Wedding Cake

I did it.  My first wedding cake.  I was so nervous about this one.  Not at first, I'm always excited about a new cake project and think I can figure out how to make anything if I'm in love enough with the project, like I was for this one.  But going into it, at some point it dawned on me: this is for a wedding.  This is serious.  It has to be perfect. Oh s*#@!  Well, it turned out beautiful and perfect.  Sometimes I have to admit that maybe I have figured out a few things and know what I'm doing after all.  I loved this cake design from the beginning, the Bride had fabulous taste and was so nice to work with.  Her wedding was crazy beautiful and I'm so so happy I got to make her cake and be a part of it.

Speaking (well, writing) of beautiful, thank you to Breanna Peterson Photography for taking these fabulous pictures of the cake for me.  I'm sure I destroyed some of the quality of this pic by my saving and copying processes, but trust me she is an amazingly talented photographer. 

Skulls, crossbones, and glitter!

I have two reasons for this post. One, to show you these super cute cupcakes and pops I made for a little girls birthday party.

Terrible picture, I know, but cute cupcakes.  Also, the pops!  I was so happy with how they turned out.  They looked like they put on their little sequined black dress and was off to a cocktail party. 

Once again, terrible picture, but really they looked much better in real life. Glittery black pops, so fantastic.  On a side note, I don't like cake pops.  Not how they look, but taste.  They are doughy and not in a good cookie dough way, but in a gummy undercooked cake kind of way.  So I make brownie pops.  I just take cooked brownies and mold them into a ball.  They are already so moist that you don't need to add and frosting for binding.  Candy or chocolate covered brownies, yum!

The other reason for this post.  I had to mention the delicious cupcakes.  I'm talking crazy good.  I have mastered my chocolate cake and carrot recipe but have always had a hard time finding a good vanilla cake recipe.  They are always dry or taste like cornbread or too dense, or just blah.  Well after hundreds of recipes, I have finally found the one.  I'm in love. We might get married.  Me and Sweetopolita's Fluffy White Cake Recipe, it's true love. It's fluffy, moist, sweet, and perfect in every crumb.  Seriously, don't ever make any other recipe and never buy a box mix again.  It's pretty simple to make and SO amazingly good.  I have not just cheated but had a full on affair on my diet with this cake, and wolfed down 4 of these cupcakes since last night.  I can't help it they're insanely good. 
For the party I made this recipe adding mini chocolate chips (tossed in flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom), and a couple mini Chips Ahoy cookies.  I then topped it with my Italian Meringue Buttercream that I had added more mini chocolate chips to (sans flour coating). I might have to go polish off the last one that is sitting in my kitchen Yelling my name right now.  Excuse me.........

A Little Surfer Cake

I have this problem. Well it depends on how you look at it I guess.  I have an obsession with cuteness, which when translated to cakes, means they tend to be, I don't know, immature? Kidish? Whatever, cakes are meant to be fun and not taken seriously, so my cakes are fun and whimsical. Ya, that's a good word to describe my style. Whimsical.  So anyways, I made this surfer themed cake. It was described as 'adorable' and 'super cute' which it was.  I loved it. When a friend commented on it, I said ya, it turned out great.  But here's the thing, it's for A Man.  This is when she burst into laughter.  Ah well, there should always a bit of humor in cakes.  For the record, while said boyfriend was not in fact 12, the customer was happy and I know it tasted fabulous.

30th Birthday Bash

Today was my boyfriend's 30th birthday.  He doesn't like cake or sweets very much, how the hell I ended up with a man who doesn't like desserts is beyond me.  So every year I try to come up with something different.  I've made him a meatloaf cake frosted with mashed potatoes, bacon roses, and German Chocolate Pie (why is it every man likes German chocolate?)
Things that he does like....whiskey and bacon, among other things.  So I made whiskey bacon cupcakes.

