Still Alive!

No, this cake didn't take a month to make....just a month to post. The design is very simple, I am still not the most creative person, just a good copier of the geniuses out there. Thank you Pinterest! It was a double layer chocolate cake with marshmallow fondant over the top. I used a Christmas tree cookie cutters to do the trees, and then outlined and detailed with royal icing. It was for a church activity. They didn't know that I had included a little surprise with this order. Whoever finds the little piece of paper is the winner! (Embarrassing)

Our family Christmas was legend "wait for it" ary. During which I discovered the glories of How I Met Your Mother. Which, if you have watched, you will understand my "wait for it" joke. Or...you think I am a nut. It was legendary for our family because my littlest sister got engaged. SO FUN! Lots of planning and girl talk and remembering this exciting time in my own life. Congrats Sis!

Then I returned filled with goals and resolutions for the new year. I started a cleaning/ organizing/purging kick here at my house that has taken up every free second of my time and my hubbies. Every day I am adding to his "to do" list. He comes home at the end of the day, helps get kids to bed, and then marks stuff off of it, only to find more in its place the next day. Bless him! And...after three weeks of pushing our selves, our house is looking WAY better. Now, closets aren't falling in on us, the garage has work space, there is room for new Christmas toys, etc. Back to regular life again...which means....baking again. Good for my mental stability not good for my healthy resolutions. Oh well, one thing at a time, right?!

My first fondant covered cake!

This was my final project for Cake Decorating III. Thought I would share with you! Those are gum paste cala lilies on top. I sure am going to miss the girls from that class. We have gotten to know each other pretty well after months of cake crafting together. And then there is Helen; our sweet, world, renowned little old lady teacher. She says things to us like, "Mommy fixy" when she makes a mistake. Love her!

On another note...this weekend we have company in town. My parents and some friends of mine from San Antonio. I actually lived with them for the year before I left on my mission. Haven't seen them since then and now their little baby is a teen-age girl. Where the heck did ten years go. I miss San Antonio. What a fun city. As everyone know, Texans have an uncanny pride for their state. I don't differ. Yee Haw for Texas!! We are going to have a blast this weekend. Today is the aquarium with the kids and then pick up a sitter and head to Elitch Gardens! Whoa Baby!

Bibbity Bobbity Boo

In honor of the "Royal Wedding"(sorry, just thought that should be capitalized and in quotations) I thought that I would post a picture of a cake that I made for a princess that is as equally stunning as the Duchess herself! But first I had to share this little beauty that I found on facebook. Seriously so funny!



So, once again I had a bit of a learning curve with the fondant so let me share some do's and don'ts with y'all (you do know I am from Texas right? Just thought I'd share!) I used a whipped cream frosting again because the taste cannot be beat, but it definitely makes for some more challenging decorating. I initially made the stripes on the cake with pink fondant, but I put it on the night before and the pink bled onto the frosting, (lesson learned!) so you need to wait and apply to a nice crisp buttercream frosting if you are using fondant detailing. I ended up piping the dots and stripes with royal icing. The pink circle on top is also made from fondant. I am signed up for yet another class where I will be learning a lot more about fondant and I am so excited to share what I learn with y'all (there I go again!)

Until then, happy experimenting!

"V" is for violet...roses that is!

I have been posting a lot of cakes lately! Which means I have been baking a lot of cakes lately. Which means I hope I can still fit in my new swimsuits next week in Mexico!!! Oh yeah baby!! One week from tonight I will be holding my hubby's hand, gazing out at the ocean, feeling the sand between my toes, and hearing the waves crash against the shore. Sigh! I can smell the salt in the air! I have some posts lined up to share with you while I am gone. And this week I have to do one more Countdown to Mexico post! Right?! Maybe some homemade churros...

This cake was my final project from Cake Decorating 101. My pearl/snail trail border is not so pretty, but check out my roses! My class was a little confused why I wrote a letter "Vv" on the cake. It was for preschool snack the next day and we were learning all about the letter Vv. (Also why I chose to make purple, or shall we say violet roses?) The kids loved it! They loved to eat a flower.

These Wilton roses are hard to master. I took this class almost two months ago and have made quite a few roses. Yet, still only half of my rose creations are passable. Practice makes perfect. Check out this tutorial here and get practicing!!!

Yikes! My first three tiered cake...

