Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Halloween Cake and Cupcake Ideas



 It is almost HALLOWEEN again and is time to make some SCARY cakes and cupcakes!  Here are some of Penelope's Perfections favorite cakes, cupcakes and cake pop ideas.  They can be made easily with just about any cake recipe. 

 The ghost cake that Penelope's Perfections loves is a chocolate cake recipe with vanilla buttercream icing.  It is assembled with vanilla icing between the cake layers and is then iced with a #18 star piping tip vertically until the cake is covered on the sides.  Chill for 30 minutes.  Next, dark bittersweet chocolate ganache is poured on the top of the cake.  Be careful when pouring the ganache so it stays on top of the cake and does not run down the sides!  Chill again till ganache is firm.  Last, make the ghosts.  You can use a chocolate truffle that is smooth or a ball of vanilla fondant for the base of the ghost.  Roll out vanilla fondant somewhat thin and ruffle the edges with a ball tool.  Cover the truffle with the fondant and place the ghost on the cake!  The ghost eyes were piped with ganache.  The eyes can be buttercream or chocolate chips as well! 


These cute cake pop mummies are so easy and fun to make!  Any cake pop recipe will work.  Take the cake pop and dip it into melted white chocolate or white candy melts.  Let dry on cake pop stand or wax paper.  Next, using a small round piping tip, #2 , add some piped lines with the candy melts or white chocolate.  The eyes can be added with colored buttercream, piping gel, or ganache.


Here are a few more favorites for Halloween! 













Penelope's Perfections Wedding Cakes / Newport Beach Wedding Cakes  /  Costa Mesa Wedding Cakes
@Perfe1Penelopes 

Sunday, October 18, 2015

How to Add Gold to Buttercream Wedding Cakes

Art Deco Wedding Cake
As a Buttercream Wedding Cake baker, I get lots of requests to add gold and silver to make the wedding cakes shine!  Buttercream Wedding Cakes can be tricky, to say the least, when it comes to adding certain elements.  It does take some practice and patience to get the desired outcome...but besides, why should fondant cakes have all the fun?

Two main ways to achieve that sparkling and shimmering appearance of gold is to use luster dust and gold leaf.  Gold leaf is definitely the preferred choice because it is real, edible gold.  It comes in booklets on loose or transfer paper sheets.  The transfer paper is much easier to work with and can be applied easily to any tier of a buttercream cake.  The buttercream must have crusted and needs to be firm to the touch, so chill it well!  It is best to apply the gold leaf onto the cake tier before assembling the cake so that the base of the cake can be completely covered.  When applying the gold leaf, press lightly onto the icing and then remove the transfer paper.  Continue until the cake has been covered.  That easy!  Refrigerating the gold leafing on a buttercream cake really has no effect on the shine.  It will form condensation when removed from the refrigerator and back to room temperature, but it still looks great!

The other way to get a metallic gold or silver accent on a Wedding Cake is to use gold luster dusts.  There are approved edible metallic luster dusts that can be used.  Old Gold Luster Dust is a great choice.  It can be used dry or wet.  Use luster dust dry and brush it on fondant, white chocolate molds, etc.  If you want to color white sugar pearls gold,  use the luster dust plus vodka or lemon extract.  Simple!

Why not add sparkle to a Wedding Cake?








Penelope's Perfections Wedding Cakes    Newport Beach Wedding Cakes.  Costa Mesa, Orange County
@Perfe1Penelopes