Baby Shower Cake

Okay, let me start off by saying that I do not like this cake, everyone else does so...what ever. I see a lot of issues but that's just me, a perfectionist. I will list what I did wrong and how you can fix it and not make the same ones I did. Okay, really quick before the rest though, I do like the cake, I am just hard on myself and I see some issues and get harder on my self.

Okay. well here is the cake...

Okay, well, first off, I used white cake mix, dyed it blue because my sister is having a boy. I covered it with a white cloth as it cooled and as I worked on making some other things before actually cutting and placing them and decorating them. Yes that is a tip of mine, cover it with a cloth to keep any bugs and to keep it moist.

Now, I used the marshmallow fondant from a few posts ago and the first one really messed up. It was super soft and I honestly have no idea what happened. My tip for if this happens, trash it. Start again. It's not difficult to make so just make again. I wish I did because when it was time to use that soft fondant, it sank and looked bad. Like it was melting even though it wasn't, it was just so soft it was sinking. I also suggest making the fondant a couple days before you work on it just so that you have it done and out of your way.

If you find that the size of cake you want to make, that there isn't a square for it and that there isn't a pan for it, get knives. Cut the cake down to the size you want and cut the card board down to the size of your cake with a sharp, SHARP, knife. As I personally was doing this my uncle was so worried that I was gonna cut myself, then again, he is weird and thinks I am still twelve and need adult supervision when I use something sharp. And, yes, I did it by MYSELF, not one cut.

If you don't have a manly man to cut dowel rods to size, than use a gerber knife thingy and the plier part on the top has like a pair of scissors in them and use that cause they aren't thick. That's all that is needed on the dowel rods, if you really need more about it than comment and I will get into more detail about it.

PRACTICE when you make a little figure before hand. Tooth picks and decorating tools by Wilton are great for adding detail. Just get handy and use what you have, tooth picks are especially awesome for the smaller detail. Also, tooth picks and edible glue (you can get it at Micheal's) are great for keeping a head to a body, or ears to the head. If you want me to do a specific tutorial on how to do any figure, just comment below and I will give it a go! (:

OH and make sure you know what each tip looks like when it comes out, BEFORE you actually use it. I did and I have yet to use a tip that isn't what I want.

I think that is it though, so....happy baking! (:

<3 Mega Cakes

Reese's Cheesecake! Yum!

Okay, for starters, I am SO sorry this post has been slow, school started back up, it's been CRAZY, and to top it off MY laptop decided to basically become useless so I am on my dear brothers (thank you!) since he has a different computer with him. I don't exactly like this laptop but it WORKS, so, I am using it and am finally gonna post! So here is some awesome cheesecake! A combo of two yummy things, my favorite candy, Reese's and an amazing dessert, cheesecake, YUM!

Okay so, this cannot come as a surprise to you, but I found the recipe on pinterest. Here is the original, I kind of....yeah went my own way with some of this, but hey, it turned out fine! WARNING: This makes 2 pie's, cut the recipe in half to get one.

Step 1: Gather all of the ingredients: Chocolate pie crust (x2), 2 lbs cream cheese softened, 5 eggs at room temp, 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (packed), 1 cup smooth peanut butter (NOT natural-style), 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 cup whipping cream, and 12 reese's cups.

Step 2: Make the filling:

Beat the cream cheese until fluffy, no really, do this. It make seem stupid, but do it, it really does help.
Next, add one egg at a time, mixing well after each.
Add the brown sugar, peanut butter and whipping cream, mix well.
Stir in the vanilla and then fold the peanut butter cups in with a rubber spatula.

Step 3: Pour into crust pans, now the fun part....

Step 4: Get out a cookie sheet and fill with water about half way up (The pan MUST have a lip to it) and then place the pies in the water.

Step 5: Bake at 275 degrees for about an hour and a half, check it after an hour though just to make sure all goes well. It should be lightly golden on top and firm.

Step 6: Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. I did it over night.

Step 7: Decorate, I personally did this : Drizzled chocalte syrup on the plate, then placed a slice on it. Then drizzled more on top and cut up a reese's cup and put it on top.

Okay, no new post until later this month early next because I am going to be planning and making a major cake! I will try and do pics of how to make some of the things, maybe, if people want to, I can maybe do a video? I don't know, I will decide by then. Make sure to check out my facebook page! 

Red Velvet Hunger Games Cake

Okay, I am just putting it out there now, I LOVE The Hunger Games, all the books and now, the movie. So, in honor of it coming out on DVD (Which my daddy bought me on it's release day, the 4 disk special edition set!) I decided to make a cake. Which, this is NOT what I posted on facebook, that will be coming later, maybe next week or so. Sometime after the cake is eaten. Anyway, it's a Red Velvet cake with vanilla butter cream and the marshmallow fondant I made a post a go.

