Let's celebrate with some CAKE.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Let's celebrate with some CAKE.

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

I'm glad this thread is around - I've just began caking as a hobby and I'd love to get some new ideas.

This is the first fondant cake. I made marshmallow fondant, which was a disaster, but it was a learning experience.

This was a birthday cake for my roommate, who's a Calgary-native. Moo!

Purple Darth - alas, I did not yet know the wonders of black colour gel. (Sorry for the stupid faces, the only picture I could find of it was off facebook)

My latest, a dam for my electrical engineering boyfriend. The water was cream cheese icing and, boy, did it go fast. I was really proud of my homemade green fondant - it was the easiest I had worked with.

I have also made an array of penis cakes, but I think this thread is a bit too classy for those.

# ¿ Nov 19, 2008 05:57

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# ¿ May 4, 2024 05:03

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

Sam_I_Am posted:

Ooh! What did you learn from your learning experience? I've been looking at that mashmellow fondant recipe, and even have a bag of pillowy goodness in the pantry. Do you have guesses as to how I'll mess this up?

It�s really hard to get the right consistency with marshmallow fondant. You�ve just got to experiment with different amounts of icing sugar until you get it perfect. During my first time working with it, the fondant started out way too wet and sticky and then ended up being way too dry (because I added too much sugar). It takes a while (and a couple of cakes) to really get to know what the correct texture looks and feels like. Now that I've made the fondant several times, I really can read it.

I put the melted marshmallow in a mixer and slowly add just over a half to three-quarters of the icing sugar (until it starts looking like a really really thick cake batter) - then I take it out of the mixer and use my hands (covered in a gently caress load of butter!) to mould the rest of the icing sugar in. The fondant isn't ready until it stop sticking to your hands � but, if it starts ripping, then you�ve made it too dry. Just add bits of water (or butter) to fix that.

Also, when you're rolling out the fondant, I would suggest putting a layer of saran wrap underneath -- The first time I rolled it out on wooden chopping block and I was scrubbing bits of hot pink fondant off the surface for weeks. The wrap will help you pick it up and flip it over onto the cake.

Let us know how it turns out! Good luck!

EDIT: I've been thinking of trying marzipan in the future - does anyone have any experience making and working with it? (A nice, simple recipe would be lovely, too)

PezMaster fucked around with this message at 07:37 on Nov 19, 2008

# ¿ Nov 19, 2008 07:34

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

eden_nova posted:

I feel I need to see these penis cakes...last one I made I was half cut and couldn't find my flesh coloured dye, so it was just really pink.

I could only find one on facebook (the other ones were just your standard penis cake - I didn't save pictures of them because they were pretty bad)

Click here for the full 604x453 image.
I used rice-krispie treats for the head - I wanted something light so it wouldn't topple over. the fondant for the shaft is a light pinky-peach (I bought the colour gel at the local craft store). If you really want to get disgusting, use condensed milk for some spunk - it looks a bit too real, if you ask me. it came out pretty good -the birthday girl was pretty happy about it.

Bonus bukkake cake for my Asian friend's birthday

Click here for the full 604x453 image.
(I'm so very very sorry)

PezMaster fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Nov 21, 2008

# ¿ Nov 21, 2008 05:34

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

So, I received a lovely gift certificate for a local caking shop for my birthday. The shop puts on an amazing amount of decorating classes, but I'm a bit baffled with which ones may be useful for me. Everything I've done so far is self-taught (there's a lot of experimenting involved) and I'm pretty non-traditional (there are not too many flowers or lace on my cakes). I'd like to know if there is anyone out there who's taken a Wilton decorating class - What was it like? Was it worth the time and money? Do you think those Wilton decorating classes would benefit a non-traditional caker like myself, or should I look into something a little more advanced?

\/\/\/ Thanks! I'll keep all that info on page one in mind.

PezMaster fucked around with this message at 18:49 on Nov 28, 2008

# ¿ Nov 27, 2008 07:26

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

It's a bit late, but here's the cake I brought into the staff room the day before Valentine's Day:

I was going to make the big heart a box and put the little cupcakes inside, but I ran out of fondant (that's why the edges look a little wonky). The truffles on top of the mini-cupcakes were really cut marshmallows dipped and decorated in chocolate (I got the idea from Hello, Cupcake!).

