Cakes by Melinda Joy

Mini Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

2012-01-27T11:51:00.002-05:00

These started out as mini chocolate cupcakes, then I made some mint buttercream icing and piped it on with a large round tip. Next step was do I make a circle of chocolate ganache icing or dip them in the icing completely...so I tried both!

Almond Macaroons

2011-11-04T15:07:00.000-04:00

My first (yes pathetic) attempt at making those beautiful almond macaroon cookies and cookie sandwiches, and it was a flop. They flattened and cracked.

What's the secret to getting beautiful macaroons like these:

Does anyone have a recipe that turns out well?

Father's Day Cake Creation

2011-06-23T10:04:00.001-04:00

This year for Father's Day I decided to try something other than the standard cake, so I went with cupcakes, but not just any cupcakes - Pool Ball cupcakes!

Growing up my dad always enjoyed playing pool, and we even had a pool table for a time, so I thought this would be a fun thing to try.

Surprisingly they weren't hard to make. I used standard vanilla frosting which I warmed to I could dip the cupcakes for a smooth surface, then dipped them into colored sugar or cookie crumbs (for the 8-ball). For the circles with numbers I used fondariffic and edible markers.

Upcoming Baking Review

2011-02-02T09:23:00.001-05:00

I plan to try some new combinations as the weather warms up like the following:

1. chocolate egg shells filled with chocolate mousse
2. Yellow cake with lemon pudding filling and lemon icing, topped with shredded coconut
3. Strawberry shortcake cake with whipped topping and blueberries (festive for July 4th)

Stay Tuned...

My Recent Baking Additions

2010-12-22T10:50:00.000-05:00

Chocolate Chip Cherry Cake, for my work's holiday pot luck luncheon

Glitter Ball Cookies, for church small group party

Pumpkin spice muffins, just for fun

750 best muffin recipes

2010-11-08T21:50:00.001-05:00

Without telling too much about this book, they have muffin recipes you would expect like fruit muffins and bran muffins, but also the unexpected like Collard greens and garlic muffins. I had a chance to try two recipes so far: Apple Cider Cranberry Muffins (below) . . .

. . . AND Pumpkin Spice Muffins (pictured below):

Happy Birthday

2010-09-26T23:17:00.000-04:00

Today was actually my 27th birthday, but I didn't make this cake for myself. I made it for my coworker whose birthday is also this week. It's fun for me to bake and decorate, so it's like a gift to myself AND a gift to my coworker :)

Fall Cake Ideas

2010-09-22T14:37:00.002-04:00

Here are some cakes I did last Fall, but thought I would re-post them in case you needed inspiration :)

Chocolate Cake Contest

2010-07-01T13:33:00.004-04:00

Some of my cakes were featured on "Cakes We Bake" and also entered into the Chocolate Contest:

Please stop by Cakes We Bake and vote for any of the cakes above at: http://www.cakeswebake.com/photo/photo/listFeatured

Thanks!

My Father's Day Cake

2010-07-01T10:44:00.004-04:00

While this didn't turn out quite like I had planned, it still tasted pretty good.

I tried a new caramel icing recipe, which didnt stick to the sides of the cake at all, so I had to frost the sides with butter cream, and I tried to make the top resemble a baseball, so this was the end result:

Strawberry Shortcake Rendition

2010-06-10T10:45:00.000-04:00

A spontaneous strawberry shortcake cake:

Father's Day Cake Ideas

2010-05-14T16:07:00.003-04:00

I saw these cakes online, and they inspired me to make my father a very unique Father's Day Cake. . . so I wanted to share them with you:

NOTE: I did NOT make these cakes.

What great ideas!!! I'll post photos of my Father's Day Cake when it's made (in June)

HAPPY BAKING!

Argyle Cake

2010-02-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

My husband's 29th bithday cake - to satisfy the preppy man in him!

This cake is covered with chocolate fondarific (brand of fondant-like icing)

Diamonds are made by using cookie cutters and cutting out shapes in rolled fondarific/fondant.

Guess the game

2009-11-25T12:27:00.003-05:00

SCRABBLE!

Cupcake Wreath

2009-10-28T04:00:00.001-04:00

Easy Chocolate Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Chocolage Ganache Frosting:

Cupcake Recipe:

- Devil's Food Cake Mix

- 15 Oz Canned Pumpkin

- Semi SweetChocolate Chips

Mix, pour into cupcake pan, bake at 375/400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until done.

Ganache Icing:

- 8 Oz. Semi-sweet chocolate

- 1 Cup Heavy Cream

Melt chocolate and milk together (I use low heat setting in microwave), let cool until it can be piped out onto cupcakes. . . or you can dip the cupcakes into the runny ganache for a smoother look

To make the leaves I used a Leaf chocolate mold, and swirled several colors of chocolate together with toothpicks. Chocolate can be bought by the bag at craft stores like Michaels/AC moore. Let cool and pop our of mold.

