Hi Sugar Babies!
Halloween is next week! Here comes another round of treats to get you ready!
Witch Hat Peanut Butter Cookies
Poured Fondant Pumpkin Cookies
Happy Halloween Caking!
Sharon
Halloween Roundup : Part 1
Hi Sugar Babies! Halloween is fast approaching! Here are some tutorials from around the web to get you in the treat making mood!
Broomelda: The Jack O’ Lantern Witch
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See you next week for Part 2!
Happy Caking!
Sharon
Sharon’s Chocolate Buttercream
Hi Sugar Babies!
Today we have a recipe for you! This chocolate icing is awesome, and pro tip: starting with a chocolate buttercream makes black icing easier to achieve! Perfect for Halloween :).
Check it out below:
Sharon’s Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups hi ratio shortening
- 2.5 cups salted butter softened
- splash of vanilla
- 5 pounds powdered sugar
- hot coffee creamer (adjust the amount as needed)
- powdered cocoa (amount as desired)
Directions
Cream the butter, shortening and vanilla. Dump cocoa in amount as desired. I go for dark brown. Stream in powdered sugar and add hot creamer liquid as needed, to get the desired consistency.
It’s that easy! Hope you try it. Let me know what you think.
Notes
Fine at room temperature for several days. May be refrigerated or frozen as well. This is a crusting icing.
Happy Caking,
Sharon
Guest Post: Pastry Hacks When You Lack Equipment!
Sample Pastry Decorating Hacks When You Lack Equipment
While scouring through Pinterest, Instagram or watching the endless stream of cooking and baking channels available on TV, it’s easy to get swept away with the desire to create beautiful intricate designs that pastry chefs so easily whip up in their fully kitted out kitchens. However, what happens to all the people who want to produce fantastic cakes and other edible delights that don’t have every baking tool out there?
If you want to know how you can decorate your homemade bakes easily, even though you may not have all the bits and bobs. Hopefully, this will encourage you to try baking as 83% of all Americans report that baking some kind of dish at home improves your disposition.
Cupcakes
If you would like to decorate exquisite cupcakes for your child, one of the easiest ways to decorate icing without piping bags or any other tools is simply by using your hands.
Now, to ensure that the icing sticks make sure your cupcakes are no longer warm and then spread a good quantity of icing onto the cupcake using an ordinary spreading knife.
From there, you can either proceed to take your clean finger and gently push the icing down and pull the finger back up, in order to create little ridges throughout the icing which end up resembling a flower. But if you wanted something a little more feminine, you could always simply use your finger to create a circling spiral motion throughout the icing.
If you like the idea of a patchwork quilt or a chessboard of some kind, then you can either use your finger or a toothpick to run lines through the flattened icing. Make sure to do it so that way the one set of lines overlap the other so as to create a crisscross pattern. And remember if it doesn’t turn out perfectly you can just say that you were trying to achieve a rustic buttercream look.
Other treats
One of the easiest wow-factor bakes that doesn’t require any equipment and can be taken to any event from a birthday party to a wedding is a layered ombre cake. For the cake all you need to decorate it is a few zip lock bags, your usual spreading knife, a pair of scissors and a couple of bowls to mix the icing with the various food coloring shades.
Simply take your cooled cake, stack it with a little plain white icing and then spread a little of the icing around it so that it creates a solid layer for your piping to go through. Now you mix all your various icing shades, pipe them on in sections and then simply use your knife to smooth them into an ombre fusion. If that sounds a bit too advanced for the moment, might I suggest homemade fudge instead?
If by the end of this you are extremely exhausted and find yourself slammed with the rest of your long list of to-do’s then perhaps a little caffeine is in order, make sure to reward yourself with a nice cup of coffee and delegate the washing up to those who will be devouring your baked goods within seconds instead.
With so many options for you to create, that require minimal skill and equipment but yield outstanding results, all that’s left to say is “Ready, Set……Bake.”
Bio: Sa
rah is the author of Simmer and Zest. She is assionate about food and how it’s made, where it comes from, and how people can enjoy it to the fullest extent.
Guest Post: Rustic Buttercream
Hi Sugar Friends! Today we have another guest post from The Fondant Flinger!
Thankfully, this technique is quite fast and easy. Here is a short list of things you’ll need to cover a cake in rustic horizontal lines:
- Chilled, stacked, filled and crumb coated cake – I like it chilled so there is no chance of the cake moving around at all while I’m finishing it. I also use swiss meringue buttercream to frost all of my cakes.
- A turntable
- Batch of buttercream
- Offset spatula
- Tapered offset spatula
Place your prepared cake on the turntable.
Using your offset spatula, apply a layer of buttercream to the top and sides of the cake. I left the top of the cake completely flat instead of adding any sort of texture. If you choose to do that, make sure to spend the extra time to make the top of your cake smooth and even.
The entire cake should now be roughly butter creamed with at least 1/4 inch of buttercream.
Grab your tapered offset spatula. I like to start at the bottom, though there probably is no reason at all why you shouldn’t be able to do the same technique from the top. I hold the tapered off set spatula almost flat against the cake, you don’t want to be gouging the cake as you rotate the turntable just leaving a slight indentation around the sides of the cake.
Gently rotate the turntable while keeping the tip against the sides of the cake. When you seem to be accumulating some buttercream build up, scrape off the excess buttercream from your spatula back into your buttercream bowl and place the tapered spatula right back where you left off. As I rotate I slowly begin to move my spatula up to create the next line around the cake. Keep rotating and moving your tapered offset spatula up the sides of the cake till you reach the top. Once I reach the top of the cake, I come back and “fix” any areas that don’t quite match up to the other areas of the cake.
But thats it really! Just a whole lot of spinning while indenting.
Remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect. That’s the beauty of a rustic design. Embrace your occasional glob of buttercream, your line that goes askew when the phone rings and startles you, and the large bump over a chunk of strawberry in your buttercream! These “imperfections” give your cake character.
If you have multiple tiers to do, just stack them up after completing the buttercream and allowing the tiers to chill a bit in the fridge. Super simple, super quick and super rustic!
As always, if you all have questions or comments, I’d love to hear them and will try to get back to you right away.
— The Fondant Flinger
Guest Post: Candy Buffet Ideas!
Hi there! This week we have an awesome guest post courtesy of Shari’s Berries! We focus on cake here alot, but there are other ways to get that wow facor using treats! Shari’s Berries tells us how:
Do you remember the birthday parties of your childhood? Nothing brought quite as much joy as the colorful pinatas filled with sweets and cakes piled high with icing. Now that you’re an adult, your parties don’t have to be devoid of sugary delight. We’ve compiled all of the candy buffet ideas you need to create a stunning (or stunningly cute) setup at your next get-together.
Candy buffets are an excellent way to give your guests their sugar fix without the stress of a fancy dessert. We especially love them for their versatility and the way that you can customize them for any event. Keep reading for some helpful hints and tricks to make your buffet a success.
What Colors Should my Candy Buffet be?
One of the first decisions that you should make about your candy buffet is its color scheme. If you’re unsure of what to choose, a monochromatic theme is a great idea. It looks put-together and sophisticated, but can also be fun and playful when using a brighter hue. We chose a monochromatic pink palette for our buffet, with hints of gold and white. Some other color choices include:
Black and white
A black-and-white theme works well for formal or adult soirees. Keep in mind that this option may limit the types of candy you’re able to use. Your best bet is a diversity of chocolates in milk, dark and white.
Rainbow
If you’re throwing a kid’s party, a rainbow color scheme is a fun choice. The benefit of this theme is that you can use any candy you want, while the downside is that your buffet risks looking visually cluttered or overwhelming.
Pastels
For a get-together happening in spring or early summer, pastels are a timely option. Plenty of light-hued candies should be available in the months surrounding Easter and they look darling displayed together.
Saturated colors
For a buffet that stands out in the best way, choose a couple dark or saturated colors to feature. You can look for candy-coated chocolates and jumbo lollipops in color-drenched hues.
Tips:
- Brightly colored candies look great, but can melt and cause unsightly stains. If you’re using a light-colored tablecloth, be cautious!
- After all of the work you’ve put into selecting a color, don’t disguise it! Use clear dishware so your candy is fully on display.
- Just because you’ve selected one or two colors to feature doesn’t mean you can’t use other colors as an accent. Just use them sparingly!
- If you have candies in different shades of the same color, try mixing them to add visual interest.
