Nine months, boys and girls, that how long I was in the Pastry program at ICE, and what do I have to show for it? Everything! For starters how about my final project! A celebration cake complete with gum paste flowers! I’m quite proud of my flowers, I can’t believe my stubby fingers made them!

Going back to school (I have a Bachelor’s in Digital Design) was hard work, I was working full time, going to school 3 nights a week, losing my Sunday nights, volunteering at Food events, trailing to find my externship, writing essays on the different components of laminate dough amongst a lot other little essays that covered topics I wasn’t even aware were topics at all until school started.  Hard work, however, that paid off! I am happy as a Clam (whatever that actually means!), and the externship I chose has been great.

Ready for more cake shots? Even the back is cool!

I could talk write forever, the radio version is that this was an amazing experience, and it’s only the start, I have so much to learn still. (Like piping large shells, seriously I couldn’t pipe decent Shells if my life depended on it!)

Edit: I’d like to add that this cake’s Color Palette was inspired by Alphonse Mucha’s Reverie (below),I have been obsessed with Art Nouveau since forever!

Strawberry Mirroir! My favorite cake so far! Pretty and Delicious!

Dobostorte, so pretty I wish I had a picture of the full cake.

This was my favorite cake, taste wise, it’s the Horseradish Grill Chocolate Cake, it’s insanely good. The decorations, however, are actually the wrong use of the star tip.

The next cake is a white lemon scented cake and in case you missed it was my first cake. Please cut me some slack on my chocolate writing it was my first time, doing so.

I don’t know about you but I’m still thinking about that Mad men finale! I’ve baked Mad Men themed goodies before, but this time around I present you this awesome Mad Men cake by Jen’s Cakery! (Also checkout here awesome Flickr) I love the Ash Tray!

So I don’t want to say anything Spoilerrific, so here are my only comments:

1. What?
2. What?
3. I love Peggy and Joan.
4. Really Betty?
5. What?
6. I need to watch it again.
7. No more Mad Men til next year?!?!?

ps: please keep any comments spoiler free.

Last year I made two Dora Cakes, this year the same very special “clients” requested a Pooh and a Piglet Cake. Improvements from last year included an X-Acto knife and Food Sharpies Food Writers! Look how cute they turned out!

I started by looking for my templates, I looked up coloring pages online that had both Piglet and Pooh in the same image, so I’d have the correct proportions in relation to each other.

After that, as you can see above, I cut them up like a puzzle, dyed the fondant accordingly (bought a little Pooh kit) and with my spiffy brand X-acto knife cut out the puzzle pieces and drew the missing elements with the Food writer.

I then placed them on the cakes. The Piglet cake was white cake with Chocolate Ganache, I wanted to have a “safe” option since it was a kids party and the Pooh Cake was white cake with Ginger Honey Cream filling and “No Cook” Seven Minute Frosting. In the end the more “adventurous” cake had more takers than the safe one, it was pretty good, I have to say!

I’m also in love with those Edible Glitter stars!
It’s Official, I start attending Pastry School on May 17th!

I haven’t done a “Product I ♥” since last April, doesn’t mean my pan collection has been at a standstill! These pretty bug shaped cakes above (next to naked Mad Men cupcakes) were a cinch to make!  My awesome friend (and perpetual baking class buddy) Dessert-o-licious gave me the Nordic Ware Backyard Bugs Pan as a very cool birthday present. Look how cute it is!

If you are anything like me, after the cuteness factor wears off, you start to think “those those little ridges aren’t going work…”  but it was quite the opposite! Those cute as a button mini cakes pictured came out perfectly with just Pam. There’s also a silicone version of this pan available, but I am weary of silicone and this one works very well. Do you have this pan? I haven’t been able to frost them nicely yet, I spared you the frosting carnage picture… That’s a future project!