Beautifully Embellished Cakes

Sweet Times in the Rockies 2012 Part 1

2012-02-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

I am amazed to realize that it's been five months since I've posted! Once the Colorado State Fair was over with in September, I got more involved in cake decorating competitions by volunteering to be on the Sweet Times in the Rockies Cake Show Committee. Incredible, how much work goes on behind the scenes of a cake show.

While my original plan included three cakes, I ultimately ended up just entering two. I'm so glad I decided to nix the 3rd cake. Way too much on my plate those last few weeks leading up to the show!

Entry #1

A Vintage Lace Bridal Fan, inspired by my own bridal flowers, from 28 years ago!

Division 6- Adult Advanced
Category: Celebration Cakes

I won 2nd place!

Vintage Lace Bridal Fan

Here's a picture of the 3rd place cake in that category:

...and the first place, which also won Best in Division (Go, Sadie!):

Entry #2

"Hearts and Flowers", a fun, tongue-in-cheek Valentine's Day wedding cake, inspired by all the sweet, bright, silly Valentine's Day decorations at my local craft store!

Division 6- Adult Advanced
Category: Tiered Cakes

This cake also won 2nd place in its category!

Hearts and Flowers

This is the bow on top of the open box:

Bow

Here's a picture of the 3rd place cake in that category:

...and the first place.

In my next post, there'll more pictures of my cakes, with details on the techniques and materials used. As I've done in the past, I'll break down how I did score-wise and discuss what the judges liked (and didn't like) about my cakes.

Thanks for reading!

2011 Colorado State Fair-Themed Cake Decorating Contest

2011-09-10T21:00:00.000-06:00

The final contest at this year's Colorado State Fair was the Themed Cake Decorating Contest held on Monday, September 5th. The theme...the Fabulous Fifties.

This is always an interesting competition. I've found that the judges take the theme very literally and this isn't the place to think outside the box. They have also been very vocal in the past about their preference for buttercream over fondant. Despite the fact that the rules clearly state that dummies are permissable, last year I noticed the judges subtlely lifting the cakes to determine the medium used. Hmmm....

I used the form cake that I posted about here so, while it wasn't "real" as in, we're going to take it home and have it for dessert tonight, it wasn't a styrofoam dummy, either. As for the cake decoration, what could be more fabulously "Fifties" than a bobby sockser in a poodle skirt? I've never made a doll cake before so I was really looking forward to it.

I started with a skirt baked in a bowl and then carved to attain the small waisted a-line shape I wanted. No well-dressed, well-brought up young woman in the fifties would have dreamed of going out without a slip under her skirt.

To make the lace trim. I used this mold I made in the class I took with James Roselle.

I gave her a pink skirt with a black poodle.

A white strapless blouse and a few accessories completed her ensemble.

A black and white checkerboard dance floor and a few details like a pair of gumpaste saddle shoes, tiny icing earrings, a belt, a bow in the poodle's fur, music notes, and little records (45 rpms, of course) and there she is..."Peggy Sue, all tarted up to go to the hop". Win or lose, I am thrilled with this cake and would love to do another doll cake.

This brings us to delivery. Thanks to some well-placed royal icing and great "cake driving" by BCHE (best cake husband ever) she arrives at the fair in pristine condition. There were just eight entries this year, a lot less than last year. The judges did their thing, and yes, once again, that little lift looking for dummies. Time to announce the winners...

In third place...

In second place...

Peggy Sue!

And in first place...

I have to tell you, the jukebox really played music!

All in all, my whole experience at the fair this year was fun and rewarding. A second place win in the Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship and a second place in the Cake Decorating contest left me feeling very happy. And even though my Peachy Keen Cupcakes didn't place, I now have a great recipe of my own creation.

Peachy Keen Cupcakes; Gingered Peach Cupcakes with Peachy Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-09-03T21:47:00.000-06:00

Peachy Keen Cupcakes

Gingered Peach Cupcakes with Peachy Cream Cheese Icing

Gingered Peach Cupcakes

4 large eggs, separated
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups C & H granulated sugar
1/4 cup crushed crystallized ginger
1 cup mashed fresh or frozen peaches
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup+ 1 tbs peach nectar
1/2 cup + 1 tbs vegetable oil
3 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp double acting baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Pre-heat oven to 350

· Line standard sized cupcake pans with paper baking cups

· In small bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks; set aside

· Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into medium bowl; set aside

· In mixer, cream butter, sugar and ginger until light and fluffy

· Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating 1 minute after each

· Add peaches and vanilla

· Mix vegetable oil and peach nectar in a measuring cup

· Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, mix thoroughly then add ½ of the liquid and continue, mixing thoroughly after each addition until all the flour and liquid have been incorporated

· Gently fold in beaten egg whites

· Scoop into cupcake pan to 3/4 full; bake about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

· Remove from pan immediately and allow to cool completely on wire rack

· Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes

Peachy Cream Cheese Icing

1/3 cup cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup vegetable shortening

6 cups (about 1 1/2 lbs) C & H Confectioners’ Sugar

1/2 cup finely chopped peaches

2 tbs peach nectar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

· In mixer, blend cream cheese, butter and shortening until very creamy and smooth

· Slowly add sugar, nectar, vanilla, and lemon juice; mix on medium speed until smooth

· With mixer on low, add peaches and mix until incorporated

· Frost completely cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with crystallized ginger

· Makes enough to generously frost 2 dozen cupcakes

C & H Sugar Cupcake Challenge at the Colorado State Fair 2011

2011-09-03T21:04:00.000-06:00

Last night was the C & H Pure Cane Sugar Cupcake Challenge at the Colorado State Fair. This was my second baking competition. The rules stated that the recipe must be original, made from scratch using no mixes or premade frosting, and contain at least 2 cups of C & H Pure Cane Sugar. Cupcakes would be judged on cake taste and consistency, frosting taste and consistency, creativity, and overall taste and presentation.

