The Difference Between Fondant and Buttercream and how much your guest REALLY get on their cake slice.

I thought it would be helpful to blog about fondant covered cakes and the difference between the two finished product.

Here is the first picture.

This Is a buttercream finished red velvet cake yes it is pretty smooth.

This is a fondant en-robed buttercream covered cake like above but better now because all that yummy buttercream is now staying moist and the cake is protected from air. 

This is the size of the top of your cake this is how much fondant we are talking about for most guests.The only guests that would receive more would be those that get end pieces. In 120 people wedding that might be about 30 people. 

This is the thickness we strive to roll to. We DO NOT believe your cake should have a SLAB of 1/4 inch wide fondant on it. That IS just nasty and really unacceptable today.

Here is another look at the thickness we roll to.

Now some questions which one looks better to you? Does it help to see how big the fondant slice really is for your guests? Did you know that 99% of all the cakes you see in the magazines are fondant en-robed cakes? Did you know that most bakers cannot make buttercream look like fondant because buttercream is buttercream and fondant is fondant period. If you can make it look like fondant you better REALLY like Italian meringue or Swiss meringue buttercream to me it tastes a little like a stick of butter not icing and it will cost you a lot more because we are going to make that icing in small batches. That is the only way we could make a super smooth finish happen without it cracking or showing many imperfection.  Or we must use a all shortening based icing and to me this is not my favorite. I like American Buttercream.

Fondant look with Swiss dots

Buttercream look with Swiss dots

Which finish looks better to you?

Buttermilk Pie

Okay so have you ever heard of a buttermilk pie? Well I will tell you it is the best of both worlds. It is like a custard pie without to much egg and it is rich evil deliciousness. I ate my first buttermilk pie when I was about 12. My mother went on a pie kick and this pie was a long time favorite of mine. The first one I made about 18 years ago did not set up and I stayed mad at it for about 18 years.

On my last trip to Little Rock my mother handed over the family recipes and I found this pie. 

So I decided I would make it again problem is my mother left a few things off of the recipe list and I just about had a heart attack! One was the buttermilk and the other was the flour. But we fixed that and here it is. 

2 cups sugar

3 eggs slightly beaten

4 tablespoons four

1 cup buttermilk

1 stick of butter

1 and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

One raw pie crust or if you like your favorite recipe of pie crust.

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

You will need one deep dish pie or two regular pie plates.

Step one: Cream sugar and butter and flour.

Step two: add eggs, vanilla mix, then add buttermilk. Mix until it comes together well.

Step three: Pour batter into pie crust.

Step Four: Bake for 5 minutes on 400 degrees

Step Five: reduce heat to 350 degree's and bake for 35 minutes or until a knife comes out almost clean and it does not jiggle much.

Serve warm or cool. If serving warm ice cream may be good with this pie. 

Happy Pie Baking!

Barnes/Tidwell Wedding

We loved Renee so much and her cakes were so beautiful! Fresh By CarryAnn made the floral topper and
www.kmosleyphotography.com Sent us beautiful pictures of our work!

Why rent a Display cake?

With the economy still recovering why would you buy  a 5 tier, or more wedding cake? Rent it instead! back up with sheet cakes and save up to 1000.00. this beautiful cake rented for $100.00 the sheet cakes were 1.75 a slice for a one layer cake and everyone was happy. this rental cake will rent for $125.00 starting in January. Book it today to insure the $100.00 pricing. Sheet cakes will be $2.00 a slice starting in January and will be two layer. We are phasing out the one layer cakes. We are in the process of remaking all rental cakes so that all have slots in the back for real cake to be inserted. We still offer reasonable wedding cakes, custom special occasion cakes, and grooms cakes. please visit our website www.cakesbyshara.net for more info on pricing.

Master Cheese Cake recipe

You will Need:

For the Crust you will need
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons butter melted
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
I double this because I like more crust.

For the Filling:


Five 8 ounce packages of cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
3 tablespoons flour ( I use a little more flour in mine)
5 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sour cream
Add in's mini chocolate chips, raspberry sauce mixed with some filling then you can marble it, white chocolate chips chopped fine. I add about a cup of chocolate chips or white chocolate and about 1/2 cup strained raspberry to 1 cup batter.

