My First Baby Shower Cake!

I've been making cakes for a few years, but to cut down on waste, I only make what I need. So that means I haven't had the opportunity to make a baby shower cake-- until now! My friend gave me creative license. The only qualm was to minimize the fondant (totally understandable since not many people are fond of it mwaha). So I started by baking a white cake then icing and filling it with delicious butter-almond buttercream. Then I got to work on making baby blocks out of rice cereal treats. I could've made it, but I didn't want to be tempted to eat the surplus (yum!) so I bought the premade squares.

I cut them down to the same size...

Then I covered them in buttercream (except for one side) and covered that with fondant...

Then I added baby blue and light green accents to the blocks...

I had that extra one back there in case I needed it.

Then lastly, some buttercream letters and accents (I added a baby bottle and a rattle).

As for the actual cake, I simply decorated it with a shell border and blue ruffle and two pairs of baby blue buttercream booties (whoa, say that five times fast) and voila!

My friend loved it, so I guess my first baby shower cake was a success!


Next cake: I think I'll be getting back into gumpaste... Stay tuned!

Happy Mother's Day!

 Happy Mother's Day to all of those moms (and single fathers) out there!


Sidenote: I know I missed Cinco de Mayo, but! I will make it up to the people of Mexico later-- I promise!

My Sweet Discoveries

As I scour the Interweb-- well, more like peruse, I guess-- I have come across a few sites and blogs that I loooove! The first is Cupcaketree. I love these cardboard-based cupcake displays that are lightweight, easily customizable, and easy to assemble. And best of all, they are reusable and recyclable!
This Large Square model is $43.99 and holds 150 to 300 cupcakes.

courtesy Cupcaketree.com

This is just one example of the many different customizable possibilities:

Courtesy cupcaketree.com

These are perfect for all occasions, and they come in different shapes and sizes to fit any party need!

Next is Cupcake Swirl. I'm sure lots of you have heard of this site, but I don't mind mentioning it here because I am in love with the merchandise on this site. Cupcake Swirl supplies individuals as well as small businesses, so they sell items in bulk (like 540-count sleeves of cupcake liners for only $25!)

Courtesy Cupcake Swirl

 ...or just enough (like 24-count cupcake kits for just $12.95 ).

Courtesy Cupcake Swirl

But my favorite items are the hostess aprons.

Courtesy Cupcake Swirl

Totally in love with this one!! And under $40! *hint hint to my beloved!*

My next Discovery was the Cupcake Cuties website. Cupcake Cuties are kits that add more dimension to frosted cupcakes. The kits are for 24 cupcakes and may included cupcake sleeves, sugar, figures, candles, toppings, a pastry bag, and instructions. Here are some examples (all courtesy of the Cupcake Cuties website):

Too cute!!

Animals and sugar included!

Perfect for cookouts and patriotic holidays!

The prices range from $16.95 to $23.99 depending on the amount of materials included in the kits. I will most definitely visit this site for my holiday and theme party needs!

And last but certainly not least, there's Concarta. I actually found an article on wedding cake toppers in a bridal magazine last fall, and one of Concarta's beautiful cake toppers was featured. This artist creates custom-made all-paper sculptures that can be used as a wedding cake topper or even a decoration for a tabletop. They are a- maaaazing! There are some basic designs on Concarta's Etsy page found here. There is also a blog, where you can find new designs as well as find information on ordering your own. Here are some examples...

Love the details!

The curls! The roses!

Cute baby!

Classic!

Depending on the details and number of figures involved, it appears the cost of these works of art range from about $200 to $250. I think it is sooo worth it. Another *hint hint* to my beloved! I would love to have this as a wedding keepsake (just imagine one of these in a little glass box!) 

I had so much fun writing this post and compiling a few of my favorite cake-y things. If any of you faithful readers think I left something out, feel free to comment or email! I would love to discover more!

Cupboard Cookies (working title)

 It has been quite a while! I've been immersed in savory cooking and working as of late. However, I am back with a quick, easy, and super-tasty cookie recipe! It started out with a simple cake mix cookie recipe from allrecipes.com ... then I transformed it into my own. I want to call it my Cupboard Cookies for now, since I pretty much dumped things from my cupboard into it! Here's the recipe my way:

• 1 box (18.25 oz) yellow cake mix (I used Pillsbury butter recipe yellow cake mix)
• 1/2 c rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 c butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp almond extract (or vanilla!)
• 1 c semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c walnuts
• 1/2 c Heath bits 

*note- you can use any combination of things that you find in your cupboard for these-- M&M's, raisins, dried fruit, even-- I just made sure it equaled 2 cups so I didn't overwhelm the cookies (they must stay together, now!)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, oats, and baking powder.

Add the eggs, melted butter, and extract. Mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips, walnuts, and Heath bits.

3. Drop rounded teaspoons of the dough onto an ungreased baking sheet (they can be about an inch apart since they don't spread that much) and bake 8-10 minutes. Let the cookies finish cooking on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack.

Yum!

Mmmm nom x 3

I only wanted to bake off a dozen,so I rolled the remaining dough in a bit of bench flour, wrapped it in wax paper, and popped it in the freezer.

