Marshmallow Fondant Cake + Fun at the Lake!

***This weekend, eight dear friends from high school had the chance to get together at the lake...for a weekend of reminiscing and LOTS of fun. We were all cheerleaders together in high school, and it was so great to catch up with everyone. We're so blessed to have had the opportunity to do this...especially since most of us live in different cities and states. Hopefully, we'll get to do it more often.

Before the big weekend arrived, I made a yummy fondant cake...I used THIS Strawberry Cake recipe from Paula Deen (still my favorite!). I also made homemade Marshmallow Fondant for the very first time! I wish I had photos of the fondant-making...it was pretty hilarious. A sticky mess....that's probably the best way to describe it...Haha. Once you start kneading the mixture together, you're pretty committed...there's no going back. I can't stress enough the importance of greasing both your hands and your countertop with plenty of shortening...this tip is vital!

Overall, I was extremely pleased with the way the fondant came out. It was easy to work with and covered the cake beautifully. The store-bought fondant doesn't even compare to the homemade marshmallow fondant. The taste of marshmallow fondant is definitely MUCH better. Plus, it's SO much cheaper than the store-bought variety. To color the fondant, simply add the food coloring to the melted marshmallows...before adding the confectioner's sugar. Also, just be patient when kneading it...it will take some time, but it will eventually come together into a beautiful ball of fondant.***

I found the following Marshmallow Fondant recipe HERE.

MM (Marshmallow) Fondant Recipe
Ingredients:

16 ounces white mini-marshmallows (use a good quality brand)

2 to 5 tablespoons water

2 pounds icing sugar (a.k.a. confectioner's sugar)

1/2 cup Crisco shortening (you will be digging into it so place in a very easily accessed bowl)

Directions:

NOTE: Please be careful, this first stage can get hot.
Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler: Put the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open microwave and stir again, and continue doing this until melted. It usually takes about 2 1/2 minutes total. Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix.

Now grease your hands GENEROUSLY (palms, backs, and in between fingers), then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle. (By the way, this recipe is also good for your hands. When I’m done, they are baby soft.)
Start kneading like you would bread dough. You will immediately see why you have greased your hands. If you have children in the room they will either laugh at you or look at you with a questioning expression. You might even hear a muttered, “What are you doing?”

Keep kneading, this stuff is sticky at this stage! Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant starts sticking. If the mix is tearing easily, it is to dry, so add water (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time and then knead it in). It usually takes me about 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.

It is best if you can let it sit, double wrapped, overnight (but you can use it right away if there are no tiny bits of dry powdered sugar). If you do see them, you will need to knead and maybe add a few more drops of water.

Prepare the fondant for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic-type wrap product and then put it in a re-sealable or Ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible.

MM Fondant will hold very well in the refrigerator for weeks. If I know that I have a cake to decorate, I usually make two (2) batches on a free night during the week so it is ready when I need it. Take advantage of the fact that this fondant can be prepared well in advance.

A Tiered Baby Shower Cake!!!

I was SO excited to cater my sister-in-law's recent baby shower. I was thrilled to have another chance to make a tiered cake. She's having a little girl, so there was no question what kind of cake it would be...a pretty-in-pink strawberry cake! I used my very favorite cake recipe - Paula Deen's "Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake." This recipe is SO amazing....it's super easy and always comes out moist and perfect. The real strawberries and cream cheese frosting really make this a stellar cake!

I was also excited to use fondant again...this was only my second time using it. I still haven't perfected the technique, but I was still very happy with the finished cake. It got a lot of "Ooohs" and "Ahhhs" when I took it out of the box! :)

You may remember my very first tiered cake, which was THIS WEDDING CAKE.

I had a lot of fun decorating this one...especially since I used a combination of stripes and circles. I wanted it to be cute and classy! The sheer pink ribbon tied it all together beautifully and the baby blocks on the top tier were the perfect finishing touch.