Since peaches are in season now, and here in Colorado we have the wonderful Palisades peaches, I decided to base my recipe on peaches. The theme of the fair is The Fabulous 50s so what better name than "Peachy Keen Cupcakes"? Hey, I watched Happy Days.

I created my Peachy Keen Cupcakes by making a "Gingered Peach Cupcake" topped with "Peachy Cream Cheese Icing". I'll post the recipe in a separate blog post. They got all thumbs up from my trusty taste testers.

This is two of the judges tasting my cupcakes. It doesn't get easier to watch someone taste and judge your creations. The other entrants were so nice! We were all nervous together and for each other! There were 17 entries and it took over an hour and a half to get through all the tasting.

Sadly, my cupcakes didn't place. On the bright side, two of my new friends placed first and second so I was very happy for them! ALL the cupcakes looked so good, I don't know how the judges do it. Even though mine didn't win, trust me, they're really good so the winners must have been amazing. I'll be back next year!

Final Fair competition on Monday, the Themed Cake Decorating Contest!

Hazelnut Mocha Custard, the Recipe

2011-08-27T16:38:00.001-06:00

Hazelnut Mocha Custard

1 1/2 oz Ghirardelli unsweetened chocolate, chopped*
1 1/2 oz Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate, chopped*
1 cup heavy (or whipping) cream
1/2 cup strongly brewed hazelnut flavored coffee
1 heaping tbs hazelnut spread ( Nutella )
2 tbs sugar
5 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
White Chocolate Cream (see below), optional
2 tbs finely ground hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 300.

In a double boiler or microwave, melt chocolate and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm cream, coffee, hazelnut spread and sugar, stirring constantly, just until sugar dissolves completely. Do not allow mixture to boil. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth. Slowly add warm cream mixture and whisk until smooth. Add melted chocolate and stir to combine. Stir in vanilla,

Pour mixture into four 4 to 6 ounce ramekins or custard cups. Place into 9 x 13 pan, at least 1 inch apart. Fill baking pan with hot water to about 1/2 inch from the tops of the ramekins.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Test for doneness by by lifting and tilting a ramekin; custard is done if the center bulges a bit when tilted. Don't over bake. I actually start testing at 35 minutes just to be safe.

Allow custards to cool; cover each with plastic wrap (don't let covering touch the top of the custard) and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

Optional: before serving garnish with a piped swirl of white chocolate cream and sprinkle with ground hazelnuts.

Optional White Chocolate Cream

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup of strongly brewed hazelnut flavored coffee
1 cup Ghirardelli White Cholocate Chips
1 tsp vanilla

In heavy saucepan, heat cream and coffee until very hot. do not allow to boil. Pour warm cream over white chocolate chips in a bowl and stir until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla. Allow to cool and whip to desired consistency *This recipe can easily be made with 3 ounces of either type of chocolate

Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship at the Colorado State Fair

2011-08-27T15:21:00.001-06:00

It feels like it's been forever since I've done anything competitively (I've decided that submitting a picture to a web site DOES NOT count) and I realized this week that I've missed it. As I wrote about before, the Colorado State Fair opened yesterday, and last evening I had the pleasure of entering my Hazelnut Mocha Custard in the Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship.

The rules stated that all recipes had to be original; must include Ghirardelli chocolate and no more than 10 additional ingredients; from scratch, without using mixes or prepackaged items. Entries had to include 3 copies of the recipe and proof of purchase for the chocolate.

I've been perfecting the recipe over several weeks and was very pleased with it. When it was time to make the final, do-or-die version to be presented to the judges I felt confident about it and things proceeded nicely. What I hadn't anticipated was that there wasn't any extra custards to do a "just-to-be-on-the-safe-side" taste test so I had no idea if they had come out as good as the last time I made them. Sure-fire way to instill insecurity right there!

Upon arrival, I set up my dessert and took a few pictures.

Planning the presentation was as much fun as creating the recipe. Pier 1 has a fantastic Tasting Party line and after much angst and drama, I decided on the red and white custard cups. The were the perfect size for an individual serving and more unique than a traditional ramekin. I also got a set of absolutely darling itty-bitty tasting spoons. Served on a white tray lined with a red rose patterned felt cut-out placemat with a red napkin. Pretty!

There were four judges, one of whom was the Ghirardelli NATIONAL Champion. Initially, they walked around and looked at all the entries. The entries varied greatly, and included a cake, two different cheesecakes, parfaits (also mocha hazelnut, so much for my creativity), scones, brownies, stuffed and chocolate covered strawberries, a chocolate chip cheesecake ball, and ice cream. Everything looked fantastic!

The judges (tough job, right?) sat down and were presented with each recipe and dessert, one at a time. They really scrutinized the recipes, reading through each one carefully. They then looked closely at the items from all angles, smelled them, and finally cut or served them to be tasted. They all kept their poker faces throughout the process so there was no telling what they thought of each dessert during the tasting. Talk about nerve-wracking! I was twitching and fidgeting, nervous as all get out! How do those people on Top Chef go through that every week?

The whole process took quite some time. It was well over an hour and a half after they started that they were finally finished and announced the winners. Soooo...

Third place...Cheesecake-stuffed, Chocolate-covered Strawberries...

Second place...Hazelnut Mocha Custard! Yay...happy dance!

First place...Who cares? I won second! No, just kidding! It was the ice cream.

And what were the prizes? Absolutely fabulous!

A Ghirardelli Chocolate apron, an AMAZING gift basket, $50 (for 2nd place) and a really pretty red ribbon! Here's a closer look at the gift basket, which included 5 bags of chips, 6 different 4 oz bars of chocolate and 2 containers of cocoa.

All three winners had their pictures taken wearing our new aprons. Everyone was so nice. We spent some time chatting with some other entrants during the judging and afterwards shared samples of our treats with each other. All in all, a very pleasurable evening!

Next week...C & H Sugar Cupcake Challenge!

Gearing up for the fair!

2011-08-24T20:49:00.001-06:00

Well, I'm gearing up for a couple of busy contest weeks as the Colorado State Fair approaches. It opens on the 26th.

