*First Communion Cookies*

Hand-dipped White Chocolate Oreo Cookies- traditional and golden Oreo cookies dipped in white chocolate, decorated with white, pink, blue and yellow candy and sugar sprinkles, topped with a royal icing cross decoration and bagged up in a white organza bag tied with a pink organza bow with silver cross

I had been eyeing the new Wilton chocolate melting pot for weeks when I got a request for dipped Oreos for a First Communion celebration for a former student.  Needless to say I was excited, not only for being a part of yet another First Communion, but for having a reason to purchase the afore mentioned melting pot.

I scoured the local bakery supply shops for the decorative crosses that would add that extra touch, and single-handedly depleted their entire stock.  But I needed every one I could get because this was going to be a large party and I wanted to be able to give each guest at least 3 cookies, so it worked out marvelously that they came in three colors, yellow, pink and blue.

It was surprisingly easy to dip those Oreos, although I have to confess, I was concerned about the chocolate cookie "dust" flecking my white chocolate with polka dots.  I found a large pastry brush did the trick to knock off any loose crumbs before dipping.  It did use a lot of chocolate to dip that many cookies so I was grateful that I bought excess chocolate just in case, I ended up with very little left over.  

I did find you have to work fast to decorate with sprinkles, but that it took quite a while for them to be completely cooled enough to move without leaving smudges in the chocolate.  

When it was all put together, I was really pleased by the elegance of the individual bags.  I think they would make a great gift for baptisms, bridal or baby showers, and anniversaries too.  

*Spring Tea Party*

Tea Party- 

Food: finger Jell-o, cheese and butterfly crackers, veggies and fruit, PB&J and turkey sandwiches cut with cookie cutters, pink lemonade with frozen raspberries and chocolate covered strawberries. For the adults, turkey sandwiches and cucumber tea sandwiches, chicken Cesar salad and peach and raspberry ice teas

Tea Pot Cake: Three-layer, teapot shaped vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream frosting in pink and green, decorated with sugar strawberries and daisies

Crafts/Games:  

Flower Hat- Straw hats decorated with wide white ribbon that the girls attached fabric flowers and jewels with "Glue-Dots" for adhesive

Tea Bag Toss-Groups of three tea bags, labeled with matching stickers, multiple crystal cut plastic bowls and cups used for a bean bag toss-type game

Musical Chairs-Set up out doors, used a version of "I'm A Little Teapot" that got progressively quicker in tempo

Pinata- Tea Pot shaped pinata with plastic rings, lip gloss, plastic butterflies, rainbow mini Slinkys, pencils and candy

I was delighted to be able to plan a party again, it had been since last summer when I did the beach party, and I was really looking forward to planning a tea party for 4 and 5 year-olds for a former student's younger sister.  

It was almost like two parties in one, since, due to their age, the parents would be staying to join in the festivities, so we planned food for the kids and food for the adults, too.  I had gone over the day before to deliver supplies, along with table cloths in pink and green and to tie pink and green tulle to the backs of the chairs. 

The day of, I arrived early to set up and prepare everything before guests started to arrive. Amazingly, the hat craft went really well.  As a teacher, I came across Glue-Dots through the Oriental Trading Company catalogue for foam craft activities and in my opinion they are worth their weight in gold.  They were just the thing for making this activity run smoothly for the 4-5 year old crowd.  We gave each girl a long piece of ribbon and laid out bowls of these flat fabric flowers I bought from the craft store and adhesive jewels. It was a good craft to do while guests trickled in too, since some kids were faster than others, it wasn't going to be done within a set time anyway.  The first ones done were good helpers too.  The moms were very impressed how well they all did and how organized the activity was, so that made my day!

After the hats were done, we set up the chairs outside for musical chairs.  I was under the assumption that all kids knew how musical chairs works, but after a practice round while the birthday girl was otherwise occupied, I was a little concerned.  Luckily, there were no tears and later the parents told me that their teacher would play it with them, however, they were never "out", which  explained the blank stares when we'd remove a chair and had them accompany it to the shady area of the yard where the parents watched the festivities.  My favorite moment was when the first "out" girl said after the game was over "That was so fun!"-I figured if she had a good time, all went pretty well!

