Beer Can Cake

I made this for extended family as a surprise "beer"thday cake! The cake is a Swiss Roll Cake, Chocolate sponge cake in a jelly roll pan with marshmallow buttercream filling and covered with marshmallow flavored ganache using limited edition marshamallow candy melts. I had to pour the ganache onto a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie tray, in a rectangle 9x8", move it into the freezer for about 15 minutes, then flip the sheet of ganache onto the cake and cut off the excess. I used the back of a knife to press it under the cake.

 I made "ice cubes" out of corn syrup and sugar molded in a mini ice cube tray. I used the brush embroidery technique to do the mountains in the logo.

 The beer foam or bubbles are white fondant rolled into different size balls and coated with gold luster dust. I attached them by piping a stream of buttercream then randomly pressing them into place.

 The top and bottom of the can are white fondant, sculpted and I even made the pop tab open. Sprayed the cake with silver color mist. I hand painted the logo and blue stripe on with color gel mixed with cake flavored vodka.

Rainbows and Unicorns

Vanilla cake with rainbow layers inside and pink buttercream! I followed this tutorial from Betty Crocker. I added the 2 tsp of cocoa powder to the no-taste red to make it deeper and I used my Wilton gel colors because they are less watery than the regular store food colors.  The stand up cake behind the rainbow is a 6" strawberry cake cut in half.

 

Hand-painted unicorn on fondant. I used a combination of food writer markers and gel food coloring mixed with a bit of clear vanilla  to draw and paint the unicorn. I added shading with pink and purple color dust then went over the whole thing with silver pearl dust.

Fondant rainbow ball border. Roll fondant out 1/4 inch thick, use a medium sized circle cutter, cut each circle in half, then roll each half into a ball.

Fondant: Hearts, Stars, Rainbows, Flowers, Butterflies, Clouds, Name. The stars are threaded on unwrapped floral wire which I went back and hand wrapped with floral wire. The number 4 I cut out and sprayed with silver edible food mist.

I shaped the flowers in small flower formers and put the butterflies in my wavy flower former to give them shape.

Lisa Frank inspired

Final Sketch

"Sweet" 16 Candy Cake

This cake was so fun and easy to make!

I used store bought lollipops, whirly pops, swizzle sticks and gumballs, and add the 16 and name with fondant. The swirls on the fondant are handpainted with food coloring mixed in with clear vanilla extract.

How stinkin' adorable is that sprinkle lollipop?

The cake itself was a 10" round, two layer strawberry cake with white buttercream.

Cake Batter Fudge

I borrowed this recipe from here after a friend came across it online. Had to try it since it looked so good! I followed the recipe exactly except that I used Cherry Chip cake mix instead of white or yellow. It tasted great! And I used up some of the many sprinkles/sequins/edible hearts/sparkling sugars that I have.

2 cups Cherry Chip cake mix
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cups (1 stick) butter cut into fourths
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4-1/2 cup sprinkles (and just like the recipe says, who measures sprinkles? Just to crazy!)

In a microwave safe bowl, combine cake mix and sugar. Add butter and milk. Microwave on high 2 minutes. Stir until combined. Add chocolate chips and stir again. Fold in half of sprinkles. Spread in to a greased or lined with parchment 8x8 pan. Add remaining sprinkles and press in. Refrigerate to set. Cut into 1 inch squares.

Halloween Cupcakes

I made Halloween cupcakes! The designs are a green eyeball, witch's hats, witch's broom, spider webs, vampires, candy corn (which I have since learned that they are yellow-orange-white not orange-yellow-white. How was I to know? I don't like them!), mummies, trick or treats, boo's, and pumpkins.

Mason's Piñata Cake

White Chocolate Cake
5 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
12 (1 ounce) squares white chocolate, chopped
1 cup hot water
2 cup ( 4 sticks) butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt. In double boiler, melt together white chocolate and hot water. Cool to room temp. In mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Mix in melted white chocolate. Pour into 11x15" sheet pan, bake for 45-60 minutes. 

Buttercream, m&m's and whipped cream frosting in between the layers.






















Whipped Cream Frosting
4 cups heavy whipping cream
8 tbsp powdered sugar 
2 tsp clear vanilla extract 

In mixing bowl, combine heavy whipping cream and sugar. Beat on medium high until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla, beat for 1 minute.

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


Cream together butter and sugar. Beat for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, beat for 1 minute. Add heavy whipping cream, beat for 3 minutes, until fluffy.

Frozen buttercream transfers:

Use the mirror image when doing buttercream transfers.

Start with foreground, outline, then fill. Then cover the back with the color of the frosting on the cake, white in my case. Try to get the frosting level. Let freeze until hard (usually about 15-20 minutes) otherwise the buttercream will stick to the wax paper.

Position on cake. Pull wax paper away.

I piped on the tail and filled in any gaps. 

Flag border piping.

Pipe on bridle and reins, wording and bottom border. Voila! 

Easter Cupcakes

A coworker ordered 72 cupcakes to divide between her 4 school aged children's Easter class parties at school. I found inspiration for designs online and by looking at all the Easter merchandise we have currently around the store. We chose 5 designs: a "grass" (tip 233) and "dirt" (crushed Oreos) covered cupcake with jelly bean "eggs", bunny face, chick hatching, dyed eggs, and flowers. I sketched 3 varieties of flowers and 2 varieties of dyed eggs. Due to the time that it took to make them, I ended up only using bunny faces, grass/eggs and the flowers.

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. Use ice cream scoop to divide batter into cupcake tins with liners. Baked at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Take this recipe by 3 for 72 cupcakes total.

Buttercream Frosting
12 cups powdered sugar
8 sticks (4 cups) room temperature butter
6 tsp clear vanilla extract
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. Divide and color. 

3 boxes of 24 each makes 72 Easter cupcakes.