This Friday, I'll be entering a dessert in the Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship. I didn't go with a cookie or a cupcake. I tried to think outside the wrapper but hopefully not too far out. Personally, I think it's delicious. We'll see if the judges agree. Oh, and I love what I got for the presentation. Has anyone checked out the Tasting Party line of goods at Pier 1? Fun!
Next Friday is the C & H Sugar Cupcake Challenge. My recipe has been tweaked and twitched and is hopefully perfect. I've aimed for creative but not strange; seasonal, using locally grown ingredients that are also readily available anywhere, year round.

This is a first for me. Except for some frostings and fillings and maybe fiddling with flavors of existing cake recipes, I've never formulated my own recipes before. I have to say, I really enjoyed the process. I've also never submitted to a TASTING contest, either, it's always been about looks.

Finally, on Labor Day, the last day of the fair, is the cake decorating contest. The theme is "Fabulous Fifties". I haven't even started on it. Believe it or not, I'm still knocking around ideas. I'll definitely be kicking it into high gear this weekend.

Details, pictures, and results coming soon!

Update on the latest online contest I entered...

2011-08-05T19:41:00.000-06:00

Hi! I finally have an update on the online contest I entered in early July and posted about here. The winners have been posted and, as expected, my cake wasn't one of them. All the winners and honorable mentions were gorgeous and the 1st place winner was my personal favorite.

In the meantime, I've been busy tweaking and perfecting my recipes for the tasting competitions coming up at the Colorado State Fair. I've settled on the Cupcake Challenge and the Chocolate Championship and will skip the Great Cakes. My cakes taste as good as they look but the recipes aren't my own. I did try one but it was a flop. Maybe next year.

The theme for the Fair and the Cake Decorating Contest is "Fabulous Fifties" so I've also been working on design ideas for that.

Thanks for reading...I'll keep you posted!

1000 Cooks for the Cure

2011-07-18T16:49:00.000-06:00

Whoa...check it out! Half Baked - The Cake Blog

Another blog to love...another giveaway...and a great way to give! Sadly, I've never heard of 1000 Cooks for the Cure (how could I have missed that?) and it's too late for me to pull something together this year but you can bet I'll be hosting a dinner party next year!

Fabulous blog...fabulous website...fabulous giveaway!

2011-07-15T15:49:00.014-06:00

Hi! I can't believe it's been a month since I posted! there has seriously been nothing going on in the way of competition! Oh, well, soon enough.

Here's why I'm posting today. Check out the fabulous blog I just discovered! Paper and cake is currently doing a great giveaway. Just WAIT until you see the cake and cupcake stands feature in the post. Droolworthy!

Hurry, though, time is running out!

*UPDATE* I won the giveaway! Yay! A gorgeous, handcrafted cakestand that will be a wonderful addition to my collection...

...from Delightfully Lovely and a $50 store credit from paper and cake. Pretty sweet!

Branching out

2011-06-15T16:03:00.000-06:00

In more competition news, I'm considering trying something completely outside the box for me. Tasting competitions! The Colorado State Fair has a few "Special" contests, including a Cupcake Challenge sponsored by C & H Sugar, a Chocolate Championship sponsored by Ghiradelli and a Great Cakes Contest sponsored by King Arthur Flour. It's definitely related to cake decorating...what's underneath the decor has to taste as good as it looks, right?

All recipes have to be original and unpublished and completely from scratch. Now, I bake from scratch all the time, and I've developed my own recipes for simple things like fillings and frostings, but never cake or cupcakes! I've been busy doing research and applying it to what I already know and yesterday made my first and second draft of my very own cupcake recipe! It does still need tweaking but I'm very pleased with both the cupcake and the icing. I had NO IDEA how fun this would be!

I have a couple of concepts in mind for the chocolate and the cake contests but I plan to perfect that cupcake before moving on to the next thing. Of course, all recipes and ideas are secret until I submit them!

Just for fun, though, here's a sneak peek at version # 2...

Thanks for reading! I'll keep you posted!

Another online contest

2011-06-15T15:20:00.000-06:00

So, online contests being what they are, I still really don't favor them. I figure if my cakes lose something in pictures, I'm sure many others' do, too. However, all that being said, I caved, and once again entered an online contest. The theme is "Flowers, flowers, flowers" and I entered Katie's cake as it has some of my best flowers to date on it...

One of the positives about an online contest is that you don't necessarily have to make a cake; you can use one that you already have pictures of, as long as it qualifies.

The contest is hosted by an online cake decorating community. The judging is done by registered members, most of whom are cake decorators; cakes are ranked on a scale of 1 to 5. All points are tallied to determine the winner. I'll let you know how I do once the winners are announced sometime after July 5.

How I Met Two Food Network Challenge Competitors!

2011-05-22T20:46:00.000-06:00

Since there's so little going on competition-wise at the moment I thought I'd take the opportunity to share about a recent class I took. I spent a wonderful day at Intricate Icings, Rechael Teufel's beautiful cake shop in Erie, CO taking a Make Your Own Lace Molds class with James Roselle. Rachael, along with her very talented assistant, Avalon, was a gracious and generous hostess. James was charming, exceedingly nice, and a great teacher! Mold making was something intriguing to me that I had never done before.

We started out by learning how to make silicone molds from our lace. It was really fun seeing what kind of lace everyone brought. Rachael graciously let us use her brooches to make additional molds. While the molds were setting up, we covered our cake dummies with Fondarific fondant. Very nice, I must say. James (and Rachael, too!) gave us lots of tips and tricks for covering cakes! Once they were stacked, it was time to unveil the molds. Here's mine:

My original lace and its mold

A mold of one of Rachael's brooches

We then used our molds and fondant to decorate our cakes! I made borders and cut-out blossoms with mine but I left with an unfinished cake.

I had brought the pink hydrangeas with me.