Now, I didn't make anything fancy or special so there really isn't a recipe. I have done the butter cream and it's box mix, and I showed how to do the fondant, so, what am I going to do? Tips! :D

Okay, I was a dummy and didn't think to print out a template to use for the pin....so what should you do? Print out a template. Which really is, just find a outline of the image, print it out to the size you need DO NOT JUST PRINT, you should figure out what size you will need, and fix the image to the size you need. Once it's printed, cut away all the undesirable pieces until you do have an outline. Roll out the fondant, place the template on top of it and cut away all the undesirable pieces of fondant, I just used a plain kitchen knife for this.

If you forget, or just don't want to kneed the color into the fondant (If you didn't color it before hand like the site for the fondant says to do...) just get a little bowl, squirt some drops of liquid fondant (NOT GEL) into it, and using a paint brush (I bought a set for baking, all clean and ready for use on cakes, they were also the little cheap ones, they still get the job done, no need for fancy expensive stuff!) paint on the color! I recommend doing this before you put it on the cake, letting it dry and then placing your image on the cake. Using a spatula or any thin flat surface would work, to help assist if need be.

Use a tooth pick to trace, do it. It will give you an idea before you make anything permanent, maybe even do just water, that will wipe away, or powder sugar, really anything that will wipe away, just don't do food coloring to outline, you might mess up and then you will have a spot on your cake.

Use your resources, I can't draw a straight circle to save my life, never have, so, I found a bowl that had the outer rim size that I needed and put it on my fondant and traced that.

Don't get frazzled, I don't know how much I can stress that. DO NOT GET FRAZZLED IN THE KITCHEN! It just leads to messes. The one time I got frazzled in the kitchen I messed up icing. Added like 8 times the butter I needed and like 3 times the shortening I needed, it was BAD, I had to start all over, those ingredients, gone, wasted. It sucks, don't get frazzled, it leads to messes and accidents and just makes your day/night bad.

Have fun, play some music and just relax, if you are in the kitchen baking or decorating, just have fun, the sky is your limit with it. You can make or do just about anything you want! Seriously. Just google _______ Cake, there is bound to be something someone made. I have seen cakes that don't even look like cake, they look like a sculpture that belongs in a museum. That is how funky you can get with cake, just have fun and if you mess up, laugh about it, don't get discouraged, everyone messes up, I know I have plenty.

Now for my cake!

It didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted, the Mocking Jay pin should have been better but what can you do? I was dead tired so here we go. 

This is just the top, it has my favorite quote "May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor", and the pin, which both need work, I don't have the best penmanship and I should have printed a template. But it's too late and this is what it looks like, which isn't terrible, I have seen worse cakes. 

If have any questions or something you want to see me make, or want to know if I can find an easier way to do, just comment on here or on my facebook page, I am bound to be on and see it! Thank you!

Mega Cakes<3

Facebook Page!

Hello! I made the facebook page last night but never posted on here. Here is the link if interested. I have posted my finished products of stuff I made, even before the blog. Also, a simple logo, temporary until I can make something better. So yeah, check it out! (:

Snicker Doodle Cupcakes with New Fondant Recipe

Okay, the title explains what is going on, I am making a Snicker Doodle cookie into a cupcake, okay, it's NOT my recipe, it's from a recipe book that you always see when in the checkout lines at most grocery stores. Well, I have like 4 of those and saw this one and was like, "Yummm". So, went to the store a couple days ago and got everything for that. However, I wanted to decorate it and I also need to try out a new recipe for fondant to find one my sister will like (I am making her baby shower cake!). So, I decided to make that to see if she will approve, which meant, back to the store. Well, my mom went, I stayed home and watched the dog.

Anyways! I got the recipe from pinterest (Big surprise there!!) and it's a marshmallow based one, supposedly way better than the Wilton stuff I buy. I like it but no one else seems to...oh well. Besides, this is WAY cheaper in the long run, so, why not try it? Here is the link, ignore the Royal Icing part, just scroll down a little. Again, I am a terrible person and I forgot pictures, but next time I make it I will post pictures. (Although, the link has pictures so I don't really need any....do I?)

Any-whoo! A few tips when making this, Almond Extract SMELLS. Okay, that isn't a tip, it's my opinion. But it does, it smells, but it works and is what is called for. I personally wished I wasn't wearing a tank top so I could pull my shirt over my noise, but what ever. (It's kinda like a nasty medicine smell, but what ever works, right?) So, two 'capfulls' I think I poured a little too much, but we will figure that out when I have more than a nibble of it.

