A New Hobby

Since I wrapped up at BYU last fall I wanted to be sure I didn't stop acquiring new skills/knowledge so I signed up for a cake decorating class. I love the idea of being able to make cute birthday cakes but up until now my attempts were laughable if not totally depressing (Who knew store bought frosting was a sin?)

I was nervous but have taken every opportunity I can to practice in the last few months (shown below in the pictures). Many times I delighted the office staff and teachers at my school with left-overs if I wanted to make a cake/cupcakes but didn't want them around the house to tempt me.

Since February I have done two weddings, two birthday parties and a bridal shower. In addition to the cakes and cupcakes I also make cake-bites. I prefer the cupcakes (because I love the flavored frosting) but the cake-bites are a really big hit with everyone else and fairly easy and cheap so they get made too.

Below are some of the cakes/events I have done this spring. I hope to get to do some more!

Thanksgiving was my first attempt at cake-bites, I wanted to practice for my mom's wedding, they were an instant hit with the family.

Tori helped me make 200+ cake-bites for my mom's reception chocolate, lemon, and red velvet. Took HOURS but again turned out really well and cute

Our cake-bites on display at the dessert table at my mom's reception

The dessert table at the reception.

My first cake from class. The first lesson was just making the cake and frosting and then frosting a two layer cake with filling. We only had 15 minutes to do the actual decorating so I consider this first swing a triumph only for the white base, the rest was just rushed practice at coloring frosting.

Third lesson: filled cupcakes (chocolate mousse filling) then I went a little crazy practicing some frosting techniques we had been learning with different consistencies of frosting.

More practice.

This was the "final project" for my class. Wilton roses, two layer cake and chocolate butter-cream frosting with raspberry cream filling. 

For St. Patrick's Day I wanted to make Key Lime cupcakes. Lime cake with a lime glaze and then my first attempt at flavored buttercream frosting (lime of course) with lime zest on top. My new favorite!!!

For the bridal shower I hosted for Gaetana I made a 2 batches of cupcakes. The first was a lemon-lime cupcake. Lemon cake with Lime buttercream frosting and lemon/lime zest on top. (SO GOOD!!!)

The second batch was a vanilla bean cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. (My sister's favorite).

Before I took the decorating class I had it in my mind to make a football cake for Vince's first birthday. I was ecstatic that it turned out the way I had envisioned (that never happened before my class)! Vanilla cake with a raspberry cream filling and chocolate buttercream frosting.

Vince's little cake to make a mess with.

For the sports birthday party I also made 50 cake-bites as baseballs and basketballs.

Our ward has a cake auction every year as a fundraiser for the young women. I made two cakes: the first a duplicate of the one I made for Vince's birthday.

The second cake I made for the auction was a practice cake for Kyle's wedding cake (that same weekend) to try out some ideas and to work with molded fondant for the first time. I was SO glad I practiced since the cake was perfect until the next day when the extra weight of the cake pushed some of the filling out between the layers. I was able to touch it up a bit but then fix the problem before Kyle's wedding cake got made the next day.

I catered Kyle's wedding and made 24-DOZEN mini-cupcakes. Chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream frosting, vanilla cake with coconut frosting, ad lime cake with key-lime buttercream frosting. It was quite the project but Dillon says the frosting tasted like sherbert. They flew off the table and were SO GOOD!

Kyle's food table I did for his reception

My first two layer cake for Kyle's wedding. Vanilla cake, raspberry & chocolate chip cream filling, with coconut buttercream frosting, and fondant trim. Luckily there was a lot to take home because we could not get enough of this cake, so tasty!

My sister-in-law Gaetana loves "bling" so I put some gems for leaves on the frosting roses and put on some turquoise diamonds for her.