My good friend Sherry decided to host a surprise 40^th birthday for her husband Scott.  The party was to be a casual gathering amongst close friends.  I, being the girl who bakes, was in charge of all things CAKE related.  I got busy thinking about the cake…size, flavor, and of course, the shape. 

When baking a cake for a friend or family I always want to give it a personal meaning.  Scott, like many men I know, has an affection for sports and beer, Heineken Beer to be more specific.  What better way to celebrate such a milestone than with a beer inspired birthday cake? 

I set out to surf the Internet for ideas for this cake and I couldn’t believe how many I found!  There were bottles of beer cakes, ale flavored cakes, bottle cap cakes, beer can cakes and of course, cakes shaped like beer kegs.  I turned my attention to the bottle cap designs thinking this would be easier than some of the others to pull off. Sweet Retreat was an incredibly useful website, giving me clear step by step instructions on the process of building this cake.  Click here for their step by step Heineken Beer Cap Cake instructions.

Heineken Beer Cap Cake

I did choose to modify a few things in order to give it my personal stamp. Another difference, I don’t own an airbrush…yet.  I had to hand paint the cake which is nice for certain things but was not ideal for coloring this particular cake. 

I also decided to change up the lettering.  To do this, I looked for the Heineken Beer font online, downloaded it, installed it on my computer and then printed the letters in my desired font size.  From here I took the printed letters and covered them with sheets of wax paper, whipped up a batch of royal icing and began piping. 

When piping letters, be sure to pipe more than one of each letter as they will break every once in a while.   I let the letters dry overnight.  The next morning I lifted them off of the wax paper using an offset spatula and placed them directly onto the cake….great effect!  The cake was a hit and the party was too much fun.

Over the past year the world of cake decorating has gotten great exposure due to television – especially the Food Network.  I am like a moth to a flame when one of these shows are being aired.  Ace of Cakes, Cake Boss, Amazing Wedding Cakes, Food Network Challenge, the list goes on from here.  These programs have given people like me the tools and inspiration to try cake outside the box. 

This past month in cake has been fantastic!  Many fun and creative confections have come from my kitchen in the past couple weeks.  Here are a few of the highlights.

First on the list was a beach inspired birthday cake.  Nilla Waffers were the perfect ingredient for making sand, not to mention they taste great too.  The palm tree, beach ball, starfish, coconut, and shark fin were all crafted out of marshmallow fondant. When finished, I couldn’t help but smile. 

Beach cake with Nilla Wafer "sand"

A 59^th birthday cake was next on the list.  This one needed a bit of edge to it, something to laugh about.  I had made a few cakes for this couple before and knew my boundaries.  After much research, a decision was made – a toilet bowl.  What better way to say it, “Another Year Down the Shitter”. I was there for the grand unveiling of this masterpiece and you would have thought they won the lottery by their expressions. It was a sure fire hit! 

Lovely isn't it? Yep, that is a toilet.

The most recent cake to come out of my kitchen was for a dear friend’s surprise birthday party.  When baking a cake for a close friend I try and give it some personal meaning.  Immediately after hearing about the party, I knew what I was going to make.  Kristy, our birthday girl, hates the sight of bare feet.  What better way to say Happy Birthday than a gnarly foot!  The look on her face was priceless and I’m sure we’ll be talking about it for years to come!

Really, we don't want to gross you out.

Baking gets me in my happy place, it allows me to be creative and put a smile on someone elses face. I find with every new challenge I become more confident and comfortable with this craft. Keep’em coming –  I can’t wait for the next challenge!  If you are interested in ordering your next cake from Frosted, please email me at Jody@LifeWithCake.com.

I have always been fascinated with cakes, cupcakes, candy, cookies (basically anything sweet),  that is disguised to look like other types of food.  You know, things like French fry cookies, corn on the cob shaped cupcakes, a cake that looks like cheeseburger; all these are irresistible to me. 

Another thing that fascinates me – sushi.  The skill and time that goes into making it, the beautiful way in which it is presented, all of these things make sushi special.  So naturally, I would be drawn to sweets masquerading as sushi. This is why I am taking on the challenge to showcase my best attempt at “dessert” sushi. 

But before I dive head first into a vat of Rice Krispies, I thought I should showcase some of the best versions of dessert sushi I could find.  There are sushi cakes, sushi cupcakes, sushi candy and the like…all unique in their own way.  All bring a huge smile to my face.

Do you have a unique version of dessert sushi?  Email me your versions of dessert sushi at Megan@LifeWithCake.com – I will feature them on the site.

