okay guys, i usually do cakes for kids birthdays. i use duncan hines cake mix with yummy buttercream frosting. the kids love it!!
but i have an order for auction for an insurace association....so i am wondering if i need a grown up cake? what do you guys do for adults?
i was thinking about some mmf, but do i go with a cake mix or do i add things to it to enhance it?
thanks for all your help!!!!!
melody

just bumping up

I would use MMF with a DH cake mix...unless these people are Pastry Chefs or cake masters, then I would do a from scratch one. I did a cake for auction last year from Lemon DH and MMF Fondant , and a year later people were still talking about how pretty and good it was..and these are people who could not tell scratch from mix.

How about a rich chocolate cake with chocolate ganache? That can look so elegant.

I've heard raves about the Chocolate Layer Cake recipe that's posted on this site.

Here's my most recent ganache cake. It was soooo rich.

I also like the cakes that use the pirouette cookies around the sides. Here is one by mousey:

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&meta=allby&uname=mousey&cat=0&pos=1

I can't wait until I get the perfect occasion to try this one out.

Also, I would go with a cake mix and BC. You can always add a box of pudding and an extra egg to your mix and that will make it so moist and yummy!

Good luck!

edited to add: Here are some more pirouette cookie cakes that others have done on here that aren't topped with fruit.
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=thumbnails&meta=search&type=full&search=pirouette+cookies

Sorry off topic but i would love to know how to make that cake of yours HollyPJ if would share.Or email me the recipe and instrutions on how please??
[email protected] Thanks alot!!!!
Stacy,

I'm trying to figure out the shell border. Is that a shell up and a shell down then a shell in the middle? It looks really cool.

I need to branch out into different borders. I'm so plain on mine! LOL. I just do a basic shell, dots or the rope border on all mine.

Stacy--I'll post the instructions for the cake in a little bit. I have to pick up my daughter from school first.


Melody- Let us know what you decide to do for the auction, and be sure and post a pic!

Stacy-

I started with two 8-inch layers of chocolate fudge cake (tried the recipe featured on the cover of the most recent Family Circle mag--so good!), torted them into four layers and filled the cake with cookies & cream filling (from Whimsical Bakehouse cookbook).

I used the following ganache recipe, recently posted by Cheftaz. It's slightly different than the ganache recipe I've used in the past and I liked it much better.

8 oz cream (I used heavy)
1 TBS butter (optional, but makes it stay really shiny even after refrigerating)
1 oz sugar
12 oz chocolate (I like to use Guittard semi sweet choc chips)

Break chocolate into 1/2 oz pieces (if you're using bar chocolate) and place in stainless steel bowl. Heat cream, butter, and sugar to boiling. Pour over chocolate and let stand 5 minutes. Stir from center out until smooth.

For piping, refrigerate at least one hour, then spoon into piping bag.

I made two batches of ganache. I used one to cover the cake and one for the piping and I had about 1 cup left over (guess where that ended up? lol)
I let the first batch cool to room temp before half-pouring, half-spreading it on the cake. I used a metal spatula to smooth it.

For the bottom border I used an e-motion with tip 22, then added tip 10 dots (I smoothed the points down with my finger after chilling the cake briefly). The top border is the triple shell border that Sheila described. I used tip 22 for that also.

I made the roses and blossoms out of Tootsie Rolls. I used the regular, small rolls and cut them into thirds. I made a cone (like you would for a buttercream or gumpaste rose) with one third. For each petal I kneaded and rolled a Tootsie Roll piece into a ball, then rolled it out into a thin oval. I used gumpaste tools to thin one long edge of the oval even more, then molded the petal around the cone. I just repeated that process until I liked the look of the rose. For the blossoms and leaves, I rolled the Tootsie Rolls thin and used gumpaste cutters to cut them out. I put a dot of ganache in the middle of each blossom.

Just ask if there's anything else you'd like to know!

Ok. thread hijack over.

Holly

Thank you HollyPJ!! I'll have to give it a try soon!!

Thank you HollyPJ. That looks and sounds wonderful.

Also, does anyone know how to cut the pirouette cookies so that they are fairly even or do they come that way in the package?

Cindy

Thank you HollyPJ. That looks and sounds wonderful.

Also, does anyone know how to cut the pirouette cookies so that they are fairly even or do they come that way in the package?

Cindy

Holly,

Your cake is amazing and so yummy looking

Thanks for sharing your recipe and decoration directions.

All your cakes are fabulous...can't wait to get that close with my cakes

Some of the best cakes I have ever made were Ina Garten's recipes and they were from scratch and very easy! Her cook books are golden! Especially for cakes!

if you're familair with making scratch cakes then i would say definitely go with one, if not, then i would stick with a box cake. scratch cakes are much more difficult to perfect but well worth the time and effort.[/i]