Here's all of us with our cakes:

People l to r: Molly, Erin, me, Renee, James
Cakes l to r: Renee, me, James, Erin, Molly

So, now I've armed myself with silicone plastique and went on a mini shopping spree at Mill Outlet Fabric Shop, the best fabric store ever, and purchased several pieces of lace, and trims, and buttons and can't wait to start playing!

Online Contest Update

2011-04-08T21:03:00.000-06:00

As I stated a couple of posts ago, I really don't like online cake decorating contests. Even so, I decided to enter this cake into a contest featuring gumpaste flowers...

The contest was on a social networking site specifically for cake decorators. The format is that the photos are posted and site members vote for their favorites. After a pre-determined amount of time, the site mods cull the top ten vote getters for presentation to the judges, who then choose the winners.

The top 10 vote getters were just posted. You can see them here.

As you can see, my cake didn't make the top 10. It did get several votes ("likes"). It also got several "favorites" (a favorite is when a member saves your picture for inspiration) and some lovely comments. Coming from fellow cake decorators, the favorites and comments are highly flattering and mean so much more to me than winning!

Wilton Cake Decorating Challenge, October 2010

2011-04-02T18:00:00.001-06:00

My former Wilton instructor hosted another cake decorating challenge at Michael's in October, 2010. The cakes needed to be at minimum two tiers and "seasonal in design (specifically Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukah, or Christmas)". Cakes could be covered in icing and/or fondant ahead of time and up to 50% of the decorations could be made in advance.

I decided to do a haunted pumpkin patch. In advance, I made gumpaste pumpkins, a trick or treat bag, witch's hat, a broom...and an over-sized spider...all really fun to make!

In addition, I made a pumpkin carved out of cake and covered in orange fondant for the top.

Making the deep purple for the night-time background was no easy task! Purple is a notoriously difficult color to work with. I used a lot of violet food coloring and added a very small amount of royal blue. Since purple also fades very quickly, I waited until the day before the challenge to color it and kept it in a ziploc bag wrapped in a dishtowel to keep it away from light. I covered the cake the morning of the competition. I also made and colored all my buttercream the day before. The black buttercream was even harder to make than the purple fondant!

I packed up all my stuff and hauled it, along wih the cake, to Michael's. We had an hour and a half to decorate our cakes on-site. I did all the piping, and hand cut my ghosts and bats and cut out my full moon while there. It was so much fun assembling this cake! I especially enjoyed piping the tree and the fence.

The concept for the cake was that a trick or treater (costumed as a witch, of course) was walking by the pumkin patch and was frightened away, dropping parts of her costume as she went.

There were four of us competeing and from what I understand, it was a really close competition...you can see why...here's the other finished cakes....they're all great!

Soooo....guess which one won?

Yep, mine! Both judges' and customer favorite, thanks to all my friends who came out to vote. The feedback that I got was about the vibrant colors and neatness of execution. That's the good news...the bad news is that I've been banned from future challenges as a two-time winner. OK, not BANNED, but I can't enter again. I may be able to help with judging but I do know that I'll definitely be at future challenges to cast my vote for my favorite cake!

I had a great day. I won great prizes. People enjoyed my work. AND my cake lasted through Halloween without fading! What more can a caker ask for?

2010 Colorado State Fair

2011-03-26T20:05:00.000-06:00

So, we're now up to my second time entering the cake decorating contest at the Colorado State Fair. This was last September. The theme of the fair was "Wild About Flowers" and the contest theme was "Earth Laughs in Flowers". I had a really hard time coming up with a design, in fact I even considered not entering at all. Finally, inspiration struck...why not a flower joke, where the cake is the punchline? I Googled "flower jokes". Who knew there were so many? Here's the joke I settled on...

"What do you call a country where everyone drives pink cars?"

Get it? A PINK CAR NATION!

My cake was a basket of gumpaste carnations. I think I made 50 of them!

In progress...pre-dusting

The basket was an inverted 1/2 ball and a 6" round covered in royal icing basketweave piping. If you look back at my first venture in this particular competition, I mentioned that the judges don't like fondant too much. That piped basket was for them!

My basket of carnations sat upon a 12" x 16" slab cake with the joke written on it. Around the sides of the cake were cars in varying shades of pink. Here's the finished product...

Not my best work, but I thought it was a pretty fun cake and a clever interpretation of the theme. Not to mention, pink and green are among my favorite color combinations.

Once again, the judges do their thing. Once again, the judges discuss their preference for buttercream. They announce the 3rd place cake. It's this one...

They announce the 2nd place cake. It's this one...

And in first place...

Fabulous cake!

The winner was, hands down, the best cake there.

Lessons learned? PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU'VE ALREADY LEARNED!! I knew, from last year, that this contest doesn't favor creativity and thinking outside the box. Remember all those barns? No matter, I still liked my cake and my concept and I'll wow 'em next year!

As always, thanks for allowing me to share. Next up, another Wilton/Michael's Challenge in October, 2010.

Online contest

2011-03-20T19:50:00.001-06:00

I much prefer real life cake contests and competitions to those that are photo-based. My cakes always seem to lose something in photographs. Most likely because I'm a TERRIBLE photographer!

Anyway, that being said, I decided to submit a picture of my mother's birthday cake in a gum paste flower contest online. Winners will be announced in early April. I'll keep you posted!

The 2010 El Paso County Fair

2011-03-13T18:55:00.001-06:00

Time for another trip down memory lane to the 2010 El Paso County Fair last July and my entry into it's cake decorating competition.

I stumbled upon their contest quite by accident and decided to enter. There were three divisions in the contest. They were wedding, gingerbread house or novelty cakes. I entered a novelty cake; my first. The theme for the fair was "Catch the Spirit of Tradititon" and the logo featured a catchers' mitt and baseball. I decided to put that idea right into cake.

The rules stated that dummy cakes could be used; in fact they encouraged it, since the cakes would be on display for 10 days. Up until then, I hadn't used dummy cakes at all. My "best-cake-husband-ever", Dennis, helped my by picking up a sheet of 2" thick styrofoam and cutting 2 10" x 10" squares for me to stack and cover in fondant as my base. I covered it in green fondant and sponged on multiple shades of green royal icing for a grassy effect. I put a baseball diamond on top; added a border of gumpaste peanuts and the words "Take me out to fair" on the sides...

