Filed under: Autumn Cakes & Cupcakes | Tags: dog cake, pumpkin cake, puppy cake, simple cakes, spice cake, thanksgiving cake
“Pumpkin Patch Basket”
You Need:
- 2 (8 or 9 inch round cake (any flavor), baked, cooled and refrigerated
- 1 batch Jill’s Wonder Cream Frosting (see recipe below)
- Fruit slices candy (orange)
- Brown food paste
- Green food paste
- Candy corn (optional)
Supplies Needed: Spatula, medium star tip – #18, leaf tip – #352, disposable decorator bag.
Step-by-Step:
- Level and fill your cooled cakes. Spread White Wonder Cream Frosting on top and sides of cake. Smooth with a straight edge metal spatula.
- Split remainder of frosting, mix one with green food paste and the other with brown food paste. Insert the medium star tip into a decorator bag and fill with brown frosting. Insert the leaf tip into a decorator bag and fill with green frosting. Snip the end of each bag so the tip is halfway through.
- Using the brown frosting, outline a basket on the cake. Add a line of frosting from top of basket to bottom of basket. Make small crosses over the top of the line you just made. Add another line.
- Add crosses over the new line, in between the crosses you made on the other line.
- Continue adding lines and crosses until you reach the end of the basket. Decorate the outline of the basket by making small I’s around the basket.
- Make the pumpkins by cutting orange fruit slices in half-lengthwise. Cut a sliver off the inside of each candy piece. Stick the two slivered pieces together to form a pumpkin shape. Arrange pumpkins in the basket (as shown above).
- Using green frosting with leaf tip, make small u’s around the top and bottom border.
- With green frosting, make small leaves for each pumpkin. Finish by decorating around the cake with candy corn.
Spiced-Up Cake
12 Servings
You Need:
- 1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix (515 g)
- 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon (12 mL)
- ¾ tsp ground nutmeg (4 mL)
- ¼ tsp cloves (1 mL)
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/3 cups water (325 mL)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil (75 mL)
How-To-Make: Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Lightly grease and flour two 8 or 9-inch cake pans. In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Beat on low mixer speed until well blended. Transfer to cake pans. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until done. Allow cake to cool. Transfer cooled cakes to cake plates. Cool in refrigerator for 2 hours before decorating.
Cream Cheese Wonder Frosting
- 1 tub of cream cheese store-bought frosting
- 1 ¾ cups Crisco® shortening
- 1 box powdered sugar (3 ¾ cups)
- 1 tablespoon warm water
In a mixing bowl combine the frosting and shortening. On low speed, beat the frosting and shortening until mixed well. While mixer is still on, slowly add the powdered sugar. Add warm water and beat until the mixture is smooth. If the frosting seems stiff, add some more warm water. If the frosting seems too runny, add powdered sugar.
Creative Cake Tips and Tricks
Frosting Flavors:
To make different frosting flavors, I use Torani syrups instead of expensive extracts. Torani syrups come in large bottles (these syrups are usually added to coffees and sodas). My favorites are the almond, French vanilla, hazelnut, caramel and lemon. If you want to maintain a white frosting color you must choose Torani syrups that are clear colored.
Thickening Frosting for Roses:
To thicken your frosting to make sturdy roses or flowers, add small amounts of lump-free powdered sugar until you have the consistency you desire.
Using Black for decorating:
Making black frosting is the most difficult color to create. You have to add a lot of black food paste to get a true black. If I am making black lines on a cake (like a spider web), I will use black piping gel. With piping gel you only have to add a small amount of black food paste to get a true black. Piping gel is sold in most cake decorating supply stores. I also find black candies to create black designs. Black licorice twists, licorice pieces, gumdrops, jelly beans, and black gum drops can be used.
Weights and Measurements:
For those who like to use weights when baking, here are a few ingredients with weights and measurements.
| Butter/Shortening | 2 Cups = 1 lb |
| All-Purpose Flour | 4 Cups = 1 lb |
| Cake Flour | 4 ½ Cups = 1 lb |
| Granulated Sugar | 2 Cups = 1 lb |
| Powdered Sugar | 3 ½ Cups = 1 lb |
Puppy Love
My friend Trudy wanted me to make a birthday cake for her daughter Ally. They both came to watch and assist in making this original “puppy love” cake. The puppy cupcakes were a last minute idea. I’m so glad we did it. They are soo cute.
