Tinkerbell's House Cake

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One of my daughter's favourite friends had a birthday a few weeks ago with a Tinkerbell theme.  I wanted to do something different so building her house out of cake was the perfect idea.  Below is the house from the Tinkerbell movies, so I represented it as best I could.


The cake was vanilla butter and vanilla buttercream.  A few toothpicks were used to secure several parts to the cake, but other than that, it is completely edible.


Happy 6th birthday, Kairie!

Erin

Canada's Baking and Sweets Show: Part 1

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I'd heard about Canada's Baking and Sweets Show through Facebook, but really wasn't interested until it was announced that Duff Goldman, from Food Networks' "Ace of Cakes" was going to be there.  It wasn't him so much that I liked about the show, but his team of cake decorators, and how each of them had their own specialty.



*Mary Smith has the ability to pipe the most intricate designs with a steady hand that I could not have even if I quit drinking coffee.



I watched Ben Turner create structure after structure so cakes would not fall over.


*Katherine Hill, whose hair I always wanted to push out of her face, created the best hotdogs and hamburgers out of fondant :)


*And Geof Manthorne, the man who replicates buildings, guitars, cars, etc.  had the impeccable ability to make anything out of cake, and not look like cake.


They made painted cakes, sculpted cakes, tiered cakes and famous peoples' cakes.  I sat with my sketchbook in front of me and scribbled down every cake I saw, wrote every tip they said, and tried almost every medium they used.

I remember in my first year of cake decorating, a customer asked for a buffalo.  I wanted it to stand on all four legs but my husband and I weren't sure how to do it.  Low and behold, that Sunday we saw the Charm City Cakes team make a turtle character stand on it's hind legs, and fall over.  As they worked through finding a better structure system, we wrote down everything we saw, and made a perfect four legged stand for our amazing buffalo.


Things I learned from watching Duff's show:

- don't let the cake tell you what to do
- everything that could wrong sometimes will
- the clock is your worst enemy
- there is always a solution
- you can't do it alone
- no one sees the mistakes that you see
- no one sleeps on a Friday night


So, Nicole and I went to the baking and sweets show, and as she went off to learn about modelling chocolate, I sat and watched Duff present himself in traditional Duff style, and got my Ace of Cakes book signed.  With huge, nasty bodyguards around, and Nicole disobediently snapping pictures, I smiled at the owner of Charm City Cakes, spelled my name for him and willed him to know I was a huge fan.

I think he knows :)






*Several photos by Adrienne Helitzer/for Charm City Cakes©

The show itself was fantastic and I will be posting about it over the next few weeks.  Between the classes I took and the booths I visited, I was overwhelmed with inspiration.

Talk soon,
Erin

Canada's Baking and Sweets Show: Part 2

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One September 30th, Nicole and I went to Canada's Baking and Sweets Show in Mississauga to check out the cake booths, learn a few things and meet Duff Goldman.  If you want to hear about my rave on "Ace of Cakes", click here.
It was the home show for cake decorators!  Everywhere you looked, people were selling cupcakes, demonstrating how to use up-and-coming tools of the trade, and presentations were going on constantly both on stage and in the classrooms.
Here are some of the cleanest, most beautiful cakes I saw set out for the cake competition:




And of course there are always the fun ones... Isn't this fantastic?


As I walked around, Redpath had several booths, inside which Marian from Sweetopia was giving lessons on decorating Thanksgiving cookies.


 Classes started early in the morning with the Haute Couture Cakes class.  We didn't get everything completed since it was such a short time frame, but I enjoyed myself, and learned a few things that I hadn't thought of before.  When you learn cake decorating on your own, like I have, it's nice to see someone professional do the same thing, even for the reassurance that you do indeed know what you are doing!

Here is the chef's demo cake:


 And here are a few pics from class:




While I was listening to Duff Goldman's demonstration, Nicole attended a modelling chocolate lesson, which I hope to incorporate into my cakes soon.  And later on I attended a painted cakes demonstration:

Again, it was something I have done before, but it was nice to ask her questions about trouble shooting in the future.


