WALL-E

Last Friday one of C's co-workers asked if I would have time to make a WALL-E cake for a birthday.  In spite of my reservations I agreed.  I was worried since there would be no time for a trial of anything, and I knew that I was going to have to support WALL-E's eyes in some magical way... what that way was, however, I had no idea.  I was also worried that due to my recent bout of insanity having left me signed up to run a 10K, my training schedule was only going to leave me with a few hours each night in which to decorate.  Late night + exhausted from getting up before the chickens every morning + sore from running/strength training = bad things happening with buttercream.  And nobody likes bad things happening with buttercream... or do they?

I started the cake a day earlier than I usually do so that I could alleviate some of the late night stress on myself.  I baked two 13x9 sheets of chocolate cake on Tuesday (you can see the recipe I used here - which fyi was super moist and awesome - I think I found my go-to chocolate cake recipe!).  I froze the cake on Wednesday morning (see I knew the 17 cubic foot chest freezer would come in handy for something!  I could have fit about 50 more of those bad boys in there along with the cow and pig - but I digress) so that it would be much easier to carve/torte.  What's a torte you ask?  Well a gentleman would never ask a lady.... I mean it's cutting cake into layers so that you can put delicious buttercream in between the layers.  ANYWAY... I froze the sucker, torted away, and crumb coated the cake on Wednesday.  I also made WALL-E's eyes.  They're guarding the Smirnoff... and the butter.  They eyes know how much butter I still need for the frosting.

Mmm... coating the crumbs...

So then last night I did the actual decorating, which honestly, with the eyes already done and the cake crumb coated, wasn't terrible. I made an orangy-yellow color for his body, gray for his treads and some details, and I cheated and used Wilton black decorators icing because I hate making black frosting (and because as you all know I run in street gangs and do what I want) because it never comes out back - it's always some sad shade of gray.  As requested by a friend, I had C take some "Action Shots" of me decorating.

Look at the serious face... look at the precision... look at the sad amount of counter space :-(  I need a new kitchen....

So magic happens, I do stuff... and VOILA!  WALL-E appears!

Ignore the bottle of wine... how'd that get in there?  The smirnoff must have invited friends over, cause I definitely never keep that much alcohol in my fridge...

There was an epic battle with WALL-E's eyes.  There was cursing, there were a few tears, there was a lot of cracking, and there was a lot of sagging... and nobody likes sagging (well OK, some gold diggers might be able to look past it and think of greener, money filled pastures - but we're not talking about that here!).  So many dowels, supports, and trickery with fondant and buttercream that magically matched the color of the fondant, I managed to cover it all up, get the eyes to stay, and celebrated my victory over all things edible! OK, not all things, but I was happy.

I decided to leave off the arms for a couple of reasons.  1. I didn't feel like having another epic battle over RKT support, and 2. I was tired.  C said the cake looked good without the arms, and I was too sleepy to argue.  Hopefully the client won't care either!

C took WALL-E to work with him this morning, which always makes me nervous since I'm not there in case something goes wrong, but he made it there safely, eyes and all! And there was much rejoicing!

Staycation Baking

So for those of you who don't already know, last Friday was my last day at my previous job.  I landed a new gig at a different company starting May 31.  I'm mostly excited, a bit scared, and kinda hungry... (well it is snack time, people...)  Anywho, in honor of my last day, and because May is Zombie awareness month, my co-workers and I put together a zombie themed potluck.  Our lunch features such delicacies as brain loaf (meatloaf in the shape of a brain), brains and crackers (cheese spread formed in a brain mold), maggoty chili (chili with orzo pasta - aka chili-mac), and zombie cupcakes.  The zombie cupcakes that I made were red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing colored pink piped to look like a brain on top.  Here are a few pictures of the braaaaainz... *zombie drool*

And the brains and crackers that my friend J brought.