Sushi Cupcakes

Sushi Cupcakes by Debbie Does Cake 

My absolute favorite version of Dessert Sushi was made by Debbie of Debbie Does Cake in San Francisco.  The white jimmies for rice are ingenious idea.  These sushi cupcakes are a true work of art.  Check out Debbie Does Cake’s gallery for all of her crafty cakes and cupcakes.

Sushi Cakes

Sushi Cake by Whipped Bake Shop

This sushi cake was created by pastry artist Zoe Lukas at the Whipped Bake Shop in Philidelphia.  Check our her creations via Flickr as well as on her website.

Sushi Cake by Kellechu Confections

Kelley Stockton of Kellechu Confections created this amazingly realistic sushi cake.  I love the detail in the maki rolls.  Browse through Kelley’s gallery – you will fall in love with her popcorn cupcakes and her taco and bean dip cake – so darn cute! 

Sushi Candy

Sushi Candy by Koo-Ki Sushi

Koo-Ki Sushi “made” some of the most realistic rice cereal based sushi candy out there.  I say “made” because, sadly, they are now closed for business.  

jglee's Sushi Candy

This great looking dessert sushi was discovered over at jglee’s Food Musings.  She crafted most of the sushi details using marzipan, what an inventive idea! 

Eye Candy's version of "Fake Sushi"

 This “fake sushi” from Eye Candy uses fresh fruit, grapefruit or blood orange slices, to form the  ”fish”.  The blood orange slices resemble the texture of raw fish.  Ingenius!

Dessert Sushi Step by Step Guides

If you are looking to make your own dessert sushi, I suggest the following resources:

1.) About.com’s Step by Step guide to Sushi Candy.

2.) Mommy Knows put up an informative guide for making Sushi Candy along with some gorgeous photography. 

3.) Looking for even more detail?  Check out Family Fun’s video on making “mock” sushi.

My dessert sushi adventure begins today. Check back for my step by step guide to making my version of dessert sushi. 

Introducing …(drumroll please)
Frosted – cakes, cupcakes & homemade treats!
  We are now accepting orders for the Akron-Canton area.
Email us at Jody@LifeWithCake.com if you are interested in ordering up some of our scrum diddly umptious goodies!

Now you can have your cake and donut too...

With so many tempting treats out there, it’s hard for me to pick just one favorite.  However, there are few foods that can make me weak in the knees like a warm, hot off the press, Krispy Kreme original glazed donut.  Maybe it’s the way they melt in your mouth; maybe it’s how light and airy they are; or maybe it’s their magical aroma.  Whatever it may be, they give me a warm fuzzy feeling every time I eat one. 

Today while enjoying a warm Krispy Kreme I came across a new donut they are offering…the Mini!  Krispy Kreme Minis come in original glazed, chocolate glazed, and chocolate glazed dipped in sprinkles.  These little guys gave me the inspiration to try out a new cupcake today – The Coffee and Donut Cupcake! 

I have seen a few versions of this cupcake on the Internet already and decided I needed to put my own twist on it.  I wanted the base of the cupcake to be dense, yet moist, able to withstand a dunk in coffee.  The cake also couldn’t be overly sweet, lord knows the donut and frosting would handle that aspect.  So a sour cream coffee cake cupcake became the base of this masterpiece.  Coffee Swiss meringue buttercream would make the perfect creamy pillow for the mini donut to rest upon. Viola…a divine breakfast treat!   

Coffee Cake Cupcakes
Makes 16 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2.) Line muffin pans with paper liners.
3.) Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy, use paddle attachment. With your mixer set on a low speed, add the eggs one at a time…blending well after each egg. Add vanilla, buttermilk and sour cream, blend until smooth.
4.) In a separate bowl sift all dry ingredients together.
5.) With mixer on low speed add dry ingredients and beat just until combined.
6.) Fill cupcake liners and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and your cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean.

Note:  A hint of cinnamon would also be nice with these, or even a streusel topping. I chose to go simply this first time around.

How cute are these?

Coffee Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Makes 4 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 5 large egg whites
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

Directions:

1.) In a small bowl, dissolve espresso powder in 2 tablespoons hot water; set aside. In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar has dissolved and whites are hot to the touch, 3 to 5 minutes.

2.) Transfer mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed, until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes.

3.) With machine running on low speed, add butter to the egg whites, beating until smooth. Add the espresso mixture, and continue beating until incorporated.

