Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Birthday Cake for Walt




This cake was made to celebrate the birthday of someone I hold near and dear to my heart. I felt attached to this cake and did not want to see it cut (although I did want to eat it). Alas, it was cut and served and everyone LOVED it! This is an 8" chocolate sour cream layer cake with cream cheese frosting. A lovely combination indeed! The flowers are made from royal icing and lightly sprinkled with pink sugar.
I think this would make a lovely cake for a small wedding.


P.S. I have no idea why one of the images is rotated.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

If you love chocolate....




Who doesn't love a good brownie? This is a Martha Stewart recipe that I added a dark chocolate glaze to. It is hard to describe how good they are. Let me try; mmmmmmmahhhhhyummmmm!!!! I will be making them for Valentines Day this year.

Let me know if you would like me to make some for you. Be on the look out for my Valentine Sugar Cookies!

Friday, January 15, 2010

with glaze this time



Someone made a request for this cake. I made it again, but this time I baked it at 350 for 40 minutes instead of 375 for 50 minutes. Last time it was a little to done around the edge. I also made a glaze out of clementine juice and powdered sugar. I squeezed the clementine wedges with a garlic press, very effective. Here's some picture of an uncut glazed version.

Monday, January 11, 2010

intrigued



I was so intrigued by this cake recipe that I found on Smitten Kitchen's blog. The recipe for Clementine Cake is by Nigella Lawson and I just had to try it. I was easy, though time consuming and it is so delicious!!!! There is no flour in it so it would be great for those with a wheat intolerance. I am sending the rest of it in to work with my husband or else I will eat it all.


p.s. Next day, the powdered sugar that I so lovingly dusted on top of the cake got absorbed into the cake. Thinking that I did it too soon after the cake came out of the oven, I dusted more sugar on. Within minutes, it too was absorbed. Next time I will glaze it!

Monday, January 4, 2010

For Shirley




I made this cake in honor of my friend Shirley. She recently passed away and I brought this to a pot luck which was held after her memorial service. Shirley was an awesome and beautiful woman and I will miss her tremendously.

more holiday cakes




I made two red velvet cakes for the holidays. I used the McCormick recipe and found it to be quite tasty. Unfortunately, I was not there when they were cut open, so I have no picture of the inside. They are both 10 " layers, with cream cheese frosting and filling. I decorated them with very simple piping because I just loved how they looked. Sometimes, less really is more.

Julie's Cake





These cakes were a request from someone who I baked for last summer. The first request was for a repeat of the chocolate chocolate chocolate cake from cake weekend. Since it was for a holiday party, I added hand painted fondant poinsettia flowers. The other request was for a white chocolate cake with white chocolate frosting and white chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries . Sounds yummy. I searched for a recipe for the cake all over the place and finally found one (cannot remember where). Then to find the frosting recipe..., not so easy. I was not liking the ones I found, too complicated. Then I remembered, The Cake Mix Doctor!!! I found a white chocolate cream cheese frosting that was easy and oh so delicious! Next, the white chocolate ganache. I found one recipe that I had to throw out because I did something wrong and it became lumpy. I was not happy. Then I remembered The Cake Mix Doctor again. And again, it was easy and delicious. The cake looked beautiful! All that white was stunning! I wish I could have taken a photo of the inside with the fresh sliced strawberries layered in between buttercream frosting, mmmmm! The sad part is, that due to bad weather, the party was postponed a week. The people already had the cakes, so I told them to seal the boxes with saran wrap and keep in the frig. It was to be consumed a week later and I do hope it was okay.
P.S. I just heard that the cakes were oaky and delicious too!