tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82042653479813483732024-03-02T03:19:21.149-05:00BlogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-57016492113792310972013-10-19T19:16:00.000-04:002014-08-04T09:38:36.545-04:00Unknown Gender Baby Shower Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittZB8Co0wcmZhZjw1yTviV3rI3PAYXcs4_9zC_GeZeJZf4PJ6GlzxUWZpOOCAaSLZRGIuAjR7RfD86QsmEntszMYHtubjsN8FMGLK2UN1XVS1Dx6X4UYrP4jYkb_3g-joA6Kum0BdnwZf/s1600/Booties+Baby+Shower+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittZB8Co0wcmZhZjw1yTviV3rI3PAYXcs4_9zC_GeZeJZf4PJ6GlzxUWZpOOCAaSLZRGIuAjR7RfD86QsmEntszMYHtubjsN8FMGLK2UN1XVS1Dx6X4UYrP4jYkb_3g-joA6Kum0BdnwZf/s1600/Booties+Baby+Shower+Cake.jpg" height="400" width="377" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had a request for a simple baby shower cake... one bootie blue, one bootie pink, because the gender was a surprise. This chocolate cake with chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream was covered in fondant and the cute phrase: "Pitter patter little feet, babies make our lives complete... Congratulations."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Congrats on the wee one's future arrival!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-73382958730134428942013-09-17T19:20:00.002-04:002013-09-17T19:20:39.711-04:00Reptile Birthday Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidki1F2oHr5uKqCSlkoMxA1OsnTUkbzQmEKiSrDHhs-OVuYTlXY1pEtfQpKzLWSpuNA3zg6xjnexCaAtrUcMLd-hifAGJiisXnyMfybl7YxMFBDAcOeh23zjm2s-eXPlTdkflcseBBjT8k/s1600/Reptile+Birthday+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidki1F2oHr5uKqCSlkoMxA1OsnTUkbzQmEKiSrDHhs-OVuYTlXY1pEtfQpKzLWSpuNA3zg6xjnexCaAtrUcMLd-hifAGJiisXnyMfybl7YxMFBDAcOeh23zjm2s-eXPlTdkflcseBBjT8k/s1600/Reptile+Birthday+Cake.jpg" height="400" width="342" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had less than a week to make a reptile-themed cake for a 6-year-old girl. Yes, that's right, a GIRL! I took the order because it was for someone I know plus I thought it was doable (it was finished 12 hours before the deadline... I am a hopeless procrastinator).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The party was being held at a reptile zoo (boy, was it busy for a Sunday!) and I delivered it using the worse roads ever, but the cake arrived intact.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The top tier was vanilla cake and bottom tier was chocolate cake, both filled with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. All the decorations were fondant. I thought it would be cute to have 6 things to represent her age, since she was going to have a number 6 for her candle. My favourite item was the lizard dusted with gold.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Apparently, the cake was devoured and not even one reptile was left. That's when you know you have satisfied everyone's belly. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 6th Birthday, Victoria!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-68448573588420793982013-09-02T17:24:00.005-04:002013-09-02T17:27:03.262-04:00Summer is Over!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">August has come and gone... September is upon us (Happy Labour Day!). Back to school... but first, here are few orders created during the past week:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Three Little Pigs Birthday Cake</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26SfoQXyOGA_bnnjWaxH3CIsn6xLFM76J067TYdT_UKGdQvslCsThHqcmWmiD_UfuncU-FM1lckms6MpA03UztbVfXIDnwC1CZRwiOOvZqdyyLnsPMA43Y1uWl9huz9JHemnzjrKltWBn/s1600/Three+Little+Pigs+Birthday+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26SfoQXyOGA_bnnjWaxH3CIsn6xLFM76J067TYdT_UKGdQvslCsThHqcmWmiD_UfuncU-FM1lckms6MpA03UztbVfXIDnwC1CZRwiOOvZqdyyLnsPMA43Y1uWl9huz9JHemnzjrKltWBn/s1600/Three+Little+Pigs+Birthday+Cake.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Little Joaquin turned 3, and the theme was The Three Little Pigs (obviously, lol!). The fondant pigs were swimming atop of a chocolate ganache "mud" bucket cake. The chocolate cakes were covered in chocolate fondant "wooden planks" and green fondant. The filling was chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream (the family loves chocolate). The evil wolf was made of fondant, with the wanted-poster invite as inspiration. Little Joaquin savoured biting into the wolf, lol!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 3rd Birthday, Joaquin!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">60th Birthday Cookies</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5mpbFZSZoXi26OcZfOR2NTTqVroI0xVo4mZrvp_wegH2uLzD1ANU2EQ0wW70ty0-8bv67IPJPF9y1oFgTUJw17ykwdRoDHKvqKK4LtUvWByjfVpdTz0Y-48umPW1kHoHmNyo-LKOIRph/s1600/60th+Birthday+Cookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5mpbFZSZoXi26OcZfOR2NTTqVroI0xVo4mZrvp_wegH2uLzD1ANU2EQ0wW70ty0-8bv67IPJPF9y1oFgTUJw17ykwdRoDHKvqKK4LtUvWByjfVpdTz0Y-48umPW1kHoHmNyo-LKOIRph/s1600/60th+Birthday+Cookie.jpg" height="371" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our friend's in-laws were both turning 60 later this year. They decided to throw them a surprise party, MONTHS before their actual birthday, lol. So, I made these teal/white/disco dusted sugar cookies for their favours.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 60th Birthday!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sports Birthday Cake</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUUup5hNnK1gKRCgT9CqIAchBkSVCNOJ9W65FKkJfRWk0gj17ej0kFgb3tKsawJZ48F-z_YmwSHO7ocATy-I_9YPvLZP1kxKl2lnCFK4Rs-9raHKhT9FDzpryqqDlurJEK_En-bk5WsIm/s1600/Sports+Birthday+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUUup5hNnK1gKRCgT9CqIAchBkSVCNOJ9W65FKkJfRWk0gj17ej0kFgb3tKsawJZ48F-z_YmwSHO7ocATy-I_9YPvLZP1kxKl2lnCFK4Rs-9raHKhT9FDzpryqqDlurJEK_En-bk5WsIm/s1600/Sports+Birthday+Cake.jpg" height="400" width="380" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My colleague ordered this cake for Japhet, who turned 13 this year. He plays football and soccer, so the theme was sports-related. One layer was chocolate, the other was vanilla, and the filling was chocolate ganache.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 13th Birthday, Japhet!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-20930397340374858562013-08-13T23:48:00.000-04:002013-08-13T23:48:05.906-04:00July, Where Did You Go?!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">July.. the month that flew by...! What was I up to... here's a synopsis:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Red Velvet Cake Pops & French Macarons</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QMCM_s6ToEJbd9diACwVjS-IIgt9VIk7RghHl26yDXlfiIbUeZDJ_R2dugTJfMM4hNyVZbiwegfSIPpK3lrL2yTx7b7sWG9-hV0XfMfsvBTfC68ObOXdCk-eGi3glXaAb4oQ6ep_d6fd/s1600/Wedding+Cake+Pops+and+French+Macarons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QMCM_s6ToEJbd9diACwVjS-IIgt9VIk7RghHl26yDXlfiIbUeZDJ_R2dugTJfMM4hNyVZbiwegfSIPpK3lrL2yTx7b7sWG9-hV0XfMfsvBTfC68ObOXdCk-eGi3glXaAb4oQ6ep_d6fd/s1600/Wedding+Cake+Pops+and+French+Macarons.jpg" height="302" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I was requested to make some sweets for a wedding... and the bride-to-be wanted macarons and cake pops... in ivory, grey and pink colours. The macaron Swiss meringue fillings were filled with opposite-coloured shells.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Congrats!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Butterfly Cookies</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WMd3s7oDOJ3Y1DfTvXwSrhjXTIGF8GZW9F1O7TEjxPJthSgT5igJAz-TPsMGUJ6ErkyJSjqnV5i5nQ74ja8XDqUxdVwKxxb5ZQqrIIiN1jcrZ-W3BcD_Y6phSilaXfrcFnjubivPHS6e/s1600/Butterfly+Cookies2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WMd3s7oDOJ3Y1DfTvXwSrhjXTIGF8GZW9F1O7TEjxPJthSgT5igJAz-TPsMGUJ6ErkyJSjqnV5i5nQ74ja8XDqUxdVwKxxb5ZQqrIIiN1jcrZ-W3BcD_Y6phSilaXfrcFnjubivPHS6e/s1600/Butterfly+Cookies2.jpg" height="340" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This design was based off a face painting on the birthday girl... cute! :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 5th Birthday, Mieke!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Shoe Cookies</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItZEVNDiiCFjP4-9qepsyCjausCPxLuC3cK-TnjCPCz5SlTnNInLs-UwZLF5PjIQ6ZDMJyKq6oknbNVNKz5b5aQ2XzKNuD0by6AR1j2TZgCbV317mqTqQxUNhMKagD8B7RveFr5cUx_16/s1600/Shoe+Cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItZEVNDiiCFjP4-9qepsyCjausCPxLuC3cK-TnjCPCz5SlTnNInLs-UwZLF5PjIQ6ZDMJyKq6oknbNVNKz5b5aQ2XzKNuD0by6AR1j2TZgCbV317mqTqQxUNhMKagD8B7RveFr5cUx_16/s1600/Shoe+Cookies.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My co-worker was leaving for school in the States (to become a lawyer)! She's such a fashionista, I made her shoe-shaped sugar cookies with pink outlines in different designs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Good luck, Jola!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hollywood Cake</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabaW29vVBh9WOPGwNIReJ21D8KI0kaqt1_qenWvPzFpq9flxU0VPLDCCokVnFLjE6VjXb2878WyVFducD5_GfN4zMx2ba2kAeGFWRIgn8mu3rf_Doc567yYaUnJe_wixyzn5cclBz1OgR/s1600/Hollywood+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabaW29vVBh9WOPGwNIReJ21D8KI0kaqt1_qenWvPzFpq9flxU0VPLDCCokVnFLjE6VjXb2878WyVFducD5_GfN4zMx2ba2kAeGFWRIgn8mu3rf_Doc567yYaUnJe_wixyzn5cclBz1OgR/s1600/Hollywood+Cake.jpg" height="400" width="312" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">An 18-year-old requested a glamorous cake for her birthday for her Hollywood themed birthday party. The stars had to be gold and the other colours had to be red and black. The red marshmallow fondant was flavoured with black cherry Jell-O. The top tier was vanilla cake with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream while the bottom tier was chocolate cake with chocolate ganache flavoured Swiss meringue buttercream.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 18th Birthday, Melanie!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-62906164797071606402013-06-22T21:55:00.003-04:002013-06-22T21:55:51.536-04:0050th Birthday Cake<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Someone from work wanted a cake for her mom's birthday... her golden 50th birthday. So, this was the result:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfI2GU-BJerzyhqEFHJPfczMpzt8mY8w33iW5gd0Rp4gBaaBBg6oQRIfyHPPx8U10VPXhxd_tDu5HROivClcZLovtL6SxrWOdLbvJM1j69zSKYKoAiuUGHlGr7Gl9gSFDwOr_PrEUftY8/s1600/50th+Birthday+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfI2GU-BJerzyhqEFHJPfczMpzt8mY8w33iW5gd0Rp4gBaaBBg6oQRIfyHPPx8U10VPXhxd_tDu5HROivClcZLovtL6SxrWOdLbvJM1j69zSKYKoAiuUGHlGr7Gl9gSFDwOr_PrEUftY8/s1600/50th+Birthday+Cake.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The vanilla cake was paired with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream, topped with fondant and fondant decorations. Lots of gold accents here: the numbers, letters and stars and wire were coloured with a gold spray; the pearls were gold lustre-dusted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Earlier in the morning to early afternoon, the weather was horrible... one of the worst conditions you can get for fondant: RAIN. Luckily, it let up by delivery time, but we still had to combat fondant's Nemesis #1: Humidity. Good thing I put toothpicks to help keep the numbers upright for the 40-minute (very) bumpy ride because it arrived intact.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I hope the birthday lady enjoyed her surprise cake!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Birthday!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-16651785448108537072013-05-21T22:50:00.001-04:002013-05-21T22:50:10.832-04:00May Days<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Did someone say "French Macarons?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I finally got to take some pics, and here are a couple I made for my father-in-law's birthday...