A very Harry birthday!

Here's my latest cake! Thank you Liana for sending me a photo of it with the candle and glasses, they are the only things I didn't make, or that weren't edible.

Technique-wise, I think this was one of my best yet. I found the courage to try ganaching and I can't believe the difference it made when I was setting up the cake compared to buttercream. Starting with a nice smooth, square base definately made covering the cake with fondant a lot easier. It would have been ten times as yummy too!

I was just so happy with this cake, from the improvement in my technique, to the edible gold lettering that I airbrushed on. Thank you cake gods!

Here's the link to the video on YouTube with some progress shots, a bit of video and some cool music to match! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig-aK2PbCiE&feature=colike

Christmas Pops and my newest recipe book

I finally got around to having a play with some more cake pops today, these ones were made using a Women's Weekly fruit cake recipe and it was mammoth - The biggest cake I have ever baked. I've only used half of it and it made about 40 cake pops.

I received a gift from a dear friend today, Adriano Zumbo's fantastical kitchen of other-worldly delights. I can't wait to make something from it, but I'm not going to bake again for a while, at least until Wednesday...I just found this picture of the cake I made for my Dad's 60th, an oldie but a goodie!

Tow Mater!

Here's my latest creation, Tow Mater from the movie Cars.

The word seems to be getting out, I have another cake to do for next weekend and a couple of other enquiries. I'm working on something for christmas too!

Boob Cake and my Planet Cake course dream

It's a boob cake! This was another cake for my dear friend Liana, the same person I did the first Roary cake for. This time it was for her husband's 30th. When we first organised it, it was going to be a Geeling Cats logo, but a few days before someone said to her 'But where's the boobs?' and it all started from there! We stuck with the Geelong colours and I think it came up a treat!


The shape was easy, I just baked it in my gigantic pasta bowls, and I was really pleased with the way the frills and the little bow turned out on the bra.
There's a video with some more photos and progress shots on YouTube http://youtu.be/Y5EYDvH_oKg

I hope he likes it!

Also, while I was on here I caught up with the Plante Cake Update blog. They have been on the Lifestyle Food channel and I didn't even know! Does that mean it's going to be harder for me to get into the course when I finally save up for it? I hope not! It's a little while off yet but I can't wait to do it. I like the cakes I do but I really want to hone my skills and learn some more things, YouTube how-to's can only teach you so much.





Coming soon: Christmas Cake pops and more!

Another Roary and a cake practice session

It appears that I am, indeed, mentally unstable. I agreed to do another Roary the Racing Car cake, this time it was a paying job and thank goodness it turned out ok. I had a bit of trouble getting it smooth because it was so humid, it was just too sticky. I got a message last night thanking me, which was really nice.

I did a video of it but it wouldn't upload here so I'll put it on YouTube, www.youtube.com/shanetegan

This afternoon I had a little spare time so I got out some of the left over fondant and here's what I came up with. It was the first time I had attempted frills, flowers, or funky lettering so I'm pretty chuffed really.

I have a reason for needing to practice frills, my next cake is due for delivery on Tuesday, stay tuned!

Cake Pops!

This was my first attempt at making cake pops, I've been googling them and YouTubing them for weeks now and I finally made them for Fleur's baby shower. I used Janelle Bloom's 'My favourite mud cake' recipe that I posted about a few posts ago, and learnt a few things along the way about how to make them better next time as far as assembly and technique goes!


Here's how they turned out!

Roary the Racing Car

My friend Liana asked me to make a Roary the Racing Car cake for her son Ty's second birthday, I think this one was one of my best yet!

Also, I forgot to add a pic of Lia's birthday cake, probably because I was so angry at the time about the first two not coming out of the tin. Turned out ok on the end!

New mudcake recipe - success!

The title is self-explanatory really, here's a pic of the mudcake I just made using a recipe I hadn't tried before. I had some warm and it was just luscious! Could have done with a big dollop of cream though!

Mixed Berry Friands

I've just made some friands, the recipe I used on my first attempt was slightly questionable so this time I tried this recipe from The Chef's Toolbox and they worked a lot better. I used mixed berries because that's what I had in the freezer. I would have liked to have used fresh berries but sometimes I think frozen are better for baking with anyway.

It must have been meant to be because I just used whatever butter I had left in the fridge from the last few times I've baked and it all added up to exactly 200g!

Raspberry Friands

Ingredients

200g icing sugar
110g plain flour
140g almond meal
200g butter, melted and cooled
6 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, plus 12 extra for the top

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan forced for 15 minutes
In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, almond meal, butter and egg whites
Mix well until all ingredients are combined and stir through raspberries
Spoon the mixture evenly between the 12 cups
Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through
Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan before inverting
Dust with icing sugar and serve


The recipe can also be found here: http://austnz.chefstoolbox.com/tabid/73/RecipeID/434/Raspberry-Friands.aspx

A lot to learn but it's exciting!

Welcome to my new blog! First post, yay!

I like cake. Lately I've been thinking about what I like doing, what I want to do more of, and what I can live without. Basically what it's come down to is that I want to work less, or do something I enjoy so that it's not like work at all - cue cake decorating fantasy!

Whatever happens I need to earn money, so I'm not going to quit my job tomorrow, but I do want something to work towards.

I have a lot to learn... so I want to do the Planet Cake Basics course in Sydney. Actually, I want to do any course I can get my hands on but I think Planet Cake is the best and probably a great place to start (Plus I'd love to meet Paris Cutler!). Looking at all the professional cakes on the Internet then looking at what I've done so far, let's just say that I'm not quite at that level! Nether less, I'm not a hopeless case. I think my skills are pretty good for someone self-taught and I've already been paid to do a few cakes so maybe other people aren't as critical of me as I am of myself.

Here are a few of my creations so far, tell me what you think, what I can improve (please be constructive in your criticism!) and I'll keep posting pics of my creations. I thought I might even do a video next time I'm decorating, what do you think?

Cookie Monster Cupcake

Flower Cupcakes using smarties and marshmallows

Cupcakes with handmade flowers

Cupcake with green icing and black heart

3D Soccer Ball
My Little Pony Cake