M.A.C Make-up Cake

Oh me oh my, I made this cake a few weeks back and I am only getting around to sharing.

This cake, as you can tell, is for a lady who looooves her make-up. M.A.C make-up to be precise. It was actually a really fun cake to make. All bits and bobs of make-up strewn all over a pink and purple make-up case, which in fact was chocolate biscuit cake.

Chocolate biscuit is by far the most popular requested cake I get. People just go mad for it. I've been quiet busy as of late and it has all been chocolate biscuit cakes. So I really feel the need to bake something spongy and creamy and sumptuous. Luckily berries are in full bloom around these parts so I have great plans for them.

My sister and I took my little nephew on a hunt last week, a hunt for blackberries. We live by an extremely scenic river and low and behold there was bushes upon bushes of blackberries. We got a bucket full, not being too greedy as there was other kids out foraging too. We got stung by nettles, scrapes from thorns, screamed at spiders but my lawd it was worth it. It made the yummiest blackberry jam. I'm usually not a fan but this sweet, gooey blackberry concoction was something! I didn't have a sugar thermometer so it is more of a conserve which I personally favour to jam. Smeared over homemade scones Saturday morning was just heaven.

So hopefully I shall be back with some bakes soon. The evenings are getting darker and theres a slight nip in the air. This seems to be the time my baking mojo kicks in......when I can cover all my indulgences up with a big jumper lol!

Have a great weekend folks.....I'm off to pick more blackberries...

Shirley x

Fondant Fridays: A Little Choo Choo cake

I think this could be one of the simplest cakes I have ever made. No muss, no fuss just a little guy who loves choo choos! I tried to get inventive with some tracks and a "tunnel" and to be honest the picture doesn't even do it justice. It was fabulously cute in real life. It was very much a "I don't want to cut it up situation" lol which I always find is a job well done.

It was a chocolate biscuit cake with the addition of raisins instead my usual malteasers. 

Happy September to ya'll! Got myself some fantastically fresh rhubarb out of my uncles garden which I cannot wait to get baking with. I'm thinking some rhubarb and custard muffins. Of course there will tarts and crumbles too, that's a given!

Fondant Fridays: P-p-p-p-poker Cake

I have played poker I would say about twice in my life and it was basically me watching other people win money. In fairness once was in Vegas so I really had no clue what was going on, it was all happening so quick. The second time my Dad held a poker night at home so I wasnt too awful. I tried to be cunning and really "play" the game but lets just say I lost a few pennies that night also lol!

So when I was asked to make a small cake for someone "who loves his poker", I had some idea of what to make. The cake itself was a gluten-free sponge, raspberry jam and vanilla buttercream. I had never made gluten-free before and read horrendous story how difficult it was to get a good gluten-free sponge but it turned out perfect.....phew lol!

Hope everyones enjoying the last few days of holidays before all the schools are back. I honestly dont know where the summer went!

Happy Friday

Shirley x

Fondant Fridays: Vanilla and Chocolate Giant Cupcake

My Sister's friend has a little girl named Leah and she is my nephews bestest friend in the whole wide world. So when she asked me to do something for Leah's birthday, I was only too happy to do it. She didn't really mind what the cake was so I suggested a giant cupcake. I had recently bought the giant cupcake pan and I was mad to test it out. 

The cake was a vanilla sponge, raspberry jam and vanilla buttercream.

I made the cupcake casing out of chocolate. There are a few videos on YouTube of how to do this but it is basically melting down chocolate and coating the inside of the tin. You need quite a bit of chocolate as it has to be quite thick. When fully dried, give a little tug on the thickest part of the chocolate and it will pop right out. I was veerrry skeptical about this. I was expecting it to shatter in to pieces but it doesn't,trust me! It's such a nice clean finish instead of trying to perfectly buttercream it and who doesn't love chocolate.

While I wasn't too happy with the buttercream piping, I think every baker in Ireland will understand the frustrations with buttercream this last summer. Melty-Mac-Melterson!

Hope you all have a fantabulous weekend!

Shirley x

Fondant Fridays: Little Baby Booties Christening Cake

Look at these little booties, how fantastically cute are they?!

While I've made booties many time before, I have never put the addition of socks. I think they complete the little bootie. Can't understand why I would have never thought to do this before but sure, it's all a learning process.

This cake was a vanilla sponge, strawberry jam and vanilla cream. It was very popular and went down a treat. I heard it even got the stamp of approval of the grandmother. You know if the elders approve of cake then you're on to a winner!

The older kids went nuts for the booties and eventually the dad gave in and let them eat them....sugarbuzzzzz!!

Hope everyones having a good Friday! There seems to be a bit of change in the weather, I feel Autumn blowing in so get out and soak up any last rays of sun!

Have a good weekend.

Shirley x

Fondant Friday: Two tiered 18th Birthday Cake

Happy Fondant Friday!

I made this a few weeks ago and embarrassingly, I am only getting around to posting it now. But as its fondant Friday, it worked out pretty well.

This two-tiered cake is a chocoholics dream. The top layer was a chocolate fudge cake and the bottom layer was chocolate biscuit cake. The birthday girl had seen something similar online and wanted it in her favourite colours~purple and pink. It also had some purple and pink stars on the top layer, almost like a stars bursting out of the cake. It was quite breezy that day so I assembled them on delivery for fear of them bending in some crazy way.

I'd never done those stars before but they are super effective. The cake seems almost 'unfinished' without them. Of course did I bring my camera, or even my phone to show you all. No! Because that would actually require me to be organised and have a brain...ugh lol!

Anyway hope everyones Friday is going well and the weekend is even better!

Shirley x

Fondant Friday: Baby Shower Cupcakes

A while back, a friend of mine was invited to a baby shower. We having the usual chit-chat of what to bring, already knowing the mommy to-be had almost everything already. She had already bought a small gift, So I suggested why not bring along some cupcakes? They were super cute and a real nice touch if I may say so myself.

The mommy-to-be didnt know the sex of the baby so I did a mix 'n' match batch. I loved making each individual topper and although the were a bit time consuming, I adored the end result. I could honestly whittle away cupcake toppers each evening and die a happy woman. The went down an absolute storm at the baby shower. Sometimes the smallest little details can make the biggest impact...I was beyond delighted.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Shirley x