I know these next two aren't cakes, but I want to share what else I've been up to:

Click here for the full 614x461 image.
Dessert Sushi!

Bacon Cookies!

EDIT: I'm looking for a good idea for a St. Patrick's Day cake for March. I'm thinking of doing a rainbow cake, decorated with a little monotone rainbow and pot of gold on top. Anyone else have any creative ideas? :c:

PezMaster fucked around with this message at 06:42 on Feb 27, 2009

# ¿ Feb 27, 2009 05:37

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

Kitsch Ersatz posted:

Seconding the bacon cookie and dessert sushi recipes! I love food that looks like other food.

The Bacon cookies were pretty straight forward. I just used a simple sugar cookie recipe and doubled it. I left half of the dough un-dyed - it was the perfect colour for the bacon 'fat'. I separated the other half and coloured with three different shades: a light pink, a darker reddish-pink, and then a nice meaty deep red. Next is the fun part - I started with a rectangle of un-dyed dough (it shouldn't be rolled or smoothed too much - bacon is not perfect!) then I started to randomly pile and flatten the rest of the dough on top of it. I made sure I had a pretty thick rectangle of dough before I cut it along the width of the rectangle (by this time it honestly looked like a side of pork). I then laid them on parchment paper and took the time to pat together the layers (sometime the different colour layers don't stick to each other) and give it some curve. Then just bake and impress goons everywhere!

The dessert sushi takes a bit more time. I started with a load of rice crispy sheets and cut them into rectangles and circles. I then lightly coated all the shapes with melted white chocolate -- I thought it gave it more of a rice-like feel and texture.

For the sushi rolls (pictured below), I stacked two round rice crispy shapes on top of each other. I then cut up lengths of wax paper and coated them in some melted dark chocolate (I added a little bit of green gel to it so that it really got the seaweed feel). I then rolled the chocolately wax paper around the rolls so that the chocolate stuck right onto the rice crispies. I put them in the fridge for a while to set - when I pulled them out, I was able to peal the wax paper right off - all that was left was the fake, chocolaty pseudo seaweed. I used sweetish berries for the fake roe and gummy orange slices for shrimp.

For the tamago sushi, I melted a bunch of marshmallows and put a bit of yellow colour gel into the mix. Then I poured everything into a small baking pan and put it in the fridge. When the marshmallow had set, I was able to cut it into long shapes. I finished up by putting some coloured fruit leather across it like a seaweed wrap. These were, by far, the most impressive.

For all the raw fish types of sushi, I used dried mango, cantaloupe, and papaya. The similarity between the dried fruits and real fish was astounding:

Sorry for all the non-caking content. Maybe I should open a "Make Food Look Like Other Food" thread?

# ¿ Mar 1, 2009 22:45

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

nordicnerd posted:

On Saturday, I'm making a stained glass cake for my mom's birthday, involving broken pieces of colored caramelized sugar. (I'll post pictures if it actually works.) Have any of you worked with sugar pulling/blowing/spinning?

A candy thermometer is key! Are you going to be using dry pigment for colour?

Also, while it's boiling, don't fool around with it too much. You don't want any chance for it to become contaminated and crystallize.

PezMaster fucked around with this message at 02:26 on Mar 27, 2009

# ¿ Mar 27, 2009 02:24

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

jollygrinch posted:

Holy crap, some of these are really impressive.

I just finished this up for a friend's birthday:

I should have trimmed the edges more carefully, there was a bit of an overhang that made the chocolate flow oddly, and then my pan wasn't level so when I walked away the top layer slid a bit to the side. Live and learn.

Are the little squiggles caramel or sugar? Very pretty!

Here's what I've been up to:

Spring Break cake for the staff room (teachers love rainbow cakes!)

