| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| AuntJamelle |
Posted - Feb 05 2018 : 12:53:44 PM
I just love a good cake! When done right I can't get enough! I wanted to share a cake I did this weekend for DS's birthday party:
I prefer to make cakes from scratch but with two parties this weekend I opted to doctor up boxed cake mixes! I added a couple extra egg yolks and some vanilla. Then when the cakes came out I poked holes all over and then poured on a mixture of orange jello (dissolved in 1 cup hot water) and a can of sweetened condensed milk mixed together - just got as much down in the "holes" as possible.
Turned out great! Took forever to do the decorating and I was nervous about how it turned out but DS was happy which is all that matters!
Would love to hear from others on their cake baking and/or decorating adventures!
Any show stopper cake recipes out there?
Tips or tricks? |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| MaryJanesNiece |
Posted - Mar 02 2018 : 11:36:54 AM
I haven't heard of putting the dough in the freezer first. If it works let me know. I'll make sure to start doing that if I does. I also agree with the parchment paper idea. My fingers are crossed for you and I'm getting super excited to see how they turn out! I bet they will turn out great!
I wonder how the maple syrup tastes in the cookie dough? I can't remeber if I said before but I love almond flavored cookies, so I want to find a great sugar cookie recipe that includes that.
Krista |
| AuntJamelle |
Posted - Mar 01 2018 : 10:29:15 AM
I am excited too! I am going to make up a batch of sugar cookie dough tomorrow night after work so it can chill overnight in the fridge. I've got several similar recipes lined up for testing but am starting with a simple one that uses a bit of maple syrup in the dough to flavor the cookie.
I thought that it would be fun for DS and I to use spring/Easter shaped cookie cutters to cut out the dough. I'm going to try popping the cut out cookies in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before baking - it's supposed to help them hold their shape better as they bake. Figure if I put them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet I can just slide the paper off the chilled cookie sheet to a room temp one before going in the oven...otherwise the chilled pan might warp being suddenly subjected to heat!
I've got several gel icing colors, orange, yellow, red, blue and green that I hope to mix and match to make other colors too. I might make up the royal icing Friday night as well and just keep in fridge overnight covered tightly - pressed down on top - with plastic wrap - that is supposed to be fine.
Fingers crossed I can make it all happen! I'm sure my first attempt won't be Pinterest worthy but you have to start somewhere right? |
| MaryJanesNiece |
Posted - Feb 28 2018 : 11:26:02 AM
Oh Jamie! I am so excited for you! When are you going to try? What do you think you will make?
Krista |
| AuntJamelle |
Posted - Feb 27 2018 : 05:19:02 AM
This weekend I bought supplies to help me with my next Royal Icing attempt - meringue powder, gel food colors, squeeze bottles :) Looking forward to practicing! I want to expand my cake/cookie decorating skill set!!! |
| Christy925 |
Posted - Feb 23 2018 : 2:09:51 PM
It was fun. I loved using M&M's and Oreos for the decorations.
Farmgirl Sister #2315
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| MaryJanesNiece |
Posted - Feb 23 2018 : 12:08:24 PM
Christy, those cakes turned out amazing! Love all the details!
Krista |
| Christy925 |
Posted - Feb 23 2018 : 09:01:02 AM
My mom taught us when we we teenagers. I still make cakes for people. Love it!
Farmgirl Sister #2315
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/marketwoman45/albums/72157627628326507 |
| AuntJamelle |
Posted - Feb 23 2018 : 06:59:03 AM
Oh my WORD! Those are OUTSTANDING!!!! I LOVE THEM!!! |
| Christy925 |
Posted - Feb 23 2018 : 02:40:06 AM
Very nice work Jaime! The most I add to Duncan Hines is a small dollop of sour cream. I make some homemade though. Made this same cake for my oldest grandson last summer. And the other for his brother. 