Voila! Now I can slice off however many cookies I need whenever I get a hankering. :)

Sample Savory Sunday: Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

 I have not posted in a little while because I've been busy obtaining a new occupation of the cake decorating persuasion!!! I got a job as a cake decorator in a bakery and I am super excited! My first day was awesome! I made specialty cakes all day and it didn't even feel like I had worked a whole 8 hour shift! No worries... the blog will still go on.

As a sidenote, I would like to try a new thing with my readers (all three of you). I've been toying with the idea of Savory Sunday for a little while. It's a touch of something different once a week. I figured I'd try with my delicious mashed potatoes that I make for holiday family dinners. Warning: it is not for the health-conscious!

• 5 lbs. red potatoes
• 1 c heavy cream
• 1 stick of butter
• salt to taste
• 1 c grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp dried chives (if you wish)

1. Rinse and peel the potatoes (leave some skin on for texture). Cut any larger potatoes in half.

My mom's a better peeler than I am!

2. Fill a medium pot with cold water, and place on the high heat.

3. Boil the potatoes for about 20 minutes or until they are fork-tender.
4. Meanwhile, mince the garlic and place in a small saucepan with the melting butter on medium heat. Add heavy cream and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the cream is warmed through. (Lets the garlic infuse)

 5. When potatoes are ready, mash until your desired texture, add the cream mixture as well as the parmesan cheese. Add salt to taste (parmesan should be a good amount of salt on its own). Add chives for a little color and flavor. Delish!

I love making these potatoes with a great steak. Enjoy! And let me know what you think of my Savory Sunday!

England-themed Farewell Cake

This past weekend, one of my good friends had a GAPE-- A Going-Away Party Extravaganza. He's going off to England, so of course I had to make him a cake that focused on England. I didn't want to do the usual double-decker bus, red telephone booth, or Big Ben, so Stonehenge seemed perfect! I started with Duncan Hines Confetti cake in a 9 x 13 pan. Then I iced the top of the cake green and the sides white with Vanilla Almond Buttercream. I used a round tip #5 to pipe the Union Jack on the sides.

Then I set to work on Stonehenge. After researching it, I realized that there are a lot more components involved to the structure than I thought. And there are a lot of interesting theories based upon its construction. If I ever went to England, I would definitely want to check it out. Anyhoo, I used grey Duff-brand fondant, and a lot of toothpicks broken in half.

Grass tip around the edge...

  And a bit of "bushes" around the cake to fill some space...

And this is the cake aaaall done!

He loved it! And I was glad to say that I've actually made a Stonehenge cake!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling and Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Last night, my beloved and I went to a very fun and romantic Valentine's Day dinner party. It was hosted by our really good friend, Voltage (yes, it's his real name), and the food was excellent. I was to bring the dessert, so I wanted to make something rich and decadent. So why not chocolate filled with chocolate topped with chocolate?

I started with Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix.

I think this flavor is relatively new, and I used it for the Virginia Tech cake back in November. This mix makes a very moist cake that is super rich and chocolatey. I used little heart-printed cups, even though they'll be hard to see once the chocolate cake is baked in. Hey, it's the principle of the thing!

I baked the cupcakes according the the package and set to work on the ganache and buttercream while they cooled. The recipe for the ganache has just two ingredients:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup heavy cream

I warmed the cream on the stove on low heat, then I poured it over the chips. I let the bowl sit to cool a bit.

I got started on the Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Some are afraid to make this buttercream because there are a lot of steps that can go wrong (and if one thing goes wrong, it's all ruined!) I found a recipe on Martha Stewart's website. I made half the recipe, which works great for 12 cuppin' cakes. This is is the full recipe here:

• 5 large egg whites
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 pound (4 sticks ) butter, room temperature, and cut into tablespoons
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine the egg whites, salt, and sugar into the bowl of your mixer and place it over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until the mixture is warm and the sugar is dissolved (you shouldn't be able to feel granules between your fingers). This should take about 8 minutes.

It'll go from this...

...to this.

 2. Move the bowl onto the mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks (but not dry!) form. This is about 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, I was cutting up my butter...

Make sure it's room temperature!!!!

3. Mix the butter in on medium-low speed, adding a couple tablespoons at a time. Make sure the butter mixes well before you add more. Once all the butter is in, add the vanilla. Switch to the paddle attachment and mix it until smooth.

Yum!

You can stop there if you want just vanilla buttercream. Seriously, it tastes exactly like vanilla ice cream. So good! I decided to add 2.5 ounces of melted and cooled semi-sweet chocolate.

With that done, it's time to put everything together! I cut holes into the cupcakes...

Then poured in the ganache...

And topped with buttercream!

This is what the ganache looked like immediately after topping it...

If you like that consistency, by all means, leave it. But I wanted it set a little bit more, so I put the guys in the refrigerator for about half an hour. The ganache came out perfect! It was smooth but it had set a little so it didn't run out. The cupcakes were a definite hit, and everyone loved them! :)

Thanks for dinner, Voltage!