Shopping Cake

This was for a Jewelery Party and I thought it would be appropriate to have a shopping theme. The cakes were sculpted to be a Shopping Bag with Pearls, a Handbag, & a Mini Hat Box. All items were sitting on an open box (10'' cake torted with buttercream) with Tissue Paper (thin fondant). Everything is edible. Flavors were Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Buttercream & Chocolate Fudge Cake with Peanutbutter Buttercream. Flowers were made from Gumpaste, and handbag details were painted with Luster Dust. Fun to make, more fun to eat!!

Brownie Coma

The following recipe is the absolute BEST brownie recipe I have ever made. My husband went crazy over them, and trust me, he is a very harsh critic. These are super rich and moist. This will put you in a serious chocolate coma. Just be really careful to not overcook them. Keep an eye on them toward the end. Even just a few minutes overcooked will ruin them. If you cut them in small circles or squares, top with piped white chocolate (or your favorite) mousse, and finish with a small raspberry, they make a beautiful presentation for a gathering on a tiered server.

(Recipe from Nigella Lawson, from The Food Network)

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate
6 eggs
1 3/4 cups superfine sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white chocolate buttons, chips, or morsels
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate buttons, chips or morsels
Approximately 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Special equipment: Baking tin (approximately 11 1/4 inches by 9 inches by 2 inches), sides and base lined with baking parchment.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter and dark chocolate together in a large heavy based pan over a low heat.
In a bowl or large measuring jug, beat the eggs together with the superfine sugar and vanilla extract.

Allow the chocolate mixture to cool a little, then add the egg and sugar mixture and beat well. Fold in the flour and salt. Then stir in the white chocolate buttons or chips, and the semisweet chocolate buttons or chips. Beat to combine then scrape and pour the brownie mixture into the prepared tin.

Bake for about 25 minutes. You can see when the brownies are ready because the top dries to a slightly paler brown speckle, while the middle remains dark, dense and gooey. Even with such a big batch you do need to keep checking on it: the difference between gooey brownies and dry ones is only a few minutes. Remember, too, that they will continue to cook as they cool.

To serve, cut into squares while still warm and pile up on a large plate, sprinkling with confectioners' sugar pushed with a teaspoon through a small sieve.

YUM YUM YUM.

Wire Daisy Cake

I was thinking spring with this cake. Gumpaste wire daisies accent a 3 layer fondant covered 6'' base with a double layered 4'' top. Red dotted ribbon accent the bottoms. Cake flavor was Pineapple Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting. Nice combination and very moist. I wanted something a little more whimsical and bright, but not too much going on. Spring is much needed in the Northeast Ohio Area. This helped a bit.

Daisy Princess Cake

This was a cake with the purpose of working on some different techniques with Royal Icing and Fondant. The sizes were 6'' and 4'' rounds. Flavors were White Almond Cake with Raspberry Preserves and Vanilla Buttercream Filling. The women who work in my husband's office were the lucky ones to get this cake. I hope the colors and flowers made them smile!!!

First Cakes

These are the first mini cakes I made with Fondant. All were chocolate cake with a vanilla buttercream filling. I gave these away to my little Niece, In Laws, & Parents. These are all 4'' and 3'' rounds. I love vibrant color and designs. I think they came out kind of cute.

Welcome / Present Cake

Welcome to my Cake Blog!!! This is my little place to post the progression and information on my cake decorating. I've been loosely decorating for 5 years, but have recently decided I want to pursue this more to the point that perhaps I can open a funky little cake shop one day. We'll see. Thanks for visiting and enjoy!!!


Above is a BIRTHDAY PRESENT CAKE I made for a dear friend of mine. It was a surprise. ...sort of. It was my first go at a cake this size (8'' square) with fondant. I had a blast making this cake. I only had to roll the fondant out 4 times before I got it right! Lesson learned from this cake is that I definitely need to make my fondant thicker when I cover cakes .
Inside was chocolate fudge cake with a chocolate fudge frosting. Yuuuuuuum!!!!!