Dragon Fly Cake

Made for my lovely SIL's 50th, is a mad about Dragon Flies and is an extremely talented mosaic'r so the cake design just stemmed from these two starting points.

Bottom layer torted Chocolate Butter cake and Banana cake with Nutella Italian Buttercream.
Top Layer torted Chocolate Butter cake and Coffee cake with Nutella Italian Buttercream.

You can see more photos on my flickr photostream, I have another mosaic ed cake to post, fingers crossed I'll get it up today.

P.S. A lovely person on flickr asked - 'How long did this take?'

Too long! The decorating started at 8.45am with torted and crumbed cakes, and hour off for lunch and finished at 6.10pm, with me jumping in the shower, scraping the icing off my hands, washing my hair, slapping on some make-up and getting out into the kitchen to take some pictures (boo night photography). To get to the other side of town by 7.30pm. We made it just! Then it was cosmos and blackjack, until 11pm, and a drunken drive home (I wasn't driving) and silly texts to my best friend. Waking up the next morning thinking argh now I have to clean up. Long story to a simple answer, it took about 9 hours.

Another Mater Cake

Yes, another one, it is so popular.

Classic Rich Chocolate Cake, torted with vanilla buttercream and crushed violet crumble. Styled with more crushed violet crumble, and tv mix, topped with a remote control 'Mater'.

This one is for a lady leaving Australia to work overseas. Lucky her. Poor old Mater he is really getting a work out.

Mag Wheel Birthday Cake

Classic rich chocolate cake, torted with Nutella buttercream, covered in chocolate fondant. All details made from fondant and the only non edible item is the candles.

I must say I loved how the tread on the tyre turned out.

And to go with the Mag we had 12 individually named classic chocolate cupcakes frosted with Nutella Buttercream, styled with fondant name discs, royal icing and chocolate racing cars, to give to the kids as thank you presents. The whole set of cupcakes and cake turned out wonderfully.

Holy Cow, Batman!

Scummy chocolate cake torted with yellow vanilla buttercream and crushed Violet Crumble, styled with yellow vanilla buttercream and Black Chocolate Fondant Batman logo, edged with dark grey chocolate fondant dusted with silver.

It was such a fun cake to create, I had assistence from my hubby who is more up to speed on the ins and outs of Batman, he hovered most helpfully, created and sculpted the boarder and even got out the playdoh to help with the bat!

HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY GEORGE

Mater Cake

Chocolate cake torted with raspberry jam, yellow vanilla buttercream and chocolate sultanas. Styled with yellow vanilla buttercream, crushed Maltessers, Violet Crumble and Choc Sultanas. Birthday boy's own Mater.

And yes, many of you have seen this cake before, the Birthday boy wanted a mater cake and his Mum thought that this would be perfect.

Vanilla Cupcakes

I bought myself the new Crabapple Cupcake Bakery Cookbook by Jennifer Graham, and followed their Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream recipe to the letter. The result is a moist but on the coarse side, crumbed, cupcake (which tastes better on the second day) and a super sweet icing, which sets with a crust. For me the icing is nothing to rave about, especially as the icing is far too sweet in its plain state. I will try it again though but in a citrus or other flavour which will cut through the sugar. As the icing sets hard and it good for transporting it might be a good one for long transportation.
The decoration is their signature swirl, which they give instructions on how to do, and its fairly easy to follow, the swirl does take practice.Crabapple Bakery usually put sugar piped daisys and sprinkles on top. But you know me and my silver ball and glitter addiction.

I have the utmost respect for Jennifer and her family, they as far as I know have been a leader in Melbourne with regards to cupcakes, starting off with the markets, then working their way to a shop at the Parhan Markets and then opening a factory/bakery in Ferntree Gully.

Over the coming weeks I will be trialing more of their recipes and seeing what makes them so special.

Pinwheel Cake

Pinwheel Cake
Originally uploaded by cupcaketastic.

Not all my baking works out. This cake looks elegant and simply delicious, and the first mouthful was full of promise. But oh the disappointment.

Basically its a light chocolate cake, very dense and packed with sugar, and melted chocolate swirled through the raw batter. Looked & smelt lovely in the oven, but alas it sunk when it was brought out.

The filling is a chocolate butter cream, your basic butter, icing sugar, vanilla and melted chocolate, but too sweet not chocolaty enough.

I felt that there was no depth of flavour, being too sweet and sickly, and I could really taste the butter. I love the styling that I did, very simple and classic, but its all show and no substance.

