Behold, my week in cakes. (Because I suspect many of you enjoy looking at photos of sweets more than actually baking the sweets.)

And possibly my favourite: the LionBear Smash Cake.

In case you’re feeling productive:

• Swiss meringue buttercream (the addition of melted and cooled chocolate makes the most divine chocolate frosting on the planet)
• easy chocolate cupcakes
• how to pipe petals on cupcakes
• make a pumpkin carriage cake topper

For the second year in a row, Oliver thought he might like a garbage truck cake to mark the occasion of his birthday. I’m all for waste management, but was pretty happy when he changed his mind and decided upon a Lego cake. I don’t know that this qualifies as a tutorial, but I thought I’d outline how I went about ebellishing this cake – just in case you like detail-oriented projects, and loathe free time.

Both the Lego man and blocks were made from fondant. I borrowed a few of Oliver’s Lego bricks so I could tint my fondant to match the true Lego colours EXACTLY. The bricks are to scale in terms of length and width (but not depth), as are the little circles on top. To make the bricks I measured the real Lego bricks and then cut strips of fondant (rolled to 1/16 inch) to match. I used a piping tip to cut out the little circles, and then attached them to the tops of the bricks using a tiny bit of water and a food-safe brush.

To make the Lego man, I did a Google image search for “lego man template,” picked one I liked, and then scaled it to the size I thought would best fit the cake. I printed the image, cut it out, and used it as a template for the various segments of my Lego dude. Because he measured only 5 inches tall, some of the pieces were very small, and I went blind for about 36 hours. This did not deter me in the least because I’m a goddamned professional. I assembled my man on parchment paper – brushed the tiniest bit of water along the edges of the fondant that need to connect, gently pressed together, and then allowed the entire piece to dry for two days. I used a spatula to transfer the man to the cake. I free-handed the face with some teeny-tiny fondant pieces. I think I captured the essence of a blank Rutherford stare quite nicely.

I used fondant cutters for the number 5 and Oliver’s name. I placed the letters on little fondant squares, which I think looks perfectly adorable. I did not make the confetti sprinkles. I bought them at the Bulk Barn. But I was blind for 36 hours.

Honestly, this is one of my most favourite cake projects to date. Oliver – a very charming and thoughtful little man – is most deserving of sweet treats and happy birthdays. Even if his parents are my sworn enemies.

I no longer blog about food. But don’t fret!

You can find the recipe for this 6-inch cake and frosting in this ebook:

Behold a petit two layer, 6-inch chocolate cake. Simple and delicious.

This cake is a shout out to simplicity – moist, flavourful and light.

The frosting has coffee in it. It makes the texture soft, silky and easy to spread. A hat-tip to the classic, homestyle frosting you probably gobbled up as a child. You get a little of the coffee flavour, but I’m reluctant to call it a mocha frosting as it doesn’t pack a weighty punch. You’ll taste a hint of java which pairs perfectly with the chocolate layers below it. Bonus: you’ll have just enough frosting to fill between the layers and frost the cake. No waste!

Dear Thijs,

Welcome to the world! This means nothing coming from a complete stranger, of course, but your mother is one of my dearest friends. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without her friendship and influence, which is something we will now have in common.

My mother, Rosie Beaucoup, was in the delivery room when your mother was born. (Nothing creepy – Rosie was a nurse then.) I’ve been hanging around with your mother ever since. That’s a lot of years, little man. What keeps two people together for that long? The Golden Girls, poop stories and cake. That’s my best life advice for you, by the way – laugh a lot and don’t be afraid to eat whatever the heck you want.

Speaking of cake – and because your dad is Dutch – I thought this traditional butter cake might suit the occasion of your birth. Also (spoiler alert) I don’t think your mother knows how to bake, so this seems approachable and difficult to screw up. Alternatively, ask your dad to make it. It is a simple cake – perfect for parents dealing with your demands needs. It could easily be whipped up after someone has, say, pooped all over the house and is finally napping. (Not cool, dude.)

Do me a solid and cut your mother some slack, okay? Her job has her living all over the world, and I can’t step in and do all the things a good friend would normally do. Like, for example, reminding her repeatedly that she’s going to be a great mother. And telling her to ignore those other mothers who will be all too happy to tell her what she’s doing wrong, because that’s the worst wrong of all.

