Hi all!
I meant to add a post some time ago, but never got around to doing it...life has a funny way of interrupting the best laid plans! At this time, Billa Cakes is on a very long hiatus as I attend to some things in my life. A friend of mine once told me that when something became a chore rather than a welcome escape, it was time to take a step back. Being a baker, mom, and working a full time job all at once became a lot to handle and I made the decision to shutter Billa Cakes for the time being. I may or may not reopen Billa Cakes in the future, so I'm leaving everything as is. If you find information or inspiration here that is useful, then I've done my job. If you have questions, don't hesitate to email me!
Until then, bake with joy!
Kelly
PS If you're unfamiliar with the joke in the post title, you'll understand after you watch this video. That's essentially what life did to me.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Portfolio: Yellow Baby Shower Cake and Carriage Cookies
Another weekend, another baby shower!
Babies are so exciting...and even more so when you don't know what you're having! My friend Kristen is throwing a shower for her little sister who is having a baby soon. Megan has opted to leave it a surprise, and to celebrate, her friends were throwing her a delightfully elegant and girly shower. Kristen asked me to make carriage cookies again, but this time, we chose yellow since it's ambiguous. I also did a cake for the shower, vanilla with strawberry filling, and I got a little adventurous with it this time.
Kristen wanted to know if I could try and match the shower invite, which was a really cute sort of henna/mendhi/floral design in pink, yellow, and gray. Since baby's gender is a question mark, I chose yellow as the overall theme and accented with gray and pink icing. Does anyone else her that scene from Steel Magnolias play in their head when they hear the words "gray icing"? No? Ah, well, I digress.
The cake gave me lots of trouble (probably because I didn't sleep well and the house was hot, etc), but I think it came out beautifully. It totally made my day when my husband and my daughter walked in and both of them immediately said, almost in stereo, how much they liked the design I'd chosen. Kristen loved it too, and I think it was fancy enough without being over the top and not too overtly pink...just in case Megan ends up with a boy!
I love the technique I used on the side and plan on doing it some more. I have to admit, I didn't ever think I would love using buttercream so much, but it really is so much easier to work with, even if it does create lots of dishes!
Happy baking,
Kelly
Babies are so exciting...and even more so when you don't know what you're having! My friend Kristen is throwing a shower for her little sister who is having a baby soon. Megan has opted to leave it a surprise, and to celebrate, her friends were throwing her a delightfully elegant and girly shower. Kristen asked me to make carriage cookies again, but this time, we chose yellow since it's ambiguous. I also did a cake for the shower, vanilla with strawberry filling, and I got a little adventurous with it this time.
Kristen wanted to know if I could try and match the shower invite, which was a really cute sort of henna/mendhi/floral design in pink, yellow, and gray. Since baby's gender is a question mark, I chose yellow as the overall theme and accented with gray and pink icing. Does anyone else her that scene from Steel Magnolias play in their head when they hear the words "gray icing"? No? Ah, well, I digress.
The cake gave me lots of trouble (probably because I didn't sleep well and the house was hot, etc), but I think it came out beautifully. It totally made my day when my husband and my daughter walked in and both of them immediately said, almost in stereo, how much they liked the design I'd chosen. Kristen loved it too, and I think it was fancy enough without being over the top and not too overtly pink...just in case Megan ends up with a boy!
I love the technique I used on the side and plan on doing it some more. I have to admit, I didn't ever think I would love using buttercream so much, but it really is so much easier to work with, even if it does create lots of dishes!
Happy baking,
Kelly
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Portfolio: Carriage and Onesie Cookies
Everywhere I go, I hear of yet another mama that's expecting or just delivered. It's that time of year!
My buddy Kristen asked me to whip up some cookies for a baby shower and specifically requested baby carriages and onesies. The mama to be is having a little man, so we did everything up in a blue and white and brown theme. They came out so cute that I'm doing carriages again soon!
Congrats Mama to be...may you have an easy labor and a healthy baby boy!
Happy baking,
Kelly
My buddy Kristen asked me to whip up some cookies for a baby shower and specifically requested baby carriages and onesies. The mama to be is having a little man, so we did everything up in a blue and white and brown theme. They came out so cute that I'm doing carriages again soon!
Congrats Mama to be...may you have an easy labor and a healthy baby boy!
Happy baking,
Kelly
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Portfolio: Theatre Sweet Sixteen Cake
In one of my previous lives I was an actress. I still do some acting now and again, but for the most part, my BA in Theatre Arts hangs on my wall gathering dust. I occasionally dream of being an Oscar winner someday, but honestly, there's too much else I'd rather be doing. Still, it was really fun this weekend to pull out all the stops for this sweet Sweet Sixteen birthday cake for my friend's stepdaughter. Emma's very active in her school drama club and loves theatre and her stepmom asked me to make a cake that would reflect Emma's love and interests. It was even more fun because Courtney told me to just run with it. You got it mama!
I racked my brains and the interwebs for some inspiration before coming up with this idea of a two tier affair. At sixteen, you think the world is your oyster and in Emma's case, it's her stage to quote an expert in the field. The top tier was designed to look like a stage ready to be performed on and I decorated the side of the bottom tier with all sorts of theatre references.
The inside of the cake was simple vanilla and because Court and her family aren't huge fondant fans, I tried to keep the entire thing in buttercream. I was really torn though, because this was served over Memorial Day weekend and when we do hot holiday opening summer weekends, we go big or go home with heatstroke around here! I kept that cake as cold as could be before it was picked up to make sure it didn't melt before the birthday girl could get a glimpse of it.
Happy birthday, Emma! May the world truly be a stage for you to dance upon!
