Hi everyone! Opening up another session of the FNCC! All levels of cakers are welcome to share their week, photos of their work, ask for help if needed or provide help if they can!

Cat

No cakes for me this week. This week was a big one for my photography. I'm part of a regional exhibition here in Monterey and we had our Gala last night at a local gallery where my piece, along with the other participating artists, was on display. The actual exhibition is the end of this month but the local gallery keeps the pieces up till Oct 26th. Such a fun night out for us!

I do have a cake coming up this week. I'm going to attempt a Golden Snitch cake for a good friend who is as crazy about Harry Potter as I am! Wish me luck!

Cat

Good luck Cat, the golden snitch cake sound like fun. I have three people in my house who just started their school year or are starting next week(college). So I been running around helping get them all set. Monday I will start predecorating a lego cake board for my grandnephew. His mom told me maybe up to 50 people could be there. Last year I think there was at least 30. So might be my biggest cake with out a filler like RKT yet. My son shares my grandnephew's birthday week. I am making home the ice cream cake He asked me for and I told him I couldn't do. For him simple white cake with strawberry ice cream and stablized whip cream icing. Nephew's cake is Smores with Graham cracker cake, marshmallow filling covered in milk chocolate ganache under fondant. Any tips on making a sheen on fondant so it looks like plastic?

I made these cakes for  "Hollywood red carpet" themed party.  First time using so much fondant (for the red carpet). 

Two cakes for me this week.  My first one was for Fisher Scientific's customer appreciation day.  This was my fifth year making their cake and each year it seems to get harder.  I feel like I'm running out of ideas.  The current rep doesn't give me a lot to go on which is frustrating as the rep I dealt with the first two years was so much more involved.  Anyhow, what I came up with this year was to do their logo as a marquee sign shining above some of the products that they sell.  The "F'" is RKT covered in chocolate to give it some stability before covering it in fondant.  The box of kimwipes is cake with edible images to cover it.  The bottle is RKT covered in fondant.  All the other details (gloves, weigh boat, scoopula and Sharpie) are all gumpaste.  The cake was very well received :-) 

My second cake was a very unique request from my friend Scott.  He needed a birthday cake for friend of his who was turning 30.  He said she is an RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) officer and LOVES Elvis so could I do Elvis in red serge (their dress uniform)?  I chose to do an older version of Elvis and am told she loved it!  As a side note this is in no way meant to disrespect the red serge so I hope nobody takes offense to it.

Pictures to follow as I never have any luck posting photos with text.

@kstevens ‍The Elvis cake it is awesome. I love your Fisher cake. What an amazing job. I can't believe the box of kimwipe is cake and the bottle is just perfect. Your work is always amazing.

@Marian64 ‍ thanks so much!

@whatthedogate ‍ what patience you had to place all those little stars along the red carpet!

@kstevens thank you! and wow on you cakes!  I really love the Elvis cake.  Did you airbrush that?  So talented!

@whatthedogate ‍ thank you for your kind words.  Elvis is actually drawn with edible marker.  I rolled the fondant really thin and then carefully drew him on and colored him.  For the blue steak in his hair I used a bit of vodka to get the fade from dark to light.  For his rings and bracelets I mixed gold luster dust with vodka and painted it on.  I then let him dry for a few days before having to cut him out and get him on the cake.

The cakes look amazing! @kstevens ‍ That drug company cake is amazing!! I remember the cake from last year and it was amazing too!

shdvl I just got a tip for glossy today...half corn syrup half vodka for the finishing glaze!

whatthedogate LOVE the movie cakes! What patience with those tiny gold stars!

Cat

Thanks @catlharper ‍ !  I'm starting to worry that the Fisher cakes are getting too repetitive in what I put on them but the rep doesn't seem to care which I find disappointing.

Any of you guys make pies?  I'm looking for a no fail pie crust recipe.  My dad has requested a "home made, no cheating  and buying the crust" cherry pie for his birthday. I hate making pastry.....uggghhh!

I make pies. Pie crusts are tough for me too. Best tips I have is to use ice water and cold butter to make flakier crust. Will add the recipe I use later when I am not headed to bed. 

Thank you Cat. Does anyone know how much alcohol will stay on the fondant? This is a kids cake after all and I hesitate to use the vodka due to that even if the fondant won't be eaten by many.

@kstevens ‍this is my go to pie crust. I don't remember the name of the cookbook but it had something to do with Mayberry .  

Opie's No-fail Pie Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. sugar

1 1/4 cups shortening

1 egg, slightly beaten

6 tbsp cold water

1 tbsp vinegar

In a bowl combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture until crumbly. Beat the egg, add water and vinegar to the egg, and blend the mixture into the flour mixture until all of the flour is moist. Do not over  beat. Sometime it's a good idea to let the mixture rest for 10 minutes to insure tenderness. Makes pastry for a 2-crust pie.

shdvl No worries about the alcohol...it evaporates off. Just let the cake dry. I use vodka all of the time on cakes when I paint them and there are no issues.

Cat

shdvl asked:  .....Does anyone know how much alcohol will stay on the fondant? This is a kids cake after all and I hesitate to use the vodka due to that even if the fondant won't be eaten by many.....

I know for years we were told that the alcohol evaps in baking but.....more recent studies have found at only about 1/2 does.  For an alcoholic this could be a major problem depending, of course, on the recipe - how much is used and how the person responds to it :(   As for using  it to paint on fondant for kids I don't think I would be too concerned as kstevens said.   

I have a question. I am doing a smash cake in November and am not sure what size to make it. I have reviewed this site and other and there is really no consensus.

I was thinking 4" or 5". She is a little thing and I think 6" would be way to big. Any suggestion?

Thanks in advance.

Marian

Sure a 5" would be ideal at least in my opinion.  I often made a single layer (2") 6"er. 

Thanks @kakeladi ‍ I was kind of leaning that way. Now I just need a 5" pan. 

This is my cake from this past week. It was a Home themed cake with coordinating colors. I made it a double barrel (my very first) for more servings, and the cake stood over 8 inches tall, which is my tallest single tier so far! Absolutely loved how it turned out! Considering they requested a plain white sheet cake with a Boov image on it originally. lol 

GIGGLEBOX2014  That is SO cute! I simply loved HOME! AH-dorable!

@catlharper ‍ Thanks! I love it also, so I was excited to do it! 

wow!!! fantastic cakes everyone!! this week i made my "beehive in the garden" cake. there were soooo many fiddly and time consuming bits for this cake!! but im pleased with how it came out

All your cakes are beautiful! 

Here are my cakes/cookies from this past weekend, a 10" vanilla, all buttercream and decorated cookies for a cosmetology student's 19th birthday, and an 8" strawberry cake and vanilla cupcakes with buttercream and fondant accents for a two year old that loves Minnie Mouse. 

shellbell181 That is just beautiful! I take it she raises or loves bees?

Carla83 I simply adore your Minnie cake! SOOO cute!

I begin baking today but nothing is due till Friday so it's a pretty lax day today! Hope you are all having a GREAT week!

Cat

I have noticed so many people having the same interests. I was in photography business for 30 years and have always adored baking and sewing too. So when I retired from photography year before last I opened my Cottage baking business.....must be a certain kind of brain we have or something......interesting correlation. 

I have the cookbook with the pastry recipe referenced. It's Aunt Bee's Mayberry Cookbook. Recipe on page 200. I've had this little cookbook for 30 yrs. it's a treasure.

@MamaGeese ‍ I think we all just have artistic brains and the art comes out in many forms!

Cat