What Types of Candy Should I Purchase?
The coolest candy buffets have sweets in a variety of shapes, sizes and textures. Choose your goodies accordingly, while staying mindful of guest preferences. You should plan on purchasing about eight ounces of candy per guest. For things like lollipops, one per guest should be plenty. For the most cost-effective solution, try buying your candy in bulk.
For reference, these are the types of candy that we used in our buffet:
- Gummy candy
- Lollipops
- “Filler” candy (chocolate balls)
- Taffy
- Candy-coated chocolate gems
- Rock candy
- Gumballs
- Twisted marshmallows
- Malt balls
- Extras, like cake and coconut snowballs
Tips:
- Try purchasing at least one “filler” candy that can be used as a base or prop for other candies. We chose small chocolate balls for this purpose.
- In order to add visual interest (and provide an option for guests who aren’t candy fans), try adding a small cake to your display.
- If you’re ordering your candy online, delay shipment until right before your party for freshness and less chance of melting.
- Similarly, keep your candy in a cool location and out of the sun for the duration of the party.
- Don’t forget something for guests to put their candy in! Colorful bowls, cellophane bags, or Chinese-style takeout boxes work well.
- Whenever possible, set up your candy so that guests cannot touch the part that’s being eaten. This means leaving wrappers on individual candies and displaying sweets like rock candy with the stick facing up.
How do I Set up my Candy Buffet?
One of the best parts of a candy buffet is that there are no strict guidelines for how it must look. Moreover, it looks great with jars, bowls and trays of different sizes. This means that you can use displayware and materials that you have on hand, rather than spending a fortune on a matching set. Here are some supplies that you’ll want to have ready:
A sturdy table
The weight of bulk candy and displayware adds up quickly. This is not a job for a small card table.
Tablecloth
Most buffets benefit from a tablecloth. Find one in a color that matches your candy, or keep it neutral with white. We suggest a tablecloth that is larger than your table. The excess material can be draped over pedestals to keep the look cohesive.
If you’re using an accent color, choose details for the table in a matching tone. We included a gold banner.
Backdrop
Because your candy display will inevitably feature tall containers, guests’ eyes will also be drawn to the walls behind them. A simple backdrop in coordinating colors is enough to keep things pretty. We used circular paper fans on our wall.
You can also use streamers, garland, paper lanterns, balloons, or even your favorite paintings and posters for a background. If you feel like getting crafty, colorful paper plates twisted in cellophane look like giant hard candies.
Pedestals
You may not have enough tall containers on hand for your buffet. Even if you do, a pedestal is still a useful tool. It can be used to elevate a bowl, vase or jar to add another dimension to the table. While you can purchase a pedestal specifically for this purpose, an inverted box, brick, book or dishware works just as well. Cover it with your tablecloth so it’s not visually distracting.
Containers
Because a candy buffet shouldn’t be composed of all the same types of containers, you’re encouraged to use what’s on hand. Here are some common container ideas. You can use mason jars, large lidded jars, vases, bowls, trays and cake stands.
Tips:
- To avoid too much visual chaos, you may want to keep things symmetrical by using the same type of storage containers on either side of your buffet.
- Create a point of interest by elevating one container of candy (or cake) above the others.
- Don’t be afraid to mix candy in containers. Filler candy can be used at the bottom of large jugs and jars to make other candy easier to reach.
- Avoid using excessively tall containers in the back of your display. They may be too hard to reach.
- For the same reason, avoid containers that do not have a wide mouth or are otherwise difficult to reach into.
- While the containers should be full enough to look plentiful, avoid filling all the way to the brim. It could cause spilling.
- While we’ve suggested glass in this article for its translucent appeal, keep your guests in mind. If you have children at your party (or clumsy adults!) breakable servingware may not be advisable.
- For hygiene purposes, you should set up the candy so that guests are touching it as little as possible. Provide tongs and candy scoops for bulk candies in a color that complements your theme.
- Smaller serving implements are preferable; you don’t want your guests to overdose on sugar!
If you have candy that is soft, squishy or fragile, tongs are less likely to smash it than a candy scoop.
How do I Decorate my Candy Buffet?
For a candy buffet that’s unique to your party, don’t shy away from extras. Confetti, ribbons, garlands or even cute plush animals make an excellent addition to the table. However, less is more, so a couple finishing touches are all you need.
