Cat in the Hat
My son turned one year old last week, the time really does just fly by I can’t believe he is a toddler now! He always enjoys being read to and some of his favorite books are the Dr. Seuss books. So for his birthday cake I went with a Cat in the Hat theme complete with the hat, Things 1 & 2 and their kites, and the fish in the teapot. Since the party was small, not a lot of cake was needed, so the hat is made of Styrofoam. My mom helped me with the hat since she knows how to cut and mold Styrofoam. Then we made the characters a few days early. So on the day of the party only the bottom cake and the teapot needed to be made. The party was held outside at the park on a very very windy day, and the cake held up perfectly fine… phew!
How to make this…
This cake is really all about molding the fondant, so there is only little instruction that can be given. To do it, you just need to jump in and do your best on the figures.
- Make the Figures
Make a day ahead of time so they have time to dry. The figures include the fish, the handle and spout to the teapot, Thing 1 & 2, and the kites. Mold the figures from fondant. Use water and a small paintbrush to make colors stick together. Use flour to help you roll out fondant. I slowly inserted a skewer into my kites and let them dry that way.
- Make the Hat
You can make the hat from real cake or from styrofoam depending on how much cake you need.
- Arrangement
Use a wooden skewer to connect the cake to the hat, this helps it from sliding off. Also use a skewer to attach the teapot to the hat. Use toothpicks to attach the spout and handle to the teapot. Also use toothpicks to attach Thing 1 & 2 to the cake.
- Finishing Touches
Use a black marker to draw lines on the kite and hat to make it look more like the illustrations in the book. Also draw on the eyes and mouth to Thing 1 & 2, as well as the names on their bellies. Use a toothpick to attach the head onto the body for Thing 1 & 2.
Post by: Sarah
- Easter Cookie Bouquet
Looking for something special to take to Easter brunch, church, or even to the office? Consider showcasing some special Easter cookies in a basket. Last year I wanted to bring in some cookies to the office to share with my fellow co-workers. I didn’t like the idea of just stacking them on a plate because they tend to break easily when transported that way, not to mention when they are stacked you don’t get to see them all. So I got out one of my baskets and put together this cookie arrangement. I loved the final result, and so did my co-workers!
Special Supplies…
How to make this…
- Make Sugar or Shortbread Cookies
Roll out your dough to about 1/4″, then cut out a variety of shapes with your cookie cutters. Place a lollipop stick onto the top of the cookie, add some extra dough on top of the stick so the cookie bakes around the stick. For larger cookies you may need two sticks (see the bunny in the picture). Bake the cookies.
- Frost the Cookies
Once the cookies have cooled, use your favorite cookie icing, in the example I used royal icing, and decorate your cookies. You may wish to water down the icing slightly for the all over color. Then use the thicker consistency for the details.. for example the orange on the carrot is thinner to make it easier to spread, and the leafy carrot top is thicker.
- Arrangement
Find a basket, place it on top of the styrofoam sheet and trace along the base. Use an exacto knife or a box cutter to cut out the basket shape from the styrofoam. Cut until you can lay the styrofoam piece on the the bottom of your basket. Take an unused lollipop stick and pre-stick the styrofoam base with the holes before you put the actual cookie lollipops in (this will help you avoid any breakage when you put the cookies in.) Package the cookies with bags if you wish, use ribbon or string to tie them. Place carefully into the pre punched holes.
- Finishing Touches
Now line the basket with decorative tissue paper or your Easter grass to hide the styrofoam base.
Tip: Add your favorite Easter candy around the cookies for more variety. You can also tie some pretty ribbon around the lollipop sticks and or basket.
Post by: Shelly
“In springtime
The only pretty ring time
Birds sing, hey ding
A-ding A-ding
Sweet lovers love the spring”
Willy Wonka sings this song in the invention room while riding the bike that stirs the ingredients. (He is quoting William Shakespeare). These edible bird nests kind of remind me of this song. This is an easy baking project, it requires no frosting bags or tips. I decided to make these after I failed at making shortbread cookies.. I rolled the dough too thin and the edges burned! So these cupcakes were super easy and quick and make a cute ‘just because’ gift for someone.
