The Shower Cake That Could Have Been
So here’s a story for you cake-lovers – I was hired to make a baby shower cake for someone at work as part of a surprise shower. I had training that week, so I couldn’t go and had to send my delivery boy (aka hubby) in my place. This shower had been planned for months, and everything was planned to a tee.
When hubby showed up to drop off the cake, what did he discover? The mother-to-be was out sick for the week!
Tip #1: Cake doesn’t last forever. I’ll keep a slice in the fridge for about a week (but I have no idea what the FDA thinks is an appropriate number of days). But a whole, uneaten cake? Might as well toss it after 2-3, because the colors will start running together.
So, good sports they are, my team decided to make the best of the situation – and ate it. Apparently it was delicious. The next week when she was back at work, they showed her a picture and had a Costco substitute (which no one ate because we also had a pre-holiday potluck). Ah well.
Here’s the vanilla cake with tangy chocolate filling and buttercream icing, as the mother-to-be saw it in pictures (design based on the crib sheets):
Leaves Are Falling
Work has been getting more hectic recently, but there’s always time for dessert!
To celebrate the start of fall, I made a couple batches of pumpkin cheesecake brownies but they were all eaten before I got any pics. Here’s the recipe and some droolworthy images: http://carascravings.blogspot.com/2007/08/browniebabes-round-3-take-2.html
My first fall cake was what else? About a baby. Got to use my new metal comb-thing! Unfortunately I also bent the needle on my airbrush, 2nd time I’ve ever used it and now it will cost me another $7.50. Sigh. Still learning to use the thing, as cool as the effect was it didn’t exactly look real (except maybe the rose).
Quick Tip: Make sure your icing is thin enough for basketweave!! It’ll hurt after, oh, the first two sides, and guess what? You have another two sides to decorate.
What’s inside – lemon poppyseed with raspberry buttercream filling, topped with lemon buttercream.
Babies, Babies Everywhere
One of my sisters is preggers with her first child! So my hubby and I jet-setted (ok, 757-setted) with a bag filled with favors out to San Fran to throw her and my brother-in-law a coed shower bash (sadly, didn’t have my other fabulously creative sister out there with me). What do you get when you put 42 adults and 18 kids together?
Something like that. I spent 2.5 days in my sister’s kitchen making enough for about 100 people, then had to transport it all 45 minutes away to her friend’s house. Then hubby manned the grill. Thanks for doing the dishes, Mom! The most popular food? Homemade macaroni and cheese that was meant for the kids. Good thing I made 2 trays!!!
And, of course, a cake. Half chocolate and half vanilla, hope you don’t notice the slight crack down the middle of the icing. Darn cheapo Wilton cake boards!! Wish I could have had more decorating opportunities, hard to do with my supplies 5,000 miles away.
Filed under Baby Shower, Cake, Savory | Comment (0)Rubber Ducky, You’re the One
So my hubby thought it would be a good idea for me to start blogging about baking (title of this post is for him, he’s been singing that ever since I started planning this cake). I think he likes bragging about me, so of course I have to do all the work! 
But I love him dearly. Here’s my first blog entry. Over the last 3 years, I have developed a pet peeve: crumbs in my icing. I’ve learned for the most part how to avoid this – chill the cake, crumbcoat, etc. Every once in awhile though, a few of those little crumbs like to show themselves (particularly when I’m moving too slowly and the cake starts getting warm) and IT MAKES ME MAD!
Ok, not really. It’s really not that big of a deal. But it is a cute play on words.
Anyway, here’s one of my more recent cakes, a “rubber” ducky cake for a baby shower:
Vanilla cake filled with fresh lemon curd and covered in cream cheese icing. The duckies, faucet, and tile dots are made of fondant.
Challenge of the day: realizing the top tier was too heavy and having to maneuver it off to stick in straw dowels. And poor little ducky’s head fell off prior to leaving the house. He got a neck brace.
Filed under Baby Shower | Comment (1)