Baby Shower Cakes

I am so thankful for my ability to take a fondant design and make it happen in frosting.  I just dislike fondant.  It tastes funny, has a weird texture, and I want people to enjoy eating what I make, not just enjoy how it looks.  So thus far, I refuse to use fondant on my cakes.  However, it hasn't stopped me making some stinkin' cute designs!  A friend from high school saw pictures on my Facebook page (one of the few reasons I'm still on Facebook, people can see what I'm capable of quicker) and called me about making a couple baby shower cakes for the same weekend.  She's a darn good friend, hosting two separate showers in one weekend, and travelling over 5 hours across the state to do so!  The first shower didn't really need cake, but she wanted to have a cupcake bouquet to give the mom-to-be, so I made this:

I was told the theme was "rustic country" and I felt the cup fit that really well.

The other baby shower was jungle themed.  We sent pictures back and forth and finally decided to use this one as a pattern:

This sure is a cute cake, but as I said, no fondant.

 

This was a new trick for me, I don't often have cakes that have multi colored backgrounds.  I left the background a little rougher than I normally would because I knew there would be foliage to help cover, plus it's the jungle!

 

Outlining the giraffe.

 

 

Working the monkey, they sure look funny without eyes :)

 

I just had to throw a vine in to see how it would look with the leaves.

 

And I allowed the monkey to have a banana, because I'm nice like that.

 

A baby elephant joins the party.

 

Monkey finished!

 

Elephant finished!

 

Giraffe finished!

 

And foliage finished!

 

I made sure to have a picture of the cake without writing so people can see it and imagine their own message in the blank space.

 

Also, it was an amazing change when I added those darker green leaves, the cake looks so much better for them!  The original designer knew what she was doing for sure, and I appreciate being able to learn from her.  Every time I would catch a glimpse of this cake out of the corner of my eye I would squeal a little because it turned out so well!

 

And all done!  The blue is Wilton Sparkle Gel I had leftover from being used in a pond on a construction themed cake.  The only thing I dislike about the gel is that it doesn't harden, which makes putting plastic wrap over the cake nearly impossible.  Fortunately I have a cake container that I bought from the grocery store that this was able to fit in, which protects the cake from dust.

 

The most amazing thing about this cake is that it is a white cake, and I don't like the taste of white cake (I'm a chocoholic) but this one was delicious!  I used Duncan Hines cake mixes, and had farm fresh eggs on hand so I used them, and I think the eggs made the difference.  And my friend told me the girls at the shower couldn't believe she didn't pick the cake up at a bakery!  Their so kind.  I'm glad they enjoyed it as much as I did!

 

So, in case you're wondering, I used 2 Duncan Hines White cake mixes, made two batches of frosting, used at least 8 different tips, and this took ~5 hours to decorate.  This is a single layer cake, and serves 15-20 people.  I have decided I need to re-evaluate how much I charge, as I definitely didn't take into account the time consuming nature of having 8 different colors (the pink roses were made at the same time) and getting them all mixed together added an hour to what I forecasted.  I learn something new every time I make a cake!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

~Brandy

It's a baking kind of week

I had a Pampered Chef party this weekend, and we made Cheesy Bruschetta, and oh my lord, it was sooo good!  Here's a tiny picture of it:

 

The other project I will have this week, well, besides pumpkin pie and chocolate-banana cookies, is for my dad's birthday is Saturday, and I have decided a Chewbacca cake is in order.  I found this picture earlier this year and just loved it!

 

I even already own the 3D bear pan it needs!  We are looking at getting some Star Wars themed plates and such too, it will be great.  BLT's and mac & cheese for dinner, sounds like a great follow up to turkey day to me!


Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh, and I have sewn 8 of my blocks together for mom's quilt, it's supposed to be done by Saturday...

UPDATE!

Here's how my Chewbacca turned out, I wanted him to look more like the adult, and John made him a Millennium Falcon to stand on :)

 

My dad loved it :)



Fall goodies

Let them eat cupcakes!  My first "fancy" cupcakes I made for an event, actually a vendor event that I was participating in.  They went over very well, people were amazed at how moist they were, and I was complemented highly on the ratio of frosting to cupcake.  That's the kind of thing that makes me all warm and fuzzy!  I just love to cook & bake for people.  Thus being a Pampered Chef consultant.  :)  I think that is another reason I enjoy the hobby of quilting so much, because you create something others will absolutely enjoy and use.

 

I also adore my husband, and felt the need to share our most recent "us" picture, because it also makes me warm and fuzzy feeling.

 

Have a happy day!