Baby Shower Cake

Peace and Blessings to All! 

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything. It has also been a while since I decorated any cakes. Here is my latest creation. I attempted a bib shaped cake. It's Devil's Food Chocolate cake, regular whipped icing, which I added some powder sugar to stiffen in order to ice the cake. All the decorations are made with fondant. The message and white border on the bottom are done with Icing. 

I have to admit though, this cake was easy and fun to make. With very few problems and obstacles. However, initially,  the bottle, rattle, and pacifier turned out huge. They were bigger then the cake. I had to shave it down a bit and re-shape them. It wasn't too hard. The diamond shaped design around the cake had me a little nervous though. From my experience, an artist is never satisfied by their work. My mom and sister insisted it looked fine the way it was, but I felt like it needed something more. I listened to their advice and left it the way it was and it turned out great! Everyone loved it and in the end, I was satisfied with my work as well. :)

Some Cakes of 2011

 Here are some of my most recent projects . . .

Just for practice.

Happy Mothers Day!

Brothers Masters in Education Cake

Sisters teal and brown High school graduation cake.

Yayyy! My first Official Order!!! :D

Candy land Themed Cake

This cake was for my really good friends bridal shower. The party was themed around candy land and so according to the theme I tried to make a cake as candy land-ish as possible! :) 

Everything on this cake is edible, those are supposed to be candies in the corners. The flowers and candies on top of the care are made out of fondant and the cake is covered in butter cream. The middle of the cake has a layer of butter cream with strawberries! YUMM! :)

Apple Turnovers

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box
2 large fresh peaches, cut in half and pitted
1 egg white slightly beaten
2 teaspoons sugar

Sauce:

2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3/4 cup peach nectar
2 Tablespoon peach-flavored schnapps or additional peach nectar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel

SERVE WITH

2 cups vanilla ice cream

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line 15 X 10 X 1 inch pan with foil spray foil with cooking spray. In small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup sugar, the flour cinnamon and butter; set aside.

2. Unroll pie crust on lightly floured work surface. Roll into 13 in circle. Cut crust into quarters.

3. Place 1 peach half, cut side up on each crust quarter. Spoon sugar mixture evenly onto peach halves. Brush crust edges with beaten egg white. Bring sides of each crust quarter up over peach; press edges to seal, making 3 seams. Place dumplings, seam side up, in pan. Brush crusts with egg white; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar. Make small slits in top of each dumpling to allow steam to escape.

4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

5. Meanwhile, in 1 quart saucepan, stir together 2 tablespoons sugar and the cornstarch. Stir in nectar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in schnapps and orange peel.

6. To serve, place dumplings in individual dessert dishes. Top each with 1/2 cup ice cream. Serve sauce over ice cream and dumplings.

4 Servings


Tips:


I called this an apple turnover although the ingredients require peaches because someone suggested I try it with apples. It was a hit with the peaches, but for those of you who aren't a big fan of baked peaches, apples are a great alternative! Basically, I just used an apple pie recipe to make the filling. To make the job MUCH easier I just bought sliced apples in a can which were already seasoned. So I just took those apples and put about a slice or two in each dumpling and followed the rest of the recipe. It was a hit! 

English Toffee Bars

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter
1 cup pecan halves TOFFEE TOPPING (recipe below)
1 cup chocolate chips


Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine flour and brown sugar in large bowl. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until fine crumbs form (a few large crumbs may remain). Press mixture onto bottom of ungreased 13 X 9 X 2 inch baking pan. Sprinkle pecans over crust.  Prepare TOFFEE TOPPING, drizzle evenly over pecans and crust.

3. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until topping is bubbly and golden; remove from oven. Immediately sprinkle milk chocolate chips evenly over top; press gently onto surface. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

TOFFEE TOPPING:
Combine 2/3 cup butter and 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar in small saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Continue boiling, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Use immediately.

Tips:
I used almonds again instead of Pecans. My family isn't a big fan of other nuts such as walnuts, pecans, etc. but it still tasted pretty good. 
Also, make sure to keep an eye on the Toffee Topping making sure it doesn't burn. 


Have Fun! :) 

Layered Cookie Bars

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
1 3/4 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 50 wafers, crushed)
6 tablespoons Cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 cup Chocolate chips
3/4 cup toffee bits
1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in 13X9X2 inch baking pan in oven. Combine crumbs, cocoa, and sugar; sprinkle over butter.
2. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly on top of crumbs. Top with chocolate chips and toffee bits, then nuts; press down firmly.
3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Chill, if desired. Cut into bars. Store covered at room temperature.

Tips:
Make sure to use unsalted butter. But you can add like a 1/4 teaspoon of salt to even out the sweetness.
Also, I didn't use toffee bits or walnuts. I just used some crushed almonds, and it still tasted great! :)

Cocoa Cappucino Mousse

Here is another really easy recipe I tried over Thanksgiving weekend. It's a very rich and delicious chocolaty dessert which went perfect with Thanksgiving dinner! :)






All you need is:

1 can of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 pint of whipping cream
3 Tablespoons of butter
1/3 cup of cocoa powder
2 teaspoons of espresso coffee dissolved in 2 teaspoons of hot water

Now, in a small saucepan combine sweetened condensed milk, butter, cocoa powder, and espresso coffee. On low heat constantly stir until butter is melted.
In a mixing bowl beat the whipping cream until its stiff, then add the cocoa mixture and mix until the cocoa mixture is completely mixed with the whipped cream.
Chill for about 2 hours and serve cold.

Hope you liked it! Lemme know if you try this recipe and if it turned out just as good or better for you too! :) Enjoy!

Huda Biabani