{HOPPY EASTER}...

What a week and an amazing weekend!! Hope you all have had an awesome time relaxing and spending time with family and loved ones!!

I have been OH SO BUSY with orders for Easter and orders for Auckland! Check out the my latest cakes over this week. Also some that were sent up to Auckland for a couple birthdays that were celebrated on Saturday.

The 'PUG' cake. Red velvet cake decorated as a pug! So much fun to create!

The 'FIRE TRUCK' cake! Flavour is Strawberries and cream! It was so much fun making this cake! Made for a fire fighter...who loves to surf!

The 'Sponge Bob' cake! This cake was extremely easy and SOOOO MUCH FUN! I just kept adding more and more things to it...it's sooo addictive!! This cake is one of 2 that were sent to Auckland via AirNZ.

The one of many cupcakes that went with the Praying mantis theme. Cake shots below...



This is the 'Praying mantis' cake! I so love what I do! I get to create these creations for people to cut up and eat! It's so funny when people say "we didn't want to cut it" ahaha!

I cannot be bothered going to the car and grabbing my camera to show some photos of our Easter goodness we made for the weekend! More were orders...and some were just for fun!

Last 2 questions for the competition are:

Q5:  How many extra days did we have for our Easter weekend?

Q6: Which cake do you like the most on this blog entry and WHY?

Submit answers under the HOT CROSS BUN RECIPE entry!

GOOD LUCK!!

ps: try the DEEP CHOCOLATE MOUSSE recipe...and let me know what you think! xox



[I want...deep chocolate mousse]

6 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, preferably 60% to 62% cacao, chopped
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
3 large egg whites
Pinch of table salt
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
3/4 cup cold heavy cream
Chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)

Put the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a skillet of barely simmering water. Stir the chocolate with a heatproof spatula just until it is melted. Remove the bowl from the skillet, add the butter to the chocolate, and stir until the butter is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.

In a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed (or with a balloon whisk), whip the egg whites and salt until they barely hold soft peaks. While whipping, gradually sprinkle in the sugar—go slowly, as adding it too fast may cause the whites to fall. Continue whipping until the whites just start to hold stiff peaks (see photo below). Don’t overbeat or the dissolved sugar may weep out of the whites.

Wipe the beaters (or whisk) clean and then whip the cream in a large bowl until it’s fairly thick and holds a soft peak when the beaters are lifted.With a large spatula, gently fold about onethird of the egg whites into the chocolate until the mixture is no longer streaky. Fold in the remaining whites. Scrape the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream. Fold gently until the mixture is uniform in color and texture.

Divide among 4 dessert dishes and serve immediately, or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for a slightly firmer texture. Garnish with chocolate shavings, if using.

Mmmm...will be trying this tomorrow...mmm mmmmmmm!!

ENJOY xox

{it's already Saturday night...}

Yup...here we are again! Saturday night and still afew things to do before I can crawl into bed! Not complaining...coz I love what i do! Tuesday I had so much fun making a chefs hat - cake. I got my husband to cut out a chopping board and etch the birthday boys name in it. I thought it was an awesome idea...so this is how it looked in the end...

No I didn't make the vegetables those are just props ahahaha! the board was made by my awesome Husband. The cake [hat] numbers and knife are all edible! So much fun!!

I also had designed a plaque for a friends mother who turned 60 today! My mate Shar picked it up tonight and loved it. It came out alot different to the drawing...but it was still an awesome/different plaque then your regular pick at a store. SO this is how it went down...first the concept...then straight on the laptop it was created...

The completed drawing, then the image inserted...

And now things would change...

Had to sort out cut out lines and etched lines...this is where my husband jumped it. It's a big job - these are the lines he ended up with. Then everything got cut out. The outer line was ply wood so that the cut out part could be attached to a backing then hung on the wall.

You can't see the lines in this photo but this is the finished product! Alot of work and alot of time...BUT happy customer :) There was also a SLAB carrot cake I had made for the 60th...but in my rush (because the mushroom and ham fettuccine was ready) .I didn't take any pictures :( will post some up...if I can steal some :P

The angle is weird coz of the flash...but you can see what I mean! Alot of work :p

Also I made some camo cupcakes today for Jack who turned 8yrs old.

Finishing up a couple more cakes tonight and tomorrow. I don't like to work on Sundays...but just going to have to :)

I know I said I would have a competition and a recipe up on this...but possibly tomorrow!

Easter is around the corner...and all I ask is to teach your children, nieces/nephews the reason why we celebrate Easter. It's not because of the Easter bunny or the chocolate eggs! My husband and I don't tell our kids things about the Easter bunny or of the tooth fairy...not even Santa! We tell them the truth about where the teeth go, who buys the Christmas presents and what Easter is all about.

