Dizzee Cake.

Frosted Cake: NEW PICS!!

2008-09-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

NEW PICS ON THE FROSTED CAKE SHOP!!!

here's a sneak peak..

Mini Cake Madness!!

2008-07-20T00:21:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, Heather and Michael!

Who other than my best friend would I make 28 lil mini cakes for? Check out more pics of the Engagement Party at Frosted Cake.

Gerber Daisy Delight!

2008-07-15T15:03:00.001-07:00

One of my new favorite cakes!! Check out more pics and details at The Frosted Cake Shop.

NYC: Class @ Confetti Cakes

2008-06-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, I was in New York studying with one of the top cake designers. Yes, that's right- Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes. I had the opportunity to work on decorating techniques and create my own signature Confetti Cakes gift box cake. Check out more pics and info at Frosted Cake.

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-16T15:53:00.001-07:00

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

This was my first attempt at a free-hand shaped cake. A little shaky, but not too shabby. But hey, it started as a square!! I made this cake for my "golf bum" dad for father's day, as he watched golf on TV in fact. It was a chocolate cake, pieced together with chocolate ganche and iced in buttercream. Very rich, yet extra moist. The "sand trap" is made of graham cracker crumbs, while the water was dyed piping gel. Kinda looks like Pebble Beach, eh?

~~~DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE NEW BLOG AT www.frostedcake.blogpsot.com NEW BABY SHOWER PICS ARE UP!!!!

TWD: La Palette's Strawberry Tart

2008-06-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

This week's recipe was so delicious and light. Perfect for summer. I did alter the garnishing, but stayed true to Dorie's buttery crust and strawberries. I substituted the strawberry jam for peach-cinnamon. I also made a lavender simple syrup that I glazed the berries with, instead of just sugar. I topped off the tarts with a cinnamon-sugar creme fraiche to compliment the peach-cinnamon jam filling.

Lavender Simple Syrup:

1/3 cup lavender

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Bring ingredients to a boil. Remove from heat and let rest for 20 minutes. Strain and save.

Frosted Cake: Launched.

2008-06-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

The Frosted Cake Shop has finally launched, and is ready for business. Check out the brand-new blog here. From cakes and cupcakes, to any edible treat imaginable, all creations are custom designed to tailor your desires. Feel free to explore your imagination! Contact frostedcake@thefrostedcakeshop.com, or me @ Dizzeecake, for your next celebration. Stay tuned!!

TWD: French Chocolate Brownies

2008-06-03T23:53:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile, but Dorie, I'm back baby!!

I have been pretty busy with my own baking and have abandoned my blog group, Tuesdays with Dorie, for a few weeks. I could not pass up brownies, so I squeezed in some Dorie time this week.

Well, they were not my most beautiful creation- but they sure were delicious! So gooey in the middle!! Next time I need some ice cream too =)

More cupcake pics!

2008-06-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

Lots o' cupcake orders!!

Vanilla with Chocolate-Hazelnut Buttercream

Vanilla + Chocolate = Heaven

Honey Buttercream with Apricot Filling

Cupcakes for my dad's poker group

Vanilla with Kaluha and Ameretto Buttercream

Celebration Weekend

2008-05-27T09:39:00.000-07:00

Busy, busy weekend!! Here are pics of the first two out of four orders. Graduations and Baby Showers- no better way to celebrate than with cake, right?? Take a look!

Yellow sheet cake with fudge frosting.

Bumble bee accents made of fondant- inspired by the graduate's school mascot

Welcome Baby!!

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Lemon Curd and Lemon Mousse Filling

w/ Gumpaste Accents

Cake is Great!

2008-05-20T23:56:00.001-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

This past weekend, I got to go crazy with girly-ness for Kayla's birthday. The colors were inspired by the "Hannah Montana" theme. I had a lot of fun with the design- very festive! I love the frilly boarder. As requested by the birthday girl, I created a pink and white "striped" cake- with layers of vanilla cake with strawberry cream cheese filling.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling:

4 oz cream cheese

