CAKESTARR

Separated at Birth

2010-08-30T22:33:00.001-07:00

I got a this cookbook from the library a couple of days ago, and I think the authors and I are long lost siblings. We believe in American baking. We believe in less sugar/more chocolate. We believe in cooked frostings. We believe in malt.

Everything in this book looks so. damn. good! Sweet and Salty Cake, Chocolate Malt Cake, and these Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Bars. Day-um!

My nickname for these is "Pain in the Butt" bars, because while they're not hard to make, they do take an investment of time (2 1-hour cooling periods) and mess up a lot of dishes. But as they say, nothing worth doing is easy.

The bottom layer is toffee-covered rice crispies, the middle is a peanut butter and milk chocolate ganache-y type situation, and the top is a silky chocolate layer. I know, I had you at toffee.

I love the matte, smooth finish of the chocolate.

And every baker will tell you it's such a thrill when whatever you're making releases from tha pan beautifully and without drama.

Like this.

The fine folks at Smitten Kitchen have a great play-by-play with lots of photos on how to create these decadent squares of deliciousness.

I can't wait to make more treats from this book, and for the next one coming out in the Fall, Baked Explorations. Here are my brothers-in-baking are getting into training for the oncoming media blitz!

Peachy Keen

2010-07-25T23:03:00.001-07:00

If you've seen these crates of peaches at TJ's and been at all curious, let me tell you - they are DELICIOUS and a super deal at $4.99 for 4lbs of fruit. Yes, the excessive (but adorable) packaging did give me pause, but each juicy gem gets its own little bed to lie in, and each one is perfect. I'll figure out some way to reuse the box.

Tonight I grilled them on the bbq and sliced them on top of the Buttermilk Cake from The Cake Bible. (If I ever am in a courtroom sitch or elected to office, I'm going to take my oath with one hand on the The Cake Bible)

I've made this before and added a dollop of strained yogurt as to bring it all together. Tonight's treat was created on the fly so I didn't have time to strain yogurt. But we did have marshmallows in the house so I topped the whole shebang with a couple of marshmallows perfectly toasted over the coals. Delish!

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

2010-04-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

Don't those look good? Here's the backstory:

I had the happy task of picking up a couple of cakes from DeLessio's for a party at work to celebrate selling 1 million copies of our Ivy & Bean series

Don't those cakes look amazing? They were - and DeLessio's also makes this very cool chocolate bubble wrap. That's right, chocolate bubble wrap! In lots of yummy flavors like

Milk Chocolate with Malt and Croquant
White chocolate with coffee beans and toasted hazeluts
Milk Chocolate with peanut butter and croquant
White Chocolate mint with a bittersweet chocolate

I'd seen this technique on an old TV show called (I think) "Carnival of Dessert" and the visit to DeLessio's reminded me that should give it a try.

I laid a piece of bubble wrap on a sheet of wax paper on a cookie sheet and sprinkled it liberally with cinnamon sugar

I poured melted chocolate over the bubble wrap. Did I mention that in the last couple of weeks I've been given big blocks of Valrhona and TCHO chocolate? I'm a lucky girl!

I spread the chocolate to the edges with a spatula

Then sprinkled some chopped toasted almonds over the whole thing. Popped it into the freezer for about 15 minutes (I think, I got a little distracted by something....) until the chocolate has hardened.

Peel back bubble wrap and just look at all of those fun little holes!

Once the chocolate got back to room temperature, I used a serrated knife to cut it into long triangles. The perfect topper for these scrumptious cupcakes!

Easy as PiePops!

2010-04-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

Chronicle Books was looking for another excuse to throw a party, so we had a First Floor Picnic this week. An indoor picnic complete with red checked tablecloths, sunglasses, icy beer and a pie contest.

I was looking for an excuse to make Bakerella's PiePops, and this was it.

PiePops are just what you think they are - mini pies on a stick. In the great Team Pie vs. Team Cake debate I'm solidly on Team Cake, but dang if these aren't the cutest things. And they really are easy - if you take a few short cuts....

...such a store bought pie crust.

Yes, I usually make my own and am all smug about it, but I needed a time-saver and these frozen crusts worked like a dream.

I also had some leftover charoset in the fridge. Charoset is Passover dish made of apples, nuts, wine sugar and cinnamon - which seemed to me to be a pretty good filling for a pie. But, the mixture was a little dry and wanted to be "goopier" to be a proper filling, so I added a couple of good dollops of jarred caramel sauce. Parfait!

I cut out little ridged circles of dough with a biscuit cutter and put them on a silpat-lined baking sheet.

Then pressed a 6" lollipop stick into each round

Put a little dollop of filling in the middle of each pie, then top it with a 2nd piece of dough.

Seal the dough with the end of a lollipop stick. Bakerella uses the side of the stick and goes all the way around. Me, I took a shortcut and just poked 'em. Then brush with cream or egg wash or cream and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes and you've got....

PiePops!!

Ready for a bite - yum!

And guess who won that pie contest.... ME!

Gettin' the pie pops ready for the party. I popped them into a wrapping-paper-covered block of styrofoam

A couple of things I'd do differently:

1) Brush the pies with egg wash rather than cream for a more luxe look
2) Chill the pie crust rounds once they've been cut
3) Alternate baking pans so I'm always assembling the pops on a cool pan - doing it on a warm one made 'em a little soft and goopy
4) Do a more thorough crimping around the pies to seal them

Special Delivery: Scones

2010-04-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago I donated a copy of The Frugal Foodie Cookbook and a dozen scones to the school silent auction. I'd kind if forgotten about it until I got a call this week from the winner lookin' to collect. Of course I was happy to fulfill my commitment, but when she mentioned she was a former professional pastry chef I got a little nervous - these had better be some kick-ass scones!

Inspired by the tree in my yard that's bursting with fruit, I adapted my tried-and-true scone recipe to include lemons, cashews and a hint of spice

Lemon Cashew Scones with a Bit of Ginger

For the scones:

3 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½ tablespoon pieces

Zest of 2 lemons

¾ cup roasted, unsalted cashews

8 (or so) pieces crystallized ginger, chopped v. small

For the glaze:

¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon buttermilk

½ teaspoon ginger

Preheat oven to 400

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix for 1 minute or so to combine. Add the butter and mix at low speed until well incorporated. Add the zest and cashews. Drop the ginger bit-by-bit over the flour mixture so that it doesn’t clump together. Mix briefly 1 minute or so to combine. Add the buttermilk and mix until the dough just holds together.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board and knead gently a few times. Divide the dough in half. Pat each half into an 8” circle. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 15-17 minutes.

While the scones are baking, combine all of the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Remove the cookie sheet from the over and immediately brush the scones with the glaze. Remove them to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: These scones freeze like a dream - just pop 'em in a 350 degree oven (I use the toaster oven) for 10 mins or so to bring them back to life.

I was delivering the scones on a wet, rainy, dreary Easter morning - so I wanted to create an especially bright, cheery and spring-y presentation. I wrapped a shoe box in flowery wrapping paper, and topped it off with some woven ribbony stuff (see - hoarding craft supplies DOES come in handy) that I thought sort of suggested an Easter basket.

Playing with Food and Sleeping with Fishes

2010-03-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon a web site called Eyecandy that blows me away!

It's the brainchild of a Swiss fellow named Jojo Krang - just look at what he does:

He makes a portrait of Audrey Hepburn in chocolate! His how-tos have me halfway convinced that I could do it too.

He makes square cream cheese muffins wrapped in parchment bunny ears. You know you want to make this for Easter.

He forms purple potatoes into roses and deep fries them. I think I've found my 2nd husband.

And last but not least - he makes chocolate gangsters complete with chocolate cement shoes. Drop 'em in hot milk for a cup of hot chocolate you can't refuse.

The Color Purple

2010-02-28T14:05:00.000-08:00

The Whoopie Pie trend is just taking off - and already I'm declaring a new one: Specialty-Shaped Whoopies in Colors Not Appearing in Nature.

My dear friend Sandy was having a birthday get-together this weekend, and I STILL had some buttermilk in the fridge so you know what that means: Whoopie Pies!

I was so happy with the cheery pink of my Valentine's Day Whoopie Hearts, that I thought I'd tint this batch Sandy's favorite color: purple.

My goal was a rich, amethyst shade like the gorgeous boxes used by Voges Haute Chocolat

I don't think I was entirely successful. Maybe I needed more food coloring, or maybe baked goods just aren't supposed to be purple.

First I piped out round cookies:

Then I got fancy and made S-shapes:

Then I really went for broke and spelled out "Happy Birthday Sandy"

Cute, no? For the final presentation I put the "S" pies around the greeting as a border - very festive!

I thought I was late to the Whoopie Pie party - but none of the other guests had ever had or heard of them, so I was happy to give them a sweet education.

Notes:

When you pipe out a letter or shape - pipe its mirror image right next to it on the pan
If you wanted to make a more precise shape - print out a template on paper and slip it under parchment paper and use it as a guide. Martha Stewart wasn't going to be at the party judging my efforts, so I just free-styled it.
I used the Light Whipped Ganache from Rose Levy Berenbaum's The Cake Bible as filling. It's tasty and easy, but I think I like Nick Malgieri's version from Perfect Cakes that calls for butter and corn syrup in addition to the cream and chocolate a little better. Rose's is a little dryer and the cookies don't stick as well.

Whoopie! It's Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T16:43:00.000-08:00

And the hearts just keep on coming!

I had some leftover heavy cream from some insanely good mushroom pasta I made last night, and leftover buttermilk from something else so I did what any reasonable person would do - I made Whoopie Pies!

