Ni Hao Kai Lin who?

Ok ladies and gentlemen. I have been asked to make my most difficult cake thus far. My coworkers' beautiful little girl is turning two next weekend and she has asked me to make a Ni Hao Kai Lin cake. Without hesitation I said "Yes! Of course." I followed up with what the heck is Ni Hao Kai Lin. Thanks to Google I was able to find lots of information on the Chinese version of Dora the Explorer. Apparently, she speaks Mandarin and English throughout the show.

Upon further research I realized that this was a major feat I just tasked myself with. The use of so much fondant and now edible pens to draw on the fondant is reaching beyond my typical cake design lately. Although, I must admit that I am a bit delighted that I do not have to make a buttercream cake this time and we all know my apprehension with the creamy delight of a frosting.

So I hope that I can pull this off because IF I can I will finally have the courage to create my facebook fan page and business cards. Business is picking up within the four walls of my day job but I would LOVE to expand and inch closer to becoming a PROFESSIONAL....scary!

Pictures of this masterpiece (fingers crossed) will be displayed after next week. Wish me luck!

Happy Baking :-)
Jennifer

Tinkerbell vs. Me

Is it possible to get worse? I mean they say practice makes perfect and since I have been slacking in my practicing, it would make sense that it could be possible that I may be getting worse.

Trying to be the good daughter I am, I told my mother I would make a cake with her favorite Disney character on it. Who know Tinkerbell would live up to her difficult attitude. After a mysterious broken wing incident and a quick run to the store for a new Tinkerbell cake topper, I thought all the bad juju was gone. Boy was I wrong! Buttercream....you are still my mortal enemy and on my bad side until further notice.

Making buttercream appear as smooth as fondant seems to be the one thing I can't grasp. This time I used a technique I learned in a Wilton class, where you let the buttercream set for 30 minutes and then smooth with a spatula dipped in warm water. Sounds easy enough and the instructor made it look easy...not the case when attempted by me! The water on the spatula (that I forgot to wipe off) started to run down the sides and took the purple food coloring with it. My cake looked like it forgot to wear waterproof mascara at a FUNERAL! So I did what any creative mind would do...I covered it up with polka dots and flowers!!!

So, what did I take from this experience (beside my restraint from beating the crap out of my buttercream)? I learned to never skip a step or rush a project. Remember to wipe off the spatula and so what if smoothing the frosting takes an hour right now...isn't a finished product you are proud of worth it?

Happy Baking!