Happy caking,
Kelly
I racked my brains and the interwebs for some inspiration before coming up with this idea of a two tier affair. At sixteen, you think the world is your oyster and in Emma's case, it's her stage to quote an expert in the field. The top tier was designed to look like a stage ready to be performed on and I decorated the side of the bottom tier with all sorts of theatre references.
I have to say, this is my best buttercream work so far! And I really liked the design...it kinda reminded me of the circus, which I think is perfect for a theatre theme. Sometimes performing can be a circus!
The front view
A side view
The stage...you can kinda see the outlines of the "boards" I drew on the bottom of the cardboard round. Every stage has to have boards upon which to tread!
Another side view...the playbill was my favorite fondant piece!
The inside of the cake was simple vanilla and because Court and her family aren't huge fondant fans, I tried to keep the entire thing in buttercream. I was really torn though, because this was served over Memorial Day weekend and when we do hot holiday opening summer weekends, we go big or go home with heatstroke around here! I kept that cake as cold as could be before it was picked up to make sure it didn't melt before the birthday girl could get a glimpse of it.
Happy birthday, Emma! May the world truly be a stage for you to dance upon!
Happy caking,
Kelly
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
I am soooo addicted to Pinterest! I’d heard of it before, but I never really looked into it until the other day when I had a little bit of free time during Billa’s nap to catch up on my blogs. A blogger mentioned an item from it and when I clicked through, my world was rocked forever.
If you’re like me, you’re always collecting little tidbits and snippets of things that catch your eye: a crafty idea, a pretty picture, an awesome quote. Michael and I are notorious Googlers; we’ll Google some of the most random things and could spend hours researching and reading about them. Oftentimes we bookmark it so we don’t forget and can come back to it. Don’t ask to look at our Bookmarks folder, because it is SCARY. Pinterest to the rescue!
The Pinterest homepage
With Pinterest, you basically download this tool into your browser toolbar at the top. As you scour the interwebs, when you see something you like, you “pin” it to your board, which compiles a catalog of all those pins and tracks back to where you found them. And the cool thing is it has a Facebook-like air to it; you can follow other people’s boards and repin things that you like from theirs. You can also comment, like something, etc. I could spend HOURS on Pinterest. I admit that I already have.
As it is, I have several boards already. Interior design, crafty ideas, cakes and cookies, etc. I make a board for anything and everything that gives me inspiration. So if I’m feeling a little parched in the creativity department, I need only pop into Pinterest and get those creative juices revved and flowing. The fastest way to join is to receive an invite from someone who is already on Pinterest. Otherwise, you submit your email address and name and wait for them to send you an invite to join, which can take a couple of weeks. I’m not really sure why they do that, but whatever. I got a quicker invite by liking them on Facebook and posting a request for someone to invite me.
The site is freaking amazing and if you’re the smallest bit creative, you're going to love it! Not to mention, it’s really nice to clear out that bookmark folder finally.
Pinningly yours,
Kelly
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Mother's Day Recipes
Happy Mother's Day! I hope you all mothers are enjoying a lovely day doing what you want and being appreciated for everything you do!
I actually did some baking today, but honestly I didn't mind. It's the cleaning I hate! And besides, the baking I did was for my mom and my mother in law; baking is never a chore when it's a labor of love. The goodies I baked up were two yummy recipes I found online for bread pudding and quiche, which I've shared below because they are too good to hoard for oneself!
My mother in law always makes monkey bread and to honor her, I wanted to do a bread pudding. I thought I was going to do a french toast flavored bread pudding, but when I stumbled on this delicious mango and coconut bread pudding, I couldn't resist, especially when mangos were on sale for a quarter apiece at the foodstore!
My mom had requested quiche and I found an equally amazing recipe that used shredded potatoes for the crust. I added in a little bit of feta cheese on my own and it turned out scrumptious. I'm sad that my mom wasn't here to partake since she got sick last night and had to stay home, but I know she'll get to try it soon, as this is definitely a dish that will be sticking around in my repertoire! In fact, I think it would make an amazing dinner one night.
Here's to mamas everywhere...Happy Mother's Day!
Cheers,
Kelly
I actually did some baking today, but honestly I didn't mind. It's the cleaning I hate! And besides, the baking I did was for my mom and my mother in law; baking is never a chore when it's a labor of love. The goodies I baked up were two yummy recipes I found online for bread pudding and quiche, which I've shared below because they are too good to hoard for oneself!
My mother in law always makes monkey bread and to honor her, I wanted to do a bread pudding. I thought I was going to do a french toast flavored bread pudding, but when I stumbled on this delicious mango and coconut bread pudding, I couldn't resist, especially when mangos were on sale for a quarter apiece at the foodstore!
Photo by Becky Luigart-Stayner as found on MyRecipes.com
My mom had requested quiche and I found an equally amazing recipe that used shredded potatoes for the crust. I added in a little bit of feta cheese on my own and it turned out scrumptious. I'm sad that my mom wasn't here to partake since she got sick last night and had to stay home, but I know she'll get to try it soon, as this is definitely a dish that will be sticking around in my repertoire! In fact, I think it would make an amazing dinner one night.
Photo by Jim Bathie, as found on MyRecipes.com
Here's to mamas everywhere...Happy Mother's Day!
Cheers,
Kelly
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Portfolio: Bird Cake
This past weekend I had the pleasure of creating a cake for a bird themed baby shower. My friend Anna had sent me a picture of a similar styled cake and asked for strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting with the same design. Having returned from picking almost six pounds of fresh strawberries the weekend before, it felt like serendipity.