If you’ve created a candy buffet to celebrate someone special, try featuring their name in foam letters with colorful candies glued on top. You can tuck party blowers into tubs of candy for a birthday party, or scatter ornaments on the table for a holiday celebration. The choice is up to you!
Now that you’ve got some fun candy buffet table ideas, we hope you feel inspired! If you follow these tips and have fun with it, your display will inevitably be a success. For a perfect centerpiece to your buffet, try one of our candy and chocolate gifts. Wishing you sweet success with your setup!
Guest Post: Ruffle Cupcake Topper Tutorial
Hi Sugar Babies! This week we have another guest post from our friend, the Fondant Flinger.
Let’s learn how to make some cute cupcake toppers!
Ruffle Cupcake Topper Tutorial
Just a rather simple tutorial with very few tools. Here is what you’ll need:
- Round Cutters
- X-acto blade
- Square of foam
- Cutting mat
- Small Rolling Pin
- Ball tool
- Fondant
- Powdered sugar to keep things from getting sticky on ya
- Plastic wrap to keep fondant nice and pliable
- Small paintbrush (I use a fine point paintbrush for these)
- Small amount of water or sugar glue
Using your small rolling pin, roll out your fondant on self-healing cutting mat dusted with powdered sugar. I like my fondant rather thing so I roll mine to approximately 1/8? thick. Using a round cutter about 2? in diameter, cut out as many disks as cupcake toppers you are making.
Remove excess fondant and wrap tightly with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Carefully set aside the round disks to dry. You need to gently move them so your pretty little round disks don’t become misshapen ovals, unless you happen to love the look of misshapen cupcake toppers. If you do, feel free to haphazardly toss them aside to dry.
Take your excess fondant and again roll it out on your dusted cutting mat. I go fairly thin on the ruffles so shoot for 1/16? and you should be good to go. Once rolled out, take your X-acto blade (a nice, new, clean blade, mind you!) and cut a long strip about a 1/2? wide.
Again, wrap up the excess so that it doesn’t dry out on you while you work with your ruffle strip. Place the strip onto a foam square and using your ball tool, ruffle only the top edge.
I use a gentle “eraser” motion to make the ruffle, then I come back and every so often, place my ball tool half way off the ruffle and pull downward to pull the ruffle back towards the non-thinned edge.
Using a teensy, food-safe, fine point paintbrush apply a small amount of water or sugar glue to the fondant disk.
Take your long ruffle strip and on one end, fold the ruffle back and under to create a “loop”. Gently pinch the non-thinned portion to secure this loop. Place the loop on the first round disk so that the “seam” is under the ruffle.
To make the ruffles, continue to make “s” shapes with the fondant strip, and securing each loop by gently pressing down at the base of the ruffle. This also forces the little ruffle loop upward making it extra cute.
Continue around the edge of the round disk to create the first level of ruffles.
When you reach your starting point, overlap the second ruffle leaving about a 1/4? of the first layer exposed.
When your first ruffle strip finally runs out, simply roll out some more fondant, cut a 1/2? strip, ruffle the edge, create your first loop on the end and continue this whole fun process.
I continue to do this until I get about 3 ruffle layers in.
Then, I make another long strip of ruffled edged fondant and create a long strip of the ruffle on my mat.
I then roll the ruffle up into a nice “center”.
Pinch the excess fondant on the bottom edge into a “log” and cut off the excess with my blade.
Use your paintbrush to add in some water on your prepped disk and gently set the center in the middle of your ruffles.
To get a more secure attachment, carefully insert the non-brush side of your tiny paintbrush between the ruffles in the center and push downwards.
And there you go! A ruffled cupcake topper just perfect to turn any everyday cupcake into something fancy schmancy.
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Fourth of July Roundup!
With Independence Day being one week away, I thought we’d round up these great tutorials from around the web to get you inspired!
Happy Baking and Happy Fourth!
Sharon
Recipes 101: WASC Cake
Hi Sugar Babies!
Today I want to talk to you about the popular White Almond Sour Cream (WASC) Cake. A few highlights about this recipe!
- This cake is said to be the best of both worlds! Dense enough to withstand the weight of fondant, but has the mositre of a box cake. This heavenly blend is the result of “doctoring” the cake mix.
