Wednesday, December 21, 2011

We Wish You a Merry Cupcake

Posted by jenmeeko at 3:02 PM 0 comments


I was asked to make two dozen Christmas cupcakes for a coworker, and they needed to be extra jazzy for his family Christmas celebration. So I spent the better part of last weekend making cute cupcake toppers in assorted Chritmas designs. Loved how they turned out! The cupcakes are red velvet with cream cheese frosting - my favorite christmastime combo! All decorations are fondant with edible glitter, luster dust and sprinkles.




Love the reindeer most of all!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Baby Shower Cupcakes

Posted by jenmeeko at 7:20 AM 0 comments



I had the opportunity to make some baby shower cupcakes for a coworker a few months back, and I just remembered to post the photos! We didn't know the baby's sex, so we went for pastel green and yellow and some traditional baby decorations: pascifiers, bottles, teeny footprints and a monogram. The cupcakes were blueberry white chocolate (made with fresh blueberries) and a lemony buttercream. Very fresh and yummy!


All decorations were fondant dusted with edible glitter. The tiny feet were my favorite.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Petit Fours and Chocolate-covered Strawberries

Posted by jenmeeko at 11:50 AM 0 comments




















I was asked to make fall-themed petit fours and chocolate-covered strawberries for a wedding shower. This was my first real attempt at making pretty petit fours, so I was both excited and nervous. Everything I'd read make them sound ridiculously difficult, so I kept my expectations low going into this and made plenty of extras in case I screwed up. In practice, I didn't think they were nearly as hard to make as everyone says, but they are extremely time-consuming.


The cakes were cream cheese pound cake with raspberry filling, and I used a poured fondant mix from my local cake supply and tinted it gold. I didn't bother torting the cake; I just did two larger layers and I think it turned out just fine that way. Maybe a bit less traditional, but you still got enough filling I think.



So, after my first round of petit fours, here are my tips:



  1. Make sure each trimmed petit four is nice and cold. I refrigerated overnight.

  2. Use a candy fork to stab the top of the petit four and hold it over the poured fondant bowl as you use a large ladle to cover each side and most of the top with fondant. Then, set the petit four on a tray covered with a cooling rack so the sides can drip. Use a spoon to cover the little holes left by the candy fork if needed.

  3. Don't bother covering the bottoms.

  4. If the glaze looks too thin, let it dry and do another coat. Worked fine.
I really liked how they turned out! I decorated the tops with a marbled fondant leaf and a monogram. The chocolate-covered strawberries were drizzled with orange and gold to match.




Pumpkin Patch Cake

Posted by jenmeeko at 11:45 AM 0 comments



















My coworker needed a cake to celebrate his daughter's birthday, and the party was held at a local pumpkin patch just before Halloween. I have been wanting to try a pumpkin-shaped cake for ages, so I was excited this came my way! The cake is two bundts (one chocolate and one vanilla) with cream cheese frosting covered in fondant and airbrushed. The leaves and vines are green and brown marbled fondant, and the stem is an ice cream cone covered in fondant and airbrushed brown. I love how this turned out, and I learned a few things that I'll put to practice next time I do a pumpkin cake!
 

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