The design was fairly simple and easy to recreate; the difficulty was getting the frosting to be smooth all the way around and on top! I think I did a pretty good job of getting that accomplished.
The best was also a little bit tricky since I remembered it at the very last minute. All week, I had been doing things and gathering stuff to prepare for the cake, and I totally forgot to think about the logistics of the nest. Michael said I should just make another batch of chow mein marshmallow nests, but I didn't have any more chow mein noodles and it was already pretty later. Besides, I wasn't too sure how it would look on the cake. I had some royal icing that I was using for the flowers and the leaves (because temperatures in Texas have begun to heat up and I didn't want them to melt if I used cream cheese frosting), so I tookt he leftovers, mixed them together, added some black and brown, then draped a plastic baggie over something concave (a candy dish in this instance) and started going to town trying to create a nest like texture. It came out beautifully! The eggs are fondant.
All in all, Anna said the cake was a hit and that the lucky mom to be was able to take home the leftovers to share with visiting family. I hope this inspires you to make you your own birdie themed cake!
Happy Caking,
Kelly
The design was fairly simple and easy to recreate; the difficulty was getting the frosting to be smooth all the way around and on top! I think I did a pretty good job of getting that accomplished.
The best was also a little bit tricky since I remembered it at the very last minute. All week, I had been doing things and gathering stuff to prepare for the cake, and I totally forgot to think about the logistics of the nest. Michael said I should just make another batch of chow mein marshmallow nests, but I didn't have any more chow mein noodles and it was already pretty later. Besides, I wasn't too sure how it would look on the cake. I had some royal icing that I was using for the flowers and the leaves (because temperatures in Texas have begun to heat up and I didn't want them to melt if I used cream cheese frosting), so I tookt he leftovers, mixed them together, added some black and brown, then draped a plastic baggie over something concave (a candy dish in this instance) and started going to town trying to create a nest like texture. It came out beautifully! The eggs are fondant.
All in all, Anna said the cake was a hit and that the lucky mom to be was able to take home the leftovers to share with visiting family. I hope this inspires you to make you your own birdie themed cake!
Happy Caking,
Kelly
Friday, April 29, 2011
Friday Fun: Say What You REALLY Want to Say!
Ever have one of those days where you wish you could say what you really mean? Soften the blow by putting it on cake...everything's better with cake! A coworker of mine shared this to me after we had a bit of a rough afternoon and it made me smile.
Happy Friday!
Kelly
Happy Friday!
Kelly
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Cadbury Creme Egg Fun
I personally love these "deviled" creme eggs...since I'm allergic to mustard, these are a nice substitute for the real thing!
Happy Early Easter!
Kelly
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Portfolio: Bridal Bustier Cake
When I first started getting serious about decorating cakes, one of the first ones I ever did was a bustier cake for a wedding shower in honor of my friend Courtney. It was a simple little number, but everyone was really impressed and that cake encouraged me to keep going and keep learning. This weekend, I got to revisit that cake! Courtney asked me to replicate it for a friend of hers, but in all white.
When I did an internet search for others like it, I happened to notice they were all in fondant. Courtney's not a fan of the fondant and I was determined to go all buttercream on this one. I now know why all of the cakes I found were in fondant! Even though this was a white cake, parts of the cake kept showing through and it didn't matter how much frosting I threw at this bad boy, I could never seem to get the right amount all over to cover it properly. I lucked out in that the details helped to cover balder spots, but it was a nightmare. Considering the success of the train cakes, I was totally bummed and had to take several breaks to finish this. Just more proof that good bakers have their bad days too!
Ultimately, I am thrilled with the results and Courtney was too, which is all that matters. It was a good learning experience in several ways: first, I got more buttercream only experience. I'm getting better, but I can see where improvement is needed. Second, I have recognized the limits of certain designs. After this cake, my advice to other bakers would be to charge more for buttercream only cakes that involve lots of curves and nooks and crannies. Lastly, I've recognized my limits–no more than one baking project per week! I'm pooped!
If you're interested in doing a cake like this too, I wanted to share with you how I got the shape. I did not carve this one, actually. My original design used two heart shaped pans. You lop off the points at the bottom and then line the sawn off ends together to form breasts at the top and rounded off legs at the bottom. You can use the remainder of the cake to build up the breasts. Somehow I've lost my second heart shaped pan (grrr), so I used a 9" circle pan instead and carved out a piece of the bottom of the heart to make the round fit into it. The leftover pieces went to the boobs :o) Of course, you could carve it from a sheet cake, but I always seem to cut too much from one side or the other and then there's the crumb factor. The less unfinished edges you have, the happier the baker!
Happy caking,
Kelly
When I did an internet search for others like it, I happened to notice they were all in fondant. Courtney's not a fan of the fondant and I was determined to go all buttercream on this one. I now know why all of the cakes I found were in fondant! Even though this was a white cake, parts of the cake kept showing through and it didn't matter how much frosting I threw at this bad boy, I could never seem to get the right amount all over to cover it properly. I lucked out in that the details helped to cover balder spots, but it was a nightmare. Considering the success of the train cakes, I was totally bummed and had to take several breaks to finish this. Just more proof that good bakers have their bad days too!
Ultimately, I am thrilled with the results and Courtney was too, which is all that matters. It was a good learning experience in several ways: first, I got more buttercream only experience. I'm getting better, but I can see where improvement is needed. Second, I have recognized the limits of certain designs. After this cake, my advice to other bakers would be to charge more for buttercream only cakes that involve lots of curves and nooks and crannies. Lastly, I've recognized my limits–no more than one baking project per week! I'm pooped!
