Sims 3 Graduation Cake

 I've been up to my eyes in graduation and Father's Day cakes at work, so the last thing I wanted to do was to make one at home. However, my brother needed one, so I had to abide. Plus, he told me it was a Sims 3- themed cake,  and I love The Sims games! I'm a definite recovering addict, but I would relapse in a heartbeat! My cake was strawberry with my usual butter-vanilla buttercream. I cut out a green diamond and placed it on the cake. Then I made the logo out of fondant...

Trimmed it up...

I wrote "the" with buttercream!

Then placed it on the green diamond. I added some balls to the bottom and a snail trail border on top and voila!

Considering I pulled this together after 13 hours of cakes in the bakery, I'm proud of it :) Time of completion: a bit after 1am. Congrats to all those grads out there!

Gumpaste Roses

It's been so long since my last post! OK, OK, OK I will try my best to at least make new posts twice a week. We'll see how that goes...

So I decided to get back into gumpaste since I randomly found a brand new package in my cupboard.

I haven't tried to make my own yet, since I find the Wilton brand gumpaste to work pretty well for me. Eh, I'll try mixing my own someday just to compare. Anyhoo, I took the Wilton courses ages ago, so I wanted to get back into doing roses, at least. I already have the rose cutters (3 sizes), the ball and vein tool, the thick foam, and thin foam from the Wilton Course 3 kit, which is super convenient. However, all of these components are sold at your local craft store separately.

I started with breaking off and kneading my gumpaste with a light dusting of cornstarch and confectioner's sugar mixed together.Then I cut out a flower with the smallest cutter and made it into a cone shape. *At this point, you can slip the cone onto some wire wrapped in florist tape if you want to go a bouquet route. Another easy way to handle the roses is by slipping the cone onto a toothpick and working from there. This reduces handling the gumpaste and making it stickier. *

Next, I rolled out my gumpaste to 1/16 an inch then cut out a flower with the medium cutter. (Make sure to wrap up your unused gumpaste!) I used a spatula to cut notches between each petal, and I placed it on the thin foam pad. I then ruffled the edges of the petals by running the ball tool over the edges to thin them out (dip the ball into the powder mixture if you need to!)

I flipped the flower over and pressed the ball into the middle of the piece to create a cup. Then I applied a bit of piping gel (or water or flavor) into the cup and placed the cone in. 

Now for the next set of directions, I'll refer to the petals as a little man with a head, two legs, and two arms. So I applied some piping gel to the head and wrapped it around the cone. Then the same went for an arm, the opposite leg, the other arm, then that opposite leg. At this point you have a rosebud!

 If you want to continue to a medium rose, cut out another medium-sized flower, cup up two arms, then flip over and cup up the head and legs. Wrap the arms around, then the legs and head...

If you want to continue on to a large rose, use the large cutter and cup all petals, flip over and add to the rest.

Alright, this one looks a bit shabby, but it's my first rose in a couple of years, so I kept practicing then got a little playful with some pink luster dust...

Not too bad! I hope I inspired some of you to try gumpaste! It's not as scary as it seems, and all it takes is a bit of practice! Now to see how this can come together on a cake...

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!