Sugar Free Baking

Did you know that Hershey's Sugar Free Chocolate Chips are not only sugar free, they are artificial sweetener free as well? They are simply chocolate.

And they taste like semi-sweet.

Perfect for diabetic baking.

Baggie Delivery

The baggies arrived today. Much earlier than I expected. However, I was disappointed to see only 5,000 baggies. I rechecked the website and the size I ordered 4x4" is in fact available in 5,000 baggies. I believe I can live with just 5,000 baggies.

I also received my iPad today. I am totally hooked. Hopefully, not only will it help me with textbooks while at college, but it will help me organize my life. I also have an iPod touch, but it is so tiny that I couldn't use it to read texts. But, I still love it for music and games.

Sugar free cake pops need to be made this evening, for a raffle for my weight loss group.

Baggie Mayhem

I have been searching for the little baggies to wrap my cake pops in for several months. I usually buy them at Michaels, but it gets rather expensive when I'm making several hundred and I can only buy 100 at a time. If I don't have coupons, they run $4 per 100, which is roughly 4 cents a bag. Still not terrible, but when I have to make 500 cake pops and wrap them, I'm looking at $20, just in baggies.

So, I have been searching for a large scale supplier. All to no avail.

I finally found one a few days ago. I've shared the link in my links list to the right of the blog. I bought the 4x4" baggies because the 3x4" baggies from Michaels are always the right length, but sometimes, just not the right width. The best part is: with shipping, 10,000 baggies were only $62, which comes to less than one cent per baggie. I'm very thrilled with this.

Now, I need some orders so I can use up my 10,000 baggies quickly, and have to buy 20,000 next time.

Bride and Groom Cake Pops

Regardless of the cancelled wedding cake, the Bride still wants the cake pops. I originally decided to make bride and groom cake pops. I found a photo of them awhile back on the internet and couldn't wait until I could make them.

However, they are more time consuming that regular cake pops. The groom has a little bow tie and buttons that have to be put on with either a toothpick, or a #1 decorating tube. I started with the toothpick, but after 20 minutes, I didn't even have 10 cake pops finished. So, I switched over to the tube. Worked great for awhile, but soon, unmelted clumps of chocolate started making their way to the tiny hole and I couldn't keep it clear long enough to get through one cake pop. So, the last 20 or so took a while. But, 2 hours later, I had 100 groom pops.

Now, I'm waiting for the white chocolate to melt so I can finish the bride pops. 100 of them, but they are really simple. Just dip them and sprinkle sugar on them to give them that sparkle. Then, add a little heart for a "necklace" and I'm done. The little heart will take awhile because they are teeny tiny, but once I have the pops ready to go, that shouldn't take more than an hour or so. Then, into the freezer. Deliver Saturday morning, and I'm finished.

Out of curiosity, I looked these little pops up on the internet, just to see how much a baker would charge... Wow, they are roughly $28 a dozen. So, for 200 cake pops, it's around $500. Wow. I think I'll make them myself.

Waterfall Birthday Cake

I made a birthday cake for my brother's mother-in-law's 71st birthday. Sadly, it was during the week I was supposed to do the wedding cake, so I didn't give it a whole lot of thought. I kind of had an idea in mind, but once I got to baking, things happened.

The first layer turned out awesome. Level, pretty pink, nice and moist. But, dense enough to hold the next layer and the waterfall. The second layer was another story.

When I make white cake I use the Wilton Meringue Powder instead of egg whites for two reasons: first, I hate wasting all those egg yolks. And when I'm making layer cakes for someone, I use 2 cake mixes for each layer. So, that's six yolks I have to waste. I've tried freezing them, but I still end up wasting them.

Second, the powder makes the cake really white and really dense. It also gives it a little "zip" which goes great with a champagne filing. Shh. It's a "Michele Secret". The powder gives it a nice moist consistency and helps it stay level. It's also faster to measure out 6 tsp of Meringue Powder and 6 Tbsp of water than it is to crack and separate 3 eggs for each mix. (AND, it keeps the sprinkles in "funfetti" cake from bleeding and turning the cake gray.)

So, that's why the first layer turned out awesome. It was white cake with a few drops of red food coloring to make it pink. I used the Meringue Powder and it was perfect. Unfortunately, it was after 10 PM when I made the second layer, and I ran out of Meringue Powder. Michaels was closed, and I wasn't driving two miles to Walmart at night just for 6 tsp of Meringue Powder. Plus, I like to use the coupons from Michaels, makes things affordable for a college student.