8 tablespoons butter, softened

2-3 tablespoons strawberry puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

about 2 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Combine with remaining ingredients until thick, yet fluffy.

Colorful Cupcakes!!

2008-05-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

With lack of time between work and Mother's Day, I decided to whip up some cuppies for the occasion. I had some colorful creativeness that I wanted to put to use. The flowers were easy to put together and the cupcakes were pretty simple too: Vanilla with raspberry and citrus icing. I brought half to a friend's party and the other down for Mother's Day. They just barely survived the 3 1/2 hour car ride, but sadly ended up on the sidewalk while unloading the car....Cupcake Catastrophe! So sad. Good think I got some pics before we left.

Cherry Blossom Citrus Bliss

2008-05-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

Get well, Grandma!!

Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Filling.

Lemon has always been my grandmother's favorite flavor. Lemon meringue to lemon mousse, she has always had a sweet tooth, especially for the yellow citrus. I created this cake specifically for her. Four layers of lemon cake, three layers of lemon cream cheese filling with vanilla butter cream. I also designed the decor with hand-made gum paste blossoms in variegating shades of pink.

Lemon Cream Cheese Filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

BBQ

2008-05-07T18:57:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, my brother and I hosted our first BBQ of the spring/summer- or EVER! With bro on the grill and me on the salads and goodies, it was a recipe for success! In addition to my pasta and melon salads, I made a variety of cupcakes, of course: Cherry Chocolate with Vanilla Buttercream and Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese frosting.

Pug Central!

Even Dizzee got to play! Her friend Leroy is on the left.

Melissa and China(left) with Me and Dizzee(right)

TWD: Peanut Butter Torte

2008-05-06T16:40:00.001-07:00

Oh Dorie! You have out-done yourself AGAIN!

Peanut Butter Torte= AMAZING!

Oreo crust.

Gathering ingredients...

Crunchy peanut mixture

Whipped cream

Mini PB Tortes

Shower Flower Cakes

2008-04-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

One of my best friend's sister is getting married this June. She asked if I could create a couple cakes for the bridal shower she was throwing. Per request, one was chocolate and one vanilla. The cake design was inspired by the invitation. All decorations were created by me- flowers were hand-crafted out of fondant.

Stacking the cake...

Vanilla cake with strawberry preserves and strawberry mousse.

Swirlies to compliment the invitation and shower decor.

Devil's Food cake with chocolate ganache and raspberry preserve filling

Crumb coatin'

Looks like Mint Chip! Idea for next cake? Maybe so...

CHOCOLATE GANCHE

- 8 oz. semi-sweet or milk chocolate

- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Over a double boiler, melt chopped chocolate. Heat cream in a saucepan and gradually whisk into melted chocolate. Refrigerate until slightly firm.

Cheesecake Pops!!

2008-04-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

It's official, I am a Daring Baker. I just completed my first month's challenge: Cheesecake Pops. Although I had minor difficulties keeping the cheesecake balls on the sticks, they were still enjoyable, with limitless ideas for decorations.

Cheesecake Pops

Makes 30 – 40 Pops

5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature

2 cups sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

5 large eggs

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ cup heavy cream

Boiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

candies, sprinkles, crushed cookies, etc for decorations

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

Engagement Extravaganza!!

2008-04-25T23:45:00.001-07:00

Congratulations Naomi and Shawn!

This week's cake, engagement cake! My good friend asked me to create a cake for her sister's engagement dinner. Vanilla cake, raspberry buttercream filling, with vanilla buttercream icing. All of the decorations are made of fondant and were hand-crafted by me =) Hope they enjoyed it!

TWD: Carrot Cake

2008-04-22T00:12:00.001-07:00

Tuesdays with Dorie: Bill's Big Carrot Cake