And not just any Whoopie Pies, I made GIANT pink heart-shaped whoopies - cuteness!

To get the cookies the right shape, I made a paper template and traced the shape onto my Silpat with an edible marker, then I piped the cookie-cake batter onto the pan.

The filling is Nick Malgieri's ganache from Perfect Cakes, which I just got from the library. I'm a big fan of his How to Bake.

The chocolate piped on the top is these awesome Ghirardelli chips.

They melt smooth and thin so you don't have to add shortening, oil, or Paramount Crystals to make the chocolate drizzleable.

I hope your Valentine's Day is sweet!

Hearty Hot Cakes

2010-02-14T10:55:00.001-08:00

The Starr Fellas got a special Valentine's Day treat this morning - pancakes stamped with love :)

First mix up your pancake batter. I sifted the mix to get out any lumps. Remove about 3/4 of a cup and thin it out with water. Add some food coloring to make a pretty pink. Pour it into a squeeze bottle (I snipped a bit more off the tip of the bottle to make it a little easier)

Draw a heart with the tinted batter in the hot pan.

Once the hearts begin to bubble, drop plain batter over to make the pancake

When the plain batter starts to bubble, flip 'em over and....

Viola! A sweet valentine breakfast treat!

I started to get a little fancy...

And I liked the border technique

Once I get REALLY good, I'll submit a photo to The Pancake Project, check out these amazing creations:

Flap Jack Bauer

Big Whoop!

2010-01-31T19:38:00.000-08:00

This may shock anyone from the Northeast - but I'd never even heard of a Whoopie Pie until I was almost 30. I had one at a company potluck and immediately asked my colleague for the recipe, which she kindly have me - and which I filed away and never made.

Now, my colleagues at Chronicle Books are coming out with a fabulous new cookbook dedicated to these wonderful little treats. Whoopie Pies has dozens of recipes for cookie-cakes and fillings that you can mix and match in any way you like - there's even savory pies for your next cocktail party!

There's been so much talk about Whoopie Pies over the last few months that I knew I'd be making some sooner or later - and today was the sooner.

I had some leftover coffee buttercream from the cupcakes I'd made for the Help for Haiti Bakesale, and just enough of everything else to make a batch of cakey-cookies and some vanilla frosting to fill some of 'em for the boy (the child doesn't like coffee buttercream- further evidence he was switched a birth)

Max and his pal Marco helped me spoon out the batter

They baked up like little dreams - I filled some with the coffee buttercream, some with the vanilla meringue buttercream, and rolled some of the coffee ones in a mix of almonds and toffee bits.
They taste - awesome! The cookie-cakes are not too sweet, and have a wonderful texture. And unlike their trendy cousin the cupcake, you get a perfect cake to frosting ratio in every easy-to-eat bite.

I did learn a few things:

The recipe calls for sifting the dry ingredients. I skipped that step, but shouldn't have - there were a few little clumps of flour in the cookies.
You can spoon out the batter onto the pan, or use a pastry bag. When I make these again I'll either use a pastry bag or flatten the batter a big so the baked cakey-cookies are a little shorter and easier to eat without stretching your mouth.
I'm usually not a huge fan of powdered sugar-based frostings, so I made a 1/2 batch of Italian Meringue Buttercream from A Field Guide to Cupcakes, which was tasty - but too soft, it squishes out the side when you bit in a little more than I'd like. Rose Levy Berenbaum's version in The Cake Bible is a firmer (if I remember right, I haven't made it for a while) and ganches, and egg yolk-or cream-cheese based frostings would work much better.

Here's Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell's recipe for Mocha Whoopie Pies from their upcoming book: Whoopie Pies Dozens of Mix 'em, Match 'em, Eat 'em Up Recipes!

3 tablespoons instant espresso powder (or instant coffee)
2 tablespoons water
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl or cup, mix together the instant espresso powder and water and set aside.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening, and brown sugar on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes.

Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk and beat on low until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the espresso-water mixture and the remaining flour mixture and milk and beat until completely combined.

Using a spoon, drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets and repeat, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes each, or until the cakes spring back when touched. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cakes cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. Fill with buttercream filing (below).

Makes about 48 two-inch cakes.

Classic Buttercream Filling

3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 to 4 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitting with the paddle attachment, beat together the confectioners’ sugar with the butter, starting on low and increasing to medium speed, until the mixture is crumbly, about 1 minute. Add the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt and beat on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Candy Cane Cakepops

2009-12-20T17:16:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to make some of the cute character Cakepops from Bakerella's site.
- but time got the better of me, so I opted for a simple chocolate cake + chocolate frosting dipped in chocolate and covered in crushed candy canes. Still very pretty and super tasty.

I mixed it up a bit this time, and used a Italian meringue-based frosting instead of one make with powdered sugar. I like this type of frosting much better (and I was out of powdered sugar and really, really didn't want to go to the store.)

The results were very good from a taste and texture perspective. The Italian frosting is more slick than sticky, so I don't think it would be as good if you were forming the balls into shapes, but for the regular rounds I was happy.

I also used Ghiradelli baking chips instead of candy melts. The Ghiradelli chips are FABULOUS - they melt satiny-smooth and perfect for dipping without having to add Paramont Crystals or shortening, and taste so much better than Candy Melts.

I also had visions of Cakepop Dreidels and a few other ideas that will have to wait until next year. ...

We Come in Peace from Planet Cakepop

2009-11-21T16:40:00.000-08:00

Last week was the annual Winterfaire at the boy's school - and as per usual I committed to providing treats for the bake sale.

This year's mascot was a cute little alien - and he's even cuter as a CakePop!

Pumpkin Pops

2009-11-01T21:06:00.001-08:00

The Mayor of Pumpkin Town approves of Pumpkin Pops

And why shouldn't he? They are delicious AND adorable! I'd planned to make black cats and ghosts as well, but the week got the better of me. I did make a whole patch of pumpkins for the Boy's class party.

Several moms asked me for the recipe - I may have created a few more CakePop converts!

When Bad Things Happen to Good Cakepops

2009-10-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

The 2nd stage of the Carnival of Wonders that is the boy's 10th birthday was the Treats for Class. I'm usually good for some pretty decent class treats, but this year's had to be a show-stopper because it's the last one. Ever. Next year he'll be starting that Carnival of Horrors that is Middle School.

So, of course, the answer is Bakerella's Cupcake Pops - adorable, easy (if time-consuming) to make, easy to transport and serve and definitely a sure-fire way for the kid to win friends and influence people.

Everything was going fine in Cakepopland, and I left the room for a sec. When I came back, the boy was giggling uncontrollably and pointing at this....

Yep, the pop has slid down the stick, leaving the mini M&M perched at the top. I said, "Well, they must have been out of the fridge too long, let's pop 'em back in."

So we did, and 10 minutes later....

Yep, TWO had slid down and leaving their M&M toppers balancing like Pillippe Petit atop yon dizzy heights. I thought Max was going to bust a gut!

Luckily, I've rescued far worse mishaps than thus (do I have to remind you about the Tempest in a Teacup?) and was able to save them with a little bit of Candy Melt and a little bit of love.

Le Petite Gateau

2009-10-10T23:01:00.001-07:00

It was the boy's 10th birthday this week, and being what Max calls a "cake mom" I wanted to include a special treat in his lunch. My solution? A "cake" made of Oreos covered in fondant and decorated with the candy melts that keep on giving (I've already used them for Giant Cookie and teacup Cakepops) It's a great way to use up random scraps of fondant (which keep forever in the freezer)

I have to admit this wasn't a wholly original idea - I'd seen it in an American Girl book at the Scholastic Book fair a couple of years ago and had been wanting to dry it ever since.

The best part? It fits right in Max's lunch container, and because it's fondant and candy melts, it holds up really well.

And yes, the kid got a v. unhealthy lunch of a pizzadilla, Cheez-its and a mini cake for his birthday - you only turn 10 once and you don't have to eat fresh fruits and veggies if you don't want to!

Stick It To 'Em

2009-09-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

We had a bakesale to raise money for Habitat for Humanity at work yesterday, so I made a couple of batches of biscotti - its my go-to cookie for these kinds of things: easy & cheap (like me!) and keeps well for many days (maybe not so much like me...)

Because it's been well established that I'm a big show-off AND, I wanted to offer a great presentation that would really bring in the bucks for a fabulous organization, I packaged the cookies in these cute little bags:

The bags are little cello bags I got at the Mrs. Grossman's warehouse sale. I folded over the top a couple of times, and stapled in the center.

Then I cut a piece of pattered scrapbook-type paper into a 3.5" x 3.5"-ish square and folded it in half. I put this little "tent" over the top of the folded bag, and gave it two staples on the side.

The cute cut-out on the top is a Mrs. Grossman's Slice of Life: Homemade Cardstock Sticker. When I worked at Mrs. Grossman's, I learned that if you put a little baby powder on the back of a sticker - it takes away the stick and you can pop them off the edge - fun!

This is a short video that show other ways you can use this powdering technique for stickers:

Pat's PB Pie

2009-09-04T22:10:00.001-07:00

My KGO Colleague Pat Thurston is an inspiration on many levels. She's a proud armed forces vet, intelligent and entertaining talk show host, a tireless and loving mother to triplets (that's right, triplets) she had in her 40s, and a talented and generous baker.

On the occasions I get to work with Pat I get to enjoy not only her lovely company - but a home made treat like lemon bars, brownies or this insane Peanut Butter Pie.

When Pat serves it, she says, "You HAVE to put whipped cream and chocolate sauce on it otherwise you can't have any."