I also made punch and Cheesecake Pops for the shower. Below, I've included a picture of the cheesecake pops...they are always just as cute as a button! This is the second baby shower I've made these pops for. I also made them for baby Sebastian HERE. They are perfect for this type of event, because you can customize them with any color chocolate or ribbon....plus, they always disappear fast! You can see my original Cheesecake Pops post HERE, which includes a link to the recipe...they are really fun to make!!!

Mounds Bar Cake - Heaven on a Plate!!!

***This, my lovely readers is one decadent cake!!! Recently, we celebrated Brad's mom's birthday. She gave me a birthday cake challenge, and I was so excited to try something new. She requested a chocolate and coconut cake....something inspired by a delicious Mounds Bar. Well, below you'll see my final creation. I used this Coconut Cream Cake as the basic cake recipe, which is simply divine. The texture is wonderfully scrumptious and it has just the right amount of coconut flavoring.

Instead of the usual coconut icing in between the layers, I did something extra special. Over a double boiler, I melted chopped Mounds Bars, added some marshmallows and heavy cream...and Voila! The chocolate filling turned out A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!! I was so thrilled with the results.

This cake didn't last long! I love the coconut icing on this cake because it isn't very heavy. It's made with freshly whipped cream. I do have to add a disclaimer, though...if you're on a diet, stay away from this cake...Haha. It's definitely not low calorie, but it's worth every single one!!!***

Coconut Cream Cake

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. butter flavoring (I couldn't find this at the grocery store, so I substituted it with a little extra vanilla extract)
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. sugar
Coconut Frosting (recipe below)
3 cups flaked coconut

Directions:
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add 2 cups sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Combine flour and baking powder; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix at low speed after each addition until blended. Stir in flavorings. Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Combine water and 1 tbsp. sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes. Let it cool, and then spoon sugar mixture over cake layers.

Stack layers, spreading about 1 cup Coconut Frosting between layers, and sprinkling 1/2 cup coconut on frosting between layers. Spread remaining Coconut Frosting on top and sides of cake, and sprinkle with remaining coconut.

Store in refrigerator.

Coconut Frosting:
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. coconut extract
2 drops of butter flavoring (again, I substituted with vanilla extract)

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until a soft, creamy frosting forms. This process may take a while....don't give up! I added a little extra powdered sugar to make the frosting a tiny bit thicker.

Source: The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook

Mounds Bar Filling:
30 mini Mounds Bars, chopped
5-6 tbsp. heavy cream
10 large marshmallows

Over a double boiler, melt the Mounds Bars. Add the cream and marshmallows, and then stir well until all ingredients are melted. The mixture should come together to form a nice, thick and shiny filling. You may have to play with the amounts a little bit, until the mixture comes to the desired consistency. Divide the filling in half and spread over the top of the bottom two cake layers.

Orange Cardamom Cake

***Boy, am I glad it's Friday! The weather has been so rainy here lately in Alabama. It seems like it has rained for 2 weeks straight. I won't complain about it, though...last year's drought is certainly non-existent now! I'm so glad for that!

This Orange Cardamom Cake definitely brightened up our rainy days last weekend! One of my favorite flavor combos recently has been orange and cardamom. Mmm, Mmm...My love affair with cardamom and orange started with one of our Daring Bakers' challenges. You might remember it...the Danish Pastry Braid. I've loved the combo ever since!

Brad's sweet Grandmother recently requested an Orange Cake...I was thrilled for the challenge! I didn't have an Orange Cake recipe, but I had something in mind. I envisioned a beautiful Bundt cake, with orange glaze dripping down the sides. When I found this recipe from Cooking Light, I knew I had found the one!

I did make a few minor changes to the original recipe. First, I added a little extra cooking oil to the batter after reading the recipe reviews. Some of the reviewers mentioned that the cake could use a little bit more moisture. I'm so glad that I added extra...the texture was great. Next time, I might even add a little extra orange juice. I also added some extra grated orange peel to the glaze. The specs of orange looked beautiful on the cake! To top it off, I added even more freshly grated orange peel. The results were gorgeous...I was thrilled! Everyone really enjoyed this one!!!***

Ingredients:
Cake:
Cooking spray (I use "Pam for Baking" spray...It's got flour in it and works wonders!!!)
3 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
2/3 cup canola oil (I used 3/4 cup instead!)
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1-2 tbsp. freshly grated & minced orange rind

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, coat a 10-inch tube pan or Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour. Set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. Add 3/4 cup orange juice, canola oil, orange rind, lemon rind, vanilla, and eggs to flour mixture; beat with a mixer at low speed until well combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.