Instead of Meringue Powder, I used egg whites for half the needed eggs. And one egg yolk; it popped out of the shell when I opened it and broke when it hit the batter.Well, those egg whites made a huge difference in the cake. It was super scrumptious, but it was also so moist that when I turned it out of the pan onto a cooling rack, it all but crumbled. I couldn't use it.

I was tired and a little frustrated now. So, I called it a night, and watched TV. When I woke up this morning, I decided to attempt a made-from-scratch white cake recipe I found online (link posted in the links list on the right near the bottom). It turned out pretty well, even though it wasn't really white. More, tan. I did like that it turned out nice and level, though. Might have to play with the recipe a bit to make it more of a true "white" cake. However, weirdly, I added red food coloring and the cake went in pink, and came out tan. So, I don't know what happened there. Make sure you read some of the comments. They give some tips in there that really make the cake better. The only thing I didn't like was that the entire outside was crunchy. I made a second one and it also turned out very crunchy, but the inside is flaky and moist.

So, overall the cake turned out. The top layer, although white, wasn't that bad. Everyone loved both layers. I used buttercream frosting. My favorite recipe is the kitchen aid recipe that came with my mixer, with one change, I double the recipe and replace half the butter with shortening so it won't harden so much. I used piping gel to create the water and waterfall, I used a 6" circle to make the hill the waterfall came from. I also used graham crackers to make the sandy beaches.

Although it's not what I had pictured, I was so worried about the top layer, that this is what it turned out to be:

Cake Pops are still "in"

I have made over 2,000 cake pops in the last 6 months. Amazing. I gave a lot away, though. At first, they were a trial, I donated some to different groups, and I took some to church functions and family functions. As the popularity of them grew, I began to make a little bit of money off them. Overall, I've made well over $500, just off cake pops. Not bad for a college student.

I got an order for some cake pops that was rather challenging. She wanted 9 different flavors. And she only wanted 2 dozen. Unfortunately, I didn't have any made. I had a bunch, but I was afraid they would begin to taste like freezer, so I gave them away. So, today, I made 5 cakes just to make these 9 different flavors. I already had a few cakes made up and frozen, so that was good. Since she only wanted 2 and 3 of each of the flavors, I now have quite a bit of cake made up and ready for the freezer. It will keep for awhile so, anytime I get a little order, I can just pull out the flavors I need and whip some up!

Cancelled Orders

Well, the really big wedding cake I had was cancelled.

Misunderstandings aren't ever a good thing.

Too bad, I was looking forward to the challenge.

New cake mix... not a good idea

I attempted to use a new cake mix that a bride bought for her cake. Yuck. It is a pudding mix, but you pour the pudding on top of the cake and leave it in the pan... Not the right kind of mix for a wedding cake... Thankfully, I have enough boxes of regular cake mix to make up for the horror this mix made. It was a mushy mess. Blech... And it doesn't taste all that great.

Homemade cake SUCCESS!!!

Ever attempt at homemade cake - from scratch not from a box - has been an utter failure. They always sink in the middle and turn into brownie like cake in the center most part of the cake. While still delicious, that means the middle of the cake has 2" of frosting just to make the cake appear level.

So, tonight I have attempted, once more, a homemade cake. It has just over 2 minutes left, but it is level and lovely. No big hole in the center. Hooray! Too bad I am squishing it up for cake pops. But, I will taste test a small piece first just to see how it tastes.

Once I tipped it out of the pan, the cake stuck just a little. Easy fix. Next time I make it, I'll just line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Should come right out.

See the recipe in my Favorite Recipes section located on the right of the screen. Make sure you follow the high altitude directions.

Wedding Plans Go Well

Well, so far the wedding cake is working out. Of course, I haven't yet made the cake. The calla lillies turned out gorgeous. They're very realistic. Hot pink is a hard color to manage, though. The color fades very quickly in very little light. So, I have to "paint" them with color dust. That helped a lot, and now they aren't fading.

I have decided to make it a six tier cake. Starting with a 16" bottom square tier, then decreasing by 2" until I hit 6". Unfortunately, two less tiers will only serve about 130, and she expects 200. Which means, I have to make a larger cake, but it has to start with square, because it won't look right starting with a round cake.