Jumbo Chocolate Cupcakes

Our Basic Cupcake Making Tips

Downsize your favorite cake…

You can turn almost any cake recipe into cupcakes. I recently decided to turn a chocolate cake recipe that was a success into something even more spectacular – cupcakes.  King size cupcakes that is, which in turn equals about 2 ½ regular cupcakes.  Almost any cake recipe can become a cupcake – jumbo, regular, or mini.  Just be sure to keep watch over your oven; baking times vary.  The safest bet is to a keep your eye on them.

What to do after baking…

After baking I am quick to remove my cupcakes from the pan, maybe a bit too quick.  I fear by letting them sit in a hot pan they will “over-bake”.  Once they are out of the oven, I use my offset spatula to pop them right out.  Then I immediately place them on a cooling rack.

I must admit, I am a “last minute” kinda girl and have often been tempted to frost early…this is a no no!  Unless your recipe calls for it, do not try frosting before the cakes are completely cooled – it never ends well, trust me. 

The subject of frosting…

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, you can frost. A generous amount of frosting is always good, but don’t go overboard.  Frosting tends to be extremely sweet, so a little goes a long way.  Try to create a balance of cake and frosting.

Directly after frosting, I get the cupcakes into the fridge. This helps set the frosting.  Buttercream, in my opinion, tastes best when it’s not too cold.  It can become hard and unappealing if it’s too cold – it is butter, after all.

It is best to keep your cupcakes chilled up until 15-30 minutes before serving.  Letting them come to room temperature will ensure that the frosting tastes its best.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

This past week the cake hotline rang with a request for a birthday cake.  This cake was for a young man with simple tastes who was turning 14.  I took a moment to figure out the cake plan. 

Chocolate and Strawberry are two flavors I knew he enjoys; this one was going to be a cinch!  A rich chocolaty layer cake filled with sliced strawberries and Swiss meringue buttercream, frosted with a sinful chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream and some homemade chocolate covered strawberries.  No frills, simple and classic, the kind of cake you might see in a coffee shop bakery cabinet.  It is the perfect cake for any occasion.

Sliced strawberries and Swiss meringue buttercream fill this chocolate cake...

My sister presented me with a copy of Martha Stewart’s new cupcake cookbook…love it!  I made her classic Swiss meringue buttercream and then jazzed it up by folding in some melted, cooled chocolate.  This frosting is so good you could serve it all by itself!

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Makes about 6 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6oz. melted and cooled semi sweet chocolate

Directions:

1. Beat butter with electric mixer until fluffy and pale. Transfer to small bowl.

2. In double boiler over simmering water, whisk sugar and egg whites until warm and sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to clean bowl of electric mixer; beat on high with whisk attachment until fluffy and cooled, about 10 minutes.

3. Reduce mixer to medium-low; add butter a scant 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Fold in the cooled melted chocolate.

4. Switch to paddle attachment; beat on lowest speed 3 to 5 minutes. Leave at room temperature if using same day. Or store airtight in refrigerator up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature; beat until smooth.

Happy Birthday Paul!

Old Fashioned "Ice Cream" Cake

I am always curious when someone provides a new unique recipe to try.  I had overheard my friend Katie talking about her father’s favorite childhood cake, an Old Fashioned Ice Cream Cake. Katie’s  Aunt Theresa sent her the recipe and she was going to surprise her Dad with this cake for Father’s day. 

Typical me, I asked for a copy so I could make it too.   The name alone intrigued me, Ice Cream Cake, yet there was no sign of ice cream.  The recipe was originally pulled from Readers Digest and soon became a fan favorite with my friend Katie’s family. 

Old fashioned cake recipes always appear to be simple to make, this was not the case for this cake. The prep and process proved to be anything but easy.  I started the same as always when trying a new recipe - First, I make sure I have read through the ingredients and steps a few times.  Second, I pull all ingredients out. Third, I get the oven heating and grease and flour any pans I may need.  Ready to work!

It would be wise to start with the Ice Cream Cake Frosting (boiled milk frosting) if you plan on making this one…it needs time to cool.  Constant stirring is the key to avoid large lumps.  Do not skip the straining part!  Once frosting base is made, set it aside to cool and start sifting the flour…seven times that is.  I am assuming the flour needs to be sifted so thoroughly due to the fact there is no leavening agent in this cake, and it is eventually folded with egg whites.  While the sifting marathon is going on, I had my egg yolks beating with sugar in a stand mixer until they where a ribbon consistency. 

