Saturday, December 31, 2011

CRICUT CAKE MACHINE!


What's baking?  There was an online offer on black Friday that was too good to pass up- a great price on the Cricut Cake Machine including free shipping.  I finally took it our of the box and started playing!  Cookies are chocolate mocha and cake is Double Chocolate Layer Cake based on recipe on Epicurious with a white chocolate ganache and bananas foster filling.





Saturday, December 17, 2011

Cake Decorating Party Preparations!

What's baking?
Preparing for a cake decorating party! Baking, cutting, icing,  coloring icing, filling bags.  Ready to go!

CAKE DECORATING PARTY!

What's baking?
This Cake Decorating Party was so much fun!  I provided everything!  We started out with a short demonstration on a few techniques.  Everyone learned a little about decorating cakes and then was able to try on their own.  Each guest took home their own decorated mini-cake in a box!



Friday, December 9, 2011

COOKIES!

What's baking?  
Spent the better part of last night baking until I ran out of flour!  There are a few more recipes that I still want to try.  Although I always deviate somewhat from the printed recipe I am including the link to each recipe I started with. 
Lemon-Raspberry Thumbprints
Espresso Shortbread
Chocolate Dreams
Apple Butter Spritz
Almond Cloud



Monday, November 28, 2011

Thanksgiving Sweets!

What's baking? 
Bark with oreos, pretzels, white and dark chocolate, m&ms
 Carrot cake with nut cream filling and cream cheese icing from the Frog Commissary Cookbook with gumpaste decorations



Monday, November 7, 2011

Sugar Flowers

Flowers made from sugar!  Gum paste manipulated: rolled, cut, imprinted, shaped, ruffled, wired, painted, dusted with color.  
So much fun to make!

star gazer lilies
briar rose
sweet pea
blossom
stphanotis
ivy leaf

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Cookies for event

What's baking? Cookies for Let's Get Ready event incorporating logo and colors!  Sugar cookies based on the Flour Pot recipe and fondant decorations.  Now is a great time to support Let's Get Ready and vote for them in the Chase Giving to help thousands of students get to college.  Or if you're in NYC you are invited to their next event!


Monday, September 26, 2011

Birthday Cake!

What's baking?  Layers of chocolate chip Cream Cheese Pound Cake (recipe based on CC follows) with chocolate filling, covered with vanilla butter cream and chocolate fondant.  Hand made gum paste flowers and royal icing stenciled sides cover this little 6" cake.


3 sticks butter, softened
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
6 eggs
3 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Mix butter, sugar and salt until creamy.  Add cream cheese and mix well.  Add eggs, one at a time, alternating with the flour.  Add vanilla and beat the entire mixture for 2 minutes.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Pour into a Large (12-cup) greased and floured tube or bundt cake pan,  Bake for 90 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan 10-15 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Cake Decorating Classes- June Bring a Friend for Free promotion!

You and a friend can learn how to decorate cakes like a pro for the price of one when you sign up during our BRING A FRIEND FOR FREE promotion. When you register this week for any of the June CAKE DECORATING CLASSES at AC Moore, 978 Bethlehem Pike, Montgomeryville, PA, your friend/family member is free. Each course is 4 weeks long and meets once a week for two hours. Tuition is just $20* (a $45 value), but when you register this week your friend/family member is free. That means, for $20, 2 of you will get 8 hours of lessons and you do not even need to sign up for the same class although it is fun to take them together! Even if you have taken a Basics class in the past, you may want to refresh your skills or learn new techniques as the courses changed last year.
Stop by the store on Saturday between 1 & 3pm to say hi- I will be demonstrating some of the techniques learned in the Decorating Basics course.
See Susan's Cake Decorating Class page for more info.

Course 1 DECORATING BASICS at 6:30-8:30pm starting Tuesday, June 7
(class meets 6/7, Thursday 6/16, 6/21 & 6/28)

Course 3 GUM PASTE & FONDANT at 9:30-11:30am starting Tuesday, June 7
(class meets 6/7, 6/14, 6/21 & 6/28)

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Double Chocolate Cake

What's baking? This is a moist, chocolatey cake based on the Double Chocolate Layer Cake from Epicurious.  I tweaked the recipe by adding one more egg, using unsweetened applesauce to replace most of the oil, and adding more chocolate of course! It was baked in 2 nine inch layers and then torted those to make four layers and used raspberry puree between two and chocolate ganache in the middle.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Sweet 16 Cake

What's baking?
Chocolate chip cake based on Rose Levy Berenbaum's Downy Yellow Cake from The Cake Bible. Chocolate filling between four cake layers. Covered in buttercream and fondant. Flower design based on party invitation made from dark modelling chocolate, fondant and gum paste.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Cake Decorating Classes on FB

Just added my teaching schedule for upcoming classes to the 'Events' section of my Facebook business page Susan's Cake Decorating Class. Please share with anyone that might be interested and let me know if you have any questions. Thanks.