Don't Laugh??!!! No, this bad boy was not supposed to be a topsy turvy cake...it just kind of ended up that way. I said...STOP LAUGHING!!! I learned a lot of lessons from this cake. First, my friends are so kind, supportive, appreciative, and generous! Thanks for making me feel good when I try so hard and don't like the result! Second...leveling each cake layer is essential. Third, structural support for a tiered cake...not that hard. Really...you can do it.

Here is where I went wrong... With each layer of cake I was not a perfectionist. I thought, "well, if it is a little cock-eyed, I will make the second layer a little cock-eyed and they will fit like a puzzle." WRONG! If one layer is crooked, your whole cake will be crooked. Lesson learned. Make sure each tier of the cake is perfectly level before you stack. When stacking, mark the center of the first layer before you just plop the second layer on. I mean really... you are all thinking this is common sense. But...hey...just sharing with you my mistakes. And if I made them...maybe someone else out there is as inexperienced as I am. Can't wait for my next cake class that goes into all this a little better. If you are splitting each layer of cake...split to perfection. Before you start carving away, pop the cake in the freezer for 10 minutes or the fridge for a half hour (wrapped in Saran wrap). A cold cake is easier to level. It crumbles less and is easier to move around, stack, assemble, frost, etc. Keep each section refrigerated till you are ready to work with it. I learned this tip in a cake decorating book.

After I frosted the bottom/first tier, I cut wooden dowels the same height as the first layer. The bottom layer was a ten inch cake. I stuck the dowels in a 6 inch circle in the center of the cake. The next layer of cake was an 8 inch cake. After that was frosted, I put the dowels in a 4 inch circle in the center of that layer. I topped my crooked cake with a 6 inch cake. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. She decorated the cake with fresh fruit. It was for her daughter's Wedding Luau -themed birthday party. You got to meet this little gal-7 years old (I think) going on 16 years old! What a doll!

Birthday Party Post #3-Cake Baking Tips

Geez!!! I just have a lot to say about the same day of baked goods! I made this yellow cake with chocolate frosting for a friend's husband's birthday that happened to be on the same day as Wyatt. So, this was available for guests as well as the pina colada cupcakes. This was my first layer cake attempt. As previously mentioned, I have been taking cake decorating classes and gum paste flower classes. SOOOO helpful! This cake seemed like a breeze. I will never bake a cake in a 13 X 9 inch pan again!! Seriously, this took probably 30 minutes more and it looks a million times better. This cake is 2 9 inch cake layers, each split in half with a cake leveler. I didn't have to level the 2 original cakes due to the bake even strips I used. Here are some tricks and products I swear by. Buy them, have them for life, and never bake a 13 X 9 inch cake again!!! (No, I am not under contract with any of the manufacturers I am about to mention...just sharing what I know to help you!!!)

Layer Cake Baking Tips for the Beginner

Supplies that will save your life...worth the expense for the result!!!

2 8 or 9 inch cake pans

Bake Even Strips

Wilton Cake Release

Cake Leveler

Angled Spatula

Disposable Decorating Bags

Decorating tips #3 and #21

Tip #1- For high altitudes like Denver, never bake a cake at 350, keep your oven at 325 degrees and bake longer.

Tip#2- If you don't want to buy the bake even strips, my instructor swears by the following method to bake an even cake. (I haven't attempted this yet since I have the bake even strips)... Grease the bottom and seam of side wall of pan. Do not grease the side walls of the pan. You may flour if desired. Fill pan half full. Tilt pan until batter goes to top rim of pan, coating walls thinly. Drop pan on counter a few times to free up any bubbles and level batter. Should bake an even cake.

Tip #3- Measure by cups how much batter you put in each pan...this way your layers of the cake are exactly the same height.

Tip #4- test cake for doneness all over pan, not just center of pan.

Tip#5- if careful while icing...no crumb coat is needed. Crumbing lessens if you work with a chilled cake. Also, start with a big blob of frosting. You can scrape the frosting off as needed. Be careful not to let your spatula touch the cake, only frosting. This is easy with a cake spatula...there is something about the angle to it. The above cake does not have a crumb coat and there was not a crumb in sight.

Tip #6- When you add a layer on top of the frosting of the previous layer, drop it on, shimmy it to be in place and twist...this makes it a firm, stable stack.