Special Supplies…
- Shredded Coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)
- Easter Candy Eggs (like Malt balls)
- Marshmallow Peeps
How to make this…
- Bake & Frost your cupcakes
- Toast your coconut
Put your shredded coconut into a skillet, heat on medium and constantly stir until its toasted. It can easily burn so keep stirring, it will only take about 4 or 5 minutes. Remove from heat and put coconut into a bowl. Wait a few minutes for it to cool.
- Arrangement
Decorate your your frosted cupcakes with a few candy eggs or marshmallow peeps. When using the peeps, first trim it with scissors or a knife so the bottom isn’t so huge. The exposed marshmallow will also help it stick very nicely to the cupcake.
- Finishing Touch
Hold each cupcake over the coconut bowl and sprinkle the toasted coconut onto the cupcakes… shake excess off. This will help you manage the mess and not waste any coconut.
Post by: Sarah
St. Patricks Day Leprechaun hat
Why not celebrate St. Patrick’s day with a cake this year? Nothing screams ‘Happy Irish day’ better than a Leprechaun hat detailed with clovers and gold coins… brilliant!
Special Supplies…
How to make this…
- Bake Cakes
Bake 1 size 8 or size 9 round cake. Also, 3 size 6 round cakes.
- Stack em Up
Stack the 3 small cakes on top of the 1 large cake. Frost the bottom with black buttercream or chocolate frosting and frost the top with green buttercream frosting. You can also use colored fondant if you wish.
- Make the Buckle Band
Roll out some black fondant, trim a long strip roughly 1 inch in width. Wrap this around the top hat to form the band.
- Make the Buckle
Use the leftover trim from the band you just made and cut a small square from the center to form a buckle. Shake a small amount of gold powder onto some wax paper or a plate. Dip your brush into the vodka, then into the gold powder, now paint the buckle. Vodka is used because it dries very quickly. Now lie this buckle on top of the black strip. Try to cover the place where the strip ends meet so the strip is seamless. Use buttercream frosting to help it stick.
- Add Details
Cut out several shamrocks from green fondant using a cookie cutter and then decorate the hat. Then randomly place gold wrapped chocolate coins to finish the look.
Tip: Use gold foil on the cardboard or cake plate to compliment the gold buckle and coins.
Post by: Sarah
Showers of Buttons Cake
My twin sister and I were pregnant with our first babies at the same time… both boys and only 3 weeks a part! So our family threw us a combined baby shower. With some help and guidance from our expert-cake-decorator mom, we made this cake for our shower, complete with baby buttons and baby clothing. We used alternating colors and lined up the buttons to create the border. They are also used to embellish the buggy wheels for the cake topper. The clothes were rolled fondant cutouts of onsies, socks, and bibs. We heard a lot of oooo’s and ahhhhh’s so I think its safe to say our family was impressed with our handy work! Wow, that was actually the last cake we made together as a team, about 1 year ago already.
Special Supplies…
How to make this…
- Bake the Cakes
Figure out how many people you will be serving and then choose your cake pan sizes. For our example we made 4 cakes: 2 large cakes and then stacked them, and again 2 smaller sized and stacked them.
- Frost the Cakes
Frost with white buttercream for a base. Don’t worry about imperfections, this is simply used as a base. Then roll out white fondant frosting and lay on top of the buttercream layer. Smooth it over and trim off the excess.
- Make the Buttons and baby clothes
Get a big ball of white fondant, separate into chunks, and then color them with the colors of your choosing. Add color gradually so you don’t go too dark. (Note -while working with one color, keep the rest wrapped in plastic so they don’t dry out.) Now raid your refrigerator and/or pantry… look for 2 different sized bottle caps. Roll out one color with your rolling pin. Use the larger cap to cut out all your buttons. Use the smaller cap upside down to make the imprint for the center of the button. Get a toothpick (use the thick end) or a fork. Make two notches for the button holes. Now cut out baby clothes using either tiny cookie cutters or by hand. Repeat with the other colors. Let them dry on wax or parchment paper.
- Decorate
Use a #1 or #2 tip to make clothes lines. Make bows where the droopy lines meet. Squeeze a little buttercream frosting on the back of your clothes and then stick to your cake on the lines. Also use buttercream frosting on the back of the buttons and stick to the cake to form a border.
- Top it Off
The cake topper is rolled fondant that is shaped from a baby carriage cookie cutter. It was left to dry over night and then a straw is used for support from behind. You can use more buttons for the carriage wheels. We used two carriages because we were celebrating two babies!
