Surf's Up!

            One of my favorite themes to recreate on a cake is the beach. Being one of the first cakes I’ve ever made, I was excited when my friend Morgan asked me to make her boyfriend’s cake with a beach theme.

            Shawn, who is a lifeguard in Long Beach Island, loves surfing and summer. For this reason, Morgan and I set out on designing a cake that Shawn would absolutely love.

            French vanilla cake with a rainbow chip filling, the cake was covered in buttercream frosting and cerulean blue frosting. To create the sandy effect, graham cracker crumbs were secured onto half of the cake using a thin layer of white frosting. The other half was covered with a blue and white swirled frosting, applied using Wilton star tip 21 to create the wavy effect.

            The lifeguard chair, due to limited time constraints, was constructed using miniature wooden picket fences purchased from Michaels, which were then painted white and hot glued together to form a chair. The driftwood plank that hangs on the front was painted the decorated in the same manner.

            White anchors and blood orange crabs were cut from colored fondant and adhered to the sides of the cakes using a small amount of water.

            TIP: When working with fondant, be sure to keep the room you are working in at a cool temperature. When exposed to too warm temperatures (especially when put in the microwave to soften), fondant becomes too soft and sticky, making it extremely difficult to work with. When working with the crabs, due to the amount of food coloring used combined with the temperatures of the microwave, it took many attempts until a crab did not fall apart upon cutting.

            A yellow surfboard and beach ball were formed out of fondant and secured on the cake using toothpicks that were hidden inside the cake. It was then lined with white frosting using star tip 21 to create a clean border.

            This cake, surprisingly, was quick to make, only taking approximately three hours. It was fast and fun and a huge hit for the birthday boy. With the hot summer months quickly approaching, anyone would love a beach themed cake for their birthday.

Countdown to Graduation!

            With both college and high school graduations right around the corner, graduates and their families are sure to be scrambling around trying to plan the perfect party to celebrate. Nowadays, specialty cakes are known to be the centerpiece and greatest hit of the party, commonly assembled in the form of a pile of books or decorated with symbols of the person-of-honor’s future plans. Today, I just wanted to share a few cakes I’ve made to commemorate a few people’s special days.

            First, as shown below, I constructed a cake for my sister, Lauren’s, college graduation. After graduating from Montclair State University in spring of 2011 with a degree in Latin and the Classics, I thought it highly fitting to build the Roman Coliseum out of her favorite cake. 

            Yellow cake with chocolate frosting, the 14 inch-round cake consisted of three layers, held together with buttercream frosting and Duff’s fondant dyed beige. After lining the sides with windows and archways of a Romanesque nature, I piped mocha frosting around the edges as a border and molded three small trees from green fondant to stand at the front of the Coliseum. I then proceeded to write “Congratulations Lauren!” with a graduation cap with a black icing tube and small tip attachment.

            Next was a hot pink graduation cake for my ex-boyfriend’s cousin, Christa, who was leaving behind high school in pursuit of a culinary career at the Culinary Institute of America. The red velvet square cake, adorned with a chocolate graduation cap and starts, was made alongside fifty red velvet and chocolate cupcakes topped with mini fondant graduation hats and paper diplomas.

            These cakes made both Lauren and Christa’s day that much better, a special treat to celebrate hard work and a promising, successful future.

Happy Easter, Chicklets!

            Happy Easter, little baking bunnies! Before I hop on over to Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse to spend my Easter Sunday on the job, I figured I’d share my latest springtime creation with you.

            First of all, I am absolutely convinced that I am scheduled to work a majority of the holidays at my restaurant is because I never fail to make a new flavored cupcake for my co-workers to try in honor of each special day. For this Easter, I decided to make Creamy Lemonade cupcakes, adorned with paper bunnies and eggs to make them more festive.

            I have been swamped with papers and projects, especially my senior thesis that is due this week. Because of this, I didn’t have much time to make these cupcakes elaborate and complicated. So I decided to stick with a simple look that still manages to be fun and appealing to the eye and the taste buds. These cupcakes are quick and easy, taking less than an hour to bake and decorate. The cake is a tangy, yet refreshing lemonade flavor, both topped and stuffed with vanilla frosting.

Creamy Lemonade Cupcakes (yields 24):

1 Box White Cake Mix (Recommended Product: Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix)

1 ¼ cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

½ cup sweetened lemonade drink mix (for extra tang, use ¾ cup)

Combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix on high for two minutes or until batter is smooth. Divide batter evenly among cake wrappers. Proceed to bake for 20 minutes or under edges are golden, then let sit until cool. Using a Wilton filler tip, inject vanilla frosting into centers of cupcakes with either an icing bag or gun. Cover cupcakes with vanilla icing using Wilton tip 1M and top with sprinkles/decorations of your choice. I myself purchased a cupcake decorating set from Michaels ($1.99) due to time constraints. Be sure to refrigerate cupcakes if not serving immediately.

These cupcakes are a fast and fabulous treat for Easter, with just the right combination of springtime flavor and flair. Whether for your friends, family or, like me, a work affair, these creamy lemonade cupcakes are sure to brighten up any table this Easter.