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3D Truck Cake

April 17, 2011 by Jenn

You’re not going to believe this cake.

I barely do, and I watched it being built!  I said in my last Fortunate Friday that I am very thankful for Paul’s new found decorating skills with fondant tools . . . and you will understand what I am talking about when you see this cake.

Give credit where credit is due . . . PAUL!

He did this decorating, and carving, and shaping, and building!  All I did was bake the cake and make the icing. It was him from then on. I can’t say that I handed over the reins very easily. If you know me, you know that I am a control FREAK, and to have someone else in my kitchen, using my tools, decorating my cake, was very difficult for me. But, after relinquishing my bossy, controlling ways I have come to appreciate how letting someone else help can open a whole new door!

The truck is two 9″x13″ slab cakes, and all of the shaping and conturing is done with rice krispies.   Paul was diligent in copying the exact shaping of the real truck.  He had the webpage up on the computer and kept referring back to it whenever he started a new section.

As I did end up with a couple of jobs for this one after all!  I had to bake it, a slightly important step, and I was in charge of the windows.  Such responsibilities, hahaha!  To make the windows a little bit more realistic, I covered them in luster dust, to give them a lovely shine (that you can’t really see).

Inside, the cake was a vanilla with vanilla buttercream.  The vanilla cake that I make is a heavy dense one, and this made carving and shaping easier.  I definitely recommend having a solid cake to carve when you’re attempting a 3D replica.  It’s helpful to have a solid base when you’re building.  The ground under the truck is graham cracker and oreo crumbs, scattered with chocolate rocks.

This cake is stunning . . . if I do say so myself.

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Filed Under: Cakes Tagged With: truck cake

How to Make a Fondant Daisy

April 12, 2011 by Jenn

Here you go video lovers!  Another video tutorial on how to work with fondant.  This time I am showing you the incredibly simple, yet beautiful daisy!

Make sure to add our Channel to your subscription list!   Thanks for watching . . . and reading!

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Filed Under: Tutorials

How to Make Camoflauge Fondant

April 11, 2011 by Jenn

Living in an area where hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities fill the surrounding mountains, meant that sooner or later, someone was going to ask me to make a camouflage cake.  So, instead of waiting (dreading) that moment, I went ahead and learned to make it before I had to learn under pressure!

I decided to make this post a picture tutorial, and hopefully it will be helpful to others who *suffer* the same fate as I.

Can there be princess fondant?

First, whenever you’re working with fondant, you need a mat.  Coat that baby in Crisco!  Some people like to use cornstarch when working with fondant, but I prefer the grease.

I didn’t really know where to begin, so I just started rolling and piecing different colours together.  ** This is one change I will make the next time I do this: I will start the piecing process on a thin piece of white fondant, rolled out to the size of the cake, and then start to piece them together.  Basically, this will allow you to cover the cake with a single sheet of fondant, instead of the many, many little pieces that I used.**

I laid small pieces randomly on top, and then cut around it, removed the bottom piece, and fit the top piece into the hole…just like a puzzle!

Piecing, piecing, piecing . . . at this point, I worried that I wouldn’t be able to lift the fondant in one piece, so I decided to put it on the cake at this point.  Stupid move.  You can’t get it off after you’ve laid it down, and therefore, I had to cut and place every single piece that was left, while working on the cake!

Happy hunting!  Please don’t wear camo outside of the bush.  Please, just don’t.  I don’t care where you live.  This has been a fashion service announcement.   Oh, and this cake was a chocolate cake, filled with caramel.

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Filed Under: Cakes, Tutorials Tagged With: camouflage cake, chocolate cake, hunting cake

Fortunate Friday

April 8, 2011 by Jenn

Sun . . . oh, it’s so nice to see you again!  Keep on shining . . . I beg you.

Victoria. . . almost there!  Can’t wait to see my “chosen” friends.  We go all the way back to our days in University, and we have managed to meet up every year since then, whether it be in Victoria, Penticton, Hawaii, Cranbrook, Calgary, or Vancouver.  Love you girls xoxoxx

Cupcakes.  Need I say more?