Now THAT's a rule I can live with!

Pat's PB Pie (with a little adaptation by Lara)

For Crust

11 whole graham crackers (one of the three packs in the box)
6 T butter, melted
1 T sugar

Preheat oven to 350

Grind the crackers in a food processor until fine. Add the melted butter & sugar and pulse to combine and get all of the crumbs wet (for my money the smell of melted butter and graham cracker is one of the best in the world)

Dump the crumb mixture into a 9" pie pan, press it down and up the sides with a wooden spoon.

Bake for 6-8 minutes to set the crust, then let it cool while you make the ganache.

For Ganache

3 oz bittersweet chocolate (1/2 cup chocolate chips)*
1/2 cup whipping cream

Heat the cream in a small pan over medium-low heat until its just bubbling on the edges. Add the chocolate, stir a few time, then put the lid on the pot & let the mixture set for about 5-10 miniutes. Then stir until smooth. Spread the mixture over the graham cracker crust.

Cool the coated crust in the fridge while you make the filling.

For Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 T melted butter

1 cup whipping cream

1 T vanilla

Beat cream cheese until fluffy, slowly add sugar, peanut butter and melted butter and beat until blended and fluffy.

Whip the 1 cup cream in a separate bowl. Add vanilla. Fold the whipped cream into the PB mixture until it is blended in - no white streaks showing. Pour it into the pie shell and chill for about 3 hours. You can pop it in the freezer to speed up the chilling.

Whip the 1/2 cup cream you'll have left after making the ganache and the filling and use it to decorate the top of the pie - pipe it with a pastry bag if you're feelin' fancy, schmear it with a spatula if you're not.

*In the spirit of full disclosure, when I made this particular pie I messed up and made the ganache with unsweetended chocolate (It was TJ's brand and I guess my brain associated that wrapping with their "Pound Plus" bars) I added some sugar and a little butter and it tasted fine. A little grainy, but had a good dark chocolate flavor that was a nice contrast to the sweet, fluffy filling.

Also, the pie is super easy to make, but does mess up a lot of dishes (two big bowls, a pan, the food processor, etc) so promise to make it for your family if someone else promises to do the dishes - it worked for me :)

Love, Loss and What I Baked: Tempest in a Teacup

2009-08-22T23:43:00.000-07:00

This was circa 1995 I think, and the blurry photo above was taken with a film camera in our sunny kitchen in San Francisco.

As soon as I saw the chef on the series Cooking Secrets of the CIA making Chocolate Tea Cups with Tuile Spoons I NEW I had to make them.

What you do is melt chocolate, dip in a 3/4 blown balloon - water balloon size - and then let the chocolate harden. Once it does, you poke the balloon with a pin right near the knot and let the air slowly come out. Voila! You've got a chocolate cup. Pipe a "C"-shaped handle and attach it with melted chocolate.

Sounds easy right? It is... until....

Until you have a balloon with a weak spot or chocolate with a hot spot or a deadly combination of the two.

As my husband describes it, "There she was in the kitchen, happy as a clam dipping her balloons. I leave the room for a sec and hear a loud, 'Oh !@#$%^&*!!!!!!'. I go back into the kitchen and it looks like a chocolate crime scene."

Yes, one of my balloons POPPED a couple of inches above the bowl. It looked like a crazy person had splattered chocolate all over the place. I was cleaning chocolate for months and months. It was under the chairs, behind the shelves, on top of the fridge....

But isn't the cup the cutest thing???? I filled it with coffee mouse and topped that with whipped cream and a Tuile Spoon to our friends Beth and Scott - who not only got a yummy dessert, but a funny story.

Tuile Cookies
Recipe from: Your Place or Mine
by JEAN-CHRIST NOVELLI

Tuile means "tile" in French, and is a classic, old-fashioned cookie. The traditional shapes are usually a shaped oval (almost like a Pringle) or rolled into a "cigarette." It's fun to play around with different shapes.

Makes about 24

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
whites of 3 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla together. Gradually beat in the egg white, then fold in the flour until you have a smooth paste. Chill for about 2 hours.
Place small spoonfuls of the mixture about 4 inches apart on a nonstick baking sheet, then spread these out into rounds with a spatula.
Bake for about 4 minutes until the mixture is just beginning to color (keep checking).
Remove from the oven and leave to cool very slightly until you can handle them. Shape the rounds by draping them over the length of a rolling pin or as described below. Leave until completely cool and set, then lift off gently. you can keep the tuiles in an airtight container for up to a week.

Other Shapes:

Baskets
Depending on the size you want, drape your warm rounds of baked tuile over the top of a clean bottle or gently press them inside a tea or custard cup and leave until cool.

Stencils
Take a piece of clean cardboard and cut out the shapes you want: say, flowers or leaves. Lay the cardboard stencil on your baking sheet and spread the mixture over the top. Lift off the cardboard carefully before baking.

More Cakes I Didn't Make (But Wish I Had)

2009-08-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

Threadless is a well-cool web site where you can upload your well-cool designs and have them printed on T-shirts. Cool!

For the past three years they've been holding Threadcakes, a contest for cake decorators to submit photos of cakes inspired by their favorite T-shirt designs. The results are beyond amazing! When I'm asked why I don't make cakes professionally, the answer is right here. Just look a what a real pro can do:

Pie Pops

2009-08-05T21:58:00.001-07:00

I didn't make these, someone else did. Some who should be given a McArthur grant for the pure genius that is Pie Pops.

Wanna know how to make 'em? Go HERE. Even if you don't think you'll ever make them, go HERE, the photography is beautiful.

Bacio con Biscotti

2009-07-26T17:14:00.000-07:00

The bad news is, I've had to give up teaching Wilton Cake Decorating classes at Michael's. I've loved meeting so many amazing women, learning new things myself, and kvelling with pride as each student has mastered buttercream roses.

The good news is, I have a new, full-time job at Chronicle Books, a fabulous local publisher of stunning books on art, design, cooking, craft, entertainment parenting, and amazing books for children. Also games, kits and fantastic stationery. I'm thrilled!

The best way I know of to make an impression (and OK, I'm not proud, kiss up) to my new co-workers is to bring in a basket of homemade bakies. So at the end of my first week, I came to the office bearing a couple of batches of biscotti.

These crunchy little cookies are not too sweet, and are cheap and easy to make. Almond Biscotti is my go-to recipe, but I only had enough for one batch. I had lots of cashews in the freezer leftover from a recent pesto project, so I threw in those with some lemon zest (love having a lemon tree in the backyard!) and pumpkin pie spice (I would have used ginger if I'd had it, but I didn't...)

Biscotti

2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line a baking sheet with foil and grease well, or use a silpat.

Beat the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until pale, about 2 minutes.

Beat in the flour and baking soda and continue beating until blended. Mix in the
almonds.

With floured hands, form half of the dough into a 12-inch log. Place on
the baking sheet and press down to flatten to a width of about 3 inches. Repeat
with the remaining dough.

Bake the cookie loaves for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, leaving the oven
on. Let the loaves cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove them to a cutting board.

Slice each loaf diagonally with a serrated bread knife into 12 slices.

Put the slices back on the cookie sheet, laying them on their sides. Return them to
the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.

Cookies will keep for about a week in an airtight container, or for up to 3 months
in the freezer.

Makes 24 cookies.

Cashew Lemon Spice Variation

Add the zest of 1 lemon with the eggs and sugar
Replace the almonds with 3/4c. toasted, unsalted cashews
Add 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or pumpkin pie spice with the flour

We all scream...

2009-07-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

... when we try to make Ice Cream Cupcakes. At least I do. Until now.

I've made these a couple of times with mixed results. The come out top-heavy, the cone gets soggy, and they're really hard to transport from home to a party. Turns out I was doing it ALL WRONG!

You DON'T bake the batter in the cone, you bake the cupcake separately and pop it into a cone. And you fill the bottom of the cone with candy or gumballs to keep the little yummies from toppling over - brilliant. You can also add a mini cupcake on top for a tall, soft-serve look. Yum!

Check out this short, helpful video from Betty Crocker:

Love, Loss and What I Baked: Rice Krispie Wedding Cake

2009-07-16T22:01:00.000-07:00

My mom never made Rice Krispies Treats (RKTs) when I was a kid (she doesn't like them) and it never occurred to me to make them until I the boy was around 5 or 6. And now, I kind of can't stop. They're so much fun! You can color them, shape them, mold them, put them on a stick, add M&Ms or peanut butter - or both!

The idea of a tiered RKT cake had been playing around in my head for a while, and when I was invited to a friend's informal BBQ wedding reception in a park, I not only RSVP'd, but offered to bring an RKT cake that would feed the crowd.

The cake had a 12", 9" and 6" layers and took a LOT of cereal and marshmallows (and real butter, natch) I don't remember how much, but there were several trips to the store. I piped a simple design of vines, leaves and a star border with buttercream, but if I had to do it again I'd use royal icing. I also studded it with gold dragees from my contraband stash.

I've since learned that these are a pretty popular wedding cake option - and have been featured on the Today Show and Martha Stewart. Oh well, so I didn't invent the RKT Wedding Cake, but I'm happy with my version.

Marla Can't Be Stopped (Yay!)

2009-07-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

Marla was one of the first students to take my classes back in April. At the time she was a novice baker - she didn't even own a mixer! Now just look at the lovely cakes she's making. I'm so proud :)

And the winner is...

2009-07-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

.... me!

I got first place at the Marin County Fair! I'd like to thank the the fine folks at Wilton for the tools, techniques and access to cheap styrofoam, Silke and Local Flora for the inspiration and John & Max Starr for giving me the psychic and physical space to work on the cake.

