Another Wedding Cake

I just got back from a trip to California where I made the cake for my brother-in-law's wedding.  I love being able to give my family members a wedding cake as their wedding gift; it saves them a ton of money and gives me a chance to perfect my craft!  :)

The bride gave me her vision for the cake fairly early on and I got to work planning sizes and my plan of attack!  Whenever I travel and do a cake I have to make sure I make some sort of baking and decoration schedule ahead of time so I know I have plenty of time.  Here's the picture she sent me as inspiration:

When she mentioned that part of what she liked about this cake was how imperfect it was, I was both relieved and terrified!  I was relieved that she wasn't expecting me to have perfect corners, that's a pretty hard task and one I'm not very skilled at yet.  At the same time, I was terrified because I am a perfectionist and it's not in my nature to put out a product that doesn't look as perfect as I can get it! 

Once we figured out an approximate number of guests, I figured out what sizes pans I would be using (12 in, 10 in, 8 in and 6in) and started to figure out the quantity of ingredients I would need.  I also started to stress out more and more about how to make an imperfect cake!!!!  Haha! I started looking at some cake pictures on Cake Central and realized that giving the sides some texture would look pretty cool and it would be an easier way for me to make it look "imperfect".....not to mention it would take a lot less time to frost the sides! So, I sent the bride and e-mail with a couple sample pictures and she decided she liked the texture too (when I got that e-mail I'm pretty sure I let out a sigh of relief and a big "WOO-HOO!!!" as well!)

The textured sides were a breeze; it only took me about an hour to frost the WHOLE cake!!!  If I'd been going for a smooth texture it would have taken me at least twice as long.  Here's a picture after I got it assembled:

Just sitting there in my mom's kitchen I thought it resembled the Matterhorn at Disneyland....hahahaha!!!

Once I got it to the venue and the flowers got put on it, the look totally changed.  It totally fit in with the theme of the wedding and the feel of the venue.  My dad said the sides of it sort of looked like the walls behind it.  I wasn't sure how I was going to like this cake because I am not used to the texture and the askew stacking method, but in the end I really liked how it turned out. Here's a picture of the final result:

 

Two more quick things:

- The cake had two flavors: white cake with lemon buttercream and chocolate cake with German chocolate filling

- I discovered a new favorite thing: The cake icer tip - This thing made icing a breeze!  I used it spread icing all over the cake and then all I had to do was smooth the sides a little.  I forgot to take a picture of the process, but I'll try and remember to take some when I make my next cake!

Quick Pics

On my last post, I mentioned that I had forgotten to take pictures of the cakes I did for the Air Force promotion party.  Some of my readers were actually at the party and one of them sent me some pictures she had taken!  Thanks, Corrie!

I love everything about these cakes.....except the handwriting!!  Writing on cakes is the thing I dislike the most, I feel like I need to spend hours just perfecting my cake handwriting which, by the way, is completely different than regular handwriting!  It doesn't help that I still haven't figured out all the tricks to working in such humid conditions!  :)

Without further ado, here are the pictures:

These cakes are completely iced in buttercream and the leaves are made from a fondant/gumpaste mix.  I rolled out the fondant and put a cut-out of the leaf over it and cut it out with an exact-o knife.  I then used the knife to make the detail lines, which are the same detail lines found on the hard rank a Lt. Col. wears on their uniform. Then I dusted the leaves with shimmer powder to give them the metallic look.  After the fondant was dry, I just picked them up and laid them on the cake.  Simple fondant accents can really make a cake "pop."

Hope you enjoy!

Thanks again Corrie!

Friday Favorite: Website

As I've mentioned before, I learned the basics of cake decorating at some Wilton courses I attended.  At the time I was taking the classes, they offered 4 different sessions I took them all back-to-back.  I'm not sure if they offer any more classes now, but I can think of a few that would be helpful including more fondant techniques and gumpaste flowers.  I wanted to go above and beyond what I had learned in those classes so I began seeking out more resources online.  While seeking out these resources, I stumbled across what I believe to be the best cake baking/decorating community available online:

Cake Central

Touted as "the world's largest social network for cake decorators," this website has photo galleries, recipes, how-to articles, forums and recently launched a magazine.  I have turned to the photo galleries many times when I was in need of inspiration for a cake and my "go-to" spot for recipes is found there as well; I've even tried some new techniques based on their how-to articles. My favorite part of this website, however, is the forum section.  With areas including "how do I?," "cake disasters," "cupcakes" and "cookies", you are sure to find the answer to almost any question you have.  The forum members are very helpful and have answered many of my questions.  I also understand that quite a few well-known cake decorators, including Buddy Valastro of Cake Boss and Carlo's Bakery, are members of this site. 

