Dummy Cakes

These are non edible creations I made just to use some fondant I had that was drying up and to build up my photo repetoire. I only had enough fondant for two layers (I covered cake pans) but it would have been nice to do some bigger ones. They are all very plain and simple but that is just the kind of cake maker I seem to be. The Christmas one, with the tree in the background is my favorite.

Wedding Cake

Every cake comes with it's lessons. For the most part, I am happy with this cake...and we'll leave it at that.

In process...the middle was chocolate- yummy!

Makenna's Birthday Cake

So even though I feel a teensy bit bad about talking Makenna out of her usual Dora cake that she wants every year, I really wanted to try something a bit more fun for me to make. She did end up loving it and was very excited to show it to all her friends.

Here are the details and a few things I learned:
-I can't take credit for the design- I semi copied this cake but I made smaller flowers and dots. The author of that cake blog makes amazing cakes. I am so inspired by her.
- The bottom layer was rice krispy treats (for a 10x3 inch pan it takes two batches of Rice Krispy Treats, that is 2 bags of marshmallows and 1 big box of cereal). I slightly frosted the Rice Kristy Treats just to have a smoother surface.
-The top two layers were mixes- rainbow confetti (I figured since I was heavily influencing the choice of cake, she should get complete say in the flavor). It was filled with plain old vanilla buttercream (6 cups for filling and frosting). It took two cake mixes to do one 6x3 pan and two 8x2 pans, which worked out quite nicely.
-I think I learned that most professional cakes you see out there have 6 inch high layers instead of 4 inch- that is they have 3 layers instead of two. I felt like it was a bit squat. Perfect for a birthday but not grandeous enough for a wedding.
-The butterflies were just fondant though but if I did it again I would use gumpaste. I did them three days before and they still werent as dry as I would have liked- I actully made 6 butterflies but ended up only putting on three- sometimes less is more. There is a definite noticeable difference in working with fondant in dry Utah vs humid Omaha. The recipe works out so much better here and doesnt need added water like in Utah but it doesnt dry nearly as fast.
-Another lesson learned- sharpen wooden dowels with a pencil sharpener- works fabulously!
-I used straws to support the middle layer which seemed to work since it wasnt a huge cake- and the bottom layer held its own since it wasnt made of cake.
-The fondant covering the cake is colored very light green- its hard to tell from the pictures.
-Next time I do a band of fondant border, I will measure more carefully and more carefully place it on the cake. I got a bit reckless but fortunately flowers and polka dots hide mistakes beautifully. I would also make sure to do the bow out of gumpaste and make sure its smooth- don't settle- try to make it perfect- that is my note to self!
All in all it was a lot of fun and there werent even any crisises- amazing!

Coconut Cake with Raspberry filling

Nothing special to look at but it was delicious!

4th of July Flag Cake

A tradition I have been making for 8 years now.

Dot Cakes

These were just white cakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. They were for the kids to take to a primary party.

Birthday Cake

Tiered Lily Cake

Daisy Cake

Fondant Roses

This is a terrible picture but I did want to document that I have made roses out of fondant. I don't know if I will ever make them again because personally I think REAL flowers look best on a fondant cake (and take way less time) but it is good to know that if need be I could make them- you know, in case of emergency:)

Fondant

Heres' my first attempt at a fondant cake- (well I think I remember doing one in Junior High but this is definitely the first in my adult life). This time I thought I would document the process. I tried a new recipe for a "rich dark chocolate cake" with a dark chocolate ganache. I made it in a 6X3 round pan and then cut it into a square.

The bow was stuffed with tissues until it dried so that the loops would hold their shape.

Course II The Grand Finale

We learned the basket weave and the rope border and then decorated with the Royal Icing flowers we previously created.

Course II Flowers

These are all first attempts, so perfection is still a distant goal- still I want to track my progress. They are all made with Royal Icing. Next week in class I will be assembling them onto a cake.A Chrysanthemum and two Apple Blossoms

The bird was made with color flow and the rose is a Victorian Rose (tip 97 as opposed to 104).

A Daffodil and two Pansies.

Top row: Daisies, Bottom Row: Primroses

My Lemon Cake

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

This one doesnt really fall under the cake decorating category- but it is a cake and it does look yummy!

Class "Projects"

Class 1: Star Tip

Class 2: The Swirl Flower

Course 1 Highlight: My very first Wilton Rose

My Flower R'epertoire thus far

Pre Class...These are (a few of) the cakes of my life...