Baskets of Flowers

2009-07-02T10:13:00.000-07:00

The ladies completed their Course 2 "Finale" cakes last week - and the results were beautiful!

Unlike Course 1 where the students complete 3 cakes over four weeks, in Course 2 students make lots of different flowers that are used to complete one, grand, beautiful cake on the last night of class.

Magaly and Susana work on their basketweaving

Made-ahead royal icing flowers are added to the cakes

Justifiability proud - the cakes are beautiful!

Susana made my heart sing when she said, "When class started and I looked at the cake we were supposed to make I said, 'Yeah, right' but look at this!"

Marin County Fair Cake: Days 4 & 5

2009-06-29T11:32:00.001-07:00

Day 4 & 5: Finishing Touches and Delivery
Hours: Oh heck, I've totally lost track, 3? 4? more?

The middle layer looked like is was wanting something, so I took Silke's brilliant suggestion and added butterflies.

I cut hearts from fondant, then trimmed off the bottoms. I rolled one of these triangles into the bodies for each of the butterflies.

Then I sponged pink and purple food coloring to the edges, and piped pink and purple dots and the feelers.

Once that was done, the top layer started to look a like it wanted something, so I added two rows of pink beads.

I mushed leftover fondant together and used it to cover the cake circles

And finally - it's done!

Overall I'm very happy with how it looks, and it was great fun to make and learn more about working with fondant - such as the color will really, really fade if it's exposed to sun. Live and learn.

Now it's up to the judges!

Marin County Fair Cake: Day 3

2009-06-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

Day 3: Royal Icing Flowers and Decorations
Hours: 4

Royal Icing is super easy to make and fun to worth with. It's not the best-tasting stuff in the world, but the decorations dry rock-hand and keep forever - and cleaning up is a dream because there's no grease or butter.

Royal Icing

4 cups powdered sugar
3 egg whites

Mix the egg whites into the sugar at low speed until incorporated, then increase the mixer speed to med-high and beat for 5-7 minutes. Icing will be very stiff, and can be thinned with a little water as needed. Store airtight, and keep bowls covered with a damp cloth or paper towel, the icing hardens very quickly.

Once I had the icing made, I colored it as close as I could to the fondant colors

For the top layer, I made about 16 daffodils to arrange around the pink band in the center. The middle layer was decorated with a row of lilies of the valley. For the bottom layer, I piped a pattern of leaves and flowers, and then used a brush embroidery technique.

I made also made the "Local Flora" letters for the topper pieces. I printed out a photo of the sign at the size I needed and laid a sheet of wax paper over it. I outlined the letters in purple with a #1 tip, then filled it in with thinned-out white royal icing. Once they're dry, they can be attached to the pieces with royal icing "glue."

Other than being a little bummed that the pink fondant really, really faded (not sure why... I need to investigate this.....) I'm v. happy with how things are stacking up.

Marin County Fair Cake: Day 2

2009-06-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

Day 2: Cover Cakes with Fondant
Hours: 4

I'm definitely still learning when it comes to fondant. I've read a lot of books and watched a lot of videos about how to cover cakes and it looks so simple, but it's tricky to keep the fondant thick but not too thick, pliable but not too soft and sturdy but not to dry.

I used both oil spray and cornstarch to keep the fondant from sticking while I rolled depending on if it felt too soft or too dry. Both work well.

Luckily, the rules for the Marin County Fair allow you to use foam forms instead of real cake, and also luckily as a Wilton instructor I can order these foam cake forms very cheaply:

I love the color scheme and the foam is so light and easy to work with. I used flower and leaf-shaped cookie cutters to press a pattern into the bottom layer, and cut out three rectangles that will be decorated to look like the Local Flora sign for a cake topper.

It def took a lot of trial and error, and I'm still not 100% sure how to avoid "folds" in the fondant when you are shaping it to the cake, but overall I was pretty pleased with how this step turned out.

Marin County Fair Cake: Day 1

2009-06-19T00:07:00.000-07:00

I'm entering a cake into the Marin County Fair for the first time. I've sniffed at past year's entries and said, "I could do something better than that" for years. Yeah, maybe you could, but have you?

The theme of the fair is "Cool, Green, Fun" so I decided to make my cake a tribute to a the cool, green, fun flower store run by my friend Silke, Local Flora.

When people ask me why I don't make cakes as a business, the answer is they are a LOT of work and take a lot of time, which I love when I'm doing it on my time and for fun and creativity - but would make me a basket case if someone were paying me. Folks also ask how long it takes to make an elaborate cake. It's hard to say because it's a multi-day process, but I'm going to try to break it down for this project.

Day 1 - Make and Color Fondant
Total Hours: 2.5

I made 7.5 pounds of the Cake Bible's rolled fondant (click here and scroll down for the recipe)

To color the fondant, first you slice it into chunks:

Then add paste food coloring with toothpicks:

Then feed the chunks into a food processor. The fondant will crumble at first, and the bind back together:

You do have to do some hand-kneading, but it's much easier if you give it a head start in the food processor, especially with a large volume of fondant:

Et Viola! Colored fondant:

Cupcake Garden at the Beach

2009-06-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

Amy Gosman is a fellow mom at my son's school and a baker extraordinaire. She's from New Zealand and makes a killer Pavlova that somehow makes some of my least favorite things - tropical fruits and meringue - into, as she calls it, "the dessert of the Gods."

One of the myriad commemorations of the end of the school year is the beach trip to Heart's Desire. The day includes an always-teary ceremony to honor the outgoing 5th graders, and cupcakes for more than 200 kids.

Amy was once again in charge of the cupcake portion of the day. Last year she assigned icing colors to each of her delegated bakers to create a giant cupcake rainbow. This year, she got it into her head to make 240 daisies from gum paste and royal icing to top each of the cupcakes.

She also determined that the daises had to have green leaves too (she's a woman after my own heart)

But, Amy's older daughter had a field trip to Stinson Beach on that day - so she dropped of a box of daisies and a locked 'n' loaded pastry bag with her pal Susan with a quick lesson on how to make the leaves.

Susan did an awesome job - but it was a LOT of work, especially while the icing was still stiff and cold.

I had it easy - all I had to do was follow her and plunk a little daisy on top of the cupcake - and make a quick, impromptu message for the kids:

The kids loved the effort we made - and it was fun to send off our graduates with a sweet treat

Max is 5th in line - that's my boy!

C is for Cookie...

2009-06-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

... and G.C. is for GIANT COOKIE!

What do you do when the class party is tomorrow, you don't have a lot of time, and you want to maintain your rep as the mom who sends the cool treats to school? You make a GIANT COOKIE!

Writing and border by Lara, swirls by Max

All you do is bake your favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe in a 12" round cake pan. If you don't make wedding cakes you may not have a 12" round, in that case just use your biggest springform pan or two 8" rounds.

Luckily, I had Wilton Candy Melts left over from the CakePops project all ready to go in pastry bags, so it was super easy to re-melt them and decorate the top and sides.

Max told me exactly what to write and where to write it. The kid must have learned something this year because he insisted on correct punctuation as well.

GIANT COOKIE is great for show-offs like me, because it's so much easier to make than dozens of regular cookies, but makes such a big impression when you parade it around the party.

Blasts from the Past

2009-06-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

I just this week got to see the layout for the interior for The Frugal Foodie Cookbook and it looks FABULOUS!

But something about the designer's name was ringing a bell deep in my brain... and then I figured it out, it was Frank Weidemann - who I worked with at Double Rainbow on Haight street way, way back in the late 1980s!

Circa 1989

Oh the fun we had back then, serving everyone from druggies and the homeless to bridge and tunnel wannabe hipsters and San Francisco's version of the Von Trapp family.

The crew also included Jason Mecier, who has gone on to fame (and I hope for him fortune) creating celebrity portraits in beans and noodles.

Frank is now an amazingly talented designer working on lots of cool posters, CD covers and more
check out his work here

Circa 2009

Oh yeah, and how is this cake related you ask? At the same party where the c. 1989 photo was taken, I made the birthday cake - one of my early attempts at shaped cakes:

A Pretty in Pink "W" for Wendy the ultra-feminine birthday girl, adorned with the now-illegal silver dragees.

Flower Power!

2009-06-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

Debra completed this beautiful finale cake - I just love the happy yellow polka dots. Then I saw her at Michael's a few days later buying some more supplies - I expect to see more beautiful creations from her soon!

More Cakepops!

2009-05-29T10:26:00.001-07:00

The end-of-the-year school picnic is tonight and the occasion called for CAKEPOPS!

A collection of pops - some inspired by those at Bakerella, some I made up myself.

These went much better than the apples - mostly because I used better ingredients (Black Magic Cake and DeDe Wilson's Fudge Frosting from A Field Guide to Cupcakes) and Wilton Candy Melts, which are not as fancy as the Valrhona white chocolate, but they're much easier to work with.

Play Ball!

I used a food coloring pen for the laces - if I had more time/gumption,
I'd do them with royal icing

Cupcakes!

Bakerella has instructions for how to make these

Hello Kitty!

Max asked how she can be called "Hello" Kitty when she doesn't even have a mouth?

While you ponder that, you can see how to make these here

Have a nice day!

Teacups!

How cute are these?

