A Bit Precarious............

A challenge has been issued.

One week from today, I shall be assembling the biggest cake I have ever attempted.

A (roughly) 3 foot tall cake. (It might be only 33")

Looking like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

And yeah, I'm gonna make it lean.

The blueprints are drawn up, and the supplies are waiting for me in the kitchen.

Time to get started with the preliminaries, and then next Friday. . . .

. . . . .the fun begins.

As each stage of this project progresses, I will be taking and posting pictures.

Hands are shaking, nerves are wracked, but. . . . . .excitement is building.

See y'all later.

Ya know....

that I've hardly posted anything all month?

I've only have a few cakes to do, nothing really special. I would've posted pictures, too, but one got whisked away before I had the chance, and the other one (I took it to a party) got sliced as soon as I set it done. So alllll that piping I had spent an hour doing - latticework and all - was destroyed in a matter of seconds. Nobody even saw it - not that that mattered. I was happy with the work I'd done - I just wish I could've had enough time to snap a picture.

 Oh, well. Anyway, since it's finals week, I won't be on at all. Gotta study up on those semi-nomadic Native Americans of the Western and Central Farmlands. Whoopie. (American Regional Cuisine - the food's great, but the history lessons and topography I could do without.)  But I promise I'll be back after December 10th  with some (hopefully) amusing and amazing things.

So enjoy your week! Decorate your tree (if you haven't already - mine's still bare except for a few strings of lights), hang your stockings, drink hot coffee,(no00 hot chocolate - ick) and listen to some Christmas music.

Here's one of my favorite songs from Michael Bublé's Christmas album. Enjoy!

And bye for now. : )

Little tiny things....

. . . . .are what made this cake.

A little tiny 6" round strawberry layer cake with whipped strawberry icing & minced strawberry bits.

Small amounts of of red, white, pink, black, and yellow fondant.

A tiny, tiny paintbrush with a little bit of black food coloring.

A little carving knife and a small spatula.

Slow, painstaking, tiny details.

And a lot of patience.

All to make one little kid's birthday very, very special.

:)

Tall, Dark, and Handsome

This phrase is typically used to describe a guy.

I use it to describe this cake. This Salted-Caramel-and-Chocolate-Fudge Cake.

Because it was tall. Only a tiny little 6" round, but very tall. 6 layers'll do that to ya.  And dark - check out that icing. Spreadable fudge, ladies and gentlemen. Heaven on a spatula.

And handsome. I just love the contrast between the dark chocolate cake and the lightly salted caramel buttercream.

My family went nuts - it was a small cake, but nearly half of it was gone in 10 minutes. Then again, I have 5 brothers, so I guess I shouldn't be shocked.

By the way - wanna know a secret about how to get really, really good chocolate cake?

Here it is: . . . . . . . . . . . . .Coffee is to chocolate as salt is to beef.

Now I know what you're thinking - 'Eeewwww! I don't like coffee! I don't want to taste that in my cake!!!'

But you won't taste it!!! It is a seasoning in your cake rather than a flavor. A flavor adds a new element to the dish, while a seasoning enhances the flavor that is already there.

So, basically, coffee makes chocolate chocolatier. Uh, yum! And dark chocolate cocoa powder also makes chocolatey things chocolatier. I never use anything else.  And I like things chocolately. Like those 72% caco bars from the store - I buy 'em for baking, but always end up sneaking a few pieces. Just. So. Good.


I've heard that there's such a thing as too much chocolate. . . . .but I haven't experienced that for myself yet.

Guess I'll have to keep trying. ;)

Short and Sweet

is what this post is gonna be. I'm tired and ready to go to bed - it's been a long day and I'm sick of being awake and having to face my problems. So let's get this over with.

Buttermilk Cappuccino Cake
 - a birthday for a little girl who specifically requested this flavor and color scheme.

Always set up everything neatly - you will feel better AND work better.

First, level your cakes. Always, ALWAYS do this. You should have NO EXCUSE not to - this is ALWAYS necessary. 

Then, spread with espresso soaker. By now the scent of coffee is permeating the air. :D

Frost with Swiss Meringue Espresso Buttercream. . . . . .uh, YUM!

And spend the next couple hours cutting out, embossing, and tacking on ribbons and polka dots.

*phew* That went quicker than I thought.


Buona notte.

~ Elisabetta

MOHNSTAH!

No, honestly, I can spell.

This is just how somebody I know pronounces the word 'Monster.' And no, this is not a Halloween related post.  I am referring to the very popular Monster energy drink. At the Chick-fil-a where I work, it's kind of like a cult. I mean, EVERYBODY drinks Monster - except a few of the older ladies that work there. And there's only 2 of them. So yeah, it's pretty much everybody. And it's pretty much every day, too. I mean, I'm not one of the hard-core drinkers, but occasionally when I work from 5:15-2 & have school from 4-9 for 3 or so days in a row, I indulge in a little synthetic energy.

So, a few weeks ago, my boss sat me down and said, "Elizabeth, I have something serious to talk to you about."

*gulp*

"You are going to be required to. . . . . .make Monster cupcakes."

*humongous inner sigh of relief*

I am known around my Chick-fil-a as 'Queen of the Kitchen' or 'The Cupcake Goddess.'  Yes, people seriously call me that. So in addition to being Monster addicts, these people really like baked goods. Anyway, awhile ago, I had brought in Mountain Dew cupcakes - and they were a huge hit. The icing was a little fizzy, and after the first 'meh' bite, the flavor snuck up and slapped you in the face. In a totally good way. So I figured, eh, why not just substitue Monster for Mountain Dew? It'll totally work.

I thought about adding Pop Rocks on top for a little surprise,  but couldn't find them anywhere. :(

So there ended up being about a whole can of Monster in the batter. . . . .and then more in the icing. Again, very fizzy, and the overall effect was declared 'bangin' - but also 'very sweet'. So that's something I have to work on with this particular recipe.  But that's what coworkers are for - to give feedback so I can perfect stuff like this.

Baby mohnstahs

Speaking of green monsters - when I was driving to work the other day, I saw a large green van with the license plate 'HLK SMSH'.

Highlight of my day. :)

You Look Like a Little Monkey!!!

Did you know. . . . .

that more than 1,500 new cat videos are posted to Youtube each day?

Yup. Ain't it great.

Y'all have probably seen this already. . . . . .but if you haven't, then enjoy giggling hysterically.


P.S. You'll only understand the title if you watch the video.