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1pnovV_UwpFl-ANoIL0oSUUeoh1UZbwEvyeKJIcNu6r8mklWJ_bDHQWIjTJpQN6Mj-MyQtxolbkGrzvdQsSx9EHqlDFs9em_1Pl_HjP1nKHEUZlLxoMLBIcRvkIP_gAkmO2qy2UvnneX/s1600/French+Macarons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1pnovV_UwpFl-ANoIL0oSUUeoh1UZbwEvyeKJIcNu6r8mklWJ_bDHQWIjTJpQN6Mj-MyQtxolbkGrzvdQsSx9EHqlDFs9em_1Pl_HjP1nKHEUZlLxoMLBIcRvkIP_gAkmO2qy2UvnneX/s1600/French+Macarons.jpg" height="312" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These almond treats are surprisingly simple to create, you just need a bit of time to wait and the right piping consistency. I tried a few recipes, but I think I will stick with the no-aging-egg-white method. I added the colouring as the last step so I didn't have to make so many batches. I filled it with hazelnut chocolate spread, but could have easily used buttercream or ganache. YUM!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Birthday, Ralph!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My son's school had their fun fair and I wanted to do something different... so I decided to donate two dozen sugar cookies in a basket. I figured, people were more likely to bid on an item they could see in person. I hope the highest bidder enjoyed it!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkniMS26gcr1JyEQyyg-rUOPTCRYTlBHazZO4u65QRP_KBdtsPQeH3BK814Zw4IVFRC9JUje0NKSeCV2mFs037QBgK4RBghCV2jOShxdEjHkQjm11VYpMjcyyjxEUrrmBs5z5fEqNGFQF/s1600/Spring+Sugar+Cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkniMS26gcr1JyEQyyg-rUOPTCRYTlBHazZO4u65QRP_KBdtsPQeH3BK814Zw4IVFRC9JUje0NKSeCV2mFs037QBgK4RBghCV2jOShxdEjHkQjm11VYpMjcyyjxEUrrmBs5z5fEqNGFQF/s1600/Spring+Sugar+Cookies.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-44538185978511876762013-05-11T20:11:00.000-04:002013-05-11T20:11:24.520-04:00Gateau St. Honoré<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A long time ago, my aunt-in-law (who loves to bake) requested that I make this cake for her birthday. I had no clue what this was, so I Googled it. Lots of images popped up, but I chose a recipe from Food Network Canada's website since it looked the least intimidating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her birthday was last week, and I fulfilled her request.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If I added up all the hours I spent on this cake, I would guess 3 to 4 hours in total, which was during a 2-day span (the recipe didn't give any indication of how long it would take... probably because it would scare people from trying it).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The elements include:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">l. puff pastry base (store-bought... I had no time to make it from scratch... apparently the "cake" part)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. pastry cream with vanilla bean (I burned my hand with the hot cream during whisking) to cover the base and fill the profiteroles (a.k.a. cream puffs)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. choux paste (I made a double-batch by mistake, had extra to make more profiteroles)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. profiteroles dipped in caramel (I burned the caramel and had to redo it)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. topped with fresh raspberries, from scratch whipped cream, half flavoured with raspberry jam (no time to make puree)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For my first attempt, I think I did well... she wished she asked for two! :)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsg9wKDVvUJ7pErNMWvmGO8MMBMhMVpJC7x_xOAUFMCHLERjAW5D2g3NARWaLgrwUVC3thyRuc2VFweHDBUXhEHnadqAoAscnkx-qyX3gCezaKCfblhT5aZM4pRZrA6osrItfQOordIDrB/s1600/Gateau+St+Honore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsg9wKDVvUJ7pErNMWvmGO8MMBMhMVpJC7x_xOAUFMCHLERjAW5D2g3NARWaLgrwUVC3thyRuc2VFweHDBUXhEHnadqAoAscnkx-qyX3gCezaKCfblhT5aZM4pRZrA6osrItfQOordIDrB/s1600/Gateau+St+Honore.jpg" height="292" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Birthday, Heather!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-89222051405751596152013-04-20T21:32:00.001-04:002013-04-20T21:32:45.408-04:00William is 5!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4-gbYyhliymzkGsiqXRvnfQJIQ5ank8v3tOP6M-mHZXULb46_TIkWxDAQEL6NkAXNOXX04UuAiouI6KJYJfjZchOKqjLUxvecpiqSVw0mlGL4ZrY2ObXMH9J6YdykOWX2qnums8hd491/s1600/Angry+Bird+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4-gbYyhliymzkGsiqXRvnfQJIQ5ank8v3tOP6M-mHZXULb46_TIkWxDAQEL6NkAXNOXX04UuAiouI6KJYJfjZchOKqjLUxvecpiqSVw0mlGL4ZrY2ObXMH9J6YdykOWX2qnums8hd491/s1600/Angry+Bird+Cake.jpg" height="301" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Originally, William wanted a Corvette cake based on one of his Hot Wheels cars. Then, he was exposed to Angry Birds. And he changed his mind. But, instead of the regular red Angry Bird, he wanted the big fat red Angry Bird. We questioned him on his decision, but he was certain that was the cake for him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I must say I'm not a fan of ball/dome pans, because of the increased (uneven) baking times and its crustier outer part that touches the pan. But I had to use it for this spherical cake. My solution - carve out the majority of it. This pan set had a inset pan, so I think because the portions are different and one was in another, my normally 50-minute baking time for the recipe took an extra 30 minutes. So, yes, the cakes were overbaked, but it still tasted OK. It was vanilla cake with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream mixed with strawberry and milk chocolate crispearls. Dark chocolate ganache coated the cake before topping with the strawberry-flavoured red marshmallow fondant I made (haven't done so in a while).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSiC2JcPDR7D5GivbgSEBXJS57_rP7c7wNEHjKBI-8OmtXcbs3rPJC1P107l6rfI2qF_kKEtAUOxmjL4XwiKI_9H-8Tp9HUjYgqMVu4PCIQPh4n-7HBCivtuEAfUNu9va81vOY_bOI4UJ/s1600/Angry+Bird+Backdrop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSiC2JcPDR7D5GivbgSEBXJS57_rP7c7wNEHjKBI-8OmtXcbs3rPJC1P107l6rfI2qF_kKEtAUOxmjL4XwiKI_9H-8Tp9HUjYgqMVu4PCIQPh4n-7HBCivtuEAfUNu9va81vOY_bOI4UJ/s1600/Angry+Bird+Backdrop.jpg" height="255" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I bought wall decorations and balloons to match the theme. The bunting was from a free printable template, and I customized the text. The crepe streamers took the longest time to put together yet it was a great way to cover up my dining hutch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Time got the best of me, so we ended up with three activities. We played "Knock the Piggies Down." Plastic green cups had the green pigs taped on and stacked like a pyramid and the red Angry Bird was taped on a red ball. The kids played this game for a while. Such a simple concept yet it worked.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXuRQkyXAeXsHIFNJXDxRqzXX9eKjaZzRtSF5H7O3HYxF0QY8ulSmc3zRJuLn27Jv1J1VCwa9WrGpzbY-Dnrt2IOqWLE6UBjlZbZwqsheMO-tlGdZC8Lawe6Fff50JhYoPfwMau9KD32DV/s1600/Put+the+Tail+on+the+Red+Bird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXuRQkyXAeXsHIFNJXDxRqzXX9eKjaZzRtSF5H7O3HYxF0QY8ulSmc3zRJuLn27Jv1J1VCwa9WrGpzbY-Dnrt2IOqWLE6UBjlZbZwqsheMO-tlGdZC8Lawe6Fff50JhYoPfwMau9KD32DV/s1600/Put+the+Tail+on+the+Red+Bird.jpg" height="400" width="308" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Next game was "Put the Tail on the Red Bird," and I had my friend Solmaz cut out the tails from black cardstock because the ones that came with the game were stickers, which was too permanent for me. I put double-sided reusable tape on each one for ease of use. The game resulted in some kids walking into the wall, but they still enjoyed themselves.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFB7myE2eQVJWQWa-4hIT75E-Mp8Q4NBQgrhvHTr5HxSMmaHAqXfSzDyjwnkkK3Ir83RP8Wu95euIrGRXmJYK-bYWtoUziPHNiQCpOutXDiEdlG42J0tK4yumJmVq20vVbGwpwm1OThlKv/s1600/Cookie+Decorating+Station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFB7myE2eQVJWQWa-4hIT75E-Mp8Q4NBQgrhvHTr5HxSMmaHAqXfSzDyjwnkkK3Ir83RP8Wu95euIrGRXmJYK-bYWtoUziPHNiQCpOutXDiEdlG42J0tK4yumJmVq20vVbGwpwm1OThlKv/s1600/Cookie+Decorating+Station.jpg" height="270" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The last activity was a cookie decorating station. I made two dozen sugar cookies and coloured the royal icing. Of course, I was expecting a mess! At least the sprinkles were jimmies and bigger kinds, rather than coloured sanding sugar. The kids did love creating their own cookies.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQF7Pf0wjJ2SS9UUcm9NfCC03lO5m5taj3fPzKYgUGKp4IIFGGtWrJgus5dZR6h2SwIBgCqFJjevZVyQkIYArF9NxZaQIwYhenwFtuwcCEEB-GsLpHXLoDYuDBMMe8vtns9cpIry7Dwlv/s1600/Angry+Bird+Favours.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQF7Pf0wjJ2SS9UUcm9NfCC03lO5m5taj3fPzKYgUGKp4IIFGGtWrJgus5dZR6h2SwIBgCqFJjevZVyQkIYArF9NxZaQIwYhenwFtuwcCEEB-GsLpHXLoDYuDBMMe8vtns9cpIry7Dwlv/s1600/Angry+Bird+Favours.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For the favours, I got coloured bags that matched the theme and just added some candies and treats, Angry Birds flying shooter discs and tattoos. I stapled a free printable template that was printed on photo paper. Originally, I wanted to only make cookie favours, but I thought the cookie station was better. So, the tags were repurposed. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A special shout out to Yahaira and Solmaz for helping me out with the party... you gals rock! What awesome friends! :D</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJgFawWEsDrmq-lCWKUc2E2t0Lk0c158Sd_mfmeMYkCp-a_gQa3TlIHR3E1HvjNOwHueXXmV-hcKM0_TJyjubVnBktDMbh2S-EYUkPSnbEaIlcY58_JakyUIi0f6F0EvwQQ_o77SYNVUW/s1600/William+with+Angry+Bird+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJgFawWEsDrmq-lCWKUc2E2t0Lk0c158Sd_mfmeMYkCp-a_gQa3TlIHR3E1HvjNOwHueXXmV-hcKM0_TJyjubVnBktDMbh2S-EYUkPSnbEaIlcY58_JakyUIi0f6F0EvwQQ_o77SYNVUW/s1600/William+with+Angry+Bird+Cake.jpg" height="400" width="258" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 5th Birthday, William! xo <3</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-83182193703219214262013-04-07T11:59:00.000-04:002013-04-07T11:59:57.450-04:00March Madness!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, not exactly... but it is when you have an exam to study for... and I do procrastinate... a lot. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's a recap of my month plus one from today:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Easter Egg Cookies</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTo1fxv0RBJgxquWOWKITFJqhSgae1Ljzh_pJ_WxmOLwW7jqAePNIdv5R9Wm8eZl6Tuxz70cfPKSRcRfGglYTo2GsNxeZ6bnLpOhjb0wkSeFMS3QvlymyrXX6S4ExTq_Rc0tpX6NVINLR1/s1600/Easter+Egg+Cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTo1fxv0RBJgxquWOWKITFJqhSgae1Ljzh_pJ_WxmOLwW7jqAePNIdv5R9Wm8eZl6Tuxz70cfPKSRcRfGglYTo2GsNxeZ6bnLpOhjb0wkSeFMS3QvlymyrXX6S4ExTq_Rc0tpX6NVINLR1/s1600/Easter+Egg+Cookies.jpg" height="396" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have a co-worker that really loves my cookies, whether it be gingerbread or sugar. This time, she wanted sugar cookies in egg shapes. Unfortunately for me, I do not have an egg cutter besides a really big one. So, I took a normal circle cutter and bent it into an egg shape. I mourned the loss of the original roundness but I didn't want to waste time to buy another cutter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Then, it was just a matter to piping some royal icing as outlines or whatnot. To get the sprinkles to stay on the cookie, I applied a thin layer of corn syrup, and waited for it to dry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And she loved them! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Super Mario Birthday Cake, Take 2</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4PMcakkYbmDowzShRr7l9bEw0FJHlFEM6kKwrzRWF0j5I95LlniCSN6p_qj4F1xpXn4KNpAjN4xBN5h8ncdrNZTRC8O1tvZrk1_Om9HQ5I6U9o61QzxrAayQ-3pC8HNC6oP1S4v9WI6JU/s1600/Super+Mario+Cake+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4PMcakkYbmDowzShRr7l9bEw0FJHlFEM6kKwrzRWF0j5I95LlniCSN6p_qj4F1xpXn4KNpAjN4xBN5h8ncdrNZTRC8O1tvZrk1_Om9HQ5I6U9o61QzxrAayQ-3pC8HNC6oP1S4v9WI6JU/s1600/Super+Mario+Cake+2.jpg" height="360" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I remember making cookies for Riley when he turned 1... now he's 3! Where did the years go?! He's really into Super Mario anything, so it was also his cake of choice. His mom told me that the kids do not like fondant at all (bad experiences). Instead, the chocolate cake had vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream filling and sides, and white chocolate ganache on the top. Mario was actually a royal icing transfer, as were the dots, squids and coral. The green blocks had to be made of fondant but they can be easily removed prior to eating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 3rd Birthday, Riley!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sonic Birthday Cake</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_7J3Tiaki-aFcBzFSMhDuPpP50m9ovkpaK4Ts9jnopfCM49x8RSdTEbqYLnewJbi6GmQU_LnvO545k3Bmqp3A45ZJ34EjlUZa-TV2nYnltKBmJfZMyOwmun74izrUwjf1N0D9mehAw0R/s1600/Sonic+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_7J3Tiaki-aFcBzFSMhDuPpP50m9ovkpaK4Ts9jnopfCM49x8RSdTEbqYLnewJbi6GmQU_LnvO545k3Bmqp3A45ZJ34EjlUZa-TV2nYnltKBmJfZMyOwmun74izrUwjf1N0D9mehAw0R/s1600/Sonic+Cake.jpg" height="353" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Originally, Kaiden wanted a Wolverine cake. Then I was told he had changed his mind and wanted a Sonic cake instead. The design is loosely based on what my friend had submitted. I decided to make a royal icing transfer of Sonic's head in a ring.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC91JEmmg6ax0uhMlGv25SDhNct6EvEvCecWwEKVNd9RneEmwm_BmjhOi8d_Y9nkAbMfM_HtJjt_vCm_KIm0XWEr1vkNq03VFp_S-o9op4DnCYZXE_5DVtsmr4J5lgOgC1TSWIYUJgS-cX/s1600/Sonic+Cake+Side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC91JEmmg6ax0uhMlGv25SDhNct6EvEvCecWwEKVNd9RneEmwm_BmjhOi8d_Y9nkAbMfM_HtJjt_vCm_KIm0XWEr1vkNq03VFp_S-o9op4DnCYZXE_5DVtsmr4J5lgOgC1TSWIYUJgS-cX/s1600/Sonic+Cake+Side.jpg" height="275" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The cake was vanilla with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. The whole thing was covered in blue fondant, and fondant and royal icing details. I am super proud of the yellow and brown checks... those took the longest to make! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 5th Birthday, Kaiden!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mini 60th Birthday Cupcakes</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRTLQr1EHfo4azM0q81bFlrTs0BgRuyodZDwLF5xIkp8VdTyPIoECpILqiBocFWrSN9eKzs8jzSm8lbGP4CFYqVNlTdbNrF1fV5k_FjVM57hjeIIu1pjWfmRbU7CLEwDctdqOAeaDEGEZ/s1600/Mini+Birthday+Cupcakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRTLQr1EHfo4azM0q81bFlrTs0BgRuyodZDwLF5xIkp8VdTyPIoECpILqiBocFWrSN9eKzs8jzSm8lbGP4CFYqVNlTdbNrF1fV5k_FjVM57hjeIIu1pjWfmRbU7CLEwDctdqOAeaDEGEZ/s1600/Mini+Birthday+Cupcakes.jpg" height="235" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">These chocolate and vanilla mini cupcakes with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream were for a 60-year-old. The topper design was based on the actual decorations they had for the party. The black fondant circles were splattered with orange, blue and green colours. Then, I piped teal and purple royal icing on top. For the final touch, I sprinkled disco dust all over them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 60th Birthday!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-80804420104746821442013-03-05T22:39:00.000-05:002013-03-05T22:39:14.723-05:00Welcome, Sweet Baby!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiua6olpvQj5Dnx1HhnuQnMVEO3DO5_wGY9hXBcPYLC2ezyBmiEl3ZvJppSCBinr69CloCcwHPuDQeT0CP9mEpJ462t_7keX_iiDVSoJq3ov9_6iH70SXgwi2m4-cPCSIcfqwDqxfmCGJm/s1600/Welcome+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiua6olpvQj5Dnx1HhnuQnMVEO3DO5_wGY9hXBcPYLC2ezyBmiEl3ZvJppSCBinr69CloCcwHPuDQeT0CP9mEpJ462t_7keX_iiDVSoJq3ov9_6iH70SXgwi2m4-cPCSIcfqwDqxfmCGJm/s400/Welcome+Cake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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She's here... Baby Amy... 4.5 weeks early!!!<br />
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No, she is not the daughter I've always wanted ("Amy" was also the name we had chosen if we had a girl), but a couple of good friends'. I can't envision having baby #3 right now, but my husband seems to think I'll change my tune once I reach 35 and both boys would be in school. We shall see.<br />
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To celebrate Amy's arrival, I made this cake for our friends... chocolate cake with pink Swiss meringue buttercream. I thought I'd try the "naked" look with shell-like piping. It looked really girly, I must say.<br />
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Welcome, Amy!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-25869967219267432682013-02-20T22:53:00.001-05:002013-02-20T22:53:36.023-05:00Kid Stuff<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Did I mention I was thinking about my "new year's" resolution for 2013? It's a little late, I know, but I thought that something easy would be to have weekly blog updates. So far, I don't have a post for every week since January... maybe I should set up a reminder in my calendar... yeah, that can work! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">* * *</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Dedication Cakes</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMgOi7uSQzEgc7LSir2gFVAMCQwyhLEvijYzqiKpkTe2e51AAHUSA2gMW9wIxwnjhFxA-NOgK_zBJaZ0wTu9QOaTzb-vOrMJvizRDrvIG_R4i26m8FiLta6OiZYjvdYeELV4bnA9HDVes/s1600/Gluten-Free+Cross+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMgOi7uSQzEgc7LSir2gFVAMCQwyhLEvijYzqiKpkTe2e51AAHUSA2gMW9wIxwnjhFxA-NOgK_zBJaZ0wTu9QOaTzb-vOrMJvizRDrvIG_R4i26m8FiLta6OiZYjvdYeELV4bnA9HDVes/s400/Gluten-Free+Cross+Cake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">There was a lot of e-mailing back and forth regarding a dedication cake for baby Sydney. Eventually, we settled on a design that mashed together several images found online. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The chocolate cake was gluten-free, covered in dark chocolate ganache, then pink fondant. The cake was flourless, but contained a lot of chocolate, making it super rich. All the decorations were made with a fondant/gumpaste mix.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWclRXTCz36uPYYLwBIXAEyjxfgRC5okoPCdt4AgJ_NiBQxIT83gdjBwg6gdFjN2qfhYlFHqOJ4fhYpP9EObU0NRh8zfFaJNKHMHGFVSNj1PlJ3IM9bOnPG27U1xS4xz38SReZU9lDgW6/s1600/Heart+Fruitcake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWclRXTCz36uPYYLwBIXAEyjxfgRC5okoPCdt4AgJ_NiBQxIT83gdjBwg6gdFjN2qfhYlFHqOJ4fhYpP9EObU0NRh8zfFaJNKHMHGFVSNj1PlJ3IM9bOnPG27U1xS4xz38SReZU9lDgW6/s400/Heart+Fruitcake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Sydney's mom was so impressed with the finished product, she requested to have a secondary fruitcake decorated. I kept it simple, as I had a short time to complete it. The embossing was highlighted with pearl lustre dust and the I wrapped a frilled fondant ribbon around the base of the cake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">* * *</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Mickey Cake Pops</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vllO4TM2Ph19cIMXruiWGvU_nAItANhtR1-5FkW9QT4WocuMkOLDLAdtZLGNsFcN6GP-4IkCMpXfpnQsCwVNN073zS-g-0y-CN-8k84jDk2yuFGzryuOV4589oQ3B5AC47u9KbnIxB-Y/s1600/Mickey+Cake+Pops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vllO4TM2Ph19cIMXruiWGvU_nAItANhtR1-5FkW9QT4WocuMkOLDLAdtZLGNsFcN6GP-4IkCMpXfpnQsCwVNN073zS-g-0y-CN-8k84jDk2yuFGzryuOV4589oQ3B5AC47u9KbnIxB-Y/s400/Mickey+Cake+Pops.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Cute little Mason turned 2! He is a fan of Mickey, hence a Mickey-themed party happened. I made chocolate cake pops (chocolate cake + vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream + dipped in dark Belgian chocolate + dipped in coloured moulding wafers). These favours took me FOREVER to complete... the orange and yellow chocolate decided to not have the proper viscosity (not thin enough), so I only managed one cake pop for those colours. I have great respect for all the cake artists that use the chocolate medium, because I had such a tough time and can't imagine it being my choice of decorating. I am so happy the guests loved it (they were eyeing it when it first showed up).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 2nd Birthday, Mason!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-36256222478066690462013-02-11T22:29:00.001-05:002013-02-11T22:29:57.431-05:00Owen's 3rd Birthday<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our little Owen turns 3 tomorrow (Feb 12)! We had his birthday party this past Saturday and I made it a pirate theme. Not because he was into pirates. That would make sense. It was because he has a new costume that I thought he'd be too big for this coming Halloween. Practical mom, eh? :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I made a banner via Vistaprint, that had a pirate ship (it was a template design). I had little "booty's" for favours that included candy, chocolate gold coins, a map, an eyepatch, a bandana, pirate tattoo and stickers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Luckily, I had booked the Friday off work, which was when the horrendous storm hit... I spent a lot of my party prep time shovelling snow! The change in plans made me cut a lot things out, just because I didn't have the time (ie. helium balloons were out of the question with unplowed snow on the roads; no cake cannon-pops; no railing for the ship). The pirate ship cake was a down-to-the-wire effort, finished at 2am on Saturday morning (the party was set at 10am).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I enlisted help from friends, because I needed it. They helped me with some food prep and putting up streamers. Thanks, Ya & Matt!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The majority of guests made it to the party despite the weather conditions. What troopers! :)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzrGDfsvCNXPrLhBTu80rqAd9ViCMx7G5u3JCpnVgmiTLy_uOlyzRCjV6USO9W66_RStz4yDhd_uYFxXMmrLJXoXqwwATxJdlZFKz72mM0tscFWJ70sdCxOvfHNXjBHhhicO1JnoAv_qX/s1600/IMG_7209c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzrGDfsvCNXPrLhBTu80rqAd9ViCMx7G5u3JCpnVgmiTLy_uOlyzRCjV6USO9W66_RStz4yDhd_uYFxXMmrLJXoXqwwATxJdlZFKz72mM0tscFWJ70sdCxOvfHNXjBHhhicO1JnoAv_qX/s1600/IMG_7209c.jpg" height="381" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">There were only 2 activities... only because a) I was running out of time, and b) the attention span of little kids is extremely short. We played "X" Marks the Spot. The map was hand drawn by James and the challenge was to put the treasure chest on the X... blindfolded. In truth, I don't think anyone won.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The other game was a simple coin toss... get 3 coins in a bucket, you get a prize (candy). There was no limit on how many attempts you make, but it ended up with the kids throwing coins everywhere. The best part: bribing them with candy if they helped pick them up (which they did). :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">At one point, Owen had a bloody nose from bumping into another kid... how fitting for a pirate. He didn't like us trying to stem the flow, though.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKyYnQJYK3ImTSjqKxTc8YgVJcyw0lG5VEfJoib8E05BzM5kCqYnluCFLUyRJWaOkpS7jd62gJr9JJect7BhHQ-JQbfIBuWIX1eDvcvDQ0wtfmi_mOT17XA6-SxkJ9cYIab7yfgGpJY9t/s1600/Pirate+Ship+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKyYnQJYK3ImTSjqKxTc8YgVJcyw0lG5VEfJoib8E05BzM5kCqYnluCFLUyRJWaOkpS7jd62gJr9JJect7BhHQ-JQbfIBuWIX1eDvcvDQ0wtfmi_mOT17XA6-SxkJ9cYIab7yfgGpJY9t/s1600/Pirate+Ship+Cake.jpg" height="400" width="327" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Let's get back to the cake... chocolate with strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream and strawberry crispearls. I carved it, then ganached it, then applied strips of chocolate fondant planks to the sides and top. Easy, but a bit time-consuming. My chocolate cake is not ideal for carving, but for little projects, it's OK. So, I had to add supports to keep the ends together. I added inedible masts and a little pirate gingerbread man, or "BBs" as Owen calls them (see, I didn't even have time to make royal icing). Final touches: cannonballs (Whoppers), cannons (Rolos) and a turbulent sea (blue buttercream). This little 9" cake was carved down, and it was enough for the guests (only maybe 6 servings left over).