I wish I had taken pictures of the steps to make these, but there they are. Feel free to email me if anything is confusing:

1. Line a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon with plastic wrap, with enough for a 3" or so overhang
2. Fill the spoon with Cakepop mush level with the top
3. Drape the excess plastic wrap over the top of the spoon
4. Gently press into the plastic wrap with a film can or small spice bottle with a diameter smaller than the tablespoon to make an impression.
5. Remove the plastic wrap and pop out the molded Cakepop mush. Freeze for 15-20 minutes.
6. Put the stick in the pop and dip in colored Candy Melts just as for other Cakepops.
7. When the candy is set, fill the teacup with chocolate candy melt to make the "tea" (use a pastry bag)
8. Decorate around the rim with Candy Melts - use a pastry bag with just a teeny snip or a #1 round tip.
9. To make the handle, pipe a small "c" shape on waxed paper and let it set, attach to the cup with Candy Melt.
10. Voila - teatime!

I've been thinking about teapots too, and have a couple of ideas....

"One lump or two?"

Cakepop Parade!

Don't Mess with Maxo

2009-05-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

They boy's been working on a report on Texas for most of the semester. The child's now an expert on the Lone Star state. Did you know there was a Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco? He can tell you all about it....

I had some time to kill at the Ferry Building on Tuesday and while poking around at Sur La Table I found a Texas-shaped cookie cutter. What are the odds? It was in there with the cowboy boots and cactus. We'd been thinking about making chili for him to bring to class to go with his written and oral reports for Open House - but a Texas-shaped treat would be even better. I was thinking cookies, but the fellow at Sur La Table suggested cornbread - a great idea and much easier than rolling & cutting cookies.

I think the baking goddesses sent me that cutter, because when I got home I discovered that Open House was the NEXT DAY not the NEXT WEEK as I'd thought. Luckily, I had the ingredients for a batch of cornbread on hand and my newly-acquired cutter ready to go.

They were a big hit in class - and now I'm set for any other Texas-themed events that may come along. Maybe I'll have a party for the premier of the big-screen version of Dallas :)

These are your cupcakes....

2009-05-20T22:56:00.000-07:00

These are your cupcakes on drugs....

Any questions?

See, what happened was - I was making cupcakes. Lemon cupcakes. Lemon cupcakes for the teachers at the boy's school. That same night I was also making cornbread and finishing up the cake pops and well... there was a lot going on in the kitchen and I grabbed the pancake mix instead of the flour. It can happen to anyone, right?

Especially when you keep you flour and pancake mix in identical containers

See what I mean?

Luckily, Maxo noticed what I was doing 1/2 way into the recipe - so it wasn't ALL pancake mix, but there was enough extra leavening in the batter that some of the cupcakes 'sploded.

But the ones that didn't were DELISH! Super light and tasty. Max thinks were onto something with this and wants to experiment with more flour-to-pancake mix ratios. Maybe topped with maple-flavored frosting and bacon sprinkles?

I'd been practicing the flowers that we'll be making in Wilton Course 2 - and oh are they pretty and fun to make! I topped each of the intact cupcakes with a single blossom and made a garden of treats.

Flower roll call:

Pansy

Daisy

Chrysanthemum

Rosebud

Daffodil

Apple Blossom

Primrose

Violet

Cakepops!!

2009-05-19T22:47:00.000-07:00

I've been dying to make Bakerella's Cakepops since I first discovered her blog. They are the cutest things ever. I knew my next baking opportunity was the teacher appreciation lunch at Max's school, so I decided that my maiden voyage into the world of cakepoppery would be apples. I definitely learned a thing or two in the process.

What you do is take cake, mush it up with your fingers or a food processor, then mix it with frosting into a moldable paste. I used the leftover 1/2 layer of cake from when I made the Fairfax Theater and some of the frosting I use in the Wilton classes. I put the frozen cake in the food processor to crumble it, but in retrospect I'd have let it thaw first and used my hands. I also think I added too much frosting. But hey, you live and learn.

I rolled the mush into balls, and froze them for about 1/2 an hour. To make the apple shape, I rolled the bottom half into a cone shape.

Then I put the small end of the cone on the cookie sheet and pressed down with my fingers and the handle of a wooden spoon - this gave me a tapered look to the apples, a flat bottom and a pretty good approximation of the top of an apple. These went back into the freezer for about 15-20 minutes.

While the pops were freezing, I melted white chocolate. I had a 7oz bar of Valrhona white chocolate that my friend Deborah had given me (she does their PR - it pays to have friends in high places) I dipped the tip of the lollipop sticks in the melted chocolate and then stuck them in the pops. Then back to the freezer.

I added pretty much a whole tub of Wilton No-Taste Red food coloring to get it to the right shade. In retrospect, I would have used Red Candy Melts. Because the chocolate was kind of thick, I thinned it out with Paramount Crystals. These are waxy "flakes" that makes chocolate thinner and more elastic. I use it when I want to get a nice "splatter" effect on cakes and cookies.

It took a while to get the hang of dipping the pops in the chocolate, but I was able to get a smooth-ish surface after a while.

I chilled the pops again for a couple of days, and then added the leaves and stems. The leaves are fondant (more leftovers from the Fairfax Theater project) cut with a leaf-shaped cutter, and the stems are pieces of these fancy French chocolate twigs (thanks again Deborah!)

I wanted to bag them into lollipop bags - but the bags were a very tight fit, so I sliced each of the bags down the side and overlapped two over the pop -voila!

And I just knew those 100 6" x 6" foam squares I got from Freecycle would come in handy!

This was a super fun project - I think I may make some more for the end of school picnic next week - stay tuned!

Clownin' Around

2009-05-18T22:48:00.001-07:00

Due to some scheduling conflicts, Melinda has a private class tonight. We had a great time chit-chatting and learning new tricks - and she made this adorable clown cake, with one clown for each of her kids - I have a feeling they're going to ask her to cut it right down the middle and give each of them half!

Now That Really Frosts My Cupcake!

2009-05-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

I mean, really - it does. It's an easy white chocolate buttercream and quite yummy. I usually don't care for powdered sugar-based frostings, I find them to sweet and cloying, but this one has a smooth texture and luscious mouthfeel due to the addition of melted white chocolate.

If you've got access to luxurious white chocolate bars by all means use them, but this works just as well with chips. The finished frosting gets quite white, even with the addition of real butter, so you can color it and achieve bright, true hues.

White Chocolate Buttercream (courtesy of Baker's Chocolate)

6 oz white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup cream or milk
1 cup cold unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar

Microwave the white chocolate and the cream/milk in a large microwaveable bowl on high for 1-1/2 minutes. Stir 1/2 way through cooking time. Stir until white chocolate is completely melted. Cool 30 minutes or until room temperature.

Beat butter and sugar gradually into the cooled white chocolate mixture with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.

Makes 3 to 3-1/2 cups

More from Marla

2009-05-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

Another adorable Nurse Cake from Marla - so cute!

I'd like to thank.....

2009-05-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

Why, thank you Monica at Bored Housewife for this lovely award! Here are the rules:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. (Done!)

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

There's only one problem: Most of the blogs I read are pretty high-level (Project Rungay, Jezebel , Bakerella etc) with thousands of readers. So I'll list a few from ordinary folks like me, and when a new one pops up that I can't tear myself away from, I'll add them later. I know this isn't part of the rules, but its all I got for now.

Check 'em out:

Bored Housewif e - my new friend Monica's true tales of life as a Marin SAHM

Somewhere I Have Never Travelled - my friend Daphne makes art, reads books, cooks a lot and blogs about it all with heart & humor

CFS Warrior - Daphne's partner Terri is fighting Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Her somtimes heart-wrenching, mostly hopeful blog is chronicleing the journey.

Jennifer's Cakes - Jen was a student in one of my first Course 1 classes at Michaels. She's documenting her cake-ventures here.

Parentheticals - Julia's way to busy to post very often, but when she does its always a funny and/or insightful treat

Love, Loss and What I Baked: Only A Masquerade

2009-05-15T22:16:00.000-07:00

My friend Julia's 40th birthday in January was the first of a LOT of 40th birthdays in 2009 among my circle of friends (including my own)

The year of milestones was kicked off with her Masquerade/Karaoke/Dessert Buffet party - what could be more fun? I love to doll up in costumes and despite my utter lack of talent, I love singing Karaoke too. And, I got to get some more use out of the mask I made for Mardi Gras way back in college, and the feather boas I picked up at a yard sale that I just knew would come in handy one day.

The party was a hoot and a half - I got two of my friends to join me on "Bad Girls" and "Express Yourself" and the treats on the dessert table were yummy.

The cake is Black Magic Cake, topped with Mocha Neoclassic Buttercream. I rolled the sided in chopped almonds, and topped them with a chocolate mask.

To make the mask, I found an image online and copied it 6 or 8 times onto a sheet of paper. I placed a sheet of waxed paper over the image, and piped melted chocolate over the outline. I filled it in with melted white chocolate into the outline to fill in the mask. To keep the chocolate from hardening while I was working, I used a heating pad. I folded it in half and tucked the bags in the middle wrapped in a dish towel.

I popped the chocolate pieces in the freezer to harden, and then peeled them off of the waxed paper. Then you flip them over and use the side that was on the paper. I added one of my horded gold dragees to the center for a touch of glam.

Why am I hording gold dragees? Because they are illegal in California. Yep, that's right - you can't buy them here and online companies will not ship them here. Why? Because a lawyer in Napa got it into his head that they are dangerous and started suing everyone from McCormick Spices to Martha Stewart to local cake decorating stores. You can read more about it here. So, if you have friends or family out of state, have them smuggle some in for you!

