Disaster Avoidance: Fading Colors

Remember when I made this cake with the fun striped bows?

http://letsgetcaking.blogspot.com/2013/05/happy-birthday-aubree.html

Well, I had some leftover fondant when I made it and decided to experiment and see if I could make a really big bow with a lot of stripes.

First I rolled out a big piece of white fondant. Then I used a pizza cutter to cut long ribbons of colored fondant, which I placed as evenly as I could on top of the white fondant.

Then I got out my rolling pin and flattened/smoothed it all together.

Then, I made a huge bow.

Your eyes are not deceiving you - the colors faded significantly on the left. Can you guess which side was facing a window during storage? Thankfully I made this bow for fun and didn't discover a horrible surprise the morning a cake was due.

Disaster Avoidance:

To preserve the color of your beautiful cakes and decorations, store in a cool, dry room out of direct sunlight.

Happy Birthday, Aubree!

Aubree's mom, Lindsay, requested a candy themed cake for Aubree's first birthday party. Lindsay had so many great ideas, and I really had fun going over cake designs with her. 

The (nearly) completed cake.

Here it is with the little smash cake...

...and here they are at the party. I waited until I set up the cakes at the venue before I added the fondant lollipops. I didn't want to risk travelling with them attached to the cake.

I LOVE how Lindsay decorated this table - that sign is seriously cool!

The party was held in an indoor bounce area. I was really worried that the weight of the lollipops - along with the expected bounce turbulence - would cause the lollipop sticks to pull through the cake. I asked for advice on how to prevent this problem on a cake forum, and (thankfully!) a talented cake decorator came to my rescue. Her name is Kara Buntin (owner of A Cake to Remember in Richmond, VA). She even made a video that was a great help to me.

Brilliant, right? Thank you, Ms. Buntin! 

You can check out her amazing work here: http://www.acaketoremember.com/.

I ended up using cardboard covered with foil, and it worked beautifully. Once the fondant ball border was in place, you couldn't see the support at all.

I used gold luster dust mixed with a little water to "paint" Aubree's name (piped with royal icing).

A closeup of the large bow:

The small bow:

The cake board:

We took extra care designing the inside of the cakes, too. The smash cake had pink layers inside, and the large cake had colorful polka dots baked into it. I don't have pictures of the cakes once they were cut, but I promise they were cute. :)

STATS:

How to Make a Striped Fondant Bow

http://bronniebakes.com/2011/09/21/how-to-make-a-striped-fondant-bow/

How to Make a Polka Dot Cake

http://once-upon-a-pedestal.blogspot.com/2012/05/polka-dot-cake-from-bake-pop-pan.html

How to Cover a Cake Board with Fondant

http://cakejournal.com/tutorials/how-to-cover-a-cake-board-with-rolled-fondant/

Corsage Boxes Perfect for Fondant Toppers

I recently participated in a service exchange with the ladies in my church. I decided to give away fondant baby cowboy boots.

 

I made a denim colored flower to go along with the boots. I used small pieces of extra fondant to hold the ruffles in place while the flower dried.

Once the fondant was dry, I could remove the supports and the flower was ready to go.

To help speed the drying process along, I put the fondant decorations into my food dehydrator. If you would like to try this, make sure the temperature is set to off. You don't want any heat to melt all of your hard work.

I love trying to find new ways to package treats and decorations. I found a corsage box at a craft store, and these fondant toppers fit in perfectly.

See?

I really enjoyed spending time with my friends from church and participating in the service auction.

What are some creative ways you like to package your sweet creations? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Caking with Kids

I was asked to help teach a cupcake decorating class with the Activity Day girls from church. The Activity Day program is designed to help girls (ages 8-11) develop their testimonies, serve others, build friendships, and develop their talents.

Primary Activity Days

The girls learned how to mix food coloring into fondant, how to create shapes out of fondant, and how to pipe a two-tone swirl on top of a cupcake. The girls learned quickly and were so creative!

 

I love this blue swirl cupcake that one of the girls designed!

The Activity Day leader invited my children to join the activity last week, even though they're not eight yet. My five-year-old really enjoyed herself and cut this star out of fondant using just a butter knife.

I had a wonderful time with the girls, and I think they enjoyed creating their own designs. One of the girls who normally attends their meetings was sick that night, and the girls decided to deliver a cupcake to her house to cheer her up. They are sweet girls, and they really care about each other.

