Men don't do pretty . . . cakes

Men don't do pretty . . . cakes, so when I was asked to create a 60th Birthday Cake for a friends Dad and the brief was marbled chocolate cake, the logical answer to me was to create this cake.

And also I wanted to have 60 candles but without burning the house down. I love how this one turned out.

Two tiers of Classic Marbled Chocolate and Vanilla Cake, torted with Oreo Biscuits and Cream, covered in dark chocolate ganache. Styled with 60 handmade dark and white chocolate transfer candles and a two toned chocolate 60. All edible, all good. Serves 35 - 50 depending on your slice size.

Art Nouveau Wedding Cake Tower

Just what Purple Tiger from flickr ordered for her wedding. The over all design was created from her stunning b/w art nouveau influenced invitations.

Elegant and Devine, dark chocolate mud cake, covered with special vanilla buttercream and encased in chocolate rolled fondant. Styled with handrolled swirls, delicate handmade leaves and flowers, and edible sugar pearls.

The next two layers consisted a selection of white or dark chocolate mini mud cakes, decorated in the same intricate style.

What do you think?

Rubarb & White Chocolate Cupcakes

The community garden that I am co-ordinator of was having a 'Create a Sustainable Garden' session which was catered for and I thought that i'd create a cupcake for the event.

Rubarb is everywhere in our gardens at the moment and a couple of weeks ago i'd picked tonnes of the stuff, stewed it down with sweet eating apples and brown sugar. So I thought that it would be very appt to use them in a cupcake. I adjusted a Raspberry & White Chocolate recipe and ....

Vola - Rubard & White Chocolate Cupcakes dusted with Pure Icing sugar.

This one is up on my most favourite list, perfect for picnics as there is no frosting to melt or get everywhere.

Rubarb & White Chocolate Cupcakes

(adjusted from White Chocolate & Strawberry Cupcakes by Fergal Connolly)

225g unsalted butter, softened

225g caster sugar

225g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

100g white chocolate chips

1 - 1 1/2 cups stewed rubarb, cooled

Icing sugar for dusting.

1. Preheat oven to 175oC.
2. Place 18 paper baking cases in muffin tins.
3. Combine the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and eggs in a medium bowl.
4. Beat with an electric whisk until light and creamy, about 2 - 3 minutes.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Fold in rubard leaving large streaks through batter.
7. Spoon batter into the cases.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, check with skewer.
9. Remove tins from oven and cool for 5 minutes, before turning out.
10. Dust with icing sugar when cool.

Black and White 30th Hi Tops

A darling close friend of mine was turning 30, people were coming from all ends of Australia to celebrate, she was having a Black and White Gathering. Perfect for an idea that had been swimming around in my head for awhile now.
Hi Top Cupcakes with either Almond or Peppermint Meringue, dipped in either white or dark chocolate, I left the meringue white this time, so to fit with the colour scheme. Styled with a dusting of white edible glitter, a corresponding handmade fondant flower and leaves on each, with piped swirls in corresponding chocolate.

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY SHELL

Very labour intensive but the effect is stunning, my chocolate piping could have been tidier but I am my worst critic. I was going to display them on a custom designed stand, but felt the simplicity of the Donna Hay stand set would do nicely.

These darling little cupcakes would be perfect for a contemporary wedding in the Black and White Theme using them as something scrummy to have with coffee. As usual with cake and cupcakes, the possibilities are endless.

Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes

Classic Chocolate Cupcakes topped with oh so yummy Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting or Orange & White Chocolate Fudge Frosting.

Styled wtih edible glitter and coloured metalic balls.

Star Wedding Cupcake Tower

Don't you just love being recommended by a close friend to a bride, the joy of creating the perfect cake for they're special day is a wonderful feeling. This bride knew exactly what she wanted, gold cupcakes with white/ivory and stars, and a top cake with gold shooting stars. She did have a picture but in silver, which made my job alot easier.

Having tested a number of white mud cake recipes I have come across this deliciously moist White Chocolate Mud Cupcake, which I topped with a layer of vanilla Italian Buttercream, and styled with a white chocolate fondant disc and gold luster & glitter dusted star. Topper cake is the same as the cupcakes.

Never really being a fan of the White Chocolate Mud Cake I am please to say that this is one is fabulous, you can really taste the white chocolate, and the texture is not overly dense. Thanks to minhneme of ecupcake for the recipe. If you have time check out her blog and you will be blown over by her flavour combinations, I wish she lived around the corner from me so I could be one of her testers.

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.