Sawyer's cake

I've been wanting to take a series of pictures to document the steps to making a cake, but it never seems to work out because most of the time I am working as fast as I can and my hands are always covered in fondant, or cornstarch....so these were all I got... maybe next time :)

 

I have become a lover of modeling chocolate.  It is super easy to make and it cuts so much cleaner and smoother than fondant. In the first picture I am weighing the corn syrup

that will be mixed with the candy melts.

After mixing it all together- lay it out to dry and harden...knead together until smooth, then cover until use :)

Here's the 8 inch cake....carved and being leveled.

After sitting in the fridge to harden, it's time to smooth out the icing ...if you look close, you'll see the holes on the right side...this is the side that hasn't been smoothed yet...

...and a BIG jump to the final product.  He loved it :)

I get asked a lot about how long it takes to make a cake like this...this cake had 2 batches of fondant, 2 batches of icing doubled, vanilla bean recipe, chocolate recipe doubled, and hand cut letters from modeling chocolate.  I didn't count the hours from start to finish, but just decorating took 3 hours. :)

I love seeing the end product and learn a little more each time...

old school

I probably had 12 parties at Kate's Skating Rink growing up, but I loved it.  The skating rink has changed a good bit since I was there and I'm pretty sure the "rainbow room" is long gone, but the simple fun of rolling on wheels will always be entertaining.

 

 

Happy 6th Birthday, Ellie!!

teenage mutant ninja turtles!

 

I remember watching these as a kid and now they are back!  I think my brother was one for Halloween one year with the plastic mask, and all! :)

 

As my kids say, "are those engine turtles?" yes...yes they are :)

 

being watched...

A little late for Halloween...but here's some eye pops to keep you on your toes.  I hope the Doctors and employees of Graystone Eye Care enjoyed them this past week!

 

sweet and fancy

 

Here's a look at the latest pops...strawberries for a sweet birthday girl...

 

 

 

and a little fancy for a bridal shower.  :) 

 

 

 

 

simple mermaid

This cake was actually about a month ago, but somehow got lost in the files and didn't get posted.  This was for a little mermaid party, but without all the "glitz". The mom wanted a simple cake with a mermaid tail on top, and that' what she got.  :)

 

cake.

 

I thought I'd take a few pics from the wedding cake I did last week.  These are after the cakes were baked and the icing was made.  I think I used 8-10 sticks of butter, just for the icing :) 

Here's the prep area for the next days work...crumb coating and filling the cakes. Materials: cake turntable, cake boards, dowel rods, piping bags, piping tips, and bubble straws.

 

I took an online course with Joshua Harris, one of Food Network's Stars, and decided to try what he does..instead of using flour and shortening in his pans, he reuses a butter wrapper to place on the bottom of the pan so that the cake won't stick.  When it's done baking it looks like it's baked in the cake,  but it peels right off.  If you look real close at the pic below you'll see the butter wrapper. 

Leveling the cakes and cutting them in half..

filling...

 

I was running out of time, so the pictures had to stop :)

Here's the dowel rod going through the cake and cake boards for stability

the end ;)