Cake Course 4: Fondant & Gum Paste

The final cake class! Intense but fun. I'll miss it but it's time to find something else to do with myself.

Pomegranate Cosmo: Great Cool Summer Drink

Pomegranate Cosmos

by Ina Garten, Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

• 2 cups (16 ounces) good vodka (recommended: Stolichnaya or Finlandia)

• 1 cup (8 ounces) orange liqueur (recommended: Cointreau)

• 1 cup (8 ounces) pomegranate juice (recommended: Pom Wonderful)

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)

• Lime peel strips, to garnish

Directions

Combine the vodka, orange liqueur, pomegranate juice, and lime juice in a pitcher and refrigerate until ready to use. Pour the

mixture into frozen martini glasses with a twist of lime peel and serve immediately.

Hired for a Cake

This is a cake I was "hired" by a co-worker to make for another co-worker who also happened to interview me while I was applying for my job. This was a fun cake to make although I was nervous since it was the first time I was making a cake for money. I was mostly concerned about writing in frosting and I think it would have actually come out better if I wasn't so hesitant about it. I use to write on cakes when I worked at a bakery in high school but that was forever ago. I need to practice.

Cake Course 3

These are cakes I made from my Wilton Cake Course 3. The first cake was suppose to look like the top of a funky 70's wedding cake. This is probably my least favorite cake I've made but we learned several different techniques during this class.

The gift box cake was very cool and my first time using fondant. It was not too difficult but the down side of fondant is that it does not taste very good. It's rather bland, in fact. I told my guinea-pigs at work to just peal it off before they ate the cake.


The final cake I designed myself. I did not use fondant but I added some royal icing lillies that I painted with white pearl dust. I loved how it came out but if I did it again I would definitely add some piping gel to my frosting so my cornelli lace would come out smoother.

Easy Peasy Alfredo Sauce

• 1 clove fresh minced garlic (or a tiny scoop from a minced garlic jar)
• ½ cup butter (1 stick)
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (gourmet or the pre-shredded in bags)
• 1/3cup grated romano cheese
• 1 pint heavy cream

In a saucepan combine butter, heavy cream

Simmer this until all is melted, and mixed well. Simmer this for a few minutes on low 

Remove from heat.  Quickly whisk in the Parmesan cheese and garlic.

--You may wish to season with a little salt and pepper.

Optional:  Add pesto for a great cream pesto sauce.  Add cinnamon, nutmeg, sage for pumpkin ravioli

I got this sauce recipe from a co-worker. He's Italian so obviously it's good. I like this recipe because it can be as easy as you want it to be. I used Hanaford's cheeses and shredded them myself but this step can be made easier by just buying the shredded cheese that comes in bags. I used Dreamfield's linguini pasta and chicken. When I use this recipe again I'll let the chicken soak in the sauce for a few minutes before serving. I'll also add broccoli to get that extra food group in.

Cupcakes for Kids

I made these cupcakes for Daughters and Son's Days at work. I used a 4B decorating tip and sprinkles. They're nothing special or complicated but the bright colors really gave them a kick. No one can resist a cute cupcake.

Easter Egg Cakes

I made these cakes with Dunkan Heinz's strawberry cake mix and buttercream frosting. I used a tip 21 for everything except for the leaves and I used my mom's leftover royal flowers. Good thing they keep for a long time. I have been wanting to make Easter cakes but all the ideas on the internet look more complicated that I was looking for.