Love, Loss and What I Baked: The Prince's Castle

2009-05-11T22:37:00.001-07:00

We had Max's 4th birthday party at Round Table Pizza in Novato. It's a great place for a party - there's a large indoor play structure that the kids can run around on. For the cost of a couple of pizzas everything's taken care of - no clean up or dishes for Mom. Sweet!

Since the theme of the place is King Arthur - I decided a castle cake was in order. I stacked two 8" squares for the main part of the cake, and baked batter in two Progresso soup cans for the turrets. (Is that what they're called? Turrets?) The towers are ice cream cones covered in blue buttercream.

For the doors, windows and bricks around the top, I used Dark Chocolate Dough. I love this stuff - it's tasty (like a really good Tootsie roll) super easy to roll out and work with, and freezes like a dream. I've used it to make all kinds of decorations - including bows for a present cake.

I achieved the brick effect using a #47 Basketweave Tip on the plain side (as opposed to the serrated side you usually see in basketweaving) piping out 1/2" bricks and alternating the rows.

The day before the party I was at the park with the boy thinking about finishing the cake later in the afternoon - then I spied a toy castle in the sandbox. It had a drawbridge. Drawbridge! My cake needed a drawbridge! Max had a Bob the Builder Play-Doh set that included a mold to make a 3"-ish rectangle of "wood." Perfect! I used that to mold a drawbridge that not only was the just the right size, but also had a faux bois pattern.

Of course, there's no point in a drawbridge without a moat, so I swirled one around the castle in blue buttercream. The rest of the baking sheet was filled in with crushed chocolate graham cracker "dirt."

My little prince loved his party and his cake

Dark Chocolate Dough

6 (1 cup) ounces chocolate chips
1/4 cup light corn syrup

Melt the chocolate and syrup in a double boiler over simmering water, stirring with a spatula until the mixture is smooth. Scrape the dough into a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the chocolate mixture. Let it sit up to 8 hours (the recipe I copied from a book I can't remember says not to put it in the fridge - but I do, just bring it to room temp before using)

Remove the dough from the bowl and kneed it a few times. You can mold it into shapes and flowers as is, or roll it out to cut into shapes. To roll it, pat the dough into a flat disk and roll it out between two sheets of waxed paper. Pull off the top sheet of waxed paper. If it is too sticky to pull off cleanly - stick it in the fridge for a few minutes.

Cut out shapes with a sharp knife.

White Chocolate Dough

6 oz (1 cup) white chocolate (I've used both chips and bars)
3-1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup

The procedure is pretty much the same as for the Dark Dough, but the recipe says you should put it in the fridge and bring it to room temp to use. If it's too hard to roll, put it in a warm place for a few minutes (or zap it on low for 15 seconds at a time)

Post-Graduate Work: Fun with Fondant

2009-05-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud! Students from my April Course 1 have sent me photos of cakes they've made after class. Jen and Marla both experimented for the first time with fondant - and the results are delish:

Jen made this adorable Birthday Cake -I love the color scheme

Jen's documenting her cake-ventures on her blog

Marla made this cheery cake - I love the graphic look of the roses

Marla also made a cake for the nurses who cared for a friend - the little spray of roses at the base is super cute

Just for Fun: My Illustrated Self

2009-05-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

Cute no? You can make one too at DesignHer Gals

Hello Cupcakes!

2009-05-02T21:52:00.001-07:00

After class today I did a demo of cupcakes using the tips and techniques taught in Course 1 - how cute are these?

These are details of two of my favorites

A little purse! I also did a pink purse on a white background

A lady who came by the demo said these were "very Martha Stewart" - I'll take that as a compliment!

Flower Finale - Saturday Class

2009-05-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

My Saturday class created their finale cakes today - the ladies did such a great job!

Marla made a bunch of blue blooms

Then added finishing touches on her cake

Ta-da! This from a woman who didn't even own a mixer when she started class - bellissima!

Kelly added Sweet Peas and swags to her cake

Jen perfects pink roses

Another chic brown and pink cake - I love the shell/flower border on the bottom

I had so much fun teaching my first series of classes - I'm looking forward to more Course 1 in May - and then onto Course 2 in June!

Pretty in Pink (and Yellow)

2009-04-29T16:22:00.000-07:00

Susana sent me photos of the cake she made in Course 1-Class 3 - isn't it pretty?

Adding a dot of contrasting color to the center of a drop flower or drop star creates such a polished, professional look.

The flowers were made with Tip #2D - it makes creating flowers super easy - once you start it's kind of hard to stop!

Flower Finale!

2009-04-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight was "Graduation Night" for my first cake class - and I'm so proud of my students!

Tonight we learned the final step in the rose, how to make adorable sweet peas, and create leaves and vines.

All of the skills we've practiced over the last four sessions came together in beautiful floral cakes.

Susana perfects yellow roses

Kayla's pretty purple roses

Laura's pink petals

Finishing touch

Dani's hands are really red!

Lovely! After this photo Kayla added a few dots of pink to the purple border - looked great!

Susana's dots are very chic

Laura's amazing creation - I love the rose on the bottom!

Kari's fabulous pink & purple cake is going to her doctor's office as a "Thank You"

Dani's really red roses with a drop-flower border - she's a pro!

Saturday Class: Send In The Clowns!

2009-04-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

No, these ladies aren't clowns, but in Course 1 - Class 3 they did learn to make figure-piped clowns. We had so much fun today - just look at the delicious results:

Jen's chic pink and black flower cake

So pretty! Her family was as little caked-out so she had the great idea to post "Who Wants a Free Cake?" on the board of her mother's club. One of the moms happily took her up on the offer and will be serving this scrumptious creation at her BBQ - everybody wins!

Marla perfecting her shell borders

And she made cute clowns for the top. Her cake is going to the nurses at the hospital who are caring for an ill friend - once again, everybody wins!

Kelly topped cupcakes with the clowns

We also practiced swirled flowers. I love the black and white - very Chanel.

Meet Me At The (Marin County) Fair

2009-04-24T11:49:00.001-07:00

The Marin County Fair (July 1-July 5) has several competitive categories of decorated foods, including cakes, cupcakes and cookies in adult and junior divisions. I'm going to enter for the first time this year - you should too!

Fees are only $1.00 per entry, and prizes are $5-$15 plus ribbons.

Click the links for more details, and click here for an online entry form

Adult Department

Division 31: Decorated Cakes

A mix of styrofoam or cardboard may be used providing the shape is one which could be achieved through baking.

Beginning Decorators (Open to exhibitors who have less than 24 hours of class instruction, or who are self-taught have have been decorating for less than 2 years)

Intermediate Decorators (Open to exhibitors who have 24-48 hours of class instruction, or who are self-taught have have been decorating for less than 2 years)

Advanced Decorators (Open to exhibitors who have 48+ hours of class instruction, or who are self-taught have have been decorating for less than 2+ years)

Cake, Birthday
Cake, Holiday
Cake, Novelty
Cake. Wedding, tiered
Cake, Cool Green Fun (the theme of the fair)
Cake, open theme

Division 32: Decorated Sun Cookies

Each entry consists of 3 cookies, decorated the same or differently. Decorations must represent a sun theme.

Cookie cutters will be available at the Fair office beginning on May 1.

Decorated Sun Cookies, using all edible decorations
Decorated Sun Cookies, using any combination of edible and non-edible decorations

Division 33: Other Decorated Items

Decorated Cupcakes
Decorated Gingerbread House
Decorated Gingerbread People
Decorated House - Pre-made kit
Decorated Edible House
Decorated Sugar Mold
Decorated other items using a "Going Green" theme

Junior Department

Division 353: Decorated Cakes (scroll down after the link)

Cool Green Fun Cake, any recycled earth-friendly theme
Novelty Cake
All-Occasion Cake (Birthday, Anniversary, Holiday)
Decorated Cupcakes
Any Other Cake

Division 354: Decorated Sun Cookies (scroll down after the link)

Decorated Sun Cookies - Exhibitor’s Age: 5 - 8 Years
Decorated Sun Cookies - Exhibitor’s Age: 9 - 12 Years
Decorated Sun Cookies - Exhibitor’s Age: 13 - 18 Years

Division 355: Other Decorated Items (scroll down after the link)

Decorated Gingerbread House, any theme. (Halloween, Holiday, Winter, etc.)
Decorated Gingerbread People, entry to consist of 1 to 2 large gingerbread
people, each decorated differently
Decorated Sugar Mold, any theme
Decorate House, Pre-made Commercial Kit, plus your creativity
Decorated Edible House, any theme, your choice of edible materials

See you at the Fair!c

Saturday's Class: Over the Rainbow!

2009-04-21T23:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the lovely and talented Jen, I do have photos from last Saturday's class:

Kelly considers courses 2, 3 and 4

Laura preps her pastry bags

Marla gets ready to decorate

Look what they made - too, too cute:

You'll have to take my word for it,,,

2009-04-21T23:05:00.000-07:00

Cake class was so fun tonight,the cakes were amazing - but I forgot my camera!!

The ladies learned how to make shell borders, drop and swirl flowers and figure piping.

The white cake with the pink and yellow flowers on top was right outta' Martha Stewart

The cheery blue clown family on Dani's cake were adorable

The chocolate cake with white flowers was so pretty

The cupcakes were too, too cute

But, you'll have to take my word for it....

And the winner is...

2009-04-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

.... not me. Well, not quite. I was first runner up in the first Fairfax Cake Art contest. However, if the winner is unable to fulfill her duties I am ready and willing to step in :)

The event was a hoot - about 12-15 cakes made by kids and adults with lots of different takes on the theme of "Fairfax."

I'm not an expert in fondant by any means - and I definitely learned a thing or three in the process of making the all-carb replica of the iconic Fairfax Theater.