Spoon batter into prepared cake pan, spreading evenly. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan.

To prepare glaze, combine 1 cup of powdered sugar, 4 1/2 teaspoons orange juice, and lemon juice in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over warm cake; cool cake completely on wire rack.

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Bobby's Caramel Cake - Paula Deen

***Caramel...Butter...Fluffy Cake Layers...Decadent Filling...Pecans...Paula Deen...Need I say more??? Haha.

I recently made this cake for a co-worker's birthday. He printed this recipe out for me a long time ago, so I decided to surprise him with it on his big day. The results were nothing short of scrumptiously decadent! The cake came out fluffy and perfect. The caramel filling added a beautifully warm taste, and the frosting was the perfect sweet addition.

Next time I make this cake, I think I'll wait to make the frosting right before adding it to the cake. I noticed that it started to harden pretty quickly. After reading the reviews, I realized a lot of people were having this problem. One solution might be to decrease the amount of confectioner's sugar in the frosting. I ended up adding a little extra cream.

Overall, the taste was amazing. I can't think of a better way to top this cake off than with pecans...they were divine. This cake was completely gone by the end of the day! Paula never fails to impress with her DELICIOUS cake recipes!***

Ingredients:
For the cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
3 cups sifted self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the filling:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream, or more if needed
1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Directions:
For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add granulated sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4-inches above counter dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

For the filling:
While cake is baking, in a saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, and milk. Cook and stir over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Remove cake layers from oven and allow cake to remain in pans as you prepare to stack and fill. Remove first layer and invert onto cake plate. Pierce cake layer with a toothpick over entire surface. Spread 1/3 of filling mixture on cake layer. Top with second layer, repeat process. Top with last layer and repeat process again.

*Cook's Note: As I stack layers together, I stick them with toothpicks to prevent cake from shifting.

For the frosting:
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and stir in brown sugar and cream. Bring to a boil, and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat with a handheld electric mixer until it reaches a spreading consistency. At this time it may be necessary to add a tablespoon of heavy cream, or more, if frosting gets too thick. Just be sure to add cream is small amounts because you can always "add to", but you can't take away. Frost cake and sprinkle top with chopped nuts, if desired.

Source: Paula Deen - www.foodnetwork.com

The Daring Bakers Conquer Cheesecake!

***The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Before this month's Daring Bakers Challenge, I had only made cheesecake a few times. There's something about cheesecake that makes you think it's complicated. However, it really isn't hard at all. The trick comes in getting the cheesecake to be the perfect consistently, while keeping it from cracking. If it's over-cooked, it's sure to crack...be careful!

This recipe truly is delicious! It is smooth, creamy, and simply scrumptious! You can get as creative as you want with it. I topped my cheesecake with a simple blueberry pie filling, and freshly sliced lemon was the perfect finishing touch. I loved the color contrast of the blue and yellow on the top of the cake.

If you're a cheesecake fan, you've got to try this recipe!***

Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake:

CRUST:

2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs

1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted

2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

CHEESECAKE:

3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature

1 cup / 210 g sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)

1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil "casserole" shaped pans from the grocery store. They're 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.

Prep notes: While the actual making of this cheesecake is a minimal time commitment, it does need to bake for almost an hour, cool in the oven for an hour, and chill overnight before it is served. Please plan accordingly!

Decadent "Chocolate Valentino" Cake

It's Daring Bakers time again!!!

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

This was the PERFECT dessert to make for Valentine's Day. I actually baked it in a heart-shaped pan. I've never made a cake with fewer ingredients...at only 3 items long, the ingredients list made me do a double-take. I had heard of flourless cakes, and I've been wanting to try one. It's super simple to make, and the results are down-right decadent! It's more dense than a normal cake...it won't have the spongy texture that you might be used to with a regular layer cake. However, nothing beats a warm piece of cake with vanilla ice cream melting down the sides!

