Motorcycle Cake

Okay, so this is so looonnngggg overdue!! In August I made this cool motorcycle cake for my boyfriend's 22nd birthday. He just got a motorcycle so I thought this theme would fit the bill. Let's start with the cake. It was a two layer vanilla cake with banana custard in the middle. I then iced it with Wilton's #233 tip. It makes awesome looking grass. To make the grass look more realistic, I put a light and dark green icing the in the bag and piped it out at the same time. This gives the grass more dimension. I also was able to find some chocolate rocks to line the road and the bottom. They looked so realistic you couldn't even tell that they were food. The road itself (which I wish I had a better picture of) was made from thick flat strips of black licorice.


The chocolate motorcycle is probably my favourite part of this cake. I found the perfect moulds and chrome lustre dust. When mixed with vodka or gin, the dust is perfect for painting onto chocolate and gave the motorcycle a very unique look. To make the bike stand up I sandwiched a Popsicle stick between two finished bikes and stuck it into the cake. Altogether the cake turned out great and my boyfriend loved it!

My New Favourite Thing: Powdered Food Colouring

While trying to find a way to add some interest to a coconut cupcake, I came across this wonderful product: food colouring powder. For those who do a lot of baking this is probably not a new thing to you. I am using the Candy-n-Cake brand and it cost about $2 for 3 grams (you don't use a lot). I have used a similar product before, but it was flavoured too and I didn't really want to add apple flavour to a coconut cupcake. The great thing about this product is that it has no flavour at all. Sometimes when using the gel colourings you get a bitter taste (especially with the red). I have yet to try it with icing, but will be sure to post an update when I do.

To colour coconut, put coconut into a Ziploc bag and add a bit of the powdered food colouring (remember: A little goes a long way!). Shake it up and add more colouring if needed. This would look great to add the look of fur or grass to cakes and cupcakes. Imagine the possibilities!

Chai Sugar Cookies

If you like chai tea you will love these! This is an adaptation of my grandma's sugar cookies. They are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. I have included a half recipe because it makes so many, but it could easily be doubled.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups Flour
• 1 cup White Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 Tbsp Milk
• 4 Tbsp Chai Powder (The kind that you mix with milk. It can be found at coffee shops and specialty stores.)
• Extra chai powder and sugar for tops of cookies.
  

Steps:

1. In mixer, cream together butter and sugar. The longer you cream these together the smoother your dough will be.
   
2. In a bowl, combine flour, salt, baking power, and chai powder. Set aside.
   
3. To butter mixture, add eggs, vanilla, and milk and beat until mixed.
   
4. Gradually add flour mixture. You may need to use your hands to make sure all the flour is combined.
5. Separate into two, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
   
6. Once refrigerated, preheat oven to 350° and line cookie sheets with a silicone mat if using.
7. Roll out dough about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes and sprinkle tops with extra granulated sugar and chai powder.
   
8. Bake for 10 mins or until golden brown. (TIP: cookies will hold their shape better if the dough is cold. So before baking, you can return the sheets to the fridge for about 10 mins. Make sure to keep dough you are not using refrigerated until it is ready to go into the oven.)
9. Let cool on pan for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. These cookies taste better when they have completely cooled.

The great thing about these is that you can freeze dough for later if you have extra and keep it on hand. Enjoy and happy baking!

We Go Together...Like PB & J [Cookies!]

While my boyfriend was off at school, I sent him his favourite: peanut butter cookies! This recipe was my Grandma's and is sooo yummy! The outside has a bit of crunch because of the sugar, while the inside is soft and chewy.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup White Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 cup Peanut Butter
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 cups Flour
• 1 cup Chocolate Chips (optional)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg, vanilla, and peanut butter.
   
3. In another smaller bowl, combine salt, baking soda, and flour. Gradually add to butter mixture.
4. If using, add chocolate chips and mix well.
5. Roll dough into 1 inch balls then roll in white sugar (or decorative sugar) and press with a fork.
   
6. Bake for 10-12 mins or until lightly brown. Cool and enjoy!

You can also make a PB & J card if you are sending these to someone special. These cookies mail well too. I wrapped them in an old paper towel tube and foil and they were still moist after 3 days in the mail. Happy baking!

Fondant Covered Cake

For my boyfriend's 21st birthday I attempted doing a cake covered in fondant and am happy to report that it was a success! The cake is a simple chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting between the two layers and as the crumb coat. I froze the two layers of cake as it helps to keep the crumbs on the cake instead of in your frosting. Thaw the cake then cover with a crumb coat (I used buttercream icing but you can also use jelly or jam). I used a pre-made fondant from a local cake decorating store which I coloured using gel food colouring from Wilton. I would not recommend the Wilton fondant because it doesn't taste very good. The tool box and tools are made from molded chocolate.

If you have not worked with fondant before, baking911.com is a good resource for steps on working with fondant. A good place to start working with fondant is to make smaller embellishments for your cake so that you can get used to rolling, cutting, and colouring. Good luck and have fun!