I decided to take a week off between jobs, so I've been enjoying my time at home this week as a staycation.  I've gone for runs every day, spent time at the puppy park with my 4 legged blonde companion, and been able to take time for myself to do things that I want to do.  Since baking is something that I love to do, and because my brother asked nicely, and because I love him, I made a batch of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies today.  I attempted to mix in the chips and nuts with a rubber spatula - fail... I think there were just as much of those as there was dough, so I had to fall back on old faithful - the wooden spoon.

 See?  A much better mix!

Then I dropped them onto an ungreased cookie sheet (lord I need new ones... the wedding can't come soon enough!) and baked them for about 6 minutes a pan.

While I was baking I popped a few of the macadamias, looked at the nutritional info, and then remembered why I never keep them in my house.  So bad for you. So delicious. So still have half a can in my pantry. Trouble.

When they came out of the oven they looked amazing, and of course I had to taste test 1 or 4... Reason 531 why I'm chunky.

Mmmmm... cookies...

Coming soon to a Northern VA address near you.

Liquid Courage

First, some fun news!  C and I went with several of our friends on a cruise last week, and it was AMAZING.  We booked this vacation almost a year ago, so we were all super excited that it was finally here.  Our boat went to Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten, and in spite of going through some pretty choppy water and feeling a little seasick, the vacation was perfect.  The weather was beautiful, we had plenty of time to relax, and the alcohol was free flowing.  (Speaking of alcohol - C and I went back to bootcamp Wednesday night and I swear I was sweating 80 proof...)  Here are a few pictures to make you jealous :-)

Jealous yet?  :-)

The cruise itself couldn't have come at a better time for us, although there's no way that we could have known that when we booked it.  We found out not too long before we left that the company many of us work for was going to be going through some cutbacks and that all of us were going to be affected in some way, and some of us sooner than others.  Yesterday was the first round of people leaving, and needless to say it was a rough day for everyone.  In honor of emotional eating and the need for some liquid courage, I made Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with a Bittersweet Ganache.

Instead of putting the cupcakes out in the kitchen a little before lunch like I usually do, I decided that cupcakes for breakfast was not out of the question on a day like that, so I put them out when I first got to the office.

I know that cupcakes couldn't make the situation any better, but I hope that they were at least a type of comfort on a day that was inherently sad for all of us.  I know that all of us are moving on the bigger and better things, but I'm going to miss working with all of you.  You're all amazing at what you do, and you're all wonderful people.  It has been my privilege and my pleasure to have worked with you, and I hope those of us staying in the area will still see each other often.  So, my cupcake to you all and wish everyone the best in whatever comes your way!

<3

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."

Or at least that's what Albert Einstein said.  I've had several cupcake flavor combinations floating around in the ether for a few weeks now, so I decided to give them a whirl and try them out on my co-workers - they'll eat anything I bring in ;-)  The first flavor was inspired by my recent stress levels at work and my strong desire to put alcohol in anything.  I call it Bourbana Dana.  It's a banana cake with a bourbon cream cheese icing.  The cake part is moist and amazing from the bananas that are in it, but if I'm being honest, the icing is the star of this combo.  I used about 2 oz of my favorite amber liquid, 16 oz cream cheese, 1 c butter, and about 8 cups of powdered sugar.  The resulting icing is good on anything... the cupcakes, pancakes, crepes, pizza... ok, maybe not pizza... but it's really good!  Here's what they looked like:

 

 The second flavor combo was inspired by my co-worker LH.  She brought in some amazing Middle Eastern candies (from Dubai and Iran) that she remembered eating when she was little.  One of the candies was a date stuffed with ground up nuts and cardamom.  The flavor of the cardamom (which I like to think of as cinnamon's older, exotic, and more experienced cousin - you know, the one who comes to visit for a week or so during the summer and steals all of the cute boys... yeah that one) was intense, but in such a good way, that I felt the need to use it in a cupcake somehow.  My brain settled in on a cupcake that I called Middle Eastern Mojo - it's a chocolate cardamom cake with an orange buttercream.  LETHAL.  That's all I have to say about this combo.  I had more than one person ask if it would be wrong just to eat a tub of the icing.  No, dear friends... not at all, because I just happen to have the leftover icing in my fridge, waiting for me to have a bad day.  These cupcakes looked like this:

 

Also, I think my co-workers set a new record - I brought in about 36-40 cupcakes and they were gone in 2 hours.  With an office that has no more than 25-30 people in it at a time, I thought it was pretty impressive!

