Monday, May 30, 2011

His and Hers Engagement Cakes



This September, my brother is taking the ultimate plunge and tying the knot. Congratulations, Ben and Megan! I couldn't be happier to welcome Megan into our family.


To celebrate, I wanted to bring them a cake... but I couldn't decide which type to make. The idea of a Bananas Foster cake had long been in the back of my mind, but I also had an enormous bowl of apples begging to be baked.

Growing up, my dad always said "if you have one cow, you may as well have a herd." You already have the equipment ready and have to care and feed daily, so why not have several for slightly more work?

This is how I feel about baking; hence, Ben and Megan received two cakes.



The bride-to-be would have a "princess" apple-walnut cake with cream cheese frosting, and the groom would receive a bananas foster cake with brown sugar frosting. Yum :)



Get some bananas...
... and foster the crap out of 'em. Butter, brown sugar, bananas, banana liqueur and dark rum.




I used the completed bananas foster in the cake batter as well as between the baked layers.



For the frosting, I added some of the bananas foster (without the banana), Godiva Caramel liquer and extra brown sugar to a basic buttercream. The concentrated mixture served as the decoration.




I used the Magnolia Bakery recipe for apple cake. It was just okay... since making these cakes I have created a much better recipe, which I will post later.




Make some cream cheese frosting...











I find that adding a little extra frosting to the center layers helps when covering the sides.





Make sure the layers are even and apply a crumb coat.






















Congratulations again, and enjoy your "BM" cakes! (hehe)

Sunday, May 29, 2011

First Birthday Cake and Big Sister Cake



I decided to make my niece a special cake for her first birthday earlier this year. I wanted something that she could have all to herself to destroy- a giant cupcake seemed perfect for her baby birthday wreckage.



I used a basic yellow cake recipe with a simple cream cheese frosting.



I baked several mini cakes in souffle dishes and carved them into a basic cupcake shape, adhering the layers with frosting.




An upside-down cupcake on the top provided stability for the frosting. Don't forget to apply a thin crumb coat before decorating!


Of course, big sister needed a special cake as well! Being a big sister is hard work and deserves special recognition :)


I wanted the "big sister" cake to be grown up, so I made it like a tiny personal replica of large round cakes. For a special twist, I wanted the inside of the cake to look like a heart when cut. I added food coloring to an extra cake before baking...


Carved a donut-shape out of the top layer...


A cone out of the bottom layer...




And filled it with the pink cake.




Add some frosting around the heart to adhere the layers and decorate to your heart's desire!



Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the inside heart or the giant cupcake explosion- they were a huge hit!


Happy first birthday, Baby K!