Right, tips, when it says spray the mixer, it means SPRAY IT. I dont think I did a well enough job of that because the powder sugar STUCK. But, what can you do? It still turned out alright. Oh and before you begin, 13.5 oz of un-melted marshmallows is 6 and 3/4 cups of un-melted marshmallows. Just in case you couldn't find a bag of that size and was lost and confused like I was and end up needing your fathers help....

Uhm, don't be impatient, slowly add powder sugar, don't do too much at a time, I would say like a tablespoon at a time, I just dumped a bit in at time but if you want a measurement, there you go. It takes time, so be patient. Have a couple spoons ready to scrape the edges of the bowl if powder sugar sticks.

If people have too many issues with this, but you want to try it, just let me know and I can try and maybe do a video or something to help out. Or do photo by photo of what I do, or something, I want to help you! This is  a much cheaper solution to fondant, and it stores for 3-6 months, who doesn't need that?? Besides, it makes a decent amount. I have a nice size log sitting on my counter right now. In all, I give it a thumbs up that it works, and its light and fluffy, and besides, MARSHMALLOWS, what more convincing do you need? I mean really....Okay, onto the actual cupcakes now!

*NOTE* I went to make the cupcakes and realized I had the wrong cake mix so I just made do, I wont post the actual recipe but if you really want it, just let me know...but I like my recipe (:

Ingredients:
Cupcakes
French Vanilla Cake Mix
3 Eggs
1 1/3 cups Water
1/3 cup Canola Oil
2 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Icing
3/4 cups butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 tsp Cinnamon
5 3/4 cups Powder Sugar
3-4 tbs milk

Steps 

1. Preheat oven as directed on the box, mine was 350, put the liners in cupcake pans, my batch made 21.
2. Put all the cupcake ingredients in a mixer, follow the steps normally for making the mix, but add the cinnamon with it.
3. Bake for the time on the box, insert a tooth pick and when it comes out clean, they are done.

4. After they are mostly cool, make the icing, here is how.
5. Beat the butter until it is fluffy. (Don't skip this step.)
6. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and powder sugar and mix.
7. Stir in the milk for desired consistency. (I did 3 1/2 tbs)

8. Decorate! Pipe or spread, how ever you like, the icing on the cupcakes.
9. Make what ever you want from the fondant to put on it, me? I am making flowers! (Simple ones, clean white flowers)

I suck as a blogger...

I suck as a blogger, but hey, that isn't my proffesion, so, don't like it, go away. I haven't been able to make my cupcakes due to a plan change, I decided on making a thing to go with them but I didn't have the ingredients either. Got them but decided to make it this weekend, but because I love you, I will post soon after making them. But in the meantime I made a Dessert Pizza, Apple flavoring! I forgot to take pictures....SO, I am just gonna send you the link to where I got it, See!. It's really yummy, reminded me of the dessert pizza from either Pizza Hut or CeeCee's Pizza. Either way, it was really good. Only thing is, when I made the icing on top, I used about 4 tbsp of milk instead of 2-3. And I used a original size crust, not thin....but it still turned out great. SUPER easy to make, not a whole lot of ingredients, and just not hard in general to make. I am sorry for being a bad blogger, but I am working on it!! Just so you know, I found this pin on Pinterest...that place is ADDICTING!!

Here is something for everyone to know, when I make it to 200 page views (I am at 196!!) I will make a 'like' page on Facebook! I hope you will like me, I will post on here when I make it! I think that is it...Bye!!

--MegaCakes

New Post COMING SOON

Okay, I know, I suck, I said I would post this week and it hasn't happened. I was planning on baking this weekend but I am super busy this weekend and thus, no time. I am however free on Monday (As far as I know anyway...) So I plan on baking that day, SO, expect a post around mid week, the end at the latest. I PROMISE, I PINKY promise, those are legit. Anyway, this one looks super promising, and if it doesn't work, I will still post, give tips of some sort, cause I hope to decorate or something along those lines. Remember, I feel I am a very novice to baking and decorating, so, I feel I am more of a tip and such giver for beginners as well. I want you to learn along with me, and I know not everyone has all the tools that I have, and I don't even have everything I would like to have, but I know you can still work without those tools, just a cookie cutter, a knife (preferably 2 butter) and your bare hands and creativity, you can make something fantastic. So, please, just wait until next week! I hope to post more often (as long as I am not busy, although, school is going to be starting soon and I will have a LOT more to do this year than any other...) So, see you all in a week!! <3 Happy Baking!!!!

--MegaCakes