That's fine though. Now, I get to try something new and challenging: stacking tiers. My previous wedding cakes were sitting on a tiered display, so I didn't have to stack them. I have to support the tiers very well, because the bottom tier will be supporting 5 very heavy cakes. It will be a challenge, and the main assembly will have to happen at the park, which means I will have fun.

The cake is white fondant with black ribbon around the bottom to finish the bottom of each tier. In the square tiers, I am going to put a criss-cross pattern with gemstones at each intersection to bring the gemstone part of her theme into the cake. Then, I will put a few calla lillies around the cake, and she is going to top the cake with chocolate covered strawberries. Should be quite lovely.

I am also making 200 cake pops. I made 69 two days ago, and threw them in the fridge. They are plain right now, but I am making a bride and groom cake pop. The bride is covered in a sugared "dress" with a pearl necklace around her "neck". The groom is wearing a chocolate tux, with a little bow tie. The bride was simple, I made a trial one. Goofed it a little, so it didn't get saved. But, it turned out well, and I look forward to the challenge of creating these little cake pops over the next few days.

The overall wedding cake is a challenge, mostly because of the size. It should be quite interesting putting fondant on a 16" square cake. Considering, I've never put fondant on a square cake at all, and I've never put fondant on a cake that large. The largest was 14". My mother will help me with this one because I know I won't be able to lift the fondant for a cake that size on my own. Extremely heavy.

Should be interesting; I'll post pictures as soon as it is finished.

Another Wedding, more to do

A friend asked me to do her wedding. She wants 100 cake pops, 100 cupcakes, and a wedding cake. Thankfully, it's a simple design on the cake.

The biggest problem is the size. She wants to have the round and square tiers that are so popular. I have the pans, the problem comes in the sizes. If I were to use the largest square pan, I would have to have several tiers. It would be 16" sq, 14" round, 12" sq, 10" round, 8" square, and 6" round.That would be 5 tiers, plus the top. It will be extremely heavy, but I suppose I can do it. LOL

The best part is the flowers. Her colors are black and hot pink. Her flowers are calla lillies. So, I am making gumpaste calla lillies in hot pink. The cake is basic white fondant. I will wrap black ribbon around the base of each tier to finish the bottom and place the flowers around the cake, with a big bunch on top. I'll put some ribbon loops throughout the bouquets to bring the black into the design. Should be beautiful.

I started mixing the gumpaste colors last night and my hands are now hot pink. I will make as many flowers as possible tonight, but calla lillies are simple. Just two pieces, and attach.

Boop Boop E Doo

I've always been a fan of Betty Boop. She's so cute with her giant head, big green eyes, and love of everything red. So, when a friend asked me to make a Betty Boop cake for his mom's birthday... I smelled a challenge.

I started looking online at Betty Boop images. I found several that I just loved. I picked four, and had my mom help me pick the best one, which is the classic Marilyn Monroe pose with the skirt blowing up. It was also the one with the most detail.

The cake chosen was a 9x13" rectangle. Two layers, yellow cake with strawberry filling, and buttercream frosting.

Now, I'm not very good at drawing anything, let alone drawing something as detailed and exact as Betty Boop. My creativity comes in the form of colors, layout, design. So, I decided to "draw" Betty with Color Flow.

The color flow technique has been around a long time. I have some Wilton year books from the 70s that show the technique. It's pretty simple. Outline the design, then fill it in. Or so I thought. Getting the outline the right consistency is paramount in the decoration. Otherwise, I spend the whole time trying to clean my little #2 tip. So, I had to slowly thin it until it was thin enough to write with. I outlined Betty, and by the time I was finished, my arms felt like rubber. Still a little thick. Although, I only broke one parchment bag this time.

I had to wait a couple hours before I could fill in the outlining, and I figured one thing out: The facial features need to be added after the skin tone was filled in because it was very difficult to get the skin tone to flow into the tiny spaces between her eyelashes. Toothpicks came in handy for this design.

The most important thing to remember: Allow the color flow design to dry 100% before you try to remove it from the waxed paper. I didn't allow it to dry once before, and the design broke. Two days minimum to dry, longer if the design is large or the color flow is thick.

The result of the Betty Boop cake was marvelous. I love it and can't wait to do it again.