Where the Only Limit is Your Imagination

Baking is my new passion! The magical smell of cake in the oven, the sweet aroma of cookies, the clicking sound of the mixer combining ingredients....

... sugar all over the counter, flour sprinkled on the floor and my clothes, food coloring all over my hands and the table.... I'm a messy baker. lol. I cant help myself, but I love every minute of it!

Starting off as a cake decorator, I began my new found occupation in culinary cheating a bit, and used mixes quite often.If its not broken, why fix it, right? I was a decorator, not a baker. I quickly realized my joy was not only in decorating but also in creating the whole package, the design of the cake along with the flavor. It is incredibly satisfying to see people's faces light up when they not only see their cake but also when they taste it. I find great joy in it! (Making a buck or two isn't bad either. ) :)

Join me in my journey as I learn and experiment with not only cake and decorating but also other pastries. I will share with you my ups and downs, my accomplishments and my disasters! There will be disasters...



Wednesday, April 6, 2011

It's Spring, but We Still Love Penguins! (Spiral Cake)

I have been very busy with cake orders the past few weeks, which is one reason it has been a couple of weeks since my last blog post. The other reason is that I started a new job in a field that I NEVER imagined I would be in! I am now a medical assistant at a Chiropractor's office! Who ME?? Ya, I never dreamed I would have a job like this. Ive always had jobs in a "creative" field. However, since I have been unemployed for a while now, I thought I would try my hand at something new....and, the job was offered to me. :) I am finding it challenging but I really like it a lot. They are training me on the job. When I'm not working, I'm making cakes for people. 


A friend of mine asked me to make her son a penguin cake for his birthday. Ive made a few in the past but I wanted to do this one a little different than the others. I don't like to so the same cake twice, if at all possible.


I started with three 8 inch cakes and two 6 inch cakes..

Then the fun began!


I decided to carve the cake BEFORE I put frosting in between the layers, in case I messed up with the carving, I didn't want the layers stuck together. I used toothpicks as a guide for my knife. I had to adjust them a few times until I was able to get the right line ALL the way around the cake at a downward slope. Top to bottom. 




Then starting at the top of the cake, I carved a notch out of it and followed my toothpick line. 


My goal was to create a spiral all the way down the cake.I kept carving, a little at a time. I took my time to make sure I had the angles right. (Most people find it better to freeze the cake before carving, and then carve it frozen. I didn't have the time to freeze mine.)


Eventually, I had a spiral around my cake from top to bottom. 


Then I frosted it with homemade whipped cream frosting! (Yum!!) And I handmade a bunch of penguins out of a fondant and gumpaste mixture to go on the cake....Here is the finished product!!











Hope you like it!

4 comments:

  1. Thank you so much! Im new to blogging but really enjoying it! Thanks for reading it and commenting. :)

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  2. OH MY GOODNESS!!!! I am so glad I found this place...just made my first spiral cake-I WILL do this again!!!!

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  3. How many people would this feed please?

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