While parents helped bring in chairs, I went over some simple etiquette rules with the girls (emphasising the importance of eating fruits, veggies and their sandwiches before diving into the enormous chocolate strawberries).  The parents then brought them over to our tea party buffet and I went around with pink lemonade served from proper teapots into their party gift little teacup. While they ate, I set up the Tea Bag Toss game for anyone who might finish early. My only regret was setting it up inside, there just wasn't enough room, but they liked throwing the yummy smelling tea bags across the room. 

After they got a chance to digest lunch, her dad set up the pinata and they headed out while I prepared cake and ice cream and chased after the mom to make sure she had stopped to get something to eat from the buffet.  The pinata was fitted with a pull-string contraption to lessen the potential hazards pinatas tend to bring in their wake, so each girl picked a string and at the count of three all pulled together.  I had packed it pretty good, maybe too good, so we had to tear into it a bit to get the flow started, but it all worked out.  We had prepared cute little purse gift bags with their names already on them for their goodies, so once they had put that away, we sang and had cake and ice cream.  

It turned out to be a huge cake and there was a ton left over, so I encouraged anyone who wanted to take some home to do so.  Even still, there was plenty for the family to have again for their own celebration later. From that point on, parents started to trickle out with their kids and their party goodies (and even some food if they liked). 

As I started to clean up and break down the party, she opened a few gifts and I again checked to make sure that her mom had stopped to eat a decent meal after a full afternoon of visiting with all the moms (and 1 dad) who had arrived with their kids.  All in all, given how action packed this party was, and the age group, I couldn't have asked for a smoother event!

*Hand-Painted Cross Cake*

First Communion Cake #5- Two-layer cross-shaped vanilla bean cake with Bavarian cream and fresh strawberries covered in white fondant and hand-painted with liquid luster dust to match the invitation.

This cake was for the older sister (and my former student) of the girl who asked for the frog princess cakes earlier in the year (see June).  Her mom had picked a beautiful stained-glass invitation for family and friends and asked to incorporate the colors/design however I could into the cake. I only wished that I had taken a picture of the cake next to the invitation so you could see them side by side.

The background of the stained-glass was various shades of red and pink, and within the framing were doves and grapes. Unfortunately, the cake wasn't quite wide enough around the sides to include the doves, so I recreated the leaves and grapes only.  

To liquefy luster dust, you can use either vodka (I prefer lemon or vanilla flavored) or any kind of extract. You never want to use water because it dissolves the sugar fondant. 

I have to say, it was quite relaxing getting back to painting, I hadn't done any proper painting since my art minor courses at college.  Once I got started it seemed like the world stood still. I hope I get to draw and paint (with edible "inks" of course) again!

*Bible Cake*

First Communion Cake #4- Two-layer quarter sheet chocolate cake with whipped cream frosting covered with white fondant and decorated with fondant accents: pink and purple star flowers, green leaves, a chalice and host, pink fondant bookmark and a plastic opalescent rosary, with a pink "book cover" edging. 

This is probably the most fanciful and shimmering cake I've made to date.  Pinks and purples, varying greens and TONS of luster dust!  My favorite element of this cake has to be the chalice and host decoration.  I was going to free-hand the two, but as I was shopping at the cake store I found a relief of the chalice and host in the Baptism/First Communion aisle and I got a spark of inspiration all thanks to one of my favorite childhood toys-PlayDough.  

When I got home, I practiced with a piece of scrap fondant to see if by pressing the fondant into the relief I would get the desired 3-D effect.  I was ecstatic when every little delicate detail came through! The luster dust helped too by adding definition to make those details shine.  

Finally, I took a page (no pun intended!) from my hero the Ace of Cakes; chef Duff and his team; who do their magic at Charm City Cakes in Baltimore.  About 2 weeks before I did this cake, they were doing a book cake when there was a slight mishap (the airbrush leaked bright pink food coloring down the side of the cake).  But the professionals they are, there was a solution- by dabbing more pink "ink" along the edges, the pages that were scored into the sides of the cake were now visible as the ink settled into the valleys. 

By doing the same with my cake, it added that little something special to a very special day.

Just Around The Corner...The Final First Communion Cake! Stay Tuned!

*Pink Cross Communion Cake*

First Communion Cake #3- Three-layer cross-shaped cake (vanilla-chocolate-vanilla) with chocolate chocolate chip mouse filling covered in pink fondant accented with a white luster dusted cross with pink and white sugar flowers

This was a fun cake to make because it was not only 3 layers but 2 different cake flavors.  I also liked the fact that it was going to be different from the previous First Communion cakes in that it was not going to have a lot of white to it. Finally, it was not a traditional shape either, and wanting to make sure that it would still feed plenty of people, I had to carefully whittle away enough so that it looked like a cross but didn't leave a tiny cake.