This week, I killed 2 birds with one stone- blog group (check!), birthday order (check!). Although I made a few alterations to Dorie's recipe, this cake is amazing. Now, I missed the taste test, the best part- boo, but the smell and moistness was incredible! In my version, I ditched the nuts, raisins, and coconut. However, I added an 8 oz. can of crushed pineapple, mmm delicious. This cake was incredibly easy to set up and the cream cheese icing adds the perfect touch.

Cinnamon, pineapple, carrot???

yea that's right- delicious! Well, in the cake at least =)

Crumb-coatin'

On its way to gorgeous =)

Perfection!

Time to decorate... my favorite part.

Chocolate Cuppies.

2008-04-20T18:21:00.001-07:00

Chocolate Cuppies- 3 ways: Fudge, Cherry, and Peanut Butter

For an order this past Thursday, I created a couple dozen chocolate cupcakes. I wanted to make different varieties and decided on the trio of chocolate fudge, chocolate peanut butter, and chocolate cherry. The simplicity of their decorations and flavors was a great success! Even the guests thought they were fake cupcakes on display!

I baked off one dozen of chocolate cupcakes and one dozen of chocolate-cherry cupcakes, both with mini chocolate chips inside. The chocolate-cherry cakes contained about 1/4 cup diced Maraschino cherries per half-batch cake mix.

Chocolate Cherry with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Buttercream

Peanut Butter Buttercream:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon milk

1/4 cup peanut butter, creamy

Chocolate Cake with Fudge Frosting

The flowers were hand-made out of vanilla fondant.

The results:

I am still excited about peanut butter buttercream. It was the creamiest and most delicious treat I have created in awhile. I also loved the sparkle of the sanding sugar on my cherry cuppies. Who knew such simplicity was so cute?! I still can't believe the guests thought they were fake!

TWD: Marshmallows!!!

2008-04-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

MARSHMALLOWS!!!!

Vanilla & Cinnamon Sugar

What a fun, and surprisingly easy, experiment!! So delicious. I am thrilled at the results. I will definitely create these again and hope to experiment with even more flavors.

1 cup cornstarch

3/4 cup water

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 1/4 oz. packets unflavored gelatin

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Melt-in-your-mouth Cinnamon Sugar and Fresh 'n Fluffy Vanilla.

Birthday Cake Pics!

2008-04-11T12:47:00.001-07:00

Some pics from this morning's creation- more info to come!!

TWD: French Lemon-Cream Tart

2008-04-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

Possibly the most delicious lemony dessert I have ever made!! The combination of the buttery crust, creamy filling, and tartness of the fresh lemons is pure excellence. The pictures do not give it justice in the slightest (excuse the poor photos- bad lighting). Looks like it's time to invest in a fluted tart pan, but my spring-form pan worked out just as well. I also sugared some lemon slices for an extra sparkle!

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from my mom's tree

Whisking Away!

3/4 cup lemon juice

lemon zest

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs

Is it done yet?

only 4 more hours to refrigerate...

Celebration Carrot Cake

2008-04-07T00:04:00.000-07:00

Sunday was my good friend Jesse's birthday. At her request, I baked her a delicious carrot cake. To be honest, this was my first carrot cake from scratch. I was a little nervous, but the mini cake I baked off with the extra batter tasted fabulous. I decided to leave out the nuts but throw in a can of crushed pineapple to keep it fresh and moist. The cake is iced in vanilla bean cream cheese frosting and decorated with hand-made flowers and leaves of fondant.

Spring Fondant Flowers

2008-04-02T11:11:00.001-07:00

What's a girl to do at 11pm after a full shift at the bakery? Well, decorate more cake of course!

Posted are some vibrant photos of a fondant covered cake I decorated a couple weeks ago. There are a few cracks where the fondant dried out and a couple ripples where the buttercream layers softened (should have popped it in the freezer for a bit,) but I am still extremely satisfied with the results. I do not cover cakes with fondant often, but I definitely had fun with this experiment. Practice makes perfect, right?

Tuesdays with Dorie- Gooey Chocolate Cake.

2008-04-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

GOOEY CHOCOLATE CAKE:

