Sunday 29 January 2012

I'm Back!

I have emerged from the depths of Christmas and long Summer School holidays relatively unscathed.  I have been busily working away on a few cakey things through the break and I'm gonna bring you all right up to date on that.

Christmas was surprisingly un-challenging on the Gluten Free front and I am so thankful for the abundance of GF products that are reasonably priced here in Australia.

On the GF baking front here's what I have been up to over the holidays.  Firstly - the finished Christmas Cake product all decorated for Christmas Day - completely moist and awesome.
Recipe is a few posts ago but scroll back through.  It makes a beautiful dense Cake that keeps beautifully for up to 6 months covered in a cool cupboard.  It actually matures beautifully over that time.  I have tested it out myself.

Only 2 weeks ago I completed another paid job for a 21st cake for twins.  Both girls had very different interests.  One being Roller Derby mad and the other being more distinctly girly and into parties and socialising.  How to create a cake for the two of them that might work together but not mean they had to 'share' one cake.  I hit on the idea of using the 2 and the 1  and decorating each individually with favourite colours and theme to suit each girl's personality.  The numbers work together but each would have their own cake to cut decorated just for them.

Oh Hell, how on earth was I going to make a rollerblade boot out of cake and fondant ??!!!  It was a challenge.  The boot is made from plain buttercake, covered in chocolate ganache as a crumb coat, then decorated on top with fondant.  The laces are black fondant and the wheels are made from buttercake covered with fondant as well.  Entirely edible.

The 2 was a little more challenging.  We agreed to go with a cocktail theme and the iphone kind of just was a little add on.  The only thing not edible was the martini glass which was filled with silver sugar 'sand' and spilling little sugar balls over the cake and table like bubbles.  The iPhone itself was made by sandwiching together plain rice-cakes with chocolate ganache and cutting to size.  It was then covered with black fondant and the apps were all made from tinted fondant individually and applied

The cake board was covered with black fondant.  This actually came out really well and it looked like a piece of slate.  The '2' was actually a deep purple colour that contrasted better with the black than the picture suggests.  The multicoloured streamers on the board were also made from tinted fondant.

The cake was a huge success with both girls thrilled with it.  I can see plenty of flaws in it and room for improvement but not a bad first attempt at a '21' its harder than it looks covering those numbers in fondant - especially in 80% humidity...

Recipe Friday to return from this week - watch this space :-)

Lx