STATS:

How to pipe a two-tone swirl

http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=152756&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=

Rhonda's Ultimate Marshmallow Fondant

http://cakecentral.com/recipe/rhondas-ultimate-mmf

Baby Blue Cowboy Boots

Last month I got to make a cake for a cowgirl baby shower.

http://letsgetcaking.blogspot.com/2013/01/welcome-baby-jenna.html

I loved making those little boots, and last week I was happy to make another pair  - this time for a boy!

...and the back...

...and a quarter for size comparison.

I can't seem to get enough of fondant decorations. They're so much fun!

STATS:

Kathy's Custom Cakes Baby Cowboy Boots Template
http://media.cakecentral.com/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/510013/BootTemplate2C.jpg

Rhonda's Ultimate Marshmallow Fondant
http://cakecentral.com/recipe/rhondas-ultimate-mmf

Welcome, Baby Jenna!

My friends and I had a great time putting together a baby shower for our sweet friend, Shelly. The expectant parents already have a name picked out for their new baby girl...Jenna. I love her name, and I can't wait to meet Jenna when she comes!

Laura was in charge of the decorations, and the room looked so good! I wish I was able to take pictures of all of the decorations she put together. She decorated the walls with huge cactus plants, a boot and a sheriff's badge made from colorful butcher paper. The tables were covered in pink and brown tablecloths and pretty cowboy hats decorated with girly bows. Everything was so cute! Luckily, I was able to get a picture of the cute welcome banner she made.

We planned a western-themed shower and made western food to go along with it. We had Mexican Lasagne (courtesy of Colleen), Creamy Tortilla Soup (This soup was SO good, and Colleen posted her recipe here: http://myfoodiefavorites.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/creamy-tortilla-soup/), cornbread muffins (courtesy of Lesley), barbecue meatballs (courtesy of Amelia), Russian potato salad (courtesy of Liliya), fruit (Liliya again), homemade salsa and chips (courtesy of Kelly), and root beer floats for the drinks (Lesley again). I loved that Lesley called them "Sarsaparilla Floats." I am so grateful to have such fun and talented friends!

Amelia and Lesley planned some great games for the baby shower. Here's the cute sign Lesley made for the "Do You Know Your Baby Vittles?" game. We don't use the term "vittles" nearly enough, in my opinion.

Here's the cake I made for the shower. It's strawberry cake, filled with cream cheese frosting, covered with a thin crumb coat of cream cheese frosting, and then completely covered with chocolate ganache.

Here's a closeup of the baby cowgirl boots. I'll post a link to the template I used to make the fondant boots in the STATS section at the bottom of this post.

*UPDATE* I just realized as I posted this, that I attached the boot waist incorrectly onto the sole of the boots. The downward scallop should be at the front and back of the boot, not at the sides under the pull straps. And to think I so carefully placed the pieces exactly wrong. LOL! Oh, well. Live and learn.

Cake Anatomy

 

Strawberry Cake

1 (16.5 oz.) box of white cake mix
1 cup flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 (3 oz.) package of strawberry gelatin
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 cup pureed strawberries
1/2 cup citrus soda
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together cake mix, flour, sugar, and strawberry gelatin in a large bowl. In a separate mixing bowl, beat together sour cream, pureed strawberries, citrus soda, and eggs. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet, mixing on low speed at first. Then, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until well combined. Line a 9x13" baking pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes then raise oven temperature to 350 degrees for another 20 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

STATS:

Kathy's Custom Cakes Baby Cowboy Boots Template

http://media.cakecentral.com/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/510013/BootTemplate2C.jpg 

Ganache Recipe, Tips, and Videos at Art and Appetite

http://www.artandappetite.com/2009/11/ganache-instead-of-buttercream/

Cream Cheese Frosting

http://www.texascottagefoodlaw.com/Resources/Recipes/TraditionalCreamCheeseFrosting.aspx

Spice Cake Cookies

You've probably learned by now that I'm a big fan of cake mix cookies. You can use any flavor of cake mix, they're fast, and they're delicious.

It's the perfect time of year for spice cake, so I decided to make spice cake cookies.

They really are a tasty treat on their own...

....but, I thought some cream cheese frosting would go well with the spice cake cookies.

Yep. They were good.

If you have the time, you can add a little fondant flower and leaf, and they're ready to share!

