tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36206813523886819962024-02-19T02:56:35.923-08:00Kelli Bakes CakesBaking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-5906565516125716512013-04-19T08:00:00.000-07:002013-04-19T08:00:00.533-07:00The most wonderful thing about Tiggers...<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had a friend-of-a-friend request a birthday cake. Her only requests were Tigger and flowers, so I made it happen. Don't remember the cake flavor, but filling is (freshly made) pineapple curd and frosting is cream cheese. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Check out the details on Tigger: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had a blast making all the flower and leaves! And they cover up a multitude of sins created in the name of fussy cream cheese.</span><br />
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<br />Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-24745814186437702532013-04-17T08:00:00.000-07:002013-04-17T08:00:03.997-07:00Yankee Doodle Dandy<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This will be a quick one. My folks came out for the Fourth of July and I made cupcakes! Red velvet (my secret weapon when I take over the world) with blue cream cheese frosting. Isn't my<br /> tiny cupcake stand adorbs?!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We even had a special guest, Camden! </span><br />
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<br />Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-45049803167496233062013-04-15T08:00:00.000-07:002013-04-15T08:00:07.227-07:00Well that got my mother off my back for a while...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While we're on the topic of Avery, she got herself a baby brother! And I got to go home for the baby shower. The theme was sports (just like the nursery) with an emphasis on soccer. So I wanted to figure out how to work this into the cake for the shower. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, there are limitations to what I can do if I have to travel. When I've <a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2011/06/dum-dum-da-dum.html" target="_blank">flown</a> in for the cake, I shipped as much as I could beforehand because I figure fondant looks remarkably similar to C4 and my gigantic rolling pin is considered a weapon. When I've <a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2011/08/west-texas-wedding.html" target="_blank">driven</a>, I've just packed everything along with me. This one was driving in, but the last leg of the drive through New Mexico with Avery. So taking much cake stuff wasn't an option. Plus, we were arriving the day before the shower without a lot of prep time for me. I usually get at least two working days before the cake needs to be finished. So cupcakes it was. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made fondant sports balls weeks ahead of time: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seriously, check out the textures on those bad boys! The baseball was the easiest, circle cutter and food color pen. I used a small tip to dimple the basketball (like I've done before) then drew in the lines. The football and soccer ball are tied for which was the biggest pain in my rear. I used one of my clay tools to make all the lines on the soccer ball by tracing over a printed ball, but such a pain! And I cut out fondant for the stripes and the laces on the football. I think the laces were the worse cause they were tiny!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had this grand scheme to use a grass tip for the frosting, but July shower in Texas plus fussy cream cheese frosting added up to just making a swirl. And oh green tongues!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cake is red velvet (my secret weapon) and frosting is the afore-mentioned cream cheese.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Mr. Cade showed up not too long after this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out his awesome onsie someone got him:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-50707812089213332042013-04-12T08:00:00.000-07:002013-04-12T08:00:00.834-07:00I feel old... very old<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You've met <a href="http://kellibakescakes.blogspot.com/2011/08/happy-almost-13th-birthday.html" target="_blank">Avery</a> before... that's seriously still one of my very favorite cakes. But Avery keeps getting older. How does that happen?! I remember when she was born and now she's in freakin high school!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWxs6zSg8BZ1MwlcDXYKKpY99zpz3nLF_1juW_wUAG7W00xxezDK0Y43lI8gXki7Zu-n2RtiGA1bH8_Fz5HR_Z6ZclfNL4V5tdiUm3ifUy9ueslLjVx6gU7EsNWPUvXGwcGAFg-NCbWU/s1600/IMG_1299.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWxs6zSg8BZ1MwlcDXYKKpY99zpz3nLF_1juW_wUAG7W00xxezDK0Y43lI8gXki7Zu-n2RtiGA1bH8_Fz5HR_Z6ZclfNL4V5tdiUm3ifUy9ueslLjVx6gU7EsNWPUvXGwcGAFg-NCbWU/s320/IMG_1299.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Avery came out to visit us again last summer right before her birthday and right before she started high school. Avery is a Sting (just like her momma, Gayle)! That's the high school drill team. She'd just made the team and was about to start their preschool camp when she came to visit. So I used a Stingerette theme for the cake. One of the things I most distinctly remembered about Gayle's time as a Sting was the logo:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I used the logo and school colors (blue and gold) as my inspiration. I also decided to try out a couple techniques that I'd seen. One was fondant ruffles:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not sure how happy i really was with the ruffles. Maybe I'll try it again some time, because when<a href="http://cakecentral.com/g/i/2066747/i-couldnt-wait-to-try-this-fondant-technique-so-when-my-birthday-rolled-around-i-jumped-at-the-opportunity-to-try-it-four-layered-coconut-cake-with-coconut-swiss-meringue-buttercream-covered-in-fondant/" target="_blank"> executed well</a>, it's really pretty. The second thing I wanted to try was a <a href="http://www.mycakeschool.com/blog/how-to-make-a-cake-with-zebra-stripes-on-the-inside/" target="_blank">zebra cake</a>. And turns out, it's freakishly easy and looks super cool! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I LOVE this shot</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But we put it all together:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cake is my favorite vanilla with almond extract substituted for the vanilla, frosting is this awesome <a href="http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2010/03/a-tasty-recipe-thats-the-best-frosting-ive-ever-had/" target="_blank">cooked frosting</a> that I'm obsessed with right now again with almond. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We drove back to Texas from here (oh my, three days with Avery as the DJ!) and made a couple of pretty fun stops to see the sights along the way:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Petrified Forest:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Standard Diner</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Mama's Minerals</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEe5y0zc9dKKyH6_qfmKLv53f6ZVpwCLni_S4Kg4SVZL7YJo0pMO8FRZioKN-Hje4tTkrAU8qLgofa9-YgRIistQ_1y3wMwcWnjfMd3HZZBJTmUErtS8y1Y5Q9rpRoc5GVL74ihy4XS3Y/s1600/IMG_1329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEe5y0zc9dKKyH6_qfmKLv53f6ZVpwCLni_S4Kg4SVZL7YJo0pMO8FRZioKN-Hje4tTkrAU8qLgofa9-YgRIistQ_1y3wMwcWnjfMd3HZZBJTmUErtS8y1Y5Q9rpRoc5GVL74ihy4XS3Y/s200/IMG_1329.JPG" width="150" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Carlsbad Caverns </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">White Sands </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Carizozo Lava Flow </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNiIhKz6bzm5zDJmeRUJu8q-vENHPut-UoAq1wCZqUAyzGVTXYc8naTRD5KsUKYNuCBDNG2Ydw9Ne5LYCDYOiY-TT33KiA3iqDBbKNG7HKcAS-se86WvyStKag0DGr4gZb-S-Z5CyMNA8/s1600/IMG_1332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNiIhKz6bzm5zDJmeRUJu8q-vENHPut-UoAq1wCZqUAyzGVTXYc8naTRD5KsUKYNuCBDNG2Ydw9Ne5LYCDYOiY-TT33KiA3iqDBbKNG7HKcAS-se86WvyStKag0DGr4gZb-S-Z5CyMNA8/s200/IMG_1332.JPG" width="150" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rockhounding in Roswell </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAqdG6DsxEUtsndLZ3nUf-FOKwvNoqBzoojZ6hJWG0LctOxBrukPAqsJwmgAA2CA6_mOuWoR9bO_U_QsU3-Ey0hGnyBHcIwmlGbl9KW-_mZyzVjYECf6kW8iPafYe7tNptrH7X_NxJE4/s1600/IMG_1392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAqdG6DsxEUtsndLZ3nUf-FOKwvNoqBzoojZ6hJWG0LctOxBrukPAqsJwmgAA2CA6_mOuWoR9bO_U_QsU3-Ey0hGnyBHcIwmlGbl9KW-_mZyzVjYECf6kW8iPafYe7tNptrH7X_NxJE4/s200/IMG_1392.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-30394486374842919172013-04-10T08:00:00.000-07:002013-04-10T08:00:10.504-07:00Puppy dog Tails<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFeq_qDtqsk2n8DROPSqFwK1TwCjoBQeRAIg9Gbwh6p7xdCglflNLUQJzV4Lid6mEG0ZpJsxDkCCT1BYicHPtkLlI8N1LX19DX7rga-Xe6YA6xZqqJQsVCz8S-AHf5CtdvcVYH58et3o/s1600/Kenzie+Posing.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFeq_qDtqsk2n8DROPSqFwK1TwCjoBQeRAIg9Gbwh6p7xdCglflNLUQJzV4Lid6mEG0ZpJsxDkCCT1BYicHPtkLlI8N1LX19DX7rga-Xe6YA6xZqqJQsVCz8S-AHf5CtdvcVYH58et3o/s320/Kenzie+Posing.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had to say goodbye to a special doggy recently. It was hard, but she lived quite a life. I picked Mackenzie out from a photo- we were working at Wal-Mart and a coworker just ended up with puppies. We'd just moved out into our house and were looking for a dog. When Mary showed us the pictures of all the puppies, I fell in love with a little one that was pure white except for a big spot over her eye. I declared that she looked like Spuds Mackenzie (don't judge, I was a child of the 80s) and the name stuck.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKs0Hb5qXgEHXJfJH_sNVv7mQoQewn6XzW0nUxfj_VuJoDGNg_zqaKbdljEMXcnz9khj2kinCjXkB9AL3x0MHUyIlpy_NWoiIifBHK1f83WoQckhUNPcGlXhCmhcOuRhoErfRZbR_Vi0/s400/BullTerrierSpuds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKs0Hb5qXgEHXJfJH_sNVv7mQoQewn6XzW0nUxfj_VuJoDGNg_zqaKbdljEMXcnz9khj2kinCjXkB9AL3x0MHUyIlpy_NWoiIifBHK1f83WoQckhUNPcGlXhCmhcOuRhoErfRZbR_Vi0/s200/BullTerrierSpuds.jpg" width="200" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> (see, totally sorta)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we went to pick her up, a fat little puppy sat himself under the hubbin and we figured that two dogs would keep each other company when we weren't home, so we brought Buford home too. The hubbin picked out his name and he couldn't have done it better. And these two were inseparable for over 11 years. Buford took such good care of her. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKFRbnS3Z-hFY0DXoW47haoOt0hGQYnv9eG6yFdARACCl0G9MU17F0mND_nA-ADCvS5ZTwiwRn06TzZmEp3A6pAAG_2zYxEwRjHkv2tyJMsO6iL7jC6MULue7B0O_T50g14_Dxol4XKc/s1600/Burford2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKFRbnS3Z-hFY0DXoW47haoOt0hGQYnv9eG6yFdARACCl0G9MU17F0mND_nA-ADCvS5ZTwiwRn06TzZmEp3A6pAAG_2zYxEwRjHkv2tyJMsO6iL7jC6MULue7B0O_T50g14_Dxol4XKc/s320/Burford2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always joked that Mackenzie was more cat than dog because she obviously came with nine lives. I can't tell you how many times she just nearly died (hit by car, drowning, hanging, and flying roofs), but even those nine lives have to run out sometime. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have an amazing vet that saw Mackenzie through the last two years. When Kenzie was sick, it was nice to have someone who knew her crazy history and understood where we stood in terms of treatments. And she was there with us through the very end. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had to bring Buford in just two days later, so I wanted a way to thank the vet and her staff who have treated Mackenzie so well and so kindly this whole time. So of course, I had to make cupcakes. </span><br />
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<br />Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-30007633718781476802013-04-08T08:00:00.000-07:002013-04-08T08:00:07.687-07:00M...I...C.... See ya real soon<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While Disney still holds the heart of many kids, I've one one friend who's little guy has gone totally old school and loves Mickey! I think that's pretty cool. So when he had a birthday, a Disney theme was in order.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I mentioned in the last post how I've had kiddos that I've made all sorts of cakes for and Grayson is no exception: <a href="http://kellibakescakes.blogspot.com/2010/08/a-rumbly-in-melissa-tummbly.html" target="_blank">baby shower</a> and<a href="http://kellibakescakes.blogspot.com/2011/09/planes-trains-and-automobiles.html" target="_blank"> first birthday</a>. So making his second birthday cake was a blast for me! With special dietary needs, I had to get creative with the cake. And Mom likes BRIGHT, colorful cakes! Which was cool with me. I've done a <a href="http://kellibakescakes.blogspot.com/2011/11/y-because-we-like-you.html" target="_blank">Mickey cake before</a>, but I needed a little different angle on this one. And when I think Mikey Mouse, I think ears. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'll be honest, it's been so long I don't remember what frosting recipe I used. But I was apparently pretty proud of how nice and smooth I got it. I'll be honest, that's quite a feat because I'm not great with buttercream, which is why I love fondant. Fondant covers up a multitude of cake sins. </span><br />
