Cake Notes

Creamy Vanilla Frosting

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:31:00 -0700

Creamy Vanilla Frosting

1- 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 TBSP. clear vanilla extract (regular is fine but the frosting will have a brown tinge)

2 lb. pkg. powdered sugar*

Cream butter and cream cheese in a mixer. Add vanilla. While the mixer is going on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, about ¼ cup at a time. Taste it after you’ve added about 2/3 of the sugar, and keep going if you want sweeter, thicker frosting.

-For stiffer, decorator frosting you may add ¼ cup shortening at the creaming stage- and 1 TBP meringue powder (optional) for even greater stability.

*The brand of powdered sugar you use matters. I always use C&H. It contains less cornstarch than less expensive brands, and gives frosting a silky, non-gooey texture.

Rockstar

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0600

My posts have seriously dwindled since I became pregnant. My priorities have shifted (so excited for this baby!!) and cake sort of fell off the radar when the fatigue and morning sickness kicked in…and stayed and stayed. On very rare occasions I crawl into the kitchen to bake—and this was one of them…

The extra tall top tier is blue velvet cake with vanilla frosting, and the bottom is milk chocolate. I made the purple and green marshmallow fondant at home and handed over a small fortune to buy a little tub of Duff black fondant (because making black fondant at home is just insane). I think it turned out pretty good!

July 4, 2011

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 09:42:00 -0600

My dear Grandma was born on July 4th. This gives me the chance to make lots of patriotic cakes.

On a hot summer day, lemon cake with vanilla mousse filling and cool fresh berries on top is just the thing! My sister found the cute decorations at Michael’s.

Here’s a the naked cake (before the decorations):

Under The Sea

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 20:52:00 -0600

Usually when I make a cake there is some drama involved. Something almost always goes wrong. This time, it all just fell into place. The cake, fondant, and frosting behaved beautifully….

…like it was meant to be. The only little blip is on the “congrats”. Someone (you know who you are) made me laugh while I was writing it, and well- now it has character. Here are some photos of the creative process.

Congrats to Hailey, and all the rest of you 2011 grads out there!

Over the Rainbow

Tue, 31 May 2011 15:09:20 -0600

Over the Rainbow

For all the Moms

Mon, 09 May 2011 22:41:00 -0600

Our big, extended family Mom’s Day celebration gave me the perfect reason to make this cake:

I’m not the best at placing flowers on a cake, so I got a little help from a friend : )

The top layer is dense, chocolate cake with cherry pie filling and a thick ribbon of Dutch chocolate icing to keep said filling from squishing out.

The bottom is lemon cake with vanilla mousse filling. The pink fondant was made using my favorite marshmallow fondant recipe.

Kudos to my uncle Jeff for giving me a lesson on how to use my camera- I love this photo!

Keep Those Fillings IN The Cake!

Sun, 08 May 2011 22:41:00 -0600

Keep Those Fillings IN The Cake!

Red Velvet Cake

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 20:57:00 -0600

I wanted to make an elegant cake to follow Easter dinner, and decided on Red Velvet. The rich texture and red color make it the perfect choice. I’ve also been wanting to use this beautiful cake plate I got for Christmas:

The cake and its plate look like they were made for each other. I used Martha Stewart’s Red Velvet Cake Recipe with excellent results. I’ve included tutorials for both: Red Velvet Cake Recipe and Cake Assembly.

How To Make Red Velvet Cake

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0600

How To Make Red Velvet Cake

Tiffany Inspired Cake

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:15:00 -0600

Tiffany Inspired Cake:

This week’s tribute is to a cake inspired by the art of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Audrey Hepburn's Hats

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0600

Audrey Hepburn's Hats

Tea Time

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:18:00 -0600

I’ve seen cupcakes in teacups before, and think it looks so very dainty!. I found an inexpensive cup and saucer at Ross, and placed a vanilla cupcake inside. Then I started to experiment with different fruit garnishes…

Next I tried some fresh hydrangeas… and then some fake hydrangeas

Flower Pot Cupcakes

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0600

Flower Pot Cupcakes:

These would make sweet little birthday (or any occasion) gifts!

A Very Hungry Caterpillar

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0600

A Very Hungry Caterpillar:

I come across so many wonderful cakes, that I’ve decided to share them in a series of weekly posts. The subject for this one is the star of one of my favorite childhood books. Enjoy!

Thumbelina's Wedding Cake

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:17:00 -0600

I love mini tiered cakes. Perhaps the thought of eating an ENTIRE cake myself is what makes them so appealing…

This little vanilla-bean cake is dipped in chocolate ganache, and wrapped in chocolate fondant…

This one is a chocolate cake with vanilla meringue frosting and fresh blueberries.

These would also be perfect for a shower or even a formal occasion.

Sweet St. Patrick's

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:13:00 -0600

I’m teaching a R.S. cupcake/cake decorating class March 17th, and thought these would be perfect:

Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream.

And one with a shamrock for extra luck!

Knitting Basket Case?

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:55:00 -0700

…then this is the cake for you! This cake was a special surprise for the author of a knitting blog called Sunshine’s Creations. Her knitting designs are amazing- so I wanted to impress her with something realistic. I used Makin’s Ultimate Clay Extruder to make the fondant into yarn. A clay extruder is a less expensive alternative to a Sugarcraft Gun. I wrapped the “yarn” around some chocolate cake balls.

For the basket texture I used an icing impression mat. Underneath the fondant lies a smooth and creamy layer of caramel frosting surrounding a scrumptious spice cake!

99

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:28:00 -0700

Aunt Jill asked me to make a birthday cake for a sweet relative who will be 99 this weekend. I think it needs to be over the top… After all, 99 is major achievement!

So the birthday girl’s favorite flower is the African Violet. Unfortunately I couldn’t find any decent-looking real ones, and no fake ones. I did find this lovely dark purple hydrangea, and since her eyesight isn’t so good anymore…. she’ll at least appreciate the pretty color. Then I thought a baby picture of her would be a nice finishing touch, and give the creation some personality. Can’t wait until it’s done!

Here she is- the 3-tiered lavender cake! The largest cake is lemon with Pastry Pride/vanilla filling, and the middle is raspberry and vanilla swirl cake with the same vanilla pastry filling. I used buttercream for the frosting underneath the fondant. The photo is edible with a buttercream “frame”. The birthday girl cried when she saw it. It thrilled me to see how a beautiful cake could make her feel so loved and appreciated.

Once there was a monkey, a giraffe and a crocodile...

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:08:00 -0700

…You get to finish the story.

Bottom cake: Rainbow Sprinkle cake with (Pastry Pride) vanilla mousse filling. Top: Milk Chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling.

This was my first attempt at fondant animals— not bad. It’s a bit like making clay animals. I really loved making the giraffe’s knobby little knees. As you can see in this next photo, the monkey is totally losing his bananas!

Easter Chicks

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 16:00:00 -0600

These egg cups are the perfect size for holding mini cupcakes! The heart-shaped Gobstopper candies are left over from Valentine’s, and the leaves are made of fondant:

I pushed yellow hearts part way into the frosting to make the little chickies below. I think big yellow jellybeans would work well too. I made the beaks out of fondant, and used a food marker to make the eyes.

These would make cute desserts/decorations for each place setting at an Easter dinner. Or you could give them away as charming little party favors.

Of course, rabbits are always an option too:

Are you picturing cute mini cupcakes inside?

Happy Easter!