Friday, July 29, 2011

Leopard Print....FUN

Leopard Print is FUN!

This was a fun, funky 20th birthday cake I made for a dear friend's daughter who turned the big 2-0 on Monday.  The birthday girl is a beyond talented photographer.  She did a beautiful engagement session for the hubs and I.  You should check her out should you need professional photos.


The leopard print is all hand painted with just a little touch of gold luster for a little dimension.  The topper, flowers and ribbon and bow are all handmade from fondant.  I loved the final look of this design with the added pops of color with the flowers.  I also did a couple dozen cupcakes with leopard print in teal, pink and purple.  Fun design for a great gal!







Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend!

Flour Girl

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Mmmmmmm....Chocolate

Last week I made a decadent chocolate cake for a very sweet family celebrating a birthday with an out of town family member.  This cake was her birthday surprise! 



Speaking of surprise....Surprisingly enough, chocolate cake isn't as popular as one would think.  I honestly thought that chocolate was a universally loved flavor.  Turns out, maybe not so much.  Vanilla or white cake is by far preferred, and red velvet is certainly a neck and neck second to that.  Chocolate probably ends up being about 4th or even 5th, falling behind Lemon and sometimes even Hummingbird. 

I love chocolate cake but to be perfectly honest....I love a "naked" chocolate fudge cake.  I think it is perfect just the way it is, no filling, no frosting, no...nothing at all.  Hand me a bare chocolate cupcake, and I am good to go.  Also, I really look forward to baking chocolate cakes because the smell as it is in the oven is so distinct, warm and rich.  

And if I am really being honest, I am personally not so much of a cake person.  *GASP!?!?!*  I know......but it is true.  Hi, my name is Trisha.....and I love ice cream.  Yeah, I said it....I am an ice cream person.  I could eat ice cream every day.  I make cakes, I love cakes....but I don't really prefer to eat cake.   Wow...yeah....I put that out there....
AND, if I am really telling the whole truth....I am infamous in this house of offering the hubby fresh fruit as an exciting dessert option.  Yep....I am that person. 

"Hey Babe....do we have anything sweet?  I feel like dessert." 
"Yeah!  We have watermelon....pineapple too!"

Yep....that's me.  Disgraceful, I know.

Anyway, I digress...

This cake was chocolate fudge with chocolate mousse and chocolate buttercream.  Can anyone say "Rich"?  I love chocolate mousse so much, I can eat it straight from the mixing bowl...not that I actually do that....not me.  However I will not deny making great "use" of the leftovers, dipping fresh summer strawberries into the fluffy rich chocolate mousse the rest of the weekend.

I had no specific instructions on color or design for this cake.  The only request was flowers.  So, instead of doing a few large flowers, I went with tons of little flowers.  In the end, this cake just may be one of my new favorites.  I say that a lot, but......I have a lot of favorite things.  Favorite foods, favorite places, and of course favorite people, just to name a few!




Thanks for checking on me. 

-P.S. Happy birthday to my Dad!  He happens to also be a chocolate person, German chocolate to be exact.  That's his fave.... But truth be told...I think he is also an ice cream person.  Love you Daddy!

Flour Girl