Mommy's Birthday

We had never thrown a party for my mom’s birthday before. My sister and I decided to put together a Pink, red, birdie, theme for her. The cake in the middle picture was done by me. I am very proud of this cake. It was some work but I pushed myself beyond my expertise.

We had a dessert buffet that I put together. I baked chocolate chips cookies, mini cheesecakes, chocolate covered strawberries, brownies, cupcakes and sugar cookies. It was beautifully displayed on red plates and platters most of them from Target.

I made pink lemonade, and fruit punch and added strawberries to the drink dispenser. The drink dispensers were a steal from Wal-Mart. For food we had an array of sandwiches with chips.

The centerpieces were made from branches and tissue paper flowers. We affixed them to the branches with glue dots. We had pink table covers and red plates and cups. .We also hung pink and red hearts and tissue pom-poms from the ceiling.

Mickey Mouse Cake

Who doesn't love Mickey? Mickey Mouse is one of the most iconic cartoon characters of all time. I recieved a request for a Mickey cake, and well, I have no drawing skills. So, drawing Mickey's face was out of the question. I researched cake on Cakecentral, one of my favorite spots for inspiration.

This cake was inspired by some of the pictures from wonderful bakers who are kind enough to share their creations. The Mickey cake was a two tiered stacked cake. All decorations were made from marshmallow fondant and colored with Wilton color. I also cut out the stars using Wilton's star shaped cookie cutters. The Mickey head was baked using a sports ball 3D pan also from Wilton.

This yummy cake was filled with strawberries on one layer and peaches on the other. The strawberry layer was lemon cake, and peach was just white cake. It was really fun to make but lots of work. Thanks Nadine for helping me :)

Quinceanera

My brother-in-law’s sister just turned 15 years old, and like in most if not all Hispanic families they have a Quinceañera. A Quinceañera is a coming of age ceremony that occurs when a young girl turns 15. Well, this celebration is a big deal to these 15 year old girls. When she asked me to create her invites and her favors I wanted to do something a little different. Usually the invites are a little cheesy I think. They have a huge picture of the young lady, and a list that almost eats up all the invitation space of who bought what and who the attendants are. I really think that we should stay away from that and seek a cleaner, sleeker and more sophisticated approach.

Her colors were a deep “purpleish” plum color, which I loved because again it stays away from the pastels that although beautiful they had their time to shine. As I looked for inspirations on the web, there are more options catered towards the Quinceañera. When I was planning my sisters we had many limited sources because it wasn’t as mainstream or important to pop culture. With MTV bringing these festivities to a broader audience business began to realize that there is a need for more products.





I chose to create the invites myself in Photoshop. I used a 4x6 template I got at Overnightptints.com, which is also were I got them printed. I printed 100 of them for about $20 dollars. The invitation has a logo that I made using a Photoshop shape. It is ornate yet simple. I used Copper Alt Caps Expert font (I downloaded somewhere just Google it you should find it for free!) for her initials J.Z. added the number 15 with a small tiara to finish off the logo. I also purchased pocketfold invitation from Paperandmore.com a store that I love and buy from all the time. I also got their white precut base paper. I layered the invitation and used two sided tape to affix it to the pocketfold envelope.

For the favors I wanted to tie in the invitation theme. I ordered cake transfer sheets from Funcakesforyou.com and Holly did an amazing job she even sent them pre-cut. She printed the logo I sent her via e-mail and sent them back to me super quick. I used the logo on some delicious sugar cookies. I iced them with white royal icing, immediately put the logo on them, once dried I added a border around them with white royal icing. I bagged the cookies up and tied purple and white ribbon on them.

Birthday Cakes

I have been baking quite a few birthday cakes this month and I wanted to share some of the pictures with you. I wish I had more time to photograph all the cakes I have done but sometimes I am in such a time crunch to finish them that I forget to take pictures of all of them. In the future I also plan to do more of a tutorial style posts so stay tuned for those.

This cake was baked for a surprise party for Aracely, a very dear friend of mine. Her sister is one of my top customers J The cake she requested was a Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake. It got rave reviews from the guests at the party. Its three layers of cake and two layers of mint chocolate chip ice cream. The cake also has mini chocolate chips mixed with Andes mint chocolate candies that I processed in the food processor. I used them to garnish the cake. I wrote Happy Birthday Aracely on it with a light minty green frosting just before they picked it up.