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 3rd Birthday, Owen! <3</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-33750050918149257452013-02-05T23:49:00.001-05:002013-02-05T23:49:54.496-05:00Let Them Eat... More Doll Cake!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This past Saturday, we celebrated the birthdaysO of 4-year-old twin girls with a pajamarama party! Obviously, they like princesses, so their mom asked for Rapunzel and Ariel doll cakes (and she provided the dolls and design in mind).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Ariel cake was chocolate cake with strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream and strawberry crispearls. The "ocean" was the same buttercream tinted blue and had a few seaweeds, flowers, and pearls throughout. The fin and scales were piped with green buttercream.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Rapunzel cake was chocolate cake with chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream and milk chocolate crispearls. Under the fondant dress was dark chocolate ganache. It was a triple chocolate combo!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8zAZlDFQqlejnKT8uIdxomr3pjRBWMS2MjcnIbW9RbeiHNes7nLimy9IdE06JgoOWdhRCNZ2lISUoaAjLclNlhyphenhyphen7Xktl0C3z2vhXLoAvPaPSzL30dMxtfAQzIvelB_-Su5cG_7zz8ZH7Y/s1600/Rapunzel+Doll+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8zAZlDFQqlejnKT8uIdxomr3pjRBWMS2MjcnIbW9RbeiHNes7nLimy9IdE06JgoOWdhRCNZ2lISUoaAjLclNlhyphenhyphen7Xktl0C3z2vhXLoAvPaPSzL30dMxtfAQzIvelB_-Su5cG_7zz8ZH7Y/s400/Rapunzel+Doll+Cake.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Transporting the cakes was fun... I had to actually hold the Ariel cake, since it was stuck on the cake stand. Rapunzel sat in a box, so no worries there. Good thing our friend didn't live that far.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The only thing I didn't really like about the doll cake pan (I've only used it once before) was the baking time. My chocolate cake is pretty moist, so I was afraid of burning it by leaving it in the oven longer than the recommended time of the pan's manual. Having said that, the concern was whether the cake would slide easily out of the pan without leaving any cake stuck to the sides.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I was happy that the girls and everyone loved the cakes... this will be the end of doll cakes for a while...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 4th Birthday, Clara & Giuliana!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-90516199835107307602013-01-27T23:24:00.001-05:002013-02-05T23:22:46.763-05:00Why, Hello, Tink!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First post of the new year... a little belated! I'm sorry it took me a month! New year resolution starting in February: weekly updates! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm going to be discussing the cake I made for this past Saturday. A Tinkerbell doll cake for dear Solmaz's daughter's 4th birthday. Her birthday was in December, but the party was postponed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I finally purchased a dome pan for doll cakes. Yes, no more stacking layers then carving them down! :) It will help cut down the cake prepping part, especially when I have two more doll cakes for this coming weekend!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Solmaz showed me a design from Kat's Cakes, and this is my take. I made the fondant petals more distinct in hue (light to dark, from top to bottom). The petals, I've added lustre dust for that little sparkle that fairies have. Of course, frilling took the majority of my time for this cake! I added a ribbon sash which was meant to conceal a gap from a pull-string that chimed and made the wings light up. I like the simple butterfly at Tink's waist.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The cake board was yellow fondant, embossed with butterflies; also it was my first time using corn syrup as an adhesive to the board (instead of piping gel). It seemed to get the work done, so I guess anything sticky would suffice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The cake was chocolate, which I cut in two and added a third base layer (it didn't seem like a lot of cake since Tink was a shorter doll than the standard). The filling was strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream with Callebaut strawberry crispearls (yummy chocolate-coated puffed rice cereal).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here's the pic of the cake in the venue... with Solmaz's scrumptious macarons in the background (something I haven't attempted yet, but I plan to... eventually).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">All in all, everyone was happy with the cake... Solmaz, the guests, Melina, and myself! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 4th Birthday, Melina!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-40891091246243076662012-12-28T23:55:00.003-05:002012-12-28T23:55:58.637-05:00End of December 2012!Hiya folks, I didn't forget to post, only that I lacked time! This month, it has been CRAZY, with the holidays and all, but I didn't think it would have prevented me from blogging for such a long time.<br />
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I will try to keep it short... but here's what I've been doing this past month... enjoy! :)<br />
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Heart Brownies with Cream Cheese Icing<br />
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Here's the pic, as promised!<br />
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IRB Cookies<br />
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I received an order for logoed cookies once again this year... but I encountered a hiccup. I haven't been using my edible ink printer since last Christmas, so the ink dried up on me! Looking at the cartridges, it appeared full but I guess it was just dried up colour. Lesson learned: to extend life of ink, remove from printer when not in use and seal it with plastic wrap then in a resealable container. I ended up having to pipe it all by hand but Sean (the client) was happy with it.<br />
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Mint Chocolate Brownies with Candy Cane Sprinkles<br />
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I consider this treat my signature dessert. I baked these for a United Way bake sale at work, and also for my Christmas potluck as favours. What I did different this year was melted milk chocolate chips with mint chocolate chips to spread on top of the brownie and I decided to "garnish" the brownies with crushed candy canes for a holiday touch.<br />
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Christmas Cookies<br />
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Gingerbread is King during Christmas time. During a work vendor sale, where it benefited United Way, I reduced my prices for sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies. I wasn't going to offer gingerbread, but a colleague suggested that I add it to my sale, since it's very Christmassy. I pre-sold 5 dozen of each kind and all were redeemed before Christmas (cookies are great to give away or shared at home). A few people said that the cookies were thoroughly enjoyed (albeit too quickly) when they were served.<br />
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Handy Manny Cake, Take 2<br />
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Another blast from the past! Little Mikayla, who turned 5, wanted this cake ever since her mom showed it to her when I first made it. It's funny how she still loves Handy Mandy and didn't change her mind on what her birthday cake would look like when the date loomed closer. To please most of the guests, the cake was vanilla with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream (SMBC). There are a few changes to the design, so it's not the exact replica of the original.<br />
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Happy 5th Birthday, Mikayla!</div>
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Montreal Canadiens Cookies<br />
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Originally, these were supposed to be baseball sugar cookies. But the time frame was too short, and I was requested to make Montreal Canadiens logoed hockey pucks, instead, for a later date. I made royal icing transfers of the logos, which was way easier than piping it directly onto the cookie. It felt weird making hockey cookies when there wasn't a hockey season this year... but it felt weirder, maybe even blasphemous, that I was making logos of the rivals of the Toronto Maple Leafs (James, my husband, is [unfortunately] a fan).<br />
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Cupcakes with Candy Cane Sprinkles<br />
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This was also a Christmas party/dinner order... the last one for me this year. I was told not to make it fancy, so I made my chocolate cake with vanilla SMBC. I couldn't leave the top go untouched... I decided to add of touch of festive with crushed candy canes. I was told that they were enjoyed by all.<br />
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Panettone Bread Pudding<br />
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No pic of the bread pudding I made with panettone. It was the first time I made it, so I baked it longer than the instructed time. In my defense, I was worried that it didn't set, and I would hate for guests to become sick from uncooked eggs. I could not believe how much cream and eggs were required. You do not want to know!<br />
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Gluten-Free Banana Cake<br />
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For my dear step-brother-in-law. We are having a Christmas brunch, belatedly, and I wanted to bring something that most would enjoy. I reduced the sugar because I added an extra banana, but I think maybe I should have also put in more rice flour because it didn't set as hard as I'd like (even thought it was in the oven for over an hour). Still, it was tasty and not overly-sweet. I would make this again.<br />
