tutorial tuesday: cake

Today’s tutorial comes from my super talented friend Ruth. She can do everything: quilting, baking, mom-ing, homemaking, and even wardrobe consulting (she takes me shopping). Owning her own bakery is a dream of hers, so I thought I better get in on her cake secrets now before she has to guard them for the business’ sake (if you know what I mean). So here are some cake-making tips with photos from a cake she made for her son’s birthday.

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First things first plan out how you want the cake to look when you are finished but don’t be afraid to modify it half way through if your 2 year old just can’t wait for the finished cake and takes a corner while you aren’t looking. I prefer homemade cakes over cake mixes only that they are denser and tend to flake less when you are frosting them. That being said there are some fabulous recipes to modify cake mixes and make them denser.

When frosting I start with a dirty ice or initial layer of frosting. I heard the term dirty ice somewhere and love it because I can’t stand when my frosting gets dirty with crumbs when I am doing a cake. Also to help avoid that frost in one direction not back and forth across the cake. So frost the cake with a thin layer of frosting and let it dry—about 10 or 15 minutes. If you want to make the cake have some dimension use leftover cake pieces to create some hills or mountains or anything else you can imagine.

Fondant is so much fun to play with I think of it as a baker’s playdoh. So easy to work with all you have to do is roll it out and shape it how you want it to look. You can buy it colored or do it yourself just make sure you use frosting coloring not food coloring or it will break down and fall apart. If your frosting is not quite dry just lay it on the frosting and it will stick. If your frosting has already dried just lightly brush it with water and stick it on the cake.

Next just add your details. I added grass around the bottom of my hill and all around the sides to cover flaws. Don’t be afraid to use other food items to decorate. I just crushed up graham crackers for sand and sprinkled it on the cake. So easy my kids can do it   Remember it’s not rocket science and you will be just fine!

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Thanks, Ruth, for sharing! I can’t wait to try your tricks out. Leave a comment if you have a question for Ruth about anything (cake or which jeans would look best on you!). Happy Tuesday!