Barbie Doll Cake

I just made this cake this weekend. It was soooo much fun designing the dres and dressing her up in it.

The barbie cake is chocolate chocolate chunk cake iced with fudge. The rose cake is strawberry cake with strawberry filling and iced with white fluffy vanilla buttercream.

The dress is all fondant. The white decorations on the white portion of the dress are white buttercream icing piped with a small round tip. The rose cake is covered in white fondant. The ruffle is white buttercream and the roses are fondant. Check how to make fondant roses here.

Pink Cowgirl Hat Cake

I made this cake at the end of 2007 for a 1 year old birthday girl. I forgot my camera at home, so I only have my cell phone's pictures.

Cakes:

The bottom cake was super moist chocolate chocolate chip cake filled with raspberry and iced with vanilla buttercream. Green grass is green vanilla buttercream, flowers and leaves are fondant. Lasso is chocolate fondant (I was too tired at this time I just left it that color, I suggest making it a lighter color).

The hat is cake too!!! It is sour cream vanilla chocolate marbled cake filled and iced with fudge. Covered in pink fondant. Ribbon is white fondant.

The cupcakes are white chocolate cake with white chocolate chips, iced with colored buttercream. Flowers and small hats are made of fondant.

How to make a HAT cake tutorial

Flower Cookie Bouquet - Spring

Great Spring / Easter cookie bouquet idea!!!

I placed dry foam inside the clay pot to position cookies. Used green tissue paper to create greenery effect.

For cookie recipe see my previous post (here). How to decorate your cookies (here) - This link will take you to the icing recipes and techniques.

Valentine's Cookie Bouquets

Need more valentine ideas? Here are a couple of pictures I took at a cake club meeting. Note that I did not baked or created these cookie bouquets - Kelle did. The cookies shown below are iced with buttercream!! I was impressed, since we try not to use buttercream on cookies due to its soft consistency. However, these turned out just great. I want to bring to your attention, that buttercream won't have that shiny finish as color flow (see color flow recipe here). The buttercream recipe is Colette Peter’s.

Kelle’s mom’s cookie recipe:

• 1c butter


• 1 1/4 c granulated sugar


• 2 eggs


• 1 tablespoon of milk


• 2 teaspoon vanilla


• 1 1/2 c flour


• 1 tablespoon baking powder


• 
  
  1/4 teaspoon of salt
  
  Tip: you can add about 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg for 1 batch
  
  I had posted instructions for creating cookies on a stick HERE. It should apply to this recipe. Bake at 400 degrees Farenheits for 8 - 10 mins.
  

Colette Peter’s Buttercream recipe:

• 2 cups butter (unsalted - room temperature)


• 1 cup milk (room temperature)


• 4 pounds of powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar)


• 3 teaspoons vanilla


• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Add all ingredients to bowl and mix them until all are incorporated and the icing is smooth. Fill a piping bag with buttercream. Pipe buttercream icing onto cookies (for outline). Pipe more icing to fill the outline.

I had posted color flow / royal icing recipes and “How to Decorate your Cookies” previously HERE. These might be helpful.

Heart cookie cutters recommended

Valentine's Cookies

Follow Cookie recipe and instructions HERE

Cookie Cutter Ideas
Valentine's Cookie Cutter Set
7-pcs Metal Heart Cookie Set
Heart Cookie Cutter Set

Chocolate Truffles- Recipe

It seems that chocolate truffles do not fall in the category of cake decorating. I thought this recipe will teach you how to make truffles than you can use to place on top of chocolate cakes. I have some nice ideas for decorating cakes with truffles, but no pictures to show you. I will try to make one soon so I can share with you. Meanwhile, you can decorate your truffles to match any holiday- check pictures.

Ingredients

1/2 pound (8 oz.) of bittersweet chocolate
1/2 pound (8 oz.) of semisweet chocolate (to lighten the bittersweet chocolate)
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon of coffee (*optional* to bring the chocolate flavor out)
1/8 cup brandy
2 tablespoons of good vanilla extract
Dutch processed cocoa powder (about half a cup) to roll truffles in

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Chop the bittersweet and semisweet chocolate finely and place on a medium size bowl.
• Add the butter and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat the process.
• Set aside
• In a sauce pan, heat the heavy cream on the stove top on medium heat until simmering.
• Let stand for about 30 seconds
• Pour the cream through a fine meshed sieve over the chocolate and let stand for about 1 minute.
• Whisk the cream and chocolate starting from the center until you incorporate all the ingredients together
• Add coffee (if using), brandy and vanilla. Whisk one more time
• Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour
  
• Using 2 spoons roll small balls of the chocolate and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
• Using gloves (powder free), roll the balls between your hands to make it round.
• Roll them in the cocoa powder
  

Serve at room temperature.
They can be refrigerated to last longer (in airtight containers), and served at room temperature later. Allow to cool before refrigerating.

Valentine's Chocolate Truffles

I took a class on chocolate truffles and was amazed at the endless ideas to decorate truffles. For Chocolate Truffles recipe, click HERE.

Truffles can be rolled on sprinkles that resembles the holiday's theme (top left corner). They can be rolled in coconut and then dipped in white chocolate (white one on lower left corner), rolled in coconut only (lower left corner) or simply just dipped in rich dark chocolate (or milk chocolate, your preference).

For heart truffle shown below: I used coating chocolate (perfect for melting and molding) and poured over a transfer sheet (design is colored cocoa). Allow to set for a bit and use a cookie cutter to make chocolate cut outs (heart shape). Place a cut-out on the bottom, top with chocolate truffle using a piping bag, and top with another cut-out to sandwich the truffle filling. Voila!!

The picture below shows a chocolate truffle dipped in dark chocolate. Allow to cool and with a decorator brush green gold luster dust... beautiful!!! The ripple design was made by using a dipping spiral tool.

Truffle rolled on colored crystal sugar.

2008 San Diego Cake Show: Confections on Parade

The San diego Cake Club Presents theit 25th Annual

"Confections on Parade"

An Artistic Cake Display and Competition with more than 150 cakes on display. Most proceeds benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Every level of decorator is welcome to enter. Visit the the San Diego Cake Club website for more information: http://www.sandiegocakeclub.com/.

WHEN: February 23rd and 24th, 2008
TIME: 10am Saturday to 4pm Sunday
WHERE: La Jolla Village Square (at the center of the shopping center, first and second floors)ADDRESS: 8657 Villa La Jolla Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037

• There will be sugarcraft demonstrations hourly.Saturday 11am - 5pmSunday Noon - 3pm
• There will be a cupcake corner for everyone to decorate cupcakes.
• There will be a raffle as well with great prizes including Kitchen Aid Mixer and Dysneyland Tickets.

To see last year's cake pictures, see my video posted here.

2007 San Diego Cake Show

The San Diego Cake Club threw a Cake Show last year (March 2007) and I never posted the video. The video below is a compilation of some of the cakes that were on display lat year.

This year's cake show (2008) will be held this month. For information see my post here.

Most proceeds benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

** You might need to click a couple of times on the Play button to get it going. Enjoy!!