Creating My Birthday Cake

Well it's that time of the year again. My Birthday. Since I am taking Cake Decorating Classes, it would be a shame if I celebrated my big day, with a store bought cake. So I present to you, the making of Dee's (that's me) birthday cake. The recipe? Pumpkin Spice Cake, with a Cream Cheese Icing. I used the pumpkin insides that I froze, when I was carving my jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. You can freeze the insides for up to 6 months.

As I type this, it is baking in my NEW convection oven. I can barely concentrate. Check back from time to time, as I am uploading my photos, as I progress.

Happy Birthday to me... Here we go!

Recipe
1 package spice cake mix
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 eggs

Icing
1 (16 ounce) can vanilla frosting
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x13 inch baking pan, or two 9 inch cake pans.
2.In a large bowl, mix together the yellow cake mix, sugar, vegetable oil, pumpkin, water, cinnamon, nutmeg and eggs. Beat until well blended. Transfer to the baking dish or cake pans.
3.Bake in the preheated oven 50 minutes.

What I liked about this recipe, was that it was easy. I mean, this is my birthday cake, but I wanted to bake a cake that was quick and delicious.

(keep on checking, as I am adding more photos to this post)

War of The Roses

I had a tough time in Level 1 today. My roses just weren't working out for me.

But I persevere. Luckily, I had the day off from the REAL job and today and it was all about R-O-S-E-S! I found this video to assist.

Prepping for Last Class Level 1

I baked a yellow cake over the weekend. I smoothed burgundy icing on it. I am going to sign off now, as I will have alot more to say, once it is completed in the last class for Wilton Course 1.

Goodnight!

My Dream Oven is Ordered

SWEET! Picked out a new stove.

We went with a convection oven. Convection ovens use a fan to circulate heated air throughout the oven cavity. The result is faster and more even cooking. If you find yourself doing a lot of baking or roasting, spending a bit extra to get convection is a smart choice that will save you time and give you better results.

I expect I will be using Mom's a couple more times til' delivery.

Loving the large dials. They give this appliance a vintage feel.

Oven

A Star Studded Event!

What can I say... I am a bit flashy with my post titles. Actually, I am showcasing my first cake. Here, I am using the open star tip with #13 and #16.

My focus on my next cake is to keep a firm hand. Some of the stars are slanted, or a bit heavy handed. I think these colours are cute for a baby shower.

I will try to get in to work early, and leave it in my co-workers lunchroom.

I Hate My Oven!

I absolutely HATE my oven!

It bakes things at "SUPER HOT". Picture one shows the damage that my stove did in 5 minutes! I chucked those cakes, and raced to my Sister's house to use her stove. It baked my cakes properly in the alloted time of 35 minutes.

Thanks Janet for saving the day. Mental note... look for a new stove!!!!

Stars and Stripes and a Rainbow to Boot!

So sorry I haven't blogged for awhile. You don't have to worry though. I did not get off course. My eyes are still on the prize but it has been a little hectic though.

My Level 1 Wilton - Discover Cake Decorating class began this past Monday. As you know, my goal was to book Tuesdays off at my day job. Sadly to say I wasn't able to get Tuesday off because we are completing year end inventory. I have been incredibly tired. I even had to work on Saturday this past weekend.

Anyway, this blog is not to vent about the day job (because I am thankful for it). It is a testament to show where I started, and where I end up. It is for you to follow me as I work towards my goal, of turning a love of making confections to a full time career.

And back to Wilton Level 1 / Class 1. We had learned how to make icing, colouring it and how to apply it to our cakes. The crumb coat vs using the icer tip method. Right now, I am definitely leaning towards the icer tip method. It puts on my icing nice and thick. We also learned the concept behind a leveler. I always wondered how cake decorators had their cakes looking so even.

Today we learned how to apply icing using the star method and we learned to draw stripes. Our class decorated a cake with a rainbow.

I will decorate my own cake over the weekend using the star method. I will serve it up to my co-workers on Monday. So excited!

Easy Truffles!

I have finally found an easy truffle recipe for my first batch of truffles. It is a 2 ingredient truffle recipe using cream cheese and chocolate chips. Since I have already learned how to temper chocolate, I will continue to work with my couveture chocolate. On that note, I have now turned this two ingredient recipe into a 3-4 ingredient combination. This recipe should made 12 truffles.

I used Merckens melts in dark cocoa, and red for the outer coating, and chocolate couveture for the inside. I used colour to give these delicious treats a vibrant visual contrast. I spooned 3 oz of cream cheese into a bowl and stirred it until it was a smooth consistency.