As Sophia Petrillo would say:

… this is living. Just because you’re going through some rough times doesn’t mean you throw in the towel. You keep living. And eating.

Sage words, little man. Sage words.

Lots of love,
xox movita

. . .

This almond-flavoured snacking cake is somewhat dense, and is even better on the second day. It is delightful when topped with a good dusting of icing sugar. It makes a small, 8-inch cake, which is best enjoyed with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

Boterkoek {Dutch Butter Cake}

recipe: adapted from allrecipes.com

print and bake

Yields one 8 inch cake.

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature, beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• icing (confectioner’s) sugar for garnish (optional)

Mise en place – start by getting organized. Read through the entire recipe before beginning. Measure out all of your ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour and baking powder, and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with a hand-held mixer (or stand mixer), until light and fluffy.

Add the beaten egg and mix until well combined. Beat in the almond extract.

Stir in the flour mixture by hand, making sure the ingredients are well combined. The batter will be thick and somewhat stiff.

Press evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes – until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. Invert onto the wire rack, remove the parchment paper, and then allow to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar prior to serving.

Cut into wedges to serve. Store tightly wrapped or in an airtight container.

Ask and ye shall receive. More cake tutorials! And because some of you have lamented that you are challenged in this area, I’m hoping this little ditty might be manageable. A ruffle rose will make the top of your cake look striking, but also requires minimal skills.

First, and I can’t recommend this enough, practice your piping skills on an inverted cake pan. In the video I’ve included with this post, I’m piping on a cake pan to show you how awesome it is. If I’m planning to make cupcakes, I practice on an inverted glass, as it’s about the same size. If I’m making a 6 inch cake, I practice on a 6 inch pan. I’m going to assume you know where I’m going with this. While this piping technique is very forgiving, if you haven’t used a petal tip before, you might not want to try it for the first time on, say, your wedding cake.

http://instagram.com/p/yNTJyrtRDx/

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Second, as I’ve mentioned before, I always keep leftover frosting in a small container in the freezer. Whenever I have a little buttercream leftover from a project, I throw it in the container. It’s really ugly, but perfect for practicing. So, when I’ve got a little free time on my hands, I bring the frosting to room temperature, re-whip it, and practice.

This cake design is most easily executed on a cake turntable – as your dominant hand does the piping while the other turns the cake. I did the top of this cake in under five minutes – no lie. You will, of course, need to crumb coat and frost your cake before piping the rose. I tried to make the sides of my cake relatively smooth, but I wouldn’t fret over this. Imperfections lend themselves to a homestyle look, which is my favourite sort of design. The cake pictured in this post is six inches, but I’ve used this piping technique on a cake as large as eight inches. I wouldn’t go much larger than this, as I think the effect would be lost.

To get started you’ll need a smooth buttercream (I used chocolate swiss meringue buttercream) and a piping bag fitted with a large petal tip – Ateco #125 or Wilton #125. When piping your rose, the wide part of the tip will be held downward, skimming the top of the cake as you pipe. The piping bag should be held almost parallel to the cake.

Begin by piping a little bud (teeny loop of frosting) at the centre of the cake, and then continue piping ribbons of buttercream round and round until you work your way to the outer edge of the cake. Long segments or short segments, right up against the previously piped petals. Imperfections make it look more glorious. The angle of your piping bag will vary the petals, as will the angle of your piping tip. Tilting or waving the tip adds effect as well.

I hope the video below will make this technique clear for you. Also, you’ll get to hear a lot of rambling, which should give you a sense of what 2.0 deals with EVERY DAY.

http://youtu.be/thdM8ttTw5s

{click here to watch on youtube}

Don’t forget to clean your piping bags and tips very, very well. Insufficiently cleaned bags and tips are high risk in terms of food contamination. They are two of the tools bakers and bakeries worry most about, as piping bags are most often used for products that contain dairy. It’s the perfect storm if you allow stuff to fester in there. If I’m making a cake for a client, I always use new, disposable bags for piping, and I’m obsessive about cleaning my piping tips.

Alright. I think you’re ready. Go forth and decorate!