For my sister's birthday, a quick chocolate yogurt cake with our favourite red-head:

Also, I don't have any pictures, but le boyfriend and I made this little beauty last night. I would recommend it to anyone who loves key limes:
Key Lime Coconut Cake

# ¿ Apr 11, 2009 23:13

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

jennyinstereo posted:

Has anyone here successfully made shiny/glossy fondant? I'm trying to achieve this look and am having a hard time finding info on it. I've been told that mixing water and corn syrup together and using a spray bottle works. Anyone else have any tips? I'm looking for this kind of shine:

Can't see the picture (Waffleimages down?) but I've seen people steam their fondant cake after completion. It give everything a nice sheen.

# ¿ Aug 17, 2009 22:02

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

My DM had her birthday on Saturday:

I really want to try and do another cake like this when I have more time (As you can see, it was a bit of a rushed job). Next time I think I'd try fondant instead of swiss buttercream - I'm a stickler for clean, smooth lines.

# ¿ Aug 24, 2009 03:49

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

Pooptron2003 posted:

You must tell me how you got this shape!!! ^^^^^^ My spherical cake adventures have been not so rewarding.

The bottom half of the dodecahedron is really styrofoam. :ssh:

I found this was the only way I could do it without everything falling appart (it's a little trick I learned from watching way too many Ace of Cakes). First carve the styrofoam, then carve the cake/buttercream on top. I stuck the layered cake in the fridge first so the frosting wouldn't squish out when I cut it.

This would work well which spheres for sure - I wouldn't recommend doing a dodecahedron. If I didn't have a engineer in the house (who enjoys doing math), I wouldn't have even attempted it. We used this as a guide, in case anyone is interested: http://everything2.com/title/how+to+carve+a+dodecahedron+out+of+a+cube

# ¿ Aug 29, 2009 19:46

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

Been a little cupcake crazy lately:

Tiramisu - So. Much. Kahlua.

Yeti (Marshmallow and Coconut) - inspired by those little peach penguins.

Man, I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait for Halloween Baking Season to start. :drac:

# ¿ Sep 12, 2009 07:51

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

/\/\ Awesome! I totally wanted to try this too.

Here's the Tiramisu cupcakes that someone asked for:

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs (separated)
1/4 cup strong coffee (or a shot of espresso)
1 TBsp Kahlua
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt (to stiffen egg whites)
extra kahlua (yessssss)

- Oven to 350F

- Mix flour, baking powder, and salt, then set aside

- Beat the egg yolks with coffee and Kahlua until really thick and creamy. Slowly at 1/2 cup of the sugar, beating continually. Set aside.

- Beat the egg whites with salt until they start to form moist peaks and gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue beating until the eggs whites are stiff but not dry. Stir 3 tablespoons of the whites into the yolk mixture. Slowly fold dry ingredients into mixture then, when everything has been absorbed, gently fold in the remaining whites.

- Spoon the batter into cupcake tins - I baked for about 20, but they came out a little dry, so I'd start testing at 15. Just take them out of the oven when your tester comes out clean

Here's the Mascarpone Cream to go on top of it:

2 egg yolks
3 tsp sugar
1 TBsp Kahlua
1 cup mascarpone
More Kahlua
Grated dark or semi-sweet chocolate (to make it look pretty)

- Beat egg yolks with sugar until they are light and fluffy. Beat in Kahlua. Slowly add mascarpone, beating continually.

- Before adding cream to the cupcake, I really drizzled the cooled cupcakes with a lot of kahlua. Mmmmm. Then pile on the cream, drizzle with more kahlua, and sprinkle the chocolate

# ¿ Sep 13, 2009 19:42

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

Pooptron2003 posted:

I have a color related dilemma for all of you cake enthusiasts:

How in the HELL do I get my butter cream BLACK, I mean, dark, REAL black? I swear yesterday I used half a bottle of my black americolor and it was still light gray. Any ideas?

I love the choices americolor offers, but I swear I use up those little bottles in days.

I've had the same problem, turning buttercream red. You're probably making a whole hell of a lot - I think mine was a 6 egg swiss buttercream and I could only turn in pink, even with both gel and powder colour. My advice is to colour a small bit for the top of cake, or go with Jennyinstereo's idea (if you don't mind chocolate frosting yum).