This cake was for Aracely’s brother. They have birthdays in the same month. It was a chocolate cake with fresh strawberry cheesecake filling. I used strawberry glaze and fresh strawberries to garnish the cake. It has a shell border at the bottom of the cake and rosettes on top where the strawberries are placed. This was the first time I made this cake, and they all loved it so I am adding it to the menu.

I would make my niece a birthday cake every month for her birthday. So this is an old cake but i really love it and wanted to share it. I made two one square and one round. They are both chocolate cake with jam in the middle. I used MMF (marshmallow fondant) to cover the cakes as well as add the decorations. I also used cookie cutters to cut out all the shapes and used a little bit of water with sugar to attach the cutouts to the cake. This cake was really moist and delicious. My niece smashed her little hands all over the cake! Shes too cute.

Vasty's Birthday Cookies

My friend Vasty had a birthday dinner and I wanted to surprise her with cookie favors for her guests. She loves shortbread cookies so I decided to attempt them. This was my first time working with shortbread and I must say it was very time consuming and harder to work with than sugar cookies. But they were sooooo good!

I wanted to do something different from what I am used to. So I used photoshop to create a logo. The logo read: It's My Birthday! with a cupcake with a candle in the middle, and at the bottom it said thanks for coming with the date. I then ordered edible transfers from Fun Cakes For You . Holly was so amazing, she printed, cut, and shipped the transfers to me. I was a little worried because it was last minute but they were amazing.

I glazed the cookies with white royal icing, added the trasfers, and then piped a border with royal icing and sprinkled sugat crystals from Wilton around the edges. I finished them up by bagging them and adding a ribbon to them.

Shortbread Recipe (Joy Of Baking)

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
   
2. 1/4 teaspoon salt


3. 1 cup (2 sticks) unslated butter, softened


4. 1/2 cup powdered sugars


5. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a separate bowl whisk the flour with the salt. Set aside.


2. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth (about 1 minute).'


3. Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes).


4. Beat in the vanilla extract.


5. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated.


6. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour.


7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle of the oven.


8. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.


9. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick.
   
10. Cut into rounds or whatever shapes you wish using lightly floured cookie cutter.


11. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked.


12. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until cookies are lightly brown. Cool on rack.

• Makes about 20 shortbread cookies.

♥ Audrey's Cupcake Party ♥

My gorgeous niece Audrey just turned one. We celebrated her birthday with a cupcake themed party. The colors we used were a fuchsia pink and purple. It was so much fun to put together, and a lot of work. I was in charge of the baking of course ( I didn't bake the sheet cake). I made 100 Cookie Lollies, simply sugar cookies (click for recipe) on a stick, Pink and Purple Cupcakes, and a Giant Cupcake Cake!

The piñata pictured is custom made and not sold in stores. We searched and searched for a cupcake shaped piñata that was large but we had no luck. So my wonderful mom conjured up her creativity and made the piñata herself. I was beautiful and super sturdy.

The party was so much fun thanks to all who joined us to celebrate!

1. These are cupcake shaped cookie lollies. Cookie cutter is from Sweet Shapes. Outlined in white, top flooded with purple and bottoms with pink, and the top part of the cupcake was drizzled with pink jimmies.
2. My cupcake tower is from Wilton all dressed up with pink and purple ribbon alternating o the layers and a small tutu around the bottom tier. I also added rhinestones I found at Michael's. I had made two of these. It took some time to make them gorgeous but worth the time. Everything is removable which allows you to reuse the cupcake stands over and over again. I affixed the ribbon and tutu with double stick tape and glue dots. The cupcake liners were in hot pink and purple which looked beautiful. I got those from Etsy seller Bake It Pretty. The cupcake picks I made using small lollipop sticks, and a 2 in. scalloped whole punch, a 1 1/4 in. round punch, and the Martha Stewart cupcake whole punch all purchased at Michael's.
3. The Candle Lollies were outlined in white, flooded with purple or pink and before the flooded icing dried I added sprinkles to them.
4. The Letter A Lollies are so cute. I outlined them in white, flooded them with pink or purple icing. Once dried I finished them off with writing "udrey" the remaining letters of her name. Cookie cutter from Martha Stewart Alphabet set.
5. The Number 1 Lollies are outlined in white, flooded with pink or purple icing. Once dried I finished them off by writing Audrey on them. Cookie cutter from Sweet Shapes.
6. The Balloon Lollies are outlined in white, flooded with pink or purple icing. Once dried I finished them off by piping dots on them. Cookie cutter from Sweet Shapes.
7. The pinwheels were made with cardstock using a pinwheel template I found online. I made some in the fuchsia pink and purple. I finished them off by adding a cupcake pick minus the pick :)

Total Cuteness!