Stay tuned...Tomorrow I shall have alittle something for you to bake...and alil game to win some Easter goodness.

xox

{quick monday post}...

Sunday...

I am wide awake at 6:13am and not really supposed to be working...but as you know I have an order and it must be done! Most of the work for this baby was done lastnight. In order for products to be fresh they need to be made acouple days before pick up.

I am printing out the applications for the iphone 4 phone...and I am really excited! For this cake I didn't cover it in fondant...I find that if I had to kneed tons of black gel to make black fondant...I would use more black food gel then I would colouring chocolate frosting. So I have frosted the slab with black chocolate frosting! The corners are perfect and crisp...and now for the decorating.

The only issue for me is that the cake is thicker then the phone...I have already quoted a price for this cake...and heck I want the client to eat cake not a thin sliver of cake buried under frosting and fondant. At the end of the day...it's about CAKE!!

I really loved making this cake! The icons were so much fun! Just a quick post up to show how it all went...then back to my family mondays :P

xox

ps: Did you try the hot cross buns? :p

{just another day}

Friday and not surprizingly I have afew last minute orders. Most of my week is non-stop work...which I love! I find that Mondays are my FAMILY days where I am all about my babies! I love Mondays. By the time it's Friday...I feel like I'm robo cop! I have athousand and one things happening...most at the same time. Keeping things going like the fans page and blogging, updating images on the website...as well as a fair bit of tweeking. Orders, preparation for the orders...like embossed cookies. Getting the design finalized, getting the embossed completed and ready for the next process is alot sometimes. Stickers approved for the cookies, checking that the printer will print the exact shade of colour you need for them. Making sure you even have ink and the stickers ahahaha oh my!

Then of course the baking...the time to check product is worthy to move to it's next phaze. Again checking that the colour of the fondant it the right shade. Cutter is perfect and ready for use...if it's a custom cookie shape then that cutter needs to have been made. Then when you have all these things sorted...baked the cookies, made sure you have extra cookie dough in the fridge just incase some decide to break on you. Have the packaging ready, with the sticker...exactly where your client would like it..................................when you get to where I am now. Sitting around...blogging whilst waiting on the pick up of the said cookies...what an awesome feeling that is. To know...it is all done. And they are as both I and the client want them to be. PERFECT!!

I so love what I do! My days sometimes merge into one...but I fully enjoy every minute of it! 

It's a whole new world when you have someone in your corner who understands where you are with your passion, and feeds it just as you do. It gives me more want and need to push myself to evolve into someone better then the person I am right now! More photos of the week to come...stay tuned.

xox

[I want...hot cross buns]

These are QUICK and EASY to make!! Try out the recipe and see what you think. I didn't add any cocoa when I made these bad boys...and they were AMAZING!! Far better then store bought ones...and fast! Fresh out of the oven with some butter...ggguuuuuuuuuuuuggghh (drooling sound) ahahaha!

 

 

fresh out of the oven....oooooooo yummy!!!



 

Have fun!!

 

 

HOT CROSS BUNS:1 c milk
1/2 c hot water
2 T sugar
2 T dried yeast
2 c flour
...100g butter
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1 t salt
1 1/2 T mixed spice
1 t ground nutmeg
2 t cocoa
1 t vanilla essence
1 c mixed dried fruit
2-3 c flour (warmed)

Mix milk, hot water and 2T sugar in metal bowl. Sprinkle in yeast. Leave to stand until bubbles appear. Add 2 c flour and leave to stand.
Cream butter and sugar, add egg, salt spices, cocoa and vanilla.
Combine two mixtures and add mixed fruit. Add warmed flour to make firm dough. Knead cut into 20 pieces and leave to rise till doubled.
Press down, form into buns and cook 225 C for 10-12 minutes. Glaze with 2 T sugar mixed in heated 1.5 t water.

Source: Cornell Cookbook

{lately}...

I have been a busy lil bee! The past couple weeks have been really full on! I have had stacks of orders coming through which is always AWESOME-  and also the Wesleyhaven markets...[that being the first one I sold goodness at] The cupcake demo at BOOKFEAST was INSANE!

I completely loved it and the crowd were awesome! Really excited about how it all went. My wonderful husband was here and was able to take some photos of the night. Met some fantastic women and was able to talk about what I love to do the most....BAKE!!

I have some awesome cakes coming your way in the next few weeks! There is always something amazing in store each week! I was also able to have some mini cupcakes at the Passionate Womens Conference that was held in the CBD. Photos are to come! So much fun...having an insane week!

 Thanks to all those who were part of it!


xox

ps: bake something already... :p