- You can make this into any flavor by starting with a flavored cake mix, and adjust the flavorings as desired. May be doubled.
The possibilities REALLY are endless!
Here is the Recipe as provided by Rebecca Sutterby:
Ingredients:
1 box cake mix 15.25 ounces
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1-1/8 cup water
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. clear vanilla flavoring
1 tsp. clear almond flavoring
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 large egg whites or 3 whole eggs
3/4 tsp salt (optional)
Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in mixer bowl and mix well with whip attachment. Add remaining ingredients and mix with beater attachment on speed 1 – 2 until smooth and incorporated. Do not over-mix.
Pour into prepared pans and bake at 325 until done. Baking times will vary, but a 10 inch round cake will take approx. 60 to 65 minutes.
— NOTE: The water is reduced to 1 1/8 cup per mix for the now smaller 15 oz cake mixes. — I do not recommend Pillsbury for this recipe.
There is a great instructional video on our site filled with additional tips and tricks and can be found here:
https://www.sugaredproductions.com/freevideos/?id=16
Just look under videos, or search the site using the keyword “WASC”.
Let us know how this works for you! Happy Baking!
Sharon
Baking With Buttermilk
Hi all! Today we have a guest post from Lisa Bugeja of Flour Confections about baking with buttermilk!
For most of my cakes, I prefer baking with buttermilk over milk – I love the texture and taste buttermilk gives to a cake. However, although I love buttermilk, I don’t often love shopping for it.
At most grocery stores, it’s only available in 1L cartons – and sometimes you find it, sometimes you don’t, sometimes it has a long expiration date, sometimes a week or less! It can become quite a nuisance when you bake to order and you suddenly get a last minute request but you are out of buttermilk, or you buy more than you need and end up tossing out half the container because it goes past due. Yes you can freeze buttermilk – best to do it in small amounts which can thaw easily, but again that’s a nuisance.
Recently we brought in dry buttermilk powder – all the essence and qualities of buttermilk but in dry form just waiting to be reconstituted. Now I have buttermilk on hand whenever I need it – I can make a little or a lot depending upon my needs – no waste! And this is true buttermilk like the product from days gone by – it is the residue left over from making sweet cream butter, and then dried into powdered form. Today’s commercial buttermilk is cultured, i.e.: it is milk with an addition to it to create a buttermilk taste & texture. For more info about buttermilk, see this Wikipedia post.
So what can you use buttermilk for? It is excellent in baked goods; from muffins, to quick breads, to cakes – it gives an amazing texture & flavour to your baked items. Here’s a quick non-cake related recipe in which buttermilk is the star – Irish Soda Bread. This bread is VERY easy to make, takes less than 5 minutes to prepare, can be on the table in 45 minutes, tastes amazing and has 4 simple ingredients! It’s homemade and your family will think you hit a home run! Try it!
Irish Soda Bread
adapted from finecooking.com
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
To make 2 cups of buttermilk:
Mix together 6 1/2 tbsp (62.5g) buttermilk powder with 450mL water
Yields:
One amazingly delicious 6″-7″ round loaf
Serves:
1-8 depending! 
Using the centre rack of the oven, pre-heat the oven to 450F and lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together all your dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre of your flour mixture and pour in 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk. Using one hand, stir together, incorporating all the ingredients. If too dry, add additional buttermilk 1 tbsp at a time until the dough just comes together. This dough is soft, do not overwork the dough.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface, gently knead together and shape into a round about 6″-7″ in diameter and 1 1/2″ high at the centre point. Flip the bread round over so that the floured side is face up. With a sharp knife, score a cross in the dough – from one side to the other about 1/4″ deep.
Place dough on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, lower the temperature to 400F and bake until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap on the bottom – approximately 20-30 minutes.
Best if allowed to cool for approximately 2 hours prior to slicing and serving …. if you can wait that long!
Get creative: add raisins, herbs, chopped chocolate, caramelized onions, currants, dried cherries, crystallized ginger, olives – experiment & have fun!
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With a tremendous sweet tooth and an exceptional eye for design, creating edible art is something Lisa knew she enjoyed and was good at for as long as she could remember. With the direction of Flour Confections Inc. turning, it was time to focus back to her beginnings and her passion. Baked & Beloved was born.
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