How was your Valentine's Day this year? I hope it was fabulous!!! Brad cooked his traditional Valentine's Day dinner for me...his Famous Spaghetti. It was SO good!

Chocolate Valentino

(a.k.a. Flourless Chocolate Cake)

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter

5 large eggs separated

Directions:

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.

3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.

4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).

5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.

6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}

8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C

9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C. Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.

10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Dharm's Ice Cream Recipe

Classic Vanilla Ice Cream

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Recipe comes from "The Ice Cream Book" by Joanna Farrow and Sara Lewis (tested modifications and notes in parentheses by Dharm)

Ingredients:

1 Vanilla Pod (or substitute with vanilla extract)

300ml / ½ pint / 1 ¼ cups Semi Skimmed Milk – in the U.S. this is 2% fat (or use fresh full fat milk that is pasteurised and homogenised {as opposed to canned or powdered}). Dharm used whole milk.

4 large egg yolks

75g / 3oz / 6 tbsp caster sugar {superfine sugar can be achieved in a food processor or use regular granulated sugar}

5ml / 1 tsp corn flour {cornstarch}

300ml / ½ pint / 1 ¼ cups Double Cream (48% butter fat) {in the U.S. heavy cream is 37% fat){you can easily increase your cream's fat content by heating 1/4 cup of heavy cream with 3 Tbs of butter until melted - cool to room temperature and add to the heavy cream as soon as whisk marks appear in the cream, in a slow steady stream, with the mixer on low speed. Raise speed and continue whipping the cream) or use heavy cream the difference will be in the creaminess of the ice cream.

Directions:

1. Using a small knife slit the vanilla pod lengthways. Pour the milk into a heavy based saucepan, add the vanilla pod and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and leave for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to infuseLift the vanilla pod up. Holding it over the pan, scrape the black seeds out of the pod with a small knife so that they fall back into the milk. SET the vanilla pod aside and bring the milk back to the boil.

2. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and corn-flour in a bowl until the mixture is thick and foamy.

3. Gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over a gentle hear, stirring all the time

4. When the custard thickens and is smooth, pour it back into the bowl. Cool it then chill.

5. By Hand: Whip the cream until it has thickened but still falls from a spoon. Fold it into the custard and pour into a plastic tub or similar freeze-proof container. Freeze for 6 hours or until firm enough to scoop, beating it twice (during the freezing process – to get smoother ice cream or else the ice cream will be icy and coarse)By Using and Ice Cream Maker: Stir the cream into the custard and churn the mixture until thick (follow instructions on your ice cream maker)

Mouth-Watering Mocha Cupcakes

***I was chatting with one of my little sisters, Suzanne, the other day, and she told me about the fabulous Mocha Cupcakes that she was in the process of making. Well, of course I had to get the recipe! She sent it to me via e-mail, and I decided to leave the extra notes that she wrote at the bottom...I thought they were cute...LOL.

Needless to say, these cupcakes really did turn out to be fabulous...and very easy to make! I actually had some buttercream icing stashed in the fridge from the wedding cake that I made last week, so I used that instead of whipped cream. Suzanne bought a jar of pre-made icing to use on hers. Just use your favorite...you can't go wrong with any kind of icing!

Enjoy!***

YUM...just look at the inside of that cupcake!

Mocha Cupcakes with Whipped Cream:

Source: "Perfect Chocolate" by Parragon Publishing

Ingredients:

2 tbsp instant expresso

6 tbsp butter

3/8 cup superfine sugar

1 tbsp honey

1 cup water

1 5/8 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

3 tbsp milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Whipped Topping:

1 cup whipping cream

Unsweetened cocoa for dusting

1. Put the coffee powder, butter, sugar, honey, and water in a pan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. pour into a large heatproof bowl and let cool.

2. When the mixture has cooled, sift in the flour and cocoa. Dissolve the baking soda in the milk, then add to the mixture with the egg and beat togerther until smooth. Spoon the batter into the paper cases.

