Beach Boy Birthday

Happy Birthday Bobby!

Beach time fun!  Tutorials for beach pieces can be found here:Beach Tutorials

Fondant Dahlia Tutorial #2

Remember this post Fondant Dahlia Tutorial and how I promised I'd tell you how to add extra color to your fondant pieces?   I'm back to tell you how.

Using a new food safe spray bottle fill with about 1/4 cup vodka. I use a very small mister bottle that I found at Sur La Table a while back.  Add dye to the vodka and make it as dark as you wish.  Shake the bottle so it mixes well.  Make sure to spray in an area that you can clean up the dye. I did mine in my stainless steel kitchen sink. If you have porcelin you may want to do it over a bowl to protect your sink or even a piece of cardboard. Put on a glove and spray your fondant piece.  Let it dry for 24-36 hours. 

Here's my dahlia before & after

Happy Birthday Frank - Part 2

Along with the EYE CANDY cupcakes.. I'm also dropping off some regular double chocolate cream filled cupcakes.  

Happy Birthday Frank!

Frank asked for EYE CANDY for his Birthday so EYE CANDY it is!  I saw some cookies online that were shaped like a butt so I used fondant and tried to do the same. I used a heart cutter and then cut off the bottom of the heart. I used royal icing to make the panties.   I know he will turn every shade of red when he see's these.  I think I'll drop them off to him at work tomorrow and RUNNNNNNNNNNN!

Happy Birthday FRANKIE!!

Cupcake Camp Santa Barbara 2010

The judges

Yesterday I attended my first ever Cupcake Camp.  It was held at the Fess Parker Double Tree Resort in Santa Barbara.  I went with my friend Kim & my Grams and we had a great time. I'm thankful that Shanna at http://www.acupfullofcake.blogspot.com/ told me that the Cupcake Camp was going to be held in Santa Barbara.
Cupcake Camp was presented by Cupcakes for Cancer, a non- profit created by 13 yr old Blakely Colvin.  The event was run by volunteers and the $10 door donation raised funds for Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara. Everyone was so helpful and really made it a great experience.   We paid our donation at the door and received 4 tickets. The tickets were good for 1 regular cupcake or 2 mini cupcakes. We tried to get mini's so we could taste a little bit of everything.  You could purchase more tickets if you wanted more cupcakes.  

There was alot to do at Cupcake Camp. They had cupcake tasting, a frosting bar, a baking competition for amateurs/kids//professionals, cupcake eating contest, a cake auction, a dress party fashion show by Betsy Johnson, a runway parade, a Cupcake craft boutique and Whole Foods gave away ice cold milk.  They also had a raffle which none of us won. 

We took all the cupcakes to my house so we could taste test at our leisure.   We all agreed that the vanilla cupcake with raspberry filling & raspberry buttercream was our absolute favorite. It was moist & light..full of raspberry flavor (unfortunately we can't recall the name of the vendor. We know it was the 3rd booth on the right side of the banquet room but that is it.)   I think my 2nd favorite was the Spiced Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcake from Bella Dolce Bakery.   We had margarita cupcakes, coconut key lime curd cupcakes, peaches n' cream, peanut butter, pumpkin spice, chocolate fudge and  lemon curd cupcakes. We also got to sample a lemon meringue cupcakes from Enjoy! Los Olivos.  So many vendors, so many cupcakes and so little memory.  Next time I go, I will take a picture of each booth so I remember important details. 

The only thing I think that would have made it a more pleasant experience is to be held in a larger room.  The banquet room was too small for the number of people, plus a stage and seating.  It felt a little cramped and we spent a lot of time trying to get through the crowd of people but overall it was a great turn out for an awesome cause & well worth the $10 donation.

Lucy Blue Peaches N Cream

Pumpkin Spice

Cake for Auction

Cake for Auction

Bella Dolce Bakery

Bella Dolce Bakery

Enjoy! Cupcakes from Los Olivos, CA

Our favorite cupcake..Vanilla cupcake with raspberry filling & raspberry buttercream

Ready to do a tasting

Nothing but liners left

Cupcake Camp Santa Barbara

I'm headed here now...  and will be blogging about it when I return!

Wedding checklist ..mark 2 things off

13 days until my cousin's wedding... which means I have 10 days to complete fondant flowers and everything that needs to be done before I drive north for the wedding, leaving 8/5 to bake & make up my frosting.  Today was a great day...after 2 trips to Michael's I finally completed the cupcake stand. and the fondant confetti.  In the next few weeks I'll do a tutorial on the fondant confetti. It is sooooooo easy & great if you need a custom mix. 

  
   

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Fondant Dahlia Tutorial

I made these for a wedding last September.  My cousin is getting married on 8/7 and asked me to make 1/2 the cupcakes with dahlias on top.  I've been working on them each night after work hoping to make 10-15 a night so I will be done with them in a week.  I store them in Sterilite containers that I found at Target.  I will be transporting all my fondant flowers, cupcakes & frosting to the wedding location, 7 hours north and decorating them there.  I'm afraid finished cupcakes would not do very well traveling that far with the weight of the fondnat on top of buttercream. 

You will need:

foam

vodka or gumpaste glue

paint brush

colored fondant

rolling pin with 1/8" rings

2" circle cutter

large & medium petals from Wiltons 32 piece flower kit

baller

wax paper

rolling mat

First roll your fondant out 1/8" thick

Cut a circle out

Place the circle on piece of wax paper

Brush the circle with vodka or gumpaste glue on the outside edge

Cut 28 large petals out

Lay the petals on your foam

Dust the petals with cornstarch & powder sugar to prevent sticking

Using the baller thin the petals

Start attaching the petals to the outer edge

Continue until you have 1 row around, 10 petals around

Brush vodka or gumpaste glue on the tips of the petals for your next row

Squeeze the tip of the petal

Lay the 2nd row petal on top of the 1st one, overlapping less 1/8"

Continue until the 2nd row is complete, 8 petals around

Brush center with vodka or gumpaste glue

attach next row of petals 1/8" in from the 2nd row

continue until you have petals all around, 6 petals

Bush with vodka or gumpaste glue

Cut out 8 medium size petals

Dust with cornstarch & powder sugar

Use your baller & think the medium petals

add a little vodka or gumpate glue

Pinch the petal tip and attach the 4th row petals, 5 petals

Last row

brush with vodka or gumpaste glue

add the 5th row petal until you have 5 petals around

Add 2 more petals to the center

Last petal, brush a little vodka or gumpaste glue

squeeze the petal like this

Place the petal in the middle like this

Using a sharp object or knife, press down in the middle to attach

Notice the curcle under the wax paper? I made that so I make sure to keep all my petals inside the circle..so they are uniform in size when I am done.

and you are done! 

when I am done with 100 dahlias I will show you how I apply dye to give them a little more color.

If you have questions, please email me and I'll help you