Getting creative with cakes

Confession #3

I used to never cook or bake for that matter.

If someone would ask me about my cooking skills, I'd point to my freezer or a box of cookies. 

Frozen chicken wings were my specialty.

But as soon as my husband proposed, whispers began about how he would starve to death.

_little by little... I started

I made it my mission to learn how to cook, and most importantly, to bake!

I ventured on with dessert books that I'd find at Homesense, 

ran to Bulk Barn for ingredients, 

and Ares for my supplies.

I started off simple. Very simple.

 Toblerone Cheesecake

• 1- 1/2 cups of Orero Baking Crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 packages of cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 2 bars (100 g) Toblerone, chopped

Make sure to melt the butter through, then mix is with your crumbs. 

Take a springform pan and press the crumb onto the bottom. Pack it in!

Beat the rest of the ingredients together, leaving 1 Toblerone bar for the topping.

Pour it over the crust and top with the rest of the chocolate bits.

Bake it at 350º for about 30-45 minutes. (I have a gas oven so timing is different).

Shove into the fridge for about 4-5 hours and you`re set.

8/10

Comments:

This dessert is incerdibly easy to make and is always a hit. Perfect for those who have a sweet tooth.

Downfall: not as pretty and glamourized.

_getting creative

I continued making different kinds of cakes: apple crumb, pumpkin pies, tarts, etc.

Then watching all those cake competitions on TLC made me want to start too!

And so I did...

   Vanilla cake, vanilla icing, and graham cracker crumbs
Added tiny gummies as trees for a little surrounding.

 9/10

Comments: Next time, I wouldn't start baking when it's almost midnight.My face almost planted into the cake at 4am when I began piping the grass.

Chocolate cake, vanilla icing and jelly beans. Used a pipecleaner and wrapped it in yarn and ribbon.

6.5/10

Comments: First attempt at basketweave was a total FAIL.

Chocolate cake and chocolate icing
Got a mini teddy bear pan and carved away. I used 2 mints for his eyes and surrounded him with cookies.

9/10

Comments: If I had enough time, I would made my own cookies 

   



Strawberry cake with buttercream icing
Fondant used for all the office supplies

8/10

Comments: I would have added the numbers and characters if I had time!

   
Vanilla and chocolate cake
Icing for the condiments, fondant for lettuce and cheese, and topped with real sesame seeds. This won me my first cake competition!

8.5/10

Comments: looks amazing, but didn't add enough cocoa to the chocolate batter and would have made sure my icing was rich and smooth.

_baking galore

I found myself baking every week. It began a ritual.

And with each occasion, came another cake.

My husband wanted to kill me because the kitchen was a disaster zone.

_big brother's birthday

My brother is a shoe whore.

The amount of shoes he has is really overwhelming. 

Now, if only he would buy me a pair one day.

He never likes to make a fuss for his birthday, but this year, I took the time... 7 hours by the way... to create something special for him.

I can't take all the credit here. My husband really helped me carve out the shoe.

8.5/10

Comments: It was my first attempt at making my own fondant = semi-fail.

Don't know exactly where I went wrong, but couldn't make large pieces without it breaking.

So the box had to decorated only in icing.

_Cacciatore Family Reunion

I started with the base. Strawberry filled with vanilla icing between a vanilla and strawberry layer.

The actual tree was formed using rice krispies then wrapped in fondant and the branches are grape vines dipped in chocolate, then rolled in green dyed rice krispies. I added some chocolate rocks that you can find at Bulk Barn and I added a swing to add capture the sweetness of the entire cake.

10/10

Comments: The flavours really came out and blended nicely.

Downfall: Next time, I'll pipe the Cacciatore Reunion but I was scared it wouldn't turn out nicely. 

Used my Cricut machine unfortunately.

_lesson of the day
we all have to start somewhere.

Keeping it real,

the wife next door.

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