This was both my first ever Blog Challenge and Tuesdays with Dorie event! Although my cakes were not exactly ooey gooey, I was at least comforted by my fellow bloggers' matching misfortunes, lol. The cake was still delicious, and the recipe is definitely a keeper. Conclusion- less bake time.

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1 stick unsalted butter

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

6 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Sift flour, cocoa, and salt. Melt 4 ounces chocolate and butter over a double boiler. Remove from heat once melted. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and yolk. Add sugar and whisk until blended, about 2 minutes. Add dry ingredients and whisk by hand. With a light hand, stir in melted chocolate/butter mixture. Divide evenly into 5-6 ramkins or muffin tins and sprinkle 1 ounce finely chopped chocolate.

Although the recipe calls for a bake time of 13 minutes, I think I will try 9-10 minutes next time. These are served best warm and make a lovely Sunday night dessert =)

I topped my cakes with fluffy whipped cream and a dash of cocoa powder.

Chocolate Love.

2008-03-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

Cheers to my first try at chocolate transfers!! After a slight panic over some minor smudging and cracking, all in all, I am fairly proud.

For the cupcake, I adapted flavors of an Almond Joy candy. I was looking for something to contribute to my pair of chocolate and coconut cream. Thanks to my creative mother, a hint of marzipan sounded like a perfect component to complete her idea of an Almond Joy cupcake.

I filled and frosted basic chocolate butter cupcakes with delicious coconut cream cheese icing. For the hint of almond, I rolled and cut out disks of marzipan and capped the cakes under the icing. My experimental, heart-shaped decorations accessorized their tops.

Pug Pup Round-Up

2008-03-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of Sundays ago, my brother and I hosted a pug meet-up for Dizzee and her friends. Of course we needed snacks! I turned my ripe bananas into delicious banana cupcakes with velvety vanilla bean cream cheese frosting. I made the daffodils out of royal icing. We also made treats for the pups too!

Banana Cake:

5 ripe bananas

1 cup butter

2 1/2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 1/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

In a standing mixer, combine softened butter and sugar until smooth. And eggs, one at a time. Beat in sour cream and vanilla, making sure to scrape the sides of your mixing bowl in between. Add sifted flour and baking soda. Scrape sides. Fold in mashed ripened bananas until incorporated.

Bake at 350 degrees F. 20-25 minutes for cupcakes.

Key Lime Sublime.

2008-03-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

After a successful attempt at mini Key Lime Mousse Pies, I needed another project to incorporate my left-over lime curd. Solution? Key Lime Cupcakes!! The combination of the tang of the lime and simple vanilla cake and buttercream was absolutely delicious and light.

I topped half the cuppies with shredded coconut. I adore the look, but personally can't stand the texture =)

For the non-coconut lovers, like myself, I topped the fluffy vanilla buttercream with a simple fondant flower.

Filling the cupcakes:

To fill the cupcakes, I cut a cone of cake out of the top of each cupcake. I filled each cup with approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons of Key lime curd before replacing their caps and icing with vanilla buttercream.

Easter Cuppies

2008-03-25T01:17:00.000-07:00

It seems as though I am constantly looking for new excuses to bake these days. What better reason to whip up a couple batches of cupcakes than the celebration of Easter? I took the opportunity to test out some spring flavors on my friends and family. Success! Nothing says Easter like coconut cream, apricot 'n honey, strawberry, and a bit of sugar. I hope my taste-testers had as much fun munching as I did decorating =) The hand-made flowers were crafted out of fondant and royal icing.

vanilla cake with apricot filling and honey buttercream

vanilla cake with strawberry filling and strawberry buttercream

vanilla cake with coconut cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut flakes

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz. softened cream cheese

1 lb. softened butter

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 tablespoon coconut extract

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

3- 4 cups confectioners sugar, mix until creamy.