Rosenberg Wedding Cake

Ivory wedding cake with black scrolls and bead border. Four tiers: 6, 8, 10, 12" and two sheet cakes 11x15". Real red roses on top. Vanilla white cake with raspberry filling and vanilla buttercream. Since I used fresh flowers on this cake, I first set down 6" doilies, and piped a mound of buttercream. I placed the cut flowers into the mound and the vertical flowers I used flower spikes to insert them into the cake.

 I baked the cakes on Thursday. There were a total of 10 cakes since each tier on the large cake had two 2" cakes to make them an exact 4 inches in height once stacked. That was a total of 7.5 hours bake time. I leveled and filled them on Friday. Made buttercream Friday and frosted and piped the scrolls and borders on that day. Nine and a half hours for the work on Friday. I trimmed and placed the flowers Saturday morning at the reception site. I assembled the tiered cake completely at home and delivered it that way. Very nerve-wrecking! But I was confident since I used my cut pillars for support that the cake was level and I inserted a total of 4 skewers, sharpened to pierce through the layers of cake boards, that I wouldn't come apart. It was extremely heavy, probably close to 50 pounds of cake on my lap! I got to use my new silver hammered cake stand also.

The cake tasted great too (as I was a guest to the wedding, I actually got to have a slice, which is rare). The best part of the day was hearing the bride, Angela across the room "Oh my gosh, I LOVE the cake!" I didn't send her any pictures of the cake before the wedding, her reaction was priceless and made me tear up!

 Final set up. The globs of buttercream and doilies on the cake aren't the most attractive but I didn't want to stick potentially pesticide ridden flowers directly onto the frosting.

 My final cake sketch.

The florist told me to put the roses in hot water overnight to get the blooms to open. I didn't mind having flowers in vases to wake up to the next morning either ;)

The final set up at the reception.

Sheet cake 2

Sheet cake 1

I was also in charge of setting up/styling their table. 

Their first cut.

Just little old me, serving up cake!

Bridal Shower Birdcage

Inspiration for this cake came from Pinterest. It is a birdcage bridal shower cake.

The cake was made with my wonder mold pan which has the dimensions of 8" diameter and 5" tall. To add some height and create more of the birdcage shape, I used an 8x3" round. The cakes were vanilla and I  torted both cakes and added a raspberry filling and covered them in sweet buttercream. The wonder mold was set on a cakeboard and I used dowels in the round to support the top cake.

I made the flowers a few days ahead of time, just large and small swirl flowers, to give them time to harden.

I hand cut the birds from fondant and handpainted the details on with food coloring. Then I made the birdcage handle from fondant and allowed them to harden for a few days also.

I tied a small string of baker's twine to a toothpick, centered it and stuck it in the top of the cake and ran it down the sides, lightly pressing it into the buttercream to divide out the lines for the birdcage.

The finished cake I set on my porcelain cake stand.

Rockin' 1st Birthday: Drums and Guitar

My nephew is turning 1! I'm more than thrilled to make his two birthday cakes, a chocolate electric guitar cake and a vanilla drum cake (8" round). These cakes are covered with buttercream.

Chocolate Cake 

1 1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter, room temp

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

2 cups cake flour, sifted

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

6 oz semi sweet chocolate baking bars, melted and cooled

In mixing bowl combine sugar, butter and vanilla. Add eggs and beat for 1 minute. Add melted chocolate. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add milk. Prep guitar pan with Wilton cake release. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. I rotate my pan after 20 minutes to ensure even baking. Cool to room temp on wire rack then move to fridge to chill before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting
6 cups powdered sugar
4 sticks (2 cups) room temperature butter
2 tsp clear vanilla extract
2-4 tbsp heavy whipping cream
food coloring as needed

Mix together butter and sugar in stand mixer for 3 minutes on medium. Add vanilla and cream and beat for another minute.

The electric guitar pattern calls for 1 1/2 cup white (thin 1 cup with 1 tbsp light corn syrup), 1 3/4 blue, 3/4 cup light blue, and 3/4 cup black.



Follow the directions and must frost in order. For the areas that are iced smooth, it is harder to smooth them over since you don't want to take a long pass and run the colors together, smooth it as best you can, let it lightly crust over (after a few minutes) then take a non textured/colored paper towel (Viva brand) and lightly press to smooth any stray frosting. 

Vanilla Cake
1 cup butter, softened
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2 tsp clear vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and yolks one at a time. Add vanilla. Alternatively beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture until just combined. Divide batter between two 8x2" pans prepped with cake release and parchment cut to size. Baked at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 


Buttercream Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) room temperature butter
1 tsp clear vanilla extract
2tbsp heavy whipping cream
food coloring as needed

Mix together butter and sugar in stand mixer for 3 minutes on medium. Add vanilla and cream and beat for another minute. I leveled and frosted the cakes with the buttercream then used Wilton food mist* in blue to spray the sides, while covering the top with a paper towel. *Be sure to cover your work surface with newspaper! Then used the leftover black from the guitar to add the details.

The drum was displayed on a cake stand with drumsticks sitting on the table. 

Zachariah's Smash Cake

I had a blast baking a smash cake for my nephew then capturing him in the process of smashing it. I used a box mix Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge (Since I knew it was going to be mostly smashed and trashed and not eaten). Prepped my 6" round pan with Cake Release and parchment, then scooped 3 cups of batter into pan. Baked at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Invert pan onto cooling rack until room temp, then move to fridge. Use leftover batter for cupcakes. 

Buttercream Frosting
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 sticks (1 1/2 cup) room temperature butter
1 tbsp clear vanilla extract
3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
 food coloring as needed. For the drum cake 6" I left most white, colored some gray. (Leftover frosting used to cover cupcakes).

Once the cake was chilled, I leveled it and frosted it with the buttercream, moved it back into fridge to set. Using a plain Viva paper towel, I gently placed it on the top and sides to smooth out any bumps or air bubbles. Laid the paper towel on top and used Color Mist* in blue to spray the sides. *Remember to protect the surface you are working on with newspaper to collect over-spray. I used the gray tinted frosting in a piping bag with a petal tip 102 to make the top and bottom borders. Next, I used tip 3 to pipe the vertical lines and tip 102 again to go over the lines. Piped his little initials on the front and called it a drum.

We set up the area in my kitchen with lots of windows, covered it with a plastic silver tablecloth, threw in a couple balloons, hung his name in letters from the window sill, a pinata that I made, and I got to use my new cake stand. Add baby; commence pictures.

 These I am going to put together into an album along with video we shot, set to happy birthday music. My sister is going to pick her favorite pic and they are also going to be used in the favor bags as thank you notes.

I can't wait to make his birthday cakes in a couple weeks for his actual party. They will be a larger drum cake and a guitar.

Precious, right?