Frosting for the Cause

As some of yo u may already know, I joined forces with Frosting for the Cause this year. Here's how it works: bakers who join are given a day to blog on the site, sharing one of their recipes. Bakers must also donate at least $25 to the cancer charity of his or her choice. And then donate the goods baked for the blog post to a local cancer hospice or charity.

My blog day has finally arrived. I baked key lime cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. You can read my post on the Frosting for the Cause website. This year alone the bakers who share on this site will help raise more than $9,000 for cancer research.

In addition to Frosting for the Cause, I would also like to thank my friend, Steph, for letting me share her story through my blog post. It really was a major reason I chose to take part in this project.

Ganache Gives Your Cake Panache

As many of you know, when I am stressed out or have a lot on my mind I bake. That was case this week. So I decided to challenge myself a bit and make a torted chocolate layer cake with peanut butter frosting. But that wasn't enough. I wanted to kick it up a notch, so I tried my hand at covering the entire cake in chocolate ganache. It turned out really well. I even had some leftover sugar flowers to use as decorations.

I can't wait to cut the cake to see how the layers turned out. Since this was just an 8 inch cake, the layers were not very tall to begin with, so cutting each layer in half was a challenge. I will have to take a photo when we cut into it tomorrow night. Speaking of cutting into it, I hope it tastes ok. If it was anything like the groom's cake I made for my friend, I am sure it will be delicious. That cake was awesome, so pouring chocolate on top can only make it better. Don't worry, I bought some milk to go with it. I have a feeling this one is going to be rich.

How to Ganache a Cake:
For those of you interested in chocolate ganache, all you need to know is you heat some heavy cream (you can do this in the microwave - don't let it boil). Then dump in an equal amount of chocolate chips and a tablespoon of butter (that give it the shine). If you want to pour it on top of the cake (it is good to frost it first), you let the ganache cool down a bit. This will allow it to thicken up a bit. Then you just pour it over the cake, letting it run down the sides. You will have to use a spatula to make sure the sides are well covered. After the first pour, I put the cake in the fridge to set. Then I poured a second layer on. Keep in mind you can take the used ganache and reuse it. If you chill it, it becomes a great frosting (which is what I used to pipe around the cake and set the flowers). You can also roll the chilled ganache in balls and make truffles by coating them in cocoa powder or chocolate.

My First Wedding Order

The power of word-of-mouth advertising is amazing. I booked my first wedding and the client is not a friend or someone I know. I was hired to make cake pops and a small wedding cake. The colors guava and marine needed to be incorporated into the design, as well as a big bow on the cake.

Here's how everything turned out:

  

The cake is a 6 inch double layer vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream. I covered the cake in ivory fondant, added a quilt design, border and accents of colored frosting and candy pearl. Then I topped it with a fondant-gum paste bow.

The cake pops were made to match the main cake. The marine color is chocolate cake. The guava color is red velvet cake. And the white are vanilla cake. In all, I think it coordinated nicely.

I also made a dozen vanilla cake pops for the kids. Those were just dipped in candy dots to make them festive and fun.

Happy First Birthday, Gabe

I know I haven't blogged in a while, so it is time to play catch up. My cupcake business seems to be taking off. A college friend hired me to make treats for her son's first birthday. There really wasn't a theme for the party, so I tried matching the cupcakes to the invitation, which had candles all over it.

This is what I came up with. I made individual candles out of royal icing to top the cupcakes, which were chocolate and strawberry. They look a little creepy on the wax paper, but looked cute on the cupcakes.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the cupcakes, especially the kids. It was neat to see the candles dye their tongues blue, green and red. But most important, the birthday boy had a great time playing with the frosting and cake.

Happy 1st birthday, Gabe! And thank you for letting me be a part of the celebration, Isabel.

That's What Friends Are For

I have been putting off writing this post for a while now. Those who know me will tell you I am a loyal Florida State fan. I went to school there. I still go to football games every season. I am proud to be a member of the Seminole Nation! Go Noles!

However, I put my loyalty aside when my friend, Brie, asked me to help her surprised her soon-to-be husband with a groom's cake for their wedding. He kept asking for one, but she managed to make him think they were tacky and unnecessary, especially since he wanted a Florida Gators cake. Brie is a proud USF Bulls fan! 

So despite my disdain and utter hatred for UF, I managed to tackle the request. Actually, I am pretty proud of how the cake turned out, despite the ugly orange and blue frosting (haha). And the best part is the groom, Mike, had no idea until he got to the reception. It was the perfect surprise, which Brie made even better with her figurine of the bride dragging the groom away from a tiny television showing a Gators game.

Of course, I had to add my own personal touch. While I couldn't mess up the cake (it was their wedding after all), I could let my love for FSU show. So I made him a special tomahawk to cut the cake. The best part is he used it to cut the cake, which was a double layer chocolate cake filled with peanut butter frosting and mini chocolate chips.

I am very honored that Brie had enough confidence in me to ask me to make a cake for her wedding. I was definitely nervous about it. There will be photos of this cake floating around for years to come. But I am glad I did it and thankful to be included in their special day.

Mike and Brie are two of the kindest, most loving people I have ever met and I am so glad to have them as friends. I love the both of you and wish you the very best on what I am sure will be a lifetime of happiness. Congratulations!

Gum Paste & Fondant Class Complete

I finished my third cake course - Gum Paste & Fondant. This class was more about gum paste flowers than anything else, but we did get to work with fondant a bit the last two classes. We covered a cake board in fondant. Then covered our final cake in fondant and the gum paste flowers of our choice. I went with a spring motif with some cute double layer daisies.

Unfortunately, there are no more Wilton cake classes for me to take. There will be a 3 hour workshop on tall tiered cakes later this month. I will definitely be taking that one. I feel like I will go in withdrawal if I don't. Taking these classes has been an amazing experience. I have learned so much and feel so much more confident baking and decorating. I will be sure to post my creations, as I will be continuing to bake up a storm in the future.

Flowers & Cake Design Class Complete

I know I keep saying it, but I am loving 20II. I completed another cake class this week - Wilton's Flowers & Cake Design. The last class was pretty fun. We brought in an iced 8 inch cake and any royal icing flowers we made. Then we learned a couple border techniques and were told to decorate. My finished cake turned out pretty good.

I was a little disappointed with my final cake though. I made 25 lilies to arrange on the cake. However, since it was very humid and rainy outside, the flowers did not hold up. When you tried to handle the flowers and move them to the cake, they would crack or fall apart. I managed to get five on there; however one or two were a little cracked in the center.

I finish class three on Thursday - Fondant & Gum Paste. I have made a few dozen daisies in different sizes to put on that cake. It should turn out to be a cute celebration of spring. I will be sure to post some photos.