If you're interested in doing a cake like this too, I wanted to share with you how I got the shape. I did not carve this one, actually. My original design used two heart shaped pans. You lop off the points at the bottom and then line the sawn off ends together to form breasts at the top and rounded off legs at the bottom. You can use the remainder of the cake to build up the breasts. Somehow I've lost my second heart shaped pan (grrr), so I used a 9" circle pan instead and carved out a piece of the bottom of the heart to make the round fit into it. The leftover pieces went to the boobs :o) Of course, you could carve it from a sheet cake, but I always seem to cut too much from one side or the other and then there's the crumb factor. The less unfinished edges you have, the happier the baker!
Happy caking,
Kelly
Friday, April 15, 2011
Portfolio: Choo Choo Cakes
My high school gal pal Michelle is a very talented photographer and her twin boys turned three this week! I've been wanting to do some family photos and she needed some cute birthday cakes, so we made an even trade.
Her boys Ian and Aaron are two of the most adorable, sweetest little boys ever, but their one drawback (as far as I can tell!) is that they fight over anything that they don't have. For example, if one of them has a red car and the other shows up with a blue car, they fight over the blue car, even if it's the same darn car, just different colors. I totally get why so many twins are dressed the same, or have the same toy! So their mom was adamant on having IDENTICAL cakes. Believe me, nothing is worse than seeing a three year old throw a tantrum (I know from LOTS of experience, lol), so I was happy to oblige.
Since Michelle was going to get the boys Thomas the Train toysets for their birthday anyway, she asked me to do cakes that a toy train could be set on top of. Here's what I came up with:
I am very proud of these, because there is not one bit of fondant on them and my buttercream work came out pretty well! I'm no Twinkie yet, but maybe someday! It's always good to challenge yourself and try to master a skill set.
I asked Michelle to send me pictures of the cakes when they have trains on them and I'll try and post those here when they come in. In the meantime, a very happy birthday to Ian and Aaron!
Happy caking,
Kelly
Her boys Ian and Aaron are two of the most adorable, sweetest little boys ever, but their one drawback (as far as I can tell!) is that they fight over anything that they don't have. For example, if one of them has a red car and the other shows up with a blue car, they fight over the blue car, even if it's the same darn car, just different colors. I totally get why so many twins are dressed the same, or have the same toy! So their mom was adamant on having IDENTICAL cakes. Believe me, nothing is worse than seeing a three year old throw a tantrum (I know from LOTS of experience, lol), so I was happy to oblige.
Since Michelle was going to get the boys Thomas the Train toysets for their birthday anyway, she asked me to do cakes that a toy train could be set on top of. Here's what I came up with:
I am very proud of these, because there is not one bit of fondant on them and my buttercream work came out pretty well! I'm no Twinkie yet, but maybe someday! It's always good to challenge yourself and try to master a skill set.
I asked Michelle to send me pictures of the cakes when they have trains on them and I'll try and post those here when they come in. In the meantime, a very happy birthday to Ian and Aaron!
Happy caking,
Kelly
Monday, April 11, 2011
Portfolio: Nest Cupcakes and Bird Cookies
Ah, spring. Time for flowers, birds, and babies!
A friend of mine is having her first baby in the next couple weeks and we threw her a shower this weekend. Because I had other things going on, I wasn't able to make the cake for the shower, but I did promise to do some cookies for the favors. I ended up with extra cupcakes from the car party, so I did a quick decorating job on those and they looked super cute with everything else.
Originally, the theme was a Parisian spring baby shower, based on the baby bedding. But we found out later that mama to be had changed the fabric on her baby bedding! It actually worked out, because my design for little Eiffel tower cookies was a total bust. I didn't have a cutter and so I thought I'd use a Christmas tree cutter and then pipe small Eiffel towers on them. Good idea in theory, terrible idea in execution. The cookies were too short to get a decent looking Eiffel tower on them, sadly. But they were just perfect for birdies!
I love these little birds. It's a good thing there were so few cookies left after the party, because otherwise, I'd have eaten them all they were so dang cute! I tried a new recipe for the royal icing too, which was a bit of an adventure, but I have to say, I'm sold on it. I still use my trademark lemon juice in the frosting, but the consistency is much nicer. I may try adding some corn syrup or something else in the future to get a glossier finish.
The cupcakes were super easy to decorate and are perfect for Easter! I whipped up a milk chocolate ganache and piped it on top of the cupcakes to look like nests, then nestled Robin's Eggs candies into the centers. Super tasty and cute!
Congrats on the new baby Amy...we can't wait to meet her!
Happy baking,
Kelly
A friend of mine is having her first baby in the next couple weeks and we threw her a shower this weekend. Because I had other things going on, I wasn't able to make the cake for the shower, but I did promise to do some cookies for the favors. I ended up with extra cupcakes from the car party, so I did a quick decorating job on those and they looked super cute with everything else.
The "nests" were easy to do; just swirl and dollop using a large star tip on the top, then set your eggs in the middle and voila! Bird's nest cupcakes!
Originally, the theme was a Parisian spring baby shower, based on the baby bedding. But we found out later that mama to be had changed the fabric on her baby bedding! It actually worked out, because my design for little Eiffel tower cookies was a total bust. I didn't have a cutter and so I thought I'd use a Christmas tree cutter and then pipe small Eiffel towers on them. Good idea in theory, terrible idea in execution. The cookies were too short to get a decent looking Eiffel tower on them, sadly. But they were just perfect for birdies!
All wrapped up and ready to go!
