2011 Gallery

I apologize for not keeping up with this blog as often as I should, ideally, as soon as I make a new cake. But, for your enjoyment -- or childish amusement, whatever the case may be -- here is a quick Reader's Digest update of the rest of what I've been up to in the kitchen in 2011. In voice of Julia Child: "Bon Appetit!"...

18th Birthday "New Car" cake for my cousin-in-law Jess S. Thankfully, I wasn't asked to make the cake look exactly like the car she got as her present. Especially since she received a Ford KA and the cake -- as you can see -- looks more like Herbie the Love bug in drag. Lord knows how much edible glitter went onto the #18 and racing stripe, but Jess reported that it tasted great and was a cool surprise.

"Thortons Chocolate Box" birthday cake for good friend, Alex W., a milk-intolerant chocoholic.

What's better than a cake made to look like your favorite brand of chocolatey goodness?

A cake made to look like your favorite brand of chocolatey goodness that OPENS, of course!

(Yes, the chocolates inside are real ones from the Thorntons Continental collection -- hence the design of the box.)

Complete with edible (and removable!) lid and fondant bow.

Well folks, as December 31st is rapidly approaching, the only other cake to look forward to in 2011 is whatever birthday cake my handsome man wants for his 27th in a few weeks' time. Happy upcoming holidays!

Does this cake make my nose look red?

That's right, folks. Friday, 19th of March, was Red Nose Day 2011! In order to contribute to this lovely charity, my handsome man's office hosted a cake competition to raise money. I don't know the Latin translation, if there even is one, but let's put it this way:

I baked, I competed, I won!

And what, pray tell, was the elusive prize? Well, besides helping to raise money for every slice eaten, I won a certificate for "Most Inventive", a Cadbury Creme Easter Egg and a plush giggling red nose name Honkus (who is also featured on my cake!)

For all the Diabetic Bunnies Out There

As my mom would move a huge forkful of double chocolate fudge cake towards her mouth, she'd exclaim 'Ha! I laugh in the face of diabetes!' It only seems fitting that she was diagnosed as a Type II diabetic a few years back. However, it's always what the world says you can't have that ultimately ends up being what you want the most. So, for both my diabetic mother and mother-in-law [that's what they get for being so sweet], here's one of their favorites done just for them: A low sugar version of carrot cake.

This is a very filling, moist cake. Nuts give it extra bite but can easily be removed if someone suffers from an allergy.

Ingredients:

• 200g (7oz) butter
• Five tbsp honey
• Four large eggs
• 500g (1lb 1oz) grated carrots
• 150g (5oz) chopped walnuts
• 300g (10.5oz) plain flour
• Two tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch of salt
• One tsp ground allspice

For the Filling and Topping:

• 250g (9oz) cream cheese
• Four tbsp sugar free apricot jam

Method:

• Preheat your oven to 180 deg C/350 deg F/gas mark four. Grease a 20cm (eight ins) cake tin.
• Melt your butter and honey in a small pan over a low heat.
• Place your flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and allspice in a large bowl. Mix in your hot liquid. Beat your eggs then add to the mixture too.
• Grate your carrots then stir them into the batter, along with your chopped nuts.
• Pour into your tin and bake in the centre of your oven for about 40 minutes or until cooked all the way through, and a skewer comes out clean.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Beat your cream cheese with your sugar free apricot jam. Once cool, cut your carrot cake in two. Spread your cream cheese mixture inside and on the top.

*Photos to be posted later this week*

It's Just a Jump to the Left...

Briony's Rocky Horror Picture Show Birthday party was fantastic...some would even say it was 'astounding'! [sorry, couldn't help myself]

Everyone was in on the cake surprise, except the birthday girl of course, and they all pitched in to prevent her from seeing the chocolaty masterpiece before it was songs-and-sparklers time. Equally, everyone was also in corsets, stockings and glitter makeup -- even the guys! [minus my handsome man, though, who didn't want to destroy any remaining dignity by adding stilettos and holdups to the mix, and therefore dressed in normal clothes] There were Rocky Horror themed cocktails, decorations, and karaoke on the TV in the living room, all of which equalled an epic night.

