Learning in humidity is not the best way!

Over the xmas break i had 2 attempts at Planet Cakes cakes - here is a picture of the gift box cake - i thought i knew what i was doing and was very disheartened. But was slightly reassured when other cake makers said that humidity was a killer for cake decorating. My ganache was so soft and oozed out the bottom and my bow was floppy! Still - can only improve!

The perfect cake...

So I have about 100 different, inspiring cake recipes I'd like to try and different skills I'd like to practice but I will not let myself try these until I am happy and settled with my wedding favour cupcakes.

My goal is to find the perfect cake that is moist and will stay delicious after 3-4 days as, being a wedding, there will be tons of other stuff that I'd need to do and making and decorating 80 cupcakes will just be extra stress! So I either make them 4-5 days before and then ice 1-2 days before, or, make the cupcakes in advance and freeze. I also need them to be about 2.5 inches tall, including the icing, so that they look right in the cupcake box.

I have found a great chocolate sponge recipe that tastes great 5 days out the oven, and also comes out the freezer unaffected. Problem is that it has no dome to it - therefore not much height.

So I'm on the mission to find the perfect sponge - white mud, chocolate, vanilla - anything, that'll taste great and have a good dome for icing.

Firstly I'm trying the Planet Cake white chocolate mud, then the Exclusively food white chocolate mud, then this inspiring idea or making holes in a vanilla sponge and pouring lemon juice and icing sugar in there. I'm also going to experiment with my favourite chocolate sponge recipe and see if by using more self raising flour, I can achieve a better dome.

The next problems to solve are: Getting a delicious butter cream that withstands the heat and is safe to eat after 2 days and to find the right tins and paper cases to make large cupcakes.

All this testing will result in lots of cake that needs to be eaten so I will be looking for volunteers, otherwise I won't fit into my wedding dress!

Tim Tam Pops

I have found the new crazy of Cake pops and am hoping for a book on Cake pops for xmas! meanwhile i found this recipe for Oreo pops and adapted it to tim tams! Absolutely incredible! I still need lollipop sticks and when i have cake and ganache left over i will make the standard cake pops but these were quick and delicious! The faces are for fun and practice at a steady hand!

Firstly i crushed the tim tams and mixed with cream chease. when they are hardened i stick a skewer dipped in white chocolate. then i dip the pop in melted chocolate till completely covered.

They taste amazing and i wish i'd made more!

40 Pink Cupcakes!

It has been a busy baking week! Today I made and iced 40 cupcakes! Dave was doing handy man jobs and I was without light at then end so iced in a head torch - would have look ridiculous! So these are for a friends daughter's first birthday party.

The theme is pink which is handy as it's also Pink Ribbon day on Monday so the duff ones are being taken to work to be sold! The extra duff ones have gone in a container for Dave and I to eat (along with the bounty mudcake - oh god...)

I am still not satisfied with my standard vanilla and chocolate cupcake recipe. I have researched loads and the chocolate one I tried today tastes nice but not perfect and until I do find one that I am happy with I will not go on to try the 100s of different, exciting and delicious looking recipes I have piled up to try. I also tried 40 swirls and some turned out just how I wanted but the rest were terrible and seeing as I can't pipe then - I’m just going to have to keep on trying!!!!!!

Thanks mum for the cupcake sprinkles - I love them! All the way from England in a box on a ship!:-)

Bounty Mudcake caught fire!

I made a bounty mudcake the other day. It was the Woman's Weekly Cherry mudcake but adapted to bounty bars as my fiance is not a fan of cherry ripe.

It requires a tall tin lined with baking paper. i went a little over the top as normal when lining cake tins but, when put on the middle shelf they were rather close to the top of the oven.

I ignored this and was faffing around with another problem. with my large cake tin, if the mixture is slightly runny it tends to leak alittle. so i was cleaning up the drips and arranging tinfoil to prevent them from falling to the oven floor. last time i let the batter drip out it burnt in the oven and filled it with smoke.

Then i noticed that the baking paper had caught fire!!! I yelled for Dave and we took it out - the cake had a ring of fire above it! I refused to put the cake in the sink 'we can save the batter!!!' and eventually the fire died out.

The baking paper had burnt all the way down to the batter and had flake off but - i picked out each and every tiny speck, albeit with a little batter too but most was left unharmed.

so in it went again and came out perfectly. i iced in ganache and you would never tell that it had nearly been to waste. if we do come accross a bit of charred baking paper, we might only assume it is coconut.

a delicious cake - next - i shall try with Mars Bars!!!!!

My first attempted at fondant.....

Terrible! My first attempt at using fondant icing! I was planning on doing my wedding cake but after this attempt i think i'll have to re-consider....

I made the Planet Cake carrot cake - turned out perfectly. Then i made a white chocolate gananche and layered the cake with this and covered the entire cake so it was smooth.

I used Orchard's white fondant icing. I coloured it pale pink, the Cavey Cakes colour and started to knead it. Turned out pretty good! I had to have a couple attempts at rolling it out due to it sticking and ripping, and maybe I should have measured it as, it didn't quite cover the cake.

But once it was on i did a patch up job and it didn't look too bad. If i'd had a smoother i could have made the finishing a bit smoother so my finger prints weren't obvious! I experimented with writing pens my mother sent over from the UK and did a really lame flower.

But it is still delicious to eat and Dave and I will be eating cake every night this week. I'll just put it down to good practice...

Classic Victoria Sponge

As been a while since I have made a cake due to getting engaged and all the drinking and partying that follows!:-) I had the house to myself on sat and so I was planning on making cupcakes to practice my piping. I even bought the good quality colour paste for the cake suppliers.

But we had an impromptu BBQ for a friends bday and I offered to make a cake. Classic Victoria sponge with jam and cream is her favourite so I attempted to make a light and fluffy sponge.

Came out quite well I thought so this morning I covered both inside halves of the cakes with strawberry jam and whipped cream. Too much whipped cream though as it went everywhere when cutting it! It was the 1st really hot weekend since winter and although keeping the cake in the shade the cream did not like the heat and looked a little weird. Still yummy though! I had 2 large slices!!!!

Next weekend I’ll do the cupcakes....