My first fondant covered cake!

A friend and colleague wanted a cake for her daughter's 8th birthday. Initial request was for the mermaid cake... but I've made that cake couple of times already and will really love to try something else.

My imagination went a little wild.. then I suggested a castle cake. Friends being friends... not demanding.. phew! I struggled with whether to make it a fresh cream cake or put my new found fondant skills to use and make a fondant covered cake. I decided on fondant. Then I received news that the birthday girl prefers vanilla cake! My..my... I don't think my favourite vanilla sponge cake recipe will suit a fondant covered cake! So I scouted high and low and finally settled on a vanilla butter cake recipe.


Here's the final cake. Due to a lack of the right resources, a castle cake it was not meant to be.. hope the BD girl will not mind...

My figurine modelling skills really need brushing up.

Overall, pretty happy with the results. But I certainly have more difficulty covering the cake this time. The weather was so humid, the fondant was 'sweating'.

Added a few more vanilla cupcakes in case the 8 inch cake is not enough.

Looking forward to the next opportunity to bake - Teacher's day! But more likely won't have time to bake for the teachers in my kids' preschool, but maybe the Sunday school teachers in church.


BTW, just bought a nice new digital SLR!! I hope this means the end of bad pictures!

My fondant-covered cake experiment

I have always liked the look of fondant covered cakes. They always looked some clean and pretty. However, have not yet mastered enough courage to try make it. Plus I really don't think I like the taste of fondant.

Anyway, I finally tried it and the result is excellent!

Look how smooth the cake is. Cake is a 7 inch moist chocolate cake filled with chocolate ganache. I only spreaded a thin layer of ganache, fearing that too much may 'melt' the fondant.

Wrapped the cake with fondant ribbon.

I kept the cake in a box, on the dining table for about 4 days. Low and behold, the cake still looks as pretty, more importantly, it is still edible, albeit a wee little bit dry. Am very happy with the results of this experiment!

Zodiac animals

Had been busy and tired, work plus the pregnancy is weighing me down. However, baking and cake decoration is a stress release for me.. although sometimes planning the design adds stress. But the satisfaction of the end results always makes it worthwhile.


This cake was really rushed. Baked and decorated all within 3 hours. When the cake was in the oven, I was still undecided on the design. Birthday boy was born in the year of the tiger. First, I tried to do a fondant portrait of a tiger. It was too difficult and will take up too much time, gave up. Then I thought I'd pipe a tiger, but I burnt the chocolate that was meant to do outline.



In the end, this is what I came up with.




This is a very revealing birthday cake... it tells our age!! One zodiac animal to represent each one of us at the dinner. If you are wondering how come there are birds in the Zodiac signs... no that's meant to be a chick, to represent my little daughter.


Chocolate stones all round the bottom of cake to delight my little ones. Cake is a quick, easy and tasty mango sponge cake with mango filling and iced with fresh cream.

Fellowship cake

Made this cake for a fellowship dinner. Its a yummy, low fat, chocolate banana cake. Was a very rushed cake so decoration is very simple.

Baked the cake during lunch time and managed to shape 2 sheep while the cake bakes. While the cake cools, rush back to office for afternoon meetings. Dinner supposed to be at 6pm, but managed to leave office at 6:15pm only. Spent the next hour or so making the frosting, frost the cake, shaped the 'bible' and sheep and flowers. Gosh... I was stressed!



Matthew 18:20 - 'For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them'

Amen.

SPA cake

Made this cake for one of my dearest friends, whom I've known since 1985. Wow, more than two decades!!


We used to enjoy our monthly spa sessions together - facial and/or massage. Now that she's working out of town, we only get to do that when she's back in Singapore.


So, here's a tribute to her and our favourite leisure activity.



Happy Birthday Gwen!