Tiffany Gift Box Cake

I'm back from a long break!  Last summer I had a baby, my 4th boy!  Needless to say cakes had to be put on hold for a while.  Actually even the thought of doing a cake for at least a year after he was born caused immediate anxiety.  I did a cake for his 1st birthday and had fun doing it, but stressed out too much and decided I wasn't really ready yet.  Then about 3 months later I was asked to do a cake for a friend's daughter's 16th birthday.  She was having a Breakfast at Tiffany's theme.  She wanted this cake and I had to do it.  This time it not only ignited the old creative spark but lit a bonfire within me.  I'm so excited to start doing some cakes again!!  Watch out!

I loved doing this cake and learned soooo much.  The whole sharp edges on fondant technique finally clicked.  I've tried it before after watching countless Youtube videos but couldn't seem to get it.  This time it finally made sense.  I even decorated a second smaller cake the day after this one and practiced the edges.  I still need to work on it, especially the corners, but I love the straight lines on the sides as opposed to rounded edges (I hate rounded marshmallowy edges on fondant cakes and it has been my goal in life to get rid of them!!)  Since I have just figured this out, I still need lots of practice and have yet to try it on a round cake but I'm excited to.  I lay awake at night practicing it over and over in my brain haha!

The bow was super fun too, I love working with gum paste and making bows and this one turned out super pretty.

Cake baker's and cake eater's pet peave alert!!

Can I just say to anyone out there baking a cake - stop over baking!!  Hello, who wants dry cake?  NOT ME!  I will confess something.  I don't really like cake.  Any time I go to some kind of function and they're serving cake I usually pass on it.  (Especially if it's grocery store bakery cake, oh my goodness don't get me started! tasteless crisco frosting, spongy dry cake, chewy fake jammy filling yuck!) My whole life for birthdays, etc I have had to put my piece of cake in a bowl and pour milk on it because I can't stand dry cake and everybody's cake is dry.  WHY?  Because everyone sets the timer to what the recipe says or waits until the toothpick comes out clean.  Heads up, if it comes out clean the cake is overdone. Nobody knows this because they've been doing it wrong for so long that they just assume that's how cake should be, dry, and then they say (like I used to) "I don't really like cake".   It wasn't until I started making my own cakes from scratch that I stopped having to pour milk on it, I had learned that cakes don't have to be dry and unappealing.  They can be moist and soft and yummy.  You don't have to drench the layers in simple syrup to cover up their blandness, just making them gummy!  You don't have to pour milk on it, making it soggy!  You don't have to simply rely on the filling or frosting to save you!  It's simple, just find a good recipe, turn down your oven 25 degrees, set the timer at least 10 minutes earlier than the recipe says, check it every minute during the last few minutes of baking and take the cake out right at the point when you think of saying….um I think it needs one more minute.  NO take it out now!  The toothpick should come out with cake all over it, (not wet batter of course) but if it has cake crumbs on it, TAKE IT OUT!  Another confession, my cakes sink ever so slightly in the center when they cool, and when that happens I do a happy dance because I know I haven't over baked it!! Domed center = overbaked and dry, slightly sunken center means slightly underbaked, or in other words - perfectly baked and moist.    I always level my cake layers anyway before I stack so the sinking is actually preferable to me when making level layers.

There you go, I'm off my cake (soap) box and on to some moist cake baking! Let's start a moist cake revolution and end the reign of dry cake!!

Roasted Tomato Soup

This soup is so yummy! We loved it, kids loved it, even my 2 year old asked for 3rds! I was given 2 grocery bags full of ripe tomatoes from my friend.  I made 8 pints of salsa plus this awesome soup for dinner.  I didn't get any tomatoes planted this year, (I had a baby instead :) Yay for friends' gardens!

2 1/2 lbs Fresh Ripe Tomatoes cored and halved (or quartered if large)
6 Garlic Cloves peeled and left whole
1 large Yellow Onion sliced thin
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
2 T Butter
2 T Flour
2 Bay Leaves
1 tsp Dried Basil
3 C Chicken Broth
2 T Sugar
2/3 C Half and Half

Preheat oven to 450. Spread tomatoes, garlic, and onions on cookie sheet (I needed 2 sheets).  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast in oven for about 25 minutes or until soft and caramelized.  During the last 5 minutes of roasting melt butter in soup pot then stir in flour.  Add bay leaves and basil and let cook for a minute or so.  Whisk in chicken broth.  Remove veggies from the oven and add to soup pot along with any accumulated juices on your cookie sheets.  Add sugar.  Let simmer uncovered for 10 - 15 minutes.  Remove bay leaves.  Puree in blender in 2 batches or with an immersion blender.  (Just remember to remove the insert from your blender lid and cover with a towel so you don't have an explosion!)  Return to soup pot and add half and half.  Salt and pepper to taste (I didn't need to add any more). Enjoy!