Farmgirl Sister #2315
http://www.etsy.com/shop/WildThymeCreations?ref=pr_shop
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marketwoman45/albums/72157627628326507 |
| MaryJanesNiece |
Posted - Feb 19 2018 : 11:07:19 AM
Oh my gosh Jamie you are so amazing! I completely agree with you! When I am in a time crunch when it comes to a new art craft it typically ends in disaster and disappointment and I would rather enjoy what I'm learning. So I think for this round I will stick with the cupcakes! Those pink Oreo cookies are absolutely adorable and I really want to make them! They have made it to the top of my list and I think that's what I'll go with! As for the green candies they seem to look like some sort of candy coated nut. I could be wrong though.
I love watching The Kids Baking Championship! I am in complete awe when I see how talented those kids are and how they can make some amazing creations in such a short time! I'm actually jealous. One day when my kids are older I want to go back to culinary school so I can learn to cook and bake.
I'll keep your cupcake talent in mind and let you know if I need some help! I was thinking of going with a store box kind to help out. Thank you so much!
Krista |
| AuntJamelle |
Posted - Feb 16 2018 : 11:58:29 AM
Hmmmm....yes I see your point on the tight timeframe vs. learning a whole new skill set. I'm still very much at a beginner level myself when it comes to decorating techniques. I've never worked with the royal icing you can purchase from the store so I'm not sure what that would be like.
I know that to get the really pretty smooth shiny look to the cookies you pipe a border of thicker icing and then the flood icing is basically the same icing thinned down some - to where you can just kind of spread it out and the piped border holds it in place - maybe you could do the same with the stuff purchased from the store?
I'll try to google it :) But ultimately, decorating cookies in that way is kind of an art form I think. Trying to rush it could result in loss of sanity on your part! If it were ME, it would go something like this:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/190769734199975587/
Give me time to practice and then I'm your gal! But under the gun is an awful place to try and pull off something tricky in the kitchen! Must be why I find shows like The Great British Bake off so EXCITING! lol I suffer such agonies for those bakers - while at the same time being so relieved that is not ME on the screen!
However, all that being said, maybe cupcakes would be the way to go given the time frame involved. I've seen the Oreo cookie "eyes" too and they are adorable! I think that using different cookies or candies, sometimes cut in certain ways, to basically "hack" a design is a really great way to go!
Like these babies:
http://www.caramelpotatoes.com/2012/01/04/owl-always-love-you-cupcakes/
It looks like they used red or pink M&M's for the "noses" and valentine's candy corns for the "eyebrows" - with Valentine's just past I wonder if you could still score these products in the store - usually there is so much candy left over at places like Target, etc.
Or these using golden oreos:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/68/02/87/6802873af1d39453ed8ff15dcd855c43.jpg
To keep a more feminine look to them instead of green icing like in photo you could just do pink instead. And I'm really not sure what those green candy shapes in the photo are - I don't recognize them - does anyone know? Not sure if you could find them in a different color. Or if you found the valentine's colored candy corns those would work in their place too I think.
In a pinch - I would go with pinkish fruit by the foot and just cut the shapes you need with a sharp knife free hand. That could be done ahead of time and they could just be waiting to be popped off wax paper you could store them on and onto the cupcakes.
I'm sure you've found a bunch of cute ideas too - there are a ton out there!
I don't have a good sugar cookie recipe myself that I've already tested that I could send your way - or I would. Cupcakes I know though! Either from scratch of just hacking the box mixes!
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| MaryJanesNiece |
Posted - Feb 16 2018 : 11:28:08 AM
Thanks Jamie for all the tips! I actually don't have a sugar cookie recipe. I found one on Pinterest that I was planning on trying though. Plus is would all depend on if I could enlist some help or not would depend on the timeframe in which I could make them. I am needing this cookies in 3 weeks and I'm afraid I might be pushing it with collecting all the supplies I need along with learning how to do it. I think when I was walking down the cake isle the other day I seen some royal icing. Could I just buy some white and color it and use that to help on the timeframe of learning to make icing? I'm not even joking when I say that my cake and cookie decorating skills are at a way beginner level!! I would also be just fine with making the eyes easier. I seen a cute owl cupcake that used Oreo cookies as the eyes. If I can't figure out the cookies I'm sure I could figure out the cupcakes before then.
