not only going to get a delicious cake, but feel comfortable, taken care of and walk away satisfied and Happy:)!

One last question, what's your favorite cupcake flavor? It depends on the season, the day and my mood:)..But today, I would have to say our Lemon Cupcake. It is a vanilla cake with lemon curd filling and topped with lemon zest cream cheese frosting...YUM!

And there you have it. Congratulations to Kim and Kim of Bake You Happy, the newest champions of Cupcake Wars! I can't wait to see your new cupcake shop. Good luck with the new venture!

(Also posted on Cupcakes Take the Cake)