Lego Castle Cake

Fundraiser Cakes

I made these two cakes for a dessert auction to raise funds for our church's (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) young women to go to girl's camp.  The whole night was a huge success we served dinner, had the dessert auction, and played miniature golf on courses that the girls designed and built, it was a lot of fun!

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

These turned out yummy and just the right texture. (I included the recipe source at the end of the post)  My husband and boys love them.  I think they're a little too sweet though.  I have several changes in mind to make but I thought I'd post this original recipe before I start going wild on variations lol!

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

2.5 C Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/2 C Chopped Walnuts
1/4 C Sunflower seeds
2 T    Flax Seeds
1/3 C Wheat Germ

1/3 C Honey
1/4 C Unsalted Butter
1/4 C Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 C Dried Cranberries (chopped a little)
1/4 C plus 2 TBSP Chocolate Chips (it was supposed to be mini chips but I didn't buy any and just roughly chopped up some regular sized chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 8 or 9 inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray coat the foil.
Spread out 1st 5 dry ingredients onto a sheet pan and toast in the 350 degree oven for 5 minutes, stir and toast for 3 more minutes.
In medium sauce pan, combine next 5 ingredients and heat until all melted together.  Stirring occasionally.
In a large bowl combine dry toasted mixture with melted sugar mixture.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Stir in cranberries and 1/4 cup choc chips.  Press into prepared pan and really press and press and press (i used the bottom of a 1 C measuring cup to press it together).  Sprinkle remaining choc chips on top and press  them in.  Cover and cool in the fridge for 2 hours.  Cut into 12 bars, store in sealed container at room temp for soft bars, or in the fridge for firm bars.

(I found the original recipe at Inspired Taste website.  I made a few modifications for my bars and intend to make more.)

Apple Walnut Muffins

I haven't posted a new recipe in a while.  I tried these muffins this morning.  They're from the Post Raisin Bran box of all places!  I already have an Apple Streusel muffin recipe that is pure awesomeness but it really is like eating a piece of cake when it comes to sugar and butter content.  I saw this recipe and it didn't appear to be a bald cupcake under the pretense of a "muffin".  Knowing that, I was skeptical that it would have any flavor but thought I'd try it anyway.  I'm so glad I did because it turned out really yummy.  DON'T get me wrong, it is NOT a piece of dessert in disguise like most muffins, so if that is what you are expecting, then you're going to be disappointed.  I thought it looked, tasted, and felt healthy while also being quite tasty.  Just sweet enough, just light enough.  I feel very confident giving these to my kids as a snack. The apples, raisins and walnuts make this muffin, do not leave them out!

Apple-Walnut Muffins

1 Egg
1 C Milk (I used 1%)
1/3 C unsweetened Applesauce
1 T Vegetable oil
1.5 C Raisin Bran Cereal
1.5 C Flour
1 T Baking powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/3 C Packed brown sugar
1 tsp Ground cinnamon
1 C Finely chopped, peeled Apple (I used a Fuji cause that's what I had)
3/4 C Chopped Walnuts (I toasted the walnuts in the 400 degree oven for 3 minutes, stirring halfway through)

Line 18 muffin tins with paper liners and spray coat the liners (a must).  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Whisk together the 1st four wet ingredients.  Add the raisin bran to milk mixture and set aside to soften for at least 5 minutes.  In a separate bowl whisk together the next 4 dry ingredients.  After the 5 minute soak I added the apples to the wet mixture and the toasted walnuts to the flour mixture.  Combine the wet and dry together.  Stir just until incorporated.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

(Here is Post's official version of the recipe if you care, I made a few minor modifications and changed the order of instructions.  They also have the nutrition information available which is always nice.)

Baby Smash Cake - Pink Cowgirl

I've never made a cowboy hat from gum paste before and it was a last minute decision.  I think it turned out pretty awesome for not knowing what I was doing lol!