Filed under: Autumn Cakes & Cupcakes | Tags: 50th birthday cake, pecan spice cake, spice cake, Thanksgiving cake recipe, turkey cake
Happy Fall you-all – it’s turkey time! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it’s a day filled with family, friends and food. I love finding new recipes to make the day extra delicious. The house is filled with smells of baked pies, holiday breads and of course the turkey – YUM! As you prepare for this festive occasion I hope you will be with the people you love the most. The best part of Thanksgiving Day is the calories don’t count!
With the baking season in full bloom you can create decorated baked goods and still have time to enjoy the festivities. No more slaving in the kitchen while everyone else is having fun. That’s why the Write Way to Cake Decorating was created – to make your life sweet and simple!
As the ovens turn on and the mixers are whipping up sweet delights, I hope my “Making the Baking Season Fun and Easy” tips will inspire you to grab your apron and get baking. I have a fun “Totally Turkey” cake that is great for children to make with you. My cake recipe for this month is called “Pecan Spice Cake” using non-dairy creamer.
Enjoy the cakes I have made this month as well as one I made for my friend Renee for her 50th birthday.
Go to www.SweetArtFactory.com for cookie cutters, decorating and baking supplies for all your holiday creations!
Have a blessed and thankful month,
Jill Foster
Autumn Cupcakes
Great for the dessert table at Thanksgiving!
You Need:
- Any flavor cupcakes, baked, cooled and refrigerated
- 1 tub of store-bought dark chocolate frosting
- 1 tub of store-bought white or vanilla frosting
- Variety of candies and sprinkles
Supplies Needed: Small writing tip – #2, disposable decorator bag, and orange food paste/gelStep-by-Step:
- Put frosting in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave frosting for 10 seconds. Your frosting needs to melt enough to look a glaze.
- Carefully dip the tops of your cupcakes into the glaze. Allow the glaze to dry for 15 minutes or longer.
- Mix orange gel paste in white frosting to make a vibrant orange color. Insert writing tip into decorating bag. Snip end of bag about ½ inch.
- Make designs on top of the cupcakes with orange frosting. Use a toothpick to create the web look.
- Adorn the cupcakes with candies and sprinkles.
“Totally Turkey”
You Need:
- 2 (8 or 9 inch round cake (any flavor), baked, cooled and refrigerated
- 1 batch Jill’s Wonder Cream Frosting (see recipe below)
- Chocolate fudge frosting tub
- M & M’s (autumn mix)
- Candy corn (caramel flavor)
Supplies Needed: Spatula, medium star tips – #18 & #21, disposable decorator bag, ruler, beverage cup
Step-by-Step:
- Level and fill your cooled cakes. Spread White Wonder Cream Frosting on top and sides of cake. Smooth with a straight edge metal spatula.
- Using a beverage cup, make a circle (as shown) to create the turkey body and head.
- Put tip #21 in a decorator bag. Add Chocolate fudge frosting. Make u’s to create the turkey body. Make circles to create the turkey head.
- Using a ruler, make lines to create the turkey feathers (as shown). Use chocolate fudge bag to make lines where you made the ruler marks.
- With the remainder of the white frosting, add some of the chocolate fudge frosting to create a light brown color. Put tip #18 in a decorator bag and add the light brown frosting. Fill in each turkey feather by making small u’s. Make small u’s on the top and bottom border of the cake.
- Decorate the turkey using M & M’s and candy corn. To make the turkey gobble, use red M & M’s. To make the turkey feet and feathers around the turkey body, use the candy corn.
Pecan Spice Cake
12 Servings
This cake is easy to make with a delicious flavor using coffee creamer! You can alternate with other creamer flavors like hazelnut, vanilla or pumpkin spice.
You Need:
- 1 box Yellow Cake Mix
- 2/3 cup Southern Pecan Coffee Creamer-Liquid
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- ¾ cup raisins
How-To-Make: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour two 8 or 9-inch cake pans. In a large mixing bowl, mix the first five ingredients with a mixer. Once mixed well, fold in the pecans and raisins. Transfer to cake pans. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until done. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn cakes onto cake plate and cool before putting in the refrigerator.