On to the best, most fun part...the glove and ball...for the glove, I started with pound cake baked in a 3-D heart shaped pan* and carved it into a glove, using a friend's glove as a guide. As a way to preserve it, I experimented by brushing it with 3 coats of watered down school glue (like you'd use for decoupage) and it actually worked!

I covered it in fondant and added the details, again using a friend's glove as the guide (Thanks, Kelly!) and shaded it with cocoa...

I added a fondant covered styrofoam ball for a baseball and made a tiny gumpaste ball and bat. Here it is all finished...

I'm not much of a sports fan, and we're not a sporty-type family, so I was kind of ho-hum going into making this but I really ended up having a fabulous time with it and loved how it turned out. It was the perfect ending to my summer vacation!

I delivered the cake to the fairgrounds the day before the opening. Sadly, there were no other decorated cakes there and there was only about a half hour left to drop stuff off. They had no idea what to do with it and initially wanted me to wrap it in plastic like the other pantry entries. I explained that I had followed the rules and used dummies so there was no risk of spoilage so they decided to let it go uncovered but did say that it would probably be a wreck by the time I picked it up.

BCHE (best-cake-husband-ever) and I went to the fair the folloing weekend to check out the results. We get there and there are only two other decorated cakes, for a total of three cakes, each in a different division; mine, the novelty, a wedding cake, and one decorated by a child. There were no results on them like there were on the other entries so we thought they had decided not to award prizes. As much as I enjoyed doing the cake, I enter competitions for the competition so I was pretty disappointed in the whole thing. On the plus side, I did meet my new BFF, the cutest little pig you ever did see!

I went to pick up my cake on the allotted day and lo and behold...all three cakes had a 1st place ribbon! I collected my prize for "winning" first place...want to know what it was? Keep in mind that this is a small county fair...and no one really enters for the prize money...ready? It was $4...yep four dollars, no missing zeros there. I had to laugh!

On my way back to the car with my cake, I had so many people stop me to tell me how much they enjoyed it. One woman who has been involved with the fair for some time said they have in the past had more cakes entered but they've never had anything like mine. Apparently, it was quite a hit. She said the children, especially, loved it. It pleased me immensely to know that my cake had made people happy. That's why I decorate cakes!

*Note about that heart shaped pan...I found it at a yard sale, it's a discontinued Wilton character pan and I paid $2 for it. I've used it as a heart, made a chocolate covered strawberry with it and carved it into a baseball glove. I'd say that a pretty good investment of my $2!

As always, thanks for reading! The next competition I entered was the 2010 Colorado State Fair...more on that next time!

In Love with Lavender; The Process and the Judges' Feedback

2011-03-05T20:29:00.002-07:00

I promise, this is the last post about this show!

This whole cake design flowed from my desire to incorporate piped lavender, a la Eric Lanlard's mini "Lavender Fields" cakes in his wonderful book, Glamour Cakes. I knew I wanted to pipe lavender on the top tier and really wanted the topper to be an extension of that. I love the look of a different technique on each tier.

Here's a bit of how the lavender topper came to be...

Fine gauge, cotton covered floral wire is dipped in royal icing using a piping bag and tip #4.

Once those dried (overnight) I piped on layers of royal icing dots (tip #2) in two shades of lavender and a little green, allowing to dry overnight between each layer.

To construct it, I used an inverted base from a cake pillar.

I filled it with green tinted gumpaste. Using a toothpick, I made holes and inserted the wire end of the flowers into the hole and sealed it with a dab of royal icing. I filled any remaining gaps with piped grass.

The finished result...

I've only worked with cake dummies on a limited basis in the past. This is my first whole cake constructed of styrofoam. Here they are covered in white fondant and ready to be decorated...

Sad and a bit exposed, no?

They slowly came together, though, with the addition of a fondant ribbon, a monogrammed plaque, and some more piping...

A few layers of ruffles...

And a little bunch of hydrangeas...

So, just like with my other entry, scoring was on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 = excellent, 5 = good or above average, 1 = fair/needs improvement. Highest possibe score was 90. This cake was also judged by two well-known cake decorators.

My scores were 79 and 80 out of 90!

I got very high scores (9 or above) on Originality, Innovation (from 1 judge), Overall Eye Appeal (10s from both judges!), Skill, Neatness, Creativity, and Execution of Techniques. On Color Combination and Appropriateness I received 10s from both judges which was especially gratifying after they thought my pink and orange cake was a bit on the bold side.

I got an 8 from one of the judges on Innovation, and sixes from both of them on Number of Techniques Used.

Positive comments included "absolutely beautiful", "love the color scheme", "love the ruffled border", "very smooth fondant", "stunning overall", "wow", "ruffle is fantastic", "fine flower work", "awesome", "excellent".

Constructive criticism was that my hydrangea should have been higher up to show it off better. Also, to pat down the pointy tips on some of my piping. They were referring to the dots on the ruffled border, I decided to add those at the last minute and rushed a bit but, um, I do know better than that...so...why didn't I do that? Sorry, Charity!

All in all, I think a fine showing for my final entry as an intermediate decorator. Next year I will have been decorating long enough to enter the advanced division.

Once again, the finished cake...

And yes, I did take a picture of it with it's winning ribbons, just because I'm a dork!

Next up, a jump back in time to the 2010 El Paso County Fair last July! Thanks for reading!

Lucy the Ladybug: The Process and Judges' Feedback

2011-02-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

So, going a little backwards here, but I thought I'd share a bit of how the cakes came about along with the judges' feedback. I didn't take very organized photos. I'm still not thinking ahead to what I want to post here.

Here's the very first step in planning Lucy the Ladybug's flower...

How big can I make a flower and still have it fit in a 20" x 20" area (per the contest rules)? Well, an 18" board will hold six 6" petals, that's how big! Now, what to do with that cakeboard?

