Indian Inspired

Made this cake for my amazing photographer friend's 1 year old's birthday party.

And I must admit, like a baby, this simple little cake was a bit of a struggle. The ganache seemed ok at the beginning, but it didn't stay as solid as I would have liked under the fondant. In fact, since I've returned from London I've been on the search for the perfect ganache recipe and quality chocolate that I can use. Chocolate here just doesn't work the same as in London for some reason! Found a new recipe that I will be trying next time.

Also couldn't sleep one night and so ended up working on this cake all night, which I don't suggest unless you're a night owl...

I love the little iced pattern though! I freely admit that I am not yet perfect at this. I'm going to take some time before May, just to practice techniques, and test some more Canadian friendly recipes. I guess the search for a perfect chocolate cake is not a bad task to take on... can't complain!

London - Day 24

Today was the first day of exam week.

And it felt like a war zone.

Do you ever watch those reality cooking shows like Hell's Kitchen, or MasterChef, and think to yourself, well I'm never gonna be in something like that, it's crazy! Why would anyone want to do that? That's what I think when I watch those shows.

And yet, here I am.

I pretty much frigged up on everything I think, we were being watched on our process (not just the end result), so even though I finished everything I was scheduled to do, I generally, felt like a mess in the kitchen.

I'll try to remember the positives:
I finished everything I needed to finish, ahead of time.
My cakes actually turned out ok.
I saved my ganache like a boss after almost messing it up.
Considering I haven't had a lot of practice at this, I didn't do too bad, and I'll only get better, no matter what marks I get in the end.

Honestly though, I don't know if I enjoy the "professional kitchen" scenario. It's not for the faint of heart. My own little kitchen at home is a happier place. ^_^


ON TO DAY 25

London - Day 3

I am now part of the London commute!

Today was pretty exhausting! We made 3 different kinds of cakes today! 3!! Fruit cake, carrot cake and chocolate. We also did sugar syrup and chocolate ganache. Everyone in the class is really awesome! Peggy is super cute and I wanted to cry when I met her :P C'mon, she's like a rock star of cakes! Like a big clumsy Canadian I wanted to give her a big hug, but then she did that kiss on both cheeks thing, lol - so Euro!

We did a little meet and greet in the morning, where we also had breakfast! Coffee, croissants, and jam, all made at the bakery! Have I mentioned that people eat a lot of croissants here? Cause they do. If you're gluten free you don't stand a chance in London...

Once we got our workbooks we headed to the studio...

Lots of cakes on display and a store full of goodies!

Our workstations. Trust me, it doesn't stay this tidy for long...

We learned the old school way of lining a cake pan! I like this method. It doesn't cost a lot and makes me feel like I know what I'm doing!

Don't I look all pro and stuff?!
At the end of the day we were all exhausted and I just wanted to go back to my bed and sleep. I don't think there will be any sightseeing tonight!

ON TO DAY 4

Go Canada Winter Hat and Mitts (IC: E-Winter Warm Up)

This cupcake is also entered in to the Hello, Cupcake! Challenge, as well as Iron Cupcake Earth! The theme is Winter Warm Up, and being in Canada, these come in really handy:

The Olympics are coming up in Vancouver, so I wanted to do something referencing that, which is why I added teeny maple leaves to the mittens, inspired by the Olympic Red Mittens people are buying to support athletes!

The cupcakes are just a plain vanilla recipe taken from the book Hello Cupcake! A recipe I use all the time because it just works! The buttercream is basically the Wilton recipe tinted using red strawberry Jello powder.

Here's some information about the prizes for IRON CUPCAKE EARTH *insert echo here*

Our Generous IronCupcake:Earth Prize Providers:

* The Demy™ by Key Ingredient
* Hello, Cupcake by Karen Tack & Alan Richardson
* Bella Cupcake Couture
* Cupcake Stackers by Gourmac
* The Cake Mix Doctor Returns! by Anne Byrne
* Beautiful Baking Liners by Vestli House
* Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Bakery & Cupcakey Supply

Voting takes place at No One Puts Cupcake In A Corner and will be open through Wednesday, February 3rd at 12 noon.

VOTE FOR ME!!!!!

Sleeping Babies

These cupcakes were make for the Hello, Cupcake! Challenge on Facebook. The idea was to use their limited list of ingredients to come up with a creative cupcake design.
The baby heads are mini cupcakes, and an M&M was used for the soother, and a gummy bear for the stuffie.

I also wanted to get some piping practice in. :)
Here's hoping I win a book!