The Fairfax Theater

The Fairfax Theater - in cake!

My Major Award - a pretty hand-painted cake trivet

I started with 2 10" x 15" layers of basic yellow cake (flavored with almond extract just for kicks). I cut them in half and stacked three of the layers to form the main part of the cake (I've got plans for that fourth piece - watch this space!) I filled and frosted them with the Crisco-based class Buttercream we use in the Wilton Classes, and say what you want about Crisco but I'm glad I did because it was 80 degrees today and I hate to think how the cake would have behaved had it been made with my usual NeoClassic Buttercream.

Per the recommendation of R.L.B. in the Cake Bible, I beveled the top corners of the cake before covering it in fondant, in retrospect, I think I would have left the sharp edges and cut slabs of fondant for each of the sides, but hey - you live, you learn.

R.L.B definitely got it right when she said to color the fondant in the food processor - it worked brilliantly!

The architectural details were made out of Rice Krispies treats - and I must give full props to Max Starr for that brilliant suggestion. I snipped and bent a small arrow-shaped cookie cutter into the rectangle needed for the top piece.

The "Fairfax" sign was made using the Wilton Color-Flow product, but the technique works with royal icing as well. I made a template for the letters on a piece of paper, then put a sheet of waxed paper over it. Then I outlined the letters in white full-strength icing with a #1 tip and let them dry for a few minutes. Then I thinned out and colored the frosting red and let it flow from a #2 tip into the outline. It took a few hours to dry, but once they did the letters were rock hard and will last forever.

I used the same Color Flow frosting for the details on the marquis - and in case you can't read the movies that are showing, they are:

Frosting/Nixon
Slice Age
Crumb
Citizen Cake
A Sprinkle in Time

Max stuffs the ballot box for Mom

After the prizes were awarded the cakes were cut and served - I was glad to see that Amy Gosman had entered the contest because she's a fabulous baker and I knew her cake would be both pretty and delish - and it was! Her fondant tie-died T-shirt covered a yummy chocolate cake filled with cherries and hazelnut meringue cream.

The Contest was held in the Fairfax Pavillion

The Pavilion -in cake!
I didn't mind loosing to this amazing creation

The Pavilion After the Quake - Get Ready Marin!

No one seemed to have the heart to cut into my cake - and as much as I go on and on about how cakes are like sand mandalas (you work on them with mindfulness and and then let them go) I couldn't bring myself to do it either. As I was leaving the Pavilion with the cake, thinking I'd bring it to my Book Club or cake class, a fellow who was having a picnic in Bolinas Park came up to admire the cake and said I should bring it to the Fairfax Theater - brilliant! I brought it to the Theater and the staff just loved it -I said they could keep it there as long as they wanted (locals can drop by and take a peek)

My first foray into competitive cakery was a a lot of fun, next stop: Marin County Fair!

Classic Rolled Fondant (from the Cake Bible)

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon/1 envelope gelatin
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 tablespoon glycerin (sometimes hard to find, look in the skincare aisle at Walgreens or "Aisle 15" at Rite Aid)
2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
8 cups/2 pounds powdered sugar (I don't bother to sift it)

INSTRUCTIONS:
Sprinkle gelatin over the water in a 2-cup heatproof glass measure and let stand for 5 minutes. Set into a small pan of simmering water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. (This can be done in a microwave on high for a few seconds).

Blend in the glucose and glycerin, then add the shortening and stir until melted. Remove from heat. (I do this whole process in the microwave)

Place the sugar in a bowl and make a well in the center. Add the gelatin mixture and stir with a lightly greased wooden spoon until blended. Mix lightly with greased hand and knead vigorously in the bowl until most of the sugar is incorporated. Turn onto a smooth, lightly greased surface such as Formica or marble and knead until smooth and satiny. If the Fondant seems dry, add several drops of water and knead well. If it seems too sticky, knead in more powdered sugar. The Fondant will resemble a smooth, well-shaped stone.

When dropped, it should spread very slightly but retain its shape. It should be malleable like clay, soft but not sticky.

Rolled Fondant may be used at once but seems to work more easily when allowed to rest for several hours, preferably overnight. It is important to keep Fondant covered to prevent it from drying. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. It will firm slightly upon standing.

When ready to roll out, spray the work surface and rolling pin with nonstick vegetable spray.

Store 1 month at room temp or forever in the freezer

More fun in Cake Class!

2009-04-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

We had a blast tonight learning about drop stars, writing, the magic of piping gel and the first step in creating the rose.

Dani and her mom made a gorgeous sunflower

Mastering drop stars

Adorable!

Love, Loss and What I Baked: Dapper Dan

2009-04-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

For my mom's birthday in 2002, she wanted to have a bunch of us go to Film Night in the Park and see one of her favorite movies, Oh Brother Where Art Thou.

I was of course delighted to make the cake, and very happily the date coincided with what John and I like to call "Golden Time" - that period of time when you leave one job before you start a new job and you've got lots of free time with no stress about money or returning to a desk of piled-up work.

I took advantage of the time to attempt one of my more ambitious adventures in fondant. Dapper Dan Pomade plays a small yet pivotal role in "Oh Brother" (and has the pleasure of being run through George Clooney's hair) and is the perfect shape to be translated into cake.

The red is smoothed NeoClassic Buttercream (recipe follows) and the decorations are rolled fondant. I brushed the edges with silver poweder to create the metalic look of the can. I enlarged a photo of the movie prop and used it to trace the lettering in chocolate (what you do is place a sheet of wax paper over what you want to trace, and go over it with a small pastry bag full of melted chocolate with just a teeny, tiny hole in the tip of the bag)

Dapper Dan himself is also fondant - I cut out the features from the photo of the prop and traced them onto rolled pieces of colored fondant, then reassembled them on the cake like a puzzle. Around foil on the cake circle I piped "Oh Mother, Where Art Thou?"

It was so fun and relaxing to have a whole, free, uninterupted day to work on the cake. I was thrilled with how it came out, as was my mom. And, because I'm a big show-off, I loved carrying it through the crowds of people at the park and collecting all of the "oohs" and "aahs."

NeoClassic Buttercream (from The Cake Bible)

Neoclassic Buttercream

6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
2 cups unsalted butter 2 cups (4 sticks)

optional: 2-4 tablespoons liqueur or eau-de-vie of your choice

Have ready a greased 1-cup heatproof glass measure near the range.

In a medium bowl, beat the yolks with an electric mixer until light in color. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan (preferably with a nonstick lining) and heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup comes to a rolling boil. (The entire surface will be covered with large bubbles.) Immediately transfer the syrup to the glass measure to stop the cooking.

If using an electric hand-held mixer, beat the syrup into the yolks in a steady stream. Don't allow syrup to fall on the beaters or they will spin it onto the sides of the bowl. If using a stand mixer, pour a small amount of syrup over the yolks with the mixer turned off. Immediately beat at high speed for 5 seconds. Stop the mixer and add a larger amount of syrup. Beat at high speed for 5 seconds. Continue with the remaining syrup. For the last addition, use a rubber scraper to remove the syrup clinging to the glass measure. Continue beating until completely cool.

Gradually beat in the butter and, if desired, any optional flavoring.. The buttercream will not thicken until almost all of the butter has been added. Place in an airtight bowl. Bring to room temperature before using. Rebeat to restore texture but not until it has reached room temperature to avoid curdling.

Pointers for Success

The syrup must come to a rolling boil or the buttercream will be too thin.
Don't allow the syrup to fall directly onto the beaters as it will spin the syrup around
the sides of the bowl.
The egg/syrup mixture must be completely cool before adding the butter.
Using a hand-held beater makes this easier

Variations

Chocolate: Add up to 6 ounces of melted, cooled chocolate
Coffee: Add 1 tablespoon instant coffee disolved in 1 teaspoon hot water
Raspberry: add 1 recipe of Raspberry Sauce

Flourless & Fabulous

2009-04-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

(Max piped all of the whipped cream on the cake - he did a great job, no?)

Back in the day, the treats at the end of the Passover Seder were limited to canned coconut maccaroons (yuck) and dry sponge cake (double yuck)

Somwhere in the mid-80s, my family discovered that flourless could be fabulous, and mom and Aunt Ruthy started producing a series of delectable Kosher for passover desserts.

This super-rich flourless chocolate cake reminds me of the "fondant au chocolat" I had in Paris. I prefer the smooth texture to "crunchy" flourless cakes made with whipped egg whites - and it's also much easier to make.

Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake (adapted from Bon Appetit)

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
(you can fudge a bit here - I've made with all semisweet and 14 oz semi + 2 oz unsweetened just fine)
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, diced
(I only had 3 sticks of unsalted - I added 1 stick of salted with no flavor difference)
1 cup freshly brewed espresso or 1 tablespoon instant espresso or coffee powder dissolved in 1 cup hot water or coffee
1 cup (packed) brown sugar (dark or light - whatever you have)
8 large eggs, beaten to blend

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Raspberry Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line bottom of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2-inch-high sides with parchment. Place all chocolate in large bowl. Bring butter, espresso and sugar to boil in medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add to chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool slightly. Whisk in eggs.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Place cake pan in roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake until center of cake is set and tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 1 hour. Remove pan from water. Chill cake overnight.

Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Place platter over pan. Hold pan and platter together tightly and invert. Lift off cake pan; peel off parchment.

Whip cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form - spread or pipe onto the top of the cake.

If you have some extra chocolate around, grate it over the top or decorate with chocolate curls.

