what do you call a "group" of turkeys?

 

 

 You call them a "rafter"!   These are dark chocolate cake topped with a vanilla/ brown sugar meringue buttercream, toasted coconut and handpainted pate sablee cookies. I used gel food coloring with vodka ( not the Grey Goose!) to paint feathers on the tail cookies and used royal icing for the eyes and the wattles. The wattles dripped appropriately, so each and every turkey has their own personality!

I thought the vodka was a great, unusual paint mixer. The vodka evaporates quickly so the cookie surface doesn't get soggy. Some turkeys have a nice fan of feathers- I'll need to work with the proportions so I can have the consistency of tempura or gouache.

Now, I'm thinking what else can I do...sheep, turkeys, what's next?

Thinking of the hOlidays

I was thinking about what to do for the Holidays...

More carrots and more cakes

I wonder why I keep making being requested to make carrot cakes. There are so many variations out there, that one could find a good one in a bakery, a "gourmet" supermarket...at this point I think I've made 2 layers, 3 layers, 4 layers and 6 layer cakes.
Is it the homemade pecan creme filling?  I could eat it out of the bowl with a spoon and it's good warmed up on ice cream :-)
Is it the cream cheese frosting?  Mine is butter, sugar, cream cheese with your choice of vanilla, cinnamon, orange, lemon, maple- maybe that's it!
In stores and bakeries, you don't get to ask if special requests can be considered.

On my way to better pictures!

OK! My brother kindly and gently told me that I could be taking better pictures for everything that I am trying to publish. I am the first to admit that photography is not something I'm good at. I am good at visuals, but I'm the kind of person that is touchy, feel-y...so staging and propping to take a picture? Not so much...

One would have thought since our Dad was a professional photographer and graphic artist, that some of this talent would have come thru our genes. I may have gotten some of the graphics genes; my brother Matt has the graphic and photography genes.

We (he) spent hours setting up the lights and set, and took over 70+ pics on my Canon A2000IS and on his Nikon D90. His Nikon is a gem, and maybe one day,( IF I get better at this) I could consider something more. BUT since I am a novice at best, we found all the right settings for me to recreate better pictures like the ones you see- that were taken with my Canon. They're not retouched yet, but they are a world better than everything I have going so far.  HEY, I'm new at this!!!

I took copious notes, and have to be on the search for better props that will highlight the baking. I am looking more closely at the work of great food blogger sites like, Food Gawker, Matt Bites, Smitten Kitchen...

so...stay tuned and thanks for your patience- I promise that there will be better pictures real soon!!!

YUMMY!

This was a dreamy cake to put together for a friend. Golden coconut cake with 1.5 cups of coconut milk, homemade coconut pastry cream, raspberry puree with a touch of lime. The coconut was light, so I topped it with vanilla meringue butter cream with toasted coconut and fresh berries. I think I'll switch this up a bit more and do a key lime curd- like raspberry lime rickeys. OR more coconut rum- I don't think I'll go for the pineapple-not particularly fond of pina colada.

More baking thoughts- making this into cupcakes, yet raspberries are really expensive to decorate with and puree. Re-doing lemon squares into pomegranate squares?
and more sculpting...

I'm tired today after helping my "friends"

 

I donated some goodies to help some friends with the annual Fall fundraiser at West Chester Friends School. I got carried away and in typical "over- achiever" fashion, made a lot and made some mistakes along the way since I was "getting" tired. I made chiffon cakes but I must have overbeaten the batter since those "exploded" in the pan and texture was borderline "sponge". I made a batch of dulce de leche brownies and completed them frosting and all BUT when I tasted them...I forgot the sugar!!! ARRGH, wasted 2 pounds of butter and nearly a pound of chocolate. FINALLY got into the groove and made pumpkin chiffon cupcakes (24), re did the brownies (24), brown sugar pound cupcakes (24), carrot cake, 36 butter cookies (cutouts, no less), 13 sheep heads and 25 pairs of eyeballs from gum paste and royal icing. AND to top it all off, since there was a "cakewalk" today, made a 3 layer carrot cake with all the trimmings!!!

YEAH, I don't know what I was thinking! Stayed up till 2:30 am, working on my brochure and line list, only to have left that at home when I was making the delivery.

YEAH- that's what I get from drinking decaf on Friday, what was I thinking!!!

Anyhow...maybe it's a good thing the weather is so "wintry", so I will hunker down and stay put!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=162357&id=807147500&l=5a00f07de6

Thank you, Cupcakes Take the Cake!

Take a look:
http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/2009/10/spotlight-on-jujycakes.html

I am so thrilled that Rachel et al at Cupcakes take the Cake wanted to spotlight what I have been doing! It's a huge compliment to be included in their blog along with all the other fabulous cupcake bakers out there! One day soon, I will have my own bakery.
If Duff can start his business out of his apartment...then there's always hope for my JujyCakes! Right?!

It's Fall, but the hibiscus are still blooming...

Isn't this bloom wonderful? Hard to believe that this beauty was soaking up the sun at the Bethany Beach! 

It was a great weekend Oct 3/4 at the beach. Great weather for bike riding, exploring and naps on the beach. We were there for the Harvest Moon and it was the biggest, full moon we ever saw. It sat on the horizon and rose above the ocean. The moonlight was amazing. 

 

per Wikipedia In times past this feature of these autumn moons was said to help farmers working to bring in their crops (or, in the case of the Hunter's Moon, hunters tracking their prey)UGH. They could continue being productive by moonlight even after the sun had set. Hence the name Harvest Moon.

 

 

Sheepish, aren't they?

Hi, back from a mini break in Bethany Beach, DE. Much needed for my husband and me, since this year has been such a roller coaster ride. It was the first time in years that I did not feel the need to communicate...well, it makes a difference since I still am searching for that next "job" or should I say passion?!

The day we left, I had 2 orders to fill. A carrot cake and a 1/4 sheet cake for a baby shower. They are expecting a boy and thank you, Martha Stewart- came up with this for the cake. I didn't have the patience to pipe a lambs head so I played with some marzipan and made little faces. I think that they look a bit more like puppies, but I think I'll work on my sculpting skills and play some more. I don't think I'll ever put some of those crazy things on cakes like I've seen, and much prefer the "cute" factor.

Sheep, lambs, who knows what else can be placed on a cake...