Another Doctored Cake Mix Cake (Cake4Kids.org)

This week, I made another cake for Cake4Kids.  It was another doctored cake mix cake; this time a Devil's Food one which I adapted from the same recipe from my last post.  Unfortunately, I wasn't as blown away with this doctored version.  Maybe it's because I already found a chocolate cake from scratch that I swear by.  One thing about this cake that I loved was being able to use the new Wilton Make Any Message Letter Press Set I bought this week.  Good bye to fondant sticking inside those ABC cut outs!  Also, I remembered this time to use the Viva Towel Method.  Still not the smoothest looking chocolate buttercream frosting but better than the last one I made!  Wasn't given much direction on this cake, so I just went with blue and green marshmallow fondant accents.

My First Cake4Kids Cake

The cake requests are finally starting to roll in for Cake4Kids.  I kept this one fairly simple as it was a very last minute request.  I completely forgot about the vanilla buttercream frosting crusting up or else I would've definitely used the Viva Towel Method.  Not too bad for someone who likes to hide everything under fondant right?

I "cheated" and doctored a box of Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake for this one.  The cake was out of this world good.  I even ate every last bit of the scraps to prove it.  I used the Original WASC cake recipe from Cake Central which has me reconsidering my self-proclaimed ban on box cake mixes.  Don't get me wrong, I'm actually envious of how box cake mixes can always yield a moist and delicious cake.  It's just that it's always been my thing to bake from scratch.  I can see this as the perfect alternative to pound cake for stacking and carving.

Free Cakes for Kids

Several months ago, a friend talked to me about this program, Free Cakes for Kids, that donates cakes to kids whose families can't afford one.  It was started by Toni Poulos in 2007 in Trenton, GA and it has already expanded to over 1,000 local chapters here in the US.  However, my friend couldn't find a chapter here in the Bay Area for us to join as volunteer bakers.  Not letting this stop her, she decided to start a local chapter herself!

Today, she shared the great news with me that she has found us our first organization to support, Help One Child.  I can't wait to get started!!!

For more information on how you can help, please visit our website, www.cake4kids.org.

Shelf Stable Mousse Fillings

The carton of Pastry Pride that I picked up contained about 4 cups of liquid and I only used 1 cup for the filling on my last cake.  Because the carton said, once thawed, product keeps fresh 3 weeks in fridge and do not refreeze liquid, I had to do something soon.

Given that it's 90+ degrees in the Bay Area this week (I know, crazy, right?), I decided against turning on the oven and baking a bunch of cupcakes and cakes to fill.  Instead, I made the mousse fillings, sealed them up in plastic containers, and popped them in the freezer for a later time.  I assumed I could freeze it once whipped since it's suppose to be the non dairy, shelf stable version of Cool Whip.

I made oreo mousse filling, cheesecake mousse filling, and kahlua mousse filling.

Step 1: Empty the pudding mix into a small bowl


Step 2: Add 1-3 tablespoons of hot water to form a thick paste and set aside (Note: It should be thinner than as pictured because I ended up with "cheesecake" tasting bits in mine.)


Step 3: Whisk the thawed Pastry Pride in a mixer to stiff peaks
 

Step 4: Spoon a small amount, about 1/4 cup, of the whipped Pastry Pride into the bowl of pudding mixture and stir to lighten


Step 5: Scrape the mixture back into the bowl of whipped Pastry Pride


Step 6: Mix until combined
 

Blue Daisies Birthday Cake

I made this cake by request for my brother's girlfriend for her Mom's birthday.  She asked that I incorporate her Mom's favorite things: flowers, the color blue, and chocolate cake.


This became my favorite cake to date as I was finally able to replicate a design from the book, Sweet and Simple Party Cakes and work with a filling besides buttercream. Two things that has been on my list to try for quite some time now.

The cake was covered and decorated with marshmallow fondant.  For the flowers, letters, and butterflies, I made them the night before to allow them to dry out.  Unfortunately, the day of, I realized that the larger flowers wouldn't work and had to remake a bunch of smaller flowers.

I made my go to chocolate cake and chocolate buttercream frosting but it was the oreo mousse filling that took it to another level.  I finally got a hold of Pastry Pride, a non dairy whipping cream, from Smart & Final out here in CA.  This allowed me to make a shelf stable filling which I adapted from Cake Central.  The possibilities are endless as long as you can get a hold of a box of Jello pudding in your flavor of choice or extracts to flavor the vanilla one.  I can't wait to try the white chocolate, cheesecake, pistachio, and butterscotch flavors.