Saturday, March 27, 2010

My First Bridal Shower







The theme is a lakeshore spring wedding. This is what I came up with. The cake is a smaller deconstructed monkey la la covered in ganache and the cupcakes are chocolate with strawberry filling and ganache, vanilla with vanilla and lemon with strawberry. Loved this one.

A Star Is NOT Born Cake

ohhhh, this did not turn out well. I think it's sloppy and resembles a Hannah Montana cake. It was supposed to be this brilliant, shimmery star with 30 and stars exploding it out....ended up being more like a silent fart. (yeah, I said it).
On the upside the inside of this cake is fab. A deconstructed Monkey La La...so it's a vanilla Bailey's cake, coconut cake and chocolate Kahlua cake with my monkey la la filling (and one layer has a brushing of chocolate on it for a bit of crunch) and all frosted with Kahlua and Baileys infused ganache.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Happy Birthday Pazy Wazy!





For a coworker/friend surprise 40th Birthday party. I was asked to do a cake similar to a Pink Cake Box cake, this was my take on it. It was supposed to represent her relaxing.

Friday, March 19, 2010

The Cake Slice Bakers Present....Pineapple Upside Down Cake!



Truly one of my favorites...however, I cannot eat it as I am on a diet, and cheated the last 2 days...I dare not eat any or it might trigger a cake orgy. Anyways, I doubled the recipe, baked it in a 9 x 13 and am taking this thing to work...so no pictures of it cut. I'll let you know how it goes.
Two things I can say about this cake is that I stupidly decided to use my hand mixer and I think I burnt my motor out...should've used the KA, but I had just cleaned it...you know how it goes.

The second thing is that NEVER in my life have I been able to make a pineapple UDC and have it not stick to the pan....Can somebody tell me the secret?

Looking forward to next months cake.



Happy Birthday Chauncey!





My second shoe cake, equally as painful. Chauncey picked the colors, but let me choose the style of shoe box. My first bow, you can tell, but all in all I like this cake.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Happy St Patricks Day!


My favorite day...besides my birthday...


Irish Car Bombs....Made 'em before, will make 'em again....They are super Yummy....Guiness chocolate cupcakes with Jamison Whiskey ganache and a bit of Bailey's buttercream....recipe is a few posts down....will be eating these with some friends listening to some good old Irish music.


Enjoy the day everyone!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Cookie Monster and smash cake




a repeat of cookie monster, this time I made this base a bit bigger, and had one arm lying on the cake. I wish I would have put more cookies on the cake...but I quess I didn't really see how bare it looked when I was doing it.

The corresponding cake is a small cookie monster smash cake. All marble cake with vanilla filling and buttercream.

Happy Birthday Adrienne!




For my coworker, this is a replica of the cake featured under "whats hot" at country kitchen sweetart, I did it in buttercream instead of fondant tho, and skipped the bottom tier... Good thing I did, this cake was pretty big.

The bottom tier is chocolate with strawberry filling and a lemon tinged vanilla/rum buttercream, and the top tier is a lemon cake with the same filling and buttercream. I'll bet it tastes fantastic.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Police Cake...








For a coworkers son who was promoted to SGT at the ripe old age of 26....I loosely recreated the badge and patch for his city, and added a few fun touches...note the pig on the back right of the cake (bad humor), the donut and the NUK (to represent his age).


The cake is marble with milk chocolate ganache filling and frosted with vanilla. The fondant is actually a mixture of royal blue candy clay and black fondant....It was hard to get really smooth...plus it's sticky, so your seeing the brush marks from the vodka that I used to wipe off all the powdered sugar. Hopefully that dries well.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Happy One Year Anniversary!

To myself, my blog....I was going to bake something...but I've been SOOO busy making decorations for 3 cakes this week....

First - A police shirt cake for a coworkers son who's been promoted to sergeant.

Second - a bejeweled two tiered cake, featured in Country Kitchen Sweetart's "what's hot" link and

Third - another 3D cookie monster cake with a corresponding smash cake.

Pictures to come as I complete them.

Monday, March 1, 2010

St Patricks Day is a coming....


IN HONOR OF MY UPCOMING FAVORITE DAY, I'M REPOSTING THIS RECIPE...I WILL BE MAKING THEM SOON

Bailey's Irish Cream buttercream recipe
I adapted this from The Cupcakery. Give it a try...and don't skip the lemon, it makes it pop.
1 stick salted butter, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
4 heaping cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4th of a large lemon's juice
pinch salt
1/4 cup Bailey's....or more...let the frosting's consistency be your guide.
Cream together butters, add half the sugar and cream to combine. add the rest of the sugar, lemon juice and salt and combine, then add bailey's and beat until creamy.


The recipe is from http://the-cupcakery-blog.blogspot.com/
Chocolate Guinness Stout Cupcakes

this recipe makes about 48 cuppies, I usually make half to two thirds recipe
2 cups Guinness Extra Stout
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
4 cups all purpose flour
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream
1 pkg. Hershey's mini-morsel semi-sweet chocolate chips (I never add, but you could)
1. Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Line baking cups with paper liners and set aside.
2. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Do not boil.
3. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly
4. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend.
5. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend.
6. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine.
7. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed.
8. Using a rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Gently fold in mini-morsel semi-sweet chocolate chips.(Mixture will appear robust and lumpy.)
9. Divide batter among paper liners and bake 17 - 22 minutes. Cupcakes are done when tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes on a wire rack.
10. VERY IMPORTANT: Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting!

Chocolate Ganache
12 ounce pakage Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips (or milk chocolate) (I used milk choc this time, but I prefer dark chocolate)
1/2 cup heavy cream
(1 - 2 Tbsp Jamison's Whiskey for a true Irish Car Bomb, but these are good without the whiskey too!)
1. Combine both ingredients in a double boiler.
2. Continue to mix thoroughly over boiling water until ingredients are smooth and chocolate is completely melted. (Add whiskey at this point if your gonna)
3. Layer this ganache on completely cooled cupcakes and allow to harden.

After ganache has set, put a dollop of the Baileys buttercream on top and enjoy!!!