Next time you're in need of some advice or inspiration, head over to Cake Central for some help.  If you're just bored and looking for something to do you could browse the galleries to see some awesome cakes, check out the "cake disasters" section of the forum for some real life disaster stories, or just browse the forums for some interesting stories or ideas; I really like to read the posts about the crazy customers people sometimes encounter.  Thank goodness this is just a hobby for now and it's mainly just for friends and family, most of you aren't too crazy!  :)

Uh....Thanks for the help.....I think

In honor of Easter and the Easter Bunny, I had the kids help me make a carrot cake.  I found the recipe here.  This cake was super easy to make and super yummy!!  I followed the advice and baked it in a sheet pan; it makes it really easy to throw together and frost a simple cake and it bakes up in only 25 minutes!  I like being able to just throw something together if it's just for my family.  Also, since my food processor broke a few months ago and I "needed" one to grate the carrots, I got this as an early birthday present!

The kids weren't really into the baking part of if, but were excited when I let them decorate the cake with Starburst jelly beans (the best jelly beans EVER) and bunny marshmallows. 

They were both really into decorating!

The final result

In other news, I did bake and decorate a couple cakes for an Air Force promotion party last week.  They turned out well, but I forgot to take any pictures of them.  I'm bummed because I made some gumpaste/fondant ranks and brushed them with silver shimmer dust; they looked really nice on the cakes.  I'll have to see what I can do about finding some pictures of them!  Baking them was a bit of a disaster....the chocolate cakes kept sticking to the pan!!!  In the end I had to scrape the stuff of the pan and piece the cake together a bit before I could frost it.  It's a good thing that frosting can cover all that stuff!

**Baking tip of the day**
When making large cakes, such as a 12x18, you can bake each layer in a sheet pan.  It only takes each layer about 25 minutes to cook and then you don't have to worry about torting (I'm pretty sure I just spelled that wrong!) the cake since it's already done for you.

Friday Favorites

A while back I mentioned working on a post of my favorite things but between being a mom, a wife, a Master’s student and everything else, I just haven’t had the time. With my second Master’s class winding down and "spring break" in sight, I’ve finally found the time to compile a list. I’m sure it won’t be a complete list because I’ll probably think of a million other things as soon as I hit submit, but here's Take I of my list:

• Fat Daddio's Cake Pans - According to their website, they are 16 gauge hard 3003 aluminum
  and anondized...don't ask me what that means, I have no idea!!  What I do know is that they are durable and help my cakes cook up beautifully.  These pans come in a variety of shapes and sizes.  Another great thing about these pans is that they have straight sides.  Straight sides might not seem like a big deal, but when it comes to stacking cakes it makes a big difference; if your pans do not have straight sides the sides of the cake will flare out slightly from top to bottom.  If your cake sides flare out it is much more difficult to get your sides to look nice and straight.  One quick way to check if your pans have straight sides is to try stacking them inside each other (i.e., an 8in round inside another 8in round); if one fits inside the other your pans do not have straight sides.
• Satin Ice Rolled Fondant - This is not the fondant that everyone thinks of when they think of nasty tasting fondant, it's actually pretty tasty.  It's great to work with and makes even basic cakes look fabulous.  It comes in a variety of colors and you can even buy a dark chocolate flavor! I also like their gumpaste.
• Fondarific Fondant - This stuff tastes GREAT!  It comes in a huge variety of flavors including grape, strawberry, orange and my husband's favorite, Coffee Mocha!  I haven't worked with it much, but I would recommend it based on taste alone.
• Bakery Craft's Single Plate Separator System - This is THE way to stack tiered cakes.  The system consists of plastic plates and legs that lock into the plates.  As you stack your cake, you push the plates (with legs attached) into the lower tiers, the legs support the weight and since they lock in place, they don't allow the plate to move.  I use this system in all my tiered cakes and feel completely comfortable carrying and transporting cakes stacked with this system.
• Wilton Bake Even Strips - These nifty little strips help to keep the sides of your cake from becoming the "crust" of your cake.  After you soak them in cold water, you wrap them around the pan while your cake cooks.  They help keep the sides of the cake from cooking too fast and becoming dry.
• Wilton Disposable Decorating Bags - Getting all the grease and color out of regular decorating bags is a pain; I have yet to figure out a good way to do this. Any ideas?  In the meantime, I really like these disposable bags, when I'm done I just cut off the end so I can get my tip and coupler off and throw the rest away....super easy!!
• Wilton Decorating Tips - There may be better tips out there, but these have worked great for my needs; I have yet to have any problems with them.  Another plus is that they are available at your nearest Wal-Mart or craft store, with most other brands you have to buy them at a cake supply store.