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That's it! Have a great time up to the new year, then an even better 2013!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-64398933831239347232012-11-23T23:32:00.000-05:002012-11-23T23:33:09.955-05:00Cookies 'n Cakes<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Baby Boy Onesies Cookies</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My favourite CIP (insurance courses) instructor, Melanie, was due to have her first baby (note: since I made contact with her last, she was having her baby!). I wanted to ship her a box of cookies to celebrate (she ate them before the baby was born, so I guess he had a taste of them, too).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Little boy onesies for a really lucky baby! Mel is into ATVs and such, and I would not be surprised if he rode on that before a tryke. Oh, the poor Mennonite neighbours! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Welcome, Baby Boy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Theatre Birthday Cake</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My friend, Yahaira, wanted to practice making a cake for her son's upcoming birthday, so we made a cake for her friend's birthday, as a test. This was also a test for me, because I haven't taught anyone how to decorate anything before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">He was into drama, so we made that our theme. We made marshmallow fondant (it was giving our hands a workout!) to cover the chocolate cake (not homemade but the vanilla filling was). Luckily, she had gloves so we didn't get red or blue stained on our hands when we coloured the fondant!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Pretty good work for a beginner, eh? Hopefully, the birthday boy appreciated the effort! I am proud of my students' (her husband helped out, too) work!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Birthday, Dan!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ariel Birthday Cakes</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Big girl Nikki turned 5, and she loves the Little Mermaid. Now, this is my first Ariel cake, so I had a few challenges... one being working with the gumpaste! It didn't want to harden, so I don't know what's up with that. Gumpaste is supposed to dry faster than fondant, so how come it didn't work for me? Oh well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The chocolate cake was filled with pink vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream and covered in blue fondant. I added ocean details as finishing touches. The brown sign is made with chocolate fondant.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I made a second sheet cake, because there were a lot of guests. It was decorated with flowers, lettering and buttercream. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MUnIfhDmsiA1rz1aSG2pjsWPR4DgAQWlIqkRODhBf0bZKbfcy3MmhJ_x0ixOlLF6v0CtKusI7e6aiOZOyRQk5OiJNgsNYdtHpzESEJjNUbO4hyphenhyphenkN6C1QPRGDdN1IPAvBjn9XGoN27zY5/s1600/Ariel+Cake+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MUnIfhDmsiA1rz1aSG2pjsWPR4DgAQWlIqkRODhBf0bZKbfcy3MmhJ_x0ixOlLF6v0CtKusI7e6aiOZOyRQk5OiJNgsNYdtHpzESEJjNUbO4hyphenhyphenkN6C1QPRGDdN1IPAvBjn9XGoN27zY5/s400/Ariel+Cake+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 5th Birthday, Nikki!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Brownies with Cream Cheese Icing</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Sorry, don't have pics of this one... I had to make it twice because I forgot the add sugar the first time (don't ask how I missed it!). This was for a playdate lunch, so I cut out pieces with a heart-shaped cookie cutter, then piped a heart with the icing. It was so yummy! I will make this recipe again, and I'll do the same design so I can post up the image.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The following two items were for a bake sale at work to help raise money for the United Way: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Milk Chocolate Fudge Crackles</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTAvJqtvQTs8i0l-buXZe2fgZMURRM7DBxsP8wG-SK8IZuYKqC5RupYJnSdsjyCiwW7TMgOwJRtNm8l9bdeiSQYHAEOX5A_-Q_7KwUW9Vgc3q_UB0ScT4HE8yTmKfuUCSVV6FE-87AeIo/s1600/Milk+Chocolate+Fudge+Crackles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTAvJqtvQTs8i0l-buXZe2fgZMURRM7DBxsP8wG-SK8IZuYKqC5RupYJnSdsjyCiwW7TMgOwJRtNm8l9bdeiSQYHAEOX5A_-Q_7KwUW9Vgc3q_UB0ScT4HE8yTmKfuUCSVV6FE-87AeIo/s400/Milk+Chocolate+Fudge+Crackles.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A new recipe... had to use 1/2 tablespoon scoops because 1 tablespoon-sized made the cookies spread horrifically. The smaller size made the cookies bake evenly and enticed those who would've refused a larger cookie (due to diet). What a mess I made when rolling the cookie balls into icing sugar! :/</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Snowflake Gingerbread Cookies</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjP68HWQV1FPoy6scJKk5n_iH5GxTTQFljkp05e_w37YGSAs7W_tNv2y2OZ_wsr-DQvVVIxwLXMNPzeWOdaWhJntqC0wsYeM4ZpPkvmibz9tP962jIH8S5WpDIxQN6N-EgaL8bSfzJNbD/s1600/Snowflake+Gingerbread+Cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjP68HWQV1FPoy6scJKk5n_iH5GxTTQFljkp05e_w37YGSAs7W_tNv2y2OZ_wsr-DQvVVIxwLXMNPzeWOdaWhJntqC0wsYeM4ZpPkvmibz9tP962jIH8S5WpDIxQN6N-EgaL8bSfzJNbD/s400/Snowflake+Gingerbread+Cookies.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A classic, just in time for the holidays! I changed it up by having a darker blue tint for the royal icing, as well as adding silver dragees and random pearls throughout. These, I packaged then tied with blue curling ribbon, as I thought it would be great to save for later or for a loved one.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-88735651300592624412012-11-03T08:51:00.002-04:002012-11-03T08:51:36.679-04:00End of October Post (Belated!)<span style="font-family: Verdana;">"O" is for "occupied"... which was what I was last month!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here's what kept me busy:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Team Umizoomi Cake (#3)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbSzj8uMyuDDFMm-wYd-Dk90sI8tqmeer8Y9nckxYxWxAML7ER4uM3cbZFaR_aEhPNbcCh7-QiFIXcyGgpAFrpRl-H_GJt6Q1KgX8JhB-MegTe8p8WDtrl34PY6BWQnPjFbJJXJVJaD03/s1600/Team+Umizoomi+Birthday+Cake+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbSzj8uMyuDDFMm-wYd-Dk90sI8tqmeer8Y9nckxYxWxAML7ER4uM3cbZFaR_aEhPNbcCh7-QiFIXcyGgpAFrpRl-H_GJt6Q1KgX8JhB-MegTe8p8WDtrl34PY6BWQnPjFbJJXJVJaD03/s400/Team+Umizoomi+Birthday+Cake+4.jpg" width="370" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This cake is making it's third appearance on this blog for 3-year-old Gabriel! It is comprised of 2 layers vanilla and 1 layer chocolate cake and vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. And dark chocolate ganache before the fondant covering, of course. It also survived the rainy weather the day of delivery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 3rd Birthday, Gabriel!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">William & Owen's 1st Halloween Party</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdpkHCmDsPmzS0pB7qUtEgh_gaZ1y6uS0zIDZ8D4oqHIcDIc7Er4FvVXAnY4hAyr-HSVtfTHKssLAEdVZXX82gVnjNXPiUZDZMixUgntgCuh-Rk-yYqhleyJooYP4RWWkVBCjFBz2qB6Z/s1600/IMG_6700c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdpkHCmDsPmzS0pB7qUtEgh_gaZ1y6uS0zIDZ8D4oqHIcDIc7Er4FvVXAnY4hAyr-HSVtfTHKssLAEdVZXX82gVnjNXPiUZDZMixUgntgCuh-Rk-yYqhleyJooYP4RWWkVBCjFBz2qB6Z/s400/IMG_6700c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This was the year that they would be old enough to appreciate it! Having made a few friends in the East, we had a total of 11 kids. No haunted house, though, because I thought they were still too young. Maybe next year.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIC5ppIAyTx63wx2CFAhuDZvszcjtonaaKcYAcW1d4q9fBz13uLgVjM97iQJwpdxuaRr5jCn2OR_PWerQ9zlGDDuFYO99bP3j_5cCR_Oie68tw3skGqap7k8fc4WH87DxSsx_H5Ahzvb-N/s1600/IMG_6663c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIC5ppIAyTx63wx2CFAhuDZvszcjtonaaKcYAcW1d4q9fBz13uLgVjM97iQJwpdxuaRr5jCn2OR_PWerQ9zlGDDuFYO99bP3j_5cCR_Oie68tw3skGqap7k8fc4WH87DxSsx_H5Ahzvb-N/s400/IMG_6663c.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Items on the menu on tent cards... with creative names:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Monster goosebumps (grapes)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Bleeding hearts (strawberries)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Decrepit spinal discs (crackers)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Bone shavings (mozzarella cheese)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Dried pus (cheddar cheese)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Fried skin (tortilla chips)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Blood 'n guts (salsa)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Frankenstein's vomit (strawberry yogurt)... nobody touched this!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Vampire juice (cranberry juice)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Yellow bile (lactose-free milk dyed yellow)... nobody touched this, too!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Zombie urine (apple juice)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Satan's sweat (bottled water)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Bug-infested mold (chocolate chip cookies)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Deadly candy (Smarties... but I labelled it "M&Ms" in error)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Yummy worms (gummi candy)... this disappeared fast!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Rotting flesh (various deli meat)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Fried goblin brains (popcorn)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc-oFRy3Ze4vOrom2ue03kNMBD0zMZ9A25nC6Ux173PMpSIakrK8zABd8uvwuBfCmb1FXztDmge5Nkacm_JJkudKPbZ52jGAV6HZ54wY2sYRH5oJAhnDZBVOIk8qfh17_-0qsdKT5V6xx/s1600/IMG_6658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc-oFRy3Ze4vOrom2ue03kNMBD0zMZ9A25nC6Ux173PMpSIakrK8zABd8uvwuBfCmb1FXztDmge5Nkacm_JJkudKPbZ52jGAV6HZ54wY2sYRH5oJAhnDZBVOIk8qfh17_-0qsdKT5V6xx/s400/IMG_6658.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I had activities planned, but it was too rainy for an scavenger hunt in the backyard (my minimalistic house made it hard to hide things indoors). Instead, we played musical chairs (where the adults had to play first to garner some interest with the kiddies), we passed a chick for the "Hot Potato" game, and attempted to have a dancing party (no one took the bait... the majority were boys, so I guess the plan failed before it began). Other than that, the boys William's age were running around the house.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ascgdt9yda5B77PX9bHFnw2KIb6pXfG-iorW2GA4ePEg9t3mxTgo6NE_Wk8PZ7Bl_D7M8SkeVsmRal39kfxbmP9QH-6ScREkgyXfFoDwc0tD3J4by4ylmd9-vLETK96dtcPt94LNeG2p/s1600/IMG_6677c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ascgdt9yda5B77PX9bHFnw2KIb6pXfG-iorW2GA4ePEg9t3mxTgo6NE_Wk8PZ7Bl_D7M8SkeVsmRal39kfxbmP9QH-6ScREkgyXfFoDwc0tD3J4by4ylmd9-vLETK96dtcPt94LNeG2p/s400/IMG_6677c.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwppj3Xvv9CXs6k8aaJSOuNTPBPjLqyfBNpp3tMVbQ0-UrnsXLso-HJqzVZ8IVD3CrmCiUwaR1cfrjKpHebJdynmwQzYqa2D8dkAEmezve3S1kHN53YanU6KJvmtXaWVxBzlTBSpu65n5I/s1600/IMG_6651c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwppj3Xvv9CXs6k8aaJSOuNTPBPjLqyfBNpp3tMVbQ0-UrnsXLso-HJqzVZ8IVD3CrmCiUwaR1cfrjKpHebJdynmwQzYqa2D8dkAEmezve3S1kHN53YanU6KJvmtXaWVxBzlTBSpu65n5I/s400/IMG_6651c.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">There were a few superheroes at the party. 3 princesses also attended. William was a robot and Owen was a dragon. James was a zombie (again) and I was a mime (that broke the golden rule of silence).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSCdRdFwEWUJc10B0D3itAetzEfFunnZgDVl_s5HoEgBnUzhPJrUETyv2yo7tBDej3EcsJhOTxqjDdNyhwplasLlpKszbpovaC8XPAqQVEQwe1vB6LXOukOfnBLaUJx6MSPb6_OKq3rsj/s1600/IMG_6656c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSCdRdFwEWUJc10B0D3itAetzEfFunnZgDVl_s5HoEgBnUzhPJrUETyv2yo7tBDej3EcsJhOTxqjDdNyhwplasLlpKszbpovaC8XPAqQVEQwe1vB6LXOukOfnBLaUJx6MSPb6_OKq3rsj/s400/IMG_6656c.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The party was 10am to 12pm. Who thinks it's crazy to have a kid's party that early on a Saturday? Yes? Then, join James, 'cuz he thought I was nuts.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rjeG9atv1rPldr4pQ6VWUa4Bum8O1U3vT13o9fQOzwFJBuuQb7LpU7QQhvfYP6TJXJWBr6DJbe65SUlr1ngmnaI8PE6BZmpEVSNhb5xocc0shZPz3wbhrHSzBD8fR5ex76pQomway7I7/s1600/IMG_6672c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rjeG9atv1rPldr4pQ6VWUa4Bum8O1U3vT13o9fQOzwFJBuuQb7LpU7QQhvfYP6TJXJWBr6DJbe65SUlr1ngmnaI8PE6BZmpEVSNhb5xocc0shZPz3wbhrHSzBD8fR5ex76pQomway7I7/s400/IMG_6672c.