Coconut Cupcakes {Bird Nest Cupcakes}

I am on a coconut kick lately. Last week, I made this coconut almond cake and I loved the flavor combination however, it wasn't coconut-y enough. So when my mother-in-law suggested I bring dessert to Easter dinner, my first thought was to make another coconut cake!

I started with a coconut cake recipe from Martha Stewart, grabbed some pastel speckled eggs and some sweetened coconut shavings. The recipe used cream of coconut, which is thicker than coconut milk and gives the cake a very coconut-y (Is that even a word?) flavor.

For the frosting, I made a coconut variation of my go-to SMB with an addition of coconut cream. I got two new cake stands this week (I have a problem, I know) and I was so excited to use them that I forgot to take the sticker off this one (whooops!).

 

To make the 'nest', I used Wilton tip 1M to pipe the frosting. Dusted with sweetened toasted flaked coconut and topped with the speckled 'eggs'. 

The cupcakes were very delicious and were a big hit at dinner. The frosting was a tad too sweet for me, so next time I might cut back on the coconut cream a bit or use unsweetened coconut flakes.

Happy Easter!

Coconut Almond Cake {and a little Announcement}

As I was preparing for this week's class on stacking cakes, I couldn't help but think of our recent wedding cake. Venturing down memory lane, it seemed as if the wedding cake was the easiest decision we made. Mr. J was very interested in partaking in this aspect, more so than in making the DIY card box or pocketfold invitations. In the end, we decided that I would be in charge of the exterior aesthetics of the cake while he took care of the inside.

After several hours on Pinterest, I decided on this (left; photo credit: weddingchannel.com) four-layered round cake for our wedding cake. I liked that it was simple and elegant as that was the theme of our entire wedding. Our flowers would be fuchsia pink sugar roses and we would have a cake topper instead of the floral bouquet.

Photo credit:  Vanessa Finch Photography

Our cake (right; photo credit @ Finch Photography) turned out beautiful! And it was exactly what I wanted. A family friend bakes and designs beautiful cakes and I am happy we asked her (Thanks Jolene! You can find her here). After several cake tastings, the hubby decided on a lemon cake with raspberry filling for the bottom layer, chocolate cake with chocolate ganache for the second and for the top cake he went with a coconut almond cake. All were very great combinations and I'm sure they tasted great on the day...but I wouldn't know since I didn't eat any.

So back to the cake stacking class that started this reminiscing. I was inspired by our wedding cake and decided to recapitulate it for this project. For the cakes, I made two 10" cakes for the bottom layer and two 6" cakes for the top. Both cakes were frosted with my go-to swiss meringue buttercream (SMB) with lime zest and lemon extract. The bottom cake is a new recipe that I'm sharing below. It's a coconut almond cake that I experimented with and it turned out moist and amazing!

For the floral arrangements, I made pink gumpaste roses and fondant leaves earlier in the week (while watching Criminal minds... I love that show!). I went for a much simpler piping design than our original wedding cake. After all, I'm only just starting and not a pro. In the end, I think the piping has lots of room for improvement and I will be working on that more. The roses turned out great and I am in love with them.

The small cake is also a test recipe for a purple velvet cake. Why purple? It has to do with my little announcement. I was asked to design and set-up a dessert table at a bridal shower this summer! I am super excited (and secretly scared...shh) and honored that the maid-of-honor hosting the shower (ahemmm Trista!) trusts me to pull this off. 

I am testing several variations for this purple velvet she requested and once I nail the recipe, I will share it here. Needless to say, there will be lots of posts on this first gig as we get closer to the summer. There are so many ideas racing through my mind and I am spending lots of hours on Pinterest trying to figure out how to bring them all to life on one small table.

Double Birthday Celebration!!

This week, Mr J's nieces were celebrating their birthdays and we were hosting a birthday dinner party at our new home for the girls! Obviously, I handled the desserts and the hubby tackled making dinner.

I decided to make two different cakes for the girls. Our youngest niece, Madison, was turning 12 and she is the most colorful young lady I have met. And to honor her, I made her a funky neon cake imploring my recently acquired fondant skills, seen here.

 

And for our other niece, Megan, I kept her decorations simple yet elegant as she was turning 19. The daisy and pastel sprinkles gave the cake a spring feeling (despite the 20 degrees weather we are experiencing now).

 

At their request, I made this chocolate cake with swiss meringue buttercream (recipe here) for the orange cake and this lemon cake for the other. Both girls loved their cakes and were excited to bring the rest home.

As we were watching 'Rise of the Guardians', I realized that just three years ago I meant Mr J's family for the first time. We had been dating for six months and he invited me to his nieces birthday party at his sister's house. I was so nervous but that was quickly put to rest by his welcoming family! I am so blessed to have them as in-laws. 

Hope you all have a great weekend!

 

Fun with Fondant

I just completed Course 3 (Gum Paste and Fondant) of the Wilton cake decorating series and here is my final cake project. It was inspired by my niece, Madison, and her love for bright neon colors.

Photo credit: Mr J aka the hubby

During this 4-week course, in addition to covering a cake with fondant, making bows and working with fun cut-outs, we learned how to make different flowers with gum paste and fondant. It was my first exposure to both and I must say I love working with gum paste, especially to make flowers. We had a go at daisies, roses, calla lilies, mums and carnations (which were my favorite). I will share these flowers later as I practice. I'm not sure if I am a fan of covering a cake completely with fondant yet even though I like how smooth it looks.

I would definitely recommend the Wilton cake decorating series for any beginner who would like to learn the basics of cake decorating from a professional.

Have a great weekend!!

Rose Cake {Ombre}

I came home this Friday to dinner on the table, a bottle of my favorite wine and flowers. It was our six months wedding anniversary and the hubby was celebrating. He is just too good!! Obviously, the date totally escaped me and I was not prepared as he was. I can't believe 6 months just went by this quick.

So, I decided to bake him a cake the next day in return. The roses he brought home inspired this last minute cake. I've seen the idea bounce around Pinterest for a while now and I figured I should give it a try. See my two favorites here and here. I figured it would only help improve my piping techniques or it could be a total disaster. Either way, Mr J will have a cake to enjoy.