If I need bright vibrant cake, I always have to use fondant for fear of using up all my lovely gel colours.

# ¿ Sep 14, 2009 18:15

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

Timo posted:

So what's the deal with fondant? It seems like some people peel it off before eating the cake, but others leave it on?

I've heard that people don't like to (or can't) eat commercial fondant. Have no idea why - I've never tried it myself. But the homemade marshmallow fondant is fine to eat (and it's surprisingly not too sweet, especially if you add some lemon too it).

Nullbyte -- I don't have any decorating books, myself. I like the ol' trial and error system. I know that Confetti Cakes is a pretty neat read. If you do want to start with something small, I'd start with cupcakes -- specifically Hello, Cupcake!. It's easy and will impress your friends

# ¿ Sep 19, 2009 18:21

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

Waffle Grid posted:

Yeah from what I've seen on TV (same way I made my cake) is by baking normal cake layers and stacking them with a bit of icing to glue them together, then take a bread knife to cut it into the shape you want.

Gets messy with all the crumbs though!

This is the best technique because you get to eat all the excess cake shavings.

# ¿ Sep 23, 2009 00:57

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

So, I'm entering an Iron Chef-like competition - only for cupcakes. This month's ingredient is pumpkin, and I'm a little stumped on how to make my cakes stand out. Here's some ideas:

* "Pumpkin S'more" Cupcake - Moist chocolate/gram cracker cake with pumpkin marshmallow on top

* Pumpkin cake with an orange glaze

* Pumpkin and pecan cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting

Oh, and they all have to be decorated "spooky" - I'm still working on that one.

Any opinions? Suggestions? Ideas? Recipes?

# ¿ Sep 25, 2009 07:30

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

paisleyfox posted:

The s'more one sounds ABSOLUTELY amazing! For decorating, maybe try to make some marshmallow ghosts/pumpkins? Like a pumpkin patch! More graham cracker can be added to the top for a mulch/hay/fall leaf sort of feel.

Maybe try something with some more spices, like ginger and nutmeg, even coffee. You can arrange all the cupcakes together to make a sort of scene, not quite like a cupcake cake where they're iced together, but just grouped around each other. Also, the cupcake paper borders are pretty cool, like these:

http://www.paperorchidstationery.com/modules/cart/navigate.php/nav_id/775

They've got just on the first page a fancy filigree and spider webs (page 3 has more Halloween), but I've also seen picket fences that would be cute.

I took your advice to play with pumpkin and spices and TADA! Spicy Cayenne-Pumpkin Cupcakes are born!

My icing master (aka the boyfriend) is adding the frosting now (cinnamon cream cheese frosting, mind you), and I'll be decorating it with little skulls and flowers a la Dia de los Muerdos. The cupcake has lovely flavour and a little cayenne kick at the end.

I think I'll do the s'more cupcake next - I'm pretty excited about that one. Also, those paper borders are to die for. I could go crazy with them. Thanks for sharing!

# ¿ Sep 26, 2009 23:24

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

/\/\/\ Sorry - a horrible mistype on my part. Here's something that might make up for it?

(The cake had a real kick to it and was enjoyed by all)

# ¿ Sep 27, 2009 17:28

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

exactduckwoman posted:

Those are gorgeous and also could you share the recipe? They sound even better than they look!

But of course! And there's more pictures up on the Cakery blog here, if you'd like.

quote:

Dias de los Muertos Cupcakes
Cayenne-Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Buttercream

Ingredients
1 stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 eggs
1/3 cup yogurt with 1 tsp vanilla mixed in
1 1/3 cup pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350.

Sift or wisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cayenne, ginger, nutmeg, all spice, and salt black pepper. Set aside.

Cream together butter and both sugars with a mixer until nice and fluffy (around 5 minutes). Add eggs. Mix in yogurt and dry ingredients, alternating between the two. Add in the pumpkin.

