Chocolate crib cake

Here's my most recent cake order done for a baby shower over the weekend. It was a, tres leches cake, filled with peaches and whipped cream. I was hesitant about using this mold with chocolate but I felt it was much easier and faster drying than gum paste, best part is that she can eat it when she's done with the cake. I also made a little baby outfit out of gum paste, bib, beanie, baby blanket and tiny booties. It was a very simple cake but I usually like to airbrush whipped cream cakes just because I can't use fondant on these cakes but they were very happy with the results and ate all of the cake.....no leftovers.

Sorry I haven't been posting any recipes or even pictures but I have been so busy with work and no time to really bake. Believe me I miss it soooo much!

JJ's Graduation cake

Here's the tres leches I made for my nephew. I like the turn out, so far it hasn't oozed out from the bottom. Well I figured if you overdo it like they do in the Mexican bakeries then that's when it happens. I don't like mine really wet to begin with so this should be good. I will let you know what it's like when we cut it. This cake here is a 12" round, for some reason I really like round cakes, maybe because I can't get crisp perfect corners on my square cakes. lol That's sounds true though, at least I can be honest with myself and straight forward with others. The borders I did with butter cream and I did this little ruffle at the bottom before piping the yellow shell, I'd always wanted to try that. I figured I would on one of my own family cakes, in case I mess up it's just family. Ha ha I also found these boards that I set this cake on at Party City in the cake area, I love them. Not to bad price wise and saves from covering regular boards and you get that scalloped edge. Nice huh? Anyhow got to get to the other cake, Bye!

Authentic Tres Leches cake & recipe

I'm not a huge fan of these cakes, I'll have it here and there but I have come across a very good recipe and just had to share it with you. I'm making a tres leches cake for my nephew tomorrow (preschool graduation). I have started to make the cake and soak it with the milks then put it in the refrigerator today so I can decorate it tomorrow. That's how it should be done, so that you give it plenty of time to soak in and grab all the flavor. So this cookbook I got from Mexico, well not me but a relative brought it as a gift. I've added a little rum extract to mine, you don't have too, but since I'm not adding a filling I wanted to do that. So here it goes and I really hope you try it, very easy to make and really good too.

Ingredients:

Vanilla Genoise (cake)

8 eggs (separated)
2 0z. butter room temp (1/2 stick)
3/4 cup sifted flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Tres leches:

1 1/2 cups of evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups of condensed milk
1 cup of half & half
1/3 cup rum or 1 tbs rum extract (optional)

Chantilly Cream

2 cups of whipping cream
8 tbs of powdered sugar (sifted)
1/2 tbs vanilla extract


Directions for Genoise:

In a mixer on high speed beat (balloon whisk) egg whites until stiff peaks form. Remove from mixer and set aside in a separate bowl. In your mixer on high speed again beat (balloon whisk) your yolks and sugar and mix until thick & creamy, add vanilla and butter. Sift your flour and baking powder in another bowl. Slowly fold dry ingredients and yolk mixture into egg whites, alternating them until well combined. Grease and flour 8" pan and bake on 350 for 30-40 minutes. Using a toothpick in center to check if it's done. Remove and let cool on cooling rack.

Directions for Tres Leches:

Combine all 3 milks and rum (optional) in a blender and blend on medium speed for 30 seconds.
Once your cake has cooled return to baking pan and prick with a toothpick/skewer. Slowly add your milk using a large spoon to push down on cake so that milk is absorbed into cake. Once you've done that cover top of pan with foil and put in refrigerator overnight.

Directions for Chantilly cream:

In a mixer on high speed (balloon whisk) beat together heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. You are now ready to turn your cake over onto a covered board and decorate using the Chantilly cream. You can add fresh fruit topping to your cake if you'd like or decorate it any way you want. Enjoy!