Red Velvet Cupcake Tests

This is my fourth attempt at making red velvet cupcakes.

Test #1: cake was reddish, not too chocolatey but it was light-tasting; Swiss meringue cream cheese buttercream icing was not smooth but it was light

Test #2: cake was not red at all, very chocolatey; cream cheese icing made with icing sugar was too grainy, heavy, and very sweet

Test #3: cake was not red at all, very chocolatey; Italian meringue cream cheese buttercream was too lumpy and runny (didn't incorporate when I substituted half of the butter for cream cheese)

Test #4: cake was red/brown, chocolatey enough and light;

Icing A was white chocolate cream cheese: it had a tangy flavour but it wasn't as smooth as I like but it was better than Test #1 and #3; it's a bit rich and not so sweet

Icing B was Italian meringue cream cheese buttercream: this worked out way better than the first time; I folded beaten cream cheese into the completed IMBC; it holds its shape really well for piping and it was light-tasting; it's not too sweet

I would say the latest test on cake and icing were the best and clients can choose between the two. :)

Left: Italian meringue cream cheese buttercream on red velvet cupcake
Right: White chocolate cream cheese buttercream on red velvet cupcake

Under the Sea Sugar Cookies

This order was created for an upcoming baby shower.  The shower theme is "The Little Mermaid" but I thought it would be complemented better with items "Under the Sea."  All the cookies were custom-cut (no cutters used; only template and knife) and were about 4" in size.

 Ivory nautilus shell with pearl/disco dust

 Pink scalloped shell with pearl/disco dust

 Orange starfish with raised bumps

 Pink coral with sanding sugar

Purple seahorse

Happy First Birthday, Max!

A good friend of mine requested a small cake to celebrate his first birthday.  She decided to make it a jungle theme and settled on having a monkey on the cake.

The cake is 6" round and just under 4" high, with 3 layers (chocolate, vanilla, chocolate).  It has Italian meringue buttercream icing for the filling and beneath the marshmallow fondant.

Design inspired by The Violet Cake Shoppe.

Nom Nom Nom... Chocolate Cupcakes with Italian Meringue Buttercream Icing

During my quest for a moist cake (who ever wants dry cake?) I came across a chocolate recipe that looked promising.  It's for cupcakes, but I'm sure it would be OK in cake-form with a few adjustments. 

To pair it up, I wanted to try my hand at Italian meringue buttercream.  I've always made Wilton's buttercream icing, but I found that it always came out grainy (research says that the main culprit could be underbeating) and too sweet.

It took a long time to make (probably close to 25 minutes for prep and cook time) but it was so worth it!  The cake was super moist and quite filling; the IMBC was so smooth and not overly sweet.  These two recipes will be going into my collection, for sure. :)

I coloured the icing for St Patrick's Day and decided not to do little fondant details (but for orders, that could be done).