My artsy fartsy cookie photo
I love these little birds. It's a good thing there were so few cookies left after the party, because otherwise, I'd have eaten them all they were so dang cute! I tried a new recipe for the royal icing too, which was a bit of an adventure, but I have to say, I'm sold on it. I still use my trademark lemon juice in the frosting, but the consistency is much nicer. I may try adding some corn syrup or something else in the future to get a glossier finish.
Since I wasn't able to commit to the cake, one of the cohost's had her stepdaughter do the cake. It turned out really cute, and apparently is a very popular design this season–I immediately recognized it as the same design for another cake I'm doing at the end of this month!
The cupcakes were super easy to decorate and are perfect for Easter! I whipped up a milk chocolate ganache and piped it on top of the cupcakes to look like nests, then nestled Robin's Eggs candies into the centers. Super tasty and cute!
Congrats on the new baby Amy...we can't wait to meet her!
Happy baking,
Kelly
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Portfolio: Car Cookies and Cupcakes
It was bumper to bumper traffic in my kitchen this weekend!
A gal I went to high school with asked me to do some car themed cupcakes and cookies for her son's 3rd birthday party. We kept things simple with chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with blue and orange swirled icing on them. For favors, I decorated car cookies to match. Everything came out bright and beautiful and fun!
Happy birthday, Caden! May you have many more to come!
Happy baking,
Kelly
A gal I went to high school with asked me to do some car themed cupcakes and cookies for her son's 3rd birthday party. We kept things simple with chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with blue and orange swirled icing on them. For favors, I decorated car cookies to match. Everything came out bright and beautiful and fun!
Happy birthday, Caden! May you have many more to come!
Happy baking,
Kelly
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Recipe: Mrs. Robert's Italian Cream Cake
Italian cream cake is my FAVORITEST cake flavor. And yes, I'm very much aware that 'favoritest' is not a word. Bite me. Or better yet, bite my cake. It'll be your favoritest soon too!
Grammar aside, Italian cream cake is not just my most favorite cake flavor, it's also very special to my heart as it was my wedding cake flavor. My husband's aunt's mother in law (let that sink in for a moment...got it? Good!) Mrs. Roberts has the most fantastic recipe for the cake. I've been begging my husband's aunt to get the recipe from her MIL and over Thanksgiving I gave up and just asked Mrs. Roberts myself. She graciously acquiesced and I now share with you the recipe.
You are forewarned: this recipe is RICH. It's also a little labor intensive, so it's perfect for that special gathering. The flavor and texture are dependent upon following the recipe instructions, which oddly enough, my copy did NOT have...I realized this mid-baking. Whoops! Thank goodness for Google!
Mrs. Robert's Italian Cream Cake
2 cups flour (250g)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick or 113g)
1/2 cup shortening (113g)
2 cups sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
5 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup buttermilk
1. Preheat your oven to 325F and prep three 8" or 9" round cake pans with cooking spray and parchment. Separate your eggs, setting the yolks aside. Using a mixer, whip the egg whites until they hold peaks.
2. Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar together until fluffy. Add in the egg yolks and the vanilla.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the flour and baking soda. Add this to the batter alternately with the buttermilk until everything is just combined. Don't overbeat!
4. Gently fold in the egg whites, pecans and coconut. Pour the batter into your pans and bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter (1 stick or 113g)
1 - 8 oz brick of cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar (225g), approx
1 tsp almond or vanilla extract
milk or heavy whipping cream as needed
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
1. Cream butter and cream cheese together. Beat in the vanilla.
2. Gradually add the powdered sugar until frosting becomes thick. You may need more powdered sugar or less. Add in a tablespoon of milk or HWC until you reach spreading consistency.
3. Spread in between the layers and sides of your cooled cake.
4. Sprinkle pecans on top or press them into the sides of the cake as desired!
Some food for thought...
Happy Caking,
Kelly
Grammar aside, Italian cream cake is not just my most favorite cake flavor, it's also very special to my heart as it was my wedding cake flavor. My husband's aunt's mother in law (let that sink in for a moment...got it? Good!) Mrs. Roberts has the most fantastic recipe for the cake. I've been begging my husband's aunt to get the recipe from her MIL and over Thanksgiving I gave up and just asked Mrs. Roberts myself. She graciously acquiesced and I now share with you the recipe.
You are forewarned: this recipe is RICH. It's also a little labor intensive, so it's perfect for that special gathering. The flavor and texture are dependent upon following the recipe instructions, which oddly enough, my copy did NOT have...I realized this mid-baking. Whoops! Thank goodness for Google!
Mrs. Robert's Italian Cream Cake
2 cups flour (250g)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick or 113g)
1/2 cup shortening (113g)
2 cups sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
5 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup buttermilk
1. Preheat your oven to 325F and prep three 8" or 9" round cake pans with cooking spray and parchment. Separate your eggs, setting the yolks aside. Using a mixer, whip the egg whites until they hold peaks.
2. Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar together until fluffy. Add in the egg yolks and the vanilla.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the flour and baking soda. Add this to the batter alternately with the buttermilk until everything is just combined. Don't overbeat!
4. Gently fold in the egg whites, pecans and coconut. Pour the batter into your pans and bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter (1 stick or 113g)
1 - 8 oz brick of cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar (225g), approx
1 tsp almond or vanilla extract
milk or heavy whipping cream as needed
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
1. Cream butter and cream cheese together. Beat in the vanilla.
2. Gradually add the powdered sugar until frosting becomes thick. You may need more powdered sugar or less. Add in a tablespoon of milk or HWC until you reach spreading consistency.
3. Spread in between the layers and sides of your cooled cake.
4. Sprinkle pecans on top or press them into the sides of the cake as desired!
Some food for thought...