I was terribly tempted to cover the whole cross in luster dust just to give it a sparkle factor, but I restrained myself and only dusted the white accent cross. 

Coming Soon... not one but TWO more First Communion cakes!

*Ice Castle Birthday*

Ice Castle Cake-  Chocolate castle-shaped cake with glitter icing gel, white sanding sugar, sugar penguins and rock candy (polar bears were non-edible) on top of chocolate frosting surrounded by white fondant

So a year had passed and the birthday girl who one that first auction cake (see Bow Wow Birthday) was celebrating her birthday again, this time with a frosty theme including polar bears and penguins.  She requested an ice castle cake from me, however she also requested it be chocolate, providing me with a challenge-how to make a dark brown chocolate cake look frostbitten. 

I couldn't frost the cake in white icing because then I would loose all the detail of the castle. I went through many ideas and drafts before shopping for supplies. I was very lucky to find glitter gel icing at my local cake supply store, bringing me that much closer to fulfilling her request.  Turns out the hardest part was finding polar bears, this was April after all.

I was really happy with the way it turned out, for a chocolate cake, it looked pretty chilly! Brr!

Next Up-Back to First Communion!

*First Communion Part Deux*

First Communion Cake #2- Two-layer quarter sheet chocolate cake with chocolate frosting covered in white fondant with blue, gray and purple accents to match with a napkin for the party

Although this cake did not take up the same acreage as the previous cake, what it lacked in length and width, it certainly made up for in height. Again, considering it's been months since preparing this cake and given how ridiculously busy I was at the time, there's a good chance I've confused it's inner contents with the cake afore mentioned. But that's okay, since three-times more work went into the decoration to make sure it matched with their party napkins.

I was lucky enough to find a cross that exactly matched the one on the napkin, which made replicating it in fondant a breeze! Other than the cross, there is little color other than white, save for a few silver gray dots that run the perimeter, made of liquid luster dust!

I love it's pristine white-ness (for lack of a better term) with that pop of color in the cross and writing. What I loved even more was their reaction to my efforts to match that napkin!

Coming Up: The Girls!

*Auction Cake*

First Communion Cake #1- Half-sheet two-layer chocolate cake with vanilla frosting covered in white fondant with gray-blue accents and white royal icing piped with lettering from First Communion invitations

This cake was one of two offerings to the auction that my former school put on every year with their golf tournament. The other was a cooking party (future post to come!). Let me start off by saying...this cake was HUGE! It was a half-sheet cake, the biggest cake I've made to date, but the picture doesn't do it justice.

I'll be honest, I was so super busy at the time of making this cake (just finished a baby shower, a birthday cake and had an additional First Communion cake that same day, PLUS I was coaching softball at my former school-whew!) that I'm not completely sure this cake was the chocolate/vanilla cake or if it was a chocolate/chocolate cake. Regardless, the highlight wasn't the frosting, it was the cake. I used Ghirardelli chocolate in the cake batter-YUM!

Since there was no carving or shaping involved, the detailing came with matching it to the invitation paper his mom used and incorporating it into the design. I used the background color (blue-gray) to break up all the white fondant with edging and the cross as a centerpiece, accenting it with, what else?, luster-dust! Then I piped the phrase from the invitations "A Blessed Event" separated with mini crosses all the way around the cake. Also, there are larger white crosses (dusted with luster) on each corner.

Turn the page for more First Communion Cakes!

*Vroom, Vroom!*

Lighning McQueen Cake: 2-layer vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream frosting decorated with fondant cut outs, luster dust and blue glitter decorating gel

Cars is one of my favorite Pixar movies so I was very excited to make this cake for a 3 year-old boy who was having a Lightning McQueen themed party.  The most challenging part was making a stationary cake look like it could burn rubber off the kitchen table.  I was particularly happy with the eyes-adding just a little bit of flash with blue glitter decorating gel. 

As far as I'm concerned, Pixar can do no wrong-what's not to love about characters like Buzz & Woody, Sulley & Mike, Marlin & Dorey or even Remy & Linguine? With the new arrival of Wall-E, Pixar adds yet another endearing character to their list...anyone planning on throwing a birthday party with a Wall-E theme? (hint, hint)