Wilton Tool Caddy Decorated

I finally bought a tool caddy for all my cake decorating pieces. I decided to purchase the 50 piece Tool Caddy because I knew I could use the extra tips and other things that came with it.

If you click on the link above, you can see what the tool caddy looked like originally. I liked the colors, but I wanted my caddy to be a little more personal. I'm the only person in my class with this particular caddy- but there are several people in class with the same caddy and I'd hate to get mine confused sometime.

So, I purchased some vinyl for my Cricut and sat down to think about what I wanted to put on my caddy. Of course, my first thought was: Cupcakes! I put two cupcakes on the lid of the caddy and one on each side- but then when I looked at the caddy the front seemed empty. Since I'd only purchased two colors of vinyl I had to come up with another design for the front.

Even though the flowers were kind of an afterthought, I love the way they turned out. I also put my name on the back of the caddy. Just in case there's any question as to who it belongs to.

Gift Cake

This Monday I had the second class in my Wilton III class. We had to bring in a square cake to cover in fondant.

It was the first time I worked with fondant (we had to use the Wilton Fondant), and I was nervous. My instructor was really helpful and walked me (and the other people in my class) through the process.

The only thing we had to do was cover the cake and make the bow. I decided to add the shaped flowers to make it a little more interesting.

Overall I'm super pleased with the results. I think the fondant tastes kind of gross (I much prefer the MMF I made for the Cupcake Electoral Map), but I just peeled it off and ate the chocolate cake and buttercream icing that were underneath.

Cupcake Electoral Map

Last week I made over 200 cupcakes for an Election party. When we were invited to the party, I told my husband to tell the host we would bring cupcakes. He suggested a Cupcake Electoral Map. I told him he was crazy and not to go overboard. Then I spent four days thinking about his idea and how fun it would be.

So, I found myself spending 8+ hours last week cutting out 107 Marshmallow Fondant (MMF) stars, baking over 200 cupcakes, and piping endless amounts of frosting. (For those of you wondering- this is where that Red Velvet recipe came in handy.)

I'll be posting a more in-depth look at this project and the process to create it on my website: www.cupocakedesigns.com It will be November's featured project. Please check the website later this week to see even more pictures of the map and cupcakes.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake

About two weeks ago I baked a cake for my friend's surprise birthday party. Her husband and best friend told me to make whatever I wanted because she loves desserts in any flavor.

I decided to try out a Chocolate Chocolate Chip recipe I had. It turned out really amazing- nice and moist but not overpoweringly chocolate. I torted the cake with a Whipped Caramel Cream in the middle and all of the frosting is Chocolate Buttercream.

The Birthday girl was very pleased, and there weren't even crumbs left after we cut the cake.

It Happens to the Best of Us

Just to reassure everyone out there- mistakes happen to the best of us. I was home a few weeks ago and my sister requested some Mint Chocolate Chip cupcakes for her birthday. I don't bake often in my parents' house anymore and things aren't kept where they were when I was a kid.

I reached up to grab the flour off the shelf, and...well...ended up spilling it all over myself, the floor, and the counter. That'll teach me not to wear an apron. That picture above isn't white because there was too much flash- that's flour. All over my pants and the floor. My mom had to vacuum me off. Embarassing!

I put on an apron after that. Happy Baking everyone!