Been Baking Cakes for Friends

I haven’t updated in a while, but I’ve got a lot to update. I have done 3 cakes just this month alone for family and friends. A friend of mine is having a baby (maybe she’s already giving birthday right now, who knows). I made a baby shower cake for her. I decided to make the Chinese Sponge Cake with Fruit Cocktail filling. I make this recipe 90% of the time because this is a favorite.

Baby shower cake for Joan

Also, my cousin ordered a birthday cake for her husband. So I made her chocolate cake!

And finally, I made a 2-tier cake for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. I was originally going to do an Elmo cake using the Wilton Elmo Face Cake Pan. My daughter loves Elmo so much, but I wanted to make her cake stand out, so I had to make it big.

I baked a white cake, filled it with pastry cream filling. I used Swiss Meringue Buttercream to frost the cake, and then I covered it with Marshmallow fondant. Yup, I finally got the guts to use my own fondant for my cake… It looked very sloppy and it isn’t very smooth, but at least it tasted great! I used the Wilton Sesame Street Party Toppers to incorporate her favorite show. She loved it! I’m so glad that I took these cake decorating courses. I love making my kid’s birthday cake!

Zoe’s birthday cake

Wilton Cake Decorating Course 3 – Fondant and Tiered Cakes – My Final Cake & Others

Pictured on the left is my final cake for Wilton Cake Decorating Course 3: Fondant and Tiered Cakes. I say it looks alright. I could tell that I am improving my cake decorating skills. Not bad for my first tiered cake eh? I’m still surprised by how much I learned from taking these Wilton courses. The most rewarding part about these courses is now I could make cakes for my children for all their birthdays and also I could make my husband’s birthday cakes. I’m always happy to make cakes for my family at no charge, only now I get to have fun decorating it. My daughter’s 2nd birthday is coming up on Valentine’s Day, so I get to do her cake! I’m very excited for that. I’m looking forward to the challenge. It takes a lot of time to make tiered cakes. lol…

Anyways, I want to write more about my class… I say I had the most fun doing in the last class of Course 3, because all we had to do was work on our final cake. I had fun designing my simple tiered cake. Too bad I didn’t have the suggested cake pan size to use… It was supposed to be a 6″ and 10″… but I only had 8″ and 9″ at home, so that’s why my cake looks like that. I also picked out a different construction method for my cake – the Stacked Construction method, where I have to put the cake right on top of the other. It’s my favorite method, because it makes the cake look like one big whole cake. I don’t like the pillars, but it’s my own personal preference. I also took pictures of other people’s cakes from my class. They all did a great job on their cakes and I wish for all these cake decorators the best on their cake decorating venture.

Some pictures of other people’s cakes are as follows:

Everybody did a great job on their cakes, don’t you think? I have more pictures, but I’m not going to post them all up here.

Lucy’s Sour Cream Pound Cake

So last night, I managed to bake something. I baked pound cake for the first time. I used Lucy’s Sour Cream Pound Cake recipe. But I didn’t have sour cream, so I had to use a substitute — plain yogurt. It still turned out pretty good. I love this recipe. I think I’m going to make more in the future. Even though my cake didn’t turn out as pretty as Lucy’s cake, it still tasted great. Perhaps it’s because I was using a darker colored pan? Dark colored pans tend to make your cake brown more on the bottom. Anyways, I will try it again to perfect this recipe!

Gotta practice and practice and practice! I want to be a really good home baker, but I still have a lot to learn.

Wilton Course 3 – My first fondant cake!

Yesterday in Cake Decorating class, we made decorated our cakes using fondant for the first time! I have to admit, it was really fun! It’s like playing with play-doh, but edible! I was surprised at how easy it was… I mean, I thought it was going to be really really hard. I think I like working with fondant more than buttercream. But I don’t really like the taste of the Wilton fondant. Even though it is easier to work with than marshmallow fondant,  I find that the Wilton fondant easier to use. Also marshmallow fondant tastes way better! I think it is worth making it. Premade rolled fondant is expensive and most people just peel it off and not eat it. I guess rolled fondant is really designed to make the cakes look pretty.

