My Cake Obsession

I still have fond memories of browsing through my mother's Wilton cake magazines as a child. I've always loved cake. Looking at cake. Making cake. Decorating cake. Watching people on TV decorate cake. Eating cake. Enjoying each mouth-watering bite and allowing the flavor to transport me to another.....ahem.....sorry. Anyway, my back burner dream (as in, the dream I've had sitting on the back burner all my life but never told anyone about) has been to one day do cakes part-time. No cake shop or anything like that. Just a few cakes a month maybe, and mostly done for friends, family, and acquaintances.

To that end, I have been doing a lot of experimenting lately.....trying new recipes, techniques, and flavor combinations. The time is not even close at hand when I'll be ready to do this for pay, but until that time does come I'm really having a good time getting some research and development in. I've had some successes, some failures, and some so-so results. Here's what I've done so far this year:

Audrey's 13th birthday cake (my chocolate buttercream roses look a little more like cabbages!)

My first fondant cake (with a hand made fondant rose)

Another fondant cake with fondant roses

Here's a closeup of fondant roses from another little fondant cake I did

Jumbo cupcakes turned upside down and covered in fondant

Fondant zebra striped cake with Lindt truffles in the center for my dear friend Xena


Same idea, larger and different shape for Rick for Valentine's Day

2-tiered fondant cake in yellow and black for Mom's birthday, buttercream scrollwork

buttercream frosted cake with buttercream flowers for my sister and her family when they came back from a weekend trip

housewarming cake for a friend--buttercream frosting and sunflowers

chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling and peanut butter-buttercream frosting with chocolate peanut butter-buttercream accents

I love this--messy, yummy fun--cupcakes with buttercream "spaghetti", strawberry preserves "marinari sauce" and cocoa pebbles marshmallow treat "meatballs"


Are you asleep yet? Sorry. I promise not to put in this many cake photos next time; I'm catching up. I know not everyone shares my passion for cake. I'm as passionate about cake decorating as I am about gardening. But cake decorating offers quicker satisfaction. I don't have to wait weeks, months or even years for a cake to be finished. And other than some sore feet from standing at the kitchen counter too long, cake decorating is pretty easy on the body. Not that I'll stop gardening. In fact, that's a whole 'nother obsession, right there. Prepare to be bored with that in the future!