Paul . . . not only is this man a marketing genius, he can carve a mean truck cake!  His “first” cake is absolutely amazing and I will post pics soon.  I’m so proud of him, and I am so glad that I have his tools in my arsenal.

My health . . . I have a healthy heart, two healthy legs, two healthy arms . . . and two healthy boobs.  Thinking of my friend Geneva today <3  . . . and I’m working on a healthy mind!

Happy Friday.  Enjoy it, wherever you are.

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Root Beer Float Birthday Cake, Vanilla Good Luck Cake and a Season Ending Chocolate Hockey Cake

April 4, 2011 by Jenn

Here are a couple of pictures of the cakes that I spent last week working on.  There were pretty simple, but I loved doing them!  There is something about the non-fussiness of a buttercream covered cake, that calls my name.  I think that as soon as you start involving fondant, your game has to be ON.  With a buttercream cake, it’s just you and your piping bag, and I let mine go where it wants to take me.

I needed a refresher on some simple buttercream borders, so I went to YouTube to check some out.  I will be posting my own Simple Border Video soon, so make sure you take a minute and subscribe to our YouTube Channel, here.

This was the Root Beer birthday surprise cake for “Weiny”.  It is a Root Beer cake base, with a Root Beer Buttercream icing.  Mmmm!

This cake was for a lady who’s colleague was leaving and wanted to wish her Good Luck.  It is a Vanilla Cake, with Pink Vanilla Buttercream.

This is cake was for my Dad’s hockey team.  I made it for them to enjoy after their final game of the season.  Word on the street was the “guys” loved it.  I love how my dad talks with hockey player speak, as if he is 20. It’s so cute!   This cake is a Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream.  Doesn’t get more Classic than that.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, click here.

Like I said, these cakes were all pretty simple, but fun to make.  This week coming up we’ve got some more intense creations on the list: Monster Trucks cake for a 6 year old’s birthday, and a Truck replica cake for a client’s brother in law’s 25th birthday.  How is that men like the same things st 6 and 25? Ha ha!  Should be interesting!  These are right up Paul’s alley.

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Filed Under: Cakes Tagged With: birthday cake, chocolate buttercream, chocolate cake, good bye cake, hockey cake, pink buttercream, Root Beer Cake, Vanilla Cake, YouTube

50th Birthday Party Cupcakes

April 3, 2011 by Jenn

This was a really fun project!  I love doing anything in mini, so as soon as my suggestion of “mini” cupcakes with a spring theme to everything got accepted, I got excited.  I knew exactly what I was going to do.

My directions for this order were to have large carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese icing, mini chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream, mini vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream, 50’s all over the place, and lots of spring flowers.

For the Carrot Cake cupcakes, I went with a new recipe, and though it tasted really delicious, I wasn’t that happy with how it looked.  It was actually kind of difficult to bake.  I’m not sure if this is common for carrot cake recipes, but I’m still on a search for the perfect recipe that I can use regularly with the Cakery.

Has anyone ever made Ina Garten’s Carrot Cake recipe that can be found on the Food Network’s website?  How did it turn out for you?  Like I said, it tasted great . . . hearty, sweet with lots of flavour to it, but it’s appearance was less than stellar.  I hoped all the decorations and icing would hide it’s “unique personality”.  The base of the cupcake was perfectly cooked, but the top was on the crispy side.  It was my weirdest baking experience to date . . . except for the one time I mixed up baking powder for baking soda.  Boy does that ever make a difference!  Who knew!?

For the decorations on the mini’s, I used a simple flower cutter, with a gum paste/fondant mixture.  *Note: Whenever you add gum paste to your fondant, the fondant will become much harder that it would on it’s own.  The pearls in the middle of the flowers are just pastel coloured dragees.  (WTF is a dragee anyway?!?!?).  The leaves are cut with a mini leaf cuter and then touched up with a veining tool for a more lifelike appearance.

I’ve heard the birthday was a successful surprise, and that the cupcakes were a great hit!  I’m so glad I could be a positive part of the event.  Happy 50th Birthday Donna!