STATS:

Cake Mix Cookies
http://letsgetcaking.blogspot.com/2009/10/cake-mix-cookies-recipe.html

Cream Cheese Frosting
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/cream-cheese-frosting/b8566164-81e0-44e0-872c-b0fbe53c3280

Rhonda's Ultimate Marshmallow Fondant
http://cakecentral.com/recipe/rhondas-ultimate-mmf

Pretty Blue Ruffles

My sister-in-law Aubrie received her mission call right before her 21st birthday. I decided to surprise her with a cake. One of my favorite things about cake decorating is how personalized you can make it.

  

Here are some ways I tailored the cake for Aubrie:

1. I baked a Funfetti cake - her favorite flavor.

2. I colored the fondant turquoise - Aubrie's favorite color.

3. Aubrie always wears the cutest shirts, so I tried to make the cake look like something she would wear.

4. I added her name to the missionary tag.

Here's a closeup of the necklace. I made the turquoise stones by first mixing blue/green food coloring into the fondant, then I added a tiny bit of brown gel food coloring. I was careful not to over-mix it because I wanted it to have a marbled look.

This cake was so much fun to make! I especially loved making the ruffles and the beads. All of the decorations are edible and made from  homemade fondant.

STATS:

Rhonda's Ultimate Marshmallow Fondant

http://cakecentral.com/recipes/3183/rhondas-ultimate-mmf 

Baby Shower Cupcakes

My friend Ashley asked me to make cupcakes for a baby shower she was hosting for her sister. Her sister loves giraffes, so we decided the cupcakes would be decorated with baby giraffes and some cute pink bows in honor of her new baby girl.

Pink Lemonade Giraffe Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes filled with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Filling. Topped with Ganache and a Fondant Bow.

I can't take credit for the beautiful photography. Natalie Eisen (the talented photographer and owner of Memories by Natalie) took the photos. You can see more of her work here:

Memories by Natalie on Facebook

On to more gorgeous photos by Natalie!

The beautiful table display.

I love the little frames and cards they used to write the names of the desserts!

Don't you just love the slices of lemons and limes in the flower jar? What a great center piece!

 The beautiful pink table...

 Homemade fans - perfect for an outdoor tea party/baby shower!

You are going to die from the amount of cuteness in this last photo.

I told you! Cuteness overload, right? I can't think of a better way to display tiny baby clothes than on a clothesline with wooden clothes pins. Genius!

Ashley and her mother Penny did an amazing job creating a beautiful baby shower.

Happy caking, everyone!

STATS:

Chocolate chip cookie dough filling
http://cakecentral.com/recipe/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-icingfilling

Ganache
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/master-ganache-recipe/index.html

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
http://realmomkitchen.com/6745/pink-lemonade-cupcakes/

Rhonda's Ultimate Marshmallow Fondant
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/3183/rhondas-ultimate-mmf

Mini Circus Cake

Here is another 4" mini cake I made for the auction.

The flag pole is a long lollipop stick. (The kind you would use for making cake pops.) I used food coloring mixed with a little vanilla extract to paint the triangles on the bottom. I didn't have frosted animal cookies on hand, but we did have some plain animal crackers in the cupboard. So, I added my own frosting and sprinkles - which brings me to...

Lots and LOTS of sprinkles!

I mixed up a little powdered sugar and water to make a glaze. I brushed the glaze on top of the cake and then added the sprinkles. I tried all kinds of things to keep from making a mess, but no matter what I did, I couldn't prevent hundreds of those tiny colorful balls from bouncing around my kitchen floor. But, I think this fun and bright little cake made it all worth while.

Happy Caking!

STATS:

Rhonda's Ultimate Marshmallow Fondant
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/3183/rhondas-ultimate-mmf

Mini Popcorn Cake

This cake is only about 4 inches in diameter. It was so small and so fun to make!

The cake is covered in homemade fondant, and the tickets are made from the same fondant. I used a clean paintbrush (used only for cake decorating) to "paint" the stripes onto the cake. If you'd like to paint on fondant, just mix a little gel food coloring with some vanilla extract to dilute it, and use it just like you would use water colors.

The popcorn is made from miniature yellow marshmallows. I used clean scissors to snip each marshmallow in one direction, and then again across the first cut to make an "x." Then, I pushed the cut pieces out a little and used a small brush to paint yellow food coloring inside the cut for the popcorn kernel.

Wouldn't this be a fun cake for a movie party?

Happy caking!

STATS:

Rhonda's Ultimate Marshmallow Fondant:
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/3183/rhondas-ultimate-mmf