Turkey Time

The weather is FINALLY getting a little cooler, so why not post a cake that reflects fall and the holiday season?  Hey, if craft stores and supermarkets can already advertise Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, what's stopping me?

Last year, I had the pleasure of making a cake for a school Thanksgiving celebration.  To accommodate all of my classmates, it was gluten-free and vegan.  Oh, and also happened to be a playful design for the holiday.

Flavor:  Chocolate/Vanilla Marbled
Icing:  "Buttercream" (you know, sans butter or cream. Really, it was magical)

Our rotund little friend has a special message, "Turkeyz R Friendz, NOT food"
Yes, we ate him anyway.  Luckily, this little guy was all cake. No turkeys were actually harmed :)

I'm really looking forward to this holiday season and creating more playful designs for each occasion.

Little Bites

In the cake decorating world, there's always a craze.  About a year or two ago, it was cupcakes.  Now, it's cake balls and cake pops.

Tuxedo coconut cake balls and "Bridal" carrot cake balls

Personally, I don't like the name "cake ball."  I prefer "cake bites" but I'm thinking that's not going to catch on now that the other term has gone viral.  Anywho, ever wondered what a cake ball is and how to make them?  Wonder no more!

These lovely little treats are kind of like a mix between a slice of cake and a truffle.

What is a cake ball?  It is a small serving of cake mixed with frosting and/or other ingredients that is rolled and covered in a candy coating.

Are they hard to make?  Nope! The most difficult part is dipping the balls and getting a smooth finish.

Here's how it's done:
         For the first time you make them, I recommend using a boxed cake mix and a can of frosting. This ensures the correct ratio of cake to frosting.  After you get the feel for the correct consistency of the mixture, you can branch out and use home-made cakes and frostings.

1. Make a cake per the instructions on the cake mix box.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
2. Allow cake(s) to cool on a cooling rack until approximately room temperature.
3. Once cooled, crumble the cake into a large mixing bowl.  That's right, destroy the pretty cake you just baked.  This is the most fun part!!
4. After all of the cake is in small crumbles, add a can of frosting to the bowl and mix until well combined.
5. Place mixture in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to an hour.  Mixture should be chilled enough to hold its shape and not be too sticky to roll.
6. Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, measure out small amounts of cake mixture.  
7. Roll each serving in your hands to make a ball. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. Place balls in the fridge again to set. You can also put them in the freezer to speed up the process.
9. Melt candy melts or dipping chocolate in a small microwavable bowl.  Candy melts can be found at local craft stores.
10. Dip balls into coating and place back on cookie sheet. You can either dip one half of the ball at a time, or use a toothpick inserted into the ball to dip, then pull the toothpick out once they're on the cookie sheet.
11. Decorate as desired.  Or, you know, just eat them.  They taste the same whether they're pretty or not. :)

Tips/Tricks

• If your mixture seems too mushy, add some powdered sugar to make it a little more dry.  
• If your mixture is too dry, add more frosting!
• After they're dipped, do NOT put them back in the freezer.  I learned this the hard way.  The coating will weep once they're at room temp and the cake ball will be sticky.
• You can store them at room temp for a while if you use candy coating.  If longer than a day, pop them in the fridge.  

So there you have it!  It looks like a lot of steps but fear not, it's very easy. These can make a great addition to parties, favors for a wedding (like the ones in the pictures), or even just a bright spot in your Saturday afternoon.  Plus, they're just so darn cute!

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Ballin'

Like sculpted cakes? Here's another one! This time, we're kickin' it...new school.

This was a groom's cake for an FC Dallas fan.  Flavor:  White chocolate raspberry with buttercream icing.  It's the most delicious soccer ball you'll ever eat. (Well, hopefully you don't go around eating soccer balls, but you get the idea.)  The only fondant on this cake is what you see in black.  The logo is drawn in buttercream. 

Want to create your own soccer ball?  Check out my tips/tricks for sculpted cakes.  One of the most important details for this cake is the support system within the cake.  Supports are especially important in a structure like this.  Gravity and cake don't get along very well.  Since the weight-bearing portion of the cake is smaller than the middle of the structure, you have to have support so it doesn't crack in half. Best way to do it:  small supports in the bottom half of the cake, a cake board separating the two layers (the diameter of the cake will be equal to the diameter of the cake board), and one big support through the middle of the finished structure.

I have to admit after saying this that I didn't take my own advice here.  The cake in the picture did not have this support system, but still survived.  Perhaps luck also has something to do with it. :)

Happy sculpting!

Freaky Fabulous

For those that don't have kids and are no longer into playing with dolls (but hey if that's your thing, no judging) Monster High is a hot new craze.  The dolls are all based on a story line in which classic monsters' kids all go to one ghoulish high school.  Kind of like Barbie and Friends meets Bride of Frankenstein.  Really, they're pretty cool.

Anyways, my nieces love the dolls so I created a Monster High birthday cake for one of them.  The skull is a replica of the line's logo.

Freaky, but cool yes?  I like that it's a girly skull with a bow.  I totally can't take credit for that part of the design, though.  The shield that you see on the front is also a Monster High logo.


