Storybook Bakery Blog

Oh, December.. Busiest month of the year!

2011-12-25T23:29:00.000-05:00

This month has been incredibly busy for me, both on the business and home front! Cookies and cupcakes galore! Here are a few photos of goodies that went out this month.

Snowflake Cookies

Christmas Cookies

"Peace, Love, & Stacey" Mini Cupcakes

Christmas Mini Cupcakes

Just one of our many Christmas Gift boxes!

All I Want for Christmas is...

2011-11-05T15:27:00.001-04:00

Christmas Gift Specials have arrived! If your shopping list is long, let us help you slim it down. We will be offering fudge, gourmet marshmallows, decorated cookies, chocolate covered oreos, and truffles! Also available are hand-decorated gingerbread houses that will smell delectable and taste even better! To order, you can use the Contact Storybook Bakery tab on our Facebook page, send us an email at admin@storybookbakery.com, or use the Contact Us page on our website. Orders are pick-up only and tax is included in price.

Price Increases

2011-10-13T23:40:00.001-04:00

Policy and price minimum changes coming soon. Starting November 1st, 2011, our minimum for party cakes will increase from $50 to $100 and our 3D minimum price will increase from $100 to $200. Our wedding cake prices will remain the same for the time being. We have been slammed with orders lately and it is now time to focus on our passion--complex, challenging, and intricate cakes! We will continue to offer our normal prices for military commands only. This will NOT apply to cakes that are booked and paid for before November 1st, even if the event date is after. Feel free to send us an email at admin@storybookbakery.com, or use the Contact Us page on our website if you have any questions!

Themed Dessert Tables, Updates, & more!

2011-10-12T23:22:00.000-04:00

Finally! I have been working on this for days, and here it is.. all NEW--Themed Dessert Table Packages! Each package includes a cake, cupcakes, cookies, desserts, party favors, and most importantly--setup and table decorating is included! For a full list of themes available and package pricing, check out the Dessert Table page on the website, or click here!

I have also made a few changes to the website. Social media icons are now on every page, photos have been updated on pages and in galleries, and a few tweaks have been made here and there.

Also, check us out on Facebook for new photos, events we are attending, and more!

Honey, Art, Golf, & a '67 GTO!

2011-10-08T17:43:00.000-04:00

This week there were two completely different birthday cakes for the same customer! His wife loves Winnie the Pooh, so we made a honeypot filled with Honey Buttercream and surrounded by bees!

He also wanted a cake for both of his parents birthdays so we made a square cake and decorated the front two sides to reflect his parents' interests or hobbies. His mother is an artist and his father is a golfer who has restored a '67 GTO.

Storybook Bakery featured in Macaroni Kid!

2011-10-06T00:28:00.000-04:00

Storybook Bakery was featured in Macaroni Kid Virginia Beach: Mamas & Papas today! It includes a brief Q&A about me and the bakery! Check out the article here!

(If link above is not working, copy-and-paste the following into your browser: http://virginiabeach.macaronikid.com/article/184526/macaroni-mamas-papas)

Anchors, Stripes, and a Cupcake Tower!

2011-10-02T22:59:00.000-04:00

It has been longer than I hoped to put these photos on the blog, but I have finally found a moment to do so! Here are the cakes that have kept me so busy lately!

First Birthday cake designed to match the Sailor theme party decor.

My husband's ship requested this cake for this year's Chief Selectees. I decided at the last minute to put chocolate Navy emblems on the top corners to fill in space and later found out that the chocolate mold that is being sold as a "Navy Emblem" is in fact an Officer's Emblem. I should have know this, being Navy myself, however, the details of the mold are so small and hard to see, that I didn't realize this. The chiefs who received the cake sure did! I feel terrible that I put an officer's emblem on an enlisted service member's cake! But now that I am aware, I will not make that mistake again!

The Foster-McCammon wedding had to be postponed because of Hurricane Irene, and happened to be rescheduled for the weekend of our kids' birthday party (photos of that to come next!). I was able to do a lot ahead of time so after the party was over I finished them up and delivered them to their wedding at the Virginia Beach Contemporary Arts Center. I am waiting on some professional photos from the wedding photographers, so more to come!

This was for a Baby's 1st Birthday party. The mother took a few different photos she liked and combined them into this cake. I love the way the zebra print turned out and I would love to do another one!

This Tea Set cake was for a bridal shower that had to be rescheduled due to Hurricane Irene. The tea set is edible and hand painted. Tea pot made of rice cereal treats and rest of pieces made entirely from fondant except for flower, which was a gumpaste fantasy orchid. The bride-to-be's name was on the tea pot, her mother and soon to be mother-in-law's names were on the sugar and cream, and the bridesmaids names were on the tea cups.

A very special soon to be 15 year old contacted me about a zebra birthday cake. She chose every detail on her own and I was very impressed with her knowledge of cake! Not many 15 year old girls even know what fondant is! She wanted a purse on top so we personalized it to say "Caitlyn Couture".

Choo-Choo! 2nd Birthday Train Cake!

2011-09-11T23:35:00.000-04:00

It was a super busy week! My two girls started preschool at our church, Oak Grove UMC, my husband bought a truck (to replace his lost in an accident last week), and I had 3 orders for this weekend! One Ruffle cake, a black forest cake, and a 2nd birthday train cake. I didn't take a photo of the Ruffle cake because I have made it before. The black forest cake was covered in Ghirardelli chocolate shavings, so I did not take photos of it either because it was generically decorated. The train cake, however, was completely new! Here are a few photos.

Pink & Green Baby Shower Dessert Table

2011-08-28T18:23:00.000-04:00

It has taken a while to post this because of Hurricane Irene. Here are photos of the dessert table from last weekend. The theme was pink & green. Except for the cake squares in the center, all other desserts were made by Storybook Bakery.

Personalized baby bucket from Kurlz & Swirls held the chocolate covered oreo party favors. Mommy-to-be got to keep the bucket.

Right side of the table.

Left side of the table.

Center of table.

Cake was banana with cream cheese frosting.

Whoopie pies!

Dipped strawberries in Ghiradelli chocolate.

Cream puffs with fresh whipped cream.

Cupcakes were Strawberry Buttercream and Chocolate Fudge with Chocolate Buttercream. Cupcake wrappers from Bella Cupcake Couture.

My mother-in-law, Kellie, snapped a quick photo of me with the table!

I had a great time putting this table together. I developed a love of all desserts during pastry school, and enjoy when I get the opportunity to do an array of sweets, rather than only cakes. I can't wait until my next dessert table!

Proposal in the Cake Gallery!

2011-08-15T17:55:00.000-04:00

I mentioned the proposal that happened in the Cake Gallery while I happened to be volunteering for the Icing Smiles table during the convention. I have pictures!

We made the poor couple stand there for a few moments so we could all get pictures. They were very accommodating. Congratulations to them both!

Here is a close up of the engagement cake with a sugar engagement ring. I don't know who made it, but I assume it was someone around Charlotte.

Here is another shot, this time without the horse's head in the way!

ICES 2011!

2011-08-11T13:23:00.001-04:00

Since the convention was put together by both North Carolina and South Carolina, ICES had 2 show cakes this year! One was of Charlotte. They did a great replica of the buildings, even with correct heights, Bank of America being the tallest, followed by Duke Energy, Vue, Hearst, and so on.. There was a race track going around the city with cars that actually moved around it. The cars were not set up when I took this picture.

Below is the second show cake that definitely shows everything North Carolina is known for..

My husband's favorite.. We have "House Divided: NC State & UNC" flags and decorations in our home because my husband is for NC State and I, of course, am for UNC.

Full car shot. It had a radio that played throughout the day.

My favorite.. Cheerwine! I definitely missed the heck out of some Cheerwine while we lived in California. I had family that was kind enough to bring me some when they came to visit!

That is all for now. I will post more later! I had a wonderful time and cannot wait to do it all over again next year. I was so sad to see it end. Hopefully I will see you all next year in Reno!

Closed for the Convention!

2011-08-03T11:05:00.001-04:00

We are CLOSED today through Sunday for the ICES (International Cake Exploration Society) annual cake convention in Charlotte, NC! We are making a short stop on the way, as I type. If you would like to place an order for next weekend, there is still space available. The weekend of the 20-21 is not available, and there is only room for one more order on the 27th. During the next few days, however, return emails and calls may be delayed. Email or the Contact Us page on our site is the best way to reach us. Hope everyone has a great weekend. See you next week!

Baby Gender Reveal Cake -- UPDATE!

2011-07-29T11:53:00.001-04:00

A month or so ago I made my first baby gender reveal cake. I got a call from a wonderful woman whose daughter is expecting and was about to have her ultrasound. They chose a design and flavors, then when the day came for the ultrasound, I got a call from the technician who performed the ultrasound telling me to make the filling BLUE!

Then I got to work! I had the cakes prepped and uncolored frosting made ahead of time. I only had about 4 hours to color, fill, frost, and decorate the cake before they came to pick it up. The reveal party was that evening. They didn't want to wait any longer then they had to--I don't blame them! The cake was finished on time and picked up. Here is what the cake looked like:

A couple weeks later, they sent me an email letting me know how it went and included pictures! Here are a few of them:

Here is a photo of their table set-up.

Here is the mother-to-be with her revealing slice! Funny how her lei is the same color.. Could her intuition have told her what it would be?

The cake after it was cut.

I had a blast making this cake! I hope to do many more in the future. I have also recently seen gender reveal cupcakes with revealing filling used inside them. It was exciting knowing the gender before my clients did and I was careful not to have any blue on my uniform or hands when they came to pick it up. Didn't want to give anything away! I look forward to the next one!

Last Minute Orders!

2011-07-25T16:43:00.000-04:00

We have had a large increase of last minute orders over the past few weeks. Most of these orders have given us less than 3 days to fulfill, and that doesn't include time to fill out the paperwork or take payment. We have had to, unfortunately, turn down orders that we would have loved to fulfill, due to short notice. We hate to do that! Not only does it sadden us by having to refuse orders, but it also forces you to go somewhere that may not be your first choice, or worse, leaves you without a cake!

So if you have an event coming up: birthday party, baby or bridal shower, anniversary, or any other special occasion, give us a call at 757-436-1249, or shoot us an email at admin@storybookbakery.com as soon as possible to get your event in our calendar! An ideal time to place your order is 2 weeks prior to your event. Get your order in, and off your To-Do list!

We look forward to hearing from you, and better yet -- creating your fantastic cake!

Police Academy, Military Birthday, & A Raffle!

2011-07-23T13:27:00.000-04:00

The first half of the week was super busy! We had a graduation cake for a recruit of the Virginia Beach Police Department's 51st class from the Police Academy. Here is his celebration cake!

Also this week was the birthday of a Senior Chief working at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. His office wanted to surprise him with a cake! This is the second cake we have done for this hospital. We hope to do more!

Last thing on our list this week was a set of Sweet Boxes for a raffle at a local event. The two boxes contained a 6-inch cake and a dozen cupcakes, as well as a gift certificate. Here are the boxes all wrapped up and ready to go. Below are pictures of the cake and cupcakes. Congratulations to the winner! We hope to get pictures or video of the raffle soon.

Icing Smiles!

2011-07-10T22:44:00.000-04:00

I have been meaning to post this for over a month! Shortly after we opened for business, we became a baking partner for the inspiring organization called Icing Smiles. In June, we became the state sponsor for Virginia.

If you haven't heard of it yet, Icing Smiles provides custom cakes to children with critical illnesses and their siblings. Their services are available all across the US, and even in some other countries. It is growing quickly and is finding support all throughout the cake community, with both professionals and amateur decorators.

Storybook Bakery is proud to be a part of this wonderful organization and encourage anyone who is interested in becoming a baking partner, hosting a fundraiser, or making a donation to visit their website at http://www.icingsmiles.org/. Or visit them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/icingsmiles.

If you or anyone you know are a parent to a brave critically ill child and/or sibling, visit the Icing Smiles website for information on eligibility and how to request a cake. The best advertising for an organization like this is us, so spread the word, and ultimately, spread the Icing Smiles!

Mermaid Cake & Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

2011-07-10T15:51:00.000-04:00

This Mermaid cake was made for a lucky little girl's 2nd birthday! Here are a few photos of all sides of the cake, as well as close-ups of the mermaids.

We also tried out a new flavor combo, Strawberry Lemonade, for a relative's Going Away party this week. One of our cousins is deploying with a medical team to the Middle East soon. We wish her safe travels!

Lemon cupcakes filled and frosted with fresh strawberry buttercream. Yum!

Baby's 1st Birthday & Fireworks Cake

2011-07-09T15:03:00.000-04:00

Last week we all celebrated the 4th of July, but for one of my customers, it was also a 1st birthday! Her mother wanted to combine the two events into one cake, so she finally decided on a girly stripes, stars, and fireworks cake. The inside of the cake was red, white, and blue. If I get any photos of the inside, I will post!

On another note, we as cake designers try to photograph our cakes in the best way. But let's face it, we are not photographers! Example below. I took photos of the same cake, in two different rooms, with different light and background colors. There is a big difference between the two!

Pineapple Under the Sea & Change of Command!

2011-06-27T19:50:00.000-04:00

Last week was a pretty busy week with a full sheet, half sheet, and round cake all being due on Friday. The round was an underwater themed cake for a little boy's birthday.

We delivered two cakes to a change of command ceremony for the Coast Guard at a local military base on Friday. They wanted the Coast Guard logo on one and the Maritime Security Response Team emblem on the other.

This Week's Cakes!

2011-06-18T15:07:00.000-04:00

This was a busy week! We had 3 cakes due. Here are the two graduation cakes. The wildcat was drawn by hand for this one!

This one was a stack of books for a set of twins and their cousin. Their mothers came up with the clever titles!

And finally, one baby gender reveal cake. We didn't know what color to make the filling until 4 hours before the cake was scheduled to be picked up! By the way, it was a boy!

New Cakes!

2011-06-11T19:23:00.000-04:00

Things have been going great since opening. My most popular flavors have been strawberry buttercream and mocha chocolate chip. Here are a few photos of some cakes I have done so far!

A princess themed 1st birthday and smash cake.
Number 1 birthday and smash cake.
Military promotion cake.

Push Pop Cakes!

2011-05-09T15:38:00.000-04:00

Check these out!

Remember those push pop ice creams we used to love when we were kids? They can also be used for cake! Who knew?

They are perfect for little hands and and easier to eat (and clean up) than a traditional cupcake. Each Push Pop Cake contains two layers of cake and frosting with sprinkles or chocolate chips. They can be ordered by the dozen and need at least 2 days notice.

Open Wedding Dates!

2011-05-07T19:13:00.000-04:00

We have most weekends available this summer including the very popular 9-10-11 and 11-11-11 this Fall!

If you are in the midst of planning your wedding, shoot us an email, give us a call, or visit the Contact Us page to schedule your consultation.

Don't forget that every couple who orders their wedding cake from Storybook Bakery will receive:

- Free delivery and assembly to Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Portsmouth, with low out of area rates.

- Up to 3 cake flavors with no charge.

- Complimentary Honeymoon Cake to enjoy on your first night together.

Take a look around the website for more information at storybookbakery.com

We look forward to hearing from you!

I'm Legal!

2011-04-21T00:29:00.000-04:00

In the business sense. I got my inspection approval and business license on the same day. I have spent the last day or two putting my site up on search engines. Storybook Bakery will start taking orders on May 1st!

There's no business like cake business!

Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Business!

2011-03-15T10:57:00.000-04:00

Whew! It has been a busy few weeks! We moved clear across the country. California coast to Virginia coast. We have settled into our new home quite easily, and I have begun the process of getting legal. Storybook Bakery is now a registered LLC with the state of Virginia. I now have my EIN and today got my business telephone turned on. Next step, send my paperwork to the VDACS for my kitchen inspection and start the "hopefully stress-free" process of getting my business license. I will be spending hours over the next few days perfecting my paperwork skills!

I hope to have everything done by the middle of April, but will not be accepting orders that need to be fulfilled before May 7th, just to give myself a little wiggle room in case I hit a snag. I have gotten a few inquiries already so I am excited to get started. Wish me luck!

Do You Mouth, Take Thee Chocolate? Heck, Yes!

2011-01-23T18:00:00.000-05:00

I tried frosting a cake for the first time with white chocolate ganache, and I must say, I hope to use it more in the future! It is very sweet when used as a frosting, and milk chocolate or dark chocolate would taste wonderful, too. I hand-crafted a chocolate rose, leaves, and swirls to decorate. I love how it turned out! Cake is red velvet with cream cheese filling.
The nice sharp edges around the cake are always nice to see!

Happiness is a path, not a destination.

-Unknown

Frosty the Snowman Chocolate Covered Oreo..

2010-12-17T17:16:00.001-05:00

Countdown to Christmas is beginning the final stretch. For our edible Christmas family gifts this year I went with chocolate covered oreos. I wanted to make a large amount to see how long it would take so each box contains 6 cookies. 20 boxes = 120 cookies. I made 140 just in case a few were duds. It took me just over 3 days. I really enjoy doing large amounts of things. It reminds me of my pastry classes. We boxed them up and mailed them across the country this morning. Hope everyone enjoys them!

I made orange and blue drizzled cookies as well. Here are the finished boxes.

It's always nice to see a bunch of smiling faces!

There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.
- Erma Bombeck

Cake for Breakfast and Dessert!

2010-12-13T05:00:00.000-05:00

A couple weekends ago, I found myself awake a lot earlier than usual, so I decided to make the best of my time before the rest of the house woke up and make a coffee cake. Now I don't usually get up early enough to make this wonderful yummy because it takes around 25-30 minutes to get it into the oven and an hour to bake it, so coffee cake is more or less a special treat around here. This one was a cinnamon coffee cake. It was wonderful! Coffee cake is definitely best straight out of the oven and still warm. We ate it for breakfast 3 days straight. I look forward to making it again the morning that we open Christmas presents.

It was already half-eaten the morning it was made. My family does not skimp on cake, even for breakfast.
I have been meaning to try out this cake/filling/frosting combination and finally got around to it. It's my version of a Boston cream cake. The cake is butter yellow and filled with Bavarian cream. Then, I made a chocolate ganache and poured it over. This same combination will make an awesome dessert cup!
The holiday season is in full swing and Christmas will be here before you know it. These are hard times for us all, but if you are able, please take the time to help bring some cheer to children who without it, may not have a gift to open on Christmas. Donate to Toys for Tots. Involve your children in donating this holiday season and teach them to appreciate their blessings and how to help bring blessings to others. We all share this beautiful world. Take care of your neighbors and remember, we are all in this together.

Seek joy in what you give, and not what you get.

-Unknown

Black Hole Sun Cake

2010-11-15T16:25:00.000-05:00

Hand-painted and airbrushed. Sizes: 8, 10, 10, 14. Serves 178. I think now that I should have made the top tier a little smaller. It makes it look "squat" with the tiers so close in size.

Cake with sketch.

Chocolate fudge with peanut buttercream filling. Frosted in Swiss meringue buttercream and covered in fondant.
Butter yellow cake with fresh strawberry buttercream filling. Frosted in Swiss meringue buttercream and covered in fondant.

"Don't lose hope. When the sun goes down, the stars come out."

-Unknown

Halloween Dessert Buffet Table

2010-10-30T23:23:00.001-04:00

Here is the finished dessert buffet.

The cookie tray.
Cakepops and brownies.
Layered vanilla pudding shooters.
Caramel and chocolate dipped apples.
Shoe box cake and chocolate shoe.

Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not!

-Unknown

Buffet Table Prep

2010-10-29T03:17:00.000-04:00

I have spent the past 4 days preparing a dessert buffet table for Halloween. Here are some shots of the "work in progress".

The shoe box cake. Completely edible. I used frosting sheets and designed my own little shoe logo.

The chocolate shoe.Apples on sticks, ready for dipping.

My apple dipping station.

Apples dipped in caramel.

And after being dipped again, this time in chocolate.

Cake crumbs and swiss meringue buttercream for the cakepops.

Cake pops rolled into balls.

The dipping station.

Cookies before going into the oven.And after baking.
Decorated.
Everything took about 4 days from start to finish. I love making a variety of desserts and don't want to get burnt out by just doing cakes all the time.

Today's progress was yesterday's plan.

-Unknown

Like Sand Between My Toes...

2010-10-23T01:59:00.000-04:00

So about three weekends ago, I drove about an hour up to Murrieta, California, to the Cake Cottage for their huge chocolate mold sale. I came home with over 30 molds. I bought a sea shell mold and wanted to try it out, except I used fondant instead of chocolate. The starfish are hand molded and dusted with cocoa powder. The shells were marbled with cocoa powder as well. I hated to cover the sides of this cake after getting it so smooth and the corners so sharp but it was good practice. I look forward to making many beach themed wedding cakes in the future since we will be living at the coast.

It isn't the mountains ahead that wear you out, it's the grain of sand in your shoe.

-Unknown

Could You Hold My Cake Purse? Without Eating It?

2010-10-23T01:29:00.000-04:00

I have been meaning to make these for a while but always get distracted with something else. After looking at several tutorials and pictures of other purse cakes, I figured I'd give it a try. I had some left over red velvet cake and cut out some mini purses. They are frosted in cream cheese frosting and covered in fondant. I airbrushed one pink and the other blue. There were originally four purses, but two of them looked so delicious that my 3 year old daughter decided to sample them. *Sigh* They were for practice anyway and my kids are just like their mother, nobody can take sugar from these babies!

Here is a size comparison so you can really see how small they are.

A heavy purse makes a light heart.

-Unknown

Lego my Logo!

2010-10-15T06:13:00.000-04:00

While trying out my edible ink printer, I decided to give making chocolates a try. Practically anything can be printed on chocolates with use of frosting sheets and edible inks in all sizes and shapes. Here is a variety set of several different sizes, all with my bakery logo on them. I plan to get a business card mold as well to make life size business card chocolates.

Large suckers in both milk and white chocolate.
A smaller maybe 2-bite size chocolate.

There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs.

-Unknown

Save the Ta-Tas!

2010-10-15T04:02:00.000-04:00

It's October again. My favorite month of the year because Halloween falls in it, which is by far my favorite holiday. October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month. I like to do something every year in honor of bringing notice and information to women about preventing breast cancer and to show support to those brave souls who are living with it. I decided to make "Save the Ta-Tas", pink ribbon cupcakes, and dipped pretzels. Cupcakes are chocolate and vanilla swiss meringue buttercream with fondant decor. My husband, children and I will be joining in on the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk this coming weekend. I hope that everyone who reads this will be willing to join the fight and "spread the word" about how to get screened as well as do-it-yourself checks for preventing and recognizing symptoms of breast cancer, such as those found on the American Cancer Society website. We can find a cure for breast cancer. Feel your boobs; it can save your life.

I think this post calls for a couple different quotes:

It's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. -Abraham Lincoln

The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it. -C.C. Scott

and finally...

Never, never, never give up. -Winston Churchill

Birthdays Galore!

2010-09-30T04:03:00.001-04:00

My husband's birthday is tomorrow, October 1. He is a fan of Texas Hold'em. While we were dating, he played in a tournament and won two tickets to Disneyland. That was one of our first dates and my first trip ever to Disneyland. I have wanted to make this cake for a while, but he has been deployed for his past two birthdays. I bought my printer for edible images so that I could make the cards and poker chips as realistic as I could. The cake is white vanilla with chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream.

My youngest daughter had her third birthday two weeks ago. She said she wanted a Care Bears cake. I got an idea to make the Care Bear cloud ship from the first movie. Here it is without the Care Bear figurines and with them. It is banana cake with cream cheese filling and buttercream frosting with a few fondant accents.

"Anyone who uses the phrase, 'it's easy as taking candy from a baby', has never tried taking candy from a baby."

-Unknown

I'll Settle for a Slow Down..

2010-09-30T03:24:00.001-04:00

Wow, has it been a busy past few months! So many birthdays and lots of baking. October will be more of the same with Halloween coming up. I am planning a dessert buffet, so check back for that. I have been trying out more recipes lately so my house has been full of yummies! Here are some of the things I've been working on lately.

Whoopie pies! Oreos have nothing on these babies! I have made dozens of these lately and can't seem to get enough. Above are regular and Halloween themed whoopies.
This is probably my favorite of all the cake recipes I use. Banana cake with cream cheese frosting. So moist with a delicate crumb. My daughter, Cheyenne liked it so much that she requested it for her birthday cake this year.
I have had a hard time finding a lemon bar recipe that I wanted to use. I may still make a few tweaks to this recipe but for the most part, I am happy with the results.
One of my undecorated cookie flavors. Snickerdoodles, studded with toffee bits.
My oldest daughter, Harley, turned four this year. I was pregnant with her brother, so I couldn't spend as much time on her birthday cake (in this case, cupcakes) as I would have liked. Her brother actually ended up being born on her birthday. These cupcakes were rainbow butter yellow with Swiss Meringue buttercream.
I have made chocolate covered sandwich cookies in the past, but they were dipped. I purchased molds from Spinning Leaf, and piped on the flowers with royal icing. These would be a perfect party or wedding favor. Check back later, because I will be making snowman and snowflake chocolate covered cookies for Christmas presents this year.
For my birthday this year, I finally gave in to the dark side. I purchased an Agbay cake leveler. This leveler has the reputation as the best in the business and I can honestly say that it is truly my new favorite toy! This cake was one that I used my Agbay with. It creates perfectly even cake layers and helps me to get my perfect 4 inch height to the cake. It cuts through cake like butter. I would highly recommend the investment.

"The only true wisdom consists in knowing that you know nothing."

-Unknown

Rock-a-bye Baby, In The Treetop..

2010-08-01T23:19:00.000-04:00

Here is a gender neutral baby shower cake. Fondant bow and accents as well as rope borders.

“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”

-Unknown

Anchors Aweigh..

2010-07-31T02:30:00.001-04:00

My husband recently said goodbye to the ship he had been serving on for the past four years. It is a big change for us all, but we will definitely not miss the constant deployments. I made cupcakes for him to take on his last day. The anchors and emblems were molded chocolates, luster dusted and placed on top of Italian meringue buttercream.

“What most people need to learn in life is how to love people and use things instead of using people and loving things.”

-Unknown

So Fresh and So Clean..

2010-07-10T17:50:00.000-04:00

The newest creation. Stacked four-tier round with fresh roses and matching ribbon. Covered in fondant.

“Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved.”

-Unknown

The Way the Cookie Crumbles..

2010-05-15T22:01:00.000-04:00

I absolutely love the book, Cookie Craft! I have been using it for years but always used a different cookie dough recipe than the one that came in the book. I finally decided to give it a try and wow! I was pleasantly surprised by the way the cookies held their shape while baking and had not dried out after 3 days, which is how long it took to finish them. I made the regular sugar cookies as well as the chocolate cookies. I will never try another recipe again for these types of cookies. I wanted to practice different shapes so I did a large variety and then did simple decorations.

“God put me on Earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I'm so far behind I will never die!”

-Unknown

When the Devils Food Went Down to Georgia...

2010-05-03T02:38:00.000-04:00

I have been trying to get my recipes together for when it comes time to file with the Virginia Department of Agriculture to get my health inspection for business. And since there are several recipes that I either haven't used in a while or haven't used at all, I am trying them out, painstakingly one by one in order to make sure I use the right ones. I needed to try the devil's food cake and cookies n cream filling recipes this week, which also allowed me to try out a cream cheese frosting recipe I had tucked away for a rainy day. I made two cakes this time, Cookies N Cream and Black Forest. The Black Forest cake had a cherry soak and cherries in each layer of filling. This made it more difficult to cut cleanly, but still yummy!

“Life is like a piano ... what you get out of it depends on how you play it.”

-Unknown

His Emperor - Napoleon!

2010-04-26T02:05:00.000-04:00

Here is a quick tutorial on how to make napoleons. I didn't include recipes with this because it's a lot to type right now. I used pre-made puff pastry, but I did make the diplomat cream and glazes from scratch. I made two half-sheet pans of pastry which gave me two napoleon logs.

Start with one sheet of puff pastry, thawed and unfolded. Use flour or parchment paper to roll out to the size of the sheet pan. I cut a piece of parchment the size of the pan and used it as a guide to roll out the pastry. Silpats can be used instead. Dock the pastry generously.

Cover pastry with another piece of parchment, then put another sheet pan that is the same size over top of the pastry. This will prevent the pastry from rising too high in the oven and promote even baking.
Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees, then take pan and parchment off the top and return to oven for 7-10 minutes to allow the pastry to brown. It should look dry and flaky. Yum!
Trim the edges of each pastry and cut into three even rectangles.
Place one rectangle on a piece of cardboard. Avoid using a plate if it has any curve to the edges as the pastry is very fragile and will break off if not placed carefully on a very flat surface.
Pipe a dam of diplomat cream around the edges of the first layer of pastry. I piped it twice to make sure it would be tall enough to hold all of the delicious cream.
Fill in the dam with diplomat cream and smooth.
Repeat with second layer of pastry and place last on top. The cream will more like ooze out around the edges even with use of a dam.
Use a spatula or flat knife to scrape the sides. Try to get the extra cream off without breaking the edges of the pastry.
Wrap both logs tightly in plastic wrap and freeze overnight. I put the logs in the freezer unwrapped for about 10 minutes to get it to firm up so that I could wrap it without making a mess. You can use a spatula to transport it to the plastic wrap.
After freezing overnight, take logs out to thaw for about a half hour. You shouldn't try to glaze them if they are too cold because it will cause the glaze to harden too quickly and make it difficult to get a smooth top. I used scissors to cut away the plastic wrap to prevent damage to the logs.
Get your glaze ready. I used the same glaze for this as I do my cream puffs so I didn't show how to make this. Just refer to my cream puff tutorial. I put the white glaze in a piping bag and cut a small tip.
Use a spatula to spread the chocolate glaze over the napoleon. Try to get it as smooth as you can. My napoleons were still a little too cold and made this hard for me. Then pipe lines with the white glaze and use a paring knife or toothpick to drag through the lines, alternating directions, to get a nice design.
Here is what it should look similar to. You could always pipe the lines smaller and closer to get a finer tuned design.
Place the napoleon back into the fridge or freezer to firm it up, then cut into slices.

“If you feel you have no faults, that makes another one.”

-Unknown

Cake Cruise 2009

2009-12-13T22:09:00.000-05:00

My mother and I just returned from Cake Cruise 2009, Mexican Riviera cruise with Holland America. We saw presentations from Colette Peters, Susan Carberry, Norman Davis and Zane Beg. I took classes with each of them. We visited Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It was great to get together with other cake decorators and talk about cake!

The cruise ship above and my mother and me in Mazatlan below.

Me with Colette Peters.

Me with Norman Davis and Zane Beg.

Me with Susan Carberry.

“Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.”

-Unknown

Whipped Cream & Chocolate Glaze

2009-11-16T19:53:00.001-05:00

I know I said in the Cream Puff Tutorial that I would post the whipped cream and chocolate glaze instructions, too, so here they are:

Chocolate Glaze:

First melt about 1 cup of chocolate chips. I used semi-sweet mini chocolate chips.

Next whisk together:

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

5 tbsp butter (I used salted)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

4 tbsp water (add more if you need it)

You should get a nice glaze

Next pour glaze into melted chocolate and whisk.

Depending on how cold your chocolate has gotten, it might have clumps, which is okay, because you will be putting it over a double boiler and it will remelt.

Place bowl over double boiler (pot of simmering water) to keep warm while dipping.

Whipped Cream

Before hand, put bowl and whisk in fridge or freezer to get cold. Make sure the bowl and whisk are spotless and grease-free.

Pour heavy cream (or manufacturer's cream) into mixer, start mixing on low and gradually turn up to high to prevent splattering.

Whip cream until stiff peaks. We use stiff peaks because we want the cream to hold it's shape inside the cream puffs.

Add 1 tsp vanilla and granulated sugar to taste (I used 1/2 Cup because I like it sweet.)When it's finished, cover with plastic wrap or foil and place in fridge until you need to use it. When you're ready to use it, you can pipe it out of a piping bag with pastry tip or use a handy little contraption like the Wilton Dessert Decorator Pro, shown here.

Note: Unless you use a stabilizer in your whipped cream, which I didn't, anything with the cream in it will have to be refrigerated until ready to eat.

“A deaf husband and a blind wife are always a happy couple.”

-Unknown

Here Cookie Cookie..

2009-11-16T18:05:00.000-05:00

So in light of my future Flash class assignment, I had to make a variety of decorated cookies. I made a baby bottle, wedding cake, princess crown and snowflake. I also baked a birthday cake shaped cookie but haven't decorated it yet because it won't be used on the assignment so it can wait. I did very simple decorations because these cookies are being used in a tutorial assignment and I wanted them to be easy. I did do a little piping work on the wedding cake cookie but I couldn't help myself. Well, here they are..

“When you find a job you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life.”

-Unknown

Cream Puffs

2009-11-15T06:38:00.001-05:00

Cream puffs with whipped cream filling and dusted with confectioners sugar.

Cream puffs with whipped cream filling and chocolate glaze.

“Some pursue happiness — others create it.”

-Unknown

Cream Puff - The Magic Dragon

2009-11-15T05:08:00.001-05:00

Here is a tutorial of how to make Cream Puffs, shown above.

For the pate a choux (pat-a-shoe), or the cream puff dough, you will need:

1 Stick (1/2 Cup) Unsalted Butter
1/2 tsp salt (I used salted butter and therefore omitted the salt)
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 Cup Water
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour (sifting not necessary)
4 Large Eggs

Preheat oven to 425F.

Combine butter, salt, water and sugar in saucepan. Bring to rolling boil over medium heat.

As soon as the rolling boil begins, dump in all of the flour, all at once.

Stir vigorously.

The batter will begin to pull away from the sides and clump into a ball.

Put into stand mixer. You can use a hand mixer if you choose.

Add eggs one at a time, incorporating each before adding another.

When the batter is fully mixed, it should have a shine or gloss to it.

Prepare your piping bag and large round tip. You can also spoon the batter onto the pan.

Place parchment paper onto the sheet pan/cookie sheet.

Pipe round mounds of batter onto sheet pan. I swirl it before pulling bag away to prevent large points from forming.

Fill sheet pan with evenly spaced mounds. I made mine 1 1/2 inches wide.

Place in preheated oven. Bake 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, DO NOT TAKE OUT. Turn temperature down to 375F and leave in for additional 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of your cream puffs. You are trying to dry out the insides and create a hollow shell.

Once they are baked, cut them open. The inside will still be a little "doughy". Take a fork and scrape it out.

Now you are done with the baking process. I will post the chocolate glaze and whipped cream tutorials soon.

“There is only one rule to become a good talker, learn how to listen.”

-Unknown

Fall Is In The Air..

2009-10-01T05:31:00.001-04:00

Today was a crisp cool day, which means Fall is finally here (in San Diego, that is). The scent if the wind reminded me of my favorite holiday - Halloween!

My girls and I have a playdate tomorrow, and since it is a potluck, I volunteered to bring cupcakes, of course! I used a fabulous recipe from the Cake Bible for an All-American Chocolate Cake, and my cupcakes baked beautifully and fairly even. I tried a new buttercream recipe from the Cake Bible as well tonight and I am happy with the results even though this particular buttercream would never work for a white wedding cake, because it's not even close to white in color. Since I was planning on coloring it orange anyway, it didn't matter much and it is delicious. It tastes more like a cream anglais than a buttercream, which I like. I topped them off with mini chocolate chips. I hope tomorrow is another cool day!

"May the best from your past be the worst of your future.”

-Unknown

I Now Pronounce You... Delicious!

2009-09-06T02:48:00.000-04:00

After my children went to bed tonight, I decided to make some chocolate covered strawberries. But not just any chocolate covered strawberries. I decided to try my hand at the "his and hers" strawberries that are becoming popular at weddings. I burned the first batch of white chocolate (because let's face it, I should have taken chocolate class this semester...) but after starting over, I finally got a consistency I could work with. I only wish I had used a white chocolate that was more white but I gues these could be for the bride with an ivory dress! I will make them look a bit cleaner the next time I make them but I am satisfied that I know how to do them whenever the time comes.

Since I don't actually eat strawberries, I bought these just for this purpose. I guess my children will be in for a yummy surprise when they get up in the morning!

“It’s not what we’ve done that makes us feel tired so much as seeing so many things that need doing.”

-Unknown

Birthday Babies!

2009-08-11T03:24:00.000-04:00

My in-laws were visiting this past week and since both of my daughters' birthdays are coming up soon, I decided to try a couple new recipes and make them a birthday cake and cupcakes. I stuck with a very simple design because there wasn't much time to work on it with company and all. The cake was Chocolate Fudge and the cupcakes were Golden Butter Cream. I was more satisfide with this frosting recipe than others I had tried previously, except it was so yellow, that it looked like actual butter. I will have to keep working on it.

“Act as if you'll live forever. Plan as if you would die tomorrow.”

-Unknown

Yum Yum Yum

2009-07-05T14:33:00.000-04:00

I found a fantastic recipe online one day last week and two nights ago, I gave it a try. It is a Sour Cream Vanilla Cake. It was absolutely delicious! I didn't frost it, but it doesn't need any. I can imagine how delicious it will be with a fruit filling and buttercream or whipped cream frosting. Yum!

“It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.”

-Unknown

Still Here...

2009-06-27T05:30:00.001-04:00

Since class let out, I haven't had much new to put up here. I have been trying out recipes, trying to find that perfect chocolate cake. I have tried a few but so far no winners. I know it's out there. Chocolate cake, chocolate cake, where are you? Haha. I am planning on doing another cake next week so I will put it up when I do. Til' then, eat lots of yummies and keep yourself (and your stomach) busy!

“Where we love is truly home; home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.”

-Unknown

Red Rover, Red Rover, Send An A+ Right Over!

2009-05-21T01:40:00.000-04:00

All done! Cake Class ended tonight with our final project, a four-tiered cake. We did a very ornate but simple and elegant wedding cake. My team came up with so many good ideas, it was hard to choose just one so we blended them together and came up with this gorgeous cake. We got an A+ and if we had maybe one more day, I know we could have added more (though I don't think it needed it). We each took turns piping, and covering the tiers in fondant and my team did a fabulous job of finishing the cake while I spent most of the class trying to get the roses done on time. I will miss getting to bring home cake every week but I am proud of how it ended. I think we went out with a bang! P.S. I totally STOLE this pic from Jenny because as you can see below, her pic on her camera turned out 10 times better than mine from my cell phone. Sorry Jenny!

Here are a few of the other cakes made by the rest of the class. There is one missing but they wouldn't all fit on one table or in one picture.
Here we are! Team 1 and our cake. I forgot to take off my hat so I look silly.

“The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.”

-Unknown

Sugar Sculpture Final

2009-05-21T01:27:00.000-04:00

Well, that time of the semester was definitely here this week. I had two finals due today! My Sugar Class final project was finished and we got an A. Woohoo! This scultpure took many hours with all six of my team members constantly busy doing something but it paid off. Here are a few pictures of our Turtle Pond.
At the end of class my team (Team 2) took a pic with our sculpture. What a fabulous looking team!

“Happiness is often the result of being too busy to be miserable.”

-Unknown

Work In Progress

2009-05-14T19:59:00.000-04:00

My cake class is coming to an end and we have started our final project, constructing and decorating a dummy wedding cake. My team ended up with the only square cake in the class and even though it was more of a pain to cover with fondant, it looks considerably better than if it were a round cake. Here is a picture of the cake before we started adding more decorations to it. The only thing done to it so far is red ribbon was wrapped around it. We are piping designs onto the sides and making red gum paste roses to put on it as well. My team all came up with a really beautiful and elegant design so I am very excited to see how it turns out.

The final project for sugar class is due next week and while I don't have any pictures of it because nothing is assembled as of yet, I can tell you a little about it. We are creating a 3-D pond with a turtle, two fish, lily pads and a water lily. I will post photos as soon as it is finished.

“Never mistake activity for progress.”

-Unknown

Lady In Red

2009-05-14T19:47:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: Here they are! The hat desserts for the Red Hat Society are finally done. The luncheon will be this Saturday but we finished the desserts today. The dome is filled with white chocolate mousse and cherries with a slice of cake and all of that is sitting on a large shortbread cookie. The entire thing was then sprayed with red-colored white chocolate and piped with purple buttercream frosting for the ribbon and bow (I was the one responsible for the piping and other classmates did everything else.) We were there until almost 4 this afternoon finishing them and I think they turned out great. I am so excited for the Red Hat Ladies to see them.

“Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold — but so does a hard-boiled egg.”

-Unknown

Order Up!

2009-05-12T19:45:00.000-04:00

Last night was our last week of finals in my cooking class and my team was responsible for salad and soups. We did really good and worked so well together. Our chef had nothing but great things to say about my team and he absolutely loved our soup.

This is a California Strawberry & Feta Cheese Salad. We fried the wontons on top and made a lemon vinaigrette dressing.

Up next was soup, and we made an asparagus soup and served it with three slices of crostinis covered in a cream cheese and herb spread. I was the one who drew the "A" for asparagus. We knocked it out of the park. Woohoo!

“A good marriage is like a casserole, only those responsible for it really know what goes in it.”

-Unknown

Daring Baker's Challenge: April

2009-04-28T23:41:00.000-04:00

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Here are the cheesecake bites I made, original and chocolate. I am not a fan of baking cheesecake, in fact I hate it. But I made it through.

I had a hard time getting good pictures because my trusty digital camera is starting to lose it's mind.

“Beware of the half truth. You may have gotten hold of the wrong half.”

-Unknown

Sugar Sculpture Number Three

2009-04-23T01:31:00.000-04:00

Here is the newest sugar sculpture from sugar class. I am not as happy with the way this one turned out but here it is anyway.

“Whenever I get the energy to exercise, I sit down until it passes.”

-Unknown

POP! Goes the Cymbidium! Orchid, that is..

2009-04-11T19:23:00.000-04:00

I had another gumpaste class this morning with Tami Utley at Do It With Icing and we created a Cymbidium Orchid flower. Here is a picture of what the real flower looks like and then two pics of mine. It didn't turn out perfect and I could have put more color on it but since no two flowers are exactly the same, I will live with it. Haha.

“Plan ahead — it wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.”

-Unknown

2nd Sculpture Success

2009-04-01T18:42:00.000-04:00

I finished my second sugar sculpture today and I think it turned out pretty good. We added a rose, ribbons and bubble sugar to the base that we made last week. The rose took more time to make than the previous hedge roses and turned out better. I was not thrilled with the rose at first because I am used to making gumpaste roses but this one started to grow on me after a while. Each one of us had different color schemes but I tried to keep mine more natural.

“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.”

-Unknown

Calling All Callalilies!

2009-03-31T16:40:00.000-04:00

I finally got around to finishing those callalilies I have been promising. I didn't do much to them since I didn't have any petal dusts, only luster dusts which create shine but not too much color. After looking at some pictures of real callalilies, I think I can improve on them next time.

“This is an age-old truth: People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy.”

-Unknown

All Hail The Princess Cake!

2009-03-26T17:52:00.000-04:00

We made a princess cake in my cake class last night and here it is. The layers (from bottom to top) were: cake (with rum soak), raspberry jam, cream, cake, pastry cream, cake and more cream. The cake was then covered in green marzipan and garnished with fondant ribbon roses and leaves.

“When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on, and swing!”

-Unknown

Channel 8 News

2009-03-26T01:14:00.000-04:00

Here is the link to the video because I can't figure out a way to get the video onto my page.

Channel 8 News Segment - Grossmont College Culinary Program

Enjoy!

“Education should include knowledge of what to do with it.”

-Unknown

Beginning of 2nd Sugar Sculpture

2009-03-25T17:50:00.000-04:00

We have started working on our second sugar sculpture in my sugar class today. We made the base this week and will make the rose to sit on it in class next week. Keep in mind that this is a "work in progress" and I will post new pictures once we add something else to it. I decided to do a copper/brown color scheme and I think it turned out pretty good. The colors contrast well. This entire piece is made of sugar - the whole thing. The base was cast and even the feet on the bottom of the base are made of sugar. The branch-like piece is straw sugar (a different technique that included pulling hot sugar until it incorporated air and created a nice sheen and lighter color. I simply attached the pieces with melted sugar. It was not as difficult as I figured it would be, but I seem to have a knack for this stuff.

UPDATE: Our news segment did not air yesterday because of the Presidential speech so it will air today at 5pm instead. I will, of course, be in class but I am recording it. I will try to find a way to post it on here.

“The control center of your life is your attitude.”

-Unknown

It's A Bird, It's A Plane... It's The Lambeth Method!!

2009-03-21T20:10:00.000-04:00

I had another class today, the Lambeth method class with Nancy Linstead at Do It With Icing. Lambeth is a decorating technique or method that consists of piping the same designs over top of each other over and over again with different tips and sizes to create a dimensional or 3D cake. This cake took no time at all but looks very intricate. We added some color so you can see the design better but I like it without color better, I think. The cake is milk chocolate cake.

“Put 'eat chocolate' at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.”

-Unknown

15 Minutes of Fame

2009-03-20T01:15:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: The footage that Channel 8 News took of our class today will be aired in a segment about Grossmont College on Tuesday. I will record it and hopefully we looked good. They seemed very interested in everything we were doing. I can't wait to see it!

TV Appearance

2009-03-18T19:21:00.000-04:00

The Grossmont College culinary department is going to be on San Diego Channel 8 News! Tomorrow (Thursday), the news crew is going to be filming our Advanced Baking & Pastry class while creating the desserts and breads for the Fine Dining dinner later that night. I'm not sure if we will be on the news tomorrow or Friday but I am setting my DVR to record every new program for both days. I don't know how it will go tomorrow since I woke up this morning with a huge pimple! I'm sure God is laughing at me, but I am not amused.... Okay, maybe a little amused. I'll post the details tomorrow. Wish us luck!

In The Wonderful World of Sugar

2009-03-18T19:03:00.000-04:00

Today in sugar class, we used the pulled sugar technique to make hedge roses, leaves and a spiral thingy and put it all together. Here is the finished product:

Next, I finally found time to finish the roses (or semi-finish) that I made in class two weeks ago. I didn't have the exact colors I wanted but the structure of the roses turned out perfect. I like these better than the other I posted before because they are fuller.

I didn't, however, have time to finish the callalilies that we made. They are constructed but not dusted so I won't post a pic of them until I finish them, which may be this weekend if I get time (but since I have a Lambeth method cake decorating class on Saturday, I probably won't). I would work on them now but I'm not feeling at all well today and staying home from my night cake class because of it. I hate missing it, but I feel crappy and after that long class today and the long class tomorrow, I need a break. It's the perfect time to be sick, too, when Erik is gone. Poor, poor, pitiful me. Haha.

UPDATE: I no longer have to stress about the 120 red hats for the Red Hat Society. We are not making them until May so I have a lot more time now to prepare and practice. Whew!

“Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn’t have said.”

-Unknown

Give Me Liberty, or Give Me... Pearls!

2009-03-16T14:51:00.000-04:00

After a long day of grocery shopping, I decided to sit back, relax and make some pearls. They are 100% edible fondant pearls. I used black fondant because it made the silver stand out more. They were dried and then tossed in some edible pearl luster dust to make them shiny.

They can be used for many things so I will continue to stock up on them and make white pearls next. Maybe even make some pink ones. Oh, the possibilities..

“It is easier to swallow angry words than to have to eat them.”

-Unknown

It Isn't Over Til The Fat Lady EATS CAKE!

2009-03-15T14:15:00.001-04:00

Ooooooooperaaaa Cake! Out of the several cakes we have made thus far in my cake class, this one is by far my favorite. I absolutely love the coffee buttercream and even though it had dark chocolate ganache (and I'm more of a milk choc gal) I still couldn't stop eating this Opera cake. There are so many layers of yummy goodness. Here is each layer from the bottom up: cake, syrup, ganache, cake, syrup, buttercream, cake, syrup, buttercream, ganache. Wow, that's a lot of layers! And it was deeee-licious! Jealous?? Haha.

“You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely.”

-Unknown

Here Comes The Ranunculus

2009-03-15T00:29:00.000-04:00

My day today was full of classes. I accidently booked two classes in one day so I had to go straight from one to the other. The first was a rolled fondant class at Amy Malone's School of Cake Decorating with Susan Carberry, who owns The Cake Cottage in Murieta, CA. She demonstrated several fondant techniques in addition to covering several different shaped cakes. Then I was off to Do It With Icing for a gum paste class with Tami Utley. We made the Ranunculus flower. Here is a picture of what the flower normally looks like. (I found this picture after I got back home and it's funny that my flower was the same colors. Haha)

And here is what MY flower looks like: (It was almost dusk when I got home so it was too dark to get any really good pictures.)

I have been challenged by my Chef to make 120 red hats out of gum paste for the Red Hat Society meeting on Thursday and I am a little nervous. I will let you know how it goes and post lots of pictures.

“Life is like a beautiful melody, only the lyrics are messed up.”

-Unknown

Red Rose Cake

2009-03-13T01:18:00.001-04:00

Although this is not my favorite cake, it is special for a few reasons. This was the first stacked cake that I did that was this many tiers and layers of cake. I did a neopolitan cake with layers of chocolate, french vanilla and strawberry in each tier. The cake was covered in fondant that I made from scratch. I will post the recipe and instructions later (with pics if I have time). All in all, it turned out pretty good. I intended to put fresh roses around the cake but when I went to Sams Club, they didn't have what I was looking for so I opted for a rose stencil instead. It took some practice (but hey, that's what this whole cake was for anyway, practice). We are still eating it.

“Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everybody agrees that it is old enough to know better.”

-Unknown

Would A Rose By Any Other Name.... Taste This Good?

2009-03-13T01:07:00.000-04:00

So after buying gumpaste and letting it sit around for a while, I finally got the courage up to trying out some gumpaste roses. I think it turned out pretty good. We started working on some more roses and callalilies in my sugar class so I will post pictures of those when we're finished. We'll see if they turn out as good as this one did.

“When you give advice, remember that Socrates was a Greek philosopher who went around giving good advice. They poisoned him.”

-Unknown

My First Wedding Cake

2009-03-13T00:55:00.000-04:00

I have been practicing making wedding cakes and trying different structures and designs. This is my first wedding cake and it was a three tiered cake with three different flavored tiers, chocolate, yellow and lemon and all with bavarian cream filling. I chose a simple decoration with ruffles and sweet peas. Here are a few pics.

“It is possible for your mind to be so open that your brain falls out.”

-Unknown

Getting Some Practice

2009-03-12T18:53:00.000-04:00

I have been buying baking supplies for years and since starting my culinary degree at Grossmont College, I have been practicing more and more. Here are a few of my earlier yummies.

Easter Sugar Eggs

One has a duck and the other has a rabbit that were created with fondant.

Castle Birthday Cake

This cake was the first stacked cake I ever tried and it took a lot of time and prep. My sister, Ciara, stayed up late with me and helped. My little "fat dragon" was my favorite part. There were a total of 120 small flowers and the tops of the towers, doors, windows and everything purple had to be iced in addition to the cakes. Whew! Just looking at it makes me tired.

Halloween Spider Cake

The Halloween Spider Cake was my first tiered cake that used separators. I was pleased with the way the royal icing spider webs turned out. I didn't have any black frosting so you can see where I attached the spiders to the cake but it wasn't a big deal cause nobody could eat it anyway (it was a dummy cake).

“Blessed is the person who can laugh at himself — he'll never cease to be amused.”

-Unknown

Playing A Litte Catch-Up!

2009-03-12T18:24:00.000-04:00

So a lot has been going on lately that I would have loved to blog about (if I only had a blog!). Now I finally do! So it's time to play catch-up so everyone knows what I've been up to lately. This blog will also be the Storybook Bakery blog after my website and business is up and running, but for now, this will be my personal baking creative journal. Enjoy!

In Loving Memory Of My Grandmother

Barbara Joann Meadows "Granny"

Killed By Intoxicated Driver on Dec. 7, 2008

“Experience is what causes a person to make new mistakes instead of old ones.”

-Unknown