Dusty Roses

Okay, so guess what I got in the mail? ...

PETAL DUST!!!!!

So, I set out to use them right away! ... roses anyone?

Purple Rose...

& Gold Rose...

Cotton Candy Rose...

& Red Rose.

Another Basket

Isn't he just to cute?!

This is another cake I made for the Ross employees. (the ones who didn't get a piece of the first cake) Once again they loved it and ate it up.. even *sniff* the bear! I was told he was cut in half. Perfect ending for a chocolate panda bear if I do say so myself.

I must admit I loved making this cake, even though I was up way to late for my taste just to finish it, and once again as a basket weave cake it looked like something resembling a kindergarteners mud pie with grass hair before the actual 'basket' was piped on. :)

Oh! did I mention this was my first time experimenting with chocolate molds! So I have to say, I am quite happy with how my little project turned out. I was worried his ears would break when I removed him from the mold and of course one did as you can see better in the picture bellow..

See? Right there..on the right. So sad!

Yes I know what you're thinking... he looks like a koala bear. But NO! he is a panda bear. :)

I used a pastry brush to put the colored chocolate into the parts of the mold that needed to be.. well... colored. and once those cooled a bit I poured in the rest! Mmmm, I like chocolate. :) For those two darling butterflies I used white chocolate in a... you guessed it.. butterfly mold! Once those has cooled I used a smidgen of water and pearl dust to paint them.

Carrots Anyone?

So, here we go. My first attempt at a tutorial! Woo! :) So first I think I should probably tell you exactly what it is I'm tutorialing about. (Tutorialing, is that a word? yes..no.. eh it works)

You like? You want to make? Let me show you!

First off you're going to need a box cake mix or the carrot cake recipe of your choice. (Sorry no pics of the baking process! Next time I promise!)

Your cake look like this? No..yes? Good!

There's no need to level the cake unless you are OCD and MUST have a flat topped cake. Now set aside the cake covered in plastic wrap, we'll get back to it later. Now it's time to make those carrots!

What? You expected them to be bigger?

Take a 50/50 gum paste fondant blend and use either ready colored fondant or gel coloring to tint your carrots to the correct color. (carrots don't have to be orange. ;) Take a small ball of the blend about the size of a nickel and roll it to the desired shape. Remember to take the flat end of a toothpick to create a small hole for the stalks to be added later.

Lookin' like carrots yet?

Next you need black or brown gel food color and a toothpick. Dip the toothpick into the coloring and streak along the sides of the carrots... Now they just need their stalks.

Green sticks? Seriously?

For the carrot stalks you will need a 50/50 gum paste fondant blend rolled ridiculously thin. Next you need to cut the strips to the desired length before they dry. We're almost done!

Woah! Carrots!

To attach the stalks place a small amount of gum glue adhesive in the hole in the top of the carrots using a small pastry brush then insert 3 or 4 stalks into the carrot then set aside to dry.

Hello there. :)

Now that we're done with those carrots it's time to go back to that cake from earlier. You're going to need a frosting of your choice, I used Cream Cheese. Now the way to frost this one is a bit different. Take your cake and frost it swirling and peaking it to your hearts content. Once you're done with that take your carrots and place them all over your cake and then you're done!

Voila! Bon Appetite!