- For cupcakes, one batch of batter will yield 36 cupcakes. For 18-24 cupcakes, cut the listed ingredient amounts in half, using three eggs.
- A poster at Cake Central suggested using almond extract in cream cheese frosting and I was too chicken to try it. I don't know why! Not only was my frosting whiter and brighter, but the almond flavor complimented the tang of the cream cheese beautifully. I will never use vanilla in my CC frosting again!
- About nuts and coconut: I know there are people who do not like these items, or can't consume them for health reasons. You could nix them from the recipe, but then it's not really an Italian Cream Cake. If you're a picky/textural eater (no worries, I'm one too), you can reduce the particle size of the nuts and coconut in your food processor. If you're allergic, please don't kill yourself! (Although this would be a delicious way to go, if you ask me. Mmmm, death by cake...)
- While no one is really certain of the origins of Italian Cream Cake, it has all the hallmarks of Italian baking: eggs, nuts, and fruit! There are many variations of the cake, and having tasted quite a few, this one is my favorite. If The Food Timeline is correct, this recipe first appeared in the late 70's.
Happy Caking,
Kelly
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Paddy Cakes
St. Patrick's Day is upon us! I shall be baking up a batch of the Black and Tan Brownies I made last year for our annual St. Pat's feast with my husband's family, but I also baked up some of these lovelies this year too. I admit, it's the same cake mix that I used for my daughter's birthday party, the Orange Supreme flavor by Duncan Hines. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. They're a lot sweeter than I'd prefer, but still tasty, and even better still when you throw some cream cheese frosting on top.
Happy St. Patrick's Day to you and yours!
Luckily yours,
Kelly
Orange cupcakes are perfect for St. Patrick's Day, especially when you ice them in white with green sprinkles...it then represents the colors of the Irish flag!
Happy St. Patrick's Day to you and yours!
Luckily yours,
Kelly
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Third Place!
Hi everyone! I think these pictures sum it all up:
Once I've uploaded photos and organized them, I'll be sure to post a recap. You can also check out the contest website for more info. They should be posting pix soon!
Happy baking,
Kelly
One proud mama!
Third place, baby! Woot!
Once I've uploaded photos and organized them, I'll be sure to post a recap. You can also check out the contest website for more info. They should be posting pix soon!
Happy baking,
Kelly
Friday, February 25, 2011
That Takes the Cake 2011!
It's that time of year again! The Capital Confectioner's Club is hosting the 7th Annual That Takes the Cake Contest! My friend Brianna over at Sugar Plum Pastries and I have decided to compete again. Brianna took home 1st place in Adult Beginner's Buttercream last year and she's entering the same category again this year, but as an intermediate. I've been on a cookie kick lately, so I entered the Confections category for Adult Intermediate. Wish me luck!
Here's a preview of what I'm entering. I wanted to do something really colorful and a bit complicated. It's kinda funny how I finally decided on my design. I spent hours Googling random things and getting ideas from my husband. I thought a deck of cards or some Dia de los Muertos skulls would be cool, but then my friend Becky posted a picture of her wedding hairpiece, which had peacock feathers. I really liked the colors on a peacock feather and chose to do that. But I started having second thoughts about it. Then, I was flipping through SugarBelle's Flickr stream the other weekend and I stumbled across some Dia de los Muertos cookies she'd made! Considering they were part of my original idea, I decide to chalk it up to the Big Man Upstairs as divine intervention and ran with it.
I have to say, I am so thrilled with these guys. I really took my time in picking colors and trying to get everything just so. There were a few little kinks, but it adds character. I'm really hoping to at least get some good feedback, even if I don't win. But winning would be nice :o)
I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and post a recap of the show at the end of the weekend.
Happy Baking,
Kelly
I added the flower cookie as a last minute addition. I thought it might be nice to break up the monotony of the skulls a bit.
Here's a preview of what I'm entering. I wanted to do something really colorful and a bit complicated. It's kinda funny how I finally decided on my design. I spent hours Googling random things and getting ideas from my husband. I thought a deck of cards or some Dia de los Muertos skulls would be cool, but then my friend Becky posted a picture of her wedding hairpiece, which had peacock feathers. I really liked the colors on a peacock feather and chose to do that. But I started having second thoughts about it. Then, I was flipping through SugarBelle's Flickr stream the other weekend and I stumbled across some Dia de los Muertos cookies she'd made! Considering they were part of my original idea, I decide to chalk it up to the Big Man Upstairs as divine intervention and ran with it.
The one on the left is my favorite. I was really happy with how he came out!
I have to say, I am so thrilled with these guys. I really took my time in picking colors and trying to get everything just so. There were a few little kinks, but it adds character. I'm really hoping to at least get some good feedback, even if I don't win. But winning would be nice :o)
I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and post a recap of the show at the end of the weekend.
Happy Baking,
Kelly
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Happy 3rd Birthday Billa!
My daughter celebrated her third birthday on Monday. Cue the sniffling and crying...she's getting to be so big!
We've decided to hold her birthday party about two weeks later than her birthday, but we wanted her friends at school to celebrate anyway. I whipped up some cookies for goodie bags and some homemade green and blue oreos for the kiddos to munch on after lunch for a mini party.