Mother's Day Morning Tea Cupcakes

A belated Happy Mothers Day please feel free to sit back, enjoy a cuppa and a Classic Dark Chocolate Cupcake, frosted with Classic Chocolate Buttercream, styled with a pink fondant star and edible glitter. Or for those of you who are trying to cut back a Classic Dark Chocolate Cupcake, styled with a fondant daisy and pink dangrees.

Happy Mothers Day

"This is yours mum, but where's mine, I'm hungry

and why are you taking a photo - again"

Soccer Field Cake

Soccer Field Cake
Originally uploaded by cupcaketastic.

Classic Chocolate Cake filled with Oreo biscuit filling, styled with green shortening based vanilla buttercream.

Soccer Field Cake - Detail
Originally uploaded by cupcaketastic.

60th Birthday Cake

60th Birthday Cake
Originally uploaded by cupcaketastic.

2 layers of Orange Buttercake with 1 layer of Carrot Cake, filled with Maramlade Italian Buttercream. Finished with Vanilla Italian Buttercream, gold edible glitter and white choclate dots. The 60 is made from modelling paste and spikes are the candles.

But Wait there's more . .

3rd - 60th Birthday Cake

2 layers of Orange Buttercake with 1 layer of Carrot Cake, filled with Maramlade Italian Buttercream. Finished with Vanilla Italian Buttercream, gold edible glitter and white choclate dots. 60 is made from modelling paste and spikes are the candles. The colours for this one are not what I had envisaged, but still effective.

The Weekend cont...

2nd - Pink Stars Cake

Chocolate Cake layered with Raspberry Buttercream, styled with same Raspberry Buttercream and Pink Glittered Fondant Stars. A very simple cake but oversweet, the buttercream was a bought one, not my usual Italian Buttercream. I was a little rushed so the edges are not quite as finished, but I do love the colour.

OMG What a Weekend

1st - The Rainbow Paddle Pop Cake

In Australia we have stick icecreams called Paddle Pops, one of the flavours is basically a tasteless milky vanilla which looks extactly (maybe a little less pink) like the icing effect on this cake.

This one gave me grief, the Italian Buttercream just wasn't its usual beautiful self, tasted delish, but wasn't behaving. The cake was supposed to have delicate swirls covering in but the buttercream just wouldn't pipe without cracking (you can see a little bit of the problem on the bottom piping). So I got out my trusty balls and went nuts. I love silver balls, they are so effective. If look closely enough you should be able to see me reflected. As for the inside its the Orange Buttercake filled with Marmalade Italian Buttercream.

Orange Butter Cake with Marmalade Buttercream

These recipies have been requested by Alicat3 from Flickr if you have time pop over and check out her photos which are all stunning and truely show a love of food and all things funcky. She claims to have found the Ultimate Brownie Recipe which I MUST try sometime soon. So a request from her is a real boost for me. The following are not my recipies but from The Whimsical Bake House by Kaye & Liv Hansen this book is my fav cookbook at the moment I highly recommend it. All I did was add the Marmalade Twist. Enjoy!

Orange Butter Cake

Trial Buttercream Wedding Cake - Mini
Originally uploaded by cupcaketastic.

Grease two 10 x 3-inch round pans. Preheat the oven to 350oC. Have all ingredients at room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat at high speed until light and fluffy:

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups sugar

Add and beat well:

6 large egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

On a piece of wax paper, sift together:

3 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

Add the dry ingredients alternately to the butter and egg mixture with:

3/4 cup milk
3/4 sup strained fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest

Pour 3 1/2 cups of the batter into one prepared pan and the remaining batter into the other. Bake the less full pan for 20 to 25 minutes and the fuller pan for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes before turning them out of their pans.

Yield: 9 cups of batter


Italian Meringue Buttercream (Kaye's Buttercream)

In a saucepan, bring to boil:

1/2 cup water
2 1/4 cups sugar

Use a clean brush and cold water to wash down any sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan as the water heats. When the sugar comes to a boil set a timer for 7 minutes, and let boil.

After 5 minutes, in the bowl of an electric mixer, begin to whip at high speed:

1 cup egg whites (about 12 large egg whites)

Whip until stiff. They should be done when the timer goes off.

With the mixer on high speed, slowly beat the sugar syrup into the egg whites, pouring the syrup to the side of the bowl to avoid the whip.

Continue to beat until the bowl is cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. Slowly add:

1 1/2 pounds (6 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces

When the buttercream begins to jump out of the bowl, reduce the speed to low. Mix in at low speed.

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat until light and fluffy. At some points the mixture might look curdled. Just keep beating; it will become smooth again.

Yield: 8 cups

Can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. When using chilled beat until smooth and creamy.

Separate the required quantity of buttercream and mix through a good marmalade to taste.


Both recipies taken from The Whimsical Bake House, Kaye & Liv Hansen.