1. Preheat Oven to 375
Grease bottom and sides of a 9 inch spring-form pan metal is better than glass!

2. In a small bowl mix the graham crackers, sugar and butter together.
Then pour into the spring form pan with a measuring cup press the crumbs down on the bottom and push the crumbs to the sides with the side of the cup I like this method because I hated crumbs on my hands. Place in oven and back for about 9-10 minutes until golden brown

3. Increase oven to 500 degrees. Yes, I really want the oven that hot.

In a stand mixer add cream cheese and sugar cream the mixture together on medium speed. stop the mixer and scrap down the sides and mix again. Add one egg at a time making sure to beat well after each egg but beat on medium. Half way through the eggs I scrape down the sides and bottom again. After all the eggs are added stir in the sour cream.


pour into the pan and bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes.
Reduce heat to 250 degrees and bake for 1 hour.
Turn off the oven and leave the cake in the oven for one more hour with the door adjar.
Remove from oven and cool in the refrigerator.

When cool you can top with ganache, fruit, or anything else you would like to use.

So close yet so far away. The differance between chocolate truffles with ganache filling and the popular cake ball.

This past week I was asked to make truffles, being rainy, humid, and rather nightmarish outside, I decided to make cake balls a new popular solution to the look of truffles, but the taste is VERY different. Still, labor wise I will take the cake balls any day of the week over truffles. I can charge less more like $1.00 -1.75 each instead of $2.25-2.75 each truffle the preparation is similar but the cost is cheaper on a cake ball, and the yield of the recipe is much better in a cake ball but the flavor... OH the sweet flavor, the melt in your mouth out of this world( yes, I am a chocolate truffle snob) is SO much better in a chocolate truffle! It boils down to how much do you want to spend? My truffles are $90.00 for 36 and my cake balls are for the budget minded 54.00 for 36.

These are my truffles filled with melt in your mouth ganache and decadent flavorings.




These are my cake balls much different texture inside more like cake because it is CAKE! Not silky smooth melt in you mouth ganache, but still yummy none the less.



So if you are a chocolate truffle snob like I am cake ball truffles may not work for you. But please understand what you are paying for is pure quality chocolate mixed with heavy cream and butter and premium flavorings. You are paying for the tempering of the chocolate, the setting up of the ganache, the hand dipping of that ganache after it has been scooped, and hand rolled into balls. Dipped truffles take me at least 24 hours for me to make right.

Which do you like better? Are you a truffle snob like I am or do you like the cake balls better?
Enjoy the recipes of both.

Cake ball recipe:
One cake batch(mix or scratch you pick)
16 ounces icing
2 pounds chocolate coating or bark

Bake cake
Let cool to warm
crumble cake
mix in 16 ounces of icing until well mixed
let chill for at least 3 hours
scoop out with a cookie dough scoop
Roll into balls
Freeze for 20 minute
Heat dipping chocolate according to the directions
dip your cake balls one at a time until dipped.
let the Chocolate set up
Then eat

Chocolate truffles Food network recipe

• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 bars (8 ounces) bittersweet chocolate baking bars, broken in 1/4-inch pieces recommended: Ghirardelli)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/3 cup Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate and butter. In a medium sized skillet, bring 1/2 inch of water to a slow simmer. Set the saucepan in the skillet over low heat. Stir mixture just until chocolate has completely melted. Remove from heat. Pour the chocolate mixture into a shallow bowl. Cool, cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Pour the cocoa into a pie plate. Line an airtight container with waxed paper. Dip a melon baller or small spoon into a glass of warm water and quickly scrape across the surface of the chilled truffle mixture to form a rough 1-inch ball. Drop the ball into the cocoa. Repeat with the remaining truffle mixture. Gently shake the pie plate to coat truffles evenly. Transfer truffles to the prepared container, separating layers with additional waxed paper. Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 3 months.

Don't coat these in cocoa and you can hand dip them like mine but be sure to temper the chocoalte for best results and if it is raining outside you might want to rent a dehumidifier because chocolate hates water!

Tips on tempering chocolate

Tempering is a method of heating and cooling chocolate in order to use it for coating or dipping.

Proper tempering gives chocolate a smooth and glossy finish. Tempered chocolate will have a crisp snap and won’t melt on your fingers as easily as improperly tempered chocolate.

Properly tempered chocolate is also great for molding candies because the candies will release out of the molds more easily and still retain a glossy finish.

Tempering Methods:

View recipe

Tempering can be accomplished in several different ways, including the following simple methods:

Method 1
Grate or chop the desired amount of chocolate. Place two-thirds of the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler. Heat over hot, not boiling, water, stirring constantly, until chocolate reaches 110°–115°F.

Place the top pan of the double boiler on a towel. Cool to 95°–100°F. Add the remaining chocolate to the top pan, stirring until melted. The chocolate is now ready to be used for molding candies, coating, or dipping.

Method 2
Starting with a pound of broken chocolate, melt two-thirds of the chocolate over indirect heat, such as in the top pan of a double boiler. Melt just until the chocolate is liquid and smooth (at 110°–115°F). When it is smooth, add the remaining one-third of broken chocolate and heat again until the entire chocolate becomes smooth.

