The Perfectly Iced Cake

Fall means baking and with that decorated cakes. Cooler temps make it ideal to frost and decorate cakes and cupcakes. Every home baker should possess a variety of tools to create a creation worthy of any baking show competition.

One of the most important items to have is a turntable.Mine is an Ohuhu brand that is perfect for getting a smooth , even surface. Buy an icing spatula if you don't have one. It can even be bought at your local dollar store. Again this guarantees an even surface. You can also use a regular butter knife for this too if you want.

Another must have is an icing comb, This is a set from Cake Boss that I got from Target. It creates those elegant lines that bakery cakes have . These two create two entirely different designs with wavy squiggles or elegant lines. .

Every home bakers also needs this

This is one of my favorites. The Wilton Icer which is a dream to use. It can be used to create lush roses or delicate lines of leaves. It also makes lovely puffs of frosting on cupcakes, as well as filling them with cream. There are many attachments to create all sorts of  buds and blossoms. Unfortunately  it doesn't come with an icing nail. I had to buy those separately through Amazon.

As for the icing. I prefer a cream cheese frosting This one is from Allrecipes and it is a classic. I have used it not only on carrot cupcakes but also on chocolate ones as well.

1/2 cup softened butter (I prefer I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)

8 oz, cream cheese (Philadelphia Cream Cheese is the best)

3 1/2  to 4 cups confectioners sugar

2 tblespns good vanilla extract.

Beat butter and cream cheese until well blended. Slowly add confectioners sugar and vanilla. It will yield two cups. Double it if you;re planning on making a sheet cake. Add two or three tablespoons of extra confectioners sugar to a cup of reserved icing to make roses.

This is the season to start baking. Try your hand at creating a fancy cake for a fall soiree or party.It's easy to do if you have these tools. They'll aid you in making the picture perfect cake.

The Easter Cupcake Exravaganza

Easter is here and I wanted to do something fun yet familiar. Of course I chose cupcakes with that sinfully yummy cream cheese icing that I got from All Recipes' web site. Here's how it went down :

I used Duncan Hines' Devil's Food cake mix which is a little more intense than their average ones I 've previously used. The cupcakes had to be baked  five minutes more because of the batter's density.

I used the cute bunny and chick cupcake papers from Target.

This is raw

This is baked.

Here is that great icing being made.

I added two tiny drops of McCormack's food coloring red, (looks like the icing got cut and bled)

More blending with the electric mixer to get this blushy  shade of pink.

And voila! - Sprinkle on candy bunnies also for Target!!

HAPPY EASTER, EVERYONE!!!