I fell in love with a recipe for homemade oreos at my friend Anna's cookie party that uses cake mix, oil and eggs. It's super easy and pretty darn tasty too! The original recipe is here at The Sister's Cafe, where Anna snagged it, but instead of using the devil's food cake recipe, I used white cake mix and then dyed the batter in different colors. It was easy and as you can see above, it made quite the impact! Did I mention that it was easy? [wink]
The pictures above show you the different things you can do with the batter. It's pretty thick once it's all mixed up, which made me think that I could maybe roll it out like cookie dough. Yeah, not so much. It's a little too oily for my taste when rolling (probably because it was white cake mix instead of chocolate...I bet the cocoa powder has something to do with it) and it stuck like crazy to the counter. It also didn't hold the shape very well when I tried to peel it up off my floured surface. Grrr. Either way, the cookies came out alright in the end and there were none left when I picked up Billa from school.
Homemade Oreos
Some food for thought...
Happy Baking,
Kelly
Sybilla enjoying one of her fave foods, "cheese pops" while watching Busytown on Netflix. They're actually Cheetos Brand Natural White Cheddar Puffs (those things are like crack...super addictive!)
We've decided to hold her birthday party about two weeks later than her birthday, but we wanted her friends at school to celebrate anyway. I whipped up some cookies for goodie bags and some homemade green and blue oreos for the kiddos to munch on after lunch for a mini party.
Here are the cookies I made for the goodie bags. The kids love these things so much!
The goodie bag cookies were simply sugar cookies that I decorated in Scooby colors: aquamarine, lime green, and orange. I had thought about getting crazy and making some Mystery Machines or trying to recreate Scooby's head, but I ended up not doing it. To be honest, it was way too much work for a small of three and two year olds. I think the shapes I chose ended up being much more kid-friendly.
These were the cookies I made for the kids to eat at the mini party. The flower one I made special for Sybilla. I dyed them to coordinate with the goodie bags and the Scooby color theme!
I fell in love with a recipe for homemade oreos at my friend Anna's cookie party that uses cake mix, oil and eggs. It's super easy and pretty darn tasty too! The original recipe is here at The Sister's Cafe, where Anna snagged it, but instead of using the devil's food cake recipe, I used white cake mix and then dyed the batter in different colors. It was easy and as you can see above, it made quite the impact! Did I mention that it was easy? [wink]
The dots were really a test to see how the doughs would bake together. They actually looked kinda cute!
Like, what is it Scoob!? Tie dye and flowers, oh my!
The pictures above show you the different things you can do with the batter. It's pretty thick once it's all mixed up, which made me think that I could maybe roll it out like cookie dough. Yeah, not so much. It's a little too oily for my taste when rolling (probably because it was white cake mix instead of chocolate...I bet the cocoa powder has something to do with it) and it stuck like crazy to the counter. It also didn't hold the shape very well when I tried to peel it up off my floured surface. Grrr. Either way, the cookies came out alright in the end and there were none left when I picked up Billa from school.
Homemade Oreos
1 package cake mix, white or devil's food
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil (reduce this amount just slightly for white cake mix)
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil (reduce this amount just slightly for white cake mix)
food coloring as needed
- Heat oven to 300-350F degrees and line baking sheets with parchment.
- Add oil, eggs and coloring (if using) to cake mix and blend together.
- Roll dough into balls (a little larger than a quarter). Place on greased cookie sheet and press down gently.
- Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
- To assemble the cookies, add a small dollop of filling into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie similar in size on top of the filling. Lightly press them together, working the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.
Cream Cheese Filling
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 block of cream cheese (8 oz)
3 - 4 cups powdered sugar (depending on desired consistency)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Cream butter and add cream cheese and mix well. Add powdered sugar slowly until you reach your desired consistency.
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 block of cream cheese (8 oz)
3 - 4 cups powdered sugar (depending on desired consistency)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Cream butter and add cream cheese and mix well. Add powdered sugar slowly until you reach your desired consistency.
Some food for thought...
- If you use a white cake mix and color it, use a bit more color than you think you might need. As the cookies baked, the colors seemed to fade a bit. Boo :o(
- I didn't realize this until it was too late, but you need to watch these like hawks to prevent too much browning on the edges. The sugar in the batter caramelizes as it cooks, giving the brown color. I think the best way to combat this is to bake them low and slow: cook at 300F for about 12 minutes and go from there. I baked mine at 325 for 10 minutes and I think that was too much.
- Chilling the dough will work wonders if you're going to attempt shapes like the flower. Try to handle it as little as possible too, so that it doesn't 'melt' in your hands.
- If you wanted to jazz these puppies up even more, try adding sprinkles! You can also (gently) swirl the doughs together to create tie dye, or place small balls together like the flower to create other shapes. The possibilities are endless!
- A recipe note: in order to make sure that the batters were evenly divided, I measured the bag of mix before splitting it, then split the eggs and oil down the middle. You could just mix the entire batch together and then separate and color, but due to the thickness of the dough, that may actually be harder.
Happy Baking,
Kelly
Friday, February 18, 2011
Cookie Tip: Making Your Own Shapes
Remember these little guys from Valentine's Day? I've been getting questions from some of my friends asking me where I'd gotten the cute little cutter.
[smug smile] Sadly, I don't have a cute little cutter, although if I did, you can betcher buns I'd be making a mint off of it! So how DID I get the little lovebirds to come out so cute?
[smug smile] Sadly, I don't have a cute little cutter, although if I did, you can betcher buns I'd be making a mint off of it! So how DID I get the little lovebirds to come out so cute?
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sweet Valentine's Day!
Nothing says I love you like a baked representation of someone’s sweetness! While I personally loathe Valentine’s Day as a bunch of commercialized crock, I take full advantage of it as yet another excuse to blow up my kitchen and my kidneys with an excess of sugary love. This year was no exception.
