And the final cake of the course!

So today was the last class of the course and I have to say that I am pretty happy with my cake. I am still very clearly a "beginner" but with some more practice I'm sure I can continue to improve!

My First "JOB"!!!

So I am very excited that I have been commissioned to make my very first birthday cake...and by commissioned I meaned "asked nicely" (thank you Kathryn!!) and by excited I mean "freaking ecstatic!!". I will be making the cake for a friends daughter's birthday in August and wil have it prepared for August 22nd!! I am so excited and I hope that I can do a great job...I am very pleased with this opportunity to pratice developing this skill.

On that note, I have decided that I want to make cakes for whomever needs them for whatever occassion (except wedding because seriously no one wants a "practice" wedding cake)....as this way it will help me get better while at the same time meaning that I don't have to grow fat eating all sorts of cake that is hanging around the house. Now to just find some willing victims....I mean participants...

I had some of Oliver's preschool friends over for a visit today and decided that this was the perfect occasion for a cake! (Isn't every occasion perfect for a cake though??). This cake is dedicated to Martha...my lone blog follower (shout out to Martha!!) who inspired me with her boat cake...I didn't do quite as well as hers and mine is seriously lacking some detail but here it is!

Attempt number two!

So I am a bit more pleased with this latest attempt. I realized though, a little too late, that in my attempt to make a less 'rip-able' icing, I added a bit too much water and it became too thin and slippery. This means that it didn't 'crust' quite the way it should have and I was not able to smooth it out like I would have wanted. Oh well...I'm sure it still quite edible!! This cake is going with the kids to the sitter's house tomorrow.

**note...the reason that it says "Mr Sun" is because Oliver and I both enjoy singing "Mr Sun, Sun, Mr Golden Sun, please shine down on me...." and I was thinking of Oliver while making the cake!

I have made a decision!

So, initially after making such a mess of my first cake (seriously that is a cupcake on the top of the cake, not a blob of doodie as one might imagine)...I ended up feeling quite depressed.....actually, really really depressed. And I think what made me depressed is the fact that I am trying to work on keeping my weight down yet I need to clearly make 1 or 2 cakes a week to practice on and having that much cake around the house is just insane. So what I have decided is that I am going to make at least two cakes a week and then just give them away to those around me. Even if they don't want cake, that is too damn bad because I need practice! Luckily my daycare provider has been gracious enough to accept a cake made by me and I will be making it for her on Sunday. I will post pictures of it here...and I hope it turns out okay because this is the woman I entrust my children to 5 days a week...I don't want to disappoint!!

First Decorated Cake. Status:FAIL!!

Ummm...yeah....so apparently I suck at this whole 'cake decorating' thing. It seems that it is much harder to decorate a cake than it is to eat it!

I will post a picture of the cake here only because my purpose is to document my "journey into cake decorating" and everyone must start some where right??

Now, as unappealing as the cakes looks, I have to say it was delicious. Really...it was!!

The Icing on the cake......

.....is really freakin' yummy!!!

Tonight I made two batches of icing for my cake. One batch is for the all over icing and the other is for decorative purposes (oh look at my fancy lingo!! hahahaha). It was very fun and easy to make the icing....granted it is just the standard icing...nothing to fancy, but once I get more confident I am going to spice things up a little....I might even venture into making CHOCOLATE icing.

Good Lord I am so daring.

So,...I think the people at "Michaels" are getting to know me on a "postal code" name basis....I have been there almost every day since deciding to follow my passion into cake baking. This is getting dangerously expensive and I fear the shopping has only just begun!!

This is going to break me....

So since starting the course I have been a mad shopaholic for anything cake decor related. Its insane. Sure, the course is $22, but then when you realize you need to buy supplies....and you realize how FUN shopping and purchasing said supplies is....it all really adds up quick.

I had the family out shopping with me Thursday evening as I had multiple 50% off coupons that were burning a hole in my pocket. I had both Josh and Jeff use a coupon each so that we could get THREE whole items at the discounted price.....it was bliss...yet I still managed to spend over $100 in the one trip. Then I went back today with a good friend and I have her my debit card and a 40% off coupon and made her buy me something while I also made a purchase (the coupons are only good for one item per person per day...hence the need for other shoppers to attend with me!!). I will be taking photographic evidence of my recent shopping sprees shortly before it all becomes very well used.

And the good news is.....I still have MORE coupons!!!

The beginning....

So, (and I will likley start many a posts with 'so' as this generally how I talk...and how my 3 year old now talks...little copy cat)...I have started my very first cake decorating course. I am disappointed to report that we did not decorate or eat any cakes today! Geez! We had to start with decorating a cookie...well not even decorate it...but practice making the 'stars' on the cookie with our icing. I did not take any pictures of my finished product to post because frankly I ate the finished product before you could even say "where is that camera??". Let me tell you though...they were delicious.

It is my goal to post pictures of my cakes, the good...the bad...and the ugly (I just said I love cakes, I never said I could decorate them!!)...and hopefully over time I will progress to a point where I have some decorating skill...and to a point where I can look a cake for longer than two minutes before eating it. All of it.