Internet Detox Results in Potential Kitchen Explosion!

I'm addicted to the internet. If you're reading this, inevitably so are you. I download my free time for tweets, social interaction, and the joy of knowing I can stream kittens all day long if I want to. (And I do want to). But right now, I don't have the internet. I don't even have television. *GASP* *An internet kitten dies with the horror.* I know we're talking serious scary stuff here. On top of that, it's vacation. New Year's Eve is tomorrow, the Christmas craze has ended and I am in that sweet spot before one has to go back to work. I have all the free time in the world...and no internet. So what exactly am I supposed to do?

Bake.

If you haven't noticed this is my cake decorating blog. Last year I decided to learn how to decorate cakes, and trust me that's not going to stop. But in making cake look good, I've also become interested in making cake (and all other things bake-able) TASTE good too. So my New Year's resolution is to be a little more active in this blog thingy and record my adventures in not only cake decorating but in the inevitable explosion of my kitchen! Are you up for the ride?

According to TV food personality Alton Brown (or at least the cover of the book I saw at Barnes and Noble) Food + Mixing + Heat = Baking, and according to unknown amateur decorator and baker Ingrid Sundberg, lack of internet + fear of having no response when asked my New Year's resolution + recent viewing of Julie and Julia = Ridiculous Baking Extravaganza (detailed with full disclosure on my favorite addition - the internets!)

Small Voice: Wait! If you have no internet, how can you post your adventures?
*The all knowing Ingrid laughs*
All Knowing Ingrid: Silly Rabbit, internets are for kids!
(That's code for the cable guy is coming tomorrow).

As with all cooking it is best to start with a recipe, so let's pick out some ingredients for this ridiculous baking bonanza!

Ingredients:
1. Bake and/or decorate something once a week. Be as diligent as possible!
2. Provide pictures so people can see the prettiness (and the messiness).
3. Provide scratch and sniff icons so people can smell the aroma! Mmmmmm!
4. Invent technology so ingredient #3 may be provided.
5. Record failures with as much detail as successes. Full disclosure!
6. Try and keep things related to cake, dessert, and confectionery delights.
7. Have fun. Because all baking should be done with love, and it reminds you that the mountain of dishes you must wash was worth it.

Directions:
Mix, add heat, and blog about it.

Seems simple enough. Hopefully this is one recipe I can actually follow!

Halloween Cupcakes

I forgot to post these a couple weeks ago:

Halloween Cake

This was a delicious chocolate and vanilla layer cake with Reese's peanut butter cups and peanut butter buttercream icing! Yum! Yum!

Pineapple Upsidedown Cake

Yummy pineapple upsidedown cake! Double layers with white chocolate wrap and yellow polka dots!

Gold Bond Cake

For my second exploration into the world of fondant I created this silly birthday cake of a bottle of gold bond. It's sort of an inside joke with my boyfriend and some of his friends. Designed and created all from my head...well my head and from looking at a bottle of gold bond.

My First Fondant Cake!

Very Hungry Caterpillar

Here's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" in cupcakes!

My First Tiered Cake!

This is my first tiered cake. I also made the flowers out of royal icing. I think this one turned out super nice!

Spring Cake

This is my first cake using royal icing. I made all the flowers and butterflies with royal icing (which hardens) and the rest is butter cream icing.






Thanks again to Russell Gearhart Photography for the photographs: www.gearhartphoto.com

Alien Cupcakes!

Rainbow Cake

I made this fun spring birthday cake for Carmen Isom. It has a surprise center!

Making Rainbow Cake

Making cake that is rainbow on the inside will require the following steps:

1) Using white cake, divide you batter up into five bowls.

2) Now add food coloring to each bowl for each color of the rainbow. I prefer to use gel food coloring. This can be found at an arts and craft store with a cake decorating section.


3) Once you have all your colors you will want to pour in each color one at a time. Pour the color into the center. Then pour the next color into the center. Do not stir or mix.



4) Bake your cake!

5) When it's done your cake will create rainbow circles on the top, but when you cut into it you will have bands of rainbow color!



The original link where I learned how to do this is: http://www.omnomicon.com/rainbowcake
This page has great photos and explanations on how to make this cake!