And a Very Happy New Year To You!

Now that all the sugar and liquor has worn off from the silly season and I can coherently type again I can show you all my sparkly New Years creation.

I started off with two cakes, vanilla Frangelico and chocolate Kahlua. Hey, it was New Years Eve after all. I added the liqueurs in with the milk in the baking process, just enough to infuse the cake. After it was cooled I leveled it and filled and crumb coated it with vanilla frosting. I only used frosting because I had some left over and figured it would keep the cake moist.  

 After filling and crumb coating I suggest chilling it for a little bit just so it firms up a bit especially if you are working in the heat like I was. I finished it with white chocolate ganache.

Now I am not going to lie, this was my first attempt at assembling and decorating a two-layer cake and yes it was a challenge. Instead of pouring the ganache I let it firm up a little until it was butter cream consistency and spatulated it on. The cake pops were made from off cuts when I leveled out the cake.The stars and hearts I cut out from purple fondant, dusted with edible glitter and used craft wire to hold them up. The lollipop sticks I used for the cake pops are hollow so they were perfect to stand my sparklers. I also added a few sparklers to the cake too, just for kicks!   

Crackers!

Again I know not baking related but I am super proud of these. I got a make your own Christmas cracker kit from Spotlight and made they for my little brother and my partner!

Edible presents!

I made these to take into work; chocolate chip cookies (they are Santa’s favourite) and peppermint macarons with white chocolate ganache filling.

The cookie recipe I got from The Joy of Baking. This is my go to recipe and the macaron recipes I got from Cristina Valencia and the ganache recpie I got from Inspired by Michelle Cake Designs and nicely packaged in a box thanks to Ikea!   

 

Merry Cupcakes

See it’s gotten to the point where if I am invited to someone’s place, for whatever reason, I am expected to bring baked goodness! So afternoon drinks with Christmas cupcakes!

These gorgeous cupcake papers were a Christmas present from my partners’ sister. They look great with the vanilla cupcakes.

 

 

Aren’t they beautiful!
Instead of having all the same cupcakes the same I did different toppers in lots of three. "The Ho Ho Ho’s” were two pieces of fondant in complementary colours or in this case Christmas colours that were layered. On the top layer I cut out the letters so the bottom colour would come through.

 

As for "the Santa Hats” I moulded them out of fondant and pipped frosting to look like hair and attached them on. Just a tip if you are going to be colouring your own fondant us a gel or powder colour. The colours are a lot more vibrant and you don’t make the huge mess that I did with the liquid colour. Also just for a bit more whimsy I dusted the white with lustre dust.  

 

For “the presents” I had square silicone moulds that I drizzled with green chocolate first and then filled in with milk chocolate. When it had set I pipped on a little bow on each. To make sure they stayed I dipped the whole cupcake in red vanilla frosting and popped on the topper straight away.   

I had some fondant texture mats which I got with my cake decorating magazines, which I thought, would be great as baubles toppers. I rolled out white fondant and pressed the mat on until it imprinted. Then I cut out the fondant into a circle that would cover the top of the cupcake and attached it with royal icing. The swirl print ones I dusted with lustre dust and the diamond one I placed a silver cachous  on the corners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aother thing I got in my cake decorating magazines was this one stencil that looked like I snowflake. With very thick royal icing I stencilled on the snowflake on rolled out fondant. After it had dried I cut the right size circles out and put them on top of the cupcake using royal icing to hold it down. By this stage the fondant will harden so it wont mould to the cupcake but that’s ok, It still looks pretty.

 

Lastly “the star atop the tree”, I used the same impression mat as the baubles but this time cut out little stars. Green royal icing made the top of the tree (just a simple star tip swirl will do) and when it was about half dry I put the stars on.

 

Merry Cupcakes!

Deck the halls…

I know my posts are usually baking related but I love Christmas so here is my wreath project which I am very proud of, all hand made because the stores just didn’t have my colours!

Strawberry Tree

 

These tarts were another “see what you can find in the fridge” creation. I had tart pastry left over from the lemon tarts, don’t worry it was still usable, as well as strawberries and cream cheese from the weekend before. Add a little help from Martha and we're cooking.

 This recipe I used I fumbled upon while looking for strawberry tarts that only used what I already had. Obviously I used my pastry so I can’t comment on the pastry she recommends but mine had more of a crunch to it and I think it complemented the soft light centre well.

Since the pastry had been sitting in the freezer it was a little dry when I was kneading it so I added a little milk until it was nice and doughy again. Also I was just a little short on cream cheese so I used Tofutti to make up the difference and no one was the wiser! As usual I made it in the tartlet tray and they came out perfect and because the pastry was chocolate I drizzled a little white chocolate on the finished product just coz’ it Christmas.

And just cos’ its Christmas I shaped it into a tree!

Let the Christmasing begin!

I have been doing a whole lot'a Christmas baking but first to get us all in the Christmas spirit: