My Sweet and Saucy

Well, I am so excited to announce the winner of my first cookbook giveaway!  Thanks to all 35 people who participated in this little contest! When I put the info into the random number generator on my computer it said that the winner was….#2!!! Congratulations Landa from the All-Purpose Girl Blog! Your new Martha Stewart Cookie Book will be on its way shortly!Now onto the cakes!  This past weekend I had two events…one wedding and one birthday party. This was actually my first official wedding cake and I got to deliver it to the Queen Mary. The bride and groom were from England, which made it even more exciting, and came over to the U.S. just for their wedding. They were having a 1920’s theme wedding and so they sent me a picture of what they wanted the cake to look like. I put my own little twist on it and overall I was pretty happy with the outcome. The cake was carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and the top and bottom tier were covered in fondant, while the middle tier was covered in modeling chocolate. I used a technique called brushed embroidery to decorate the cake. First I made royal icing and colored it gold. Then I piped the design on freehand…basically I just looked at the photo that they sent me and tried to make a design similar to it. When piping I worked in segments…I piped on the royal icing and then used a small, wet paint brush and brushed the royal icing. I then let the icing dry. To get the glittery gold effect I used gold luster dust mixed it with a little vodka and painted over the piping to make it shimmer.  Lastly I piped a simple border of royal icing around the bases of the cake.

The second event I had this weekend was a surprise birthday party where I made the appetizers and the cake.  The appetizers were Salmon Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce, Bruschetta on Garlic Crostini, and Hot Parmesan Artichoke Dip with Pita Bread.  For the cake I made a chocolate cake with white chocolate whipped cream filling (see recipe below) and fresh strawberries and covered it with chocolate mousse buttercream.  As you can see from the photos of the cake, I have been getting more and more into using fresh flowers with my desserts.  I have the most adorable flower shop near my house and I love looking at their new flowers they get every day.  The theme for the party was “Tequila Sunrise” and so they wanted a cake with the colors pink, red, and orange.  I colored some vanilla buttercream I had red and piped a dot border around the edges of the cake and then used the same buttercream to pipe the birthday message.  To get the flowers to stick in the cake, I wrapped a skewer around the stem of the flower and secured it with floral tap.  Once I got to the party I was a little worried about the cake since we got a massive heat wave here in CA and it was around 90 degrees on Saturday…not so good for buttercream.  Thankfully it survived though!

The recipe for white chocolate whipped cream is quite easy and only uses two ingredients: white chocolate and heavy cream

White Chocolate Whipped Cream

adapted from Fran Bigelow’s book, Pure Chocolate 

Makes 3 cups

6 oz white chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled

Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, at 30 seconds intervals, stirring each time.  Let cool slightly.  Whip the cream to very soft peaks.  Working quickly, with a hand whisk add the lightly whipped cream all at once to the cooled melted chocolate.  (Don’t reverse the order, or chips will form.)  Whisk until thoroughly combined, but don’t overwhip or you will lose the smooth consistency.  Chilled until needed.

Today has been so much fun for me because I had my first cooking class at Prep Kitchen Essentials, in Seal Beach, CA. What a dream place this is to teach in…fabulous food, top-notch equipment, and someone does your dishes for you too! I think I died and went to heaven! I was also so excited to have two of my blog readers come to the class! Well, I wanted to share a couple photos with you and one of the recipes too! In today’s class I taught how to make Buttermilk Cake with Lemon Cream and Fresh Raspberries, Mini Key Lime Pies with Toasted Meringue Topping, and Cream Puffs with Sweet Melissa’s Deadly Chocolate Fudge Sauce! The class was so much fun and I couldn’t help but want to share with you the Cream Puff recipe! This recipe is quite easy and so much fun for everyone. You can make these into profiteroles by substituting the whipped cream filling for a scoop of your favorite ice cream…doesn’t that sound yummy!

Servings: about 16 profiteroles/cream puffs

Pate a Choux:

adapted from The King Arthur Flour Baking Companion

8 oz. (1 c.) Water

5 ¼ oz (1 ¼ c.) AP Flour

8 T. Unsalted Butter

3-4 large eggs

¾ t. salt

Preheat oven 425 degrees

Put the water, salt, and butter in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add the flour all at once. Return the pan to the burner and start stirring vigorously. Cook over medium heat, while stirring constantly, until the mixture forms a ball. (About 1 minute or so) Remove from heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes, or until 140 degrees. Place the dough in a mixer bowl and beat in the eggs one at a time. Before adding the last egg check the consistency of the dough. Pinch the dough between your fingers and slowly pull apart. If the dough breaks easily, add the last egg. Continue beating for at least 2 minutes after the last egg has been beaten.

Place the dough in a piping bag with a #809 tip. Pipe the dough into small balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. If a peak forms, then gently dab it with a wet finger.

Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temp. to 375 degrees and continue baking for 15 more minutes. The balls should feel like and hollow. Turn off the oven, open the door a crack, and leave the balls to cool for 30 more minutes.

Chocolate Fudge Sauce:

adapted from Sweet Melissa’s Baking Book

7.5 oz best-quality bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped

¼ c. sugar

½ c. plus 1 t. light corn syrup

½ c. plus 1 t. water

¾ c. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

¾ t. instant coffee or instant espresso powder

1 T. liquor (cognac, brandy, Kahlua, etc.)

Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals until the chocolate is completely melted. (You can also melt the chocolate in a double boiler set or simmering water.) Keep warm.

In a large saucepan over medium heat add the sugar, corn syrup, water, cocoa powder, and instant coffee. Bring to a boil, while whisking constantly. Once the mixture comes to a rapid boil, continue cooking for 1-2 more minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in the melted chocolate and liquor.

Whipped Cream:

1 Pint heavy whipping cream

1 t. vanilla extract

Powdered sugar to taste

Whip cold heavy whipping cream with a whisk attachment until slightly thickened. Add powdered sugar to taste and vanilla extract. Continue whipping until soft peaks form.

Once cool, cut balls in half with a serrated bread knife and place small scoops of ice cream or whipped cream inside. Drizzle the chocolate sauce on top and enjoy!

Here are some more photos from the class!

To celebrate my happy day with my blogging friends and readers I wanted to give away a free copy of Martha Stewart’s new book “Martha Stewart’s Cookies“. This is a great resource for yummy cookies and I wanted to share it with one of you! All you have to do is leave me a comment with what your all-time favorite dessert is. I am looking to figure out new recipes to try and I want to know what desserts hold a special place in your hearts. Look forward to hearing your comments!  The deadline is Saturday night!

It was my turn to bring dessert to my Bible study last Thursday night, which was around the same time I was making the cake for the Barbie cake, so I decided to use a little of the batter to make mini cupcakes for everyone.  To make the cupcakes even cuter I decided to use some adorable flower cupcakes liners that I got from Fancy Flours.  I think I have an unhealthy addiction to cute cupcake liners and once I see them…I have to have them!  

I been really into using one of Barefoot Contessa’s chocolate cake recipes and have found that it is my favorite chocolate cake recipe I’ve tasted yet…and believe me, I have eaten a lot of chocolate cake!  I use a pastry bag and fill it will the batter and then pipe it into the mini cupcake liners to make everything a lot easier.  To spice the recipe up even more I added a peanut butter filling from Chockylit’s Cupcake Blog (As she recommends, definitely add more milk to this recipe…just enough to make it creamy). To put the filling in the cupcakes I use a pastry bag with a medium tip and insert the tip into the cupcake and squeeze until the cupcake expands slightly and the filling comes to the top. 

To top off these yummy cupcakes I used a Chocolate Mousse Buttercream recipe from the book Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey, by Jill O’Conner.  This recipe is delicious!

Chocolate Mousse Buttercream

adapted from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey

yield: about 5 cups

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 T. Dutch processed cocoa powder

1 t. vanilla extract

pinch of salt

6 sticks (24 0z)of cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

12 0z semisweet chocolate, melted 

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and cocoa powder in the metal bowl of a stand mixer.

Fill a large saute pan with hot water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Place the mixing bowl in the water and whisk the egg mixture constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is thick and fluffy and very hot, 3-4 minutes.  The temperature should be between 120-140 degrees.

Remove the bowl from the water and using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs at a medium-high speed until they are tripled in volume and form very soft peaks.  The bottom of the bowl should be completely cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.  Beat in the vanilla and salt.

Switch to the paddle attachment on your mixer and turn to medium-high speed.  Add the chucks of butter a couple at a time.  Once all is added, turn the mixer on high speed and let it mix until the buttercream comes together and is shiny and smooth…don’t worry if it separates at first, it will come together!  

Add the buttercream to another bowl (not metal…it is too cold and will seize the chocolate) and then add 1/2 of the warm chocolate and stir to incorporate.  Add the remaining chocolate and stir to fully incorporate.    Place the chocolate buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with a #807 tip and pipe your buttercream onto the cupcake.  To get the swirl effect, simply start at one end of the cupcake and pipe in a circle.  Continue piping until you have two layers of frosting.  Stop squeezing the frosting and quickly pull tip away from cupcake.

To make the fondant accent simply roll out your fondant to 1/8″-1/4″ thick and stamp your impressions onto it.  If it sticks add a little cornstarch.  Next use a brush to add luster dust to the fondant.  Then use a small circle cutter and cut circles out of the fondant.  Let the circles dry slightly before adding them to the cupcake or else they won’t hold their shape.   

 And here is the final cupcake creation!

Having so many family and friends that live near me always gives an opportunity to try out new dessert ideas. This past weekend was my little cousin’s birthday party and her mom and I decided that a Barbie Doll cake would be perfect for the party. This was my first time making a Barbie Doll cake and I was excited to see how it would turn out. Overall I was happy with it, but there is definitely some things that I would do differently next time.

Instead of buying a Barbie Doll pan for the actual cake part I just baked three cakes… 4″,5″, 6″ and cake rounds. I split the cakes into two layers each and filled them with vanilla buttercream. I then stacked the three cakes on top of each other and spread buttercream between them.

Next I trimmed the cake on the sides and placed the trimmed pieces of the cake back onto the cake so that the shape would be more rounded. I then coated the whole cake in buttercream and placed it on the cake board that I lined with fondant.

I rolled out my fondant to about 1/8″-1/4″ and draped it over the cake.  I just used my fingers to maneuver the fondant so that it created pleats like a dress would have.  I then used fondant to cover the top part of the Barbie and stuck the Barbie into the center of the cake.  To decorate the dress I used royal icing to pipe dots and the girl’s names and I used stamps to make fondant flowers for the dress too.

Lastly I wanted to say THANK YOU to Stephanie over at Stephanie’s Kitchen for giving me this “Bloggin with a Purpose” award.  I absolutely love her blog and was so honored that she thought of me when passing her awards out!  Definitely go check her out and the other nominated blogs!

This past week has been full of baking, baking, and more baking, so look forward to many posts this coming week. The first of many posts is probably my favorite! This past weekend I had the pleasure of making more treats for my friend Karrie’s second bridal shower. This time the shower was in San Diego, CA and it was at Tea Upon Chatsworth. I had never been to a tea house before and had an absolutely wonderful time. Tea and yummy treats…what could be better! I was asked to make about 40 bridal shower favors for the ladies and decided that trying out mini cakes was the route I was going to take. My wonderful friend April from culinary school came over to help me with the project, but when midnight came she had to leave and that left me to finish them…lets just say that my head didn’t hit the pillow until around 4:30am…I don’t think I would’ve finished without April! I do have to say that I still ended up having a lovely day at the shower, even on 2 1/2 hours sleep, and I was pretty happy with how my little cakes turned out. The circle cakes were chocolate cake with chocolate mousse buttercream and fresh strawberries and the square cakes were buttermilk cake with passion fruit mousse and fresh strawberries. I took photos at my house and also at the shower, so sorry for the overload of photos, but I love taking pictures of my goodies…please let me know your favorite photo, so I can see which one I should put on my official website!

To make them I baked the cake in 13 x 9 pans and then used cookie cutters to cut circles out of the cooled cake. I used a serrated bread knife to make the squares out of the other cake. One I had enough cut outs for each cake to have two layers I piped on a outer ring of vanilla buttercream with a piping bag on the bottom layer and then piped in the filling for the cakes and added the sliced strawberries. Next I placed the second cake layer on top and piped buttercream around the cake before I smoothed it down. Piping the buttercream on the mini cakes is easier than trying to frost them completely with only a offset spatula because the cakes are not as stable as larger ones. After covering the cakes with buttercream I rolled out fondant, I prefer using Satin Ice Fondant, and smoothed it over the cakes. (Side note: I am really happy with Satin Ice Fondant and got many compliments on how the fondant tasted…since many people have a mad mindset about it. Also I have tried marshmallow fondant, but found that I didn’t like the consistency as much as regular fondant…so I’m sticking with Satin Ice). After the fondant is on the cake and smoothed I use a pizza wheel to go around the bottom edge of the cake and cut off the excess.

I then adhered different color ribbon around the bottom of each cake with a dab of buttercream. I also piped three small dots of buttercream at the seam of the ribbon and then adhered three silver dragees to the buttercream dots.

For a decorating accent I rolled out some gray fondant and then stamped the flower design onto the fondant and lust dusted the whole mini cake. As you can see in the photos I used three different flower stamps on the fondant. (For more info about these kind of stamps check out my other posts on cupcakes). I then used circle cookie cutters to cut out neat circles and adhered them to the cake with a dab of water. To package the mini cakes I used 4″x4″x4″ clear boxes, which you can get from Garnish, and tied them with different color ribbons. On some of the boxes I cut fresh button mums and stuck them underneath the ribbon.

And lastly here are some more photos from the shower that were too fun not to post…hope you enjoy them!

I was so excited to find out that my company, Sweet & Saucy, was featured on Weddingchicks.com!!! Thank you so much Wedding Chicks!

I went looking through my recipe files the other day and picked out a few recipes that I wanted to try. Of course two of the recipes I picked had passion fruit in them…I don’t know what it is, but the fruit it somewhat alluring to me. The first recipe I tried was from Martha Stewart and it was her “Cookie of the Month” a while back. The recipe was for Coconut Cookies with Passion Fruit Curd. I thought it would be a instant hit with my taste buds! The cookies turned out very cute looking, but the wow factor for the taste was just not there for me. The cookies I think needed a little more flavor or sweetness and could’ve been a little crisper. The passion fruit curd was good, but also needed a little more sweetness to it in my opinion. I almost thought I would like to add a little cream cheese frosting to it to mellow out the flavor and sweeten it up, but sadly I had none. I do have some leftover curd though and might try it tomorrow…I’ll let you know how it turns out. So overall I wasn’t blown away, but the idea of the recipe does seem like a winner to me. I think I am going to tweak the recipe and try it again sometime. Well, for anyone for wants to give this recipe a try too here are some photos I took along the way. Let me know your thoughts!

Here is a photo of the cooked curd and the finished cookie dough. The dough needs to be chilled and then rolled thin and cut into small circles. You chill the dough once again and bake until slightly golden brown (next time I would back them longer).

I also wanted to take the time to thank a few fellow bloggers and readers for their kind words and generous acts. First off I want to say a big thank you to one my readers, Dawn. Dawn so thoughtfully asked me if I wanted to give a professional size whisk she had at home that she had not used a good home…of course I said I would be delighted! A few days later I found a package on my doorstep with a beautiful whisk and yummy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies…a double win! Thank you so much Dawn!

The next person I wanted to thank was Aran from Cannelle et Vanille for giving me my first blogger award! I was so excited to receive it and also to check out the other bloggers that she awarded it to. If you haven’t checked out her blog before you are definitely missing out…she is an absolute mastermind when it comes to desserts and creativity and inspires me everyday with her gorgeous and informative posts.

I would like to pass on the award to 10 more deserving bloggers…so here it goes!

Cake Journal - amazing cakes and cookies and really informative tutorials

Bakerella - if you don’t know about her yet, you’re missing out…she was just on the Martha Stewart Show…two words “Cupcake Pops”

Make Life Sweeter - new and fun desserts, with great presentation

Frosted Garden - fun, different, and exciting cakes

Pastry Studio - delightful recipes and photos fit for a pastry princess

Sugar Plum - great writing, off the chart recipes…just plain fun!

Joy the Baker - this baker blogs about almost seven recipes a week and guess what, they are all fantastic looking!

Cupcake Bakeshop - some of the most daring and delicious cupcake recipes out there…one of my favorites

Cake Wardrobe - a fashion designer that makes her desserts look as good as they taste

Artisan Sweets -  great stories and photos and wonderful recipes for every kind of baker

Lastly I wanted to say thank you to Emily at Designer Mommy and Mimi at Enjoy for telling your readers about my blog. I definitely recommend checking out their blogs too…you’ll have tons of fun!

Well, I’m back from Palm Springs…not that much tanner, but a start!  Baking is just not in the books this week I guess because right after getting back from Palm Springs I went to babysit my sister’s three beautiful daughters so that she could go to Palm Springs for a few days too.  They are such a joy, but definitely keep me very busy!  I wanted to share with you the Sweet Almond Cake recipe from Sweet Melissa’s Baking Book though because it is just too darn tasty to keep a secret.  I have to say that this book is probably my #1 go to book right now for testing new recipes and it hasn’t failed me yet.  I made this cake for the baby shower I did last week and it was a huge hit!  Like I said in an earlier post, I added fresh raspberries to the lemon curd since I love fresh fruit and I thought that it turned out to be a lovely addition.  Hope you all find the time to try out this recipe and let me know if you do!

SWEET ALMOND CAKE WITH LEMON CURD AND LEMON MASCARPONE FROSTING

I get very excited about this cake. The almond cake is deliriously delicious all on its own. To add thin layers of fresh lemon curd gilds the lily. But the silky lemony mascarpone frosting? It’s just too much (you should really try this—really).

Makes one 9-inch cake

FOR THE CAKE

2 cups sliced blanched almonds

2 cups sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon almond extract

12 large egg whites, at room temperature

FOR THE LEMON CURD FILLING

3 large eggs

1 cup sugar

½ cup fresh lemon juice (about 5 lemons)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

FOR THE LEMON MASCARPONE FROSTING

1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Pinch kosher salt

1 3/4 cups mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

BEFORE YOU START

Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9 x 2-inch round cake pans. Line each pan with a 9-inch round of parchment paper.

TO MAKE THE CAKE

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the sliced almonds with 2/3 cup of the sugar and pulse grind until it is a coarse flour.

2. Transfer the almond flour to a large bowl. Add the all-purpose flour, an additional 2/3 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine.

3. Have ready a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, brown the butter over medium heat. (The butter will melt first, and then the milk solids will settle to the bottom. After a little while, the milk solids will start to turn golden.) When the milk solids have reached a nutty brown color, immediately remove from the heat. Using the fine-meshed strainer, strain the butter into the flour mixture. Stir to combine. Discard the butter solids. Stir in the vanilla and almond extract.

4. In the very clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the very clean whip attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. In a slow steady stream, with the mixer on medium, add the remaining 2/3 cup of the sugar. Increase the speed to high. Beat until there are firm—not dry—glossy peaks of meringue.

5. Using a rubber spatula, briskly fold one-third of the meringue mixture into the batter to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining meringue until just combined.

6. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Spin the pans to level the batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool in the pans for 20 minutes before turning layers out onto the rack. Cool completely before filling or frosting. The baked layers may be stored tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for 2 days. For longer storage, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to 2 weeks. Do not unwrap before thawing.

TO MAKE THE FILLING

1. In a medium nonreactive bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and butter. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering, not boiling, water. Stir until the butter is melted. Continue to stir until the lemon curd thickens and is nappante (thick enough to coat the back of the spoon), about 10 minutes.

2. Strain the lemon curd into a clean bowl. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap flush against the surface of the lemon curd (to prevent a skin from forming). Place the bowl in an ice bath (see Note, page 99) to cool before using as a filling between layers. The curd will thicken upon cooling; use it only when cool. You will use about 2/3 cup of lemon curd for each layer.

The lemon curd keeps refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Whisk until smooth before using.

TO MAKE THE FROSTING

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the confectioners’ sugar, zest, lemon juice, and salt on low speed until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Add the mascarpone and butter and mix until just combined. Do not overbeat or the frosting will be grainy. Rebeat briefly after standing, if needed. The frosting keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Bring it to room temperature and beat briefly before using.

The cake is best eaten slightly chilled. it can be kept in a cake saver in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

The foregoing is excerpted from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy. All rights reserved. Copyright © Melissa Murphy, 2008.

I thought I would also leave all of you with two photos of a sugar cookie order that I had last week.  The colors were the same as my cake, lavender and sage green…I guess that color combo is in right now!  Not the greatest photo quality, but I was running out the door and thought I should snap a shot!  Enjoy!

I have had a couple people ask me about the silhouette I used, so here it is.  Hopefully it inspires you to make a cake!

Saturday I had the great pleasure of helping throw a baby shower for my sister-in-law who is pregnant and due June 10th.  When we talked about who would do what for the shower I volunteered to do the cake, since in my book practice makes perfect.  I hadn’t done a baby shower cake before and couldn’t wait to start coming up with the design.  My sister-in-law loves the color purple so I thought sage green would be a great color combo. I love looking at other people’s cakes for inspiration at Cake Central, which if you haven’t checked out is a treasure trove of wonderful delights.  I had seen many baby shower cakes done with fun silhouettes of pregnant ladies on it and decided to try one out myself.  I found this sketch of a pregnant lady on Cake Central and decided to go with it.  I was extremely lucky to have my friend Erica O’Brien, from Erica O’Brien Cake Design, come over and help me with it and overall we were pretty happy with how it turned out.  The credit for how well the silhouette turned out definitely goes to Erica…she meticulously cut the design out with an exacto knife and I thought it turned out great!  I decided to also try another new idea with this cake and did the middle tier almost double the size of the bottom and top tiers.  This look again comes from April Reed, who’s cakes are often not your traditional size and shape and in my opinion are very fun and interesting to look at. This cake design was quite tricky and especially hard to travel with.  I assembled the whole cake and then drove it to the place, which was very stressful and scary at times.  Next time I am assembling this style of cake on site for sure. The cake did make it there all in one piece and was a fun addition to a great shower.  I was also very happy to get so many compliments on the taste of the cake too, which in my opinion is the most important part.  No matter how beautiful a cake is, if it doesn’t take as good as it looks then it is a failure in my opinion.  The bottom cake was a Sweet Almond Cake with Lemon Cream and fresh Raspberries and a Lemon Mascarpone Frosting, which was a recipe from Sweet Melissa’s Baking Book that I tried for the first time with great success.  I used my own recipe for lemon cream, and I added the raspberries since I love fresh fruit in cakes.  The almond cake was to die for and I highly recommend trying it yourself.  The top two tiers were Banana Buttermilk Cake with Peanut Butter Filling and Milk Chocolate Ganache Frosting.  I think that it is really fun for your guests to have a choice between two different types of cakes since some people like light fruity cakes and others tend to like a richer cake with some chocolate in it.  I am currently on vacation in Palm Springs trying to get a tan before my friend’s wedding, so I can’t post the Sweet Melissa’s recipe right now, but I will try to get it up for you soon.  I do highly recommend buying the book yourself though as it is full of great recipes for all sorts of occasions.

As you can see I used the stamping technique on fondant again for the tiny circles around the cake.  I added the tiny dots of royal icing to the bottom of the cake board and the border of the frame for added detail and luster dusted the whole cake to give it a shimmer.  I love the detail of the pregnant lady, especially her little heart on the belly for the baby inside!    

 Thanks for taking a look!

Well since my gallery of tiered or wedding cakes isn’t as full as my sugar cookie gallery I decided I better do a couple more cakes over the next few weeks. Since I didn’t have any major event I decided to test out a few designs on a dummy cake (styrofoam cake layers). I wanted to get the most bang for my buck so I decided to cover one cake dummy in white fondant and then try out a few different designs on that one cake. The first two cake looks are quite simple, but I love that look. If you have a really nicely covered cake and a beautiful flower then I feel like you should showcase them. This look is quite simplistic and modern, but for some brides it might be the look they’re looking for. To get the flower to stay in the cake I inserted a skewer up the flower and then lodged the other side of the skewer into the cake dummy. For more simplistic, modern designs check out April Reed. She is by far one of my favorite cake designers and I am in awe of her talent!

So as you can see not too much difference between these two, but I wanted to see which flower and background I liked better with the brown.  Let me know you opinion!

After trying those two simple cake designs I thought I would try a little different design.  I get my background paper from Paper Source or Martha Stewart’s line at Michael’s normally.  Last time I was at Paper Source I fell in love with this background.  It is so funky and fun and it inspired me to make a cake design about it.

I simply rolled out my colored fondant and then impressed it with Clear Stamps by Autumn Leaves.  I also brushed the fondant with luster dust and then cut out the circles with a small circle cutter.  I attached the fondant circles with a little dab of water.

To make the gold swirls simply pipe on dots of royal icing and then adhere the gold dragees.

Thanks for taking a look!