3. Bake the cupcakes in a preheated oven at 350*F for 15-20 minutes.

4. For topping, whisk the cream in a bowl until it holds its shape.

NOTES:

I just had to leave my sister's extra notes below...I thought they were cute. :)

"Okie dokie there it is..... the recipe calls for using the little bitty cupcake tins but i just used the big ones and it made one serving...but I had a lot of battter so they are huge. =] Oh and another note... I used 3 tbsp of instant cappuchino and added about 1/4 of a cup more sugar.. just taste the batter and see if it needs to be sweeter =]"

Thanks again, Suzie for the recipe...I love ya!!!

Here we are at my wedding...I've always liked this shot of us...

Yep...that's us goofing off...haha...

Introducing: My First Wedding Cake!!!!

I know I've been a little MIA for the past week or so...but, I've got a good excuse...I promise! I recently got the opportunity to bake my very first wedding cake. And let me just tell you...it was quite the undertaking! I've never done it before, so I did a lot of research into the whole process. After all, I couldn't imagine anything worse than having the cake topple over mid-reception. But, I am ecstatic to report that there were absolutely no cake mishaps. I even did okay working with fondant for the first time. I was nervous about that too...I hadn't worked with it before, but it looked easy enough...kind of. After over 20 hours of reading, mixing, tasting, rolling, stirring, zesting and baking...I ended up with the fabulous four-tiered concoction that you see here. I got the design idea from Wilton. In fact, we bought almost all of the supplies from the Wilton aisle at Michael's Arts & Crafts.

I started on Monday, with a test cake. The result was good, but a little plain and a tad dry. I decided to try again on Tuesday night with another test cake. But this time, I added fresh lemon zest and lemon juice. The cake just needed *something*. The lemon was PERFECT! I think it added a fantastic flavor....definitely not just another wedding cake. The buttercream icing recipe that I used was equally great. The best part about the icing was that it was pretty easy to make. And get this...I made 16 batches of icing on Tuesday night...no, that isn't a typo....SIXTEEN batches! LOL. I was quite literally up to my elbows in buttercream. I can think of worse things to be up to my elbows in, though...LOL.

On Wednesday night, I made the top two tiers. I also frosted them and added the ribbon & fondant. On Thursday night, I made the bottom two tiers, frosted them both, and added ribbon & fondant to one. I ran out of time and had to add the fondant to the last tier on Friday night. I had to have most everything done before Friday evening, because we had to attend the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner on Friday night. I was the queen of multi-tasking at this wedding...I was the cake baker, a bridesmaid, and I even took some wedding photos. It was a busy day, but it was so much fun!

At the end of the day, baking a wedding cake takes an incredible amount of time and patience. However, seeing the finished cake was overwhelming...I had NO idea that I was capable of such a feat. It was such a great feeling seeing it all set up at the reception hall. Hopefully, this won't be the last one that I bake. I LOVED the entire process! :)

Look at all those ingredients!!!

Rolling the fondant...

Adding the fondant to the cake...who knew a can of yams could be so helpful?

Top two tiers completed!

I did a test run the night before the wedding day...just to make sure it wouldn't topple over!

Putting it all together at the reception...

Classic White Cake
Ingredients:
6 cups cake flour sifted
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened
3 cups granulated sugar
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 egg whites

***Zest & juice from 4 lemons
Cake Release
Makes: 12 cups of cake batter.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease bottom of pans and line with waxed paper or parchment paper, or use Cake Release. (Click here for complete instructions on preparing baking pans.)

Sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest & juice. Mix well. Set aside. Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Set aside. With mixer at slow speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately with milk. Beat well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Gently fold egg whites into batter. Pour into prepared pans. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Buttercream Icing
Ingredients:
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk
Makes: About 3 cups of icing.

Directions:
(Medium Consistency)
In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

For thin (spreading) consistency icing, add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.
For Pure White Icing (stiff consistency), omit butter; substitute an additional 1/2 cup shortening for butter and add 1/2 teaspoon No-Color Butter Flavor. Add up to 4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk to thin for icing cakes.

Source: Wilton Tiered Cakes