How I wish I had better pictures of this cake. It was my first time making MMF and using it. It was super easy to make and use that I will be doing more projects with it in the future. I had also used the giant cupcake pan before but had some issues with it, but it was fabulous this time. I was adding elements as I went along because I did not have it planned. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it came out. I am so happy my niece enjoyed the cake as you can all see. She is so adorable!!!

To complete the Giant Cupcake I:

• Made two batches of the MMF and colored one purple and the other pink. I divided each of the colored MMF in half and made half of the pink bolder and half the purple bolder as well giving me two shades of each of the colors.
• Baked the giant cupcake in the Wilton Pan. I used two boxes of Duncan Hines White Cake Mix. I used Cake Release to grease the pan. I love it cake releases from the pan perfectly.
• Let it completely cool on a cooling rack.
• Used Strawberry Jam, warmed in the microwave to make it runny, and spread it all over the bottom and top to help the MMF stick to the cake.
• Rolled out the darker pink for the top of the cupcake and smoothed it out and worked into the swirls to get the shape to come through.
• Rolled out the darker purple for the bottom of the cupcake and smoothed it out and worked into the grooves to get the shape to come through.
• Then stacked them and cut and inserted wooden dowels so that I had a stable cake.
• Used the dark purple to make the sprinkles.
• Used the lighter pink to make a tootsie roll shape for the candle cut a strip of the light purple and wrapped it around the candle.
• The flame was created swirling the light pink and purple and shaped it to look like a flame.
  A lollipop stick served as the wick. Another lollipop stick was used to insert the candle into the cake (Before inserting candle into cake candle must be completely dry or it will loose its shape. Do insert the wick, attach flame, and insert lollipop stick to the bottom of the candle and make an insertion point on the cake before it MMF dries)

Marshmallow Fondant Recipe from CakeJournal
Ingredients

• 1 bag of white marshmallows (8 oz)
• Water (2 tbsp)
• Icing sugar sifted (1 to 2 pounds)
• Crisco
• Heatproof bowl
• Spoon
• Food colors or cocoa powder
• Flavoring optional

Directions

• Put the marshmallows in a heatproof bowl and add the water.
• Put the bowl in the microwave oven and heat it for approx. 2 mins. until the marshmallows puff up.
• Stir the marshmallows until they get smooth. This is the time where you can add your chosen food color/cocoa powder or give it flavor.
• Now add the icing sugar and stir the mixture with a well greased spoon. Keep adding icing sugar until it looks like a dough.
• Turn out the “dough” on a greased work board and with your hands greased with Crisco start kneading the marshmallow fondant. Keep adding a little icing sugar at a time until it is not sticky anymore.
• Be careful not to use all the icing sugar as to much icing sugar can make it too dry.
• It is ready when it feels pliable and ready to roll.
• If you are not using the marshmallow fondant straight away then rub a bit of Crisco on it and wrap it in cling-film and seal it in an airtight bag.
• If your marshmallow fondant feels very hard you can always warm it up in the microwave for a few sec. at a time. Then it should be more pliable to work with.
• If it feels dry then knead in some Crisco or if it is too soft add more icing sugar.
  
  

Happy Birthday Nick!!

OK, I have to let it out. My friend Nick is a Mets fan, so for his birthday I wanted to surprise him with New York Mets cookies. Well after hours of baking and decorating (and I do mean HOURS!!!) I come to find out he doesn't like birthdays. First of all, Who doesn't like birthdays? Weird? Definitely. But what could I do, the cookies were baked and decorated. I never gave them to him because they were intended to bring a smile to his face not a sour pout. No hard feelings Nick :)

So let me go into detail on how I decorated them. My favorite, as hard as it is to choose, is the NY logo. This was the hardest to make too. It took me several attempts to get it just right, I had to bake about 8 and only got 2 that I liked enough to keep. The word Mets is a close contender to the favorite title followed by the State of New York one. All of these three cookie cutters were custom ordered from Sweet Shapes. I just love her work sooo much!! She is awesome, she has fast turnaround times too.

All cookies were outlined in white royal icing first, then flooded with the desired color. Once those steps were completed, I simply added the decorations and writing. The big NY was outlined again in orange and then orange sugar was poured on it to give it that gorgeous look. Make sure your cookie is completely dry before you add decorations like sugar, and sprinkles to the edges because it will stick.