Pancake Sunday

I'm not one who tends to be big on traditions, but C and I have started a few that I really enjoy.  In particular, every Sunday morning we have Pancake Sunday.  While C sorts through the paper (separating it into ads I like to look at, ads he likes to look at, coupons, and junk that nobody cares about) I whip up a batch of pancakes.  It's never the same pancake two weeks in a row, and the kind I make generally depends on A) my mood and B) how well stocked my pantry is.  I was feeling Springy this morning since little gnomes came and stole an hour of sleep from all of us last night, so I wanted to make something that reminded me that warmer weather is on its way.  Enter: Strawberry Pecan Pancakes.

A basic pancake recipe is pretty simple (and I swear one of these days C WILL learn how to make them so I can sit there sipping coffee and sifting through the paper as he covers the kitchen in flour - no worries, our dog Izzy is a great wet vac).  That's her waiting for me to drop the noms.

 

Anywho - a basic pancake recipe goes a little something like this:

Combine 1 cup of flour, 1 tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt in a large bowl.  Make a well in this mix and set aside.

 

Next, in a large measuring cup (because I hate making more dishes than I have to) combine 1 c buttermilk, 1 egg, and 2 tbsp oil (I use canola, but vegetable or whatever else you have on hand is fine).  Since I had strawberries and pecans on hand, I went ahead an chopped some of those up too.

 

I tossed the strawberries and the pecans in the flour mixture first, and then I added the buttermilk mixture.  Make sure you mix until just combined - over mixing = dog pancakes.  Pour the batter onto a hot greased griddle (I used about 1/4 c per pancake - this recipe should make 8 pancakes).

 

Wait until the tops look bubbly and a little bit dry and then flip.  Once you're done cleaning up all the batter that flew all over you, the counter, and the eagerly waiting wet vac, you should have something that looks like this:

 

And this:

 

Wait about 2-3 more minutes and the pancakes should be done!  Now if you're like me and just happen to have some leftover bourbon cream cheese icing laying around - you know... saved for a rainy day and whatnot - then feel free to apply liberally (hey, I said this was Pancake Sunday, not Health Nut Sunday).  I sliced up a banana to have on the side so that A) this picture wouldn't look like we were eating cake and icing for breakfast, and B) Because we keep getting friggin bananas in our farmers market baskets and I swear they're procreating on my counter.

 

Hmm... I think I may still have some of that icing laying around... have I mentioned my pants don't fit?

Rubber Ducky, You're the One. You Make Monday So Much Fun!

It's cupcake Monday, people!  Today is one of my co-workers' birthday, so in celebration (and to lift the somewhat blue mood around here) I made duck shaped cupcakes.  Who can resist smiling at a cute yellow ducky?

I can't take the credit for the design of this cupcake.  My friend V gave me the What's New Cupcake book for my birthday / Christmas and I've been dying to give it a whirl ever since.  The supplies needed are pretty basic: 24 yellow cupcakes, 2 cans plus 1 cup vanilla frosting (I think I used pillsbury), large marshmallows, doughnut holes, some kind of orange taffy (I used starburst - which C made me take into work because I was following the "one for me, one for you... one two for me, two for you" paradigm.  Have I mentioned my pants don't fit...?), brown mini m&ms, and a LOT of patience.

First - make your cupcakes.  I used a box mix because I was being lazy, but feel free to use any recipe you want.  I would recommend staying within the yellow/white cake family simply because it lets the bottom blend in with the yellow duck a bit more, but I'm sure you run in street gangs and do what you want.