Additional Tip: I use caramel topping as my filling with this cake. It makes it extra delicious and gooey when cutting into it.
Making the Baking Season Fun and Easy
- If trying a new recipe, do a test run before making it for a special occasion. If your baking time is different than the recipe, make a note of this on your recipe.
- Have your ingredients prepped and ready before getting started.
- To help lessen cracking in your loaves of holiday bread, let the batter sit in the loaf pan for 20 minutes prior to baking.
- To keep crisp cookies crisp, store them, when cooled, in a tin or can with a loose cover.
- To keep soft cookies soft, store them in an airtight container with apple or bread slices, changing frequently. They help mellow and moisten the cookies.
- Pay careful attention to pan size. Bars baked in a pan that’s too large result in a cake-like treat — not a toothy, chewy one. Bars baked in a pan that’s too small tend to be dry and crumbly.
- Resist the temptation to check on your creation while it’s baking. Opening and closing the oven door affects the outcome. When you open the oven you let cool air in the oven and it decreases the oven temperature.
- Undercooked cakes tend to sink in the middle and may be unusually heavy.
- Overcooked cakes are dry and have thick crusts. If you overcook the cake, you can slice off the tops to take the over-baked parts off.
- If your cake doesn’t look done in the time allotted by the recipe, see if it’s springy to the touch and insert a toothpick. If it’s got a spring to it and the toothpick comes out clean — you should be good.
- For a great apple pie, variety is the secret ingredient. Each type of apple has its own unique qualities. Combine them for a complex flavor and pleasing texture.
- For flaky pie crust, keep all of your ingredients super cold to keep the butter from melting. Chill the bowl, freeze small pieces of butter, use ice water and a machine (not your warm hands) to blend ingredients and work in the coolest corner of your kitchen.
- For superior flavor, use the freshest ingredients available. Flour, eggs, butter and spices can all pick up flavors from other things on the shelf, so buy fresh for the best results.
- Make your baked goods the day before a special event. Many times they taste better the next day.
All About Flour!
What makes a certain flour good for one recipe and bad for another? Gluten! When flour is moistened and mixed for dough or batter, gluten forms from the protein in the flour. Some flours have more protein, some less, forming more or less gluten, which is key to making breads expand and cakes stick together. For the best baking results, learn about these three basic types of flour:
- All-purpose flour is a blend of hard and soft wheat. The balance of gluten from these creates the texture you want for quick breads, pie crust, cookies and most everyday uses.
- Bread flour has a higher gluten-forming protein content, creating dough that is nice and elastic. This makes it ideal for making kneaded breads.
- Cake flour is made with soft wheat, producing less gluten, so your cake will have that perfect delicate and slightly crumbly texture. Note that self-rising cake flour is different.
When substituting an alternative flour (whole wheat, rice, oat, soy, etc.), you’ll need to balance the change in gluten.
Holiday Shopping List: During the holidays I always make sure my kitchen is stocked with baking ingredients so I am always ready to whip up a goodie!
Flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, eggs, milk, pure extracts (vanilla and almond), butter, Crisco shortening, pecans and walnuts, canned pumpkin, bananas, semi-sweet chocolate, holiday spices, vegetable oil, and powdered sugar.
Cake Club Members Photo Spotlight
I made this cake for my closest friend Renee for her 50th birthday party. I used white chocolate piece for the sign, cornelli lace for top of the cake and small e’s for the borders using a #16 tip. And the roses were made using a chopstick and leaves tip #352.
Filed under: Autumn Cakes & Cupcakes | Tags: bear cake, cake decorating, oreo cake, pumpkin recipe, pumpkins
Do you feel it? It’s baking season creeping in. Although we still have warm days here in Southern California, it’s the crisp evenings that means, “turn on the oven and bake!” I have been teaching a lot of classes which is always a lot of fun. Recently I taught a 4-week teen class where the kids learned how to decorate cupcakes, cookies and cakes. It is exciting to see their enthusiasm. An 11-year old girl said she watches the Food Channel more than the Disney channel. She wants to be a pastry chef when she grows up. That’s inspiring!
