Chocolate Lattice Cake

We went to Australia for four weeks in July to visit family and friends. It had been over two and a half years since we had been home.

My Mum threw a huge family party so we could catch up with everyone. There are over 90 people in my Mum's family so this is much easier than trying to catch up with everyone individually. I offered to make a cake for the party to help with the catering.

There was quite alot of chocolate left after the strawberries had been dipped so I had a little play and criss-crossed the remaining chocolate on some grease proof paper and used the resulting lattice on top of the cake. I was really very pleased with the end result. It gave the cake a wow factor without much effort at all.

Nicky and Simon's Engagement Cake

I offered to make my friend Nicky's engagement cake. She asked for chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.

I decided to decorate the top with fresh lilies. I cut the flowers to the length I needed, wrapped their ends in cling film and arranged them on the cake. I would have liked to use a professional florists foam meant for on the top of cakes but at the time I wasn't sure where I could get one.

I sift all my ingredients before I add them to either my cake batters or to icing mixtures to be sure there are no little lumpy surprises in the end product. It wasn't until after I had iced the cake (before I did the piping) that I noticed a patch of icing with little lumps of cocoa showing in it. I was SO annoyed. It was too late to do anything about it so when I delivered the cake I made sure that side was facing the wall. No-one noticed thankgoodness!

Pink and Sparkly

A friend asked me to make her daughter's birthday cake. She asked that it be a chocolate cake with pink icing and swirls. I had some cake icing powder so I added a little for some extra sparkle.

Just an excuse for more icing really..

I had seen an new icing technique on the Internet and I wanted to try it out. Now my icing bag nib collection is a little on the sparse side so I chose one that was the same type as the one required but it was unfortunately quite a bit smaller. I hadn't anticipate the hand strength required to force icing out of a nib that was too small, or perhaps it was the icing that was too thick! In the end I gave up and just squeezed as hard as I could and hoped for the best. There were no complaints from the peanut gallery as any excuse for more icing is more than acceptable in this house.

Christmas Candy Cane Cake

I came up with this cake design for my Christmas article last year. It is a chocolate cake layered with peppermint icing. I made two more of these and gave one each to the staff of the two schools my children attend.

It is funny the things you notice; I don't often purchase candy canes but I needed quite a lot of them to make three of these cakes. I found it very difficult to find red and white candy canes in Guernsey so in the end I had to settle for these pink ones. I was told they tasted good despite of their lack of true Christmas red :)

Rainbow Piping

My daughter wanted a rainbow cake for her birthday. I made her a chocolate cake, which is her favourite and came up with rainbow icing. I simply filled the icing bag with blobs of different coloured icing and this was the result. Next time I would add alot more yellow as that seems to really 'pop' and less blue as this is a bit too dark.

Chocolate on Chocolate

I made this cake for a friend to share at her work.

It is chocolate cake with chocolate icing. I am using alot more cake boards now so I don't have to remember who has all my cake plates.

Strawberries and Ceam

My youngest daughter wanted a strawberries and cream cake for her family dinner birthday cake. It was so nice to ice a cake with something other than buttercream. I also get excited when I get to make a cake other than chocolate - sad but true :)

Because you can never have enough sprinkles...

I also made this cake for the PTA BBQ. It is chocolate with chocolate icing.

Please excuse the messy bench tops in the background but I was in a cooking frenzy (as my husband calls it) and I was running late to deliver the cakes to school; so hey, what else is a girl to do.

I used two packets of chocolate sprinkles on the top as sometimes more is more :)

Two Tiered Chocolate Cake

I like to bake cakes for different events as it gives me the opportunity to try out different decorating ideas I have either come up with or seen on the Internet. I made this cake for last year's PTA BBQ.

Pokemon Cake - Mew a Space Pokemon

My son wanted a Pokemon cake for his last birthday. I absolutely loves Pokemon thanks to all the new Pokemon DS games that are available. When he told me he would like a Pokemon cake I naturally assmed it would be a Pikachu cake. This would have been a very easy cake to do as I could have simply altered the Pooh Bear head cake I had done for my daughter's birthday.

Unfortunately for me my son had other ideas. He scoured the internet looking for pictures of Legendary Pokemon. These Pokemon must be the most angular and fiddly looking creatures I have ever seen. We discussed that difficulties of making a cake in the shape of these Pokemon and in the end we came to an agreement. Mew, a Space Pokemon, was settled on and a 'drawing' of him rather than an actual cake cut out in his shape. I used a bit more of the irresdescent dusting powder to give it a more 'spacy' feel. My son was very pleased.