The baseball cookie cutters and the cake with a candle are from Sweet Shapes also. The letters to spell out N-I-C-K are from Martha Stewart's Alphabet Set purchased at Macy's.

I suggest you practice your writing and design on parchment paper before attempting it on the cookies. Once you get it down go ahead and try on a cookie. I always bake extras just in case I mess up or my niece puts her finger in them LOL! She's my biggest fan!

Now just individually wrap them and tie them with matching ribbon. I use Wilton's Medium bags they come in a package of 100.

Enjoy!!!
*Click for Sugar Cookie and Royal Icing Recipe.

Dodger Fans

Well, I made it. Yay! This is my second entry this week. After finding out that the person who interviewed me for a teaching position was a Dodger fan, my wheels started turning and a simple thank you card would not be enough. So naturally I decided to bake him these delicious sugar cookies. I used the same recipe for the sugar cookies and royal icing as always. I did a batch of the cookie dough, and three batches of icing (depending on how many cookies you are making a single batch can be divided into separate bowls and colored) a brown, white, and blue one.

The California State cookie cutter is from Sweet Shapes. The state cutter is not a custom order but if she no longer carries it you can always request it and Viola! you have California. The baseball glove, bat and cap are from Sweet Shapes as well. These are part of her Baseball Set.

I always outline my cookies with white royal icing (medium consistency, but not runny) first, this creates a dam of sorts. Once the icing dries I flood the cookies with the desired color of icing (this is runny but not watery, about the consistency of white glue) making sure it doesn't overflow. You don't want it to go over the dam you already piped. Now we wait several hours, sometimes overnight if necessary for the cookies to dry. Once dried you can add the design or writing on top of the smooth icing.

For the marble affect on the baseball bat I added white lines of runny icing (about 2 thin lines) as soon as I had flooded them (don't wait until they dry) and using a toothpick I swirled the white in with the brown.

Now all there was to do was individually wrap each cookie with coordinating bow and I had the perfect thank you! They looked really great! So go on don't be shy and bake your Dodger fan some cookies.!!!

My sissys 25th Birthday Dinner Favors

Well it has been a while since I last blogged. School and work and life in general has been hectic. Since I'm on a break right now I have dedicated some time to blogging. I have several projects to show you so stay tuned for more. I am attempting to post something everyday this week. So wish me luck :)

As time consuming as they are I love making cookies. My favorite part is decorating them. The pink and black cookies I made for my sister's 25th birthday dinner hence the 2 and the 5. I had them all packaged up so nicely. I wish I could find the pics of the packaging (sigh), but I don't know where they are at. The favors where a hit, I got so many compliments!!

The black icing took a long time to get it that black I think I used about 2 of the black Wilton colors (yikes). The hot pink was fairly easy to achieve, I used Wilton's Icing Color in Rose.

I used a the number cookie cutters from Wilton 101 Cookie Cutter Set. They are about three inches. The candles are from a birthday set from Sweet Shapes. I love her cookie cutters. She also makes custom ones all at affordable prices. I have bought several from her and they are of great quality. You will see the cookies I have created with them later this week. Finally, the Y shape (Yanavith is her name) is from Martha Stewart's Alphabet Set. I picked it up at Macy's and not sure if its still available. If you need some Sweet Shapes has a great set!

The recipe for the sugar cookies is from Wilton. This recipe works great and the cookies keep their shape beautifully. I usually make two batches since I'm always making at least 100 at a time.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon No-Color Almond Flavor or Pure Vanilla Extract
• 5 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk

Makes: About 36-42 average sized cookies.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Cream butter and sugar together
3. Add eggs and flavoring, beat until fluffy.
4. Sift dry ingredients together and add alternately to creamed mixture with milk.
5. If mixture is too sticky, add flour, a little at a time, until dough is easy to handle.
6. Roll dough 1/8 in. thick.
7. Cut out cookies, dipping cutter in flour before each use.
8. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.

The royal icing recipe that I use is from Karen's Cookies but whatever recipe you have and like you can use.

Ingredients

• 3 T. meringue powder
• 4 cups (1 pound) powdered sugar
• 6 T. water
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract (use clear vanilla if you want a pure white icing)
• ¼ tsp.

Directions

Beat all ingredients together until stiff peaks form (about 10 minutes). To vary the consistency, add water to thin and add powdered sugar to thicken