Spoon into cupcake papers and cook in oven for about 20 minutes (or when your cake tester comes out clean). Leave out to cool before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:
16 ounces cream cheese
1 stick unsalted butter
2 cups of icing sugar (plus more - just in case you want your icing thicker)
1/4 cup real maple syrup
4 tsp cinnamon (plus more, if you add more icing sugar)

Put all ingredients (room temperature) in a mixer and mix until thick and yummy. Tint to any colour you like (or just leave it the natural cinnamon colour) and add to the cupcakes. Decorate accordingly (I'd suggest marigolds, sugar skulls, and lots of lovely bright colour!)

Please try them and let me know how they turn out. I'm always up for some recipe fine-tuning.

# ¿ Sep 28, 2009 04:49

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

paisleyfox posted:

Awesome, I'm glad you got a great idea! I'm actually looking forward to trying these myself as well (ESPECIALLY with cinnamon cream cheese icing!)

I'm really waiting for those s'mores ones, though.

The s'mores will come out next week most likely. I've got to fool around with the pumpkin marshmallow recipe first. (if anyone has their own amazing marshmallow recipe, let me know! I'm still learning about this stuff). This week I'm constructing a llama-with-a-scarf cake. It will be rainbow inside :3:

Just a side note, the Dias de los Muertos cupcakes just got featured on Cupcake Takes the Cake! Huzzah!

\/\/\/ You would be my hero if you made those pumpkin marshmallows, stuffed your mouth full of them, and then came back with your findings.

PezMaster fucked around with this message at 00:09 on Sep 29, 2009

# ¿ Sep 28, 2009 23:26

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

/\/\ Any luck with the marshmallow?

I'm hands deep in the llama cake (I'll post pictures this weekend) - but I still have cupcakes on the brain. Another contest has come up for October, this one's theme is Music. Beatles and other classic songs come to mind first (Especially Killer Queen and Yellow Submarine) - I don't want anything too easy (like B.A.N.A.N.A.S). Then perhaps I wondered if I should do some classic music - something like Moonlight Sonata.

Are there any amazing songs (that could inspire an amazing cupcake) that I should consider?

# ¿ Oct 1, 2009 17:45

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

jennyinstereo posted:

I've been asked to make my sister's wedding cake. I'm excited and overwhelmed at the same time. My sister lives 500 miles away and I'm only getting there in early morning, the day of the wedding. I have to attend the courthouse ceremony in the morning and the reception at 6pm in the evening. Sometime between all that, I have to make her a wedding cake

Think I can get away with transporting my cake layers on the 500 mile trip with me? It would save me a LOT of time and I could just make the buttercream and fillings there and assemble in between the ceremony and reception... I would transport them double wrapped in plastic wrap and in a cooler.

I couldn't imagine doing this! Good luck to you!

Can you make buttercream and the fillings before hand as well? As long as you put everything in really tightly sealed tupperware and keep it on ice, I don't see why it won't last.

Make sure you document this experience and takes lots of pictures! I want to know what it's like before I offer to do the same for one of my friends.

\/\/ I love this. For so many reasons.

PezMaster fucked around with this message at 19:48 on Oct 2, 2009

# ¿ Oct 2, 2009 18:01

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

Llama Cake!

It tasted like rainbow and delicious.

# ¿ Oct 5, 2009 19:37

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

I finished off the Pumpkin S'more cupcakes - let me tell you, the marshmallow was the bane of my existence.

I first tried the recipe paisleyfox posed - I was impatient and didn't let it set for as long as it needed to. So I went to the ol' stand-by, 7-minute icing. For some reason, I couldn't make it work. Twice. So I just ended up melting a bunch of marshmallows and adding pumpkin/spices to it.

Oh god, are they ever tasty.

I covered the pumpkin marshmallow with chocolate ganache and graham cracker crumbs. And the tombstones - delicious delicious tombstones.

# ¿ Oct 9, 2009 05:44

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

Captain Stinkybutt posted:

Can I please have the actual recipe? Do want.

Yessir! There are more pictures on the Cakery blog too if you're interested.

C&C Cakery posted:

Ingredients
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk + 1/4 cup yogurt
1 cup chocolate chips (I prefer dark)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the flour, graham cracker, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk until evenly distributed.

