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Friday, December 28, 2012

Feature Fridays:My Top 5 cake decorating projects of 2012

 

I have enjoyed having this blog which was started in May of this year. I have learned a lot about all things cake decorating related this year and I plan to learn much more in 2013. I hope that you have enjoyed my blog posts and that you have learned a lot. In this blog post, which will be my last one in 2012, I will list some my favorite cake decorating related projects that I have done in 2012 along with the blog posts for you to refer to them.

 


 
 
I enjoyed making these cupcakes for a breast cancer awareness walk. I enjoyed seeing the smiles on the participants faces as they ate the cupcakes as well. The girly and sassy look of these cupcakes fit in perfectly with the event. I love giving back with baking.

 

 

 

 

2. Savor The Baking: Wedding Dress Cake Topper

I enjoyed making this gumpaste wedding dress cake topper and the class. I will be making more of them soon. I felt like I was a fashion designer while thinking about what kind of dress I wanted to make and making everything by hand. The wedding dress looks classy and romantic. I also love how a bride can keep this as a keepsake.

 

 

 

 

3. Savor The Baking: Purse Cake: Black Crocodile with Gold Accents

I really enjoyed making this purse cake and I learned a lot while making it in class. I love how the fondant looks like textured crocodile. I also love how the gold pops against the black. If this was a real purse I would definitely carry it.

 

 

 

 

4. Savor The Baking: Sugar Flowers - Red Long Stemmed Roses

Making sugar flowers is my favorite thing to do and I love how these sugar roses look so realistic. They take a long time to construct, but the outcome is well worth it. All of the petals were places by hand and I love the vibrant red color.

 

 

 

 

5. Savor The Baking: Feature Fridays: Fall Inspired Cake Challenge

I decorated and made these cupcakes as part of a cake challenge with other talented cake decorators. I was very excited to be chosen to be a part of this challenge. I had a lot of fun making the fondant cupcake toppers, along with my husband helping with the turkey. These cupcakes turned out exactly how I wanted them to and I had fun seeing what the other cake decorating bloggers came up with for the challenge.

 

I hope that you all have a safe New Year's Eve and a successful 2013!!!

 

Savor the Baking,

Chineka

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, December 21, 2012

Sugar Flowers - Red Long Stemmed Roses

 

As you all know I love making sugar flowers. Earlier this week I made some gumpaste long stemmed roses. I love the romantic feel that red roses have. I also love how their delicate petals are all different. I placed all of these petals individually by hand and I love how these roses look on my kitchen table. I plan on having half a dozen gumpaste roses in his floral arrangement at completion.

 

 

I also wired each of the leaves individually. Each rose has two little leaves and one big leaf. I mixed a little pearl dust into a dark green petal dust to give the leaves some shimmer when the light hits them.

 

 

To get the true red of the roses only one brand and color of gel color comes to mind, Americolor Super Red Soft Gel Paste. Their gel colors are so bright and always true to color. Their brand of gel colors can be purchased at Global Sugar Art.

 

 

 

Her is what the gumpaste roses look like in the vase so far. I put some dark glass beads in the bottom of the vase to contrast with the bold red color. I hope that you all have enjoyed this post and that you all have a Merry Christmas spent with loved ones.

Savor the Baking,

Chineka

 

 

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Eat Boutique - Joy The Baker Gift Box

 

Eat Boutique is a website that puts together specialty gift boxes for food lovers. They carefully pick items from boutique food makers to put in their boxes. Their food is packed in small batches and is always fresh. I sent myself a gift box as a Christmas present to myself and I am glad that I ordered it.

 

 

The particular gift box that I ordered is the Joy the Baker Gift Box. One of the main reasons that I ordered this gift box is because it comes with a signed copy of a cookbook ,the Joy the Baker – Cookbook, which is written by one of my favorite baking bloggers. Since I haven't been able to make it to one of her cookbook signings this is the next best thing. Joy signed my book, "Big love to you! xo Joy"

 

 

I was excited to get this Grade A maple syrup to bake with. It will go great in biscuits or even buttercream. This bottle of maple syrup comes from the maple trees of Sweet Brook Farm in Williamston, Massachusetts. You know that it is going to be fresh and rich coming straight from a maple tree.

