Holy Birthday Cake Batman!

Here is the completed "Superhero" Cake.. which is chocolate cake with strawberry custard filling and buttercream icing.  Though the fondant emblems were challenging for me, I was pleased with how it turned out.. and my step-daughter sure seemed to be :)

Marvel {superhero} Cake

This week I'm working on a Marvel Cake (classic superheros for those of you who may not know what that is.. 'cause I didn't :)  ..It's for a friend of my step-daughter Emily.  The Cake will be a sheet with a 3-tiered Cake look on top of it (got the idea from a few others I've seen).  It's a great way to get the tiered effect for a smaller number of servings.. and a smaller price tag.

Here are my fondant elements for the Cake.. we did his 3 faves.. Batman, Spiderman, and Wolverine.  I'm also throwing on some speech bubbles like you would see in the classic comic books.. which will contain the Cake's {Birthday} message.  The Cake is for Saturday.. I'll post pics of the completed Cake this weekend.

Dad's Birthday Cake

So last week I got a little busy with things and forgot to post my latest Confection! :O  ..Dad's Birthday Cake.  I came across this recipe in the Vegetarian Times magazine my husband gets in the mail.  It is a Citrus-Scented Wine Cake with Fresh Berries.  I thought it would be perfect since my Dad is a wine lover, but also it just seemed light and summery.. a nice change from all the other sort of cakes I do (plus it was a warm day when we celebrated so again.. perfect).

The recipe calls for the use of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) instead of any butter.  Apparently EVOO is very good for making cakes moist and light (which it definitely was).  I thought it turned out very tasty.. and pretty!!  Here are some pics to prove my point :) 

{I have also included the recipe below} 

Citrus-Scented Wine Cake with Fresh Berries

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plush more to brush the pan
• 1-1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup sweet dessert wine like Moscato or Marsala (I used a white Moscato)
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar for dusting the cake
• 2 pints of fresh berries (I used Raspberries and Blackberries)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a 9x3-inch springform pan with some of the olive oil. Cut out a circle of parchment paper the size of the bottom of the pan, and line it.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange juice, orange and lemon zest, wine and olive oil. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to combine the eggs and sugar. Beat for about 4 minutes or until the amount has tripled in volume.
5. Add about half the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix on a low speed until it’s combined. Then add half the olive oil mixture and mix on a low speed until it’s combined. Repeat again with the flour and olive oil mixture.
6. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and add the batter to the pan.
7. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
8. Allow the cake to cook for about 10 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan.
9. Continue to allow the cake to cool completely, then garnish with confectioners’ sugar and fresh berries.

Serves 10 

Recipe from June 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine 

 

 

Cupcakes and Daisies!

Here are my completed Pink Champagne Cupcakes with Cream Cheese icing {and fondant Daisies}

The Birthday Girl loved them!!! 

The Perfect Pink Champagne!

So I went to a couple different liquor stores looking for just the right Pink Champagne for these Cupcakes.. it had to be a pretty pink (yes some are not so pretty).. and sweet!  Here's what I found.. I think it's gonna be perfect according to what the guy at the liquor store told me :)

This week... surprise Cupcakes for a special Birthday Girl!

Last week my cousin Danielle requested some special {surprise} Cupcakes for her daughter Kimmy.. who is turning 21 next week!  Oooh I'm so excited!  Not only do I LLLLOVVVVEEEE surprise Cakes/Cupcakes, but I'm loving the theme!  Kimmy's two faves are Cupcakes and Daisies so that's what I'm doing.  Plus, I "stalked" her Pinterest boards and discovered she pinned some Champagne Cupcakes.. I put that together with the fact that she apparently LOVES pink {as do I} and will be making her Pink Champagne Cupcakes!  How appropriate for 21 right?!  ..oh and they will be topped with daisies!   So this week I worked on all the fondant elements.. and here are the finished toppers for her Cupcakes!

   

Oh.. and of course I HAD to make special Cupcake wraps for these.. which are a shimmery soft pink.. the card stock paper almost reminded me of pink champagne when I saw it so I knew it was perfect!  Love these :)