In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Next alternatively pour in the flour mixture with the milk/yogurt, starting and ending with the flour. Fold in your chocolate chips.

Fill your (preferably Halloween-oriented) cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes (or until your tester comes out clean.

Pumpkin Marshmallow Frosting
2 cups big marshmallows
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp all spice

Put the marshmallows in a large glass bowl and add a TBSP of water. Make sure most of the marshmallows have soaked up some moisture and place them in the microwave. Nuke those bad boys 20 seconds at a time, stirring each time you take the bowl out to check, until the marshmallows are mostly melted (there still will be some lumps, but don't worry about that yet).

Mix all the spices together in a small cup. Put the pumpkin in the marshmallow bowl and about half of the spice mixture. Using a hand mixer, mix everything together until all the marshmallowy lumps are gone. Taste and adjust the spice if need be.

(Your marshmallow will seem watery at this point - don't panic. It will re-congeal when it cools.)

Using a knife, cut out a hole in the middle of your cooled cupcakes. Spoon in the pumpkin marshmallow until it covers most of the top. Let the marshmallow cool.

Chocolate Ganache Topping
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Graham Cracker crumbs

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat (preferably in a double boiler). Take off heat and dip each of the cupcakes in the ganache, making sure the pumpkin marshmallow is completely covered. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over top.

Add candy/chocolate tombstone and/or zombie limbs as you see fit.

Another hint - make sure you consume these at room temperature. The marshmallow is heavenly that way.

# ¿ Oct 9, 2009 20:59

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

grumples posted:

No matter how many times I bake cupcakes I can never get them smooth on the top. I always end up with a crack in the middle.
What's the secret to getting a smooth, perfectly round cupcake top?

Because baking is pretty much science, it can be any number of variables, including:

Too much flour
Too little liquid
Too hot an oven
Over beaten
Batter not spread evenly
Not enough fat
Warped pans
Pan too near top of oven
Overfilled pans

If you think that all that is fine, the problem might be your starting mixture. You know when it says "Beat butter and sugar until fluffy"? They're not talking about 1 or 2 minutes with a spoon - try 5/6 minutes with a mixer on high. Ever since I put a little more time into the butter/sugar mixture, my cupcakes have gotten better at forming perfect little domes.

Also, here's a list of common cake failures and how to fix them. I always find it super handy, especially when you're experimenting with recipes.

# ¿ Oct 11, 2009 05:51

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

jennyinstereo posted:

I think the piped border makes it look like a birthday cake but she loved it! I might do dots instead of a starred tip. My main goal was to try to get the buttercream as smooth as possible. I'm happy with it. Thank god for putty scrapers and Viva paper towels.

Remind me again about the trick with the paper towels? Do you literally use them to smooth out the buttercream by wiping it across the cake? My buttercream always gets little divots and bumps - the sides or your cake looks so smooth and clean!

Also, I second that dot tip.

# ¿ Oct 11, 2009 23:00

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

/\/\ thanks for documenting the process! I seriously would have freaked out half way through if I didn't have enough buttercream - probably would have gone to DQ and picked up an ice cream cake instead.

And, yeah, I really don't understand the whole 'ribbon on the wedding cake' fad. Brides are weird.

I had another baking adventure this week. This time it was for another cupcake contest where the theme was "Music". I made the Lola (la-la-la-la Lola!) - Cherry Cola cake with Champagne buttercream and a chocolate mustache on top:

Wasn't my favourite cake in the world - way too moist and thick. Ah well - now I've got to switch gears and start making tons of Halloween cookies!

# ¿ Oct 21, 2009 18:27

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

York_M_Chan posted:

How did you do?

The voting starts on the 30th - there are a lot of big name bakers so I expect my cupcakes to get lost in the scramble. My recipe is not as good as it could be - maybe next time I'll think up something that will really wow everyone.

