Cake Decorating That Rocks!

          While cake decorating is a fun and entertaining hobby, it turns into one that it is rewarding when creating a sweet masterpiece for someone you love. This week was the 32^nd birthday of my co-worker and one of my best friends, Nick. Nick is an extremely intelligent individual, with a degree in Physics and extensive knowledge when it comes to computer science and technology. He is also currently enrolled back in school to obtain his doctorate. He works vigorously at everything he does and still has one of the kindest and warmest hearts I have ever met. So when his mother, Rosie, came to me with the request for his birthday cake, I was more than happy to make it.

            
One of Nick’s greatest passions is music, having the ability to play multiple instruments, his preferred being the guitar. So I set out to create a music-themed cake, adorned with his favorite flying v guitar and all the works.

 The cake consisted of three layers: Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge, Classic White, and a marble swirl of the two sandwiched in between. Rather than using a classic vanilla or chocolate frosting, I separated the three layers with a vanilla pudding custard, the recipe of which follows:

1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding

1 c. milk

1/2 c. whipping cream

1 tbsp. honey

1/4 tsp. almond extract

Beat all ingredients together until thickened. Spread between cake layers; frost cake as desired.

            
Then, if you choose, as I did, line the custard with freshly cut strawberries and/or bananas to give the sweet cake a refreshing, fruity kick.

            To cover the cake, I find it most conducive to use fondant to effectively create the decorations that I desire. I prefer to use Duff Fondant, available for purchase at retailers such as Michaels and Party City. Duff offers a wide variety of colors including purple, green, hot pink, blue and black. For this cake, I used the plain white fondant, coloring it myself with Wilton food dye.

            
Decorating with fondant requires some basic skills in drawing and art. If you do not feel confident in your drawing ability, print out pictures of what you wish to convey on the cake and cut them into stencils. Use a toothpick to trace the shapes in the fondant and proceed to cut them out using a fondant cutter or a sharp, thin knife.

           
When applying the different shapes, such as the guitar and the wording, I simply ran my finger under tap water and applied it lightly to the backs of the shapes, allowing them to adhere to the cake’s covering. To achieve the checkerboard side effect, use a small square cookie or fondant cutter to create multiple squares. Turn sideways into a diamond and stretch to a large size (if necessary). Simply place on the edges of the cake so that the tips of the diamonds touch and continue until the effect surrounds the cake.

            
Finally, if you do not have an icing bag or gun available, fill a plastic ziplock or storage bag with the colored icing of your choice and cut a small tip from the corner. Use icing star tip number 21 to create a border for the top and bottom of the cake.

And voila, you have a beautiful music cake that is simple and easy to make! Rosie ordered this cake as a surprise to Nick and it truly warmed my heart to see his smile when she gave it to him. I love knowing that something I made can make someone I love so happy and grateful. This cake only took three hours to decorate and I had a blast making it. I hope you will too when making your own rockin' birthday cake.

            

Valentine’s Day: Not Your Everyday Dozen Roses…

Every year, it's the same old thing; a bouquet of roses, the teddy bear with the little red bowtie, and the assorted chocolates encased in the heart-shaped box, wrapped in cellophane. Valentine's Day is supposed to be a holiday that celebrates the love between two people and the admiration and gratitude felt in the relationship. However, these trivial tokens hardly express the feelings of care and love. The flowers will wilt, the teddy will lose his charm and, let's face it, the chocolates will go straight to your thighs. This February 14th, why not make the effort to show that special person in your life that you love them by thinking outside the heart-shaped box?

It’s often said that the best gifts are not bought, but are homemade. Ladies, why not satisfy your man’s sweet tooth by whipping up a batch of clever, yet delicious cupcakes that are sure to make him drool? Guys, show your girl you’re willing to put in the effort and take the time to create a dozen of these fun, playful rose cupcakes, the perfect replacement for that played-out bouquet that will inevitably end up in the trash a week later.

Rose Cupcakes (yields 24):

What You’ll Need:

1 box Betty Crocker ® SuperMoist ® 1 container Betty Crocker ® Whipped

   devil’s food cake mix     vanilla frosting

1 ¼ cups water 12 rolls of Fruit by the Foot fruit leather

1/3 cup vegetable oil    in Cherry Rage or strawberry flavor

3 eggs 2 rolls of Fruit by the Foot fruit leather

1 pair of scissors    in Color by the Foot flavor

What You’ll Do:

1. Frost 12 mini cupcakes with white icing.
2. To make a rose, unroll a piece of the cherry or strawberry fruit leather and divide it in half along the wavy perforated middle line. Take one of the halves and roll up about 5 inches to form the flower's center. Set the rolled strip wavy side up in the middle of a cupcake, as shown, and continue to loosely wrap the remaining fruit leather around the center at a slight angle until the flower is completed.
3. Repeat this process for the remaining flowers. (You should be able to get 2 mini roses out of each roll of fruit leather.)
4. Cut leaf shapes from the wavy edge of the Color by the Foot strip as shown, then tuck the leaves under the roses.

These cupcakes are sure to make you fall in love! Enjoy!

FamilyFun Magazine- http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/rose-cupcakes-686747/