Thursday, November 09, 2006

Some recent cakes...

Present cake for my sister Barbara's birthday

Over the hill cake for a man (named Bruce) who was turning 60. There are 60 candles around the edge of the cake.

Chocolate rose cake. Whimsical (means that it's supposed to be tilted).
Pumpkin cupcake cake for Halloween. I made two of these. One for Ashley's class and one for the daycare at the gym.

8 comments:

Char @ Crap I've Made said...

You've been busy, Amber. LOVE the first one. The others ain't bad either.

Anonymous said...

I like them!

I am starting to really like the idea of the cupcake cakes. The pumpkin is a good one.

You once said you have a really great fondant recipe. Do you think I could do it with just a hand mixer? I can't afford the money or storage space for a good stand mixer. Will you share it with me? I think I'd like to try working with fondant when I get time. I need one more crafty/ creative thing in my life! :)

Amber said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Amber said...

You don't need a hand mixer at all. It's all done with a wooden spoon and kneading. You HAVE to sift the powdered sugar in or you'll get 'clumps'. If it gets crumbly or hard to work with then grease up your hands more with shortening. It's so easy to work with and tastes good! You can flavor it with candy flavorings/oils.

16 oz white marshmallows
2 tb water
2 lb icing sugar (approx. 8 cups confectioners' or powdered sugar)


1. Melt marshmallows and water in a double boiler or microwave.
Heat until melted.

2. Sift half of the sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the middle.
Pour melted marshmallow in and mix.

3. Sift remaining sugar and continue kneading. (add more powdered sugar in tablespoons as you are kneading. Micture should not be sticky)

TIPS
---grease your hands and the bowl.
Also, let this stuff rest overnight.
It will be pretty stiff when you try to knead it again, but it can be microwaved for five to ten seconds (start off with 5) and it will soften right up and be perfect for rolling out and playing with.

Discard all the crusty residues.

TO USE
if fondant is too hard, place about 30 sec. in microwave. Dust work table with cornstarch, and knead for a couple of minutes.
Then roll as thin as you want with rolling pin dusted in cornstarch. To avoid it from stickin to your work surface, turn rolled dough frequently, and continue dusting with cornstarch until you have reached desired thinnes.
To color: Separate small amounts of fondant & color with paste food colours to the desired tone. Knead until colour is smooth and completely uniform.
This fondant does not set fast at all. When you have formed your flowers, set them on a curved surface so they don't loose their shape (hang them upside down) It will not be as perfect as Gum Paste, but it will work. Also, start making flowers at least two days in advance to allow them to set.

Additions
add 2oz melted vanilla candy melts.

QueenMeadow said...

They look awesome, as expected ;). Great job!

Amber said...

What fun cakes! I'll have to try the fondant someday. By the way- was that your comment on my site? If it was, thanks for joining me. -Amber H. at Have I Told You Lately

Emily said...

Very fun cakes, great job!

Amber said...

I just wanted to send you a note to say that I enjoy your site and I've put you on my list at www.amberthinks.blogspot.com