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And the finished product! I especially love the Disney font for his name. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1umNDNeq54RPn8jc7laTNXL4yoZUPW-BmQTRzB4AlUJK4KWoVgYQ2DUbQ-I9CSmi_ynWdyS619XtjMs_ocycG1jfaRXV2Z3q1izMV3dR8FDe5TAeuEmNQpZnUsLZUGhRDV7gBpgM3VY/s1600/IMG_1561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1umNDNeq54RPn8jc7laTNXL4yoZUPW-BmQTRzB4AlUJK4KWoVgYQ2DUbQ-I9CSmi_ynWdyS619XtjMs_ocycG1jfaRXV2Z3q1izMV3dR8FDe5TAeuEmNQpZnUsLZUGhRDV7gBpgM3VY/s320/IMG_1561.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Birthday boy and his awesome momma dancing while we sang Happy Birthday. (I realize these shots are blurry, who knows?) After the candles were blown out, he asked to do it again!<br />
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Th birthday boy digging in:<br />
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Aren't those baby blues and dimples just too much?<br />
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The filling is cookies and cream (totes yummy!)<br />
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<br />Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-84433914521420383772013-04-05T17:59:00.000-07:002013-04-05T17:59:00.092-07:00Kinda Like "Tuh-mater"... but without the "tuh" Mater<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've got friends with all sorts of kids. And those kids have birthdays and those birthdays need CAKE! A few of these little guys I've known forever (or at least for them). And I've got to make cakes for all the important milestones. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For instance, there's Camden. I did a <a href="http://kellibakescakes.blogspot.com/2010/07/a-bun-in-oven-and-cake-in-tummy.html" target="_blank">baby shower cake</a>, <a href="http://kellibakescakes.blogspot.com/2011/09/avast-ye-matey.html">a first birthday cake</a> and now a second birthday cake! [cough..cough...there's a third coming up soon Mom!] I love that I can be a part of the lives of these kiddos in such a special way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As any kid does, this little guy has all sorts of favorites depending on the week, but this particular week, his favorite was Cars. And I LOVE Cars, especially all those Arizona scenes in the movies. So when Melinda mentioned wanting a Cars theme, I BEGGED (no joke) to do Mater. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://domainshane.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/mater_cars_Cars_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://domainshane.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/mater_cars_Cars_2.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ain't no need to watch where I'm goin'; just need to know where I've been.</span>"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> You see, I have this wish list of cakes that I want to do:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">sparkly pink princess castle (still haven't talked Melinda into this one!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">dinosaur volcano</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://kellibakescakes.blogspot.com/2012/02/the-only-thing-sweeter-than-taylor.html" target="_blank"><strike>guitar </strike></a> (DONE!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mater</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So you see, it HAD to be done! No matter what she was actually wanting. Good thing I'm pretty aggressive in getting my way. And actually, this turned out to be a surprisingly easy cake. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First step: carving the cake!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-C7sncQMNg_rIkHbij5FuqJSdHc548tf0LDGgyYTj7k5f9cNKaAHzoqX64o5Pl3JXXtbMZZegY-o03anau8apXuMdwr_FQ3LwHOBeEgr-WvWhLdkMwoMhQ5svp1GZYYbouDl80XHDahA/s1600/IMG_1496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-C7sncQMNg_rIkHbij5FuqJSdHc548tf0LDGgyYTj7k5f9cNKaAHzoqX64o5Pl3JXXtbMZZegY-o03anau8apXuMdwr_FQ3LwHOBeEgr-WvWhLdkMwoMhQ5svp1GZYYbouDl80XHDahA/s320/IMG_1496.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I printed out a picture of Mater at the size I wanted and just sort of went to town on it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Step 2: decorate (we'll get to the finished photos here in a bit) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Step 3: transport the cake! </span></div>
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<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQ8WHH5A1l5612XwbMCWZqbTlL-obkgxzW5hOIlITxHExSx5crfqd5P_cEi3zhev_SopB3uKGgyZij3zr3eXji3CAymTkDH5cWZ6q0h0jr3RjOeLh5HQ6KtSYd99fTWupjX-NUK6YMy0/s320/IMG_1497.JPG" width="320" /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I took this picture from the back seat where I got stuck because the cake was in the front seat where the A/C could hit it. It was August y'all! It's hot here!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And the final product: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was super happy with how this cake turned out! AND I covered that whole thing with a single sheet of fondant. That's skillz, I tell ya. Then the details were hand-painted on. Including a little personalization for the birthday boy.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixWEqSty1qSsQBbDwRUencvf1hExRJqcyoZUqRXWCzBjnm6tS4eX8IR4gJ-JYliqiIIbJGr4NWxWYAUab3U47Uw2r4tUjh_uOVDEs8oUBneQloqSP7-z7nK5DbAO5AxzlZRjwXENAqlI/s1600/IMG_1498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixWEqSty1qSsQBbDwRUencvf1hExRJqcyoZUqRXWCzBjnm6tS4eX8IR4gJ-JYliqiIIbJGr4NWxWYAUab3U47Uw2r4tUjh_uOVDEs8oUBneQloqSP7-z7nK5DbAO5AxzlZRjwXENAqlI/s320/IMG_1498.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Step 4: Eat it! I'm getting better at this processes, plus I always make Melinda do all the cutting anyway. I can't do it myself. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5x0vIu5LJYQw11NqWrMzDF2yqhw-FxL1e6J8vqYLPZbjIS42i-BHF_x6VGSZGbxlgpzlOTjG0ifUoHh-P1Ea6R7dcROmoaHKXl-TUvp4YRhziaQB4Mbzfnb04TvzHsQ11hvzzhLXM1A/s1600/IMG_1504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5x0vIu5LJYQw11NqWrMzDF2yqhw-FxL1e6J8vqYLPZbjIS42i-BHF_x6VGSZGbxlgpzlOTjG0ifUoHh-P1Ea6R7dcROmoaHKXl-TUvp4YRhziaQB4Mbzfnb04TvzHsQ11hvzzhLXM1A/s320/IMG_1504.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The aftermath: You know I love this part, but tell me the last show doesn't look awesome! That's FIVE layers of beautiful, flat layers!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihCoJajvRtY4Hyf1bTaPmZfjsd0DZknngW96WZwH14WO9PEPCXFh5UCITBtbxhTe9JQEpsO5kKbhUNHQcjwOeu0uwxThdtChQBqipjbuN6jVDndM6j-aIpHoBS3cu3LRUFh4FMfEQ9jcE/s1600/IMG_1506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihCoJajvRtY4Hyf1bTaPmZfjsd0DZknngW96WZwH14WO9PEPCXFh5UCITBtbxhTe9JQEpsO5kKbhUNHQcjwOeu0uwxThdtChQBqipjbuN6jVDndM6j-aIpHoBS3cu3LRUFh4FMfEQ9jcE/s320/IMG_1506.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cake is my awesome chocolate, peanut butter filling, chocolate ganache frosting. </span>Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-91119329444688023642013-04-03T17:33:00.002-07:002013-04-03T17:40:34.958-07:00Apparently, I lost a year...<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was telling someone about this blog the other day and I realized that it is almost a year out of date! What happened? oh wait, I know. I got myself a real job and ran out of time. It's not like I haven't been baking, it's just that I put a pic on Facebook and keep moving. So my goal is to get caught up some.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We'll start with something fun: FOOTBALL! Now I've got pretty strong opinions about sports. Baseball is horribly boring, I don't understand basketball and all the squeaking is horrible, hockey is awesome but only live, this is America we don't do soccer, but I'm cool with football. Short plays keep my attention and games are only really on Sundays for the most part so I don't have to keep up with a whole bunch of games.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And even people who don't like football watch the Super Bowl. But seriously, the commercials aren't that good so I don't watch for them. We got invited to a Super Bowl party and I wanted to bring something along. Now I've done a<a href="http://kellibakescakes.blogspot.com/2011/04/are-you-ready-for-some-football.html"> Super Bowl cake before</a>. And I didn't want a repeat. And since it was a party, I thought that cupcakes would be easiest for everyone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So this is what we got:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDrlFZ6kBdXbPSALYbgA85m-n9uNUsBW_eTMczECkYrK6hGXv4du_ldYV-xGgNCHqJHE4ZV9Ph8GRhfA67zfoJKO56TLdwABJXz_FMSi96ZT2Os1u-j85vD5CAqkI6sLatonfMh8iIDc/s1600/IMG_2716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDrlFZ6kBdXbPSALYbgA85m-n9uNUsBW_eTMczECkYrK6hGXv4du_ldYV-xGgNCHqJHE4ZV9Ph8GRhfA67zfoJKO56TLdwABJXz_FMSi96ZT2Os1u-j85vD5CAqkI6sLatonfMh8iIDc/s400/IMG_2716.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My favorite vanilla recipe and almond flavored buttercream on top.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-70819326186786181992012-05-10T08:00:00.000-07:002012-08-27T20:57:15.946-07:00You're my cuppy cake,gumdrop,shyummkums pure<div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_5_133615625646286" class="content" style="text-align: center;"><br /><img height="350" id="il_fi" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RmNDvRPRF004VxUKhjeUsbRdfobAINUqxTlAcj_kOzsVLDxjqLR2etVbJh2cNDAh3NBLGrsEmkLIrLhKcD_GFw0ia2IF-Jpyewc0bBvVRRr7YiBwpl-rjWdowJhbQMVAC_uR0RC2o969/s400/strawberryshortcake.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="250" /></div><br /><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_5_133615625646286" class="content"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You're my hunny bun, sugar plum, pumpy upmy upmy <br />upmkin.<br />You're my sweetie pie.<br /><br />You're my cuppy cake,gumdrop,shyummkums <br />pure,<br />The apple of my eye!<br /><br />And I love you so, and I want you to know <br />that i'll always be right here.<br /><br />And I love to sing this song to you <br /><br />Because you are so dear!</span> </div><br /><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_5_133615625646286" class="content"><br /> </div><br /><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_5_133615625646286" class="content"><br />******************************************************</div><br /><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_5_133615625646286" class="content"><br /> </div><br /><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_5_133615625646286" class="content"><br />It's that time of the year and strawberries are on sale. Yeah, so I made some strawberry cupcakes. <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/338183/strawberry-cupcakes-with-strawberry-butt" target="_blank">Martha Stewart Strawberry Cupcakes</a>. I didn't use the strawberry SMBC from her book because I was low on eggs, but I should have went with it. Seriously, I love SMBC and the strawberries are so good in it. But alas, I went with an ABC and carefully added fresh strawberry puree because it makes the frosting flaccid. Yes, I know, but that really is the only word to describe this process. And you can't recover from it because the only option is more powdered sugar. I'm not a huge fan of ABC in the first place, but it's so easy. </div><br /><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_5_133615625646286" class="content"><br /> </div><br /><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_5_133615625646286" class="content"><br />So when I went to frost the cupcakes, the frosting wasn't as pretty as normal since it was so soft. And then the bits in the puree clogged the tip and did weird things. Did I mention I overfilled the liners and they spread like crazy? Sprinkles make ugly cupcakes better.</div><br /><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_5_133615625646286" class="content"><br /> </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaY6_avAqQA2lbMd2f0xWsg-AYOlCRWrDwkcAXAAqxkFQL5Za_PAcklxuC00fh8axe-x7t4Ev657sh7vqnCyfjFWFLolffIXxeXwNESvPC7v83WJHigsyhv8Anh5qN11TH-mGZRPA0LY6/s1600/IMG_0967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaY6_avAqQA2lbMd2f0xWsg-AYOlCRWrDwkcAXAAqxkFQL5Za_PAcklxuC00fh8axe-x7t4Ev657sh7vqnCyfjFWFLolffIXxeXwNESvPC7v83WJHigsyhv8Anh5qN11TH-mGZRPA0LY6/s320/IMG_0967.