Cakes for week of 5/19/14

Hello!  I can’t believe it’s Wednesday!  Having a holiday weekend really threw my schedule for a loop!  We had a fantastic time doing fun stuff like neighborhood cookouts and the Indy500.  I hope you all had a nice holiday honoring those who have served our country.

Here’s what was cooking in my kitchen last week…

Lego!!  This one was super fun to do.  The mom was going to add actual Lego pieces and “guys” to the top.  The birthday boy’s greeting is written around the sides.

Lego Rolled Away fondant cake

These cupcakes were for a class party.  The lucky teacher gets the one with the gumpaste tag on it.

Sprinkled Cupcakes

These cupcakes were for a little sweetie that just loves pink!

Pretty in Pink Cupcakes

It was kind of a light week last week due to a pretty complicated cake getting rescheduled.  This week will not be that way.  Come back next week to see all the fun stuff I am working on now!

I got your financial peace right here! Tip o the Week

Some of you will remember I mentioned in a previous post that my husband and I took Financial Peace University at our church this winter.  It was life changing.  We had always done fine and have been blessed with extra here and there, but now things are different.  Dave Ramsey really know what he’s doing.  We feel like we are much better stewards of our money now and feel so blessed.

What does this have to do with cake decorating, you say?  Well…

Guess what my favorite tool for smoothing cakes is?

Old credit cards!  And since my husband and I got rid of all of ours recently, I have an abundant supply!  Seriously though, they are great.  They are perfect for smoothing icing, scraping off small mistakes, marking lines, etc.  They are usually “free” and are dishwasher safe.  If you put them in a basket (usually used for baby items like bottle parts) and put it in the top rack, they can go in the dishwasher.

So, make Dave Ramsey (and yours truly) proud and put those credit cards to work in an entirely new way!

Happy Decorating, everyone!

Cakes for 5/12/14

Good morning!  I am GIDDY today because it is the last Monday of the school year!  That’s right, folks.  Nine more school days and I get EIGHT WEEKS with my kids.  I can’t WAIT!  In addition, I got to do four really fun cakes last week.  Take a look…

Here’s my “weekly Frozen cake”.  This one is the first one I got to do as a sheet cake.

Frozen theme Sheet Cake

This one was a 30th birthday for a French teacher.  Ooh la la!

Eiffel Tower cake

This one was for the sister in law of the above cake’s recipient.  They had a joint 30th birthday party.  This girl loves to shop!

Purse topped cake

This one was for an IU grad with a music degree.  Her mom was so precious to work with.  Every correspondence oozed with pride for her daughter.  I truly hope I get to do many more cakes for that family!

Tiered Piano Cake

Have a great week, cake lovers!

But, it’s just cake!

How many times have you heard that?  A friend asks you for a cake with a day’s notice and when you explain to them that you can’t make an Empire state building out of cake for 100 people  in 24 hours, they proclaim “But, it’s just cake!”.  I’m also very familiar with “Can’t you just slip in one more?”

As much as I would like to take every order from every person that calls, I eventually have to draw the line.  And here’s the main reason why.  Are you ready?  It’s confession time.

I bake ahead of time.

That’s right, folks.  That cake that you pick up from me on a Friday afternoon or Saturday morning was not baked that morning.  That’s impossible you say?  It’s tastes so fresh, you proclaim?!  That’s because of the measures I take to assure the cake’s freshness.  I have to bake Tuesdays each week.  There.  I said it.  My name is Tiffany and I bake cakes in advance.  What you need to know also is that by doing this, I can do more with the cakes.  I bake them and cover them in foil like I taught in a previous post.  Then, I put them in my “cake fridge” at least over night.  That not only makes the cakes moist, but when they are cold they are easier to handle.  They also crumble less when carved.  I ice them the day after they are baked, which sort of seals in their moisture and freshness.  Even if I am not going to get to decorate it that day, I ice it.  This will keep the cake fresh for a long time.  I have had customers say they ate their cake for over a week and it never went bad.  Trust me, you can bake in advance!  You don’t have to get it all done in one day and eat it immediately!  Some grocery store cakes are baked weeks in advance and frozen.  That’s how they can take a last minute order.  They have cakes on hand.  Mine are never frozen.  They are all baked to order.

So, you don’t have to think they have to be from oven to table in one day.  If you take the correct measures, your cake will be fresh and delicious for a lot longer than you expect.  This will help lower your stress levels of thinking you have to dedicate an entire day to making a cake.

Happy baking, everyone!

Cakes for 5/5/14

Here’s what was cooking in my kitchen last week…

My weekly Frozen cake.  This one had a fun twist though!  I used pearled Sixlets to make it as girly as possible.  They also made the coordinating cupcakes extra pretty.   I left space on the top for the mom to add her Frozen topper she bought.

beaded Frozen cake

This one was more exciting inside than out.  It was chocolate chocolate chip cake, filled with chocolate buttercream and chocolate chips, iced in chocolate buttercream, and topped with more chocolate chips.  I advised the mom that it should only be eaten with a cup of coffee or a large glass of milk.

Chocolate chip cake

This one was to celebrate a first communion.  The recipient requested no pink.  I had so much fun making all the spring flowers.  I used what was actually growing in my yard for inspiration.

Cross with spring flowers

Balls on wires (insert inappropriate joke here)

This is a totally cute accent to add to a cake that costs very little and takes a reasonable amount of time.  The problem is, people often leave out a couple of important steps which can make them very frustrating.  Check out how I do it and see if it helps.

First, you need floral wire.  The wrapping on it helps keep the balls in place instead of sliding all over the place.

Balls on Wires 1

These needed to be curled wires, so I needed a dowel rod too.

Balls on wires 2

Take a wire and using needle nose pliers, bend the end into a hook.  This will help hold the ball in place also.

Balls on wires 3

After you make all of your fondant balls (which should be about the size of a pretzel M&M) string a ball onto the wire, pushing the hook at the opposite wire end deep into the center of the fondant.

Balls on wires 4

Then, wrap the wire around your dowel rod to curl it if that’s the desired look.

Balls on wires 5

Carefully slip it off of the wire.  I then put a little icing that matches the fondant color onto the open slit on top of the ball to help smooth it shut.

That’s it!  They add depth and fun to your cake!  The wires can be bent in many different ways to match the look of your cake.   This one was Cinco de Mayo themed, so spirals seemed the most fun.

Cinco de Mayo Cake and smash cake

Have fun, everyone!

Cakes for week of 4/28/14

Hello all!  Last week was super fun.  I got to do three first birthday cakes with smash cakes and two of them were for moms I have known since sixth grade!  Take a look…

Baby boy blue cuteness

Shades of blue birthday cake with Smash cake

This was my favorite this week.  I LOVE the outlined black daisies with the red centers.  So chic for a baby!

Lady Bug First Birthday and smash cake

This was my biggest challenge last week.  Making a tiny pinata is tough!  I am happy with how it turned out and the mom was thrilled, which is what I was after!  I have a tutorial for the fondant balls on wires here.

Cinco de Mayo Cake and smash cake

How about a sassy zebra stripe for this girl’s spa party?

Zebra Print Sheet Cake

Here’s an elegant ruffled cake for a bridal shower.

2 Tier Ruffled cake

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you saw something you liked!

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