Gold Drama Cake: Sequins & So Much More

When you were turning 15 didn't you want a fancy grown up party with a fancy cake?

With all the sugar you could handle?

I'm not even sure I had a 15th birthday party. Last one I can remember is when I was turning 11. Doesn't mean I didn't want it though.

I was quite happy doing this cake. It's what every girl should get for her birthday. Brownie cake with cookie dough and German buttercream.

If you've never had German buttercream I feel for you. It's amazing. Custard base, so it tastes like ice cream. I could just eat it with a spoon.

Although German buttercream and fondant don't really get along I learned. It's like trying to put fondant on a cake covered in whip cream. Not so much with the cooperation and more with the hole having due to weight...

But that's ok. It's a lesson learned and it got covered with quins anyways. And gold luster. Lots of gold luster.

Another lesson: Gold luster does not cover absolutely. Some colour will show through, but don't worry, it looks good, and gives it some more character to the metallic sheen.

Also, don't spend hours trying to do full coverage, it's not worth it. And it makes your not-sticking-on-so-well-fondant wet and less happy.

This is the last cake that will have homemade fondant. Homemade fondant just isn't working. I really wanted it to work, made many many batches and cannot figure out how to make a nice fondant that covers cakes in that nice pretty flawless way.

Gumpaste and I have made friends, however.

Tulips and roses aren't a classic combination, I know, but I like the drama of it all.

I decided not to do any foliage, although a rose leaf or two would not pull away from the flowers, this cake was full enough.

Parrot tulips are very dramatic. They come in all sorts of colours, but this sunburst kinda colour stole my heart. And I had real life inspiration.

Can you tell the difference between the gumpaste and real flowers?

The main give away for me was the stamens.

...I have to work on that.

Additional lesson learned: colour the petals before attaching them to the stamens. Everything became orangey-red. 

I think I've leveled up though. Can I determine that? (Insert Zelda music here.)

So this was cake 5 of 12. It's the end of March and I have 7 cakes to do in 9 months.

Seems like lots of time, right? But I've written off summer. My place gets insanely warm and I usually feel like dying, not baking, during that time.

I do have 2 cakes to be done toward the end of the year. At least I think I do. Things haven't been finalized yet. 

And I'm hoping I can do a big cake for an event in early May. Really really hoping. Cause it would be amazing. And Big. Really BIG.

But don't worry. I'll be doing things in the in between time. And I'll post things here, even if they aren't all cake related.

That is... If you care. If you're reading this... Whomever you are.

Are you just looking for some pretty pictures? 

I can't blame you for that.

In parting, my own personal grumpy cat says, "Leave."

"I was grumpy before Tartar Sauce."
~Boroboro

Two Beautiful Women: A Special Tea Time Cake

I feel like the luckiest girl alive.

I have two Grandmothers. Well, one Grandma and one Oma.

They are 92 years old. Born a few weeks apart, a large distance apart, and they are great friends. 

This was a tea party for my Grandma. She is a lucky Valentine's Birthday Lady. I believe that means she was born with an extraordinary amount of love. She is the most lovely and giving woman I could ever know. She can make you feel comfortable and wanted with a smile, and her eyes always twinkle with joy and laughter. She is a wife of 62 years, a mother, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother. She is the girl that's the first to befriend you, embrace you, and make you part of the family. I'm sure she was the school ambassador, if there were such things then. I guess they call these kinds the Pillar of the Community, but I feel that falls short.

My Oma is just as amazing, but in a different kind of way. She is straight forward. She says what she thinks and she gives no apologies for it. She is independant, stubborn... A true vrouw. When I called her to invite her to the party she says, "Oh Sarah. I haven't heard from you in ages. What's wrong with you?" (I'm bad at keeping in touch with people. When I want to call them I'm either at work or it's too late to politely call.) She never ceases to amaze me. She is legally blind, has worn hearing aids for as long as I can remember, and has lived alone for almost as long. And she hates it when people try to assist her constantly. She is proud, but humble enough to ask for help when she needs it.

But I digress. You're not really here to read about my gushing over my Grandmothers.