 

 

 

I love anything with caramel in it and this cute little box contains three specially made caramels from Sweet Revolution in San Francisco, CA. These are some of the best homemade caramels that you will ever eat. I love the handmade seal on the box, which puts a crafty and personal element to the caramels.

 

 

This homemade granola is healthy and fresh from Marge Granola in Seattle, Washington. It is great eaten alone or with vanilla flavored yogurt. This granola comes with ingredients such as cinnamon, cranberries, and pecans. I will be eating this as a quick breakfast in the morning.

 

 

I hope that you check out the gift boxes and specialty boxes that Eat Boutique has to offer and that you have enjoyed my review of one of their gift boxes. I hope that you all are having a blessed week.

Savor the Baking,

Chineka

 

 

Friday, December 14, 2012

Feature Fridays: 2012 Sugar Flower Artist Inspirations

I love making sugar flowers. From the paste to the process of ruffling petals and assembling arrangements it has become one of the things involving cake decorating that I love to do most. The creativity involved and art aspect of sugar flowers really makes me happy and there is a peacefulness that is involved. Below are my sugar flower artist inspirations of the year. These artists all inspire me in different ways.

 

Maggie Austin

 

Maggie Austin of Maggie Austin Cake is one of my sugar flower artist inspirations for not being afraid to think outside the box with exotic flowers and bold color schemes. As a former classical ballet dancer, she is graceful and has the discipline that it takes to make sugar flowers. I also like that she is someone that I can relate to with us having similar quiet and focused personalities.

 

 

 

This is one of the exotic orchids that Maggie has done. You can feel the breeze of a tropical island just by looking at this flowers. This flower is also hand painted, which gives it an authentic look. The purple pops against the yellow and the colors compliment each other well.

 

 

 

This is a sugar flower spray done by Maggie. The hibiscus and roses are my favorite sugar flowers of the bunch. The hibiscus is so delicate and I love how the color is the most concentrated in the middle. The ruffled edges of the rose petals gives the flower movement. I love the color scheme of soft peaches and pinks.

 

Ron Ben-Israel




 

Ron Ben-Israel of Ron Ben-Israel Cakes is a legend in the cake decorating world. He is one of my sugar flower artist inspirations for being bold and fearless. His sugar flowers are breathtaking and he is internationally known for them. He puts love and patience into all of his sugar flowers and it shows.


 

 

This is one of Ron-Ben Israel's sugar flower sprays. The variety of flowers is amazing in itself from ranunculus, roses, and parrot tulips. They remind me of a beautiful botanical garden. The color scheme is mostly warm colors with a touch of cool colors in it. His flowers looks so life like that they are truly art.

 

 

Here is one of Ron Ben- Israel's roses up close. One thing that sticks out to me is the vibrant red color. This rose looks like it has been freshly picked from an exclusive rose garden. I love the frayed edges.

 

Jacqueline Butler




Jacqueline Butler of The Petalsweet Blog is known for her sophisticated sugar flowers with a modern flair. She is one of my sugar flower artist inspirations for her subtle colors schemes and her delicate flowers selections. In my opinion, she has some of the best sugar flower buds in the business.

 

 

This is one of Jacqueline's sugar bouquet's. Her signature buds compliment the hydrangea's and filler flowers perfectly. The pale green paste is also one of her signature colors and one of the reasons why I love her work. Her color schemes are subtle, but her detailed work speaks for itself.

 

 

Here are some of Jacqueline's roses. I love how they are pink in the center and slightly dusted on the edges. The buds have a hint of yellow at the base to bring them out and the filler flowers are so dainty.

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post and that you have a blessed weekend. Who are some of the sugar flower artists that inspire you?

 

Savor the Baking,

Chineka

 

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Wedding Dress Cake Topper

Over the weekend I made a wedding dress cake topper made out of 50/50 blend of gumpaste and fondant. I had a lot of fun making this cake topper. This dress has a lot of details in it that took a while to make, but I love the final outcome. It's the little details that count and I will be making more dress toppers soon.

The foundation for the dress are two pieces. The torso of a woman mold and a styrofoam bell bottom are all that is needed. This is what makes the wedding dress topper solid.

I'm going to start with the front of the wedding dress cake topper and take you around it. The neckline is a sweetheart neckline that is classic and fashionable. I also put a few ribbon roses in the center of the swags. This gives the dress an even more romantic and feminine feel.

