Birthday Cakes & Free Cupcakes

I apologize for the lack of photos to accompany this post... but this weekend was busy, with work and an order of a cake for my favorite 4 year old and an order of 36 cupcakes.

This particular birthday cake, was my first attempt at working with fondant. I went into this project, hopeful. However, I quickly lost my patience and unfortunately, my will to photograph joined my patience in the swan dive. So, I will inform you of what went on up until and in between the photos that I could will myself to take in between the bouts of unnecessary anger towards lumps of pink sugar.

I baked a white cake in two 10" pans, which I later cut into 4 layers. At the start of this cake, my fear didn't lye in covering the cake in fondant... it was in creating a level cake! After I assembled the white cake, strawberries and strawberry filling...

I "dirty iced" the cake... see how level this baby is!? Beautiful.

I popped the cake into the fridge for the evening and got up early in the morning to start on the fondant. I dyed the white fondant three different colors, by hand. This proved to be my only misgiving of the fondant experience. Kneading the pink food dye into the white fondant leached the fondant of its moisture.. which lead to a few pesky cracks. I am told these cracks were, "unnoticeable"... I knew better! Of course, it is possible that I have a slight problem with being a perfectionist...

Cute little fondant flowers! My favorite (and easiest) part of the weekend!

This, is the final product.

I learned a few tips through my mistakes on this cake, so I'm looking forward to working with fondant again... did you hear that? I'm looking for an excuse to make a cake!

This weekend I also volunteered my time and sugar to make a batch of cupcakes for a local boutique's summer shin dig in exchange for a display of my business cards and some great referrals.

These cupcakes were simple enough... I made my usual chocolate cupcake batter then stirred in Andes candy chips and a few teaspoons of mint extract. While the cupcakes were baking, I made a mint chocolate frosting with butter, cream cheese, confectioner sugar, milk and mint extract. I topped these cuties with the left over pink fondant flowers, with a sugar pearl center.

I have affectionately named this cupcake "Love Illu-mint-ati", after the boutique's name, Love Illuminati.

I will try to make these posts more frequent.. however, with a week vacation to Ocean City Maryland and a two week vacation to California, you may not be seeing a whole lot of me until September, when I will be making all the desserts for my Graduation party! Look forward to pie flavored cupcakes like, Apple and Key Lime.. homemade cookies, along with chocolate covered oreos!