Bon Appetit claims this will serve up to 20

Raspberry Sauce (from The Cake Bible)

2 12-oz bags of frozen unsweetened raspberries
2 tsp lemon juice
2/3 c sugar (optional)

In a strainer suspended over a deep bowl, thaw the raspberries completely. This will take several hours. (To speed thawing, place in an owen with a pilot light.) Press the berries to force out all the juice. There should be 1 cup.

In a saucepan boil the juice until reduced to 1/4 cup. (You can also do this in a microwave on high power. If you do so, make sure that you use a big enough heatproof glass measure or bowl to allow for bubbling.) Pour it into a lightly oiled heatproof cup.

Puree the raspberries and sieve them with a food mill with a fine disc. Or use a fine strainer to remove all the seeds. (This part is really time consuming.) You should have 1 liquid cup of puree. Stir in the raspberry syrup and lemon juice. Measure again, there should be 1 1/3 liquid cups. If you have less, add less sugar. The correct amount of sugar 1/2 the volume of the puree. Stir until sugar dissolves.

Love, Loss and What I Baked: Scarlet O'Hara

2009-04-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

For most of 1997 I worked at Conari Press, a small book publisher in Berkeley. I had the pleasure to work with some amazing and creative people, including the co-author of my book The Party Girl Cookbook, Nina Lesowitz

1997 was a pivotal year for Nina. She turned 40, went through a divorce, moved and met her future husband. She also dressed up as Scarlet O'Hara and passed out matchbooks to strangers inviting them to "light her fire."

See, we were publishing a book called Hells Belles: A Tribute to the Spitfires, Bad Seeds & Steel Magnolias of the New and Old South (written by our colleague and friend, Seale Ballenger) and cooked a scheme to promote it at BookExpo by having Seale and Nina dress up as Rhett and Scarlet and hand-out promotional matchbooks. Being the "go-for-it" good sports they are, they eagerly jumped into their roles and had a blast.

So, for Nina's 40th Birthday I knew I had to attempt my first doll cake - and dress her like Ms. O'Hara-Hamilton-Kennedy-Butler. I baked the Black Magic Cake (recipe follows) in a large metal bowl. It took a LONG time to bake, but worked like a charm. I found a black-haired off-brand Barbie at the dollar store, and even found a mini straw hat in the doll making dept. of the hobby shop. I stuck green sequins into her ears with straight pins for earrings.

The dress is inspired by the one Scarlett wears in the "Picnic at 12 Oaks" scene:

I cheated a little and did vines instead of clusters of flowers, but I think it worked, and most importantly - Nina was thrilled!

Black Magic Cake

This is the best, easiest chocolate cake ever. I've made it hundreds of times. Sometimes I forget the salt or vanilla, sometimes I use buttermilk usually I don't and it still comes out yummy every time. I also love that it calls for oil rather than butter - which means you can make it on the fly without having to wait for butter to soften. I can get this puppy into the oven in 10 minutes.

The recipe is from my well-worn, butter-stained copy of Hershey's Fabulous Desserts, a circa 1990 recipe book that I picked up at Crown Books in LA and have had for a million years - the book pretty much opens itself to this recipe.

1-3/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup strong black coffee
1 cup buttermilk, regular milk or sourmilk (1 tablespoon vinegar + milk to equal 1 cup)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350

Grease & flour two 8 or 9" cake pans or a 9" x 13" baking pan. In large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, soda, powder and salt. Add eggs, coffee, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. The batter is very thin.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes for round pans, 40-45 minutes for a sheet pan, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack.

Also makes great cupcakes - used a 1/4 cup measure to fill standard cupcake pan

First Saturday Class

2009-04-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

Another fun class - the ladies were very helpful and forgiving when I forgot a few things, thank goodness they were following along with the course book :)

The best was the visit from Kelly's nephews at the end of the glass - David was thrilled to see his name in frosting!

Love, Loss and What I Baked: Queen Cakes

2009-04-09T16:18:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite books is Love, Loss and What I Wore, an illustrated memoir told told through clothes. The sweet, sad, and triumphant moments of author Ilene Beckerman's life are recalled in poignantly simple text and accompanied by a charming drawing of the outfit she was wearing at the time.

I've often said I wish I'd written this book, but since the exponentially more talented Ms. Beckerman beat me to the punch, I'll look back on the some of the cakes and treats I made, and what was going on when I made them.

These Queen Cakes were baked for an especially fertile baby shower. I worked at a publishing company with about 20 women, and in the spring of 1993, five of them were pregnant (I drank bottled water and wiped down all chairs before I sat down - I didn't want to catch what they had) The "Queen for a Day" shower theme celebrated three of the earlier due dates.

Queen Lynne's golden crown is made from melted peanut butter chips spread between sheets of wax paper and cut into a pointed strip

Queen Maria's tiara is white chocolate piped in squiggles onto wax paper and wrapped around the cake

Queen Barbara's ermine-trimmed crown was one of my first forays into fondant

This shower was the first one I can recall where friends of MINE, not friends of my parents or older relatives having a baby. Talk about your milestones. I visited Maria in the hospital the day after her baby was born. He was the youngest baby I'd ever seen and I'll never forget how impossibly little he was, the look of shock and awe on her husband Ted's face, and Maria's sweet, strong, satisfaction with the miracle she'd created.

What a Tool: Tip Brush

2009-04-09T00:07:00.000-07:00

I just love my little tip brush - there's nothing better for getting the frosting out of the corners and crevasses of your pastry tips.

I keep mine on the shelf right over the sink and find myself reaching for it all the time. Totally worth the $1.50.

Cake Contest in Fairfax!

2009-04-08T17:50:00.000-07:00

Calling All Cake-Makers!

The Town of Fairfax is having a cake-fest on April 19th!

Here's the scoop:

CAKE ART COMPETITION GUIDELINES
The theme of the cake is ʻFAIRFAXʼ

Competition is open to all ages groups.
No previous experience necessary.

THERE IS NO ENTRY FEE

(donations will be accepted towards the Fairfax Artists-in-Residence Program)
Competitors will be judged within two categories as follows:

JUNIOR—Up to 16 years old
SENIOR—17 years and up

FIRST & SECOND prizes will be awarded in each category
A table space will be provided for your display.

You must bring your cake ʻPRE-MADE & DECORATEDʼ to the Fairfax Pavilion at 10 AM on Sunday April 19th. You will have until NOON to set out your display and make minor touch-ups to your cake. We have no facilities for baking, decorating, or other preparation on the premises so please make sure that apart from minor touch-ups your cake is ready to be displayed with whatever props you require. THATʼS IT!

Doors open at Noon. Prizes will be awarded at 3 PM and cakes will be offered for consumption to the public! Competition over at 4 PM!

First Class!

2009-04-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

Last night was the first in my series of Wilton Cake Decorating Classes at Michael's in Marin.

We had a lot of fun! The 8 ladies learned how to make class frosting, all about tips and bags, and a preview of what we'll be covering in future classes.

Young Dani was delightful, Chef Duff had better look out - she loves to use fondant and I think she'll be giving him a run for his money in a few years!

I loved swapping stories about exploding chocolate balloons with Kari! Glad to know I'm not the only one!

CAKESTARR

Separated at Birth

Peachy Keen

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

*Milk Chocolate with Malt and Croquant*White chocolate with coffee beans and toasted hazeluts*Milk Chocolate with peanut butter and croquant*White Chocolate mint with a bittersweet chocolate

Easy as PiePops!

Special Delivery: Scones

Playing with Food and Sleeping with Fishes

The Color Purple

Whoopie! It's Valentine's Day

Hearty Hot Cakes

Big Whoop!

Candy Cane Cakepops

We Come in Peace from Planet Cakepop

Pumpkin Pops

When Bad Things Happen to Good Cakepops

Le Petite Gateau

Stick It To 'Em

Pat's PB Pie

Love, Loss and What I Baked: Tempest in a Teacup

More Cakes I Didn't Make (But Wish I Had)

Pie Pops

Bacio con Biscotti

We all scream...

Love, Loss and What I Baked: Rice Krispie Wedding Cake

Marla Can't Be Stopped (Yay!)

And the winner is...

Baskets of Flowers

Marin County Fair Cake: Days 4 & 5

Marin County Fair Cake: Day 3

Marin County Fair Cake: Day 2

Marin County Fair Cake: Day 1

Cupcake Garden at the Beach

C is for Cookie...

Blasts from the Past

Flower Power!

More Cakepops!

Don't Mess with Maxo

These are your cupcakes....

Cakepops!!

Clownin' Around

Now That Really Frosts My Cupcake!

More from Marla

I'd like to thank.....

Love, Loss and What I Baked: Only A Masquerade

Love, Loss and What I Baked: The Prince's Castle

Post-Graduate Work: Fun with Fondant

Just for Fun: My Illustrated Self

Hello Cupcakes!

Flower Finale - Saturday Class

Pretty in Pink (and Yellow)

Flower Finale!

Saturday Class: Send In The Clowns!

Meet Me At The (Marin County) Fair

Saturday's Class: Over the Rainbow!

You'll have to take my word for it,,,

And the winner is...

More fun in Cake Class!

Love, Loss and What I Baked: Dapper Dan

Flourless & Fabulous

Love, Loss and What I Baked: Scarlet O'Hara

First Saturday Class

Love, Loss and What I Baked: Queen Cakes

What a Tool: Tip Brush

Cake Contest in Fairfax!

First Class!

Milk Chocolate with Malt and Croquant
White chocolate with coffee beans and toasted hazeluts
Milk Chocolate with peanut butter and croquant
White Chocolate mint with a bittersweet chocolate