Painted Purse Cake

http://www.confectionarydesigns.com/

We loved making this sculpted purse cake for a very special client! The process of hand-painting with cocoa butter and petal dusts took quite some time, but we think the result was well worth it. I've practiced the cocoa painting method on small test plaques, so I was a little nervous when I needed to paint an entire cake!

Bowling Bag Cake and Edible Shoes

http://www.confectionarydesigns.com/

It's an old cliche that we are our own worst critics, but the saying holds so true when it comes to making custom cakes for our clients. There are not many cakes that leave the shop that I look at and think "we could have done something a little better on that cake."  Then the client sees the cake and just loves it!

The bowling bag cake pictured above is definately not one of the cakes I think this about as it is probably one of my favorite cakes we've done (OK, so I have to give Pam the credit for a great cake!). I love the shape, the decorations ,the vibrant colors, and the edible shoes are so perfect!

This is the third bowling-themed cake we've done for the same client who holds her birthday parties with a bowling bash every year. Can't wait to see what next year's cake looks like!

Here's a picture of the edible shoes drying (we use plastic wrap to help hold the shape as it dries).

Onsie Baby Shower Cake and Cupcakes

http://www.confectionarydesigns.com/

Northern New Jersey

Inspiration for a cake design can come from just about anywhere. I knew I'd turned into a real 'caker' when I starting seeing items such as a scarf and instead of thinking "wow, that's a perfect color for me" I now think "hmmm....how can I interpret that into a cake design."  These thoughts seem to invade my mind with so many other elements that surround me, be it architecture, a painting, or patterns the clouds make in the sky. 

For this baby shower cake we were inspired by the design of the event's invitation. The avocado green and baby blue were a perfect combination for colors and the onsie on the invitation was incorporated into the cake design and the cupcakes. The little sugar bears climbing on the cake were also dressed in onsies!

 

la Quinceanera Cake

http://www.confectionarydesigns.com/

Bogota, NJ

In every little girl's upbringing, there is a special moment to which she looks forward with excitement and pride. It could be a bat mitzvah for a young Jewish lady, a communion for a Catholic girl or she could be making her society debut. When a girl reaches her fifteenth birthday in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Central and South America, she celebrates her Quinceanera, and her entire family treats her like a princess for her special day.

Historically speaking, Quinceanera traditions date back to ancient Mexican society. The origins can be traced back to the Aztecs in 500BC where it was used as a form of initiation to instruct and reinforce important cultural ideals. These days, turning fifteen years of age is acknowledged with the Quinceanera and the ceremony is a reaffirmation of the baptismal vows made by her parents. Now, as then, a candle is lit during the ceremony to signify this.

We made the above cake for a lovely young lady for her special day. We incorporated edible items in the cake that are symbolic in many Qunceanera ceremonies, such as the royal icing tiara, the high-heeled shoe, and the gumpaste scepter.

Edible Shoes?

http://www.confectionarydesigns.com/

Some gals really love their shoes! Before I started wearing 'bakery shoes' I would have loved a pair of these with their signature red soles!

This was a fun cake to make and the recipient was very pleased with it! The box is all cake and the shoes are hand molded from sugarpaste.

Playstation 3 Cake

http://www.confectionarydesigns.com/

This Playstation 3 cake was a real challenge to make! It was made for a great lady to surprise her boyfriend on his birthday. She only needed to feed 8 people but in order to make a big impact and look like a real Playstation we needed to make a much larger cake that serves about 35 people. We gave her our usual instructions to wrap the leftovers in plastic wrap, store in the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature before serving.

The Playstation is carved from our Red Velvet cake recipe and filled with a yummy cream cheese filling. The controller is molded from cereal treats and covered with fondant. Even the Madden game on top of the cake is edible as we used our dedicated food-safe printer to create the image. Oh, and the Gucci wallet and $100 bill are also edible!

Cardamon Orange Raisin Cookies

Before I made the Regina Biscotti I don't think I ever owned a jar of cardamom. The recipe called for just a tiny bit and, of course, the supermarket only had a large jar for $12 and, silly me, I bought it. Since I can't just let an expensive jar of spices go to waste I've been searching for recipes that use cardamom (if you have one, please direct me to it as I'll never get through this jar!).

I did find a Cardamom Cookie recipe on allrecipes.com but it seemed a bit bland for my tastes so I added a few items (upped the cardamom, substituted orange zest for lemon zest, and added orange liqueur soaked raisins). Also, the recipe called for rolling the cookie dough and in order to make my life easier I changed the process to ice-box cookies so I could just slice 'em.

The end result is a tart-dough like cookie with wonderful hints of cardamon, cinnamon, and orange - three flavors that work perfectly together. This dough would also work wonderfully for an orange curd tart or any citrus pie.

http://www.confectionarydesigns.com/

Ingredients:

• 2 cups AP flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp grated orange peel
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 3/4 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp and 1 tsp whole milk
• 1/2 cup raisins soaked in orange liqueur

Directions:

• Soak raisins for at least 4 hours in orange liqueur (I used Grand Marnier).
• Sift together flour, sugar, and spices; stir in orange peel and almonds.
• Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles cornmeal.
• Stir in egg and milk until mixture forms into a ball.
• Drain liqueur from raisins and stir into dough.
• Divide dough and roll into two logs approximately 2 inches thick; chill for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Slice off 1/4" thick slices of the dough and place on parchment lined baking sheets.
• Bake 6 - 8 minutes or until edges are browned.