The swags go from both sides all the way to the back. I put every swag on the dress individually, just as a fashion designer would when putting a dress together. This gives the dress movement and dimension.

The back of the dress has even more detail. I put pearl dragees as the buttons on the dress. The swags were individually put around the train to flow around it. The train is individual silicon molds that I layered on top of each other. I love the look of lace and this mold provided that look. I love how the train looks like it is sweeping the floor. This also provides the look of movement.

This wedding dress cake topper will look great on any wedding or bridal shower cake. Variations of this dress will also look great on a little girls cake for a princess themed birthday party. I hope that you have all enjoyed this post and that you are having a blessed week.

Savor the Baking,

Chineka

 

Friday, December 7, 2012

Feature Fridays: Brown Sugar Cookies

I love sugar cookies. They are sweet and buttery, while being fluffy In the center. They are one of the easiest cookies to make and one of the most loved cookies, besides chocolate chip cookies.

These brown sugar cookies come from one of my favorite bakers and bloggers, Joy the Baker. This recipe takes sugar cookies to another level. The brown sugar adds the sweet taste of molasses and makes the cookies richer.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

 

Brown Sugar Cookies

From Joy the Baker

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.

2. In an electric stand mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed for 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat for an additional minute.

3. Add the dry ingredients all at once, to the butter and sugar mixture. In an electric stand mixer, beat on low speed until the dough starts to come together and the flower disappears, like in the photo above.

4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. Place 1 tablespoon amount of dough into balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. I find it easier to make the dough balls the same size by actually using a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon.

6. Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes. Place cookies on a bakers rack and let cookies cool. These cookies will be good for a week as long as they are in an air tight container.

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post and that you have a blessed weekend. If you make these cookies let me know. I'm sure that you will enjoy them.

 

Savor the Baking,

Chineka

 

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

2012 Favorites - Cake Decorating and Food Blogs

Cake Decorating and Food Blogs are some of my favorite materials to read online. I have learned a lot about cake decorating just from reading blogs and I find all types of creative recipes to try by reading food blogs. Below are some of my favorite cake decorating and food blogs. I check these blogs daily and with every new post I learn something new.

 

 

Joy The Baker

Joy the Baker has a website that is warm and inviting. Her writing makes you think that you are her best friend. Every recipe is simple to follow and is sure to be sweet and delicious. She takes an easy going take on baking and I love that. Jody's cookbook is one of my favorites. It has a variety of things to bake. Cranberry Orange & Pecan Coffee Cake is Joy The Baker's most recent post.


 

 

Pink Little Cake

Pink Little Cake is a blog that has everything baking related from cookie decorating to cake decorating. Her cookies are very detailed and her pictures to go along with her posts are straight forward. Her cakes are detail oriented and she puts her heart into decorating. The Elephant Indian Theme Birthday Cake is one of my favorite cakes of hers. I love the colors, piping, and the elephant topper. Winter Polar Bear Cookies is Pink Little Cake's most recent post.


 

 

Shutterbean

Shutterbean is a food photography website, where the owner Tracy shares a lot of her personal life with her Everyday Life posts. Her food photography are gorgeous and she has a lot of great tips when it comes to cooking. I also love her I Love Lists Friday posts which highlights some of the things that she has found interesting during the week. Candied Citrus Peel is Shutterbean's most recent post.

 

 

Jessicakes

Jessicakes is a cake decorating blog that I love dearly. I have learned a lot from her blog. From chevron to elmo and Korean inspired Jessica has created and made a variety of cakes, which she gifts to friends. The Elmo Cake is one of the latest cakes that has been created.


 

 

Petalsweet

The Petalsweet Blog is all about sugar flowers. Jacqueline Butler is a master at the sugar flower craft. She posts pictures off all of the projects that she does and of classes that she teaches around the globe. She even posts tutorials. Petalsweet Bud Tutorials is one of the most recent tutorials posted.





I hope that you have enjoyed this post and will check out the blogs listed above. Let me if you do visit them and how you like them. What are some of your favorite cake decorating and food blogs? I hope that you are having a blessed weekend.

 

Savor the Baking,

Chineka

 

 
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