Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Strawberry Shortcake or Strawberries and Cream Cake?





This cake instantly became my favorite just a couple of days ago, when I decided to make a surprise birthday cake for my daughter's tutor, Teacher Cristine. Just a simple Butter Cake with whipped cream and strawberries. It was unfortunate that there are no available fresh strawberries in the supermarket near me that time, that I had to use pie filling instead. But it surprised me, that it still turned out to be the kind of cake I would buy from famous bakeshops here in the Philippines, and better. 

The name Strawberry Shortcake doesn't really define this type of cake. Because originally, as how Baking Bites described it, Strawberry Shortcake is typically made with a biscuit-like cake or scone that is split and filled with strawberries and sweetened whipped cream. But for me, however you want to make it, I'm pretty sure it will taste just as amazing.

I love how the cream complements the moist and light sweetness of the butter cake, as well as the strawberries that bursts in your mouth at first bite. This cake is oh so good, that I couldn't help myself and made another one the next day. 


The birthday girl, slicing her cake. 



Here's a great recipe that you can try. :)
Happy Baking!

Yellow Butter Cake Recipe


Sweetened Whipped Cream Recipe
Ingredients:

1 c. whipping cream
1/3 c. powdered sugar

Combine whipping cream and powdered sugar in a large bowl. With an electric hand mixer, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form.


Strawberry Topping
Ingredients:
3 cups fresh strawberries
1/3 cup sugar

Slice the berries and toss them in the sugar. 
Use pie filling if there are no strawberries available. I used Comstock. :)

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Fun with Fondant..

I started making fondant cakes on the first month of 2012. I know I still have plenty of things to learn, but I thought I should man up and give it a try. I've searched for tips on how to cover a cake with fondant, watched videos on youtube and read all my books about cake decorating. After weeks of preparation, I said to myself 'I'm ready!' without even knowing what I'm getting myself into. :)

I've always known that the secret weapon in covering a cake with fondant is its flexibility. You must knead your fondant well, especially when it has been sitting unused for a while, until soft and supple. I must say when you're a rookie, fondant is a little tough to deal with.




The first fondant cake that I made was this Angry Birds Cake. It is for my friend Fleur's nephew Vince, who celebrated his birthday on the 2nd week of February. Only then that I realized, a cake looks better with everything edible. I'm going to have to work on my sculpting skills.




Next is this Rio Cake that I made for a very pretty little girl named Aila. I met his Dad, Shaba, once in a business meeting and he was thrilled when I mentioned I've just started making fondant birthday cakes. They provided the toppers, so I had no problems with the decoration at all.




This my friends, is my first wedding cake. I was a little scared to mix and match colors back then so I went for minimalist. I didn't want to complicate the design and I only wanted it neat. I guess for a first wedding cake, this is not so bad. :)




Then, comes this Clapper Cake that I made for my husband's friend Carlene. Her boyfriend is a TV Commercial Director; hence the theme, who decided to celebrate his birthday with the children of Cancer Warriors Foundation.




Behold, my first all edible cake. Of course I had to make the angry birds characters ahead of time, for them to harden. I had fun making this cake and dealing with Jane (the customer) was easy breezy, considering she was outside of the country that time. This is for her boys' graduation.

And then, the fun continues...






As of today, I have a few cakes lined up for the month of October until December, from tiered cakes to customised. I am happy to have friends supporting me with this business venture, especially my Mom who helps me out with the designs, assembling and a lot more. It's funny coz when I get tired sometimes, I would say 'I don't want to do this anymore'. It's like I'm having a love and hate situation with my oven. But at the end of the day, I know that this is what makes me happy. And then, the learning continues...
 
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