My weekend Six

You guys are making me feel like Fall! My weekend six: the cupcake finale (w/pixs)

Note to self: why do you never learn to start earlier? When you think "oh I can start later, this won't take long." Don't believe it - you're wrong, so stop doing that!

The weekend started Friday am with the shuttle flyover I shared pixs of. Then for no reason whatsoever I whiled away the day thinking it would take no time to knock out some cupcakes and a cake that evening. Yeah, apparently 96 cupcakes and a 6 layer cake takes a bit more time. Had to finish Sat am, so between waiting for them to cool, then ice, that took up all of Saturday.

I made devil's food and vanilla cupcakes done in two types of flowers, one with a butterfly fondant accent. I'd never used fondant, it was kinda fun. Decided to color them with the pearl dust vs. coloring the fondant. It worked out well for the look I was going for.

I also made a 6-inch vanilla "smash cake" for the 1 yro. I made 6 layers, but it started looking like the Tower of Babel, so opted to use only 4.

So here's the reveal...

Don't have a six inch cake pan? No problem - make some:

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/1st%20Birthday%20cupcakes%20and%20more/IMG_1632.jpg

Bowl O'butterflies and butterflies in their incubator with a early test cupcake:

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/1st%20Birthday%20cupcakes%20and%20more/IMG_1631.jpg

Rose/butterfly cupcake:

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/AvaSophia%201st%20Birthday/IMG_1643_zps2d6af875.jpg

Alternate flower cupcake:

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/AvaSophia%201st%20Birthday/IMG_1641_zps2a9c701c.jpg

Both cupcake styles:
http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/AvaSophia%201st%20Birthday/IMG_1652_zps874b2489.jpg

Assembly line:
http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/1st%20Birthday%20cupcakes%20and%20more/IMG_1637.jpg

Remember those peonies? Well when the icing doesn't break it seems they become gardenias:

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/1st%20Birthday%20cupcakes%20and%20more/IMG_1638.jpg

Cupcakes at party on stand:

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/AvaSophia%201st%20Birthday/IMG_1653_zps2d762cf3.jpg

Cupcakes and cake on stand at party (covered in tulle to keep tree droppings off - worked well):

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/AvaSophia%201st%20Birthday/IMG_1648_zpsc7e309e9.jpg

Cake:

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/AvaSophia%201st%20Birthday/IMG_1650_zpse3446c51.jpg
Ah, the cake. Again with the don't start things too late because you know why? Because you get tired, that's why. And when you are tired you start doing things like, hummm this icing is really a bit too hard to pipe I should lighten it up and rebeat it, but naahhh, I'm tired, I'll make it work (and things get a bit sloppy). And when it's 1:30am and you are staring at a cake that you'd planned to make a pink rolled fondant 1 for so it would be a crisp and perfect cut out on top, plus you have a piping bag with pink icing in your hand? You know what happens? You think, what the heck, and pipe that number on top, before you even think of placement or style. Then your OCD kicks in and you see it's off center. Then every time you look at it your OCD makes you twitch, so you have to center yourself and think, stop that! Pffft, c'est la vie. Moral of the story: pace yourself and start earlier.

Dessert table (doncha just love that stand? I've named her Beyoncé, because she's BEYON(D)cé just any ol' cake stand):
http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/AvaSophia%201st%20Birthday/IMG_1655_zpsdbd62869.jpg

and a good time was had by all...
http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy163/4ebay_bucket/AvaSophia%201st%20Birthday/cakehand-1.jpg

 
No, I mean my mother told me to never, ever use the self-clean setting.

For reasons that I guess are apparent from this thread! smileys/wink.gif

 
I think all self cleaning ovens lock until the heat comes down from the s/c cycle. they don't want

you to open that oven in mid-cycle when it's blazing hot. it should unlock automatically when the temp is down.

 
Yes indeed. I can't recall the temp it gets to but it's big. My friend's little girl put the palms

of her hands smack on the window, once. It was so so awful. Her mom had to peel her off leaving skin behind.

 
Marge, my ovens locked and then cut off just after starting the cycle, never to unlock!! I think

there was an initial wiring problem. But they are now on their own circuit and work just fine.

But in an older apt building maybe thee ae not dedicated circuits?

 
MariaDNoCal! The cake & cupcakes are positively gorgeous, and I'm sure the taste was superb. I am

elated I happened to log on here at home this morning. Typically, I do "Eat.At" while at the office, and the IS folks there have blocks on all pics so what a real treat to see your finished product. I always intend to check out the photos at this site once I come home after work, but at my age it's a miracle I can even remember how to find my way home. Sigh.

You must work well under pressure so more power to you! Great job and well done....wigs

 
Thanks all for your kind words I AM THE AUNT **shakes fist in air** lol

and in the process I invented MuffinCakes®, which soon will be all the rage. Celebrities will be clambering for them, the Kardashian's will start wearing the logo on the butt of their sweats, I will be offered a show on FoodTV, and birds will start singing three part harmony....hehehee.

Seriously though, I'm happy with how the cupcakes turned out and the stand really made it pop IMHO.

The cake could've been better, but my fault for starting so late on in, and when I was tired. Also the wilton turntable is going back. The low height turned out to be a problem (I had to crouch down) and it didn't turn well. Though in it's favor the whole thing fit in the fridge.

I did try the icing wrapped in plastic wrap trick, though found it can't be too tight on the front end or it won't untwist. Worked well though as I piped the three colors for the ombre cake - never had to change tips. A good thing.

Mostly though I was happy I could turn out anything that looked even half way decent given I hadn't held a piping bag in my hand in over 30 years -- and the hands, well they aren't the same.

The thing that meant the most to me though was seeing my SIL wanting a certain look for her party, then seeing the disappointment when it could not be realized due to job/finance changes that recently hit them. I was happy to dig into my party supplies/decorations stash for all the basics to save money and was able to deliver the party she wanted, plus a better than store bought version of cupcakes to capture the look (I knew I could do as good or better than the look of standard bakery cupcakes, she was wary b/c she'd never seen me do this, but I think I bettered what she was going to purchase, which was my plan). The party theme was fairies, and the flowers/butterflies on the stand hopefully captured the "fairy cakes" look.

PS
Disco dust rocks!

 
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