Baking with Kyra

I had one of the best Spring breaks ever! Baking with Kyra was just what the doctor ordered. You may not be able to tell from the pictures, because she is almost taller than me, but Kyra is one of the coolest 5th graders I know. We spent an awesome Tuesday in the kitchen with rice krispies, banana and chocolate. The results...well, I'll let you be the judge. 

Rice Krispy Bites. Side note: In Australia you cannot buy just white marshmallows, you have to buy them in a pack of pink and white marshmallows. I think I just found a new market for marshmallows.

 

Chocolate chip Banana Muffins (recipe from: www.taste.com.au)

Before

After

Wedding Cake

I couldn't believe it when a colleague at work asked me to make her sister-in-law's wedding cake. The bride wanted a beige cake, with brown ribbon around the edges. She was also very specific about the floral design and the print on the top layer. Taking into consideration her vision, I added a third layer to give the cake some height and drama. It took me forever to get the royal icing to the right consistency. But in the end I was really pleased with the way it looked. 

Becky's Baby Shower

This baby shower cake was for my dear friend Becky. I'm a little behind in posting these pictures. Her baby is now 9 months old! Better late than never. The bear is made from fondant. I love the clean look of fondant. In the past, I have been using buttercream under the fondant, however this time I put a layer of chocolate ganache under the fondant and I was much happier with the smoothness of the fondant. Tip of the day: I highly recommend using ganache over buttercream for the "under" layer. 

Me, Becky and Bianca

Happy birthday USA!

Even though I'm currently living in Melbourne, I still love and celebrate being American. I definitely miss 4th of July - the fireworks, bbq's and family. To feed my homesickness I made some cupcakes (of course). 

Cake Boss Audition

Thanks to one of my favourite bloggers Bakerella, I found out about the Cake Boss competition. For all those who are not familiar with the show, check it out here. Buddy (the boss) was looking for some novice cakers to compete on the show. I made it to the second stage and had to submit a video explaining why I should be on the show and demonstrate some skills. Click on Buddy's pictures to check out my video (many thanks to Trin and Dave for their video and editing talents extraordinaire).

Cake Boss Audition Video

Unfortunately, the Cake Boss competition show has not been picked up by TLC. But it was definitely worth the work and the cake was a hit!