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Filed Under: Cupcakes Tagged With: 50th Birthday, birthday, carrot cake cupcakes

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie

April 2, 2011 by Jenn

Yes, you read that right.  A huge chocolate chip cookie, stuffed with an Oreo cookie inside (double stuffed Oreo, I might add!)

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie

This recipe has been ripping around the blogosphere, and I had to jump on the bandwagon.  How could I not?!  Combining two of the baking world’s greatest things into one huge treat is a MUST do!

I have to say, this particular chocolate chip cookie recipe has just the right amount of salt in it. This “sandwich” (aka glutinous delight) has that perfect sweet and salty aura to it.  If you are a sweet and salty lover like myself, you will LOVE this recipe.

I wanted to make something unique for my Cakery’s table at the local Farmers Market for last weekend.  A new cupcake table had been set up (in MY spot I have to add), so I wanted to have something unique to sell.  My cupcakes have the glam factor to them that makes them the best cupcakes around, but sometimes, you need something novel to bring the people in!

These cookies definitely did the trick.  I had one sliced in half, so people could see them from the aisle, and I can’t tell you how many times I heard “Is that a-?  Oh!  It IS an Oreo!” We sold out of these babies.

The original recipe for this delight comes from the Picky Palate, and if you haven’t been there before, go there now.  NO, WAIT!  Go when you’re done reading (and commenting) here first!

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

(from Picky Palate)

As usual, start by creaming together butter and sugars . . . ode to the Kitchen Aid.  Let’s take a moment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  oh, how I love thee.

Next, mix in the eggs.

And the vanilla.

Then the dry stuff . . . yes, that is my near empty container of flour.  Man does this job use a lot of flour and sugar!  I’m forever buying it . . . and there is a thin layering of white sugar/flour dust on every single instrument in the kitchen!

Add in the chocolate chips.

Using a cookie scoop, arrange one ball, per cookie.

Next, place an Oreo on top of the original cookie dough ball, and then place another on top of the Oreo.

Gently squeeze the dough together and attach around the whole Oreo.  It’s actually simpler than it sounds.

They should look something like these gigantic balls of delicious cookie dough!

Fresh from the oven . . . I’ve put in an Oreo to show you the size of the baked “sandwich”.

YUM!  So good.  I tried so save this sample version for the market the next day, but I couldn’t resist, and had to eat a half.  I left half for Paul (seriously, I managed to resist it’s calls to me all day). I figure it’s all in the name of product research . . . I can’t sell something that I haven’t tried, right?

Here’s the link to the recipe.  Thanks Picky Palate for “inventing” such a delightful treat.

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Filed Under: Cookies Tagged With: chocolate chip cookies, cookies, Oreo, stuffed cookies

Fortunate Friday

April 1, 2011 by Jenn

I know, I know, I know . . . I have not posted all week! Grrrrrr . . . I simply have not had time.   I have been so busy baking, that I need to extend the number of hours in the day.  Hello, blog . . . nice to see you again.  I’ve missed you CCC.

On to the “Fortunes” . . .

I am fortunate to be so busy with baking orders. I will soon learn how to juggle everything and will be back to my blogging glory! I am planning to sit on my a$$ on Sunday and blog, blog, blog! Pictures need to be uploaded to my Facebook page (if you haven’t become a fan, please do so!), I need to figure out which delicious treats I will be making for our April specials (how does a Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcake sound to you?), I need to investigate gluten-free recipes for a couple of potenial customers and one for sure bride!

I am fortunate to have forgiving friends and family who will no longer be able to see me on a regular basis.  If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my kitchen.

While we’re on the topic of kitchens, I am fortunate to have found a new kitchen to fill my cake stuff with!  My dear friend Gretchen’s parents (are better people than), are heading out volunteering for the next couple of years and I am going to move into their house to keep it warm until they get back!  With the successful amount of baking that is going on, I have outgrown my beautiful, yet tiny, one bedroom loft.  I cannot wait to fill up the FOUR bedrooms of the new house!

Have a great weekend everyone 🙂

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Filed Under: Fortunate Fridays
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