Next you'll need to frost the tops of the cupcakes so that your marshmallows and doughnut holes have something to grab onto.  It doesn't have to be a super thick layer or pretty - trust me, the tedious icing part comes soon enough.

Don't mind the tomatoes in the background up there... I promise no tomatoes were hurt in the making of this cupcake.  Next, you'll need to attach the head and the butt (or just the butt in the case of the upside down ducks).  To make the tails, you cut marshmallows in half on the diagonal.  I used my kitchen scissors for this and it did a pretty good job.

At this point, if you need a break I'd recommend one because you're going to be elbow deep in icing for the next hour or so.  The tedious part has arrived - you see all those little gaps where the doughnut and the marshmallow meet the top of the cupcake?  Yeah... you need to spackle those with icing to smooth it out.  Then you create an army of frosted ducks in your freezer - something like this:

Freeze the cupcakes for about 15 minutes to make sure the doughnut and the marshmallow are locked into place on the top of the cupcake.  You're going to be dipping them into melted icing, so it needs to be able to stand up to some heat.  Once your army has chilled, melt some yellow colored icing in the microwave (about 15 seconds at a time).  Let the excess icing drip off and then leave out to dry.

Once all of your ducks are dipped, then you can create the beaks and feet.  I recommend microwaving and molding them in small batches.  They're a lot easier to work with when they're a little bit soft.  Attach the the beaks / feet with a small dab of icing - you might have to stand there for a minute or do a beak sticking dance to get them to stay, but they will eventually hold tight. 

Last but not least, apply the eyes to the rubber duckies with a small dab of white icing and viola!  Rubber Duckies!

 

 

My favorite are the ones with the butt in the air :-)

Overall I <3 these, but they took a really long time to make.  The best part was everyone's reaction at work.  It was awesome hearing the quaking, laughing, and joking coming from the kitchen.  I think we all needed a little bit of duck butt today :-)

To Infinity - And Beyond!

Annnnnnnd, I'm back! I have no excuses other than 1) I'm lazy 2) I've been traveling a lot for work and 3) I'm trying not to be so fat so that = less baking.  

I honestly haven't been baking much because baking = baked yumminess = me eating baked yumminess = my pants don't fit = BAD.  Being gone several weeks at a time for work also makes it hard to bake anything.  Hotel rooms are not exactly well equipped in that respect.  While I was on my last work trip, however, one of C's co-workers placed an order for a Toy Story cake!  

Some of you may remember the Spongebob cake that I made last year for a 3 year old's birthday.  This cake is for the same little boy who is now turning 4!  It's awesome that I get the chance to help celebrate someone's birthday as they grow up.  :-)

As always this was a several day process.  Silly work tends to get in the way, so I have to make my cakes in stages.  I generally bake the cake after work/bootcamp on Wednesday and then decorate after work on Thursday.  I was a bit concerned since this was a rush order and I didn't have any time for a practice run, but I think all things considered, it came out well!

I made the bed frames from melted chocolate.  I drew the template on wax paper, piped over it with chocolate, and then let it dry while I spend hours on those tiny stars.  NEVER again, btw... I need to find a larger star cutter.  HOURS of my life that I'll never get back, people.

 

 I love the little army men flanking the bed!

 

I didn't have time to make the characters myself (and let's be honest, I'm not THAT talented - they would have looked like deformed rag dolls).  It's cool that the kid gets to keep the figures - everyone loves bonus presents!  That, and it was awesome running around the party store yelling, "I've got Woody!  I found Woody!"  Hilarity ensues as all the mom's in the store shuffle their small children away from the crazy woman.

 

She needed the cake to feed 30 people, so I made a dozen cupcakes to go along with the cake.  I know my favorite characters were the little aliens, how about you?

 

All that's missing is the claw. "Oooooohhhhhh.  The claw."

 Thanks for stopping by!  :-)