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Vanilla Cake Eyeballs</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IRyP8iLzmXc3h23UnCyYEigbDjcW_B0YjdrUUvh1CZsvHWM3uuB2I5672vhdMXsnwymOFY5Xg8HAe1xv11Bs-MRRrrT3USKkcnWlOjITZeCAJCebG0hbSh78_gqlXpjC1xi4amn_WPcO/s1600/Cake+Eyeballs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IRyP8iLzmXc3h23UnCyYEigbDjcW_B0YjdrUUvh1CZsvHWM3uuB2I5672vhdMXsnwymOFY5Xg8HAe1xv11Bs-MRRrrT3USKkcnWlOjITZeCAJCebG0hbSh78_gqlXpjC1xi4amn_WPcO/s400/Cake+Eyeballs.jpg" width="386" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Mixed with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream, I dipped it in white chocolate wafers, then painted on the blood vessels and topped with a black Smartie. I brought these to a kid's Halloween party the next day, and a lot of kids didn't want to touch them at all. I guess it looked more realistic in unjaded eyes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Spiderweb Cookies</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWpBgvrgSIu2-TG_JVD5L2Y7RkHzRJkbDjaYJNn_mPUg9V1pWcKEjGSMYBn-aXCe8a4sSCcFlZ06gAjiGrvlATeB19tHUANxw0VeeKQHAnFHsdlrPB_Vl7RnNwtMSLFidW1rsm2Bd4xS1/s1600/Spiderweb+Cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWpBgvrgSIu2-TG_JVD5L2Y7RkHzRJkbDjaYJNn_mPUg9V1pWcKEjGSMYBn-aXCe8a4sSCcFlZ06gAjiGrvlATeB19tHUANxw0VeeKQHAnFHsdlrPB_Vl7RnNwtMSLFidW1rsm2Bd4xS1/s400/Spiderweb+Cookies.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I did it again. For each house that we visited on our trick-or-treating rounds, I gave out one or two of these cookies. Just plain sugar cookies, with royal icing web and spider. Sprinkled with disco dust. Many people were surprised at receiving something in return after handing out candy! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Halloween!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-12157907325556365802012-10-14T21:10:00.001-04:002012-11-03T08:00:13.621-04:00Fuchsia Birthday Cake<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy mid-October! That means Halloween is coming up... then, Christmas! I can hear you all protesting... :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Anyway, on to my latest cake. It was for one-year-old Tasha, and my neighbour friend wanted something similar to the boy baby shower cake I made, but change it up for a girl's birthday. And add a "1" block on the top (made of Rice Krispies treat). I used hot pink a.k.a. fuchsia fondant (white chocolate and regular mixed) so it's not the traditional baby pink.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Before I covered the chocolate cakes in fondant, they were filled with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream and had a dark chocolate ganache shell. The block also had white modelling chocolate before the fondant treatment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Everyone was happy with their cake... some kids had seconds, some kids asked for seconds but were denied the request by their parents (smart!), some ate part of the cake but mostly the fondant and were bouncing off the wall (William). The birthday girl seemed to enjoy it as well, even though she was stripped down to her diaper.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkclqeX3uExuOosKcMgJ48Uk_Oye0KWnj8viwPf5D1xlnZW585GX5nfpEzgiyayFDQs1VPKSVnVy09XDDEdhZSWCedK-Wvd-QtlSQXif8xn1VtwB8VISjQEiNl-RNVQ8KVAQJcZh7MDU_O/s1600/Baby+Girl+Fuchsia+Birthday+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkclqeX3uExuOosKcMgJ48Uk_Oye0KWnj8viwPf5D1xlnZW585GX5nfpEzgiyayFDQs1VPKSVnVy09XDDEdhZSWCedK-Wvd-QtlSQXif8xn1VtwB8VISjQEiNl-RNVQ8KVAQJcZh7MDU_O/s400/Baby+Girl+Fuchsia+Birthday+Cake.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 1st Birthday, Tasha!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-58924363506001878612012-09-29T20:58:00.000-04:002012-09-29T20:58:45.055-04:00Team Umizoomi Cake 2.0<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uc5UntLTs3YAcPeXKlQn_eYV5TGb2XNzQ4mB6eV7T8zPZYBPq2EhC2omn4ho1U5X3R3nLbQUnu17jNzpkUrAAEEEjkJMUdEhXK3pLXiL1w1yxh5KHktMbbkIF_UQTLxOzVXpuKQNg7dJ/s1600/Team+Umizoomi+Birthday+Cake+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uc5UntLTs3YAcPeXKlQn_eYV5TGb2XNzQ4mB6eV7T8zPZYBPq2EhC2omn4ho1U5X3R3nLbQUnu17jNzpkUrAAEEEjkJMUdEhXK3pLXiL1w1yxh5KHktMbbkIF_UQTLxOzVXpuKQNg7dJ/s320/Team+Umizoomi+Birthday+Cake+3.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remember how I made a Team Umizoomi cake for William (almost 2 years ago)? Well, since that post, I've received queries on how to make it, can I make it for their child, etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Today, I delivered my second Umicar cake for a 3-year-old who had a Team Umizoomi theme for his birthday party.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I did everything essentially the same, except the fondant was not made of marshmallows nor orange flavoured. I have to admit, I had an easier time the second time around (except for the "painting" part... I made the second lighter colour of the car out of fondant/modelling chocolate since the painting was not opaque enough and it was too streaky).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here's the original:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqENFyEpSBw2B-9EycW6tidXu1SOD203bN15cqdoKWKUNzuXhhNqklz7tIwzDx5nseeVW7AHQoHkKozXYOms-nNNLgq1JOn_sX0zCIwLDUrU5HIlM0i-cMhc4CzcUilQsHESWMGCs48UUq/s1600/Team+Umizoomi+Birthday+Cake+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqENFyEpSBw2B-9EycW6tidXu1SOD203bN15cqdoKWKUNzuXhhNqklz7tIwzDx5nseeVW7AHQoHkKozXYOms-nNNLgq1JOn_sX0zCIwLDUrU5HIlM0i-cMhc4CzcUilQsHESWMGCs48UUq/s320/Team+Umizoomi+Birthday+Cake+1.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy birthday, Noah!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-21555871422116700822012-08-27T23:22:00.000-04:002012-08-27T23:22:32.235-04:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">End of Summer... Boo Hoo Hoo!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Alas, the hot weather will be coming to an end. Summer vacation over. School begins. See you later, August!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Giant Incredible Hulk Cookie</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgl4omPwRtXxZaK-RVchYfr8SWZ1WU7WjauZicB8nFrdfWzj_C3SaJ2iK6dwLzQJhqqYoCC05TVjlOL-Uz8OzeUxyFE3el7De8i-olDqENE3Xif2bKdcVky6jvvz46xKzu94D4EKSYqwm/s1600/Hulk+Cookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgl4omPwRtXxZaK-RVchYfr8SWZ1WU7WjauZicB8nFrdfWzj_C3SaJ2iK6dwLzQJhqqYoCC05TVjlOL-Uz8OzeUxyFE3el7De8i-olDqENE3Xif2bKdcVky6jvvz46xKzu94D4EKSYqwm/s400/Hulk+Cookie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This year, <em>The Avengers</em> came out in theatres. How fitting that my co-worker's nephew wanted a Hulk cookie. Not any normal sugar cookie, but a HUGE sugar cookie. This one was about 10" so I had to put it on a 12" board. The royal icing covered the entire cookie, and I added edible marker details. Let's just say it was a <em>smashing </em>success!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Barbie Silhouette Birthday Cake</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYdXcC0XvAbIsX7N8ONEzOdSVbxGElPklAZmcJT-pTcmP3wq3beG_x1_x6ONT4k3GamU5kJPh46qyMf4gZ43z1wf7_4v80_sYF6l1chmVVAP2GHuBdy3ZCbGLpm_7R1pqDgLEQhIPuXe5/s1600/Barbie+Silhouette+Birthday+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYdXcC0XvAbIsX7N8ONEzOdSVbxGElPklAZmcJT-pTcmP3wq3beG_x1_x6ONT4k3GamU5kJPh46qyMf4gZ43z1wf7_4v80_sYF6l1chmVVAP2GHuBdy3ZCbGLpm_7R1pqDgLEQhIPuXe5/s400/Barbie+Silhouette+Birthday+Cake.jpg" width="342" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Dear Solmaz requested a cake for a little girl turning 1. I modeled the design after Bobbette & Belle's Barbie cake... simple silhouette with girly frills. I used hot pink, rather than baby pink.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The 3-layer chocolate cake was filled with strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 1st Birthday, Kira!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Star Wars Birthday Cakes</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQca3pX8fHPNC_vOe7USraJ6ESU_4mNudopp_aOagEDi5qKG0A3sLmhAa6iIvWkAY9xqCzZZIvD-5KS6_NhgITi76y7LOJVRCG0uy0Ui8hzbwznnvCUF-GOnZmzPaM61ZTOI0Ff0xKjUA_/s1600/R2D2+Birthday+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQca3pX8fHPNC_vOe7USraJ6ESU_4mNudopp_aOagEDi5qKG0A3sLmhAa6iIvWkAY9xqCzZZIvD-5KS6_NhgITi76y7LOJVRCG0uy0Ui8hzbwznnvCUF-GOnZmzPaM61ZTOI0Ff0xKjUA_/s400/R2D2+Birthday+Cake.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Lucky Joaquin got two cakes for his 2nd birthday... a tiered cake with R2D2 and various fondant Star Wars icons along the sides, and a sheet cake with fondant Yoda. R2D2 was made of Rice Krispie Treats and fondant. Yoda is just plain fondant. The cakes itself was chocolate with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream (Yoda cake) and chocolate ganache (R2D2 cake).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiocnZRfc7bWTR5hm_k-rNoCmaC_LUL65LoGqVMLkv3_VD7A5oI1zJhJDIWuWETVjySX6WWVmsRCJZAFowYQs-hyXMN0h0w4Y-hgcexx-dm0_lgc02n-99CpkB-wGpbBXNaOheBEveBT2p/s1600/Yoda+Birthday+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiocnZRfc7bWTR5hm_k-rNoCmaC_LUL65LoGqVMLkv3_VD7A5oI1zJhJDIWuWETVjySX6WWVmsRCJZAFowYQs-hyXMN0h0w4Y-hgcexx-dm0_lgc02n-99CpkB-wGpbBXNaOheBEveBT2p/s400/Yoda+Birthday+Cake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0244I9RFq-QjFN4Q_L4tNNQWD0McXLU7xIK2p-QJmUzFZIJci2jJ3Q8UC_Itlh9ismuthtj4C6PpC4SWu5oBTP7mfDvTKIW0tg_krJkVsKwA6-i8rG3z0_B2p9qm8LbdvcjKV6qWStTM/s1600/Star+Wars+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0244I9RFq-QjFN4Q_L4tNNQWD0McXLU7xIK2p-QJmUzFZIJci2jJ3Q8UC_Itlh9ismuthtj4C6PpC4SWu5oBTP7mfDvTKIW0tg_krJkVsKwA6-i8rG3z0_B2p9qm8LbdvcjKV6qWStTM/s320/Star+Wars+Collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 2nd Birthday, Joaquin!</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-42282928407233332912012-08-01T00:34:00.002-04:002012-08-28T23:16:37.332-04:00JULY!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">July is almost over... that was quick! =) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's what this past month brought:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Optimus Prime Cake</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SOtQT6IYyJ_ew1wHvJd1mpFDUAnMZlSQfiE2LnorAeIjCKNO7uNI1Zfh0gDHq4qlAcJFMG14ZEHN1Le6AJijdUjmRNncPgQc_Ef5x3sqbFRBla1bs7rH2G07AXdnDjRZbZwJi7hP84bu/s1600/Optimus+Prime+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SOtQT6IYyJ_ew1wHvJd1mpFDUAnMZlSQfiE2LnorAeIjCKNO7uNI1Zfh0gDHq4qlAcJFMG14ZEHN1Le6AJijdUjmRNncPgQc_Ef5x3sqbFRBla1bs7rH2G07AXdnDjRZbZwJi7hP84bu/s400/Optimus+Prime+Cake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><insert transforming sound></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This was done for my friend Kristina (<a href="http://www.pearstudios.ca/">www.pearstudios.ca</a>), for her hubbie's birthday. The vanilla cake was filled with strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream. All decorations are made from fondant/gumpaste and the mask was brushed with silver lustre dust.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Birthday, Gary!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Bee Sugar Cookies</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_TbvX8aPIYr0EIzLK8lMa3ztL68scFt7HmtR23dOWOW98SM6L862JsPgllnlqNLkb16ozgnWrS9e69y32cOux-ayYGBw7hH9r1keRhCs1ba4szH8RErtzP6xwKSDy5R234bo7NI3HueX8/s1600/Bee+Cookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_TbvX8aPIYr0EIzLK8lMa3ztL68scFt7HmtR23dOWOW98SM6L862JsPgllnlqNLkb16ozgnWrS9e69y32cOux-ayYGBw7hH9r1keRhCs1ba4szH8RErtzP6xwKSDy5R234bo7NI3HueX8/s400/Bee+Cookie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Little Mieke turned 4, and her nickname in German means "troublesome bee." I used royal icing for the design, pearl lustre dust for the wing, yellow and black glitter for the body, and edible marker for the facial details.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Birthday, Mieke!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Super Mario Birthday Cake</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHA5vhiiKkPxkcPs0lioLltua6JEqbaNqRjK987FnWTG7jbKGFsetQMgvPkeEGPbJZUmZg3meXLCybgWvScmYIfywtaTvK1UelSrWNHqh3JUYdbXE-oyhhntlyGA3rUfLTqIy2GX7aBSg6/s1600/Super+Mario+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHA5vhiiKkPxkcPs0lioLltua6JEqbaNqRjK987FnWTG7jbKGFsetQMgvPkeEGPbJZUmZg3meXLCybgWvScmYIfywtaTvK1UelSrWNHqh3JUYdbXE-oyhhntlyGA3rUfLTqIy2GX7aBSg6/s400/Super+Mario+Cake.