Pour the chocolate onto a marble or laminate surface. Using a spatula, scrape and stir the chocolate across the surface to smooth and cool it. When the chocolate cools to 80°–82°F, return it to the top pan of the double boiler. Place over hot, not boiling, water.

Heat and stir constantly, until it reaches 87°–91°F. Remove the top pan of the double boiler. The chocolate is now ready to be used for molding candies, coating, or dipping.

Tips for Tempering

• Do not heat above 130°F since chocolate, especially milk chocolate, is very sensitive to heat and will scorch or seize easily.
• Be sure no liquid gets into the chocolate. This will cause clumping or seizing.

Country Ham Corn Chowder

This is a nice fall soup and a pleasant surprise today as I was making this recipe up.


Country Ham Corn Chowder:

10 ounces country ham chips
one medium white onion chopped fine
8-12 cups chicken broth
one 12 ounce package of frozen sweet corn ( I used birds eye steamers)
8 medium peeled potatoes and chopped to a medium rough dice.
dash celery salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt to taste(after cooking process is done because of the country ham having so much salt in it)
one 5 ounce can of evaporated milk or one cup heavy cream if you wish.

Roux
1 1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup flour
melt butter mix in flour and cook on low until a light color change. (white roux) keep on low heat until ready to mix.

Method:
Cook ham in a little water until it is hot
add onions and cook until they are translucent
add garlic and finish cooking for about two minutes
Add pepper
Add Broth
add potato
add corn
boil on meduim until potatoes are tender (about 30 minutes)
add a dash of celery salt
When the potatoes are done taste and see if salt is needed. I added a tiny amount here.
Reduce heat on stove to low
Add roux and mix with a whip so that no lumps form
finish with milk or heavy cream
Increase heat to medium until the soup is hot again this may be as short as one minute.

Serve with a nice bread or cracker. It can be topped with sharp cheddar cheese as well.

Enjoy!

Fondant cakes

A week or so ago a did a post on buttercream looks different than fondant. I am going to post the fondant cakes now with a link to the buttercream post.
Here


Cakes By Shara





Zack and Jodi Gray of Gray Photography Here




Jessica Rai Photography

Buttercream cakes look different than fondant cakes.

Many Brides always ask me if I can make buttercream look like fondant, the answer is a resounding NO! My feeling is buttercream can be made smooth, but it always seems to show more imperfections than fondant. It will also melt under the heat of the sun. I saw a cake once at a famous hotel in town, they had a beautiful buttercream cake under the glass Atrium it was winter and the buttercream roses were melting away from the heat of the sun! Real buttercream melts at 84 degree's it also will melt under hot spotlighting, Most outside weddings are held in June, July. and August, the baker must use a buttercream and shorting ratio for outside weddings or they must do a Swiss Meringue icing that is a little more heat stable but both still melt easy. Here are some examples of my buttercream cakes all works are mine. It is important that you know what your bakers buttercream cakes look like. Next blog will be about fondant cakes.

Bird Nest wedding cake?

I found the trend toward birds is growing in cakes How many people have used birds themes in your wedding this year or will next season?

Plum was the topic color of a Bride in passing.

OOOO My wedding Color is Plum! I heard one excited bride to be at the Weddings the Bridal show today so I thought I would dedicate my blog to plum Inspiration boards. When I think of plum something makes me happy maybe because we will see a change from the black white and yellow we have been seeing in the past two years.


http://theperfectpalette.blogspot.com/

I am excited to see these colors and I have my first wedding cake coming in January 2010 with a beautiful Ivory and Plum combo. Brides let me know your wedding colors this year and we will blog about them!



http://theperfectpalette.blogspot.com/
Looking forward to so many new color pallets this coming wedding season.

Back Yard Weddings 2010 trend

Backyard weddings and family gatherings will be a trend next year due to the economy. I think we will see brides budgets continuing in the manner of 2009, which means we need to offer creative solutions.



Backyard weddings need a back up plan like a tent in case of rain and plenty of seating, you will need folding chairs and possible inside seating for elderly that may become overwhelmed by the heat.



Something to think about is your cake.



This one is a rent a cake it was made for a outside wedding and worked beautifully.



Cupcakes are a great option for a outside wedding because they can be set up late by family members.





As you think about your wedding plans next year consider your budget, cupcakes can be purchased for $3.00 each on average and wedding cakes start at $4.25-5.95 a slice on average rent a cakes can be $200.00 to rent with sheet cakes starting in some places for 1.25 a slice. This can allow you to spend more on the things that you find important like photographers, Videographers, A wedding Planner still is important even if you have a wedding at home they can take the stress off your day.
Happy Caking!
Cakes By Shara