 

I just made my chocolate cupcakes, for those of you that haven't found this recipe I'll post again, because it is AMAZING and crazy easy to make:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 tea baking soda

1 tea salt

1 cup oil

1 cup buttermilk (I never have this on hand so I just mix lemon juice and room temp whole milk)

2 eggs

1 1/2 tea vanilla

1 cup boiling water

 

Mix all ingredients (except boiling water) together then add boiling water.  This is a pretty soupy batter don't worry that's normal.

Bake 300 until just done. About 20 min for cupcakes 30-40 for cakes but all ovens are different.  Set timer for 15 then check every few minutes.

 

So easy, perfect cake every time!

 

Fill with ganache:

I don't have an exact recipe for my ganache, I add butter to mine to keep it soft, if you want it to harden up more, don't add.  No butter: equal parts chocolate and heavy cream.  With butter subtract amount of butter used from heavy cream, usually about 1 tabl per 8 oz chocolate.  I added whiskey until I could taste it.

 

Buttercream:

I almost always start with my Italian Meringue Buttercream then add my flavors to it.

mix 2 cups sugar

1/3 cups water in pan

clip on candy thermometer heat to 248 degrees

While sugar heating mix 5 egg whites and 1 tea cream of tartar in bowl of standing mixer with whisk attachment.  Mix until soft peaks form.

With mixer on lowest setting add sugar mixture.  Careful it's super hot!  Turn mixer on high, let mix till it cools down, about 15-20 min.  You want it at around 70-80 degrees, it should feel room temp.  If it's too hot it will not work! If it's too cool, it works butter the texture seems greasy or something, almost like a shortening frosting, blech.

Turn mixer to med speed.  Add room temp (soft) butter one tablespoon at a time.  Make sure totally mixed in before adding more.  This takes awhile. The mixture will start to deflate and my get either soupy or cottage cheesey looking.  Don't worry turn the mixer speed up a notch or two and keep adding.  I add anywhere from 4-6 sticks of butter.  When you get the right consistency add your vanilla bean paste (yes paste, my secret weapon in yummy frosting, also I use regular salted butter).

 

For this recipe I then added maple flavoring and chopped bacon.

 

The garnish:

Place cool bacon in pan.  Once starts to cook and fat melts,add a bunch of brown sugar (1/2 cup or so, cover the bacon), turn bacon over, coat with more brown sugar.

 

There, sounds like a lot of work, and well, it is.  But I'm a bit manic remember?

 

 

Candy Themed cake

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm a busy lady. I've got a 3 year old and a newborn to take care of plus my job that actually pays the bills, I do cakes and baking for fun.  When my friend asked how my schedule was and if I could do a cake for this weekend, my first thought was, probably shouldn't.  But then she told me the party theme, and I couldn't resist.  A candy themed party, how could I say no to that?  Just a little something I whipped up :)

Princess Cake

I have been a busy lady!  This is one of my many projects this week.  A princess cake for a little girl's birthday.  Since my daughter was born (she is 3 months today!) I have been a wee bit manic, and probably trying to do a bit too much.  What point am I getting at.....I'm so darn spaced out these days I forgot to take a picture of the finished cake!  So this is pretty close, she's actually holding a super cute heart wand, but ah well, easy enough to imagine. 
Hard to see in the pic, but the cake and crown are dusted with luster dust to shimmer in the light.  Lots of sparkle and pink for the birthday girl!

Cupcake Wars

Tomorrow is Kodiak's Cupcake Wars, not quite as impressive as The Food Network Channel's but exciting none the less.  I was too excited to wait to show what I have come up with...basically some of the yummiest, cutest cupcakes ever. 

This is a chocolate cupcake filled with a whipped mocha ganache topped with a raspberry Italian buttercream rose.

 

And this cutie-patutie cupcake is a chocolate cupcake (I know, not very creative here using twice, but I was feeling a wee bit lazy & it's just so good!) filled with a milk chocolate ganache, topped with a salted caramel Italian buttercream, more milk chocolate ganache and decorated with sprinkles, maraschino cherry and a striped straw.  It's so cute!