Thursday, June 30, 2011

Cake Balls vs Cake "Flops"

Good Morning!!


I have an order pickup today, so I decided to dip the cake balls first thing this morning (7am!) so they would be super fresh and extra yummy!!


Of course, we are having the strangest weather, it's chilly for summer, which means, open up the house, let all the lovely air in!!


But it doesn't bode well for happy cake balls. I had a few more "flops" that usual (for summertime anyway)


So, I had a grand idea! Cake Flops!! I did a candy bar for a birthday party recently, and instead of regular Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, I found Belly Flops, and just thought they were adorable. (it looked cuter on the hand-made sign)



So now, I present to you, Cake Flops!


You can see the difference between the two pictures. The ones displayed prettily on the plate are smooth, round,


and decorated to the max. Shimmer & glitter.

The "flops", well, they are still smooth, the chocolate, but they cracked right down the center!


I still applied shimmer to them, as it helps ME to identify which is which without putting my hands all over them, but I omitted the glitter on top.


I got to thinking then. When I do huge Cake Ball orders, I tend to have a dozen or so of these cracked ones. My family loves it, they get to eat them. Or, if I have a cake tasting scheduled within the week, I use them for that. (it's quite easy to slice the flops in half to serve on a tasting plate!)


But why not offer them for sale? Facebook and Twitter are such instant communication places...I can offer them, and first come first serve. They aren't PRETTY, per se, but if you are crazing a cake ball, they WILL fulfill it!


So, cake flops. Coming soon to Facebook & Twitter. Half price of current special cake ball pricing. PICKUP only on these, unless I am already delivering a full-price order. Buy one, two, or whatever I have available!


Off to post these ones on Facebook now...although I'm sorely tempted to KEEP them...they really are soo yummy when they are fresh. Mmmmmm.


Happy Cake Balling!


Julia

Friday, June 17, 2011

Random Musings

So, in an effort to try and "blog" more, I am trying to catch up on recent work (I'm fairly far behind!), and, well, just post some random thoughts.

So, first, what is a cake ball?

It's cake & icing mixed together, rolled into a ball, dipped in melted chocolate.

Mmmmmmm. And it's much harder to make them perfectly round AND smooth than it looks.

The key is to use the right chocolate, AND to temper Milk, Dark & Semi-Sweet properly. Otherwise, you'll get a wierd melty-type chocolate coating that tends to clump, never dry, and do strange things outside of the cooler!

For white chocolate, it's different, mainly because it doesn't need to be tempered as perfectly as chocolate chocolate. It just needs to be the right consistency where it doesn't clump on you. Hence, add a touch of crisco to the melted chocolate. How much crisco? I think it really depends on the type of chocolate you are using, and your skill level.

Overall, anyone can make cake balls & cake pops. With some time, effort, and attention to detail, you too can make beautiful treats that everyone will love. And even if they aren't perfect, everyone will love them anyways.

I mean, who doesn't like chocolate, cake, & icing???

Of course if you'd like some treats without all the work, please call or email me, and I'll hand-deliver a dozen or more for no cost here in the High Desert. Keep an eye on my facebook for what I have "in stock" this week.

And for those of you NOT in Southern California, YES, we do ship!!! Even in the summer months!

760.812.0574.
or
adairweddings@gmail.com

I do not ship cakes or cupcakes, but cake balls & cake pops ship nicely. I do charge you the shipping & packaging, but it is my exact cost, not a penny more.

Cheers!

Julia

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Phantom of the Opera Cake


This cake was SO fun to put together! I have a blast working with the different elements, all the detail work, those special little touches to make it "Wow"


A close friend of mine has a son who is HUGE into Phantom of the Opera. And well, I ADORE Phantom of the Opera. So, when she asked me to do a birthday cake, I jumped at it, and well, I took the design a little to the extreme, but hey, why not, right?


Everything you see on the cake is made of some form of sugar, from fondant to gumpaste, to modeling chocolate & modeling paste. Most of the details were hand-painted, and all the scrollwork & gold details were done with piped royal icing pieces, then attached to the cake with "glue" (AKA more royal icing!)


I did take some liberty with the music box, merely because I wanted to personalize it. My overal design inspiration was from another baker, who did a cake for a closing night of the show.



I really REALLY enjoyed making this particular cake....it was a very personal "labor of love".

Yes, I am willing to re-create it for you, with YOUR special personalization!

Honestly? I would LOVE to be asked to do a larger version for a closing night of the play, perhaps at a local high school here in the High Desert, or the local community college. I'd even be thrilled to do it for peanuts. *hint* *hint*





Soooo, yes, if any of my followers out there, if you are aware of a local High School doing Phantom of the Opera next year (since it was recently approved for High School Drama use!!), tell them to contact me!!!!



And my dream? To also see the sequel. The music is haunting, Andrew Lloyd Webber really out did himself with "Love Never Dies", I don't care WHAT the critics say!!! Hello?! Will you PLEASE bring it to Broadway?? London or Melbourne is just too far away!!



I will continue to update on a more regular basis....I have quite a store of things I've done over the past year, that I haven't yet shared on here!



Cheers!


Julia









Monday, June 13, 2011

Summer 2011 Specials



Summer 2011 is nearly here! School is almost out, and the fun of water, sun, sand, beach, summer parties, and birthday parties begins!!


We are running some specials this year for summer.


Mini Cakes (as pictured here) $4 each, minimum order of 4 cakes. Order a dozen and receive a break, $36 for a dozen mini cakes! The flavour combinations are limitless!!


The cakes pictured here are white chocolate cake with a strawberry compote filling, topped with white chocolate fondant & airbrushed with pearl shimmer. The small forget-me-not is made from gumpaste and hand-painted. We can do other types of small flowers, please inquire!



Cake Balls or Cake Pops
Tray special pricing!! Order a tray of 40 cake balls for only $50!! Flavours are picked in quantities of 10.


1 dozen cake balls OR cake pops only $18.

Pick of flavours (mix & match!) Cake balls come packages in a box, and cake pops come packaged individually wrapped in a clear bag. Your pick of decor! (edible glitter, shimmer, designs, flowers, hand-painting!)


Discounts on orders of 5 dozen or more.



Call us today to place your order! We are still taking some orders for Father's Day. 760.812.0574 OR adairweddings@gmail.com


Cheers!


Julia

October 2010 Temecula Wedding




Back in October of last year, I did this lovely wedding out in Temecula, CA at a winery.


The cake was a 3-tier red velvet with cream cheese icing & white chocolate fondant.


We also did a display of cake balls.


Brownie Cream Cheese
Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake
Red Velvet
White Chocolate

Chocolate



The flowers we mainly used were dark red roses, and for the bridesmaids I used a pale cream rose for some "color".

It was just a lovely day for a gorgeous wedding!




















Enjoy!!


Cheers!


Julia