Tip: Keep all dried unused buttons and clothing in a plastic bag to be used at a later date. Roll up all unused fondant tightly in plastic wrap and then in a ziploc baggie to be used another time.
Post by: Sarah
Bridal Shower Mini Cakes
I had an October wedding and so for my bridal shower, my mom made these amazing mini wedding cakes… one for each guest. To stay true to the fall wedding theme, she sprinkled fall leaves around the base. It was such a nice way to serve dessert because rather than handing out pieces of cut cake, each person was instead presented with a small miniature wedding cake! It somehow made it more personal and special. For such tiny cakes, they sure were a huge hit!
Special Supplies…
How to make this…
- Make The Flowers
You will need to make roses (or other type of flower) with royal icing for the cake top, these can set overnight. The ones pictured were airbrushed after they dried for an uneven more natural rose look. But you can color your icing before making the flowers as an alternative. If you don’t already know how to make roses, you can refer to the Wilton website where they have tutorials for all sorts of flowers.
- Bake the Cakes
Using a special multi-tier cake pans, bake your cakes. These pans come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. My mom used a muffin like pan that baked 6 cakes at a time.
- Frost the Cakes
To frost the cakes, place them on top of cookie racks laid over waxed paper or a baking sheet. Then use a watered down frosting glaze and pour over the cakes. Frosting all these tiny cakes will be very time consuming unless you use this method.
- Add the Details
Using buttercream frosting prepared in a frosting bag, with tip #2, squeeze hard an make the squiggly border. You can also get creative here and make any border you wish.
- Top the Cakes
Take your prepared roses, brush on a little buttercream frosting under the rose to make it stick, place on top of the cakes. Then use green buttercream frosting prepared in a bag with tip #67 and make the leaves.
- Finish it Off
Shake on a few sprinkles for an easy finish!
Post by: Sarah
Fondant Santa
If this little Santa Claus doesn’t make you jolly… I don’t know what will! What a fun way to cheer up the dessert table. Just place santa next to your holiday cookie platter, or bowl of punch, or plate of fudge and wait for all the ho ho ho’s coming from your guests! The best thing is, this jolly old elf can be made with all your leftover fondant.
How to make this…
- Prepare Fondant, you will need a small amounts of black, red, and peach fondant.
- Feet: Form 4 small balls to create the feet, use your judgment on size
- Body: Create a large ball to form Santa’s body. Stretch the body to make the desired shape then place him on the black feet. Use stripes of white and black to create the design on Santa’s costume
- Arms: Roll 2 small peach balls for the hands and 2 stretched red balls for the arms. Use a small amount of water to make the arm and hands stick. Use a toothpick or a knife to indent lines for his fingers.
- Sleeve: Roll out a long piece of white fondant to resemble a piece of spaghetti. Cut into 2 pieces and wrap around the hand to create the white sleeve effect. When the arms are ready, use a little water to make them stick to Santa’s body. You may want to use small tooth picks to secure the arms to his body.
- Head & Beard: Use a peach ball for Santa’s head, black balls for his eyes, and small white balls to form his beard. Water will act as a good glue to keep these together.
- Hat: Form his hat with the red fondant and then wrap a piece of the white fondant for the trim and a little white ball for the tip.
Tip: Place this Santa in the center of your holiday cookie platter to make it an extra special gift!
Post by: Shelly
If you are new to cake decorating, you will need some basic tools in order to get going. If you stick with it, you will see that over time you will accumulate some pretty cool stuff. We are hoping this blog will help you see how specialty pans and tools can be used in different ways so that they don’t just sit in your pantry collecting dust!
- The first thing you need are cake pans of different sizes and shapes. You can buy them in a set, or just buy individually for the cakes you will be making one at a time.
- You need cake tips, this we would recommend buying a basic set. You can just buy the tips in a set alone, or buy the cake caddy set which includes the tips and other things.
- Parchment paper or disposable bags to use as frosting bags.
- Bent spatula used to frost a cake with buttercream frosting.
- Use your own cardboard cut into a circle or square (depending on the cake shape) for the cake base. Just be sure to use foil on it to make it sanitary. Or you can buy cardboard cake bases already pre-cut.
- Another good idea is getting a cake carrier if you plan on transporting your cakes. Only invest in this if the majority of your cakes are not tiered tall because the cover is only 8″ tall on most carriers.
Check out the Cake Student Amazon Store for recommendations on products!
Post by: Sarah