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_5_133615625646286" class="content"><br />(No fancy photos, just a cell phone pick in the carrier this time)</div><br /><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_5_133615625646286" class="content"><br /> </div><br /><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_5_133615625646286" class="content"><br />The good news is that even ugly cupcakes can taste awesome. I can't tell you how many complements I got on these things. I had two people use the word "heavenly" and two others admit to eating at least three a piece. This is why I bring in three dozen cupcakes to work. <br /></div>Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-33961257861114413102012-05-08T11:23:00.000-07:002012-08-27T20:57:15.917-07:00Chocolate or poop?! Chocolate or poop?!When using chocolate frosting, you should ALWAYS remember, there is a fine line between looking like chocolate and looking like poop. Cake Wrecks has told us this<a href="http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2011/7/18/aw-poo.html" target="_blank"> again</a>, and <a href="http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2010/10/19/regular-wrecks.html" target="_blank">again</a>, and <a href="http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2010/1/15/the-2-way-to-ruin-a-cake.html" target="_blank">again</a>, and <a href="http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2009/5/21/to-the-pain.html#comment14469403" target="_blank">again</a>... the number of results when you search for poop on the site is astounding. <br /><br /><br /><br />I tell you that to tell you this, I made chocolate chip cupcakes with chocolate frosting to take to work. Baked the night before, frosting the morning of, I was bringing the treats as a thank you for some folks helping me out. Since I was in a hurry to get to work, I mixed dark chocolate ganache with leftover ABC and threw it all in a piping bag without a tip and did my thing. Covered 'em all and wiped my hands. <br /><br /><br /><br />Then I looked at em.<br /><br /><br /><br />Dang, poo everywhere!<br /><br /><br /><br />Seriously, I grabbed by offset spatula and beat the little piles of poo into submission, cussing myself for not grabbing the 1M tip that makes all cupcakes adorable. Sigh. So then it looked like smashed poo. What does one do now? SPRINKLES! At least the poo had sprinkles. :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyr0a_LBJoWRhCNtrxddlPC-MKv_gc4-VCXHMnkzCXxzBrHMt4NTugwOirk1S1_BW7lrFvea7BeaVq6hMVXlX4cQn0Ykkhr_RsGrgoLICNZlvhUB74AR5QQtGEjylThVO379nRAOJTZEOV/s1600/IMG_0851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyr0a_LBJoWRhCNtrxddlPC-MKv_gc4-VCXHMnkzCXxzBrHMt4NTugwOirk1S1_BW7lrFvea7BeaVq6hMVXlX4cQn0Ykkhr_RsGrgoLICNZlvhUB74AR5QQtGEjylThVO379nRAOJTZEOV/s400/IMG_0851.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Didn't I mention that I tried out some cupcake wrappers that didn't need a muffin tin? Just throw em on a baking sheet, fill em up, and go. Apparently, they spread... a lot... so these were weird and warped poo cupcakes. </div><br /><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPN9827UsCJIk-ppqd39dKtSH7c67zGwbC_WkD9Ybq2-dHKgUQRwqg1UlnvvYqFtD3y3p2DERe18TRQI1vLwSJrQLt-tMPQCAVU4tnXqGj6RMHUcIloDDXTNbxd-PJI1FjIqsc5MGa0Lxq/s1600/IMG_0849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPN9827UsCJIk-ppqd39dKtSH7c67zGwbC_WkD9Ybq2-dHKgUQRwqg1UlnvvYqFtD3y3p2DERe18TRQI1vLwSJrQLt-tMPQCAVU4tnXqGj6RMHUcIloDDXTNbxd-PJI1FjIqsc5MGa0Lxq/s320/IMG_0849.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpD7YStdWvn9Y3ie-3T8Xw-rdMplTYwik5xXUDPcKoXZXeOJS0Ib6KhoaF-UL-AyvprRl2p5a2ed1F67JaEgU3LNFJS_U9OyaZipAGufmfIor5O2i5wf4gsi72IXnweM8bFRwuzAlvLkF/s1600/IMG_0850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpD7YStdWvn9Y3ie-3T8Xw-rdMplTYwik5xXUDPcKoXZXeOJS0Ib6KhoaF-UL-AyvprRl2p5a2ed1F67JaEgU3LNFJS_U9OyaZipAGufmfIor5O2i5wf4gsi72IXnweM8bFRwuzAlvLkF/s320/IMG_0850.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /> They all were eaten by the end of the day. Apparently my coworkers are undaunted by poo.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyr0a_LBJoWRhCNtrxddlPC-MKv_gc4-VCXHMnkzCXxzBrHMt4NTugwOirk1S1_BW7lrFvea7BeaVq6hMVXlX4cQn0Ykkhr_RsGrgoLICNZlvhUB74AR5QQtGEjylThVO379nRAOJTZEOV/s1600/IMG_0851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-60507412230696625512012-05-06T08:00:00.000-07:002012-08-27T20:57:15.941-07:00Two by Two<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="365" src="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash2/149879_173024156058392_113619615332180_496662_7522023_n.jpg" style="height: 365px; width: 275px;" width="275" /></div><br />"The most important time of Mormon<br /> Kid's life<br /> Is his mission.<br /> A chance to go out<br /> And help heal the world,<br /> That's my mission.<br /> Soon I'll be off in a different place,<br /> Helping the whole human race.<br /> I know my mission will be<br /> Something incredible!"<br /><br /><br /><br />So I promise to keep quotes to a minimum here (but like <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheBookOfMormonOnBroadway#!/TheBookOfMormonOnBroadway" target="_blank">The Book of Mormon</a> on Facebook and you can listen to the entire cast recording! [So freakin excited to see the show, not much longer to wait now]).<br /><br /><br /><br />I got a request for cakes for some special real-life Mormon missionaries. And who can't help but jump at this? These young men are far from home and cut off from their friends and families, these boys need cake on their birthday! And the halfway mark of the mission! And seriously, they could have been sent anywhere around the world (like Uganda or Orlando) and they got sent to West Phoenix. They needed cake. I was making the fire extinguisher cake for the same friend needing these. You saw my excitement about the <a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2012/05/some-catchin-up-to-do.html" target="_blank">extinguisher</a>, just imagine what these cakes did for me. <br /><br /><br /><br />So here's what they got:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-sAoz74AWM_P5NwB8QLfVx3rTDUhPhxVUeNhriO3y3IpZvvFbOnFUIE_6ZxZiiUfoR_Nz12xaIDQBR3ciPi3le4jUyBlVfMCe5ZcZWo85E9cZP8LwF0KyKd2v7J97Cg1JdgJ6ly2dy1R/s1600/IMG_0823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-sAoz74AWM_P5NwB8QLfVx3rTDUhPhxVUeNhriO3y3IpZvvFbOnFUIE_6ZxZiiUfoR_Nz12xaIDQBR3ciPi3le4jUyBlVfMCe5ZcZWo85E9cZP8LwF0KyKd2v7J97Cg1JdgJ6ly2dy1R/s320/IMG_0823.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />These things make me exceptionally happy. I'd never covered a square cake before and I was happy with how well it went, very few tears. Which was good since there's chocolate frosting under that white fondant. <br /><br /><br /><br />Wasn't super happy with the writing, but dang those name tags were tiny. The cardboards the cakes sit on are 6" (ande covered with the Taylor Swift contact paper too!), so the tags were just over 1" wide and I was writing with a toothpick dipped in white food coloring. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AZYX1iXpmFQ6DgAbXE0z7vXWW1k6kd8MdbktOiBWTbjZNY9MDhKiDwHwD0wuCsU4jQQ9CBV6r7mZyrDJ1HMHAap-WOM9f3C2J83aH0SIqBNnpsIuYyxDiB4TOfApfu5vpm03Plp2g_iw/s1600/IMG_0824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2AZYX1iXpmFQ6DgAbXE0z7vXWW1k6kd8MdbktOiBWTbjZNY9MDhKiDwHwD0wuCsU4jQQ9CBV6r7mZyrDJ1HMHAap-WOM9f3C2J83aH0SIqBNnpsIuYyxDiB4TOfApfu5vpm03Plp2g_iw/s320/IMG_0824.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />The collars were super easy. strip of fondant, pointy ends, fold in half (hot dog style), stick on cake. Easy-peasy. Tie? Strip of black fondant plus a triangle. Each of these took no time to make. <br /><br /><br /><br />And look how sweet they look all boxed up. Since they were gifts and super cute and tiny, I grabbed some boxes to put them in. Sweet. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvQ4cQnLiLmWEzKbP-os0z5KH7Vxpu55lpV0iNveW7dzj2z8jLxbtXJcUSW8z0_tiPawZvnHCwZptR20TmPQNNZTmB_2cn0NQlDUeAw0QiCy5I_3O2rTsNrhKYKyDuzNxLRVYlvUmkVCq/s1600/IMG_0832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvQ4cQnLiLmWEzKbP-os0z5KH7Vxpu55lpV0iNveW7dzj2z8jLxbtXJcUSW8z0_tiPawZvnHCwZptR20TmPQNNZTmB_2cn0NQlDUeAw0QiCy5I_3O2rTsNrhKYKyDuzNxLRVYlvUmkVCq/s320/IMG_0832.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /> Happy Birthday and Congratulations gentlemen!Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-32338223858655451932012-05-04T10:32:00.000-07:002012-08-27T20:57:15.911-07:00Some Catchin Up to DoI've been baking, but not posting about it. The last couple of months have been crazy. But I've got a few cakes to show you. Let's start with this one:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdMQlwSiWS7O6nrXh1qvBgaORjBHHp9OZWhL9NIXTlGiXV0bEQFxl_y6pezCyCvaPeSt4lJtWU0L1TrHEkk3XZ0-bGTfQULxx4itg6AaA2gwD_cU7uddMLYeG7SI6oI7fl8omhYo3DMbZ/s1600/IMG_0838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdMQlwSiWS7O6nrXh1qvBgaORjBHHp9OZWhL9NIXTlGiXV0bEQFxl_y6pezCyCvaPeSt4lJtWU0L1TrHEkk3XZ0-bGTfQULxx4itg6AaA2gwD_cU7uddMLYeG7SI6oI7fl8omhYo3DMbZ/s320/IMG_0838.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />My friend's mother-in-law was celebrating a birthday and a fire themed cake was requested. Here is how the conversation went:<br /><br />Friend-"Can you put a fire extinguisher on top?"<br /><br />Me- "¡¿WHAT IF I MAKE THE CAKE ITSELF INTO A FIRE EXTINGUISHER?!"<br /><br />Yes, honestly, that's probably exactly what it sounded like. I get over excited sometimes. <br /><br /><br /><br />I thought about doing a jelly roll to get the cylindar shape like I'd <a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2010/06/happy-falker-satherhood.html" target="_blank">done before</a>. But I wasn't super happy with how that worked out. So carving it was going to be. The request was for chocolate cake and fluffy chocolate frosting, so no ganache :(. I was doing a couple of cakes this weekend so I mixed up a double batch of my favorite <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/double-dark-chocolate-cupcakes-with-peanut-butter-filling" target="_blank">chocolate cake recipe</a> and threw a bunch of cocoa poweder into a simple american buttercream. Wasn't super happy with the buttercream, but I find that is the issue with me and ABC quite a bit here lately. I've been spoiled on ganache and SMBC I suppose.<br /><br /><br /><br />You know I don't take many action shots while baking and decorating, but I couldn't pass up this shot of perfectly creamed butter and sugar. It's a thing of beauty, almost spiritual I tell you. Colors look weird, one shot with the flash, one without. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSncxkPzszCRCFpbbHRP9ZNudXGwFD5d1oh_ZmaN9ibmmzK91_z0F7NOYIkn-hIYnvdKvfMoYk8sdX2jhF1AP0OlAujoDfjeHbJJ-A7hbEC-8aUs1XZ9M93eRFpyEqbjVkZ08GIJR-S_C/s1600/IMG_0821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSncxkPzszCRCFpbbHRP9ZNudXGwFD5d1oh_ZmaN9ibmmzK91_z0F7NOYIkn-hIYnvdKvfMoYk8sdX2jhF1AP0OlAujoDfjeHbJJ-A7hbEC-8aUs1XZ9M93eRFpyEqbjVkZ08GIJR-S_C/s320/IMG_0821.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XzO5vEkVUpNqq7trMoQvVy27uVOqeMUCHHVKbJoJZ6lgdufHKy8C_HMrCemUxAB87tpfR8dSwhC1eTkgBGs_sYd2wuK2uNwBvpyI3fEp_sADr9QuzX77QZTmjWZliToM_8JQHIudH0Q5/s1600/IMG_0819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XzO5vEkVUpNqq7trMoQvVy27uVOqeMUCHHVKbJoJZ6lgdufHKy8C_HMrCemUxAB87tpfR8dSwhC1eTkgBGs_sYd2wuK2uNwBvpyI3fEp_sADr9QuzX77QZTmjWZliToM_8JQHIudH0Q5/s320/IMG_0819.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdMQlwSiWS7O6nrXh1qvBgaORjBHHp9OZWhL9NIXTlGiXV0bEQFxl_y6pezCyCvaPeSt4lJtWU0L1TrHEkk3XZ0-bGTfQULxx4itg6AaA2gwD_cU7uddMLYeG7SI6oI7fl8omhYo3DMbZ/s1600/IMG_0838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />Eventually, this is what came out of the kitchen (Notice that I used the <a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2012/02/i-was-asked-to-make-cake-for-girl-that.html" target="_blank">Taylor Swift</a> contact paper again to cover the boards. Love that stuff. Need more designs though.):<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3E-TrPSzV2MhSonSWiDMFRO60k8kzVZkejGDZKDjjH_kuWcI3JF2rgHkMTPlxwe4XOvmQiO6qcHrGc9RLhNIyNlXr27Xij-F4WUZEXBpZPI7G6B_K_s9h0pBqjKqxl4zSO-yPWx9X_KTm/s1600/IMG_0833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3E-TrPSzV2MhSonSWiDMFRO60k8kzVZkejGDZKDjjH_kuWcI3JF2rgHkMTPlxwe4XOvmQiO6qcHrGc9RLhNIyNlXr27Xij-F4WUZEXBpZPI7G6B_K_s9h0pBqjKqxl4zSO-yPWx9X_KTm/s320/IMG_0833.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Covering up the bad fondant edges. Sneaky, aren't I?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GUY26WuzQAXNO4K2B6sfJ5w60mV7Rm3uDHSPqPApxJt5oDYILOCTBFhgpshoovxXrWj290kzqnCqqKZY1Qipd3qYtChAAdHVqKCY5UBIHpK7A0UhJ43xQT49GGsxUZifIIJYTgPqtUYg/s1600/IMG_0834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GUY26WuzQAXNO4K2B6sfJ5w60mV7Rm3uDHSPqPApxJt5oDYILOCTBFhgpshoovxXrWj290kzqnCqqKZY1Qipd3qYtChAAdHVqKCY5UBIHpK7A0UhJ43xQT49GGsxUZifIIJYTgPqtUYg/s320/IMG_0834.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />We had talked about making it actually spray, like whipped cream or something, but alas it did not.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR85KQL6S0Ddms2ge-vEe8cZzDoyO9hxAhrxahULTToeW7L0yRuYujj26Ey-3dBQPhdKBqEFH2o9mJcpGEed9IGyhUIuqlqrzVRFfF_Ix3kF-eE37ASIN-ND1fAp2dt-JuIKAPLlETm9VQ/s1600/IMG_0835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR85KQL6S0Ddms2ge-vEe8cZzDoyO9hxAhrxahULTToeW7L0yRuYujj26Ey-3dBQPhdKBqEFH2o9mJcpGEed9IGyhUIuqlqrzVRFfF_Ix3kF-eE37ASIN-ND1fAp2dt-JuIKAPLlETm9VQ/s320/IMG_0835.