Rose Cake

I'm definitely behind the times when it comes to decorating trends, so it's not surprising that I am just trying the "rose" cake that I have seen for a couple months on various baking blogs. I hadn't really had a reason to try it, but then I was asked to make and extremely girly baby shower cake for a friend of mine and I figured this would be as good a time as any.

The decorating technique is unbelievably easy, but creates gorgeous results. Everyone was asking where the cake was from, they thought it had to be professionally made. I added some white chocolate butterflies and a bunch of sprinkles to really take the cake over the top. I love trying new techniques, and I love even more when I get to present them to people I love.

Below is a link to a youtube video for the rose cake tutorial. It was extremely helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybkvx90YNYs

Creamy Raspberry Pie

During the summer I am always craving pies, and this one in particular is so versatile and so delicious. You can use any berry you have on hand, I had raspberries, although my favorite is still blackberries. It has a nice custard filling which helps if the berries are a little tart, and the crust's flakiness compliments the creaminess of the filling really well.

I will be making this pie again soon, once our blackberries ripen. That is, if the birds haven't eaten them all!

Strawberry Shortcake

This Sunday was Father's Day and to celebrate I knew I needed to make a fruit related dessert. My dad has never been one to turn down a dessert, no matter what kind, but his absolute favorites always involve fruit. Since I didn't have much time, I decided to go with strawberry shortcakes. They come together quick, but look like they took hours.

Plum Frangipane Tart

During my pastry program, we had a class all about French baking. I'm not much into the fancy techniques and would much rather have a slice of pie than a chocolate croissant. But I saw a recipe for this tart yesterday and I decided to give it a go. It turned out exceptionally well! I used black plums and they cooked down perfectly in the tart. It didn't have an overwhelmingly strong almond flavor, but was just enough to balance with the plums. I will note that the recipe I used measured everything in grams so you will need a kitchen scale, or you can find the conversions online.

Perfect Blueberry Pie

I will admit that fruit pies have kind of frightened me. I can never seem to get the filling right. It always came out extremely soupy, which is the absolute worst when you're trying to slice it for a family event. But this weekend my dad asked me to try a recipe that just came out in the Southern Living magazine. I decided to give it a go and what would you know, it turned out perfectly. The recipe called for 2 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar, which didn't add a strong flavor, but may have helped balance out the honey.  I really like how the pie reminded me of a pop tart, it made me very nostalgic for summers as a child.

Pink Ombre Cake

I was recently asked to make a cake for a wedding shower that was happening at work. I was told that the bride's favorite color was pink and since I had nothing but ruffles on my mind from two previous cakes I had made, I decided to keep going with that theme but in a slightly different direction.

Pretty in Pink, Take 2

Last year I did a pink ruffle cake for a little girl who was turning 4. Her mom came by last week and asked that I make another cake for her birthday this year. She said that her favorite color was still pink and she wanted something fancy. I decided to try a different ruffle this year, and added some white pearl sprinkles to give it some sparkle. As you can see, I think she enjoyed it, and by that picture I can only assume that her wish came true! I really love when my customers allow me to do almost whatever I want on a cake, because that give me the opportunity to try new thinks as well as make them happy. I'm hoping I get to make her cake next year too.