Orange fondant, hot pink and orange ribbon...oops, turns out that ribbon is not quite wide enough once the board is covered in fondant...add some hot pink trim...done.

Here's the actual cake part...it's real cake but not really...

...and random ladybug parts...the hearts are for the other cake...

...with extras, just in case.

Lucy, ready for her close-up...

...and once again, the finished cake...

The scoring was on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 = excellent, 5 = good or above average, 1 = fair/needs improvement. Highest possibe score was 90. This cake was judged by two well-known cake decorators.

My scores were 65 and 67 out of 90!

I got high scores (8 or above) on Originality (one judge gave me a 10 for Originality, the other a 9!), Skill, Neatness, Creativity, and Execution of Techniques.

I got medium scores (6- 7) on Overall Eye Appeal, Color Combination and Appropriateness, Innovation, and Number of Techniques Used.

Positive comments included "fantastic idea", "petals are amazing", "fun cake", "ladybug is adorable", "great job with piping...", "love your base board".

Constructive criticism was mostly about the intensity of the pinks and oranges. "Color scheme is a little bold, but works nicely", "would love to see less of the same intense orange, pink & yellow", "consider adding red somewhere else". I was concerned a little about the color as well once the cake was completed. At that point, though, I'm not sure how I could have fixed it. I still loved that cake, and am anxious to have a chance to do another (smaller, tastier) version of it.

Overall, I was EXTREMELY pleased with my scores and the judges' comments. When compared to my entry last year, I have grown and improved in all areas and that's always my goal!

Sweet Times in the Rockies, 2011...the Results!

2011-02-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

FINALLY, after weeks and weeks of work and anticipation...the weekend of the Sweet Times in the Rockies show arrived! Seems like no matter how much time I give myself to work on cakes, I'm down to the wire getting them done! I had arranged to take the Friday off from the job that supports my cake habit and finished my 2nd cake at about 1:00 p.m. All entries needed to be dropped off at the Denver Convention Center between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. I packed up my cakes, my emergency repair kit and a bottle of water and left about 3:30. Typically, the drive takes about an hour and fifteen minutes. On Friday the traffic was terrible and it took over 2 1/2 hours!

One of my favorite parts of the show is checking in and dropping off the cakes. It's so fun to see the cakes arriving and watch people get them set up. There's lots of chatting and comparing notes and helpfulness. The hard part is leaving behind these cakes that I've been living and breathing for close to 2 months! But, I manage to tear myself away. I'll be back the next day, as I've volunteered to work. I'll be able to check on them then.

It was my first time working the show and I loved it! I was stationed behind the cake display tables, between the kids' and beginners' divisions and got to talk to people and answer questions about cake for hours! The judges, who had started at 9:00 in the morning, were still at it at 4:00 p.m. Talk about dedication!

The awards ceremony was held on Sunday so we headed to Denver, my 3rd trip of the weekend. We got there in time to spend some time walking around the Garden and Home Show. That was fun.

There were ten divisions of cakes, all getting awards, and there were so many stunning cakes that I honestly don't remember a lot of the winners. I'll post a link to the website when it's updated with the pictures and placements. I do, however, remember MY categories!

I entered the Intermediate Adult Division.

Here's my entry into the Celebration Cakes category:

Lucy the Ladybug

It won 1st place in that category! I was so thrilled because I really, really, really love this cake. I've been teasing my husband that I'm going to redecorate my dining room to match so I can use it as a centerpiece forever!

And here's my entry into the Tiered Cakes category:

In Love With Lavender

It won 1st place, too! Not only did it win 1st place, it also won Best in Division! But, the BEST part? The judges, who are all master cake decorators, all of whom have been featured on either Food Network Challenge or TLC’s Ultimate Cake Off, gave my cake a “Special Award” for BEST flower (the hydrangea at the base). I was so shocked and excited!

Here's the hydrangea...

Much gratitude to Petalsweet for the wonderful tutorial.

Thanks so much for reading and allowing me to share my excitement! Next up, some background on the cakes, some lessons learned and judges' feedback.

Wilton Cake Decorating Challenge, May, 2010

2011-02-07T21:39:00.000-07:00

The next cake competition I entered after the STITR last year was the Wilton Cake Decorating Challenge on May 22, 2010. This competition was planned and organized by my Wilton instructor.

The theme was "Wedding and Special Occasion Cakes"; cakes had to be a minimum of 2 tiers and could be pre-iced or covered in fondant (no borders or other decor). Decorations could be pre-made but could not be added to the cake until after the start time. I had a blast making this for the top of my wedding cake...

Once there, we had 1 1/2 hours to decorate our cakes. We were in the classroom at Michael's so people could watch us through the window and come in and out of the room. I had NO idea how nerve wracking it would be to have people watch me decorate! On the other hand, it was fun hearing people's comments and answering questions.

I started with a naked green cake and added "love letters" and hearts...

Then borders and scrolls and details...

You would never guess how much I had practiced piping scrolls prior to this cake. Remember how nerve wracking this was? My hands were shaking and my piping was nowhere near as good as it could have been. Not to mention, 1 1/2 hours goes by really fast! Overall, though, I was pretty happy with the end result.

Our finished cakes were scored by the judges and kept on display for a couple of hours so customers could vote for their favorites. Much to my amazement, I won 1st place for both the judges pick and customer favorite!

Here's the pictures I took of the other contestants' cakes...

2nd Place
Amazing figures!

After 1st and 2nd place, I honestly don't remember how the other cakes placed but here they are, in no particular order...

Loved the color combination on this one!

What a fun graduation cake!

All in all, this was a really fun and rewarding day! Charity, thanks for doing all the planning and work it took to do this...and thank you for the in-progress pictures of my cake!

Again, thanks for reading. Next? The El Paso County Fair, July 2010.

Sweet Times in the Rockies, 2011...Quick update!

2011-02-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say I finished my Celebration Cakes entry yesterday! I'm very happy with how it came out and now my excitement over the show is really ramped up!

Cake count: One down, one to go!

