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.

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?

Happy Halloween

I saw on Pinterest a pumpkin shaped cake made using bundt pans. I used one box of Betty Crocker Devil's Food and one box of French Vanilla. Make sure to spray and flour the pan well so it doesn't stick. I made the frosting from scratch in two batches, one dyed green and one dyed orange. The stem is a ice cream cone sprayed with Wilton's Color Mist Spray. The jack o'lantern face is Wilton Sugar Sheet in black.

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

I made one batch of green and then one batch of orange. I used the green to frost inside the round of the bundt, and to make the vines and the leaves.

Jaiden's 3rd Princess Birthday

Princess castle themed cake!

Chocolate Cake
3-3/4 cup sugar
2-1/4 cup butter, room temp
1 tbsp vanilla
9 eggs
6 cups cake flour, sifted
1 tbsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp salt
3 cups milk
18 oz semi sweet chocolate baking bars, melted and cooled

18 oz of chocolate. mmm. chocolate.

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. In 6x3" round and two 10x2" round baking pans,  spray with oil, coat sides with cocoa powder and line with parchment paper. Divide batter between pans and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. I rotate my pans after 20 minutes to ensure even baking. Cool to room temp on wire rack then move to fridge to chill before frosting. Cakes are leveled and torted with buttercream.

Black Cherry Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1-1/2 cups solid vegetable shortening
1-1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp clear vanilla extract
1 tsp cherry Kool-aid powder
12 cups powdered sugar, sifted
6 tbsp milk

Cream together shortening and butter. Add vanilla. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Add milk. This makes a pretty pink frosting. I divided it in thirds, added kool-aid to make 1/3 pink, added blue and violet food coloring and more kool-aid to make the purple frosting, the remaining 1/3 was only vanilla, to make green, brown and blue detail work.

The castle turrets are a regular ice cream cone sprayed with color mist, with a waffle cone inverted set into it and attached with buttercream. The waffle cones were painted with melted white chocolate and rolled in pink  and purple sprinkles. The flags are pink fondant cut into flag shapes, rolled onto a toothpick. Allow to air dry overnight with toothpicks threaded in to give them shape.