This was a 1/2 chocolate and 1/2 vanilla cake with buttercream.  No fondant here! The cake was sculpted by hand too (I don't like using special pans.  To me, that's cheating)

Ready to sculpt your own cakes? Give it a try! If it turns out to be a disaster, just make cake balls out of the ruined cake. (P.S.~ Post about cake balls to follow soon...stay tuned!)

Tips/Tricks

•  If you're going to sculpt a cake, chill it first!  The cake will be less likely to fall apart while sculpting.
• For best results use a fairly sharp, serrated knife.  This will help you saw off parts of the cake without damaging the main structure.
• Start slow!!! I know Edward Scissorhands was an awesome character, but you're not him.  Don't expect to create a masterpiece in a few minutes.  These things take time, so be patient and take off small bits of cake at a time.
• Exaggerate the design a bit while carving.  When you go to cover it in frosting or fondant, the lines become a bit muddled and the sculpture's features aren't as sharp.
• Before you put on your final layer of buttercream or fondant, crumb coat the cake to seal in all the little crumbs that can ruin the look of your final creation.  To do this, make your frosting a little more runny with either milk or water.  You don't want it too watery, just loose enough to where it will easily glide over the cake crumbs on the outside and create a thin outer coating of frosting so there is a good base for your final steps.
• Don't get discouraged! Hey, if sculpting were an easy task, Michelangelo wouldn't be very famous. And if sculpting cakes were easy, it wouldn't be as impressive to master.  Take it slow.  If you get fed up with the process, find ways to make your design just as fantastic using techniques you already know.

The Wild Side

Lions, and tigers, and ....zebra?  Oh my! Ok so it doesn't exactly have the same ring to it. Animal prints are very popular in the decorating world, and are a great way to add a bit of pizzazz to a cake. Here, a little zebra print goes a long way to make this creation a cool and unique birthday cake for a Sweet 16.

This cake and its colors were inspired by her party invitations.  My favorite quote here: "A girl should be two things, classy and fabulous!"
FYI, the cake itself is covered in buttercream with fondant dots and zebra printing. 

And of course, no sweet 16 would be complete for a true Justin Bieber fan without his name somewhere on her cake.

This was sure to be a wild and memorable celebration!

Shower time!

Time for a baby shower!  And this time, it was double the fun...the mommy to be is having twins! Two little peas in a pod.

What a blessing to have these two little ones on the way. :)  Party goers had 3 flavors of cupcakes to chose from:  lemon yogurt cake, strawberry w/ cream cheese, and chocolate w/ coconut frosting. Little desserts in honor of the little ones to come!

Back to Basics

Let's be real, sometimes special baking terms can get confusing.  Have you ever heard a term and wondered exactly what you're eating or read a recipe and thought "what??"  No worries, it happens to the best of us.

So let's get back to the basics. Here, I'll go over some basic terminology and a few techniques you'll need to start your own baking adventures (or know what you're eating when you buy desserts, whichever)


Basic Baking Terms

• Brown Sugar~ This seems like a given, but some people don't know exactly what makes brown sugar, well, brown.  It's cane sugar mixed with molasses.  Dark vs light brown refers to amount of molasses added.  
• Buttercream~ A blend of butter and/or shortening with sugar and flavor extracts, mixed/whipped together to create a creamy frosting.  This is one of the sweetest and richest frostings.  Traditionally, it is also made with eggs...but many leave raw eggs out due to food safety concerns. 
• Confectioner's Sugar~ aka powdered sugar.
• Fondant~ A sugar and water mixture that's heated to boiling, cooled, and agitated so sugar crystals form.  Kind of like a sugar play-dough. It is used as an icing to cover cakes, for decorations, and in candy making.
•  Ganache~ A mix of chocolate and heavy cream.  Ratios vary depending but it's typically 2 parts chocolate to 1 part heated heavy cream.  Ganache can become anything from a filling, to frosting, to truffles.
• Petit four~ A small piece of cake that can be eaten in 1-2 bites.  Typically, these are layers of very moist, dense cake brushed with flavored sugar glaze or liqueur, then dipped or covered with a glaze that hardens upon cooling.
• Royal icing~ Type of icing made with sugar and egg whites or meringue powder (among other ingredients).  This icing gets quite hard and is great for decorations.
• Simple syrup~ 1 part sugar to 1 part water, boiled until sugar is dissolved and then allowed to cool.  

Basic Techniques

• When making cupcakes, use a triggered ice cream scoop to accurately measure the cupcake batter and cleanly pour it into the baking cups.  All of your cupcakes will be the same size and bake evenly
• If placing more than one baking pan on a shelf in your oven, leave a couple of inches between pans so air circulates evenly.
• With cakes, it's important not to over mix the batter.  If you beat the batter for too long, the gluten (protein) in the flour begins to develop and will make your cake tough instead of light and fluffy.
• For perfectly baked cookies, pull them out of the oven while still pretty moist and a little under-done.  Then allow them to sit on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes when you take them out so they finish baking.

So there ya go! You're all ready to be professional bakers. Well, you're at least ready to make some great basic desserts. Happy baking!