This list pretty much covers the basic supplies.  As I continue my cake decorating journey, I'm sure I'll be posting on some more of my favorite things.  I'm always up for trying new tools, so if any of you cake decorating suppliers out there are reading this, I'd be more than happy to sample and review some of your products!  ;) 

***Most, if not all, of the products on this page can also be purchased at http://www.globalsugarart.com/. And no, they aren't paying me to put their name out there.....as a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure they don't even know I exist!***

German Chocolate: Take II

So, this week's adventure was to try the German chocolate stuff again.  By the way, does anyone know what you'd call that stuff??  Is it frosting?  Is it filling?  What is it?

In the true sense, I didn't actually make GERMAN chocolate cake.  I just used my standard recipe for chocolate cake and then picked a fairly standard, simple recipe for the frosting.  If, like me, you were wondering if Germany had some secret crop of coconuts, check out this site for the story behind the cake.

Anyway, this time around, I made sure that I followed the directions closely....haha!

The egg yolks, sugar, butter and evaporated milk went into the pan first.

Just like last time, I cooked them until the butter was all melted and everything was smooth.

Unlike last time, I let the mixture come to a boil and thicken.  The thickening step was what I missed last time, and let me tell you, it made a HUGE difference!

These guys were waiting to hop in the pot, too.

Once I mixed it all together it looked like this, which already looks much more spreadable than my last attempt.

I let it set for a while longer to make sure it wasn't going to run and then I set out to frost some mini cupcakes for an Air Force vs. Coast Guard softball game and BBQ we're going to today. Go Air Force, Beat Coast Guard!!!!  Doesn't quite had the same ring as Go Army, Beat Navy does it?

I had a little stuff left over so I made a mini cake for a BBQ we're having with friends this weekend.

It looks much better this time, let's hope they taste good, too!

And in case you were wondering, here's the recipe I used for the frosting....as for the cake recipe, well a girl's gotta have some secrets!  :)

German Chocolate Icing:

1 cup white sugar

1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 - Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and egg yolks in saucepan. 
 - Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil and thicken. 
 - Remove from heat. 
 - Stir in coconut, pecans and vanilla.
 - Let cool until spreadable.
 - Frost and enjoy.

Happy Friday!  Hope you have a GREAT weekend!

Read TWICE, cook once....

Do you ever have one of those days where you have trouble focusing?  You have great plans to get stuff done; nothing seems to go as you planned.  I had one of those days yesterday!

I'm making the cake for my brother-in-law's wedding in April and they've requested some things I've never made before, one of them being German chocolate filling.  My plan was to make a batch of German chocolate filling....you know, the stuff with the pecans and coconut....and put it on some chocolate cupcakes for my husband to take into work. That didn't quite work out.

I went online to Cake Central, printed up a recipe, read through it and got to work.  I got out all the ingredients, mixed the butter, sugar, evaporated milk and egg yolks on the stove until the butter had all melted, then I dumped in the coconut, pecans and vanilla.

Then I mixed it all together.

It looked a little gross, but I don't see how that mixture wouldn't look gross!  :)

The recipe said to let it cool until it was spreadable, so I let it set on the counter for a couple hours.  I kept checking it and it wasn't getting any thicker, so I transferred it to a bowl and stuck it in the fridge.  It sat there for a few more hours and still wasn't much thicker.  It was sort of like a sugary coconut-pecan soup!

I'm pretty sure that's not considered "spreadable", nor would it be a good filling for a tiered cake!  I thought I might be able to get away with getting rid of some of the liquid and putting the thicker part on top of the cupcakes. 

It didn't exactly work; they turned into ooey, gooey, sticky messes!  I still couldn't figure out what went wrong, so while I sent my husband to the trash can with these beauties, I looked over the recipe again.  It was then I realized that I'd done wrong.....

The recipe said to heat the butter, sugar, evaporated milk, and egg yolks over a low heat until THICKENED....somehow I missed that very important part.  In my head, I'd read to heat it until thin, so right after the butter melted I took it off the heat and mixed in the other ingredients.  This stuff never stood a chance of becoming spreadable!!!!  On the bright side, I came to the conclusion that I did, indeed, have the right ingredients and a good recipe, it was just bad execution.

The moral of this story:  ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS read the recipe thoroughly BEFORE starting the cooking process!

Stay tuned for my next post: German Chocolate Take II