The results of the pumpkin cupcake contest I talked about oh so long ago come in the next few days. The theme for next month is peanut butter - which means it's time for me to whip out some Peanut Butter and Pickle Cupcakes. Awwwww yeah.

jennyinstereo posted:

Yeah the ribbon was a nightmare. Never again. I am making her baby shower cake next month so I'll document that too. I LOVE your cupcake 'staches. What recipe did you use for the champagne buttercream?

I used a regular swiss buttercream recipe, but instead of adding vanilla to flavour it, I boiled down some cheap champagne (and proceeded to drink the rest). Then, because I needed to make it stretch, I added 8oz of cream cheese.

# ¿ Oct 22, 2009 04:43

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

Prof. Ann Mary Ann posted:

I'm going to try the recipe on your blog soon. Sorry if I missed it, but how many cupcakes does it make?

That recipe will get you about 18/19 cupcakes - depends on how big you make them. I think I made 6 medium cupcakes and 2 and a half dozen super minis with it. Good luck!

Oh! And if you make any changes, be sure to tell me. I'm pretty new at transferring recipes from the bowl to the page - usually I just add what I think is right, sans measuring cup, but a written recipe forces me to measure. The marshmallow part might be off a bit (that's the only part I didn't properly measure)-- you might need a bit more marshmallow and a couple tablespoons more of pumpkin, I'm not sure. Taste it and make modifications if you need to, and let me know if you do!

PezMaster fucked around with this message at 19:00 on Oct 25, 2009

# ¿ Oct 25, 2009 18:51

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

Prof. Ann Mary Ann posted:

RE: pumpkin smore cupcakes

I'm not a knowledgeable baker. I pretty much follow the recipe since I don't know what will render it an inedible lump. I did substitute the flour for white whole wheat flour. Also I almost forgot to add the milk and yogurt so that resulted in me not adding the ingredients in the order listed.

The resulting 17 cupcakes didn't rise into nice little domes. They're a bit gooey as well, but they are delicious. What do I need to adjust?

Good News! These little cupcakes aren't supposed to have perfect little domes - The recipe had to be strong enough to be filled with marshmallow. If you wanted a dryer cake, I'd take away some of milk/yogurt or add a pinch more baking powder and a bit more flour. Also - it looks like all your chocolate chips fell to the bottom. You want to lightly fold in the chips when the batter has just been mixed. Also, the too much liquid/not enough flour problem could cause that as well. Of course, it could be a BILLION other things too - the science of baking is a cruel mistress.

I'm super glad that they are delicious - for that is the most important part. How did the marshmallow and ganache go? (The marshmallow is the hardest part) :ohdear:

# ¿ Oct 28, 2009 01:17

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

/\/\ That frog looks really concerned. Or disappointed.

I've been pretty busy over the last few months. I thought I'd share my best creations:

Yes. That is bacon.

Eggies.

The last shamrock left

A big gay birthday cake - Chocolate yogurt with a strawberry whipped cream and chocolate ganache on top. aw yeah.
The outside:

The inside (surprise love!):

PezMaster fucked around with this message at 23:54 on Apr 9, 2010

# ¿ Apr 9, 2010 23:02

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

frankdiabetes posted:

This horrifies me a little.

Also, how did you do the heart shaped filling? Very cool!

Don't worry, it horrified everyone else too. Especially when I told them I replaced the butter with bacon fat in the icing :barf:

The heart shaped filling came from a pan like this - I found one in Value Village for five bucks, unopened. I'm sure there's a way you can cut into the cake layers and get the same effect, though.

# ¿ Apr 10, 2010 17:44

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

frankdiabetes posted:

I just got a Kopykake 1000 which is a projector that can be used on cakes or cookies to trace images.

That's an expensive piece of caking equipment. I've always just printed out the images or words I wanted to use, then put wax paper over it and traced said images with royal icing. I guess you're working at a bakery?

Here's some rainbow velvet cupcakes that where for a birthday surprise in my SO's office. I got a blister from pipping all those little star blobs

# ¿ Apr 19, 2010 23:54

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

Avenue Who posted:

Also, PezMaster, amazing job getting the colors on the cupcakes right. The blue, in particular. Any blue velvet I've seen attempted always turned out green. And not a pretty, vivid green. Just... puke green. Is there any particular trick to making that work, or does your recipe just take on color exceptionally well?

I use gel colours to get a real vivid look to the cake. Also, whenever I want to tint my velvet cake any colour other than red, I use my cocoaless recipe :ssh:

I actually like it better than the classic stuff.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2010 01:06

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

frankdiabetes posted:

No, just a hobbyist. How would you do that on cookies? I do that with chocolate or buttercream transfers but I don't see how that would work doing it directly on a cookie.

I do the same thing with cookies - if I have to write on them with real pretty text, I print out the words, then lay the paper underneath wax paper. I trace the letters with royal icing (or melted chocolate, which I prefer) and let them dry. Then I usually flood the cookies with a lighter icing (or piping gel) and use it to glue down the hardened words. It works super well - not as well as your text came out (that was beautiful!), but it's good enough \/ :shobon:

# ¿ Apr 20, 2010 04:26

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

Rurutia posted:

I was wondering what the real attraction to fondant is.

A lot of bakers use fondant to get that really clean, crisp finish to their products. Buttercream can do the same thing, but it usually takes a steady (and patient) hand to get a great finish. Also, homemade marshmallow fondant is super tasty.

Here's a batch of beauties I made for mother's day - Fruit Tart cupcakes. The cake is almond vanilla with a vanilla custard in the middle, fruit on top, and an apricot glaze.

(my mum thought they were the bee's knees :3:

)

# ¿ May 23, 2010 05:48

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

Captain Stinkybutt posted:

Recipe please!

I didn't put it up on my baking blog, but I'll type it up just for you

Fruit Tart Cupcakes posted:

Makes 12

3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
3 eggs
1 cup self rising flour (or 1 cup flour minus 2 tsp, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 salt)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup milk mixed with 1/4 cup yogurt
1/2 thick custard (I just bought a custard powder and made it according to the directions)
Fruit for decoration (I would recommend kiwi, strawberries, peaches, grapes)
1/2 apricot jam

Preheat oven to 350C

In a small bowl sift the flours together well. In a separate medium bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla and almond extracts together until super light and creamy (I'm talking about a full 5+ minutes with an electric mixer here). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after every addition. Fold in the flours alternately with the milk/yogurt mixture. Note: since all yogurts are different (I use very watery skim yogurt), you may have to use more milk or a couple Tbsp more yogurt.

Divide the mix evenly among 12 baking cups. Bake for 15 minutes (or until your tester comes out clean). Let cool.

Cut out the centre of each cake (leave about a 1 cm border). Fill each cake hole (hehehe) with custard. Cut the fruit and arrange over the custard. Heat your jam until really runny, and brush it over your fruit/tops of your cakes.

Give them to your mom and become her favourite daughter/son.

Question: has anyone made/tasted sweet pea cake? I'm intrigued and wish to make a big green batch.

\/\/\/ Cupcake breakfasts are seriously the best breakfasts

PezMaster fucked around with this message at 04:31 on May 24, 2010

# ¿ May 24, 2010 04:17

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# ¿ May 4, 2024 05:03

PezMaster: Nov 15, 2006; Though they won't admit it, women were much happier when all they had to do was bake shit and pump out babies.

Pride Month Cupcakes :gay:

Also, I need a flavour consultation:
I got invited to compete in another iron chef like cupcake contest. This month's flavour is blueberries, and it's really hard not to turn to the old favourite (lemon-blueberry). I really want to find a taste that's got some spark to it. Here's my ideas so far:

Individual Blueberry Cheesecakes (a little safe)
Pomegranate-Blueberry cupcakes with a ricotta icing (my favourite thus far)
Lemon-Blueberry-Poppyseed (kinda boring if you ask me)
Coffee Cake with Blueberries and Strudel on top (I'm not so sure about the combo, but I've been told that coffee goes well with blueberries)
???

Any really awesome ideas/recipes? Blueberries aren't as inspiring as some of the other secret ingredents, so I've been left a little blah.

# ¿ Jun 3, 2010 05:19

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Let's celebrate with some CAKE.

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