To make the acorns: Use caramels, roll into shape, dip one end in chocolate and then roll in cookie crumbs.

Fall Housewarming Cake

2009-10-26T13:15:00.002-04:00

The Recipe:

CHAMPAGNE CAKE RECIPE (taken from here)

2 3/4 c. sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 bottle (2/5 pt.) champagne (3/4 c.)
6 egg whites

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Cream shortening with 1 cup sugar until fluffy. Blend flour mixture alternately with champagne and mix to a smooth batter. Beat egg whites until stiff and soft peaks form. Fold about half the meringue into the batter, mixing thoroughly with whisk. Gently fold in remaining meringue. Turn into two greased and floured 9 inch cake pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until test done. When cake has rested 10 minutes, turn out to cool. When cold, put together with coconut filling.

For the buttercream icing border, I used a Leaf Tip, and put a red stripe in the piping bag, filled it with buttercup yellow icing, and squeezed out leaves all around the cake. The red stripe gave it a more authentic fall leaf look...wouldn't you agree?

The leaves on the side were ordered through fancyflours.com and they are just sugar.

Gift Box Cake

2009-10-15T02:00:00.000-04:00

My first experience with covering a cake with fondant:

I added some fondant flower cut-outs to make it look more like wrapping paper:

I used Wilton Fondant, which doesn't taste the best, so I'm looking forward to trying other brands and types like Satin Ice and Fondarific to find one that looks beautiful, but also tastes sweet like buttercream icing.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

2009-09-25T16:17:00.005-04:00

EASY PUMPKIN CUPCAKES

I decided to make these pumpkin cupcakes after coming across a very easy recipe:

1 cake mix (ex. yellow cake, chocolate, spice cake etc)

1 14 oz can of pumpkin puree (pie filling works)

Mix in bowl, grease cupcake pan (or use paper liners) scoop out into baking pan, and bake on 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Voila, you have pumpkin cupcakes!

I decided to make two varieties. I added chocolate chips to half of the batter to make chocolate chip pumpkin cupcakes, and topped with chocolate ganache icing. The rest were plain pumpkin cupcakes with orange colored buttercream frosting (which I melted and poured onto each cupcake for smooth finish)

I took them to work and they were gone within 30 minutes! I was impressed, but I guess they were too haha :)

60 year highschool reunion cake

2009-09-21T13:58:00.002-04:00

My grandmother asked me to make a cake for her highschool's 60 year reunion, Class of 1949:

School Colors were Orange and Black:

With the black details added:

Music Note Cake

2009-09-19T11:54:00.003-04:00

Music note cake made (with my sister) for my sister's boyfriend's birthday.

He's our church's worship leader, hence the music notes :)

Chocolate ganache icing, with cut out fondant music notes, bordered with buttercream icing

Oreos cut in half, dipped in chocolate, and topped with chocolate transfer sheet designs to make music notes on chocolate!

Directions on how to use chocolate transfer sheets here: http://www.fancyflours.com/site/chocolate-transfer-sheet-directions.html

Featured in a Newsletter

2009-09-16T13:52:00.006-04:00

I know it's hard to see but one of my cakes was featured in this newsletter advertising one of Sandra Byrd's new novels. Sandra Byrd wrote three novels about an American girl who got the chance to go to Paris, France to learn to be a pastry chef, and in the third novel, she learns the art of cake decorating and wedding cake making. Sandra heard about my passion for cake decorating and asked if she could include a photo of one of my cakes in her newsletter announcing the release of her third book:

I know it's hard to read, but it's all about her new book, which you can read about here: http://www.sandrabyrd.com/adult.htm

I would highly recommend this book series if you enjoy fiction, christian fiction, romantic fiction, Paris/France or BAKING!

Father's Day Cake #2

2009-06-22T16:59:00.002-04:00

Pound Layer Cake filled with whipped topping and sliced strawberries

Buttercream icing on the outside in basetweave pattern

Father's Day Golf Cake

2009-06-20T22:23:00.003-04:00

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

2009-04-16T13:00:00.003-04:00

I recently received a box of King Arthur Flour's Deliciously Simple Chocolate Cake Mix in the mail.

Using it, I made some wonderful chocolate, chocolate chip cupcakes topped off with ganache icing, leaf shaped sprinkles, and green sanding sugar. They were DELICIOUS and so easy.

One of the things I loved about this cake mix is that it didn't leave any dry mix clumps when I was mixing it, and that it did not require the use of a mixer, only a whisk or wooden spoon.

Feel free to check out their other products at:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/

I enjoyed this product and others by King Arthur, so most likely other bakers will too!

On Vacation

2009-04-04T11:46:00.001-04:00

Readers,

I will be on vacation this week celebrating my one year wedding anniversary in Punta Cana, DR (a bit early, I know), so I won't be blogging again until after Easter.

So please expect a delay in response to your comments/questions/emails.

Thanks!

Melinda Joy