I melted 3 oz of dark couveture chocolate, and then poured it into the cream cheese. I stirred the two together, and placed th mixture (covered) in the refrigerator for 1/2 an hour (15 minutes btw is fine) to cool and stiffen.

I removed my cream cheese / chocolate mixture from the refrigerator. I decided to use the Merckens Red for part of this batch. I formed my truffles into large marble size balls. I lined baking sheet with wax parchment paper.

I melted 2 oz of red candy melts using a microwave oven. I spooned out my chocolate mixture with a melon baller. I inserted a toothpick into the ball and then dipped it into the melts. I removed the ball from the toothpick and placed it on the wax paper. I made 6 red truffles. I melted about 4 of the Merckens cocoa melts and drizzled it onto my red truffles.

I used the same process, but now dipping the balled mixture into the Merckens Cocoa. As I finished each of those truffles, I sprinkled shredded coconut on them.

And VOILA!

Sweet Sixteen Request

I handed out 8 Chocolate samples today and I got back one request! A co-worker's daughter is turning 16 at the end of March, and she would like to place an order. I feel super excited, and blessed to recieve this "Sweet" Sweet Sixteen request.

I have some fab ideas to share with her. An avante garde chocolate theme, that will truly embrace the idea behind the Sweet Tooth Fashionista -- and have her daughter's friends, ending the evening with the coolest sweetest treats!

Ready - Send - Sample!

Yey! I have finally finished off the samples for my December 23, FaceBook Event. I created chocolate samples for the first set of people to join my FaceBook Group.

I made a white chocolate couveture bar, and painted hearts on it. I also added Merckens dark chocolate hearts, and painted those with red chocolate. My packaging looked a tad plain, so I added ribbon. I am liking the look now. I will have these in the mail, between tomorrow, and Friday.

Registered!

Ok.... So I neglected to mention that a week and a half ago, I registered my name "Sweet Tooth Fashionista". I just figured that it was a really cool and catchy name.

I guess I tend to venture on the positive side. I thought that if my blog caught on, then maybe another Sweet Tooth Fashionista would pop up.

This could also be a form of postive reinforcement for me. You know... If I am Legally what I envision myself to be --- Then I can be who I want to be.

So, I am just about ready to send out my chocolate samples to my FaceBook Group winners. I will drop them in the mail on Thursday this week. I can definitely say that I have the basic concept of preparing chocolates from molds. I was going to step up to bonbons, but when I read a recipe, I become a bit overwhlemed. I have decided to create chocolate truffles. I have finally obtained a fairly easy recipe, that has a shelf life of a month. A long shelf life is important to me right now, in case someone wanted me to ship an order to them.

Sample Chocolates FOR REAL

Well it has been almost one month since I took my first Confections Workshop. I would say I have come a long way.

Dec. 6/09 - Completed my Chocolatier Workshop
- My Sister-in-law tasted a few, and commented that she would like to take a few home
- My Husband had about 3, and I had to hide the rest

Dec. 7/09 -I promised some to my co-worker Jinette. She praised my confections to some of our friends on FaceBook
- I brought a few of my chocolate treats to my co-worker Sukhi, she emailed me that evening, and said her family thought they were scrumptious
- I gave a couple to my husband, and hid the balance

Dec. 8/09 - Sukhi asked if I would visit her home to give she and her a daughter a Chocolate making class (in her kitchen)

Dec. 12/09 - I got ambitious, and decided that I would make chocolate treats for my department's potluck at work
- I am enjoying obtaining more information of my new found love. I have even visited the establishment where I took lessons
- By now, I have figured that I would like to research this as a new career path
- I decided that I would start this blog, where I could journal my pathway to my new career

Dec. 17/09
- I made a tray of 75 pieces of chocolate, in various Christmas themes. They are a hit, and they all disappear
- I visit the Lindt Chocolate Outlet, and invest in some Couveture chocolate...because I'm gonna allow more people to taste, and share the views on my sweet endeavour

Dec. 20/09
- I launch my FaceBook Group
- BTW, I am Tweeting now

Dec. 23/09
- I have held my first Chocolatier workshop at Sukhi's
Dec. 29/09
- I have enrolled in a cake decorating course at Flour Confections in Ajax

Jan. 2/2010- I am putting sample chocolates together for some of my FaceBook Group friends, who joined my Group
- I am creating a white Couveture chocolate bar, with Merckens dark chocolate hearts
- I Feel I am on my way!