Here is Mew. My drawing didn't turn out too bad, even if I do say so myself. My son declared it his best cake ever :)

Pooh Bear

I asked my daughter what cake she would like for her birthday party. She assured me she wanted a Princess cake like her sister had for her birthday as few years ago. It was the type of cake with a Princess doll sticking out of the top of a cake skirt. So I leapt into action and prepared for a Purple (as she HATES pink) Princess Party extravaganza.

Just before sending out the invitations I thought I had better double check that Princesses were still the popular choice.

'No,' I was told. 'I have always wanted a Pooh Bear Party!'

I have to look on the bright side, at least a Pooh Bear cake was easier to do than a Princess cake.

Heartstoppingly Good

Last year I made this evil cake for my friend Nick'y birthday party.

There are several kilograms of 70% cocoa Lindt chocolate in the icing alone.

Not a cake for those watching their weight I am afraid. The flowers were from our garden.

Rainbow Surprise Cake

This enormous cake has a secret.

I have seen these on the Internet and decided one rainy Sunday morning to give it a go.

Surprise!

There is enough food colouring in this cake to make children go crazy by just being in its immediate vicinity.

It took several hours but it was good fun to make. I was very pleased with how it turned out and I understand a few people where sent to the naughty chair after eating it at my husband's work :)

Betting on the Geegees

My friend, Nicky, had a racing party. She had a dvd of horse races we watched and all placed beats on.

I made some of the desserts for the party.

It was a fabulous night. This is a banana cake with cream cheese icing I decorated with strawberries.

Rocketship

My son had a Space Party for his ninth birthday. I put sparklers in the end of the rocket to make it look as if it were blasting off. Unfortunately they burnt holes in my tablecloth; oh well, live and learn. 

Spotty Dotty Pink Cake

My youngest requested a 'spotty pink cake' for her birthday dinner.

Her wish is my command ;P

Strawberry Shortcake

There was alot of deliberating by my youngest daughter about what theme birthday party to have. When the decision was finally made and Strawberry Shortcake was settled upon I was so pleased as we have a large Strawberry Shortcake doll and I envisioned making her into a dolly varden style princess Strawberry Shortcake.

Do you think I could find that doll?

Of course not!

Fortunately she was just as happy with a large strawberry with Strawberry Shortcake sitting on top.

With a few strawberry cupcakes thrown in for good measure.

The doll turned up four weeks after the party - typical :)

Pink Princess Party

A friend of mine held a Pink Princess Party for all the daughter's of her friends. It was strictly girls only; no boys allowed.

There was nail painting, hair styling, cake munching and I ran the bracelet making. Even a couple of the older Princesses had a turn :)

Surf's Up

The principal at my children's school was celebrating a BIG birthday and I was asked to make a cake of Vazon Bay. He loves surfing so I was given the surfing penguin as a cake topper (even though there are no penguins in Guernsey - but this is the only surfer themed item they could find).

I used icing gel over the buttercream ocean to give it that bit of extra sparkle.

Big Kids Day

My children's school held a cake stall to raise money for Big Kids Day. I made these cupcakes with white and orange buttercream to compliment the Big Kids Day colour theme.

Pink Poodle

I made this cake to enter in the North Show here in Guernsey. I didn't win but I did have a lady contact me about making her daughter's birthday cake.

At the time I declined as I had even considered making cakes as a business. This one phone call started me thinking that perhaps I could make cakes from home as a business.

Sometimes all it takes is an idea (and a bit of self belief).

An End of Year Menagerie

Kitty Cats

To celebrate the end of another school year I made these animal cupcakes.

Pink Pigs

I had to make sure that there was enough for the entire class plus the teachers and teaching assistants.

Measles Bears (so christened by my children)

I have three children so that equaled rather alot of cupcakes.

Ladybugs

They were very well received; so well in fact that I am constantly asked when I will be baking again by kids in my children's classes.

Goldfish

My kids felt really special to take these in to share with their friends which makes the hours of decorating worthwhile :)

Fun Fair

These cakes are for another PTA summer BBQ. The theme in this year was 'The Fun Fair'.

All three cakes were chocolate with vanilla buttercream. The event was a great sucess with over 170 people attending.