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Solmaz's son turned 6, and the theme was Super Mario Brothers. The cake was chocolate with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. It was covered in fondant, then I sprayed blue food colour in gradation. All the decorations were made from fondant/gumpaste. I handwrote the birthday message on top of edible icing circles. The mini "mushroom" red velvet cupcakes had cream cheese icing centres, and topped with fondant.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The delivery day was really wet (rain and humidity), so the fondant appeared shiny and became sticky to the touch. But it was still OK! Solmaz added chess pieces of the characters, so you knew that it was from the world of Super Mario. Check out the two hanging off the cake plate!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here is a photo of Solmaz's sweet table (see her work on Facebook - <a href="http://www.facebook.com/dressitupinc"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.facebook.com/dressitupinc</span></a>):</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYF2rgBAK71lDX7kBgI4mZ-fShhcQZeaPVIMwq9IiOzr72LgKr9By1ZIp-d5yBmNJ_mqKW8-BpjYqEXcENddAWxfu2Z3eMLn1A51qSVNiLfwoX6w1HGc5nM48U2qQ_5bNqB7spqOWH_cse/s1600/Super+Mario+Cake+Table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYF2rgBAK71lDX7kBgI4mZ-fShhcQZeaPVIMwq9IiOzr72LgKr9By1ZIp-d5yBmNJ_mqKW8-BpjYqEXcENddAWxfu2Z3eMLn1A51qSVNiLfwoX6w1HGc5nM48U2qQ_5bNqB7spqOWH_cse/s400/Super+Mario+Cake+Table.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Birthday, Francesco!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Dark Knight Sugar Cookies</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoRovbOR9f1XNQzns6pJFWi5DoxwHdPGTnhojOR-mOUOzvYqnaEu9zeJuj2rdUlGlc5plNkBVLQn1ktApGMJvr-I2w-vvL2zYTsYjBx4ySheV-yBhqLCCZ4gGfKjsV1mHvJdIGRhQ7hDF/s1600/Dark+Knight+Cookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoRovbOR9f1XNQzns6pJFWi5DoxwHdPGTnhojOR-mOUOzvYqnaEu9zeJuj2rdUlGlc5plNkBVLQn1ktApGMJvr-I2w-vvL2zYTsYjBx4ySheV-yBhqLCCZ4gGfKjsV1mHvJdIGRhQ7hDF/s400/Dark+Knight+Cookie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have a comic book store in Whitby, and we wanted to test out how treats would sell in their store. The day the new Batman movie came out, the store wanted to have an event for its release. I hope the recipients enjoyed them!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ocean Sugar Cookies and Cupcakes</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDGLPzsIAP3sXPWhpOi2ajU2fxQ-KBLiiFDFmWE_y4P73aN3LJuqyztBKxLXQKGNHIeg-Nl8dkZV_UVVfwz7K39BEH-UmOFYnMl5YO4w8nRrO4mKMH8m-ZW-Hv-v3dm3DvjDBx05T0Ees/s1600/Ocean+Cookies+and+Cupcake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDGLPzsIAP3sXPWhpOi2ajU2fxQ-KBLiiFDFmWE_y4P73aN3LJuqyztBKxLXQKGNHIeg-Nl8dkZV_UVVfwz7K39BEH-UmOFYnMl5YO4w8nRrO4mKMH8m-ZW-Hv-v3dm3DvjDBx05T0Ees/s400/Ocean+Cookies+and+Cupcake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The summer theme turned into ocean-themed (I wanted to do something different). The cookies had a mixture of royal icing and sprinkle decorations. The cupcakes (vanilla, chocolate, and marble) were iced with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream and topped with purple butterflies and yellow flowers with a sugar pearl centre.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Surfboard Cupcakes</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEJvsEdwcRWaXYYge_pGESagAPBvZA8RoViGe2LJq8lNloGGdYKsIS95H9Jl9HE3ulF9DY9RC6kKNPhTsY0ZvfZMOYw4o3QTZroKip7SeR2_kPYN8C-cX1aDQHBoWS0fAwj6k8xIp5BhQ/s1600/Surfboard+Cupcakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEJvsEdwcRWaXYYge_pGESagAPBvZA8RoViGe2LJq8lNloGGdYKsIS95H9Jl9HE3ulF9DY9RC6kKNPhTsY0ZvfZMOYw4o3QTZroKip7SeR2_kPYN8C-cX1aDQHBoWS0fAwj6k8xIp5BhQ/s400/Surfboard+Cupcakes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My colleague requested for some cupcakes for a 5-year-old boy. Not knowing what he'd like, I decided to make it summer-themed... so, surfboards? I used a orchid petal cutter for the shape, then made various details on each surboard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The lemon (yellow) and vanilla (dyed blue) cupcakes were topped with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream, beige (sand) on top of blue (water).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Mini Maple Bacon Cupcakes</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HOMizkG7539_mW4FT7jPRSvvJGtxpRDmTNGvy9NYw_d4HweZDZU3uNJWN-H1hF4Xv13u374MRFWeoqSbZw4Lm6ccipj22C8SodCqZJZZ0djhLENxWaOUk8BM7C8U9gEmmwRhyphenhyphenjz4gAt_/s1600/Mini+Maple+Bacon+Mancakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HOMizkG7539_mW4FT7jPRSvvJGtxpRDmTNGvy9NYw_d4HweZDZU3uNJWN-H1hF4Xv13u374MRFWeoqSbZw4Lm6ccipj22C8SodCqZJZZ0djhLENxWaOUk8BM7C8U9gEmmwRhyphenhyphenjz4gAt_/s400/Mini+Maple+Bacon+Mancakes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I didn't want to bring my usual cookies or cupcakes to a BBQ, so I decided to give this recipe a try. It involves more prep, but turned out cute. And the recipe just had enough portions that was stated, a surprise to me, because others would yield maybe a few more.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-25196572883465769702012-06-29T13:03:00.000-04:002012-06-29T13:03:11.760-04:00Summer is Here!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">June was so busy for me... I also took an insurance course on liability. Interesting stuff. While doing that, I was working on various projects.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Baby Shower Cupcakes</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXM56FRCKLm2N8Epk2dAGSCYQX0xZpSIx2e_6wqBUuUJsNR0kqDKxf1m9PTPx3q02aVdEKoIL32swPuJJYBUX3PHcjTENIe11pjPCX9GPBPmmzCvTRKCQqqFkduuA72yWiJw89DYke2EY/s1600/Baby+Shower+Cupcakes2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXM56FRCKLm2N8Epk2dAGSCYQX0xZpSIx2e_6wqBUuUJsNR0kqDKxf1m9PTPx3q02aVdEKoIL32swPuJJYBUX3PHcjTENIe11pjPCX9GPBPmmzCvTRKCQqqFkduuA72yWiJw89DYke2EY/s400/Baby+Shower+Cupcakes2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This was for a lady who had a traditional baby shower... when she herself is not traditional. The cupcakes were chocolate, vanilla, and lemon, all topped with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. I also made red velvet with cream cheese icing. All the toppers were made from fondant/gumpaste.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Congratulations!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Summer Sprinkle Cookies</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The end of the school year is here... so, these are cookies made to thank teachers and co-op placement staff. I made it summer themed and chose to have simple shapes (only the beach ball was used with a circle cutter, the rest were handcut from templates). The sugar cookies were brushed with corn syrup before having the sanding sugar coating. The flip flop straps and watermelon seeds were royal icing dots.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Princess Ruffle Cake</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0fPcZN9E7vbYOgDIpFgMKiUyvx6THoWMLVCK-UX2zaPddgfci9n4gmrG6vDQSL8YDTUwsyBpA-v5PEgsEh_kE8e9IiX2bk1p0ub_6zQw8rjl566_R-mawVDr7-0mHD008GXON-wSqeew/s1600/Princess+Ruffle+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0fPcZN9E7vbYOgDIpFgMKiUyvx6THoWMLVCK-UX2zaPddgfci9n4gmrG6vDQSL8YDTUwsyBpA-v5PEgsEh_kE8e9IiX2bk1p0ub_6zQw8rjl566_R-mawVDr7-0mHD008GXON-wSqeew/s400/Princess+Ruffle+Cake.jpg" width="373" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I had altered a previous fondant design that was requested, and made a buttercream version instead. The upside down ruffles were piped in gradated shades of pink. The crown was fondant/gumpaste mix and sprayed with gold. The cake board, I used marshmallow fondant and stamped a blossom cutter along the edge. This cake was red velvet with cream cheese filling. I wonder if the crown was eaten...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Birthday!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Flower Cake Pops and Flower Pot Cake</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHymAj5j1VEh7rrQXqJxlG6z5SvDED3tB4QSaMDeqcfqV3yIkBkFQBebsKfdeU_gRkbWQK5Gld8Dpe2NgXQ53mX_RMGE-46aXSp_MLlupUQwrS1J4XAd-fBxZ8utdOYftLlrUNi5IGLyw-/s1600/Flower+Cake+Pops+and+Flower+Pot+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHymAj5j1VEh7rrQXqJxlG6z5SvDED3tB4QSaMDeqcfqV3yIkBkFQBebsKfdeU_gRkbWQK5Gld8Dpe2NgXQ53mX_RMGE-46aXSp_MLlupUQwrS1J4XAd-fBxZ8utdOYftLlrUNi5IGLyw-/s400/Flower+Cake+Pops+and+Flower+Pot+Cake.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This was made for my step-mother-in-law's birthday. She loves gardening and such, so I thought it would be neat to make cake pop flowers stuck into a flower pot cake. The pops had flourless chocolate cake (my step-brother-in-law is allergic to gluten and he was going to this shindig). After baking, it was still very wet, but I guess that's normal if there was no flour to absorb the moisure. I definitely didn't have to add any icing when I formed the cake balls. Then I just cut circles of yellow fondant to form petals around it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The terracotta colour... I got it right in one shot! :) One drop of red, brown and yellow to the white fondant was all it took. I had to carve down the cake to a flower pot shape before it was covered with the fondant.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The "dirt" was just crumbled chocolate cake. I rubbed green petal dust on the cookie sticks so it wouldn't be just plain white. I wasn't sure if painting it with gel paste would soften the stick, so I didn't attempt it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here's the sad story... the day of delivery, it was so hot... humidity is not a friend of fondant. We also had to travel to Brampton, which was about 1.5 hour drive away. I also had errands to do before, so let's add another 40 minutes to the trip. It was at this point, I saw that the flowers were skewered through! I was so upset; I should have realized that the flowers would not survive the ride inside the pot. Next time, all cake pops will be lying flat or upside down! The cake tasted good (lemon with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream), which was its saving grace.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Birthday, Lynne!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Baptism Cake</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Solmaz, from Dress It Up Inc., ordered this cake (top tier vanilla, bottom tier chocolate; both with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream filling) for a little girl's baptism. She had a specific design in mind, and it had to have pink and white gerbera daisies, sparkly pink crosses, pearls, a banner, and matching gerbera daisy cupcakes (not pictured). All the white daisies have pearl lustre dust on them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The flowers took a long time to stiffen (due to hot weather). The crosses were all hand-cut, because I could not find any small cross cutters that were less than 1 inch! I had to combine 4 thin 11-inch round cake boards because I couldn't find an 11-inch drum cake board. I also added a 6" thin board to the bottom so it would be easier to move around. I hope Kira liked the final results!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Congratulations, Kira!</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-22535038989313136922012-05-26T23:24:00.001-04:002012-05-26T23:29:27.054-04:00May Happenings<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I've been busy. Had to deal with a chicken pox scare (it was dermatitis), then a lice scare (it was sand), then chicken pox again (this time, William got it for real). And on top of these medical issues, I had orders, and this is what I made...