Day count: Six!

Sweet Times 2010, The Judges' Feedback

2011-02-05T21:02:00.001-07:00

I thought, since this blog is all about competition, that I'd do a post about what the judges liked, and didn't like, about this cake.

The scoring was on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 = excellent, 5 = good or above average, 1 = fair/needs improvement. This cake was judged by two well-known cake decorators.

I got high scores (7 or above) on Originality, Overall Eye Appeal, Neatness, Color Combination and Appropriateness, and Creativity. I got medium scores (5 - 6) on Innovation, Skill, Number of Techniques Used, Execution of Techniques.

The positive written feedback I received was about my cakeboard cover and the shading on my magnolia. The constructive criticism was that my piping is inconsistent and my brush embroidery needs work. Hmm, I was going for a non-traditional, impressionistic look with that tier. Not sure if they didn't get that, or just didn't like it.

As for the inconsistent piping, I've been practicing as much as possible since then, trying to do some piping on every cake I do. I think I've improved, let's hope the judges agree this year!

As always, thanks for reading!

Sweet Times in the Rockies 2010, Chapter Two, The Cake!

2011-01-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

Back to a year ago...a bit of a refresher...after my 3rd place win at the 2009 Colorado State Fair, I decided to enter a cake in the 2010 Sweet Times in the Rockies cake show. I entered in the Intermediate Adult Division, Tiered Cakes Category. I spent many hours making and shading gumpaste magnolias. I crafted an elaborate cake board cover. I also made some smaller blossoms and large and small leaves of gumpaste. We come now to the week before the competition. All entries are to be dropped off on the Friday, between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

At that time, it never occurred to me that I could enter a cake made of anything but cake! The only freezer space I had back then was the little side by side refrigerator so baking ahead was pretty much out, too. So, Monday, I made "crisco-cream" frosting (why waste good ingredients on a cake that won't get eaten?) and on Tuesday night I baked enough pound cake (from scratch!) to make 2 layers each of 6", 8" and 10" round cakes. On Wednesday night, I leveled, filled, and crumbcoated and tinted my fondant. Thursday night, all three cakes got covered in fondant.

The big day finally arrives. I had taken the day off from work so I could devote the whole day to decorating my cake! Bright and early, I check out my cakes and decide I hate the fondant on the cakes. I'm not happy with the color and I know I can apply fondant more smoothly than that! I peeled it off and started over! Round two was MUCH better! On to the design. You've seen those cakes with what looks like Chanel-type quilting on them? Um, yeah, that's a lot harder than it looks. Probably should have practiced that technique before trying it. Plan B there, too. The rest goes pretty smoothly and I finish about 3:00 p.m. leaving plenty of time for the drive to Denver.

Delivery was so much fun! Once I got my cake in place and assembled we hung out and watched other cakes arriving. Some of the cakes in the professional and masters divisions were amazing! Heck, some of the cakes in the kids' and teens' divisions were amazing! And the extravagant cakes...just wow! The other cakes in my division are pretty great, too. One of them has an almost identical color scheme as mine! Great minds and all that.

Now, the hard part...I have to leave my cake there, all alone, all weekend. The awards aren't announced until Sunday evening. I fretted and worried all weekend. What if people are poking it? What if someone broke the magnolia on top? What if someone knocked the the whole cake over? Those worries in addition to being convinced that there's no need to waste the gas going back because there's no way I'll get anything. The other cakes were way better than mine, weren't they? Finally, finally, after about two years, Sunday arrives and we head back to Denver.

There's a LOT more cakes than there were when I left on Friday. We take some time to look at all the cakes. I (naturally) had worried about mine needlessly; there were ropes set up a good three feet away from the display tables that people had to stay behind. We also took some time to walk around the Garden and Home Show.

The awards announcements start with the youngest of the children's divisions and go up. They get to my division and category and announce the third place cake. It's not me. It's this one...

3rd Place
Two peas in a pod...pretty cute.

They announce the second place cake. That one's not me, either It's this one...

2nd Place
Just look at that tiny bouquet of flowers...beautiful!

And in first place...

...wait for it...

...is MINE! I'm shocked and amazed and VERY excited! Here it is...

1st Place! Mine!

Sadly, my award winning cake didn't make it home in one piece. It didn't even make it out of the parking garage. It fell over coming down the steep spiral exit drive.

Thanks for reading! Next up, the Wilton Cake Decorating Challenge, May, 2010.

Form Cakes and Other Fakes (Interruption continued)

2011-01-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered a couple of ingenious tools for cake competitions...the first is cake dummies made of styrofoam! Not all competitions will allow them and, if truth be told, I truly believe real cake requires more skill to decorate. Real cake moves, and shifts, and bulges, and gets stale. All that being said, my purchase a few months ago of 4 "tiers" of styrofoam cake is what is enabling me to enter more than one cake in the upcoming Sweet Times in the Rockies cake show. I will be covering them in fondant this weekend, more than two weeks before the show, as opposed to two days before the show. They look like this...

Styrofoam cake dummies

The other is a recipe for something called a form cake. There are competitions that don't allow styrofoam cakes. The recipe was originated as an alternative. It's "real" cake, but isn't truly edible and will last forever without molding. Hmm, except for the molding, it sounds a bit like my pound cake! Fellow Cake Central member bobwonderbuns (aka Cindy) tracked it down on a state fair website (I understand it's since been taken down) and very graciously shared the fruits of her labor with the rest of us! I made some this past weekend for my second entry, which will require very specific cakes shapes and sizes for which I don't have dummies. It baked beautifully! It's very firm and has a lovely outside texture. Here's a couple of pictures...

I'm really looking forward to decorating them!

The recipe is...
1 cake mix (I used the cheapest yellow cake mix I could find)
3 tbs flour
3 tbs meringue powder
1 cup water (due to my high altitude, I added an additional 3 tbs)

Mix for about 2 minutes, until well blended and smooth. Batter will be thick. Spread in greased pans (I also line the bottoms of my pans with parchment paper) and bake at 350 until browned (I was making small cakes so they were done in about 30 minutes).