Billa is obsessed with Scooby Doo and I found cute Scooby valentine cards and pencils. I’m saving the pencils for goodie bags for her birthday party (which will be Scooby Doo themed, natch), but the cards were perfect to slip on a cookie pop! I mixed up some turquoise and apple green icing to coordinate the cookie pops (because I’m a freak like that) and they came out super cute. I had grand plans for these, but I saved myself a whole lotta trouble at the last minute when I remembered that they were for toddlers. No point in gilding the lily for an unappreciative crowd! I added little pink hearts on them to girly them up just a tad, which unfortunately ended up looking more like blobs, but whatever. The kids liked them and that’s all that matters!
The remaining icing and cookie dough became Valentine themed sugar cookies for an impromptu dinner party we had Sunday night with my little brother and his girlfriend. I’ve wanted to try new designs and I am in love with these little lovebirds. They were so easy to create too. I may have to use these for my sister-in-law’s wedding shower later this year…they’re so adorable! And I really like the color scheme of the turquoise, apple green, and pink for Valentine’s day; it reminds me of the current Valentine’s products at Target this year which are super adorable.
Lastly, I sugared up my coworkers with some homemade Valentine-themed Hostess cupcakes that I saw over at Bake at 350. I LOVE Hostess cupcakes, even though they’re probably one of the worst things a human being can consume. These are waaaaaay better than their inspiring counterpart. I was lazy and did the cupcakes from a mix (hey, I was supermom the past week and took care of a sick little girl and her daddy, not to mention fought off the plague myself, so I think I’m allowed some leeway once in awhile!) and I have to say, it’s entirely unfair that the box mix created such perfectly domed cupcakes.; The yummy filling and frosting recipe is from scratch, and I used leftover royal icing to create the swirls on top with the word ‘love.’
They were incredibly delicious and my coworkers loved them. If the word is short enough, these could be used for lots of different events. And imagine changing the color of the cake and frosting! I may bake these again next year but with red velvet cake, cream cheese frosting, and red lettering. Shoot, I might even do these for my daughter’s birthday party too. Recipe for the filling and ganache are below or you can follow the link for the original cake recipe and blog entry from Bake at 350.
Instructions for constructing the Hostess cupcakes:
For the Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup marshmallow creme
Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy cream; beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in batches, alternating after each addition. Beat in the marshmallow creme; set aside or refrigerate.
For the Ganache
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Place the chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl. Heat the cream and 1 tablespoon butter until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla; let stand until cool but still glossy and liquid.
I hope you all had a lovely Valentine’s Day with your loved ones, and that this post inspires you to be a ‘sweet’heart to all you meet!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Kelly
Billa is obsessed with Scooby Doo and I found cute Scooby valentine cards and pencils. I’m saving the pencils for goodie bags for her birthday party (which will be Scooby Doo themed, natch), but the cards were perfect to slip on a cookie pop! I mixed up some turquoise and apple green icing to coordinate the cookie pops (because I’m a freak like that) and they came out super cute. I had grand plans for these, but I saved myself a whole lotta trouble at the last minute when I remembered that they were for toddlers. No point in gilding the lily for an unappreciative crowd! I added little pink hearts on them to girly them up just a tad, which unfortunately ended up looking more like blobs, but whatever. The kids liked them and that’s all that matters!
The remaining icing and cookie dough became Valentine themed sugar cookies for an impromptu dinner party we had Sunday night with my little brother and his girlfriend. I’ve wanted to try new designs and I am in love with these little lovebirds. They were so easy to create too. I may have to use these for my sister-in-law’s wedding shower later this year…they’re so adorable! And I really like the color scheme of the turquoise, apple green, and pink for Valentine’s day; it reminds me of the current Valentine’s products at Target this year which are super adorable.
Lastly, I sugared up my coworkers with some homemade Valentine-themed Hostess cupcakes that I saw over at Bake at 350. I LOVE Hostess cupcakes, even though they’re probably one of the worst things a human being can consume. These are waaaaaay better than their inspiring counterpart. I was lazy and did the cupcakes from a mix (hey, I was supermom the past week and took care of a sick little girl and her daddy, not to mention fought off the plague myself, so I think I’m allowed some leeway once in awhile!) and I have to say, it’s entirely unfair that the box mix created such perfectly domed cupcakes.; The yummy filling and frosting recipe is from scratch, and I used leftover royal icing to create the swirls on top with the word ‘love.’
They were incredibly delicious and my coworkers loved them. If the word is short enough, these could be used for lots of different events. And imagine changing the color of the cake and frosting! I may bake these again next year but with red velvet cake, cream cheese frosting, and red lettering. Shoot, I might even do these for my daughter’s birthday party too. Recipe for the filling and ganache are below or you can follow the link for the original cake recipe and blog entry from Bake at 350.
Instructions for constructing the Hostess cupcakes:
- Bake chocolate cupcake according to package directions.
- Use a piping bag fitted with a filler tip (or wide tip) and insert it into each cupcake, squeezing gently until filling is just beginning to ooze out.
- Let sit in the fridge for a few minutes, while you mix up the ganache.
- Once the ganache has cooled a bit, gently dip each filled cupcake into the chocolate and set aside to set up.
- Put your choice of icing into another piping bag and pipe the trademark swirls and word of your choice across the top.
For the Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup marshmallow creme
Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy cream; beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in batches, alternating after each addition. Beat in the marshmallow creme; set aside or refrigerate.
For the Ganache
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Place the chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl. Heat the cream and 1 tablespoon butter until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla; let stand until cool but still glossy and liquid.
I hope you all had a lovely Valentine’s Day with your loved ones, and that this post inspires you to be a ‘sweet’heart to all you meet!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Kelly
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