You're here to listen to me brag about cake. And flowers. And laugh about my casualty.

Apparently floral wire is irresistible to cats. Makes them jump up on tables and pull a resting gumpaste flower onto the floor where it go crash.

I wasn't impressed. But I didn't want the flower to go to waste.

So it sat on the cake stand; at the base of the cake. German Chocolate Cake with classic Pecan Coconut frosting. That frosting is a family favourite. It's between all those layers, and dolloped on top. The cream cheese honey frosting was really only for show. Naked cake needs some thick buttercream to be smeared all over it. It's a sexy cake like that.

My Grandma loved it. She doesn't like chocolate, so this was a White Chocolate cake. With flowers. One that my Grandma took home in a little vase I got for her. My very first gumpaste flowers. Another look at those shall we?

I'm pretty happy with them. Some minor things I'd like to add for next time, but I don't think anyone noticed the calyx was missing. Foliage wasn't needed for this cake, the flowers were more than enough.

These are fragile beast though. The two in the back cracked and chipped quite a bit. Only a small piece cracked off the light pink one. If you're going to make gumpaste flowers, make sure you pack them well, but not tight. Make sure they don't touch anything. I mean anything. Each other, floral tape, a table, some feathers...

Ok, I'm exaggerating. They aren't that fragile, but you need to be careful when handling them.

But don't worry we didn't just eat cake. Cookies, tortilla rolls, cucumber sandwiches, cake pops, veggies and chocolates were on the spread. You can guess what the kids ate and what the adults had.

Everyone visited, drank tea, coffee and juice, and visited some more. My Aunt was awesome and brought the Valentines my Grandma collected over the years.

Sixty-two years worth of Valentines, from her children, friends, and my Grandpa. Sixty-two years, starting in 1953, the first Valentine's Day they shared as Husband and Wife.

They didn't sit together for the Tea Party, which was a rare thing. We don't have many pictures where they are separated, or not holding hands, or something along those lines.

They are still in as much Love as they were when they were first married.

If not more.

Happy Valentine's everyone.

Mr's Baby Ninja Turtle Cake: The Tale of a Love for Pizza

I'm a Liar.

A damn liar.

But in a good way.

See two years ago I arranged a surprise party for Mr's Birthday. I sent him off to watch Roller Derby while I prepared. My excuse was the tickets were sold out and I was making pizza anyways.

Party Pizza.

Most of the surprise party guests were at Roller Derby already, cheering on the E-Ville Roller Derby team. One of the guests arrived early. She drew him a card and I made Party Pizza.

When Mr arrived with another guest I thought for sure the gig was up. The first arrival had never been to our place before and had no reason to just be hanging out at our table. But he didn't get it until the fifth guest arrived.

For that birthday I made a Chocolate Bacon Stout Cake with Maple Frosting. It was as good as it sounds.

Can you see the Bacon? Stout makes for an amazingly moist cake.

Last Birthday I surprised him with Barenaked Ladies tickets. I told him we were meeting my Pops for supper. It was a bit of a walk to the theatre and Mr was getting angry at Pops. When we walked into the theatre, with all the banners and merch about, he still didn't clue in. He had to see the tickets to get what was actually happening.

The concert was amazing. I recommend them to everyone and can't wait to go again.

This year Mr made me promise no surprises.

Can you believe that?

So I made him a little cake.

A very little cake. Six inches on the bottom and a teeny four inches on top.

Baby Donatello (and the pizza toppings) are made with modelling chocolate. He was fun to make.

He started like this:

And ended up like this:

Notice Mr's name on the cake? So he'd know it's all for him.

He shared the pizza part with me. The crust is fondant, and sauce is fondant gunk. Toppings are all chocolate.

Yes, Donatello even has a tail.

Yes... That is a tail.

The cake was what Mr calls "Grape" flavour; which is actually Lavender Honey. Making it purple means it is Grape apparently.

So two cakes down: Ten to go. Next cake will be for my Gram's and Mom's Birthday. I'm planning on making my first gumpaste flower. " 'Cause seriously, speaking for everybody who are me in the car right now, we're very excited."