I come from a long line of women for whom food equals love. Thus, I find great joy in cooking and baking good food for the people I care about. I do have to confess, though, that it is nice to take a little break from making sure it tastes as good as it looks. Just don't tell anyone I said that!

Next up...back to the past with Sweet Times in the Rockies 2010, Chapter Two, The Cake! I mean it this time.

We interrupt this trip down memory lane...

2011-01-25T20:00:00.002-07:00

...for an update on what I'm currently doing, competition-wise. As I've said, I'm working on two entries for Sweet Times in the Rockies, 2011. My designs are planned and drawn. All my supplies are purchased. Some flowers are made. Here's a sneak peek...

I had such fun making these hydrangeas. They may just be my new favorite flower.

I've submitted my entry and received my materials. I've signed up to volunteer. You can see me there 3:00 - 6:00 pm and 7:00 - 8:00 pm on Saturday, February 12. Stop and say "Hi" if you're at the show on Saturday!

Sweet Times in the Rockies 2010, Chapter One, The Flower

2011-01-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

Last year at this time I was preparing to enter what I considered my first "real" competition. Sweet Times in the Rockies is Colorado's Premier Sugar Art Show; it is put on by the wonderful people at the Colorado Chapter of ICES (International Cake Exploration Societe`). It is held in February in conjunction with the Garden and Home Show at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

I deliberated for a good long while before deciding to enter (I'm not good enough, I'll make a fool of myself, etc). After reviewing the rules, I realized that I was two months beyond being considered a beginner and had to enter the show as an intermediate decorator. I certainly felt like a beginner (still do, as a matter of fact!) and that made me even more nervous. Ah, well, I've already committed so, onward to inspiration.

Yellow is one of my favorite colors, so I know I want to incorporate yellow into my cake. The show is held close to Valentine's Day so I think some pink will work well with the yellow. I take myself to my local craft store to browse the silk flower aisles. I find an amazing silk magnolia. It's ivory, with soft yellow and pink shading and I love it. I decide to design my cake around this flower. I love it so much, it later becomes my inspiration when I re-decorate my bedroom. Here's a picture of it:

Silk Magnolia

Now, I have no idea if this even remotely resembles a real magnolia, as I've never seen one. I'll call it a "fantasy magnolia", just in case. Re-created in gumpaste, it will sit in glory on top of my tiered cake. I allow myself several weekends to work on it. It's a good thing, too, as it took much trial and error to get all the components figured out and done. I finally create enough centers and enough ivory petals to assemble several flowers. It's time for color.

Back to the craft store for pearl dust. Pink and yellow. I've never used this stuff before. I had no idea what I was missing! Love it! On my next trip to the store I buy it in every color they have. I enjoyed every minute of shading those flower petals! Here's a picture of the sugar version:

Sugar Magnolia

On my score sheet from the judges, the fabulous and famous Rebecca Sutterby complimented my shading on this flower. How exciting is that? I was so pleased with them, but in hindsight I wish I had known then about steaming my flowers. I didn't do that until my next competition. But, once again, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Thanks for reading. Next up...Sweet Times in the Rockies 2010, Chapter Two, The Cake!

A look back at my first competition

2011-01-17T13:38:00.001-07:00

The 2009 Colorado State Fair, the theme is "Birds, Bugs and Barnyard Friends". I immediately have visions of an homage to Charlotte's Web...turns out so did a good half of the entrants...so much for originality! But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Bumblebee

Bluebird

Butterfly, worm, ants

The cake is comprised of 2 14" round layers, 3 8" square layers, 1 8 " round and a 1/2 ball. That's a lot of cake. I made it all out of pound cake. Pound cake is heavy cake (at least my pound cake is, apparently pound cake is not my forte). It's all covered in fondant.

Here's the finished product on display in the fairgrounds' creative arts kitchen:

All done!

I start looking around at the other cakes. Hmmm...lots of barns, lots of critters, lots of spiders. There are a few interesting cakes mixed in though. A stunning 3 tiered blue cake covered in butterflies; a carousel. I'm starting to wish I had thought a little outside the box on this. Creativity matters, right? Unique is good.

The judges are introduced and do their thing. Once they're done and before they announce the winners, the head judge makes a little speech which basically says, in a nice way, "Fondant? That don't impress me much." Okay...I haven't got a prayer here...my cake is all decked out in fondant, and it's design is the same as half the others there. Oh, well, it was fun making it and going to the fair.

But wait...they start to announce the winners...in 3rd place...is...me! Yay!

3rd place-mine!

Second place is another barn cake...

2nd place

and so is first...

1st place-cute, huh?

I'm still sad that the beautiful butterfly cake didn't place. It was easily the best cake there...

Robbed!

Lesson learned? Give the judges what they want!

Now, to get this behemoth home! My husband, who's the best cake husband ever, carried what must have been at least 50 pounds of cake, fondant, and plywood base through the fairgrounds, across the street and to the opposite end of the parking lot, all the while being stopped by people asking "Ooh, is that a cake? Did it win?" etc. I bought him lunch.

Next up...Sweet Times in the Rockies, 2010!

My very first blog post!

2011-01-16T20:50:00.000-07:00

Hi! Thanks for joining me! I'm so excited to share my adventures with you. This blog is definitely a work in progress. I'll be making changes, additions, and tweaks as I go along. Bear with me, please!

I'm currently in the midst of preparing for my seventh cake competition. I'll be entering two cakes in the Sweet Times in the Rockies Cake Show in Denver, Colorado. The cakes will be on display at the Colorado Garden and Home Show at the Colorado Convention Center, February 12th and 13th. To see pictures from past shows, go here http://www.coices.org/Past.html.

I wish I had thought of doing this back at the beginning but, I didn't, so I'll use my first few posts to catch you up on my past competitive adventures! Stay tuned...my next post will be about my very first competition entry... the 2009 Colorado State Fair, where the theme was "Birds, Bugs and Barnyard Friends"!