Checkerboard Cake

In my last post before I “Vanished”, I stated of sharing the Checkerboard Cake recipe. Now after almost three months I was able to share it with you all. Truly good that I kept a nexus to intertwine this big gap. Checkerboard Cake is very easy to make, only the trick is, you have to have the checkerboard cake baking set. I bought the set from Joann Store in a sell price of $7.00.The original price of it varies from $12-$16. I blindly followed the instructions as well as the recipe just given in the back of the package. The checkers of my cake didn’t come out that neat as in the picture it’s shown. I consider it OK for a first time experimenter.

Here is the instruction and recipe on the back of the package:

A piece of the Cake:-

The whole Cake:-

I decorated my Checkerboard cake with the Fondant roll. Here I am giving few designing tips about how to make Leaf, big and mini Rose flower.Only few things you have to keep in mind:

1. Always keep butter or shortening handy while decorating your cake with Fondant roll.

2. Keep the surface platform on which you will be working greased with butter or shortening for easy handling Fondant roll.

3. Always work with the approx amount of fondant what you exactly need. Fondant gets hard very soon. Therefore always keep the extra roll in an air tight container or a zip lock.

4. If you feel your Fondant has become hard, put it in to Kitchen Towel tissue and microwave it for 5-6 seconds. It you want more softness then heat it for a minute or so. Don’t over heat and be careful of burning your hands as fondant gets too hot if you over heat it.

5. To Colour your Fondant, always use toothpicks and add colour starting with a tip ting each at a time till you get the colour after your mind. In every colour addition make sure that you have mixed the colour well in the fondant. Use individual tooth pick for each colour.

How to make a leaf:-

Step 1:-

Make a ball.

Step 2:-

Flat it in a shape of a leaf.

Step 3 & 4:-

Take a tooth pick and give the impression of the veins.

Step 5:-

With a swift hand give the leaf a twist to look more lively.

 How to make a big Rose:-

Step 1:-

Make a ball.

Step 2:-

Flat it in a round shape .

Step 3:-

Fold it in half very softly, don't press it.

Step 4:-

Then from one side start roll it towards the other end. Do it very softly with out any press.

Step 5:-

Your Rose is ready.

How to make a mini Rose:-

Step 1:-

Make a small ball.

Step 2:-

Flat it in a round shape .

Step 3:-

Fold it in half very softly, don't press it.

Step 4:-

Then from one side start roll it towards the other end. Do it very softly with out any press.

Step 5:-

Your mini Rose is ready.

Once you start to play with the fondant you will feel that your creativity and different designing ideas are driving you crazy to give them a form. You can make different shapes of flowers, leaves, different shapes etc just using intelligence and the mere equipments. The cookie cutters work very well. You can also get lots of Fondant designing tools in the stores. You will also get a handful of designing tips on the net too.

Check out my other Fondant Cake HERE.

 

Celebrated Daughter's Birthday with my Second Fondant and First Check Board Cake

From last few days I was so busy that I was not getting any time to sit and blog. Lot of personal stuffs have suddenly loaded me so much that all my free times are just been swiped to unavoidable assignments. Right now here are some snaps of my daughter's Birthday Cake which I made by my hand and also a gift from my part, to share with you all. The detail- how I made it will be following in the next post. Hopefully I would be able to post it soon. Just to keep by blog alive enjoy the post and don't forget to give your precious feedbacks. Happy Blogging.

Celebration Time- My first Fondant Cake

Now I am on the top of the world and feeling so proud that simultaneously am able to devise two successful cakes. My husband declared that this is the best anniversary gift he has ever received. Yes, the first Fondant cake made by me is the anniversary gift to my husband. And I, myself, am feeling so satisfied after bestowing the gift. Just a couple of days back we completed the 5th year of our sweet & sour Married life.

Time really swings within a fraction of second. I could still remember those days when our marriage was fixed and we got married within a couple of months. Got only a 4-5 days for a telephonic conversation with my would be husband to amass all the premarital romance. At that time heart desired to delve deeper in love, but mind was totally obsessed with the fact of leaving parents, home for an unknown destination. The proverb goes perfectly true that time heals everything. The first year swayed hypnotically with the newly blessed love. The grief of leaving my parent, my home slowly buried down under the peace of exploring new love. Every day the dining table used to become embellished with a handful of new and inviting recipes. Then kitchen became the podium to show my love for him. Adorning myself everyday in a new way, spending hours in front of the mirror, became the passion. Faring the silly little thing to make my hubby happy, were then the only goal for me. The first year passed away in making of a good and perfect husband and wife. In the second year we moved to the next phase of our life. We became the proud parents of an adorable sweet little angel. Just after two years of our marriage she was born. The next three years how passed we both were unaware. Our entire world narrowed down to her only. Apart from welcoming the most treasured member of our life, we welcome few more spices to make our love impregnable in every alternate day. Sometimes the love in between my husband and me started to become sour, sometimes bitter, sometimes too sweet, and sometimes hot. But a single smile of our daughter wipes away all hunches like a fresh wave.

In the very day of our 5th marriage anniversary, while making the Cake, I had a realisation. My husband was going to return on that day from his official tour. I was too excited in making of the cake and other dinner dishes to surprise him. This excitement I felt after a long period. After my daughter was born I was so busy in my motherhood that I was just on the verge of forgetting about me and my love. I was just like a machine doing all the works of a mother and a wife. During the absence of my husband I missed him so much and missed all the bitter/sour moments too. I realised that these are the spices of love which make love stronger and testier. While designing the cake opened my heart and pour all the feelings I have for him after a long gap, remembering all those sweet memories we spent together.

Every year I wanted to make a cake, mainly, wanted to decorate it just after my mind on this occassion. I still remember on my first anniversary I prepared a cake. When my husband came he didn’t say anything but gave such a smile that at that time I just want to disappear anywhere. He found me, just in the middle of a destroyed battle field, fighting all alone with the unsuccessful cake and scattered icing. Both of us spent the anniversary evening cleaning the messy kitchen. After that whenever I placed a hint of baking a cake, my husband’s pity stare reminded me that day and never to utter once again to bake a cake.

Again time is not always the same for everybody. Yesterday only my husband demanded me to bake some nice cake for him. And no need to say- I am so happy.

From last few days I grew an interest in Fondant cakes. Seeing lots of wonderfully decorated fondant cakes by my fellow bloggers forced me to take a risk to make a fondant cake. Inspired by their creativity I went to the shop and bought Wilton’s ready-to-use Fondant Roll.

In the package very helpful guidance is given and I got one more helpful tips from Food Network. There are lots of videos on how to make Fondant cakes uploaded in Youtube too. As I thought, that to create this type of cake must be very difficult, but it is not so hard. Just skill and patience are the two key tools here. I prepared two layered sponge cake and used whipping cream (added sugar) for the icing. Then with help of the fondant roll I decorated my cake.

Few tips:-

1. Fondant roll by taste is very sweet. So when you will prepare the cake use sugar less than what usually you add.

2. If you feel that your fondant is getting hard put it in to the microwave. But not more than 3-4 seconds. Fondant gets hot very soon and it can burn your hand. If you still think to make it more soft then add a second more. Each time keep on checking.

3. Keep some vegetable shortening or butter handy by the side of your fondant cake. Whenever you feel the fondant is getting sticky put little bit of butter or shortening in hand.

4. To stick the designed fondants on the cake rather than using water use butter. You can also use water. But as much less as you can.