That picture above is my marshmallow fondant that I made the day before class. Even though I made my own fondant, I decided to use the Wilton fondant instead as I was afraid to use my own fondant. I guess I wasn’t confident enough to use it to cover my cake. I don’t know if I trust my fondant yet. But I did use a little bit of it on my cake as embellishments. lol

The blue fondant flower cut-outs are the MMF (Marshmallow Fondant)… The rest of the fondant, however, is the Wilton stuff.

Here is the mess that I left…

I also decided to have a new goal this year. My new goal is to be good enough to be able to make gorgeous wedding cakes. So you know what that means, I have to keep on practicing! Practice, practice and practice! Another goal of mine is to have a stronger grip. I have trouble piping buttercream icing when it is a stiff consistency, which is really sad. When I discovered that problem, it shattered my dream of becoming a cake decorator. But I do have hope. I know that if I keep on practicing/exercising then I’ll eventually get there.

I won’t be able to take the next Wilton course this coming February. My Wilton instructor is going to offer it on Sundays, but I have a retreat to go to and it’s also my daughter’s birthday party. I’m excited for her birthday though. I love planning my kids’ birthdays, especially now that I am learning cake decorating and it’s also good practice for me. I’m going to attempt to do a 2-tier Sesame Street birthday cake for my daughter’s birthday. We’ll see how it goes!

~ Kristine

Martha Stewart’s Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes Cupcakes

These mini cheesecakes are simply delicious! It uses oreo cookie as the base crust for each cupcake. I am a big fan of oreo cookies, so this was the first recipe that I made from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone’s Favorite Treat. I must say, the husband loved it too! I’m gonna be making these on a regular basis. Here is the recipe…

Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes

42 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, slightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 275F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.
3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.
4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-filled cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate (in tins) at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

And enjoy!

Wilton Cake Decorating Course 2

Last night, I finally finished Wilton Course 2. I have to admit that I’m really going to miss this class, but I feel like I need a break from icing for a while…. but I signed up for Course 3 as soon as I left class! I just can’t help it if it’s 50% off plus $5 off! I start Course 3 in January. I have to admit that I am intimidated to work with Fondant and to do tiered cakes. Why? It’s because that’s what you see in wedding cakes! I have never done a wedding cake! Anyway, here are some pictures!

The color flow icing bird’s wing broke due to my daughter’s curiosity. I think she ate the bird’s wing. And she just had to do it before I had to go to class.

I really like how the basketweave turned out! At first I thought it was really going to be hard to do, but once you get going, you just can’t stop! I like this technique a lot and it looks pretty impressive once you finish. I’m definitely going to be using this technique a lot more on my future cakes.

And my certificate of merit! I love cake decorating. I’m so hooked. I am really excited to do Course 3 in January. =)

Christmas Project #2: Billy Reece’s Vanilla Vanilla Christmas Theme Cupcake

This is my second Christmas baking project, a project that my mom has requested me to do. She even paid me to make these cupcakes. Can you believe someone is actually willing to pay for them? But then again, she is my mom and I know she is just willing to pay me because I’m her daughter. She brought them for the staff where she works and everyone loved these cupcakes! They even asked for the recipe, so I printed them a copy. Anyway, these cupcakes are special to me, because t’s the first cupcake recipe that I ever did. This cupcake recipe is from Billy Reece, owner of Billy’s Bakery from New York. I personally think that the buttercream is too sweet, but it’s still good. I wouldn’t use this buttercream to frost a cake though.

Billy’s Vanilla, Vanilla Cupcakes

Makes about 30 cupcakes

1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

4 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.

2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.

3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about two-thirds full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.

4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Billy’s Vanilla Buttercream

Makes enough for 30 cupcakes

Colored sprinkles, for decorating (optional)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.

