My First Successful Stacked Cake!

Greetings, all! This past weekend, I decided to experiment with stacking cakes. I feel that after making cakes for 4 years, I should be able to make stacked cakes with confidence. Since I haven't had any orders for one, I didn't want to just make a stacked cake and throw it away (I need to befriend more cake-obsessed people). So I decided to make a stacked cake for a friend's birthday as his gift. His ZS name is Firebird, so I went with a phoenix! Here is how I assembled this confection:

First: the board. I hot glued two cake circles together (remembering to cross the grain!) and covered it in gold foil.

Then I iced the 8" cake as I normally would. I stuck 4 dowel rods into the cake in a square pattern, making sure to mark and cut to just about the cake height.

The next step was the 6" top tier, which I placed on a 6" board, traced around, then cut the board to fit perfectly.  I added a blob of icing to the middle of the square, and placed the naked cake on top. I find it easier to ice the cake while it's already on top of the bottom tier. But if I were covering the tiers in fondant, I would definitely cover them separately then stack them.

I iced the top tier with a small offset spatula (which was kind of difficult for me because I actually like using a bucket scraper to smooth my icing).

Then I scored a phoenix design onto the front...

And I filled in with yellow, then orange, then red. For the flames, I pulled one color into the next with my handy little fondant tool.

And now onto the feathers. I must admit, I was never good with drawing animals, especially of the feathered variety. However, I was able to translate the feathers pretty well with a regular Wilton tip 3.

After a lot more feathers...

Tri-color borders. Bam!

Voila! I like how it came out! If I had to change one thing, I would make the feathers longer on the wings. Oh! And I made a little flame cupcake for the birthday guy, which was devoured immediately.

Firebird also enjoyed the cake, and so did everyone else at the party, so I was super excited. And best of all, it survived transport, which makes this stacked cake a success!! I feel like I've gained enough XP to reach the next level in cakery! And to think, I actually pulled this all off on Friday the 13th!

Gingerbread Party!

Last night, my Betrothed and I had a few guests over for a Gingerbread and Apple Cider Shindig. This was a ZS gathering, so do not be alarmed by the ZS names mentioned later. We simmered a huge pot of apple cider mixed with spiced rum, and I had some egg nog with Bacardi (delish!) The gingerbread creations varied greatly, and now I have a delicious-smelling little town on my table!

I made a traditional little house...

Gayne had a train kit...

Voltage made a mini village...

...and Firebird added a little shack to it.

I think the most epic gingerbread construction was Guardian's castle. He employed the help of graham crackers as well. Ahhhh...

This party was a first, and I think it was a success! I'm thinking Second Annual Gingerbread and Cider Shindig next year! It was nice to see some faces I hadn't seen in a while. My Betrothed had just returned home for winter break, so it was definitely nice to see him again, too! Now what to do with that leftover egg nog... Expect to see some delicious baked goods soon!

Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Cupcakes

Today is the second annual ZS Thanksgiving. It is a time for the Zombie Squad to gather from near and far and spend quality time with each other while eating good food and drinking until merry. I, of course, was responsible for the dessert. I didn't have much time, so I went with a cake mix-based recipe that turned out as moist and delicious as a scratch-made recipe. I also needed to find an alternative to cream cheese buttercream, since some people attending the feast have dietary restrictions. I searched through my notebook of flavor ideas and found Honey-Ginger Buttercream. The recipe for the cupcakes are as follows:

• 1 box Duncan Hines space cake mix
• 1 box (3.4oz) Jello Pumpkin Spice pudding mix
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup canned pumpkin

1) Preheat the oven at 350 and place paper cups in cupcake pan.
2) Mix all ingredients for 30 seconds on low, then stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl (as well as the paddle). Continue to mix for 2 minutes on medium. Scoop 1/4 cup of mixture into each baking cup.
3) Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until a butter knife comes out clean.

Yummy!

While the cupcakes were cooling, I started on the Honey-Ginger Buttercream. The recipe I used makes about 4 cups of icing, which is just enough to make 24 roses with leaves.

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup honey
• 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1) Beat the butter until creamy, then add the powdered sugar and beat on high until smooth.

2) Add the honey and ginger.

Love the smell of fresh ginger!

*spray the measuring cup with pan release before measuring your honey!*

3) Beat for another minute or so before adding the vanilla. Then continue to beat on high for 3-4 minutes until nice and fluffy.

The consistency of the buttercream is kind of like a stiff Swiss Meringue without all the muscle involved. So it was perfect to hold a rose shape.

And 23 more...

After I made all of the roses I needed, I used the rest to make leaves. It worked out perfectly, and I didn't have much buttercream left over.

I only used two teaspoons of ginger because I didn't want the flavor of the ginger to overwhelm the honey flavor. Feel free to add another teaspoon if you're feeling spicy!

And of course these cupcakes aren't specifically for Thanksgiving. They are perfect for any fall occasion, or if you're a pumpkin-hoarder like me, they are perfect for any time of the year!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! (and have a safe Black Friday!)

Pumpkin Spice Cake

As Thanksgiving nears, the pumpkin spice recipes must continue rolling. My beloved is part of an interesting faction called the Zombie Squad (don't try to look it up). They're all close friends, and they are like family. So this past Saturday was the ZS Thanksgiving! Everyone was to bring something, and I was volunteered to bring a cake (of course!). I figured I'd make a pumpkin spice cake, and decorate it with none other than the unofficial sponsor of ZS-- Natural Light beer. I found the recipe for a very moist pumpkin cake at The Joy of Baking and it goes as follows:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar (packed)
2 large eggs
1 cup fresh or canned pure pumpkin (about 1/2 of a 15 ounce can)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (I replaced this with nutmeg because I didn't have cloves-- still turned out great!)
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1) First, I preheated the oven to 350 and sprayed 2 8" round pans with Baker's Joy (it's just as good as buttering and flouring a pan without the fuss and mess). I also moved a rack in the oven into the center position.

2) Beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy (2-3 minutes) then add the eggs, one egg at a time, giving time between each to incorporate. Scrape down the sides of the bowl (and the beater!!) if necessary. Then add the pumpkin and vanilla. Beat until mixed well.

3) In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

Add the buttermilk and the flour mixture alternately, making 3 additions. Make sure to start and end on the flour mixture. Pour the cake batter evenly into both cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a butter knife inserted into each center comes out clean.

4) Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out of their pans to cool completely.

While the cakes were baking, I got started on the cream cheese icing, which is the same recipe that I had used for my pumpkin cupcakes.

I decided to torte the two layers to add some height and make it look a bit fancy when cut.

Cream cheese icing is very soft, so I refrigerated after the crumb coat, I refrigerated after the final coat, and I refrigerated when I was done with my design.
 
I scored the logo with a toothpick and got to work filling it in. I like the "puffy" look, so I went over my design a couple of times. I added borders to the bottom and top, and I was done! Everyone LOVED the cake, both inside and out.