We're All Mad Here!

For my sister's Sweet (maybe) 16, she chose an Alice in Wonderland theme complete with miniature "drink me" bottles, hand made invitations (200 of them!), playing card towers, and of course, an Alice inspired three-tier cake (drawing included).

When I asked her to come up with a design, I had no idea that THIS is what she would think of. How did the party work out? Wonderfully.Was everyone relieved the day AFTER the party? Yes. It was like a mishmash combination of My Super Sweet 16 and Bridezillas but we persevered! I also have to admit that everyone had a great time, my sister looked beautiful in all of her Alice in Wonderland glory, and I was able to get in a lot of practice creating this cake. 

Lets start off with the card soldiers and mushrooms:

These little guys were lovingly created with gumpaste in order for them to completely harden and be capable of standing on their own without added supports and resulted in two very red hands.

Teacups:

Working through a way to get that cup shape without leaving any seams and a way to harden without sinking down left my head spinning in the same way as though I had just gotten off their iconic ride in Disney World.

Finally...

In all of it's topsy turvy glory, Alice's cake made it to the event without being upended by the March Hare or Mad Hatter. A very merry unbirthday to you, and you, and you. Happy baking everyone!

No Time Like the Present

One of my favorite styles of cakes to make are present cakes. These consist of a base color for the "wrapping paper", another color for the bow, and a highlighting color for the bow's edging which adds a little bit of depth to the cake and makes it look a tad fancier. The best part about this style cake is that it can be dressed up for the holidays,graduations, or any other celebratory occasion, and depending on the colors could be for either a male or female.

Although most real presents are typically square or rectangular, I usually prefer a circular shape. As they say, you should always think out of the box! Until next time, happy baking everyone!

Movin' and Groovin'

The little man is growing up fast! For my cousin's baby's first birthday, I was asked (ok, volunteered) to make a cake inspired by music, particularly guitars and drums that also matched the design for his invitations.

The trickiest part? Getting those darn guitars to stay upright without the cake behind it for support. Spoonfuls of melted white chocolate and light blue fondant later, I discovered a solution. Toothpicks! Who knew the little things could come in handy in more ways than eating appetizers and cubes of cheese. As for matching the invitations...

Now let's not forget the whole drum aspect here, every one year old deserves a cake of their own...

...and a sugar rush to last until next year!

Happy baking everyone!

One Fortunate Cookie

Sorry for such a long absence, with finals and the holidays all packed into the past two and a half months things have been a little hectic. However, there has been a lot of baking going on, particularly cookies.

Buttercream filled macarons are my family's favorite with their light, crisp shells and smooth, melt in your mouth centers. There particular ones are almond flour based with almond and strawberry flavored buttercream fillings.

For Christmas I decided to try something a little different with these Craisin almond cookies which are bite sized but packed with flavor.

My mom and I have a huge love for Italian anisette cookies and our mouths practically water at the sight of them at the supermarket. They were actually not as difficult to make as I originally assumed and add a beautiful pop of color to an otherwise golden brown cookie tray.

Last but most definitely not least, my signature white chocolate hazelnut cookies. These were actually created through a happy accident in one of my culinary classes where we were each asked to bring in and replicate a recipe. I had chosen a toffee white chocolate chip cookie recipe but my chef instructor was unable to order the toffee and left me standing in front of a pantry and walk in refrigerator stocked with a vast amount of ingredients just waiting to be chosen. The hazelnuts almost seemed to beckon to be toasted and added to my dough therefore creating this sweet and hearty cookie.

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season and wish you the best in the upcoming new year!