Christmas Project #1 – Sponge Cake with Fruit Cocktail Filling

The husband has requested me to bake him a cake to bring to his work’s Christmas potluck. I agreed immediately and decided to bake this Chinese style sponge cake. I filled it with fruit cocktail whipped filling, ’cause I know it’s his favorite. I wanted to make this cake more wintery. He told me that this cake was already gone before he got to it. It also got great reviews. Here is the recipe. This is one of the cakes that I love to bake. It’s always a big hit. I love the fact that it isn’t too sweet. What can I say, I grew up with Asian cakes! Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Chinese Sponge Cake

1 cup cake flour
1 cup granulated sugar
6 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Preheat oven to 325. Beat egg yolk and sugar till creamy. Stir in vanilla. Add flour and water alternately till mixed well. In a separate, beat egg white till foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar. Beat until stiff peak. Fold egg white into batter in batches. Use Wilton Cake Release to grease 10″ round pan on bottom and sides. Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Brush with simple syrup with pastry brush after cake has been cooled. To make simple syrup, boil 2 parts water and dissolve 1 part sugar in the water.

Stabilized Whipped Cream Topping

Ingredients:
2 tbsp cold water
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
2 cups chilled whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp icing sugar (also called confectioner’s sugar)
1 can of fruit cocktail

Directions:
Soak gelatin powder in the cold water for 5 minutes to let it absorb the water. Dissolve gelatin by placing it in a bowl over a small pot of simmering water and stirring until clear. Let cool but do not let it get cold. Meanwhile, use an electric standing or hand-held mixer to beat cream in a large well-chilled bowl. Beat on low for about 30 seconds. Increase to medium and beat for another 30 seconds. Increase speed to high. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat until barely stiff and add gelatin until cream becomes thicker.
For the filling: Take about 2  cups of whipped cream and set aside. Drain fruit cocktail and fold it in with the 2 cups of whipped cream. Fill sponge cake.

Note: I used decorator’s buttercream to decorate this cake. However, the main frosting is the whipped topping.

I found the icing recipe from Edible Memories. In the original recipe, she uses “heavy cream.” Because ‘heavy cream’ does not exist in Canada, I used whipping cream (35%) instead.

Wilton Cake Decorating Class Course 2

This is the book that we are using for Wilton Course 2. We are learning Flowers and Borders! Course 2 Handbook for learning flowers and borders the easy way! We learned how to make flowers with royal icing. Royal icing is the type of icing that hardens like candy. They are great to make flowers in advance so that you can adorn your cakes for later. I have made royal icing before taking this course once. They tend to dry fast, especially where I live. It’s really dry here in Alberta. It’s very important to keep the container covered with a damp cloth while working with it. You can store it in an airtight container without refrigeration. You might need to re-whip it again before re-using it though.

You can see some of the flowers that I made from class from this post. Or I could show it to you here…

I learned how to make violets, apple blossoms, and violet leaves so far from this course.  I’ve got 2 more classes to go! My next class is on Sunday. I’m having so much fun doing this! It really makes me happy and I’m surprise that I could even do this. I didn’t think that I could. I know it’s not perfect, but I’m very happy with it. I’m going to keep on practicing my piping skills so that someday I could produce my very own cake masterpiece.

I really want to take some baking and cake decorating courses at NAIT. It’s more expensive than the Wilton courses. Unfortunately, finances are not very good at the moment and I don’t want to burden my husband. He’s already allowed me to take these Wilton courses and for that I’m very thankful. He’s been very supportive, but I know once finances are better he’ll let me take these classes. Anyway, I can’t wait for my next cake decorating class! I look forward to it every week. =)

Baking Emergency Ingredient Substitutions

Have you ever been in a situation when the required ingredient in a recipe is not available in your fridge or pantry? It’s true that it’s always best to use the ingredients called for in the recipe, but as I have read from Betty Crocker Baking Basics: Recipes and Tips to Bake with Confidence try the following…

Well, that is all for now… I am not going to write the entire list. This is just a preview of what is in this book. I have learned tons of new tricks from this book and I am enjoying applying these new techniques.