Cakes

I've had fancy cakes on my mind for the past couple of days and thought I would share a few of the cakes that I've made. But then I realized that very few of them had blog-worthy pictures taken of them. I LOVE the look of a cutely decorated cake, but I really don't like actually eating cake, so I usually make these for other people :-). A few years ago I expressed interest in cake decorating, and my sweet Israel got me some great tools from a local craft store. 

Tools I have and use every time I decorate are:

1.  Pans. Obviously the correct size and shape of your pans is important (mine are circular) but please save yourself some sanity and purchase TWO of every size that you want. Seriously.

2.  A set of frosting tips with bags. I really like the disposable bags, but my non-disposable bag is great too, it just stays the color of the last frosting I put in it. I have fun playing with the different tips.

3.  Spatula. Not a pancake spatula or a rubber spatula, but the spatulas that look like gigantic butter knives.  Mine is off-set but I'd like to try a straight one at some point. The long, smooth "blade" of the spatula spreads and smooths the frosting.

4. A good "how-to" book on decorating cakes, including recipes and techniques. While I use the internet all the time for new tricks and techniques - it's really nice to have my book out and open right there. Wedding Cakes You Can Make by Dede Wilson is my current reference. 

My point-and-shoot camera did a bang-up job with this picture. Trust me, it is decorated. Mainly I put this in to show the size. In a wedding cake, this would be the top tier - but it is perfect for a small family. I used two 6-inch pans. If you use a box cake mix, just fill both pans 2/3 full and use the extra batter for cupcakes.

Another layer cake. I put caramel in the center, but was lazy and failed to put a large bead of frosting around the perimeter of the first layer before covering the top of that layer in caramel. As you can see, it is bulging around the middle. 

This is the biggest cake I've attempted to date. Clearly I have some things to work on - getting rid of those bulges for one - but what I'm most proud of are the flowers. I purchased a set of rose cutters at JoAnn's as well as some pre-made fondant, then I went at it. I LOVE them. I will definitely be making these again and will include a tutorial.  There are a couple of tricks, but once learned they are incredibly easy for looking so . . . darling!

This cake was for my parents 30th anniversary a few years ago. These pics don't show it, but the swirls spell out "love" and '30th' at different places.