Krista |
| AuntJamelle |
Posted - Feb 15 2018 : 06:10:07 AM
Thanks, Winnie! I do try to make sure the cakes taste as good as they look!!! :)
Krista - Love the cookies you've picked out!!! So beautiful!
First, do you have a good cookie recipe you already plan to use for the cutouts? Or do you still need to test something out. I know people often use sugar cookies for things like this.
What kind of timeframe will you be needing to prep the cookies in? A weeknight? A weekend? One idea to save time would be to prebake the cookies and flash freeze. Transfer to a box, layered between sheets of wax paper for safe storage in freezer until ready to use.
They can thaw at room temp and be ready to ice.
As far as the icing goes, the best resource I can share with you is the following link from Pioneer Woman. It is wonderful at showing step by step, with pictures, how to make the icing that you pipe the borders of each color in - and how to make and use the flood icing that goes inside each piped border.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/decorated-christmas-cookies/
I ordered the meringue powder (easier than trying to use real eggs, no worries about raw eggs in icing, etc.) right from the link on the website but that was years ago.
If link isn't still active, you can find the powder at places like Michael's that carry cake decorating supplies or order from Amazon etc.
The icing bottles cited in the article are great ideas too - I ordered them from the link as well but they seem like something you could find online easily enough even if you have to search. Let me know if you want them but are having trouble finding!
Have you worked with icing colors much before? I have found that liquid food coloring results in very pale colors. If you want more vibrant colors you will want to get the gel food coloring that is also in the cake decor section at Michaels or you could get online. You just dip a toothpick in the little jars and add it to your icing that way, stirring and adding a little bit at a time until you get the color you want.
I had a thought about the owl "eyes". I was looking at the link for the pink owls and the blog author used icing for everything. You could save time by using small white wafers - the kind that people buy to melt - should be in cake/candy section at Michaels as well. I'm not positive, but they might be just the right size to make the eyes. Maybe not though, they might be too big.
But if there were the right size you could take chocolate chips, put them on a plate in the microwave and zap on dre-frost for just long enough to soften them ever so slightly. Maybe 8-10 seconds? Then take each chip and press, point side down, into the middle of the white round wafer. Making your eyes!
I would assemble all of those first and let harden up again so that they are ready to pop on the finished cookies.
I was just thinking that trying to make perfectly round eyes with icing is probably going to be a pain. You can definitely do it - but sometimes little "hacks" are just as good.
I also notice a lot of little dots and thin lines of icing used to create the detail on the owls. You certainly could make the royal icing for all of that BUT I also thought it would be possible to just buy the little tubes of decorator icing from the store. Even Meijer or Walmart has them in their cake decor section in grocery. They have thin little tips and could easily be used to add those thin detail lines to each cookie.
Whatever you decide, I would recommend doing a test run on using the icings ahead of time. Make one batch and use it on store bought cookies to get comfortable with the consistency of the piped borders versus working with the flood icings.
Looking at all of this has made be excited to finally try it myself! Will be ordering the powder and bottles again - thinking this may be a Christmas in July project for me this year! Or sooner, yeah, probably sooner... |
| Red Tractor Girl |
Posted - Feb 14 2018 : 2:47:55 PM
Cute, cute cake for a child's birthday!! I bet is was just as yummy as it was pretty to look at too. Mmmmmmm, makes my mouth water just thinking about homemade birthday cake!!
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014-2015 |
| MaryJanesNiece |
Posted - Feb 14 2018 : 11:36:11 AM
Okay Jamie, here are the pictures of what I want to make. Something simple.
I went to Joanns yesterday and asked if they had a flood icing kit and the worker told me no. I was a little bummed. Not sure where to start. Let me know what you think.
