Chocolate Graduation Cap

It's that time of year again...time for graduation.  Do you know a graduate this year?  Whether they are graduating from college, high school, or Kindergarten, this is a great decoration to add to any graduation cake.

To start with, you will need something to use as a mold.  Since Easter just passed, you might have one of these plastic eggs in the house. 

Coffee Giveaway

Raise your hand if you love coffee?  (Ooo, Ooo, that's me!)

I recently found myself in possession of quite a lot of K-cup coffee and, because I like y'all, I'm going to share.  True, this doesn't have much to do with making dessert, except that coffee goes great with it.  After your busy Easter week, I think you deserve some.

I'm going to send one box each of Wolfgang Puck's Vienna Coffee House, and Breakfast in Bed to one lucky winner (U.S. residents only).

Easter Cookie Doodling

Easter is almost here and I still haven't made any Easter eggs.  We did, however, manage to make a few Easter cookies.

Together with a few friends, we made a whole bunch of different cookies and everyone got to take some home.

My kids even got to decorate a few.  They might have been a bit over zealous with the icing.

There really is a cookie under there...somewhere.

I hope all of you have a very blessed Easter weekend.

Frostine

Alice In Wonderland

Raise your hand if you have ever gone to a special event WITHOUT your camera.  Well, that's the mistake I made recently with my Alice in Wonderland cake.  I transported it without the teacup stacked on top so I planned to take the final picture on location.  You guessed it, I got there and had no camera!  Thankfully, the birthday girl's father bailed me out.  He had his trusty iPhone with him.

This is how my cake began, over a week before making it.  Yes, indeed, I am more comfortable with sculpting than drawing.  Never the less, this is how I begin planning my cakes.

I made each section separately for stacking and carving.  The mushroom stem is made of 3 layers of 5" round cake.

Creamy Orange Tart

If you're looking for a delicious, easy, make ahead dessert for Easter, check this out.  This Creamy Orange Tart is so easy, you won't even have to turn on your oven.  The refreshing, fruity goodness definitely says spring!

Would You Care For a Spot of Tea?

Did you read that title with an english accent?  I hope so.  I wrote it with one.  This is the top of my Alice in Wonderland cake.  I'll be posting pictures of the full cake soon.  I thought I would show you the tea cup first since I have all the pictures for that ready now.  Sorry for the glare in some of the pictures.  That's what I get for working late at night with no sunshine.

Decorator Contest Wrap-up

Hello everyone! 

Many of you have asked about the outcome of the decorator contest that I entered a month or so ago.  Monday of last week I met the owner of the bakery for an interview.  She was very nice and I really enjoyed our conversation.  The bakery still has not announced a winner, but after careful consideration, I decided to withdraw from the competition on Thursday of last week.  The most pointed conclusion that I drew from my interview last week was that I cannot produce the kind of artwork that I find fulfilling on the timetable of a commercial bakery.  Each of my custom cakes requires hours of my time, and that timetable would not be possible in a conventional bakery.  I am very grateful to all of my readers, family, and friends who voted for me in this competition.  Your support has meant so much.  I also appreciate the bakery staff and owner for their time and the opportunity to participate in the competition.  I wish the bakery and my fellow competitors all the best.  I will keep working on my cakery and we'll just have to see where this will lead in the future. 

Thanks again for reading and for all of your support.  Y'all are the best!


Frostine