A cake fiasco! [and fondant recipe]
Of course I announced my return to blogging the week before Ladybug's birthday! Apparently I failed to consider the amount of work her party would require [but more on that later].
First of all, a picture of the birthday girl herself [how much happier can a toddler be with a balloon and a 'preeeeettttyy' pink skirt?!]:
I can't believe she's 2. Wow. I know time flies faster as you get older, and I'm constantly hearing moms say "oh, it seems like just yesterday my kids were that age", but really?! My son already turns 7 weeks tomorrow!
Ok, enough of that. Want to hear about my cake fiasco?! This is the main reason I didn't come here last week... I thought that I'd bake the cake in advance so last minute I wouldn't be stressing out. So, about 4 days before I made a cake. Well, since [as you can see in the picture] I was making a double layered two tier cake, I actually made four cakes. They were tasty, but extremely dense; they didn't seem to cook through the middle. So I made another [only two this time]. Looked great, cooked well, tasted bland and was crumbly. Ew. I decided I'd had enough for one night and looked for another recipe the next day.
The next evening comes around and I try another recipe. Another failure! [two more cakes]. I give up for the evening, and make buttercream icing instead.
2 days to go and I attempt another cake. I'm seriously ready to scream when it comes out subpar. I've made numerous delicious chocolate cakes... why on earth is a white/vanilla so hard to handle?! I try another variation [failure] then move on to lemon curd for the filling [this is the reason why I wanted to do a white/vanilla cake instead of chocolate].
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Okkkay, calling a quick time out here from the cake fiasco [just 'cause it's a lot of text with no pictures!]. A request from Kimberly for pictures of my new little man got me thinking I should share... here he is!
***
It's now the day before the party, and not only am I prepping salads, cookies, treats, etc. [not to mention cleaning the house], but I'm back in the kitchen making another d*mn cake! This time I've given up trying to be Martha Stewart and have purchased boxed mix from the store. After reading about modifications I've also purchased pudding mix to add in. I am SO excited when the cakes come from the oven beautifully domed. I cut into the cupcake I made as a test and eagerly take a bite. UGH! It's fluffy and beautiful... but it's horrid! The flavour is lacking and it sticks to the roof of my mouth in a nasty thick lump. I give a bite to Fireman and he gives me a look like "What on earth happened here?!".
Ok, so I'm thinking 'maybe this brand doesn't like pudding mix!' I try again, this time following the directions to a 't'. I even time the mixer! Again, disaster. So, nearing bedtime, I send Fireman to the store to get a different brand. He comes home with something different than requested because the requested brand didn't have 'french vanilla', only 'vanilla'. He then chose an entirely different brand of plain 'vanilla'. Huh. I'll never understand his reasoning.
Anyway, third batch comes out. It looks good, it tastes a bit eggy, but it's late and I'm out of time! Fast forward through cooking time for the remaining layers to an emergency Safeway run at 11:50pm for more marshmallows for my fondant [thanks honey!], and I finally get to bed at 3 after making this:
All in all, the cake turned out ok. The lemon curd was delicious, I loved the icing [even the plain marshmallow fondant, flavoured lightly with lemon, was tasty!], and I'm glad it came together okay. It was my first time using fondant, and can I just say that there's a serious learning curve?! Don't look too close at the picture :P Ooh, and note for mamas planning to make roses for a cake: do NOT wait until the last minute! I made those roses about 5 days in advance. There's no way I could have pulled them off last minute and exhausted! Please learn from my experience.
Now I want to share my fondant recipe! I'd grown up thinking that fondant was a nasty hard layer that you peel off before eating the cake. I heard from my sister [an amazing cake decorator!] that marshmallow fondant is not only easier to make but more palatable... so I googled it! I'm so glad I did.
Here's the recipe I used [including my modifications]:
Marshmallow Fondant:
- 8 cups of mini marshmallows [or a 16oz bag. Can also use large marshmallows cut up]
-2-5 tbsps of water *modification: 2+ tsps of lemon extract! *
- 8 cups icing sugar, sifted before adding [or a 2 lb bag]
- ~ 1/2 cup of shortening
Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water [**or, lemon extract with a touch of water**] in a microwave or double boiler. If in microwave, stir between 30 second intervals. Mine took around 2 minutes total.
Place 3/4 of the icing sugar in a mixing bowl, and using the dough hook, mix in marshmallow goo. Add remaining sugar and mix until well blended. [This can also be mixed by hand, though it's considerably messier- take off your rings and coat your hands well in shortening!]
Coat hands and counter in a thin layer of shortening, and knead the fondant. Add paste colouring and knead/roll to combine evenly. Microwave for 10 seconds if it starts to harden, or add a touch of water [literally, only a drop at a time!] if it starts to feel a bit 'crusty' or crystallizes a touch.
Now... does anyone have a white or vanilla cake recipe to share?! I'm determined to make a great one one day... maybe for my birthday next month! I'd also love to see cakes you've made- leave me a link!











