For this month, I have designed four cakes to choose from. The first two are adorable pumpkins that will delight any harvest or Halloween party. The third one is a Beary Sweet cake that is so easy to make and a great party cake for any age. The last cake I designed is a super simple dessert cake using mini Oreos. You can whip up this cake just minutes before the guests arrive.
Something exciting is happening with my decorating business. This month I launch a new website that will feature decorating products, ideas and recipes. This business venture grew from all the questions about where to get decorating supplies. I went searching on websites and found that most of the supply sites are hard to navigate and there weren’t “how-to” ideas to inspire decorators that want quick and simple ideas.
When you have a chance, go to www.SweetArtFactory.com. I hope it becomes your online shopping experience for all your decorating products.
Remember to stay Sweet and Simple,
Jill Foster
“Cute Pumpkin”
You Need:
- 2 (8 or 9 inch round cake (any flavor), baked, cooled and refrigerated
- 1 batch Jill’s Wonder Cream Frosting (see recipe below)
- Green or brown ice cream cone
- Green Airheads candy (blue and red if making the pumpkin face)
- Mini pumpkin candies
- Green food paste
- Orange food paste
Supplies Needed: Spatula, medium star tip – #18, leaf tip – #352, disposable decorator bags, bamboo stick or small dowel.Step-by-Step:
- Level and fill your cooled cakes. Spread White Wonder Cream Frosting on top and sides of cake. Smooth with a straight edge metal spatula.
- Take ¾ of remainder of frosting and use orange food paste to make a deep orange color. Use remaining white frosting to make green frosting, using green food paste.
- Insert star tip #18 in decorator bag and fill with orange frosting. Snip the end of the bag about ¾ inch. On top of cake, make pumpkin outline by making long lines like a pumpkin. Fill in the pumpkin by make little cursive e’s.
- Make extended e’s along bottom border.
- Insert the leaf tip into a decorator bag and fill with green frosting. Snip the end of each bag so the tip is halfway through. Make leaves at the top of the pumpkin and on bottom border. Add mini pumpkins to bottom border.
- Using knife, cut the top of the ice cream cone and place at top of pumpkin to create pumpkin stem.
- Unwrap a green airhead candy and cut four long strips. Roll each strip around a dowel or bamboo stick to create curly leaves. Place on top of pumpkin.
- To create pumpkin face, cut shapes (mouth, eyebrow and eye) with red and blue Airheads candy. Make nose using mini pumpkin.
Beary Sweet
You Need:
- 2 (8 or 9 inch round cake (any flavor), baked, cooled and refrigerated
- 1 batch Jill’s Wonder Cream Frosting (see recipe below)
- Round Cookie (I used Marie’s cookies)
- Lollipops
- Sprinkled covered chocolates
- Brown food paste
Supplies Needed: Spatula, small star tip – #16, medium star tip – #18, disposable decorator bags.Step-by-Step:
- Level and fill your cooled cakes. Spread White Wonder Cream Frosting on top and sides of cake. Smooth with a straight edge metal spatula.
- Take ¾ of remaining frosting and add brown food paste to make brown frosting for the bear face and paws. Place #16 tip in decorator bag and snip end to reveal half of the tip. Add brown frosting.
- Place #18 tip in a decorator bag and snip end to reveal half of the tip. Add remaining white frosting. Make wide cursive u’s along top border. Make cursive l’s along bottom border. Make a swirl in the center top of the cake.
- Using brown frosting, make bear face by making tiny cursive u’s around cookie. To make the mouth of the bear, make a small swirl. Place covered chocolates to create nose, eyes and ears. You can use other candies to create face if you cannot find the covered chocolate pieces.
- Using brown frosting, make bear paws by make swirls (see photo).
- Place lollipops along sides and top of cake.
Black and White Dessert Cake
You Need:
- 2 (8 or 9 inch round cake (any flavor), baked, cooled and refrigerated
- 1 batch Jill’s Wonder Cream Frosting (see recipe below)
- Mini Oreo Cookies
Supplies Needed: Spatula, medium star tip – #18, disposable decorator bag.Step-by-Step:
- Level and fill your cooled cakes. Spread White Wonder Cream Frosting on top and sides of cake. Smooth with a straight edge metal spatula. TIP: Put crushed Oreos in center for a delicious filling.
- Place #18 tip in decorator bag and
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