We all kept Briony upstairs until a letter 'B' sparkle candle was lit, surreptitiously placed betwixt the cake cleavage, and we started singing 'Happy Birthday'. This is what she was met with upon descending into the kitchen:

Chocolate cake with Chocolate Almond buttercream on the inside, complete with the hand-piped lyrics to 'The Time Warp' around the border!

You've Got E-Mail!

I figured it was about time to have an email address for this blog, so folks can send in their questions, comments and requests.

So, voila!

Click here to email The Sweet Life.

I Heart You

Thanks to the wonderous world of eBay, I am now the proud owner of a flexi-mould silcone heart cake pan! It may seem triviable and silly to get excited about such things, but c'est la vie. Go ahead and laugh, I'll be in the kitchen baking up a heart-shaped storm.... :)

Engineered Layers

This is from 2009, as yet another birthday cake for my handsome man. As a civil engineer, he had recently completed a bunch of road works projects, so I was inspired to raid the shelves of the local stores in search of a construction set [complete with worker men, pipes, signs, barriers... even a working crane!] and also discovered traffic cone candles and chocolate "rocks".

Sugar Rush-ed

Well, it's 2011, and January is when I realize all the birthdays, anniversaries (including my 1st!) and special events coming up within the year. It is both an exciting and exhausting thought to have while being an amateur cake decorator. The kitchen is much smaller than that of my home in America, and while I used to be able to rely on the winning combination of my and my Mom's collections of cake gear, I now slowly building up my own equipment arsenal. There will certainly be some growing pains this year in these new surroundings, but with some perseverance and a little American ingenuity things, and more importantly the cakes, should turn out just fine. In the immortal words of Tim Gunn, make it work, people!

Coming up in the next 2 weeks:

• A quadruple layer carrot & walnut cake
• A birthday cake with a Rocky Horror Picture Show theme (sketch to be uploaded soon)

2010 Gallery

Butterfly Cake for Amy R.

30th (Pearl) Anniversary Cake for Bryan & Sue W.

22nd Birthday Cake for Philip W.

- a few days before his birthday, his Land Rover cracked a light post in half after driving fast on thick ice. He wasn't badly hurt, so we immortalised this stupidity in cake.

- and yes, even the Land Rover is made of cake!

Wedding Cake for Kenda & Todd Seeley (on Valentine's Day)

"Two Peas in a Pod" Engagement Cake for Brenda & Robert

-all vegetables are handmade out of fondant and food-safe markers

6th Birthday Barbie Cake for Hannah P.

- the dress, flowers and even jewellry were sculpted out of buttercream icing, with a strawberry cake "skirt"

"Under the Sea" 1st Birthday Cake for Naila K.

- complete with Rice Krispie Treat/Fondant #1 and bubblegum pink Octopus!

"Under the Sea" Baby Smash Cake for Naila

"Pig & Flutterby" 1st Anniversary Cake for Jessie G. & Matt G.

-Matt loves pigs and Jessie loves butterflies, so I combined them in a little cake field of flowers with a 100% handmade fondant pig and butterfly

"Bikini Babe" 21st Birthday Cake for Andrew M.

- Drew's a volunteer firefighter, and the rest of the guys loved it when we unveiled this beauty at their weekly meeting!

*Unfortunately, while making this cake, we experienced frequent power outtages which affected how the icing set in the fridge. Plus, it was August, so what was once a Bettie Paige slowly turned into Betty White (hence the photo). Luckily, the firehouse had a generator and a big cooler so it reset just fine :) *

"BlackJack Birthday" Cake for my handsome man [my first attempt at fondant work, from 2008]

- playing cards made of rolled fondant with food-safe marker writing and back design

"World of WarCraft" 25th Birthday Cake for Alex S. 

- I knew absolutely nothing of WoW till I raided Google in search of info for this cake. And, as this was a surprise, I couldn't grill Alex about his preferences. Nonetheless, he greatly appreciated the effort despite my uneducated guesses, even though I placed a Horde shield atop his cake when, in fact, he informed me he plays for the Alliance. Oh, how silly of me ;p