And finally, the best part of the entire day was finding nut-free suppliers and bakers.  I had planned not to taste anything because of my peanut and soy allergies, thereby forcing Nicole to try things, but it ended up several displays had incorporated a nut-free recipe or had changed entirely to be peanut/nut-free.  At once I bought a bag of chocolate-chip cookies and ate them all myself :)  Unless I bake for myself, I rarely get cookies.  It was really great!

Here is a short list of the bakeries I ran into:

Oh so Sweet, nut-free cupcakes and baked goods (choc. chip cookies are great!)
L&M Bakers Supply Co., peanut/nut-free cake supplies
Above and Beyond Cupcakes, have a few recipes that are nut-free.

If you didn't get a chance to see the show, be sure to watch for it next year during the first week in October.

Chocolate Chunk S'mores Brownies.

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How To Hunt for Your First Apartment Together 101. 
1. When you walk in the door... does it feel like home? Can you imagine living here and making memories together? Hint: If you're already planning date nights of making dinner in the tiny kitchen, shutting out the world, and catching up on Once Upon a Time, with a couch against the wall here and the TV right there... the answer is yes.

2. Start a Pinterest board. Obviously.

3. Check out the closet situation. Preemptively claim 3/4 of it. 
4. The kitchen: can you bake cookies in this kitchen? Does it feel like home too? Is it bright and full of natural light? Does it make you want to bake banana bread, late-night s'mores, Christmas dinner, and pumpkin pies?


5. Remind your boyfriend that this is a model apartment. The flatscreen is just for show. Also not sure what you're looking in the refrigerator for.
6. Decide where will the Christmas tree will go. No, seriously.
7. This deck is cute... but can I photograph stacks of brownies out here without the neighbors noticing?
8. So... these bright orange accent walls. We can paint, right?
9. Allow yourself a full minute to panic over lease lengths, deposits, rent, square footage, and the fact that you no longer have an excuse to avoid the gym. 
10. Let's be honest: how close are we to a Starbucks?


Can I be honest with you for a tiny moment? Looking for an apartment can be completely overwhelming.

There. I said it.

You know what's not overwhelming?

Making chocolate chunk brownies on a lazy summer day.

Except, at the last minute, like the total adult you are, you swirl in marshmallow fluff and a handful of crushed graham crackers.

Just because.

I think we can agree... s'mores need no reason. Especially s'mores in the form of thick, fudgy brownies full of chocolate chunks, dark chocolate chips, swirls of marshmallow dreams, subtle, crunchy bits of graham crackers... and a crackly graham cracker top.

Impulsive baking. It's now a thing.



This is summer. This is easy-living. This is not an accent wall. I can handle this. 
Chocolate Chunk S'mores Brownies

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar2 large eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/3 unsweetened cocoa powder1/2 cup all-purpose flour1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 cup chocolate chunks (I used a mixture of chocolate chunks & dark chocolate chips)1/2 cup crushed graham crackers1 cup marshmallow fluff
Preheat oven to 350°F. 
Grease or line an 8x8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Mix in cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder until well-combined. Fold in chocolate chunks and crushed graham crackers using a wooden spoon.
Microwave marshmallow fluff for about 10-20 seconds, give it a quick stir, then add to brownie batter. Fold in a few times until just combined. You want there to be visible ribbons of marshmallow cream throughout the brownies.
Pour into baking dish and spread evenly. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until done and a toothpick inserted into the center of brownies comes out clean. 
Allow to cool completely before serving.

S'more Treats

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 S'more Bars
1 package (10.75 oz.) miniature marshmallows - 6 cups, divided
1 box (13 oz.) Golden Grahams cereal - 8 cups
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a sauce pan melt the butter on medium-high heat.
3. Add about 4 cups of  marshmallows and the vanilla to the butter. Stirring constantly.
4. Once the marshmallows are almost all melted, mix in the milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
5. Pour the cereal into a large bowl. When the chocolate chips have all melted and your mixture is nice and smooth, pour over the Golden Grahams. Add in the rest of the marshmallows (about 2 cups).
6. Let it cool for a few hours before serving. Best if left at room temperature over night. Cut and ENJOY!!

