Saturday, January 23, 2010

Can Anyone Tell Me What I Did Wrong Here?



The buttercream frosting came out very stiff, with many air pockets and just wouldn't be SMOOTH!

Can anyone give me a clue as to my mistake here?

I am thinking I put in too much powdered sugar, but wasn't sure if I was on the right trail.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Pictures From My Sister's Birthday Cake









Pink icing in January.

We didn't want a red and green cake (like mine), and we had been enjoying many different rich foods, so the usual chocolate-on-chocolate birthday cake was a no-no. I didn't want to make a carrot cake, and a cheesecake would be a little heavy. We decided for something on the lighter side - not a cake with at least a dozen egg whites, but something that wouldn't hit our stomachs (or the bathroom scale) like a ton of bricks.

So I ended up modifying the yellow cake recipe that I had made for my birthday, and was going to do a frosting with coconut on top. It sounded good, and in my imaginative mind was taking on the shape of a blizzard in Florida (I was going to add lemon and orange zest to the cake batter) when I found out that the birthday girl didn't like coconut.

What would you do?

The batter had already been "enhanced" and there was no turning back. Something had to be made... I stuck with the plan to have a citrus-y flavor, but then did a simple buttercream frosting. I'll be posting my version of the recipe soon (I hope) but for now, I only have pictures.

Since I am still in school, many things are demanding my full attention. Although I'd like to wear my chef's hat more, I am sticking with my roles as a Mock Trial Attorney, musician in several orchestras, and on the side political cheerleader (Whatever happened in Massachusetts?).

That's all for now!

Enjoy!