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />But how cute is that caution tape? Love my food color markers. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLuDaj6JMZSaWwC5fNNLZsGXYBZkzXaPCod61htUaJMbcCaNCbglhH8O19Os5aozPc8u_sIU1H3Upo4WJOvdGFXj8oUMKIXc6BZDpEXw27W51Si8C8HvRplPpdiwcpDX9YMztCrt9JmAZS/s1600/IMG_0836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLuDaj6JMZSaWwC5fNNLZsGXYBZkzXaPCod61htUaJMbcCaNCbglhH8O19Os5aozPc8u_sIU1H3Upo4WJOvdGFXj8oUMKIXc6BZDpEXw27W51Si8C8HvRplPpdiwcpDX9YMztCrt9JmAZS/s320/IMG_0836.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Handle and gauge, I saw the meter in a couple of pictures I'd found online and loved it, so it had to be added.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0infeatqYUee5FYuaeK8HtIoK7UCZ8a7wo8COlDGutae3UyYQ55lpMuB0LQNwPdOntHGTEW8biGgKUg6Nxl3ZsOR02UuvDTQGeYY68vSdESMo9yteBG_FDYAqAGXADxyJ4kA3TOUvUGd/s1600/IMG_0841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0infeatqYUee5FYuaeK8HtIoK7UCZ8a7wo8COlDGutae3UyYQ55lpMuB0LQNwPdOntHGTEW8biGgKUg6Nxl3ZsOR02UuvDTQGeYY68vSdESMo9yteBG_FDYAqAGXADxyJ4kA3TOUvUGd/s320/IMG_0841.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br />Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-38053189328619368752012-03-09T18:05:00.000-08:002012-08-27T20:57:15.922-07:00Because Sometimes a Birthday is More Than Just Another Year...Sometimes a birthday is a celebration of a life that hangs in the balance. A joy that this date has come and hope that the next one will too. Sometimes a birthday is proof of the blood, sweat, and tears of countess survivors, husbands, wives, sons daughters, fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, friends, doctors, nurses, hospice workers, researchers, activists, volunteers, and so many, many more. The American Cancer Society calls itself "The Official Sponsor of Birthdays" and I love their<a href="http://morebirthdays.com/artist/okgo" target="_blank"> commercials</a> and guest artists. Something as simple as hearing the birthday song sang sometimes means much more.<br /><br /><br /><br />I got to make a cake for someone celebrating a milestone birthday. Family, friends, and coworkers came together to celebrate a whopping 50 years! (Dang that's old!) She also started her third round of chemo this week.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6bAZj0K1Q7KR4Bg3PXN223xbn85ilrBVP5MBvqlC0vWUQRbbyOFW87V28X4eKtsHvt2LmjqP8VHSALl3MhtXtr7Tpq35pJaZMUOoUxQkQbxWA-Dw4-QRTjwzHTdHmOFhscOvYBinmzmj/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6bAZj0K1Q7KR4Bg3PXN223xbn85ilrBVP5MBvqlC0vWUQRbbyOFW87V28X4eKtsHvt2LmjqP8VHSALl3MhtXtr7Tpq35pJaZMUOoUxQkQbxWA-Dw4-QRTjwzHTdHmOFhscOvYBinmzmj/s320/photo.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />The numbers actually gave me fits. I made some out of fondant, but only dried it overnight so the dang things fell apart this morning. It's one reason I'm really not happy with Satin Ice, but when I need black that's the best option. I ended up making the numbers out of chocolate. Piped them on parchment papers similar to a technique I've used before. I got smart and stuck straws in each of them to support them (you can see the one in the 5 peeking on the left side between the curly part and the straight part). Once they set up (took like 10 minutes in the fridge versus like two weeks the dang fondant takes), I covered them in my favorite Moonstone luster dust. It's a good thing you can't see the back of these. I guess you have to make two sides and glue them together to make it look good.<br /><br /><br /> I thought the black and white would make a nice theme (and keep me from having to color a bunch of fondant), but it desperately needed some color for "pop." Again, I busted out the Moonstone luster dust and hit the little pearls along the bottom for some funkiness. I suppose that's not the best word choice for food products, is it? <br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEP30E270Q0G2HM1h3i_xY5FNKjzEwl7ZINAjQ2MMTHyqp7GYqwaa6A29rsKAdmOoi7n547Io-YNXTd3P3aO0T2CFaL7Oa7deSu3w4QdhdS2H_1KpF0mKwwOWTvVIFtqxwJbRt5Xx9fllV/s1600/photo4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEP30E270Q0G2HM1h3i_xY5FNKjzEwl7ZINAjQ2MMTHyqp7GYqwaa6A29rsKAdmOoi7n547Io-YNXTd3P3aO0T2CFaL7Oa7deSu3w4QdhdS2H_1KpF0mKwwOWTvVIFtqxwJbRt5Xx9fllV/s320/photo4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />And flowers, oh flowers... They add color and softness to a cake. And I've seen pictures of beautiful cakes with just a simple red flower and no other decorations. I searched around and this seems to be a cross between an anemone and a fantasy flower. Super easy to make and just the perfect shade of red to add to the cake. I can promise you'll see more in the future. <br /><br /><br />And of course, my favorite, the aftermath:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCrm29_Pyflz2qFkoGJFEcJwWZSqjEo8N9m_H5dYLuGTuz7dgvFVrGpwqFqC7EAE-t2FN3eYzBM71NQRfUx46twIwNUKUEiy9-oY1HlNhGlFGILxNoEb_iU5W9gbgiVpBy96DsADn2WIs/s1600/photo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCrm29_Pyflz2qFkoGJFEcJwWZSqjEo8N9m_H5dYLuGTuz7dgvFVrGpwqFqC7EAE-t2FN3eYzBM71NQRfUx46twIwNUKUEiy9-oY1HlNhGlFGILxNoEb_iU5W9gbgiVpBy96DsADn2WIs/s320/photo2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />My favorite chocolate cake recipe, cookies and cream filling, and covered in chocolate ganache. I snuck a bite of the filling before I used it in the cake, quality control you know, but managed to avoid temptation at the party. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNZ0h-Ta1XFB8A3g-mx44a9DMMPj5kuLPG3NVGUxw7jk7SiFK3VTopuEuXRnQ53pf43-kV0cHAeAQf8r_V8EfDl8USDT7YWWR3JUau1hpZJM9JDM0lSX5Ma-AJCUIxxrmSnqE6_G_8jDN/s1600/photo3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNZ0h-Ta1XFB8A3g-mx44a9DMMPj5kuLPG3NVGUxw7jk7SiFK3VTopuEuXRnQ53pf43-kV0cHAeAQf8r_V8EfDl8USDT7YWWR3JUau1hpZJM9JDM0lSX5Ma-AJCUIxxrmSnqE6_G_8jDN/s320/photo3.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />Happy Birthday Donna! And here's to many, many, many more.Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-2788641793166259562012-03-05T20:26:00.000-08:002012-08-27T20:57:15.907-07:00Happy National Chocolate Chip Cookie Week!I was surprised to learn that there is such a thing as Chocolate Chip Cookie Week, but it is so. And it is the second week of March. I was looking for a cookie recipe to take to my class since a student suggested I needed to bring in cookies to class (it was offered tongue-in-cheek but I figure they'll appreciate it since I'm also giving them a quiz). <br /><br /><br /><br />I went in search of an awesome recipe. I have big shoes to fill since the woman who invented the cookie was Mrs. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_chip_cookie" target="_blank">Ruth Wakefield</a> at the Toll House Inn. Apparently she got a lifetime supply of chocolate from Nestle for all her trouble. Sigh...if only... But this time I got fancy with the chocolate. An unusual trip to Big Lots (previously one of my favorite stores) left me with pounds of soon-to-expire Scharffen Berger. Right now there are like 12 bags of bittersweet and semi-sweet chunks in my pantry. That's in addition to the four bags of bittersweet I used in these cookies. I see lots of ganache in my future.<br /><br /><br /><br />I decided to find the best recipe available. I usually go with the Nestle Toll House recipe, because that's what Phoebe's grandmother used. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/FZ_ZdwP05AQ/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FZ_ZdwP05AQ&fs=1&source=uds" /><br /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><br /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FZ_ZdwP05AQ&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><br />But I wanted to make sure I had the best ever recipe. Fortunately, <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Best-Ever-Chocolate-Chip-Cookie-Recipe/" target="_blank">someone else</a> did the hard work and I got to reap the benefits. The winning recipe was <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/04/david-lebovitzs-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe.html" target="_blank">David Lebovitz's</a> recipe, which calls for chilling the dough for at least 24 hours before baking. Something about liquids and proteins in the eggs. I don't try to understand the science of baking, I just appreciate the magic. <br /><br /><br /><br />They turned out pretty good and the bittersweet chocolate was a nice touch. I hope my students like them tomorrow. And that they studied metamorphic rocks. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9kc5_rG-alX2Rm5w3_ACAwKoFFvi-s2sgdvR-2t9V9XBPucrf-1BEnw2UNxo2SSwlYR4hb-7ka5ZahWWkVZhZffNu6N4aIba0gdv2-ia8lE_q5cenaU1Kh0-26VORG8-Sie5nsH-Obmd/s1600/photo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9kc5_rG-alX2Rm5w3_ACAwKoFFvi-s2sgdvR-2t9V9XBPucrf-1BEnw2UNxo2SSwlYR4hb-7ka5ZahWWkVZhZffNu6N4aIba0gdv2-ia8lE_q5cenaU1Kh0-26VORG8-Sie5nsH-Obmd/s320/photo2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0VJTVUmwDx8B6zL-1sLeCT-dRl2tkcnRJcMTq3jZXk8LFVji8SnJAM3Rxb34EES7PHYAkwYkwJJRt6ZkNf4t4LjMfD0oz1kZ84ezOonEpKUPc5tHTpV5GiaxvYl5yI8f-my6mqKH3MK3/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0VJTVUmwDx8B6zL-1sLeCT-dRl2tkcnRJcMTq3jZXk8LFVji8SnJAM3Rxb34EES7PHYAkwYkwJJRt6ZkNf4t4LjMfD0oz1kZ84ezOonEpKUPc5tHTpV5GiaxvYl5yI8f-my6mqKH3MK3/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-20913482087899019672012-02-05T20:26:00.000-08:002012-08-27T20:57:15.898-07:00The only thing sweeter than Taylor Swift is the buttercream...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />I was asked to make a cake for a girl that is a big Taylor Swift fan. I'd made her brother <a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2012/01/since-nba-is-back-to-doing-something.html" target="_blank">a birthday cake</a> not too long ago. I guess it went over well because they asked for one for the big party which included a mess of girls, a movie theater, and lunch. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />Seeing as how the hubbin is a HUGE Taylor Swift fan (seriously, he puts most 13-year-old girls to shame with this), I got him to help me plan this cake. When I think of iconic Taylor Swift, I immediately think of her sparkly guitar.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ehVx4MT7lfCsf3GpaHNnfepMJpaMmBky-4TfRNK0NXGN9_NmPzBIxsdhoKYXIyIlAQ3Av1MiOegilb-cDgqwY3QYqTi8f8HPwWeuZ0B5_W8e1Q8InObpVCHd-wKQC1yOEIHriM8b7BNe/s1600/2_27_taylor_swift_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ehVx4MT7lfCsf3GpaHNnfepMJpaMmBky-4TfRNK0NXGN9_NmPzBIxsdhoKYXIyIlAQ3Av1MiOegilb-cDgqwY3QYqTi8f8HPwWeuZ0B5_W8e1Q8InObpVCHd-wKQC1yOEIHriM8b7BNe/s320/2_27_taylor_swift_01.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />That isn't my picture. I <strike>stole</strike> borrowed it from <a href="http://www.mtv.com/photos/trl-guestbook/1529568/2807119/photo.jhtml" target="_blank">MTV</a>. But it's such a cool guitar. I <a href="http://www.magnoliaguitar.com/2010/10/12/taylor-swift-yahoo-answers/" target="_blank">learned</a> it is a Taylor guitar (fitting no?) that was specially created for the "<a href="http://www.cmt.com/videos/taylor-swift/177211/our-song.jhtml" target="_blank">Our Song</a>" video. Apparently, it is a good guitar but must sound weird with all the sparklies all over it. But I decided my heart was set on making a guitar.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br />And good news! I actually got some shots of the process so you can see the crazy that goes through my head when I make these things. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br />My first job was to make the rhinestones to go on it. I figured that isomalt was the way to go. I priced buying some, but they're like $10 for 20 and I needed a metric crap ton of them. (Yes, that is the scientific measurement used for isomalt gems.) So off to my favorite cake store! I got a couple different types of candy molds to pick between. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bQUY_YXNaIt3semXMurvLqMcsXz5NfDXZhk9yt6jPFggD4FBte-kB2R7XDHxVVTYIVypVY8WuJdASZV6cCLTdGKP2xU5fghBNuXbc964Z88Pq3UuJbxu1UBkcQdaHToXXSocWoiFrQRo/s1600/IMG_0342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bQUY_YXNaIt3semXMurvLqMcsXz5NfDXZhk9yt6jPFggD4FBte-kB2R7XDHxVVTYIVypVY8WuJdASZV6cCLTdGKP2xU5fghBNuXbc964Z88Pq3UuJbxu1UBkcQdaHToXXSocWoiFrQRo/s320/IMG_0342.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /> (My finger for scale)</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />I had initially planned to use one of the molds on either side of my finger, but since the guitar needed to be pretty small I ended up going with the ones on the top right part of the picture. Those were some seriously tiny gems. <br /><br /><br /><br />Next step was to cook the isomalt. They make precooked sticks but they cost a whole lot more and I'm a confirmed cheapskate. And it was honestly pretty easy to do. Isomalt in a pan, add a little water (I used distilled per some suggestions on the interwebs), then heat till it hits hard crack stage. And don't burn the holy-living-crap out of myself in the process. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZMB67Dapt2c_VfwTBX4d-tytw3tdebQZHLiLJXxJFexw_5Rr3ZSK7Ik6MI3kl8jcPepR78Oa4YYpQTSi5tTEQpvhr5ezrLi3NgUFCw-k0k5c0hiOPzCI4iZKevM1YqcKcWI4VTDOddAE/s1600/IMG_0346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZMB67Dapt2c_VfwTBX4d-tytw3tdebQZHLiLJXxJFexw_5Rr3ZSK7Ik6MI3kl8jcPepR78Oa4YYpQTSi5tTEQpvhr5ezrLi3NgUFCw-k0k5c0hiOPzCI4iZKevM1YqcKcWI4VTDOddAE/s320/IMG_0346.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Isomalt is more stable than sugar, doesn't caramelize, and gets quite a bit hotter. Almost to the 340°F that it needed to be.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0jg0GQ9MFn_GAksfy4wbnqw_gjTw1JHqgoTW900tuqgdkODYsJkupILgHUSdXfsnfYvHhdIwtcNO5MG_xOcmOFqiu2IEmZdrRRmvimteDSniWgiL6qqBY_yzkNtsP49w9jgNUrqzGaia/s1600/IMG_0349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0jg0GQ9MFn_GAksfy4wbnqw_gjTw1JHqgoTW900tuqgdkODYsJkupILgHUSdXfsnfYvHhdIwtcNO5MG_xOcmOFqiu2IEmZdrRRmvimteDSniWgiL6qqBY_yzkNtsP49w9jgNUrqzGaia/s320/IMG_0349.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />I didn't get pictures of the next step, but I griped about it a lot on Facebook. The molten isomalt goes into a silicon measuring cup that was easier to pour out of. Then I had to drop it one tiny drop by tiny drop into each of the holes in the mold. But if it cooled, it got too thick and the little drops became bigger little drops and overflowed the mold. So I'd stick it back into the microwave and melt it back down and then repeat. Over....and over......and over....and over....and over....................<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBc3sYevbdOaD_agzeyIl0qFDe35iSgajQj8cQiE-TiD9cIYdcDzPWbaUluATO1A4NVQDkdGySIAlUGsy1TMdmuHoUmxQL8OK_Cpz0VFwZ0wOQpSCkCTWwre4zAOxsPfgLmAqrWmkyfJiu/s1600/IMG_0350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBc3sYevbdOaD_agzeyIl0qFDe35iSgajQj8cQiE-TiD9cIYdcDzPWbaUluATO1A4NVQDkdGySIAlUGsy1TMdmuHoUmxQL8OK_Cpz0VFwZ0wOQpSCkCTWwre4zAOxsPfgLmAqrWmkyfJiu/s320/IMG_0350.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />You can see the weird tear drop shape of an overflowed mold. The gems on the plate were the first I tried so I started with the large ones and moved on to the tiny ones. You can see how much smaller the overflowed one is. That's the size of all the ones that went onto the cake. <br /><br /><br /><br />Some of the good ones, with only a few bubbles. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREhnNEkkoW-A8crAap5VXwQrs4tPIagG2kBjLsZjUpT1L9ulFtDZnrgpDS8TIFONpgsRrOY5ei5dcW8IiSnP9agBkHZNwEvQqBpN-11OOSd1AoQgAqw2oSqloddGTzquvXmWFDDFHLOg7/s1600/IMG_0351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREhnNEkkoW-A8crAap5VXwQrs4tPIagG2kBjLsZjUpT1L9ulFtDZnrgpDS8TIFONpgsRrOY5ei5dcW8IiSnP9agBkHZNwEvQqBpN-11OOSd1AoQgAqw2oSqloddGTzquvXmWFDDFHLOg7/s320/IMG_0351.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I managed to burn my fingers about a brazillon times making these things. All things considered, I'd totally do it again. I'm hoping to learn how to make <a href="http://www.sweetthea.com/blog/2009/04/23/sugar-bubbles/" target="_blank">bubbles</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />Cake planning! I found a website that had pictures of the Taylor guitar, printed it out real big and cut it out. I actually ended up shrinking it down some from this, but you see I was actually planning. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErqz7EFMXjY_gT1bNo1GLOAqMbZdk8I5nEYthYwmTMhL2E5PIPTPchUTxf7JicnQMpXx7IHOUapnfeDj6U7rgBhu4m1X6nF_FgF9-EI6C9S0C53kUgFZQYpqibfNhVdp6fuwPA0LQjPY0/s1600/IMG_0357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErqz7EFMXjY_gT1bNo1GLOAqMbZdk8I5nEYthYwmTMhL2E5PIPTPchUTxf7JicnQMpXx7IHOUapnfeDj6U7rgBhu4m1X6nF_FgF9-EI6C9S0C53kUgFZQYpqibfNhVdp6fuwPA0LQjPY0/s320/IMG_0357.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />I went shopping for something to cover the cake board. I found this wrapping paper at Michael's and sent the hubbin a text that said "Does this color of pink make you think of Taylor Swift?" I got worried because the oils in the cake and frosting can bleed into some papers, so I put this back. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYMa0a3rie9wILVfRb0blfiuH4ntZrnLl7LQmeG-ItP2MT6Ftl3DlHhpcxGBpzwsr_WHaxXvyZjQDhJtIw0fNXOCIvYfoHT-hS8P9-tapJ4QAtQgyZFJu5vveHgiDdRrfd-BOANbJn8ne/s1600/IMG_0359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYMa0a3rie9wILVfRb0blfiuH4ntZrnLl7LQmeG-ItP2MT6Ftl3DlHhpcxGBpzwsr_WHaxXvyZjQDhJtIw0fNXOCIvYfoHT-hS8P9-tapJ4QAtQgyZFJu5vveHgiDdRrfd-BOANbJn8ne/s320/IMG_0359.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />I found one of my favorite board covers at Target. This is a roll of Contact Paper that you use to line drawers and shelves with. It's water/grease proof and self-adhesive. Super easy to cover the board, particularly the rectangle one.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDx7hzXT1_lUM82TWTz4E-LxMUsPY_OY3WsmXk9QJZL89BJSg2yZMY9qUEEl92z8xt8IvWLVx4ZppZlW1YUGUwnZJTwtEU_r9CIuNsIiKGdRr1G3FcD83lQqeueda721mRRUTygE-XER1/s1600/IMG_0360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDx7hzXT1_lUM82TWTz4E-LxMUsPY_OY3WsmXk9QJZL89BJSg2yZMY9qUEEl92z8xt8IvWLVx4ZppZlW1YUGUwnZJTwtEU_r9CIuNsIiKGdRr1G3FcD83lQqeueda721mRRUTygE-XER1/s320/IMG_0360.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Here's the cake! I baked it in my big pan, then cut it in half and stacked it on top of each other. That was the easiest way to go about it. I actually thought I was going to need more cake (since I'd initially thought I would make it larger) and baked two of these. I cut the second one up, wrapped it in foil, and let the hubbin eat it. After a week, it was still surprisingly moist and flavorful. The mark of a great recipe.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZW5_NeNlLh1Q1K3gs-Wd4QlRiZ6V2DOuU5TYq6RMIyJzgiv2MtObCEz-CbM7dY_D8712GVXqn9BKjqEMpJd9NvS6-qu35WBsmmtPIXHRw2sT7EAn7ESpxrQOh-VzHbIDt7P_6qQagkUGy/s1600/IMG_0361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZW5_NeNlLh1Q1K3gs-Wd4QlRiZ6V2DOuU5TYq6RMIyJzgiv2MtObCEz-CbM7dY_D8712GVXqn9BKjqEMpJd9NvS6-qu35WBsmmtPIXHRw2sT7EAn7ESpxrQOh-VzHbIDt7P_6qQagkUGy/s320/IMG_0361.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />The first step was the carve the guitar body out of the cake. I put the print out on top of the cakes and carved away. then I cut out the hole in the front and a place for the neck to go. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMrJHvmL1e4d1SkU2pUuAz3ljKNWpBTE5hIWYsCJdP9HYMfml636L4UL0_0QcpKOCUJ9xfq0HvfkT3OD6GSmangNryK7cFHmVhmTjbCEdAeJJa-W6TpywxYC2ZN81MglOUiyHuTgJp8UQ/s1600/IMG_0362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMrJHvmL1e4d1SkU2pUuAz3ljKNWpBTE5hIWYsCJdP9HYMfml636L4UL0_0QcpKOCUJ9xfq0HvfkT3OD6GSmangNryK7cFHmVhmTjbCEdAeJJa-W6TpywxYC2ZN81MglOUiyHuTgJp8UQ/s320/IMG_0362.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />See how nicely they match?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIu_Z-nDMBFeSWr4pdmF_EM1TcKPHnLoypqUcfR0KID0YnJ_qmxbaIk8ntHM0OaBiXfWwlTjq9VdF4_hPR6WEUfKNaY6guJqd9JBHCqvFB2cDA8HjPx4lp2ZwyeMRnpVnQFaUv0NcS4U0/s1600/IMG_0363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIu_Z-nDMBFeSWr4pdmF_EM1TcKPHnLoypqUcfR0KID0YnJ_qmxbaIk8ntHM0OaBiXfWwlTjq9VdF4_hPR6WEUfKNaY6guJqd9JBHCqvFB2cDA8HjPx4lp2ZwyeMRnpVnQFaUv0NcS4U0/s320/IMG_0363.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Covered in white fondant and the hole filled in with black. The actual guitar is black, but I figured the sparkles would look nicer on a black background. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GzaGZ85koZZu7MK4ucvzZ9yrqmO5zw3ABaahk20SIZcwUatLS6pnlUXNrdVcW2_-YKlLVNvPYd4VzERIXKvLsKxDhxI2MM5mmVOn1Dx4WCPi6ODgr1quj7l2Ucx_gNdCBmTKsoc-OkGx/s1600/IMG_0365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GzaGZ85koZZu7MK4ucvzZ9yrqmO5zw3ABaahk20SIZcwUatLS6pnlUXNrdVcW2_-YKlLVNvPYd4VzERIXKvLsKxDhxI2MM5mmVOn1Dx4WCPi6ODgr1quj7l2Ucx_gNdCBmTKsoc-OkGx/s320/IMG_0365.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />And the finished product!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtKZGhejlW3Ujh9jmhW7909lsiNJohD1KIe4jfD2ncZ5nKKnHWbDACUekEN7QqeiNJ5BbdBqzv0GuTQsS4qJD8KDtc0JzzYV1Eo4tOEYz4BRsxLYWa3f9xMqsZ8sgcroVlIlh26iZ2o3i/s1600/IMG_0366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtKZGhejlW3Ujh9jmhW7909lsiNJohD1KIe4jfD2ncZ5nKKnHWbDACUekEN7QqeiNJ5BbdBqzv0GuTQsS4qJD8KDtc0JzzYV1Eo4tOEYz4BRsxLYWa3f9xMqsZ8sgcroVlIlh26iZ2o3i/s320/IMG_0366.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I wrapped black fondant around the guitar body. That was actually the hardest part of the whole cake. I use Satin Ice in black and it's very soft and tore horribly as I was putting it on. Finally rolled it out on a sheet of wax paper. That added stability and kept the fondant from pulling. The gems were carefully placed one at a time. I may have complained about that on Facebook too. <br /><br /><br /><br />The neck is cardboard covered in Rice Krispy Treats, then buttercream, then fondant. The struts are painted on with luster dust. The strings are just silver elastic string I found at Michael's. And because it seemed awful monochromatic with just the black and white, I added the birthday girl's name in pink. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Happy Birthday Ashley!</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ehVx4MT7lfCsf3GpaHNnfepMJpaMmBky-4TfRNK0NXGN9_NmPzBIxsdhoKYXIyIlAQ3Av1MiOegilb-cDgqwY3QYqTi8f8HPwWeuZ0B5_W8e1Q8InObpVCHd-wKQC1yOEIHriM8b7BNe/s1600/2_27_taylor_swift_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-20831027173115167792012-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:002012-08-27T20:57:15.894-07:00Wayback WednesdaySo I don't think I've posted these pictures before and they're pretty old, but since I've made something of a theme out of it I thought I'd share. The hubbin works at TCTMNBN and they had a company softball tournament a few years ago. So I made cupcakes. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBnTGKYOny8lVmBASTVc8LO3363re19yhVG1-D6Ehq-8Rhyphenhyphen8-qLNzTFtgt3wxk3pZHTFMy2SN5h7p6nb4qiprt3wVXO0KvVxyZRqhoB2tkq4-zlbJls4pYadwI8sqlnnpXvfZHHEVLPQZ/s1600/3491889433_7e88d3dfa0_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBnTGKYOny8lVmBASTVc8LO3363re19yhVG1-D6Ehq-8Rhyphenhyphen8-qLNzTFtgt3wxk3pZHTFMy2SN5h7p6nb4qiprt3wVXO0KvVxyZRqhoB2tkq4-zlbJls4pYadwI8sqlnnpXvfZHHEVLPQZ/s320/3491889433_7e88d3dfa0_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />Pretty cute right? And leave it to me to have the one right in front missing some of the little string thingys. And the hubbin even caught the ball once when it was hit to him!Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-37803927599524012372012-01-11T11:22:00.000-08:002012-08-27T20:57:15.920-07:00Since the NBA is back to doing something other than marrying Kardashians...I had a request for a birthday cake for a 'bout-to-be 11-year-old who is a big fan of basketball. And the Miami Heat in particular. Did you know that's where Lebron James plays? I totally learned that because of this cake. :) Seriously...<br /><br /><br /><br />I had grand intentions of making a 3D basketball with my ball pan, but one half of the cake had apparently become quite attached to the pan and who am I to argue with confectionery true love? So I ended up with a 2.5D ball. And since basketball is played on hardwood (yes, I Googled that too), I added some to the cake too. But it was really dark in color and I ran out of yellow Americolor gel. Sigh. This cake turned out pretty awesome for being such a pain in the butt. So here ya go:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJoRoB9QVPTalJxw0nXY3zyZ03X51FCpykZPK9wIMbCGg1H3gVnzIUHwiZuaP8aqoONBE4kNWMB4-j66LsN9LLZWJsu0IXkx4EyMQiE_Iv3VPXx_W40dynL26JakG2wRHhYKDlge-gBFW/s1600/IMG_6371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJoRoB9QVPTalJxw0nXY3zyZ03X51FCpykZPK9wIMbCGg1H3gVnzIUHwiZuaP8aqoONBE4kNWMB4-j66LsN9LLZWJsu0IXkx4EyMQiE_Iv3VPXx_W40dynL26JakG2wRHhYKDlge-gBFW/s320/IMG_6371.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /> The Spaulding logo ended up looking pretty wonky. But I was freehanding it with a marker, so you can't be too picky, right?<br /><br /><br /><br />Tiny little Heat logo and a look at the wood grain. I actually really love doing this technique.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34D0kgq3lMp2VgmyMCYZVkWLy3KHlpXCdbaHXFnvv3zpZKjA6Ei0Cejo-IthAAPnPsYfu6b4KwqQEiDn-C93l8FvSMWPPk7eOj4ZN4QntGjGz2jkDu6ltJMMMvHUevTl2MQuf8G52hNbf/s1600/IMG_6372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34D0kgq3lMp2VgmyMCYZVkWLy3KHlpXCdbaHXFnvv3zpZKjA6Ei0Cejo-IthAAPnPsYfu6b4KwqQEiDn-C93l8FvSMWPPk7eOj4ZN4QntGjGz2jkDu6ltJMMMvHUevTl2MQuf8G52hNbf/s320/IMG_6372.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Did you notice the awesome texture?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsJ3OfTajha30TGT9pOR0sw6lqEJaWE1qlgseZShCP5lFTNePOS4Pe1-K4U05uEYJls4-MNJmu2aC7zPXNtgVT3oTxZc15vX34Pgs-EYCGIe4DrF0TAbEHHGTTiAZz55Nx86WYs_acYgo/s1600/IMG_6373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsJ3OfTajha30TGT9pOR0sw6lqEJaWE1qlgseZShCP5lFTNePOS4Pe1-K4U05uEYJls4-MNJmu2aC7zPXNtgVT3oTxZc15vX34Pgs-EYCGIe4DrF0TAbEHHGTTiAZz55Nx86WYs_acYgo/s320/IMG_6373.