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Bridal Shower Flower Cake</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw5j_CE2qevikvmzEUMqJ8jrVQshYtK-NfsRy3qtsg-4JOeLFltj9EgqZarjJ5gxof3j9hgfgxSr3wnfdJJ8RzyX0roZTv4qLv5udMDj56Kg-BHnQXBkvOUkhhxJB5EsfDn7l6lWIE77y/s1600/Bridal+Shower+Cake+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw5j_CE2qevikvmzEUMqJ8jrVQshYtK-NfsRy3qtsg-4JOeLFltj9EgqZarjJ5gxof3j9hgfgxSr3wnfdJJ8RzyX0roZTv4qLv5udMDj56Kg-BHnQXBkvOUkhhxJB5EsfDn7l6lWIE77y/s400/Bridal+Shower+Cake+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This was a red velvet cake underneath the lavender fondant. I made brush embroidery flowers with royal icing and fondant ribbon roses on top. I had to put pearls on because they go with the roses. It has a really vintage feel to it. The client had it made for her VP; hopefully, it was shared at the office, but the intention was for the VP to take it home to enjoy it with her husband-to-be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Congrats, Catherine & Lincoln!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Fun Fai</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">r Cupcakes</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">William is going into kindergarten this fall (where did my baby go?). I made a donation last year for their auction (cookies), but this year I changed it to cupcakes. In addition, I was also able to sell mini vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">100% of the proceeds were donated to the school. I brought 48 of these minis... and sold them all in an hour, with the help of my neighbour's daughter who goes to the school (a familiar face to help rake in the sales). Awesome. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Tropical Sweet Sixteen</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3Vy17M911_D9TcowsF7A3Fn5QTsE-3FzvooI9fN7sCG7IdIt0MOT3_Lz_WauTsMsvWU3cBFwodCTbwatvDgn1JYMh__ElhuQKgscc3BWmQBbxkekzSztJmHTCqMZnPCqh0cuJC3dXo78/s1600/Tropical+Birthday+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3Vy17M911_D9TcowsF7A3Fn5QTsE-3FzvooI9fN7sCG7IdIt0MOT3_Lz_WauTsMsvWU3cBFwodCTbwatvDgn1JYMh__ElhuQKgscc3BWmQBbxkekzSztJmHTCqMZnPCqh0cuJC3dXo78/s400/Tropical+Birthday+Cake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This was secretly a black forest cake! It was my first order for this type of cake... and I used real cherry brandy - kirsch. The cherries were marinated in the stuff and I even used the leftovers to douse the bottom cake layer... it smelled so boozy! Since the theme was tropical, colourful hibiscus fondant/gumpaste flowers trailed off the cake on top of whipped cream and tan coloured whipped cream were piped along the sides to resemble a straw grass skirt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also made a cupcake bouquet. Green vanilla buttercream-topped chocolate cake with teal and fuchsia hibiscus flowers. I dipped one end of a lollipop stick into melted chocolate before inserting it into the cupcake. It worked out great... but I don't think it survived in the vase during transport :(... I'm guessing because there wasn't much stability for the sticks not to move around (the white stuff was vase filler) even though I put a blob of fondant into the vase before filling it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Sweet Sixteen!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">* * *</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Baby Shower Cake and Cupcakes</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This chocolate cake was simply adorned with fondant/gumpaste blossoms with sugar pearl centres, buttercream ruffles, and a fondant top. It was filled with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRl_7xMRjHxRReWGIZcKtep0DzwzReL-G4iIggySw-U3k5XNsz0qGiXd76sCFPybQHtZ8AQKpY8l9HsJpFwoj3OHFVEzGpNxFo28QPLyfUZDcGfLK4opXmPS117XqBYnTI_zlClmHMyHF/s1600/Baby+Shower+Mini+Cupcakes.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRl_7xMRjHxRReWGIZcKtep0DzwzReL-G4iIggySw-U3k5XNsz0qGiXd76sCFPybQHtZ8AQKpY8l9HsJpFwoj3OHFVEzGpNxFo28QPLyfUZDcGfLK4opXmPS117XqBYnTI_zlClmHMyHF/s400/Baby+Shower+Mini+Cupcakes.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The cake was paired up with mini cupcake favours (chocolate with pink vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream and red velvet with yellow cream cheese icing). I had to figure out how the guests would take them home. Initially, I wanted to use a cupcake wrapper and a handle, but I thought it would be too flimsy. So, I happened upon espresso cups at the dollar store, which were the perfect size (no handles needed!). I wrapped the cups in pink scrapbook paper. I wanted to put the cups into individual plastic packaging, but my cookie bags didn't have a flat bottom, so the cup refused to stay upright. I just put the cups into a 12"x12" box, as is. I'm sure most people would consume these bites before arriving home, anyway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Congratulations to the parents-to-be!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">iPad Birthday Cake</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My most favourite cake this month... this iPad cake (chocolate cake with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream) was so fun to make! The toughest things to do were the letters, but I think my X-acto knife cuts were decent. I wish I had an iPad myself for a model, but I only had online images to work with. I heard the the cake was well-received, which made my efforts even more worthwhile. Everything was decorated with fondant/gumpaste, with royal icing text, and the cake was covered in fondant.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy Birthday, Rex!</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-42726341856000000412012-05-07T20:18:00.000-04:002012-05-07T20:18:56.497-04:00April & May Creations<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had it all figured out... I had booked time off work specifically for a grooms cake that was placed months ago. And then I get a request for a donation of a slab cake for Yellow Brick House's fundraising gala, which was due a few days before the grooms cake. So, I was able to start working on the gala cake (vanilla cake with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream) and complete it a day ahead of schedule. The theme was black and white, but I decided to add a yellow house to represent the organization.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Then... my youngest had a fever on April 26th, which got worse as the day progressed. By evening, his fever was so high he had a fibrile seizure. My husband called 911 and the ambulance arrived quickly. We were at the hospital for 2.5 hours, but he didn't have a second seizure (which could've happened at any point after the first).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On April 27th, I started to get chills and achiness and a fever. My first thought was, "Holy crap, how am I going to finish the grooms cake due in two days?!" I had to rest a lot, because my body refused to co-operate. Luckily, after taking naps here and there, I was able to complete the cake at 4:30am on the wedding day. I made a few finishing touches after a 3-hour sleep, and was completely done by 10 am. Baking the day before the deadline is something I don't normally do, but I knew that it wouldn't take as much time as the decorating, so it wasn't as high a priority.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The theme for this red velvet cake is "The Nightmare Before Christmas" because that is one of the groom's favourite movies. The characters took the longest time to make, and they are made of fondant/gumpaste and lots of floral wire. Sally and the Mayor are in white, because this was for a wedding after all. Jack was tricky to assemble because of his thin limbs. Easiest to make was Zero the dog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Congrats, Kristina & Gary!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I had a request to make Mickey Mouse cookies. But, since I didnt have a cutter, I traced the shape by hand (good thing it was only for a dozen). No royal transferring, just piped straight onto the cookie. I added some pearl lustre dust to his head for a little sparkle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Finally, my last item for the day: a tea party themed bridal shower. The teapot cake was strawberry with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream and the cupcakes were red velvet, half topped with a blob of cream cheese and the other half piped with the meringue buttercream. Since the details were not finalized until last Friday, I only had all of Saturday and half of Sunday to work on it... not enough time to have detailed work done, unfortunately (see the flowers).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had trouble with the cup, but it looked passable. Other problem areas: the spout and handle - they didn't want to stay on. I just hoped they didn't fall off during the shower. I do love the little cupcake fondant/gumpaste toppers, though. They were easy to make once I got the hang of it and they were painted with gel colours mixed with clear vanilla.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Congrats, Zrmena!</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204265347981348373.post-40272627535112950782012-04-22T00:58:00.000-04:002012-04-22T00:58:38.553-04:00William is 4!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another year has passed (it seems to go by very quickly now! So, we had his birthday party yesterday. 12 kids... it's not as bad as you'd think!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">William wanted a Spider-Man cake. With 5 villains on it plus Spidey. I feel bad that I couldn't deliver! Lots of things came up and I lost a lot of time, and before I knew it, party time came. Last year, I was on maternity leave, so I more free time. This year, time is eaten away by my work commute and work itself. I spent most of my time on everything but the cake. :(</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Wha-sa matta you face?!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, the chocolate cake comprised of 3 layers, all filled and iced with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. That's all I did. We purchased a Spider-Man in a buggy, so he could play with the toy after. I also found personalized candles (so glad his name was spelled the common way).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The banner, I ordered through <a href="http://www.vistaprint.ca/">www.vistaprint.ca</a>, when they had it on special. The numbered photos represent the age in which it was taken.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">"What?! I'm eating here!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I had a few activities planned, but due to damp weather, only one survived: Decorate Your Own Cupcake! I made vanilla cupcakes, iced them, then used wraps with spiders on it. I got a bunch of red/blue/black/white jimmies, sprinkles, jelly beans, gummy bears and yogurt-covered peanuts for the kids to use to their hearts' content. Clean-up was not too bad, so I'm glad we did it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Owen mixes up the cupcake toppers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The rest of the time, the kids migrated down to the basement where all the toys were. When the party was over, the basement wasn't terribly trashed, so it's safe to say we got a tidy bunch of kids (what luck!).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even though my cake wasn't up to my standards, at least my gingerbread cookie favours were. I used royal icing (red was made with a ton of red icing paste, gel, and food colour) and food-grade marker to decorate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We think the party went well; no injuries to report, only a couple of hurt feelings. We're pretty satisfied with our first daycare-heavy guest list. The only thing I would've changed is to have a better design and execution of the cake. I'm going to start planning next year's now, so I won't be in this situation again!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy 4th Birthday, William!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">xoxo</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0