Words of Wisdom with CrumpyCakes.

I like to think that my life would be best represented by this Bakerella cake. So many layers built over time! It all adds up to a work of art! :)

So this is kind of cheesy, but a good reminder. I was forwarded this story recently:

Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why did God have to do this to me?" Here is a wonderful explanation! A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.

Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."



"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.
"Yuck" says her daughter.
"How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!"
"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"
"Mom, those are all yucky!"

To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!"

What cake best represents you?


P.S. I'm DEFINITELY going to have to try the 14 layer cake recipe... it's just way too much eye candy to ignore!!!

You sure look purdy.

It's no secret that I'm no cake decorator. I feel ashamed, but I wasn't sure how people made the swirly whirly cupcake icing toppers. So, I've been getting my research on. I LOVE THIS picture from www.bakeitpretty.com!



Such a quick and cute tutorial. Thanks to YouTube I also found some great tips to perfect the technique.

Check out these instructional videos for frosting cupcakes.

Demo #1

Demo #2

Demo #3

My favorite tip from each video:

Demo #1: set the piping bag in a cup to fill it. Hope for kitchen klutzes!
Demo #2: add white after the colored icing for a variegated look!
Demo #3: piping bag pressure techniques. Preventing pfunky lines!

Oh, I can feel it... I'm going into a sugar induced frosting frenzy! I want to make some good looking cupcakes. The kind that completely captivate your attention and make you say, "You sure look purdy." chomp chomp.

Bakers Block?

Yes, I have significantly slowed down on my baking posts. I have been baking but I have been doing repeats in large part due to the high scoring reviews I've received. And it's so easy to go with what you know. You know?

Maybe I have bakers block. Maybe I need some new ideas. My focus has kind of drifted from my original goal of making all kinds of cake in all sorts of ways. But in reality, I am still taking baby steps in that direction. The truth is before January I had never baked a from scratch cake successfully. So I find that just learning the structure of scratch baking has been a huge adventure.

I made these cupcakes tonight. Well, I wouldn't suggest eating them. But I do have a recipe.

Paper Cakes

1 Martha Stewart cupcake punch (Available at Michael's craft store)
2 sheets of decorative paper
1 pkg of small ornamental doodahs

Mix well and.... VOILA!

Cakewrecks

Lots of hilarity for you to enjoy:

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

You might be a baker if...

You might be a baker if....



You use cupcake liners to rig your baby's snack container shut.

Guinness Cake - Take 2

Sorry for the posting delay. Guess who's life has been ridiculous lately? Ooooh me me! You too? Well, let's just put those weeks behind us... good riddance!

I was asked to make a birthday cake for a dear friend and we decided a full scale Guinness cake was in order. So last week, I began my baking journey whilst watching the Biggest Loser. oxymoron.

I was a little worried that the full cake might be a bit too much cake and not enough glaze... but it was huge success. Happy Birthday, Jereme!





This recipe was originally from Nigella Lawson of Food Network fame.

Ingredients for the cake:

1 cup Guinness
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups super fine sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Ingredients for the topping:

8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

Nigella's Suggestions:

For a simpler dessert, replace the frosting with a light dusting of powered sugar.

Preheat the over to 350 F, and butter and line a 9 inch springform pan.

Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter — in spoons or slices — and heat until the butter's melted, at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the brown, buttery, beery pan and finally whisk in the flour and baking soda.

Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.

When the cake's cold, sit it on a flat platter or cake stand and get on with the frosting. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sift over the confectioner's sugar and then beat them both together. Or do this in a processor, putting the unsifted confectioners' sugar in first and blitz to remove lumps before adding the cheese.

Add the cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the black cake so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.