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I regretted it by the fourth dang little dot. All done with a little round piping tip. That actually took longer than the rest of the cake combined. The fondant was playing nicely for once. Then again, wasn't summer here in AZ when I was doing it either. Have I told you about how I crank up the A/C when I do fondant? And the buttercream smoothed pretty well over the weird shape and crusted just enough to smooth it some more. I guess the rest of the cake made up for the baking issues.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Happy Birthday William!</div><br /><br />Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-49324443119187722222011-12-06T11:09:00.000-08:002012-08-27T20:57:15.932-07:00It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...Got a quick one for you. I had two parties to go to this Saturday. Yes TWO! Considering I've been to four whole parties in the last 6 months (two <a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2011/09/avast-ye-matey.html">first</a> <a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2011/09/planes-trains-and-automobiles.html">birthdays</a>, <a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2011/08/twinkle-twinkle-and-massive-cake-farts.html">one second</a>, and one seventh[picture is behing held hostage by old cell phone, gotta find i]), I was pretty excited to go to "grown up" parties. And of course, it has been a while since I've baked so I had to bring a gift, and this is what they got:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgz1iMv1VXd7lHm6HmnTpzCRa1j6ZNcNRt6lo-aPF6CPXnXN9RWH7xSrsvxCYAWzxjvOUfJp4jZSo9qLNB7V5_VZpczGWHHVFbY3Iu4RK6CcHgF2RxchsaFdA-2phPV97USDDmKigzIP6/s1600/IMG_0146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgz1iMv1VXd7lHm6HmnTpzCRa1j6ZNcNRt6lo-aPF6CPXnXN9RWH7xSrsvxCYAWzxjvOUfJp4jZSo9qLNB7V5_VZpczGWHHVFbY3Iu4RK6CcHgF2RxchsaFdA-2phPV97USDDmKigzIP6/s320/IMG_0146.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Tiny little cupcakes! Yup, those are minis. <br /><br /><br /><br />My go-to chocolate cake recipe makes the cupcake. Frosted with plain ol' American buttercream that I hit with some generous peppermint oil, topped with crushed peppermint candy (thanks to my hubbin for all the crushin), with a white chocolate snowflake on top. I totally made those snowflakes. I figured it had been <a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2010/07/bun-in-oven-and-cake-in-tummy.html">quite a while</a> since I last tried the chocolate decorations. But seriously, tiny cupcakes need tiny snowflakes and chocolate is pretty peculiar. But I have a whole bunch of the chocolate left. I'm either making more for my work Christmas lunch or I'm making cakepops. <br /><br /><br /><br />And just cause it's awesome, I need to introduce you to my new favorite Christmas decoration: Kevin Bacon the Santa Pig. I found him at Big Lots and fell in love. And he totally lights up! He may stay out all year long. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNUI9aCsN9VTtV0GacKGylooM4eEjv40AnN3KuvDXLi5kGRmuSgdoDzWEPTM7jsVy-nRjqXM8XLa5m-JzRGPA-PTmXOehvnVVE4ifLIhrKJYyq31PAVhUPvFy7zXsKlNBd9jzrWTUIq0K/s1600/IMG_0143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNUI9aCsN9VTtV0GacKGylooM4eEjv40AnN3KuvDXLi5kGRmuSgdoDzWEPTM7jsVy-nRjqXM8XLa5m-JzRGPA-PTmXOehvnVVE4ifLIhrKJYyq31PAVhUPvFy7zXsKlNBd9jzrWTUIq0K/s320/IMG_0143.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-42009269853984258652011-11-28T19:19:00.000-08:002012-08-27T20:57:15.925-07:00Better Late than NeverI totally made cupcakes for Halloween and promptly forgot about them. I didn't put a whole lot of work into them, but they went over well. <br /><br /><br /><br />I went with the white velvet cake recipe from the Cake Bible, but I subbed orange flavor in for the vanilla. Then I dyed the batter yellow and orange and layered them. The swiss meringue frosting on top stayed white but got the orange too. Then I put them all together and stuck a candy corn on top so that people would "get" the theme. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjFRSgI-S3TqwIUx80CrgjNSsOAmEt3Diw-1DXeNtrqeLgMqEGoAQhXvF3AiPzU3P4vc9sMmu6-2sbEu3GDg3jLqEeQ_Jls4n-8NZtlcotw4F9iWu9nPC5LtLRnOluSFaMxuQW1u8VzHgM/s1600/IMG_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjFRSgI-S3TqwIUx80CrgjNSsOAmEt3Diw-1DXeNtrqeLgMqEGoAQhXvF3AiPzU3P4vc9sMmu6-2sbEu3GDg3jLqEeQ_Jls4n-8NZtlcotw4F9iWu9nPC5LtLRnOluSFaMxuQW1u8VzHgM/s320/IMG_0003.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />I should have actually looked at the color combination of a real candy corn before I got to working cause I totally should have put the yellow on bottom. Oh well, the two dozen I brought in only lasted until lunch, so my coworkers weren't too put off. <br /><br /><br /><br />Of course the best part of the day was by dear doggie all dressed up to hand out candy to the neighborhood kids. You can tell she's excited since the tail wagging just blurs. And for the record, totally buy KitKats, the kiddos went NUTS for them!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dw4eph3DcyxtkJDoOJn9Cp7Vn9DuPKNWTCZo9SCojG_XiOxAY4fn7OjKuBuL5CRGsveMmv45mzJEUUBgnsq5x59qp5ifxxFnA3gMAdibd0VYQwp_k9KPvqfXQmBuVoVRSAqAiLgGR4hU/s1600/IMG_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dw4eph3DcyxtkJDoOJn9Cp7Vn9DuPKNWTCZo9SCojG_XiOxAY4fn7OjKuBuL5CRGsveMmv45mzJEUUBgnsq5x59qp5ifxxFnA3gMAdibd0VYQwp_k9KPvqfXQmBuVoVRSAqAiLgGR4hU/s320/IMG_0008.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-50628255482575767042011-11-23T18:23:00.000-08:002012-08-27T20:57:15.935-07:00Wayback Wednesday<div style="text-align: center;"><br />Here's to You, New York, New York</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />I totally just found this post that I never actually published. Weird, right? Good excuse for a Wayback Wednesday since I'm out of ones I actually knew about. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />This cake was made during my Wilton's classes, so it's been a while. It looks like we were learning about marbling (which was pretty cool, but I haven't used it since, and draping, which I have avoided like the plague. I did really like the boarder around the base of the cake. Gonna have to use that sometime. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />This cake ended up going to TCTMNBN since one of the hubbin's coworkers was moving back to New York City. Totally jealous, though I know I'm a small town girl at heart. Apparently it was strawberry and I didn't have the right size cake circle to put it on. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6rNZXk43w1E8XIs2aM7x7-ZIoul4OmdkSKZ4OjkblKm6AN33AQshcDn3PzWhIhCK_IIGGBrhuIcMXiLwRaWGLBg0yWobNT7I1MaNpZBTr7hMl7KEyjDi1ccOKUUi3O28yL0OYjD70v8a/s1600/IMG_3265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6rNZXk43w1E8XIs2aM7x7-ZIoul4OmdkSKZ4OjkblKm6AN33AQshcDn3PzWhIhCK_IIGGBrhuIcMXiLwRaWGLBg0yWobNT7I1MaNpZBTr7hMl7KEyjDi1ccOKUUi3O28yL0OYjD70v8a/s320/IMG_3265.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_4rXoyrCpwp7hgRhkV-_cabQth4rnu_E9ubFJLEt4_fHFaCyNp-H4lVCijuwWoVaUYIUCrILb2wschH12SGAIgYlPj3p5Ynbs6SIMG98-EMeGlB6gDtVuj-0yVcM76IEoLg3Z7TwG0Bf/s1600/IMG_3262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_4rXoyrCpwp7hgRhkV-_cabQth4rnu_E9ubFJLEt4_fHFaCyNp-H4lVCijuwWoVaUYIUCrILb2wschH12SGAIgYlPj3p5Ynbs6SIMG98-EMeGlB6gDtVuj-0yVcM76IEoLg3Z7TwG0Bf/s320/IMG_3262.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07X9Oxr-cNOKRSVMgTBlZonjfa6fCBE_VW8osfdtBzb0zvBf51bKKn_Lqzt0EafnuS8TDi4ZaLBbgWeVGetdF6jul5-b2s4FQEo51dhhla_Vkllw1dKTZfbifCQ_WPOiGSKcwy_-Ti2RB/s1600/covered+board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07X9Oxr-cNOKRSVMgTBlZonjfa6fCBE_VW8osfdtBzb0zvBf51bKKn_Lqzt0EafnuS8TDi4ZaLBbgWeVGetdF6jul5-b2s4FQEo51dhhla_Vkllw1dKTZfbifCQ_WPOiGSKcwy_-Ti2RB/s320/covered+board.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczsZISv6hYhcftLnkGrq_i5VY-n5Wvn0GeIxJuMCfq0isOLd6LUrDM1XmkoqOGpmZMvwrU3JyQluUORpkHj9FUWt9w9PT16LcyseeOVW5j5ndeGzYGOo2rteXR9ipFUcxEnC-kcVpFkGR/s1600/covered+strawberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczsZISv6hYhcftLnkGrq_i5VY-n5Wvn0GeIxJuMCfq0isOLd6LUrDM1XmkoqOGpmZMvwrU3JyQluUORpkHj9FUWt9w9PT16LcyseeOVW5j5ndeGzYGOo2rteXR9ipFUcxEnC-kcVpFkGR/s320/covered+strawberry.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_FWnXBER12IYcCMofI687qxxu7HyMPecaHLTxnkIOQb2dTFk72RimzicBpQKFJn8-7n-DnJe10XgCLfSL2FJ6lRjDthCwAZ_bjhFeCa8mu-3udeSMf61Pw6aGmHH3WsGG0oCDzO3Z7h4/s1600/border+for+strawberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_FWnXBER12IYcCMofI687qxxu7HyMPecaHLTxnkIOQb2dTFk72RimzicBpQKFJn8-7n-DnJe10XgCLfSL2FJ6lRjDthCwAZ_bjhFeCa8mu-3udeSMf61Pw6aGmHH3WsGG0oCDzO3Z7h4/s320/border+for+strawberry.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bggZTnqTSE6RM5hhAjQPKTGKNGhUNjRCRf4n2NdeQU1D5pRLL8_qez_v3EF2Zln6HOLHTfUeqToTh5z6Mrs0WRvG_1JdEsB1p24B0i7L8Zw2YDFix3B82xnCozaxhW9NRAk3lmEMdMts/s1600/painted+strawberry2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bggZTnqTSE6RM5hhAjQPKTGKNGhUNjRCRf4n2NdeQU1D5pRLL8_qez_v3EF2Zln6HOLHTfUeqToTh5z6Mrs0WRvG_1JdEsB1p24B0i7L8Zw2YDFix3B82xnCozaxhW9NRAk3lmEMdMts/s320/painted+strawberry2.jpg" /></a></div>Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-60221702716865586122011-11-20T19:04:00.000-08:002012-08-27T20:57:15.939-07:00Y? Because we like you!I had the opportunity to make a semi-wedding cake. I say semi because the wedding was held a while back at Disneyworld, but the happy couple wanted to share an evening with their friends here in the desert. The groom works at TCTMNBN with the hubbin. I might refer to him as the hubbin's boyfriend. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I was given pretty much free reign with the design. For some decorators this is freeing, but I will admit that it mortified me. What to do?! Good thing I have been jonesing to try quilting on a cake. Add in a Mickey and Minnie topper to use, and I ended up with a cake that was elegant and understated.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I like to post a sneak peek on Facebook while I'm working on the cake. Here's the one I posted the other night:<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCiCE1y0OACPtdM0PT91kPyZg3PqwnHH54K2MD0gybAHWtSVCHFAsgaHsY4aKO6EMhIqX2UWLVl1XmP4WecTkKc4tu2eEXoatL_NX9JBgabl-_ZGYeV1deUpDL3tKNWdgcOb30EnNb5xcQ/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCiCE1y0OACPtdM0PT91kPyZg3PqwnHH54K2MD0gybAHWtSVCHFAsgaHsY4aKO6EMhIqX2UWLVl1XmP4WecTkKc4tu2eEXoatL_NX9JBgabl-_ZGYeV1deUpDL3tKNWdgcOb30EnNb5xcQ/s320/IMG_0040.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br />Of course here are the pictures you are here for:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqvp8MmxY8abPeNqlAxZIgjY5Vb42ddq4Dd7QJss7zZB4F61ecBDKlS_2KOoK8qwfzcbMjwIkyT8L3wgmrnQLvHezIwyLzo9rWrSe-mKpAn_lvscFajnOzCcMjSjCR-6bz8Z5u_Q-6t2Z/s1600/IMG_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqvp8MmxY8abPeNqlAxZIgjY5Vb42ddq4Dd7QJss7zZB4F61ecBDKlS_2KOoK8qwfzcbMjwIkyT8L3wgmrnQLvHezIwyLzo9rWrSe-mKpAn_lvscFajnOzCcMjSjCR-6bz8Z5u_Q-6t2Z/s320/IMG_0042.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The cake topper was from the wedding in Disneyworld, it was part of the package and the couple wanted to use it at this party. Minnie's dress actually served as my inspiration. I took the pearls and the roses and used them in the cake. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpeTY09oCpKSLX3KQwp0pD-EDzo35Jso-qVUcu5i7bwe_t16_wac4CKiIL3DLidF2nFSChlMUccge4mRAPPxQCPY0S6NJzBBsscfHfLLfQ7HHY4xZXKUBP0J0CCl9eFQPzX0kYPVyaSrAu/s1600/IMG_0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpeTY09oCpKSLX3KQwp0pD-EDzo35Jso-qVUcu5i7bwe_t16_wac4CKiIL3DLidF2nFSChlMUccge4mRAPPxQCPY0S6NJzBBsscfHfLLfQ7HHY4xZXKUBP0J0CCl9eFQPzX0kYPVyaSrAu/s320/IMG_0041.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />The quilting was actually a lot easier than I expected, but I'm looking for a tool that is supposed to make it even easier. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOL11vkkgJS9CWBd6Z-c2vCDO4mseTEX8rZTQuRXJxhoIClq59EMZOCBLD1G4bfvbTtfg2CskPQhGD259tXWVyNcGAb269h55hkYybaTAgOrEZf4nnQvo3inwh3YzPkjiznVrheTP6lFW/s1600/IMG_0048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOL11vkkgJS9CWBd6Z-c2vCDO4mseTEX8rZTQuRXJxhoIClq59EMZOCBLD1G4bfvbTtfg2CskPQhGD259tXWVyNcGAb269h55hkYybaTAgOrEZf4nnQvo3inwh3YzPkjiznVrheTP6lFW/s320/IMG_0048.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />The roses gave the cake a bit of color that is was lacking. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UA2mYyerfj5ATNFmqacN2lV099TMHLclUmNbH-jBEeQ_BGoDAW6va025fZzL5YNZ319duORo27z37uFVdJDySspouhNkv-7Yc5RHcEr0SSqoPUCZph-B4sK_m_1hLJTMqX4z9UwnL64P/s1600/IMG_0045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UA2mYyerfj5ATNFmqacN2lV099TMHLclUmNbH-jBEeQ_BGoDAW6va025fZzL5YNZ319duORo27z37uFVdJDySspouhNkv-7Yc5RHcEr0SSqoPUCZph-B4sK_m_1hLJTMqX4z9UwnL64P/s320/IMG_0045.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGI2HWdVirOJAfwplSWuXq2oCl3I7mS98i7CS1am8YKCw9A3Z3qBYRW6D9gbL31njUDVxKHveGsPC4PqlGnZK7f6AEiqN74jMXbzPol3kBtMlOTjMRb877wHzqd73I3TSEoRhJlCSxt0kq/s1600/IMG_0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGI2HWdVirOJAfwplSWuXq2oCl3I7mS98i7CS1am8YKCw9A3Z3qBYRW6D9gbL31njUDVxKHveGsPC4PqlGnZK7f6AEiqN74jMXbzPol3kBtMlOTjMRb877wHzqd73I3TSEoRhJlCSxt0kq/s320/IMG_0050.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Did you notice the awesome cake stand? I talked my parents into buying it for me while we were in an antique shop. I doubt it's an "antique," but I thought it was pretty.