This cake recipe only calls for the juice and zest of one lemon, although next time around I would zest two lemons for extra pizzazz.  There are so many eggs in this cake that it has a very eggy taste and smell; more lemon may have offset this.  Texture-wise this cake was lovely, light and airy.  Taste-wise, I felt it was missing something.   I had a piece for breakfast the following day, it tasted like a whole different cake – it was much less eggy and the lemon flavor was much more apparent.  Conclusion…make a day ahead and store in the fridge before serving! 

Aunt Theresa’s Ice Cream Cake

• 11 eggs, separated at room temperature
• 1 cup + 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 heaping cup flour + 3 tablespoons, sifted 7 times
• The juice of ½ a lemon and the rind

Preparation:

1.) Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.) Prepare two 10 inch cake pans with butter and flour
3.) Beat egg yolks and sugar until they are thick and lemony yellow.
4.) Add lemon juice.
5.) Add lemon rind to sifted flour.
6.) Add flour one tablespoon at a time.
7.) In another mixing bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
8.) Fold in about a tablespoon of flour.
9.) Fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture.
10.) Pour into prepared cake pans and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Cool on racks.

Fresh out of the oven...

Ice Cream Cake Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup flour
• 2 sticks of unsweetened butter
• 1 – 1½ cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

1.) Boil ½ cup milk in a saucepan.
2.) Meanwhile mix remaining ½ cup milk and ½ cup flour in bowl with a whisk.
3.) Add mixture to boiling milk. Whisk thoroughly, cooking until thick.
4.) Press through a strainer to ensure smooth filling.
5.) Cool completely.
6.) Cream butter and sugar together until smooth.
7.) Slowly add milk and flour mixture…blend till smooth

Nathan celebrates his birthday with an Old Fashioned "Ice Cream" Cake!

Autumn's 21st Birthday Cake with Marshmallow Fondant

My friend violet called me with a quick birthday cake request over the Memorial Day weekend.  As I see it, I was already going to spend the weekend baking what was one more cake?  Her niece Autumn, was turning 21 and needed something girly to commemorate this special birthday.  Autumn wanted a marble cake with white buttercream…simple and to the point.

I dressed the ¼ sheet cake with pink, green and gray accents, and of course a cosmopolitan martini.  Up until recently I have been buying Wilton Fondant to decorate cakes with.  This time around I used a homemade marshmallow fondant and love it!  It’s quick and easy, plus has a much more palatable taste…give it a try!

Marshmallow Fondant

The Inside of a "Tasting" Cake

Like all girls, I grew up planning how my wedding would look in my head.  I would wear a huge white princess gown and glass slippers as if I were one of the characters from a fairytale.  Let’s just say as I got older my wedding visions changed along with me.  There were even points where I simply wondered will this wedding thing ever happen? 

I have been to many weddings and seen the stress the bride goes through to make it an “event to remember”.  To me it seemed they spent most of the evening saying hello, thank you and making small talk with guests they barely knew.  All that money spent on a party for people I really don’t know, not for me.

I chose a much different route – quick vows witnessed by actual people in my life and then a party with great cake and food to follow.  My mother made all the food, dad picked the wine, my sister baked an incredible cake, and my best girlfriend took the pictures.  Although not that grand of an event, I feel it was something that created a memory for my friends and family.       

Cake Tasting Ingredients

Over the past few months of writing this blog I have become increasingly more busy making cakes and other confections for people.  I was approached with the offer to do a wedding cake for a friend’s sister.  I was excited and terrified thinking about taking on this colossal effort.  Unlike my wedding, this wedding has somewhere between 250-300 people attending.  That is a whole lot of cake!

I spoke with the bride over the phone about her vision, and what she likes and doesn’t like.  I suggested a few ideas from my head and then we set a date for a cake tasting.  I have no personal experience with the concept of cake tasting, so I did some investigating.

Some bakeries you must schedule an appointment and pay a fee refundable upon ordering.  I have also heard of mass tastings held by bakeries in house or at bridal fairs allowing many to taste their confections. 

Typical me, I chose to be different.  I wanted to give her three 3 inch mini layer cakes. Me and my big ideas, ugh!  

Three Mini "Tasting" Cakes

This proved to be more of a learning experience and a lesson of what not to do.  Let’s just say, I bit off more than I could chew and had lots of leftover cake. 

The cakes did taste wonderful, of course, but after all the time baking, cooling, and cutting I didn’t have the time to make them works of art like I had planned.  This however, was a cake tasting, and taste prevailed…I got the job!  Now the work can begin…

In order to keep the brides selections and plans confidential – I am not going to disclose any flavors or recipes.  Let’s just say I am very excited about what she decided on!  Look for upcoming posts on this cake adventure…