Graduation Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for my cousin's daughter's high school graduation. I looked around online and kind of combined my favorite aspects of different graduation cupcakes I found.
My cousin said the graduation gowns were going to be light grey so I got rolling with the fondant. Making the caps was actually very easy. For the base of the cap, I rolled out some fondant and used my pizza cutter to cut 2 inch strips at about every 1/3 of an inch. Then I just pinched the two ends together and set them aside. For the top of the cap, I rolled out my fondant thick, about 1/5 of an inch. Then I used my pizza cutter again to cut squares, with one of the sides at a bit of an angle.
With that drying, I filled my piping bag with brite white buttercream frosting and tip 1M and I swirled one after the other. Then, I positioned the base of the cap an an angle, making sure to dig into the frosting a little. I filled the base with some more frosting and placed the top of the cap on.
For the diploma, I rolled the fondant a little thinner. I cut rectangles about 1"x1 1/4" and just rolled them like little tacos. It just seemed like something was missing because the diplomas were white and were sitting on white frosting. So, I remembered my cousin said that the other color was navy blue.
I cut thin strips of dyed blue fondant and rolled them into mini-roses. Then, I secured them with frosting.
Finally, I mixed some green frosting and piped leaves on either side of the rose. My cousin, her daughter and all the guests loved them.

Two-Tier Fondant Hello Kitty Cake

My friend Crystal asked me to make a Hello Kitty Cake for her daughter Nadia who turned 6. It had been a while since I made a cake. I was really looking forward to it. I think it came out rather nice.
At first, I was debating whether to ice it with frosting, but although fondant is more challenging and is physically more strenuous, I prefer the look and now I'm glad I chose it.
I went to Michael's and bought the big box of white fondant. I swear this is the last time I use the Wilton brand. It's just SO hard to knead and dye. When I watch the tutorials, the Satin brand looks so much more pliable that I know for sure I'll be using that brand next.
So, this is the cake I was asked to make. My friend was rather flexible. She said to make something "like" it, so I decided to eliminate so many of the colors to make sure it all tied together. Just like when designing a piece of marketing material or a webpage, the less colors and mixes of font types, the better - as far as design goes anyway.
I had the wires in my hand at the store already, but even then, I just wasn't completely convinced. This cake looks real busy and the way I remember Hello Kitty from the 80's is thick lines and simple illustrations.
Crystal said she wanted strawberry filling. I used the crushed strawberries they sell at Costco. They're already sweetened and I think it gives the filling a sweeter flavor than fresh strawberries. So, in this cake, there's three layers in each tier. I made the mix from scratch and baked each layer individually -- no cutting. This kind of back-fired on me because when I was stacking the layers, I noticed that they were not very soft. I hoped that once I put the icing and filling in and around, they'd soak a little over night.
My schedule went like this:

• Friday: Bake, fill, stack, frost and cover in fondant.
  
• Saturday: Make fondant decorations and add final touches.

On Friday, I worked from 10am till 11:30pm, with breaks in between of course. Then Saturday, I was able to wake up at 8am, have breakfast and then get to work.
I think the result was worth it. The party was to start at 12:30pm and I was done by 11am. My sister, Terry, did the honors of delivering this massively heavy cake.

Oh Finally!

Finally, a chance to bake! My cousin asked me to make her some cupcakes. She is throwing a party in the jungle theme and had an exact idea in mind. Well, here is the result...

Piped green "shrubbery" with an animal sucker I bought from Oriental Trading, and a tree made with a pretzel.

Have I Lost My Mojo?

I can barely remember the last time I baked! It was some cookies I made for my kids' teachers and my husband's work - for Christmas! I know to some of you it doesn't seem like a long time, but to me-- ages.
I have to think of a new project. Williams-Sonoma had this cute cookie-cutter set on SUPER sale. I just opened it a couple of days ago (the box sat in my kitchen for over a week!). It was better than I expected.

So, stay tuned for my next baking adventure!

My House for my friend Donna

Donna, here's an updated picture of our house. I received your letter and sketches. Thank you!!! I am so excited to get started. I like what you did with the porch area. By looking at this picture, you will see that we're kinda heading in the right direction. I measured it and it's 8 feet wide. If you click on the picture it will enlarge it for you.