Cupcake Pops

After carving the two birthday cakes (see previous posts), I had plenty of scraps left over. I scooped them into a bowl and refrigerated what was left after my parents picked at them. I knew before I started baking that the scraps would be perfect for making these cupcake pops.

My first encounter with these guys was at my goddaughter's birthday party earlier this year. Her mom, Jasmine, presented us with something probably a hundred times cuter than what you see here. They were almost too cute to eat. Almost. You can find the instructions on how to make them here.

After that day, I wanted to find a reason to make them and found the perfect opportunity when a friend asked me what ideas I had for party favors at a baby shower. I didn't get a chance to take photos when we made them then, but gladly got them this time.

Blue & Orange Whimsical Cake

Here is cake numero dos that I made for this past Saturday. This one went to my friend Jeff and his buddies who were also having a joint birthday party. I was quite afraid that no one would eat it and just throw at it each other instead. But alas, my hard work was not in vain. I'm pretty sure Jeff is still running around in circles from his sugar high since he did not want any of the cake to go to waste. [Cut to Jeff in fetal position on the floor getting cake sweats.]

I forgot to mention in the previous post that the cakes were Martha's One Bowl Chocolate Cake as well as her Caramel Buttercream. The one suggestion I have is to mix the cake batter well. It tends to be lumpy and they don't cook out. The buttercream recipes yields 8 cups which I found to fill and crumb coat two 8-inch rounds and one 10-inch round. I had enough to fill the 6-inch but not give it its crumb coat. This cake is a carved 6-inch on top of a carved 8-inch round. I used the same cake recipe and icing to save myself some time for both cakes.

Something I learned in cake decorating class was to use a template for the diamond shaped pieces on the bottom tier. I didn't make a template and don't think I would have preferred to. I wanted all the points to hit at the same spot and because of the geometry of the cake, using a template wouldn't have provided that anyway. So, I basically eyeballed it and divided the cake into even sections and made a slight marking on the top. Then, I just cut each piece by hand making sure each piece fit as I went.

Pink & Lime Green Polka Dot Cake

Since I took the cake decorating class, I've been eager to test my new skills. In fact, I was a little too eager and promised 2 cakes to 2 different people for the same day. You'll read about the 2nd cake in the next post.

My god daughter, Makayla, and her two sisters had a joint birthday party so I offered to bake the cake as a gift. Makayla wanted a pink cake with lime green polka dots, so I used that as a starting point. It was also mentioned that the cake should be "whimsical and girly". In my mind, I felt the things I learned in decorating class would be perfect for this cake. In the course of looking for ideas, I decided to add the bow topper and the ribbon roses, both which looked easy enough to tackle for creating my first cake alone.

2009 Cheesecake Challenge

It's nearly time for the Cheesecake Challenge again! This year, our competition will be held at Parkside Aquatic Park in San Mateo on Saturday, August 8th and our theme ingredient is chocolate.

Last year, we had a great time with an amazing group of tasters and judges. This year, we are hoping that we will have the honor of having the same crowd plus more. For the results from last year, go here.

Our bakers, so far, are: Elisha, Cynthia, Marvin, Jasmine, Jeff and myself. All creative and talented people, so the competition is going to be tough! Since the theme ingredient is chocolate, it is a good thing we are having the competition at a park to be able to run off the instant pounds we are surely going to gain.

In the last two competitions, we've had 4 judging categories: taste, appearance, texture and originality. We've decided to add one more category: crust. It's such a huge part of the cheesecake experience, it is a surprise that we did not have this category to begin with.

If you would like to join us, please reply "Yes" on the official evite here. Everyone is welcome to come! There will be plenty of cheesecake to taste.

Whose name will be added next to the coveted Golden Whisk Award?