Monday 14 March 2016

Peony

This cake was for my dear grandmother, who although likes many different flowers the Peony is one of her favourites, knowing this I especially bought a Peony cutter for her cake, as this was the first time for me attempting a peony I went for the all in one cutter set as I have been told it is easier. You can find the tutorial I used here.




To make the peony I cut out a few of each size of the cutters and I used my smallest ball tool to soften the edges. I need to get a larger flower pad as I just have the small Wilton one and for these larger flowers its just not big enough and I had to keep moving the petal on and off. After frilling the edges I used various sized Glasses and mugs with tin foil in the top of them to use as shapers. (Note to self I must buy some shaping cups) With the centre petal I closed it in tight, the same as shown in the video tutorial. I placed all the different petals inside and let them dry over night.







 I just wanted to make a small cake for my grandmother as I guessed she would probably not eat the cake and there was more than enough cake to go around with all the other cakes, I used my new Fat Daddios 6" pan, after the caked had cooled I levelled it and then sliced it into 2 tiers using my Wilton Cake Leveller. I iced the layers together and crumb coated the cake and placed in fridge to set. After setting I got my fondant ready to cover the cake, I used the same pink as with Emily's 2 cakes.




Before I made up the peony I dusted the edges with lustre dust concentrating the colour more so on the smaller petals and centre of the flower.






I didn't end up using all the petals as some did not quite fit into each other, but the flower looks full anyway. The night before when I set the petals to dry I placed a piece of floral wire in the very centre petal. Then when it was time to attach the petals together I threaded them together on the floral wire, this meant that I could attach the flower to the cake securely using the wire. I am not convinced that the flower looks like a peony, and as I was up late making these things the overnight portion was not as long as normal so the petals weren't quite as dry as I would like and that's why the bottom petals wilted a bit, but I do think it looks lovely anyway. Although I do wish I could have matched the lustre dust to the fondant better.









As predicted my grandmother wouldn't let anyone cut or eat the cake and she took it home with her, I just hope that she eats the cake and enjoys it.







Smash the Bug Emily

Of course no first birthday is complete without a "Smash" cake so of course I had to make one for Emily. I decided to go away from the mostly used giant cupcake and instead went for a large ladybug.

This was an extremely quick cake to make, and one of the quickest to be eaten also. I used a hemisphere cake pan (which is half of a sphere) to make the body of the ladybug. after cooling the cake I crumb coated it and placed it in the fridge to set. While the fridge was working its magic I coloured some fondant using my newly acquired and favourite Americolor food colourings, and made up some more pink and purple matching to the colours I made up for Emily's first birthday cake (the one for the adults as it turned out) and I created the head and face of the ladybug. Pink for her head and purple as her antennae. I also made some purple spots for the body of the cake. I made the eyes using plain circle tipped piping nozzles as punches in white and black fondant and then used the fondant tool which has the clam on one end and the semi circle on the other end the latter being the side I used, pressing it gently into the fondant and creating a smile. 







Once the crumb coating had set I coloured up some buttercream frosting, the idea was to match up to the pink fondant but I added a bit too much colouring and it was darker, but still a lovely colour. Using the Wilton 1M piping tip, I piped rose buds onto the cake, I piped straight out to fill any empty spaces. I put this is the fridge over night to set.





The next day I added the head and the spots to the body finishing the cake, although this cake was one of the quickest cakes to finish, it was still my favourite and I think it looks great.






We placed it down in front of Emily and all the other kids, she pretty much just looked at it while all the other children rammed their fingers into the icing and made quick work of the cake, not much was left in the end and all the kids had a ball, I even think Emily got a little of the icing.

Happy First Birthday My Darling Daughter

Not just a busy week for me, but a busy couple of days. Those of you that know me, know that my beautiful son, darling daughter and my beloved grandmother all share the same birthday the incredibly lucky St Patrick's day 17th March. This is my sons 3rd birthday, my daughters 1st birthday  and my Grandmothers 74th Birthday so we decided to have a joint birthday party this last weekend and William would also have a party next weekend with all his wee friends from preschool. So this weekend I had to prepare 4 cakes, busy, busy, busy!



I have long had an obsession with ladybugs and knew that I ever had a daughter that ladybugs would be a big part of her life and any decorations,  I had already been researching on Pinterest for ages for different cakes in Red colouring and Pink colourings.
 When I found Ladybug 1st birthday decorations in Pinks I was ecstatic and the cakes came to me immediately.


This cake gave me a chance to try out some new some new techniques and a new mould. While the cake was in the fridge to set the crumb coating. I rolled out some pink fondant which I coloured with Americolor Gel food colouring, normally I would always use wilton, but the only purple available in New Zealand is the violet and I don't like the colour that it makes so I bought some Americolor Gels in Pink and Purple ,and I have fallen in love with them so much that my latest order from The Cake Shop I have ordered even more of them I am inlove! I rolled out this beautiful pink and using my Ladybug plunger cutters I cut out hundreds of ladybugs and embossed them as well. Of course I didn't need as many as I cut out but you never know I like to be prepared.







 Using a lovely pre coloured green from Renshaw fondant, I rolled out very thin layer of fondant and using my Wilton Ribbon cutter I cut out 1/4" ribbons and cut them down to 2" in length and rolled them around some straws, I left these to dry over night and the effect is like curling ribbon. I also plunged out some wee stars for also for the side of the cake in the same colour.








Then using some purple fondant, which I coloured using Americolor food colouring, I rolled out nice and thin and again using my Wilton Ribbon cutter with the wavy blade I cut 1.5" wide ribbons then I shortened them to 4" strips. Using a very small about of water I "glued" the 2 ends of the strips together and threaded them onto some spare irrigation piping I had 15mm diametre. I left these on the pipe over night to dry this meant they kept their shape. 














Up the next morning far too early for my liking I was ready to add all my decorations to the cake.
The wee ladybugs around the side with trailing stars. I also decided that the cake needed a border so in the same purple as the ribbons I used my new Pearl rope mould, which I have had for a while but never used. This was the first time and I have to say I love it will definitely be using it again!!

Now for the top the idea was to make a ribbon bow like we use on presents, and to add a little something more I added the green "curling ribbon" randomly placed.
I used some left over butter cream to attach the ribbons, I evenly placed 6 wee ribbons in a circle and then I layered the rest until I ran out of space, I then went around and randomly added in the Green curls. For my first go at this I am pretty impressed with how it came out. Definitely something I will try again.











Happy First Birthday My Darling Daughter, this year has gone too fast hopefully the next year crawls by I need time to recover after making all these cakes.