Strawberry Shortcake

We checked out this book from the library and my daughter insisted we make the recipe, so we did. It was a fun book with little facts, tips, and explanations about cooking along the sides of each page. I even learned something: strawberry shortcake is called "shortcake" because of the shortening in it (though we used butter). Maybe I'm behind, but it was news to me.So pretty much it's like a gigantic biscuit slathered with whip cream and strawberries. I've always thought real strawberry shortcake (not those little angle food cakes they sell by the strawberries in the store) was rather dry and bland, but this was really good. The only thing I did different from the book was add some sugar to the strawberries and let them sit to bring out the juices while the cake baked.

Birthday Cakes

Here are a couple birthday cakes I made recently. Finally putting that cake decorating class knowledge to use. This one was for my sister who was visiting on her birthday. She loves football and is a big Packer's fan. (I didn't use supports and by the time I took the picture it kind of smooshed down on itself. :P Oh well, you get the picture.) It was fun working with fondant.

Graduation Day

Here is my final cake for my final Wilton cake course. It's been fun and I've learned a lot. I still need a lot of practice with fondant -the back of the cake had so many folds in it :( But I thought it turned out pretty anyway. I decided my favorite (fondant) flower is the calla lilly. They are just so elegant.

Basket Cake

Here is my 'grand finale' for the second Wilton cake course. We made different flowers each week out of royal icing (which is pretty much just sugar, so it hardens and stores for years) and then on the last day we iced the cake and placed the flowers. I think I need to work on mixing and matching frosting colors. Also the white butter cream icing on the cake is a bit more like 'cream' or 'egg shell' because I didn't feel like buying the 'no color' vanilla (why buy something when I already have vanilla at home). It's not really noticeable except when I put the white royal frosting flowers on it. Then is looks kind of off. :P Oh well.

(I like it better without the birds.)

Wilton Cake Course 1: Completed

I finally got around to taking a cake decorating class. I have had the course 1 kit for over a year and used the decorating bags and tips, but I didn't really how how to use all of them. I figured this would be a good skill to learn so I could make the kids birthday cakes myself. Plus I love cooking/baking and this falls in that category.

At the first class we learned how to make the icing and frost the cake. I discovered that the "Buttercream" frosting (recipe follows) is hardly what I would consider food. I don't eat it. Instead, I tend to think of it as an art medium like paint or clay.

Class 2; cake 1: Stars(Since the outer frosting isn't very appetizing, I like to fill the cake with something yummy. This one had strawberry cream cheese frosting in the middle.)

Class 3; cake 2: drop flowers and shells

Class 4; cake 3: roses and leaves

Next week I start course 2.

Wilton's Buttercream Frosting

1 c shortening

2 T water

1 tsp vanilla

1 lb powdered sugar (about 4 cups)

Cream together first three ingredients. Slowly add powdered sugar and blend until smooth. (for thinner consistency add 1 T water at a time and blend)

birthday cake/cupcakes

I was just going to make cupcakes for Eleanor's birthday, but when I told her this she got very distressed and said "What about my birthday CAKE?!" So I did both, but tried to keep it simple (at least more simple than last year- even if Kurt doesn't believe that it was).

The Strawberry Cake was from the box, but the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting was homemade:

1 cup butter

2 packages cream cheese (8 oz each)

2 lbs powdered sugar

1 1/2 t vanilla (about?)

2 t imitation strawberry flavoring (I inherited this from a neighbor that moved and decided to try using it)

Pink food gel

Cream together butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add p. sugar about a cup at a time. Add vanilla and strawberry flavoring and mix well. Then add coloring.