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Congratulations to Matt and Daina!Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-78663357122893917392011-10-13T16:21:00.000-07:002012-08-27T20:57:15.948-07:00Wayback WednesdayThis one isn't even cake! I bake other stuff too. And even better, this one isn't a giant wreck like the last two throwback posts have been. <br /><br /><br /><br />My friend Kristen was having a birthday and we all met at Chili's and then went to see a performance of Stomp. I was at a loss for an appropriate gift. I'd given her <a href="http://www.giantmicrobes.com/us/products/herpes.html">herpes</a> for Christmas already. So I baked. This is what happens when you have a friend who 1) is cheap 2)can't think of anything better and 3)likes an excuse to bake. I've done it with family at Christmas too. <br /><br /><br /><br />But you see, I wasn't exactly thinking well when I started and just used whatever cookie cutters I had. <br /><br /><br /><br />Rockets, stars, and round planet-ish objects because she likes space:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8aXFf91mN7XW_Hsya04BtG_8izkHWQOUTuosHM4tr0tUPvSey496KF51pmHasld7kNsVUAajpz1NHJPSlydzd3CPCWfyz_dKsIbPNwvNCQH2zt_s_wnPvQ7rR1FTOG_T3bsAaT6sUP6_m/s1600/3510359093_431e079b81_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8aXFf91mN7XW_Hsya04BtG_8izkHWQOUTuosHM4tr0tUPvSey496KF51pmHasld7kNsVUAajpz1NHJPSlydzd3CPCWfyz_dKsIbPNwvNCQH2zt_s_wnPvQ7rR1FTOG_T3bsAaT6sUP6_m/s320/3510359093_431e079b81_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />dinosaurs because they're awesome:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9yDOqdV45G81iAomNnU_CmJVHpk9ltWDIokFCoyOcx5GIKHLoCK7POCnoFTgMkICz-Z3caKpHBK1FIkSE3gHbW0q4_UpnaEwqm-6b3oSKauGyssbG5hpRtsPgE4j6iaR1KxEpocxjF2o/s1600/3510359655_42e6a9e792_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9yDOqdV45G81iAomNnU_CmJVHpk9ltWDIokFCoyOcx5GIKHLoCK7POCnoFTgMkICz-Z3caKpHBK1FIkSE3gHbW0q4_UpnaEwqm-6b3oSKauGyssbG5hpRtsPgE4j6iaR1KxEpocxjF2o/s320/3510359655_42e6a9e792_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />Cats because her roommate had four:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp98g_ndXPdMhtO1ol-W1MbCFiKEBuSECvBf2xuhSTYRHyG4PmBn6Spb_hyphenhyphenhYScUtgIzkSQxPzDnrqVDZ4J1Y8VvcMuSlL2I9CQBlZ7pMObI48DPctuXSNoyMGhi9UdNbH8jHOfGMkqpvQ/s1600/3510359511_55aa7fa4ee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp98g_ndXPdMhtO1ol-W1MbCFiKEBuSECvBf2xuhSTYRHyG4PmBn6Spb_hyphenhyphenhYScUtgIzkSQxPzDnrqVDZ4J1Y8VvcMuSlL2I9CQBlZ7pMObI48DPctuXSNoyMGhi9UdNbH8jHOfGMkqpvQ/s320/3510359511_55aa7fa4ee.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTBUgn0wz6hGBCJlKkAtgC4EURev1RkZiXU6h-8xXi-dPkma7KkSbAYMCmOsqQb8z5THzaH6fIXnd9_psLG6VJO3nCIZIfg7-df5-wQINEbFNwNd6pAeZwFg38x-HittCvGpR01Ep8wQs/s1600/3510359481_075f839592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTBUgn0wz6hGBCJlKkAtgC4EURev1RkZiXU6h-8xXi-dPkma7KkSbAYMCmOsqQb8z5THzaH6fIXnd9_psLG6VJO3nCIZIfg7-df5-wQINEbFNwNd6pAeZwFg38x-HittCvGpR01Ep8wQs/s320/3510359481_075f839592.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Texas because it's awesome<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxWj7TraXaVDBBM6iBsCDxlPZKqjL7GSs4qW9irGkBrKaVhitHHxZziSLPVRNGYnB0unLuvCFGLh4I1nSjy6tFsu_ugvy7XIkgbMufRHafQXySSqOhQ6rMlHj9dOFUo5qhyFqA9eSo6Pu/s1600/3510359581_23dc8956c3_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxWj7TraXaVDBBM6iBsCDxlPZKqjL7GSs4qW9irGkBrKaVhitHHxZziSLPVRNGYnB0unLuvCFGLh4I1nSjy6tFsu_ugvy7XIkgbMufRHafQXySSqOhQ6rMlHj9dOFUo5qhyFqA9eSo6Pu/s320/3510359581_23dc8956c3_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />And somewhere along the way I came up with this whole scenario and a story about the whole thing where evil Barney was trying to take over the world and Sara's four cats, led by Onyx (RIP little guy, you were awesome) had to save the day with karate training by Chuck Norris. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65A9UvVN-Zo8ODxo14wELrmiH71ZaBFVi9S6A-hLPfdW0r6DsjU-GYxQ62FrDON1gSB_-_-HBbaw5uBmd1hjlAE8t311jhjVjIq4dRW1MtgDA66mRyGeeHNbArIWCciHqVAP8gk0H5X07/s1600/3511168746_f8ff6e7b12_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65A9UvVN-Zo8ODxo14wELrmiH71ZaBFVi9S6A-hLPfdW0r6DsjU-GYxQ62FrDON1gSB_-_-HBbaw5uBmd1hjlAE8t311jhjVjIq4dRW1MtgDA66mRyGeeHNbArIWCciHqVAP8gk0H5X07/s200/3511168746_f8ff6e7b12_z.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq395hiZVKFlASaXzdWQzOwl6ldl06HTsWjfI5iB_knne54z55MUZM3VgvaQzBVDYsSRKuM_0NxRFFf21DmTfRbrGrokWuJuRcXWbojQylF_oNIDMIVhcDM2wWOtLo4kPN20GZpfxwhgDW/s1600/3511168640_a78dc8e7c7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq395hiZVKFlASaXzdWQzOwl6ldl06HTsWjfI5iB_knne54z55MUZM3VgvaQzBVDYsSRKuM_0NxRFFf21DmTfRbrGrokWuJuRcXWbojQylF_oNIDMIVhcDM2wWOtLo4kPN20GZpfxwhgDW/s200/3511168640_a78dc8e7c7.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />(Onyx cookie not to scale, he was the fattest cat I'd ever seen!)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />This story had to be told!!! It couldn't stack locked in my brain! So there was a PowerPoint. I don't know how to do Flash animation, but I'm pretty good with making things move in PowerPoint, so there was a whole movie involved. With sound effects like meows, ringing phones, and karate chops. I've since lost the file, maybe Kristen or Sara still has it. But I came marching into Chilli's with a box FULL of cookies and my laptop and I made everyone watch it. I was laughing the whole time, can't say much for anyone else. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi179QHOGMxHcUaRCZHoKLtgbKFH2nTyeztjJ9rObJSoCF8g2okA_rbbQyB3_JLmqwcGG0Q1HsXhtOBcn0yJsDfTmRjT__iCu4aQqTgBJYoGoyD5uVdZ5lFP82kj9TAOmG-0FXSUtlgphb0/s1600/3511168518_2c9a6a66dd_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi179QHOGMxHcUaRCZHoKLtgbKFH2nTyeztjJ9rObJSoCF8g2okA_rbbQyB3_JLmqwcGG0Q1HsXhtOBcn0yJsDfTmRjT__iCu4aQqTgBJYoGoyD5uVdZ5lFP82kj9TAOmG-0FXSUtlgphb0/s320/3511168518_2c9a6a66dd_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> See Onyx driving the blue car?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq395hiZVKFlASaXzdWQzOwl6ldl06HTsWjfI5iB_knne54z55MUZM3VgvaQzBVDYsSRKuM_0NxRFFf21DmTfRbrGrokWuJuRcXWbojQylF_oNIDMIVhcDM2wWOtLo4kPN20GZpfxwhgDW/s1600/3511168640_a78dc8e7c7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBEKdkKw33_knvY5XAVbHPHPX-pzaVBsBteJ-Kr1vaM5lcYfXcA8pqcq1853-xrE2tasoiATFGytUJ2bQ9MisON2YE5KPmL6EeaV3ynAxPgHqcDpTlTFuU8ITrgltogBvYKSzwBAUD87T/s1600/3510359755_b5715eebdf_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBEKdkKw33_knvY5XAVbHPHPX-pzaVBsBteJ-Kr1vaM5lcYfXcA8pqcq1853-xrE2tasoiATFGytUJ2bQ9MisON2YE5KPmL6EeaV3ynAxPgHqcDpTlTFuU8ITrgltogBvYKSzwBAUD87T/s320/3510359755_b5715eebdf_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />[This is the rambling of a sick, sad mind but I blame it on the fact that I was a grad student at the time and this was better than research. THIS IS WHAT GRAD SCHOOL WILL DO TO YOU! BEWARE CHILDREN! PROTECT YOUR LOVED ONES! A B.S. REALLY IS ENOUGH! FIGHT THE PEER PRESSURE TO GET AN ADVANCED DEGREE!]</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />UPDATE!: Sara totally still had the PowerPoint file! So you can totally see it if you just ask. :)</div>Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-84119740560453049972011-10-06T16:18:00.000-07:002012-08-27T20:57:15.954-07:00Wayback WednesdayI shared my first fondant cake last week. Let's see another pathetic cake! It isn't as bad as the last one, but it ain't much better. You've met my friend Melinda a few times, like <a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2010/06/happy-falker-satherhood.html">here</a>, <a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2010/07/bun-in-oven-and-cake-in-tummy.html">here</a>, and guest appearance <a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2011/08/happy-almost-13th-birthday.html">here</a>, plus some others. Years ago, Melinda had a birthday. And it's pretty close to Cameron's birthday. You met him and his son <a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2009/11/down-on-farm.html">a long time ago</a>. <br /><br /><br /><br />To celebrate their birthdays, we went out tubing on the river, a summer ritual around here full of all sorts of adult fun! And I decided to use this as a cake theme. And this was my first try at fondant figures! I bit the bullet and bought the Wilton's precolored stuff. This was the result:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xMG3uMtzjdbbiVwtp7wJGaM_ArHsAYHKSquLA2ocGvldm-PPP93WHj8fnGll2_5Ipyjh0Vv7k8IqpuK-TR7VhimJMEWao6qYxt4INlvu8mBLKiN6JWUn0q1OksfqLsa3f6eIrAv42uKl/s1600/3714638459_882d30fc64_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xMG3uMtzjdbbiVwtp7wJGaM_ArHsAYHKSquLA2ocGvldm-PPP93WHj8fnGll2_5Ipyjh0Vv7k8IqpuK-TR7VhimJMEWao6qYxt4INlvu8mBLKiN6JWUn0q1OksfqLsa3f6eIrAv42uKl/s320/3714638459_882d30fc64_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I apparently hadn't quite got the leveling thing figured out yet. It looks decidedly lopsided. And the writing? Text looks okay if you're drunk or have <a href="http://tacobell.wikia.com/wiki/Taco-Neck_Syndrome">Taco Neck Syndrome</a>. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHrt6FZ2Pz30_27G7TYGIXjVrcg4IggUC5lfPHunJD6jWwTJInoQZbdiTYlZSDgQIPOwyknwfEzPJeM61JxrrkHOG1DgNDviYC26kWE7IIV0r67XOv58xNTp3en_kYj-ywdfU9fESfz9e/s1600/3714638511_23540f3892_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHrt6FZ2Pz30_27G7TYGIXjVrcg4IggUC5lfPHunJD6jWwTJInoQZbdiTYlZSDgQIPOwyknwfEzPJeM61JxrrkHOG1DgNDviYC26kWE7IIV0r67XOv58xNTp3en_kYj-ywdfU9fESfz9e/s320/3714638511_23540f3892_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> This tuber really shouldn't be out here. Gingers burn awful fast. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZm3Gluwxnpp3uUZ3f13vj1oS-4-_0H4q57wcLwy8vTAwMoaOGPB87vxg_ZcItWutSj03N72W_s-Nt9qZQD8SH-falbWLrQHU5tCg5Zu2vEX3N1S1OzvRVaJtl1u5obZIb9KyzlSbRHgPc/s1600/3714638547_e40fbe0045_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZm3Gluwxnpp3uUZ3f13vj1oS-4-_0H4q57wcLwy8vTAwMoaOGPB87vxg_ZcItWutSj03N72W_s-Nt9qZQD8SH-falbWLrQHU5tCg5Zu2vEX3N1S1OzvRVaJtl1u5obZIb9KyzlSbRHgPc/s320/3714638547_e40fbe0045_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> This little guy was an homage to Erik, Melinda's hubby. See the six pack?<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZ6uwry_rujI2AoGlsZAUdqJ7c0kXcdm5Pn5hPf_Sfp4os8iRkpy_wrffFtjIcEOwgtuX0GKkMlYirhOxORTwmNwyaKbcNpffI2SOu-4AuPLkUZVORaP3xuhd-NKBXEGWJspDjLBDHMy4/s1600/3715449276_2d00b80f91_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZ6uwry_rujI2AoGlsZAUdqJ7c0kXcdm5Pn5hPf_Sfp4os8iRkpy_wrffFtjIcEOwgtuX0GKkMlYirhOxORTwmNwyaKbcNpffI2SOu-4AuPLkUZVORaP3xuhd-NKBXEGWJspDjLBDHMy4/s320/3715449276_2d00b80f91_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />There isn't enough sunscreen in the world. What's up with the Wilton's skin tone choices?</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIaRg-n9rUjixIvctsNqak4zLFFM1QncnSmVi635FCicRHh1_NUX4ewt8EH8TPA2_mp93XaHRxxfCJoVijld3EB52BRA2bl5myIC58UG8KI2LBhdgs-4dL2agjm9FVFQBsd3G20JAnsKk/s1600/3715449308_61b92d2422_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIaRg-n9rUjixIvctsNqak4zLFFM1QncnSmVi635FCicRHh1_NUX4ewt8EH8TPA2_mp93XaHRxxfCJoVijld3EB52BRA2bl5myIC58UG8KI2LBhdgs-4dL2agjm9FVFQBsd3G20JAnsKk/s320/3715449308_61b92d2422_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />The beer cooler, an integral part of the tubing experience. Beer and sunscreen.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bV1PCy43ol37FYRVoNoq8waTexjfAuu1xbFsucPL66NZPM8L7h_pt3Jp3OEYW3lmOHVgJPitwGNDmezGxhN8W7Hv1XuLZPmeG9i32mrWJrFY_jRS1KOjXDNeUicemRVxTFpjSd_BQwa1/s1600/3714638867_123b9bcd2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bV1PCy43ol37FYRVoNoq8waTexjfAuu1xbFsucPL66NZPM8L7h_pt3Jp3OEYW3lmOHVgJPitwGNDmezGxhN8W7Hv1XuLZPmeG9i32mrWJrFY_jRS1KOjXDNeUicemRVxTFpjSd_BQwa1/s320/3714638867_123b9bcd2a.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />The scenery along the river. Notice the beans? They're supposed to be rocks. They just don't look like it much, do they?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfqbwHnzvSVYpvVxYbEF6BnkFb029PSZc0Ca5sNtT9pjIXR05-Q03JRLGkMKwE_h2XZ-VxXRPo7n85oqqulR2i6m3cimApn76tAsd7NuS6xBTlbORURQ0WyTieSrIM8aAUSHqOAJwFV_b/s1600/3714639173_0b982e7212_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfqbwHnzvSVYpvVxYbEF6BnkFb029PSZc0Ca5sNtT9pjIXR05-Q03JRLGkMKwE_h2XZ-VxXRPo7n85oqqulR2i6m3cimApn76tAsd7NuS6xBTlbORURQ0WyTieSrIM8aAUSHqOAJwFV_b/s320/3714639173_0b982e7212_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Headless Erik.<br /><br /><br /><br />We've come a long way, haven't we? Next week is cookies!<br /><br /><br /><br />Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-19139229052036788872011-09-29T05:35:00.000-07:002012-08-27T20:57:15.891-07:00Avast, ye matey!Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of milk. It's a one-year-old, as much as I try to get him to say naughty words I can't condone underage drinking. Following a recent theme in my cake world, I had one more first birthday cake this weekend. It was a pirate party! Which seems fitting since <a href="http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html">International Talk Like a Pirate Day</a> was earlier in the week. <br /><br /><br /><br />I was just happy because a pirate ship was on my wish list. I'm going to do a post sometime about my list, that way when you're planning your next party you can consult the list to see which themes you should choose from. (Sparkly pink princess castle, you know you want it)<br /><br /><br /><br />Of course you've met the birthday boy<a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2010/07/bun-in-oven-and-cake-in-tummy.html"> a while back</a>. It feels like that was forever ago, but he shouldn't be walking and talking like a real, live little person yet. Since it was a joint Camden/Daddy birthday, Dad got to pick the flavor of the cake. Of course carrot. And it went way better for me than <a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2009/09/thing-1-and-thing-2.html#comments">the last time</a> I tried to make carrot cake for Erik's birthday. <br /><br /><br /><br />But you're just here for pictures, right? I stole all of these pictures from Melinda, just a like a real pirate would. She takes prettier pictures than me.<br /><br /><br /><br />Camden's cake! Every kid needs their own cake for their first birthday, mainly so momma can get adorable pictures of her kid covered in frosting but everyone else gets to eat cootie-free cake. The idea came from Wilton's cake catalog. The treasure map was all mine though. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vfhyQJjOyx-_X_pp_m9C2kh0SzEUoXVPb2-HV6wQ6PdOCv8VyvL4YSz9rJVBT5CZMncQ54fzyT-ZvdcBjcLTp-4VQdrKBlFWYYbP_g59tdYixw5RlN_0wOFjGJ6_Y5HmnENQ_569Qz56/s1600/IMG_1508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vfhyQJjOyx-_X_pp_m9C2kh0SzEUoXVPb2-HV6wQ6PdOCv8VyvL4YSz9rJVBT5CZMncQ54fzyT-ZvdcBjcLTp-4VQdrKBlFWYYbP_g59tdYixw5RlN_0wOFjGJ6_Y5HmnENQ_569Qz56/s320/IMG_1508.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Side view of the smash cake. You won't see the other side because someone might have forgotten the nonskid liner under the cake before driving away from the house with the cakes and may have put his/her finger through the other side the first tight corner when the cake went sliding across the box.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzB0s1m25ndSOyf1q6fG62R1hQngBqTLNs1Tn6Ru_uGvBBeUCCB9Lfc5PWq81Xp_Eiewr_dpTBtUOY3gWk6vGJPTFSbfZYd4GuDW5ufpY_PGNVXGy_qCwnB5tS3NWhvMefH6gy_zDjitC/s1600/IMG_1500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzB0s1m25ndSOyf1q6fG62R1hQngBqTLNs1Tn6Ru_uGvBBeUCCB9Lfc5PWq81Xp_Eiewr_dpTBtUOY3gWk6vGJPTFSbfZYd4GuDW5ufpY_PGNVXGy_qCwnB5tS3NWhvMefH6gy_zDjitC/s320/IMG_1500.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />The birthday boy seemed to enjoy it, at least the chocolately frosting.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgv2Sv3HdbSckA-gjfI12fJqOcoDWpbtSqOLeluHeABBKXPynes_wPUDOxV51XvlLzWq7jzCHQ12sP61n7cz0tK_G4NjOHeo_340AYvtn6-8z9DfSTfXf-xKQDczlS4iegVSWXwz4N29A/s1600/IMG_1621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgv2Sv3HdbSckA-gjfI12fJqOcoDWpbtSqOLeluHeABBKXPynes_wPUDOxV51XvlLzWq7jzCHQ12sP61n7cz0tK_G4NjOHeo_340AYvtn6-8z9DfSTfXf-xKQDczlS4iegVSWXwz4N29A/s320/IMG_1621.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> And the aftermath:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikEwhh1c_uy8DoPeA4TkKDJauGj7oNsS5rvCXAtCnw9i7Wr9swgvGRvuiNys8UfLxvRoFj0ykiodbdr8hHpffVcDBT1W_zhV34kjxGPMuSIl7AVzRC9b82dlW9a3rNUosOb8EeDOhVqrQL/s1600/IMG_1634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikEwhh1c_uy8DoPeA4TkKDJauGj7oNsS5rvCXAtCnw9i7Wr9swgvGRvuiNys8UfLxvRoFj0ykiodbdr8hHpffVcDBT1W_zhV34kjxGPMuSIl7AVzRC9b82dlW9a3rNUosOb8EeDOhVqrQL/s320/IMG_1634.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgv2Sv3HdbSckA-gjfI12fJqOcoDWpbtSqOLeluHeABBKXPynes_wPUDOxV51XvlLzWq7jzCHQ12sP61n7cz0tK_G4NjOHeo_340AYvtn6-8z9DfSTfXf-xKQDczlS4iegVSWXwz4N29A/s1600/IMG_1621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br /><br /><br />And the big cake:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvpUG3iAeBO35fgdk2bpx1k7CiOPnYO6iUmKPZJtcQ_W7TlpMKrnuHNnfYRw612-myGoLTHl6ehA5V2fkCaaiOve5-K1ek3KR5rsc4p1Xv0GkppA_9oj4nP2Gq_q11UTYTBS04PIgmrm0/s1600/IMG_1511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvpUG3iAeBO35fgdk2bpx1k7CiOPnYO6iUmKPZJtcQ_W7TlpMKrnuHNnfYRw612-myGoLTHl6ehA5V2fkCaaiOve5-K1ek3KR5rsc4p1Xv0GkppA_9oj4nP2Gq_q11UTYTBS04PIgmrm0/s320/IMG_1511.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> '<br /><br />Every pirate ship needs a cannon.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UCVZM97DSoco7DZENag5X5lZwTOJvhT06l_G0dbDM-PeJj4vBlnPeAtcwZ0q0QsL_hLvVsghr3jC_jT8I9Y0BMTV9gg6VIsUffu1ZgAdENvAioi4nfHEnCscECxuMcVHxgPO30xbMaJt/s1600/IMG_1512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UCVZM97DSoco7DZENag5X5lZwTOJvhT06l_G0dbDM-PeJj4vBlnPeAtcwZ0q0QsL_hLvVsghr3jC_jT8I9Y0BMTV9gg6VIsUffu1ZgAdENvAioi4nfHEnCscECxuMcVHxgPO30xbMaJt/s320/IMG_1512.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />The happiest Jolly Roger ever made. And if you look just to the starboard side of the ship (that's the right side of the ship, and yes I had to look it up to check), you will notice a little shark following along. An ode to Camden's early life known only as the nongender specific Sharkie. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIsrlxfja_xn4x92_TKIp80fcmKzip24Zdb4A2u83_2j_u6w7bfqCgXpxaOd3UqzSiGaZ7sQbkq5Ycd6EtOtjq7EC9NSBNDfS7l1Tdh6mA_WCAh3-z0i5v0uI0RZRZ559bVq98qodXqBl/s1600/IMG_1502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIsrlxfja_xn4x92_TKIp80fcmKzip24Zdb4A2u83_2j_u6w7bfqCgXpxaOd3UqzSiGaZ7sQbkq5Ycd6EtOtjq7EC9NSBNDfS7l1Tdh6mA_WCAh3-z0i5v0uI0RZRZ559bVq98qodXqBl/s320/IMG_1502.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />The stars of the show! This is non-racially-offensive "Erik." I gave him a six-pack and nipples. But no ears. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3z1TH75MB_hKprFn5G1193nurvOGZT2hWu-34g8HWF-y5_DAsr7F24p4OdtOL-F0Xijn49vKlao04q3bZ3-pTHeDOCGTOwmMG77Fz2DdrukHJQvuDg_W-VCZt6aGFraw31ZUGJ_5idDZE/s1600/IMG_1638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3z1TH75MB_hKprFn5G1193nurvOGZT2hWu-34g8HWF-y5_DAsr7F24p4OdtOL-F0Xijn49vKlao04q3bZ3-pTHeDOCGTOwmMG77Fz2DdrukHJQvuDg_W-VCZt6aGFraw31ZUGJ_5idDZE/s320/IMG_1638.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />And baby pirate Camden! With a peg leg, cause all pirates have a peg leg, right?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LkG6aNXI_jFcb8hhDuRtbo50zNPqjaMgGdNsVLOLqFStNgpKs5Y3_6y964r1T8xZUrKjPA87rcxxt_Gsjba-XubvohaR2NLrvXQGWb4kBCvk-Zd1Rph80VBRVfrStW-HcmOrW8iKNLN6/s1600/IMG_1640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LkG6aNXI_jFcb8hhDuRtbo50zNPqjaMgGdNsVLOLqFStNgpKs5Y3_6y964r1T8xZUrKjPA87rcxxt_Gsjba-XubvohaR2NLrvXQGWb4kBCvk-Zd1Rph80VBRVfrStW-HcmOrW8iKNLN6/s320/IMG_1640.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />The cake turned out really yummy and super moist. The frosting wasn't too sweet either, which I was worried about since I was using a crusting cream cheese recipe under the fondant. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKk1Is6KswvJR8I9L0IfiGd_jGaTy6MgIg8Fod068OUzMYmf-b6DdrFIGtr3TOezyo_B34L0bOQAzfcVNYe-daoC-OLM5beoCTLTKYIQC5Wiuyf1j3O2FTxyo7nSH0VLmHzLGG9-Y-_O1/s1600/IMG_1643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKk1Is6KswvJR8I9L0IfiGd_jGaTy6MgIg8Fod068OUzMYmf-b6DdrFIGtr3TOezyo_B34L0bOQAzfcVNYe-daoC-OLM5beoCTLTKYIQC5Wiuyf1j3O2FTxyo7nSH0VLmHzLGG9-Y-_O1/s320/IMG_1643.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Blimey! This ship was given no quarter in the vicious attack in search of me booty! This pirate speak stuff is hard. But I feel the need to throw in a "brass monkey" and a "landlubber" just cause.The aftermath:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRD4ijbKORMuS0Lf7zCWaLMV6fQhhJGO6-u3ydrjplzJwWp9ExpAzxlYU-Va6vSJZ1BSom5Bw7KZtcPX4P1EZ1peDobs9Z2pSQ_tCQIu_-Nhevmc4wnMhfRJgrDjhF0Gkmb5029CtKFZy/s1600/IMG_1644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRD4ijbKORMuS0Lf7zCWaLMV6fQhhJGO6-u3ydrjplzJwWp9ExpAzxlYU-Va6vSJZ1BSom5Bw7KZtcPX4P1EZ1peDobs9Z2pSQ_tCQIu_-Nhevmc4wnMhfRJgrDjhF0Gkmb5029CtKFZy/s320/IMG_1644.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br />Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3620681352388681996.post-58372050821591678852011-09-28T15:59:00.000-07:002012-08-27T20:57:15.937-07:00Wayback WednesdayI found some old photos of some very early cakes I made and I thought I'd share them, just to give you an idea of how far I've actually come with the decorating. I'll give them a plug since I learned so much, but if you want to try this, take the <a href="http://www.wilton.com/classes/">Wilton's classes</a>. They're cheap, the instructors are good, at least mine was. She was awesome, had been teaching for like 20 years, had been through the Wilton master course, and had a pin for teaching over 1,000 students. Her name is apparently on the wall at the Wilton offices. Wilton has a tendency to have some pretty tacky decorations. Remember the<a href="http://bakingnaked.blogspot.com/2010/03/because-ducks-have-heads.html"> Scary Ass Clown Heads</a>? But they revamped all the classes right after I took them so they focus a lot more on fondant and are more modern now.<br /><br /><br /><br />This cake was my first try at covering a cake in fondant. It was a miserable failure. And my miserable, I mean BBBBBBBBAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDD. It was for my friend Karen's birthday and I wanted to suprise her with a cake. And I got it into my head it was time to try fondant and I was going to make it myself by doing a marshmallow fondant. Now if you've never actually used fondant before, FOR FSM'S SAKE BUY IT!!! Wilton's gets a pretty bad rap, but it's cheap with your 40% off coupon for Michael's or JoAnn's and it's super easy to work with. I use<a href="http://www.rolledfondant.com/"> Satin Ice</a> when I need black, but it's soft and harder to use. And I can't seem to avoid the dreaded elephant skin with it to save my life. <br /><br /><br /><br />Oh wait, you were waiting for the horrible cake photos right? Okay here it is:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />I was feeling pretty confident when I made the fondant. See how pretty it looks? You see, Karen has a thing for fluorescent colors. Mainly in her clothes. She's pretty infamous with her particular fashion style. (I say this with love Karen, but you know it too). </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiBNGbG8qrvDVkelUd6iBMSnWVEm4CTcEpfq_9KAyeg2TSCzkhLD0t6kZxDPbc0uxJ17P3RNqfSt3IzZkOFFw7CMifoML_fIxJPW3aR3tcxNtUXJT8oA-Pda01bF0p_Ieu-sGWDxeYQm_/s1600/3435754288_91e5f17f0d_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiBNGbG8qrvDVkelUd6iBMSnWVEm4CTcEpfq_9KAyeg2TSCzkhLD0t6kZxDPbc0uxJ17P3RNqfSt3IzZkOFFw7CMifoML_fIxJPW3aR3tcxNtUXJT8oA-Pda01bF0p_Ieu-sGWDxeYQm_/s320/3435754288_91e5f17f0d_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />So here is the cake:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD72b2wwirdxAxZcQY4ayxRC3P0cakdmEqsWde6PoaPL5ihPKXJeEe_LhDjKMrEA_UTZvqYPARAZlU_1JwqSv7f9jSRfw0lYaTwEV9cLw2PePYmOr0Bl1OwIlwYWch00ZjfuwSCIGF6NNh/s1600/3434949627_0cefa57833_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD72b2wwirdxAxZcQY4ayxRC3P0cakdmEqsWde6PoaPL5ihPKXJeEe_LhDjKMrEA_UTZvqYPARAZlU_1JwqSv7f9jSRfw0lYaTwEV9cLw2PePYmOr0Bl1OwIlwYWch00ZjfuwSCIGF6NNh/s320/3434949627_0cefa57833_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /> No wait, that was entirely too artistic a photo, let's try again:<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuVQdMtlqTJAxakH5814MfJZT8krGJewSPCq6ESdVNTYPuuMNVve_OuPNsAhIF0TnY7d0nChXqutBTmoSWV7ZdjaAid_cnFCOXjyr0_YylG9_odp8Bm3z-es9Ws5-sUdPFWPbr_4MetEh/s1600/3435754436_8e3bf9510a_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuVQdMtlqTJAxakH5814MfJZT8krGJewSPCq6ESdVNTYPuuMNVve_OuPNsAhIF0TnY7d0nChXqutBTmoSWV7ZdjaAid_cnFCOXjyr0_YylG9_odp8Bm3z-es9Ws5-sUdPFWPbr_4MetEh/s320/3435754436_8e3bf9510a_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Let this be a lesson to all of us about the need to smooth your buttercream, level your cake, and ease it up with the powdered sugar. But the good news is that I apparently was aware of the need for a buttercream dam with the filling!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzdc2SaO6XA2_0cgN0cPfoq7FuaZC4HzE9OFQgpmEeBvwt2iz6xMQT2Ui2RJ0RsGofBgvpjEwgMKl7HDkc8j9a-vQHSBmnDDUusEVgf0LYDSj2vdUcWsnee3IuDB-eFd8U-QLoEhml3ZFd/s1600/3435754882_b114bcd10d_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzdc2SaO6XA2_0cgN0cPfoq7FuaZC4HzE9OFQgpmEeBvwt2iz6xMQT2Ui2RJ0RsGofBgvpjEwgMKl7HDkc8j9a-vQHSBmnDDUusEVgf0LYDSj2vdUcWsnee3IuDB-eFd8U-QLoEhml3ZFd/s320/3435754882_b114bcd10d_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Totally nonplused about just how ugly this cake truly was. She'll eat anything, she's a grad student.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8uc-Lp3K2wnqtUns5UE53uCX_F5RkfvqZkTYXaXJ75HEcsdlerWYgH8kdQfA-vR83kxIKX6kBHLrDnnISrQ8nMIGSfe30PusSOCdoQHjesSq7anw5wkpBQVVpTRM0mAFf3oz9b2PVLj1/s1600/3435754596_360dd4d608_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8uc-Lp3K2wnqtUns5UE53uCX_F5RkfvqZkTYXaXJ75HEcsdlerWYgH8kdQfA-vR83kxIKX6kBHLrDnnISrQ8nMIGSfe30PusSOCdoQHjesSq7anw5wkpBQVVpTRM0mAFf3oz9b2PVLj1/s320/3435754596_360dd4d608_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Baking Nakedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00656446093395451126noreply@blogger.com1