I also found another photo that shoes how to make owl cookies out of basic cookie cutters.
I'm excited to see what we can come up with.
Krista |
| AuntJamelle |
Posted - Feb 13 2018 : 05:56:36 AM
Ok! Just share away when you can! It's fun to plan for things like that! :) |
| MaryJanesNiece |
Posted - Feb 12 2018 : 11:05:05 AM
Jamie, I was actually wanting to do cupcakes or cookies. I have some pins saved on Pinterest of them, but they are on my phone. I will have to get them!
Krista |
| AuntJamelle |
Posted - Feb 12 2018 : 06:25:00 AM
Thanks guys!
Krista - Do you have pics of the cake or cakes you had in mind? We might be able to brainstorm on ways to accomplish what you have in mind! |
| texdane |
Posted - Feb 10 2018 : 11:28:12 AM
Love how it turned out! YUM!
Farmgirl Hugs,
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
Chapter Leader, CT Simpler Life Sisters
Farmgirl of the Month, Jan. 2013
Suburban Farmgirl Blog
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www.facebook.com/suburbanfarmgirlblogger |
| MaryJane |
Posted - Feb 10 2018 : 05:26:57 AM
We have two birthdays coming up, so cakes are on our minds. Thanks for the inspiration. Yours is adorable, AuntJamelle!
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
 |
| MaryJanesNiece |
Posted - Feb 09 2018 : 11:39:41 AM
Agreed! I have been wanting to make some for an upcoming party but I know I don't have enough time to learn or make it look decent enough to present! Lol! I am going to look into some classes or see if any one can teach me this year. If you learn before me please share your tips and tricks!
Krista |
| AuntJamelle |
Posted - Feb 08 2018 : 05:58:45 AM
Thanks, Anne! I choose this cake because I knew that even though it looked impressive I just had to stick on candy pieces and beads - lol! I used the icing can lid to impress a circle in the frosting and then used the line it left behind as my guide for placing the larger candy pieces. The little silver beads were a PAIN though!
Krista - That would be outstanding! It is always fun to share learning and trying new recipes! Sharing on the forum is the next best thing though! Flood icing is something I will really need to plan for trying this year - well in advance of the holidays which is when I always get around to thinking about it. And by then it is way too hectic to attempt! |
| MaryJanesNiece |
Posted - Feb 07 2018 : 11:32:26 AM
That's what it's called! Flood icing! I really want to learn how to do that. But I need some more supplies before I can start. I also got a small cake decorating kit for Christmas and have been dying to try it out. But I think I need a hands on teacher to show me what the heck I would be doing. To bad your not my next door neighbor. We could have some fun cake and cookie decorating parties and trying to learn new things!
Krista |
| 1Anne |
Posted - Feb 07 2018 : 11:00:13 AM
Jaime, that design is impressive and adorable!!! :-) Anne
Yes, in God I trust. |
| AuntJamelle |
Posted - Feb 07 2018 : 08:15:48 AM
Cake decorating is definitely a whole skill set of it's own! I've only dabbled over the years but am trying to learn more!
The little gray balls - they are actually silver in person - are edible beads that you buy in the cake decorating section at the grocery store or at craft stores that have cake decor sections - like JoAnn's and Michaels. They come in all different colors and a few different sizes. They usually are right with the sprinkles :)
And the super fancy icing on cookies is something I have so wanted to do for YEARS!!! I went so far as to order squeeze bottles and meringue powder and was all set to do it - then I just didn't and then it was Christmas and then we had a house fire and bye bye to THOSE plans - lol
Pioneer Woman's site has some great step by step tutorials on how to do the flood icing on cookies - I can look for that for you if you like - it just helps me to see the pictures of each step in the process.
DH bought me a set of cake icing tips and supplies for Christmas so I'm going to try and get more confidant with those on my cakes. I've been watching some YouTube videos. I think half the battle with the icing bags is the right consistency of icing - too thick and you blow out the bag (ask me how I know! Ugh!) |
