Sugar Flowers

When you go for a wedding what is the first thing that gets you attention?  For me it is the wedding cake structure. I love analyzing the flower on the cake and seeing how it has been made. This curiosity lead me to join my first sugarpaste flower modeling class. It was during my time in Australia where I thought I should take this great opportunity and refine my skills. So for two consecutive weekends I attended a class where I learnt to make tulips, orchids, roses, lilies and sweet peas. Below are some of the roses I made and used on a graduation cake for my cousin.

It was a two tier cake with the first base being my signature chocolate cake with chocolate ganache frosting and the second tier was a chocolate chip vanilla cake with pink butter icing frosting made in the form of a graduation hat. The roses were placed to add that little bit of girliness. The cake was a success with my cousin's guests and even the roses. I am guessing quiet a few people were on a sugar high after all that sugar consumption.

The second flower was one of the lilies I made for my sister's birthday cake.These flowers took me three days to complete with the high humidity level in Sri Lanka I had to begin my work by 6.00 am in the morning and be done before the sun is up to melt everything away. This was my first flowers made in this humid conditions after returning back from Australia and happy to see the outcome. 

About Shi Shi's

To Start of this blog an introduction to myself. Ever since I was 6 years old I have had the love for baking. This love started from the moment I found out Santa Claus's favorite food was cookies, so with the excitement of looking forward to Christmas and presents, I decided to make a special treat for good old father Christmas. From that day forward I have never looked back. 

I can't really say that I come from a family of bakers, but the one person that shared my passion for baking is my grandmother. Many times we would be in my mother's kitchen trying out one of her famous recipes or learning the skills of curling the rose petal to make it that little bit more special.

So now as an adult; I have specialized my talents to create unique customized cakes for family and friends. This blog will contain all my creations to share with you all.  Enjoy !!!

I feel like a Red Velvet Cupcake

One famous cake that many people are making and eating a lot these days is the "Red Velvet" . I first heard about red velvet cupcakes /cakes was by watching Masterchef Australia, an amazing show which always inspires me to create something.

So putting my chef hat on I made my first batch of red velvet cupcakes for a dear friend of mine.

I have come across instances when others have used butter cream for the top, I believe this is done because it is more cost effective, but I still prefer to use the cream cheese frosting as it is less sweet and gives just that little kick of sourness that makes the cake all the more delicious. Cream cheese is available in Sri Lanka, under the "Happy Cow" brand, however you will be looking at spending around Rs 430/= per 250g container and stocks do run out quickly (that story will come up later). Enjoy !!

Trial an Error

So this post is about, the challenge I had with working with fondant icing. Yes, this may seem strange, when I have worked with fondant before. However previously, my work has all been in the cool temperature in Australia, but returning back to my home country came with it the challenge of the warm tropical weather.

Thhe order was for a friend who wanted to surprise her big sis with something special for her birthday.  The cake was my usual chocolate cake with chocolate ganache. So to explain the story behind the fondant....my first batch of fondant unfortunately due to a lack of too little binding ingredient (Glycerine) the consistency was not of rolling ability, therefore the batch had to be discarded.

The second batch was a success, as the fondant was of roll-able consistency (Tip- the quantities of each ingredient has to be exactly correct). Then came the next challenge of coloring the icing, at the same time I was running against clock to make sure the cake was done in time. In Sri Lanka, as the day goes by the humidity increases therefore the fondant begins to melt, which makes it a challenge to roll. To avoid this it is always advisable to scatter some corn flour/ starch on the rolling area. The reason for not using icing sugar on the table is because it can easily melt and also can cause the fondant to dry out. So with a lot of kneading and many sticky moments the cake was completed.

The cake was covered with Sky blue fondant and Teale luster dust was brushed on top to give it a sheen. Then it was decorated around with colored flowers and topped off with a large Dark Pink fondant "26". The edging was covered with pink butter cream icing to add the last bit of girliness.

Go the mighty penguins !!

Many may read this title and assume that I will be creating a penguin shaped cake but sorry to disappoint you this wasn't the plan. To explain the title a bit, " The Penguins" otherwise better known as the "Pittsburgh Penguins" is an Ice hockey team from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and one of their biggest fans use to sit right next to me at work. This was none other than my assistant manager at the time. She was a strong follower of the team and I don't believe during the time I was working with her that she ever missed watching one of their matches.

On the day of her farewell party I made a cake revolving around the theme  "her favorite team". The cake was  chocolate cake on the top which I covered with a white fondant. Unfortunately this time due to the time constraints of my job I had to cheat a little bit an purchase some ready made fondant from my favorite cake shop, "cake decorating central" -( http://www.cakedecoratingcentral.com/).

Each piece of  "The Penguins" logo was individually cut out and stuck on to the white fondant layer. The glove and beak outline was with butter icing and to finish it off the red maple leave to symbolize her new home. To complete this cake it took me 2 days with the demands of working in a hotel i would come home to complete my piece of art. K.Z  you were an inspirational leader and a great role model.