audra36274's blog

This is a very important cake. My best friend in the whole world is having a birthday today, and I'd like you all to be at his party! Happy Birthday Eric Hanner!!!!  

   Eric, you have been a friend, and mentor, not only to me but many, many, people here on TFL. You help so many and since I found it impossible to get the whole internet full of your fans together any other way, we meet today, via internet, with our glass held high. A toast to you and your birthday. You have helped me not only with my breads, my pictures of them, my computer, you have  listened to me go on and on and on about my cakes. I feel like a part of the family, as do so many of the people here. So what else could a family do, but have you a party! So everyone, give your friend and mine ehanner a Big Birthday Cheer, and sit down and have a slice of cake. It will be fine, there are no calories in here! Oh, somebody bring the candles! See y'all there!

If anyone remembers, I intended to make a Spooky Gingerbread House to go on top of a cake for our Halloween party. Well, I got carried away and it won't fit. Who cares, the kids like it. I know it shows up a little over the top in the photos, but in person it does not. Don't know why.... Oh well, Happy Halloween Ya'll!

  As the story goes, Emily wanted a topsy turvy cake for her birthday party. If you haven't seen one, please google topsy turvy cakes and there are even cool video's that make it look oh so easy to do. I had called the bakery and they wanted $230.00 for one to feed 20 people. Not this year! So the Wilton pans come out and this is the result. Now I know it is not a $230. quality cake, 1. because I used frosting and  fondant only on the decorations (it taste like crap) and 2. it was a less than perfect job. The front I left flat for writing purposes, but the sides and back are very curvy. If you have ever worked with fondant, it has the exact same texture as Play Dough, so I let Emily and Quaid have a good time and cut out and apply all the dots.

Note to myself: Put the next extremely heavy cake I make on a solid board, NOT a cardboard cake board (they bend and will break the cake) this almost happened

   These are not that hard and I think that after making just 3 or 4 that anyone could make one with professional results. I did use dowels and corrugated cardboard to seperate when the layers changed sizes to help support the weight. And I can't think of anything I would have done differently. If you do one, follow the video, be sure to use a crumb coat and let it dry well. You should be able to smooth any rough spots because this layer gets sort of hard. Then you can frost away and not have to worry about any crumbs sneaking in. If its for kids, let them in on the fun. They will enjoy the cake more if they get to participate, and don't sweat it. It's just cake, if it flops, feed it to the chickens and run to the super market for a replacement and swear you just didn't have time to bake!

    I couldn't let Sylvia and Pamela have all the red stained shirts! I did use Sylvia's meatball recipe, but instead of rolling the out by hand used and ice cream scoop to put the meatball in the bread crumbs. NEXT time I will only use a cookie dough scoop. They were way too big! I was scooping, rolling and putting them straight in the oil when I stopped to count. Sylvia had 18 or so and here is 10,11, 12. Uh oh. Too late. Good thing I have a big mouth. They were great ya'll. Thanks for the inspiration. My bread crumbs vanished somehow, but they were great.

What is the weather where you are? Here is what is going on in the south. We can't seem to get ripe tomatoes because we enjoy them green . Early in the morning it is already 84 with high humidity. I start my bread and sit it out to rise. Then we pick and prepare for canning. Go knead. Start canning before it gets any hotter. Go shape for final rise. Take hot jars out and sit aside to be undisturbed. Bake and cook.  The days are busy, long, and hot but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I wish you all good food and happy baking. Anybody else have that first ripe tomato yet? Luckily my friend has a greenhouse and we have really had them all winter.

I had taken a few loaves (my first attempt) Paul's Sweet Vanilla Challah from the oven and was working on my photo's. I went back to get the smaller loaf to re- do the shot and it had been assaulted! My shaping was out of practice on my challah, but the taste is fantastic. 

It has rained for 4 days now. We are all stir crazy, so we made pizza. The kids did their own toppings. This one was just pepperoni. As they say in the papers, " A good time was had by all" .