Harper's 2nd Birthday! Featuring ELMO

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I know I say this EVERY time one of the kids' birthdays rolls around....but seriously....WHERE does the time go? I cannot BELIEVE that our little girlie turned 2 this weekend!!! The past year has been full of BIG changes for our family, not the least of which has involved watching our BABY turn into a BIG girl ;)


I usually try to come up with a fun and unique party theme...but this girl LOVES her some ELMO...I just knew that HAD to be our theme, no gettin' around it! I found the CUTEST party printables at Pink Pickle Studios in the exact color scheme I was working with...SCORE! I wanted a pink, orange and red color scheme, first because I have a slight obsession with that color palette...and second, because I plan on re-decorating Harper's room in said-colors so the party "extras" are going to be room decor!

I kept the dessert table SUPER simple this year...cake & Cake Pops, that was it...but I really LOVED the end result.



 I made all of the Cake Pops (duh-right!?!?) I used some hot-pink paper straws for the sticks on the Elmo Cake Pops, and juicy-orange sticks for the others. Using the paper straws is FUN way to make the pops THAT much cuter ;)




The UBER-ADORABLE Elmo Cake is the creation of Cakes by Kimberly! I told her what I had in mind, sent her a few inspiration photos...and then she created something that was BEYOND my expectations! Harper LOVED it!!! Now when people ask me if I do cakes (which...I don't...the stress...can't handle it)... I'll have a GREAT, LOCAL baker to send them to ;)



The favor-bags included Elmo baskets (bought on clearance after Halloween) and Elmo library bags (from the $1 section at Target) filled with Elmo books and a few treats. They were arranged on a FUN shelf that I rescued from Goodwill! A few coats of PINK & WHITE paint and it looked BRAND NEW (it was originally a scuffed-up, brick-red color)...it'll be perfect in Harper's room post-party!

I also rounded-up ALL of her Elmo paraphernalia before the party...books, stuffed animals, toys...you name it, we have it...and added it to the shelf  for the party guests to play with! I have to admit, it was a little SHOCKING to see how much ELMO we have in our home...Harper might need an intervention ;)


The tissue monogram is another item that will be decorating her room! The original inspiration for this project came from a SUPER easy tutorial posted by Prudent Baby (HERE!) The only thing I did differently...I glued the tissue flowers to a chipboard letter and attached it to the canvas.






An AMAZING local seamstress, Cynthia of Puddin' Pies, took-on an extra special project for me...making a custom Elmo Snuggle Blankie for Harper! I collected an assortment of fabrics and had a general idea of what I wanted...but left the real details to the PRO! Harper is seriously OBSESSED with this blanket...I had to literally wrestle it away from her to get a few pictures. It's SO soft and snuggly...and BEYOND adorable....also going in her room...well...when she's not attached to it anyways ;)


The party was great and Miss Harper was a HAPPY-HAPPY girl!



I want to thank ALL the AMAZING creators that made this party such a success...items that are lovingly created really have their own special VIBE don't they???
Now...let's see how long I can get away with leaving the party lanterns up...LOL ;)

~Audrey

Sources
Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats Party Styling, Photography, Elmo Cake Pops, Paper Straw Cake Pops
Cakes by Kimberly Elmo Party Cake
Puddin' Pies Custom Elmo Snuggle Blankie & pillow
Hug Wear Custom Elmo Party Outfit
Pink Pickle Studio Elmo Party Printables
Shop Sweet Lulu Paper Straws
Best Dressed Bridal & Linens Paper Lanterns

Poppin' like CRAZY!

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I've been meaning to share some of my most recent CAKE POP CREATIONS with you all...but time just KEEPS getting away from me ;) Guess I'd rather be busy chasin' kiddos and playin' in the kitchen than NOT though right?!?!

I've had a TON of SUPER FUN requests lately for Cake Pops which is awesome since I love getting the chance to try new designs!

Sassy Skull Cake Pops for the Cedar Rapids Roller Girls!

These Bowling themed Cake Pops were for a little guy's Bday Party!

Cute widdle baby footsies for a shower ;) LOVE these!

Alligator Cake Pops! The teeth were a little wonky - LOL! Still cute though right?

Lions & Tigers & Bears...OH MY!

That's all folks!
Audrey