Hey there!  I finally got some of my cake photos uploaded from the past few months.  I have a busy April and May scheduled, so it may be August before I get those pictures loaded!  Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the cakes I've made and look forward to hearing your comments.  Please tell your friends about me and if you need a cake for that special occasion, feel free to give me a shout!

July and August were very busy for me.  Just when I would say I don't have any more orders, another one or two would pop up!  With a full-time primary job and another job as wife and mother, adding even 2 cake orders per week can be a lot!  Fortunately, I have a great husband who tolerates the mess of decorating tools strewn about the kitchen and dining room.  And has the patience (for the most part!) to get the kids to bed when I'm in the "zone".

But I've decided to take a break for September so I can focus on back-to-school and Stephanie's 6th birthday.  There will be cake for that for sure as well as custom party invites and favors.  She wants a purple hello kitty party.  How much more custom can you get!?

I also plan on taking some time to get my logo, business cards, and website up and running.  I so many talented friends who have given me advice on the marketing side of the business and I really appreciate it all!  I'm sure I'll be bending their ears more in the near future.  I also need your help in another way too.

To date, I have used a cake mix and added to it to make my current recipes.  But I think a scratch recipe is the earmark of a good baker.  So, I'm starting to try out new scratch recipes so I can find my go-to chocolate and white cake recipe. I may need some testers to try these recipes and provide feedback.  Any takers!?

I volunteered to help out a local lady's business by testing some cake decorating products and taking notes/pictures of my project(s). My first project used the 5-petal jewel flower mold.  Here is my write-up:

I had some leftover batter for a cake I'm doing this week, so I made mini cupcakes for my younger daughter's preschool teachers.  I put a swirl of white or lavender buttercream on each cupcake and topped them with a variety of flowers, hearts, and butterflies.  I thought this presented me with a perfect opportunity to try out the 5 Petal Flower Jewels mold from Decorate The Cake.

I first tried making the flowers with fondant.  Each flower is 1.5" across so it requires very little fondant.  I'd say about a half to three-quarters inch ball.  Just press it into the mold and play with it a bit to get it inside the lines.  The flower released beautifully from the mold! I dusted the flowers with luster dust after taking them out of the mold, but I also tried dusting the mold before putting in the fondant.  Either way creates a nice sparkly flower.  I added a small fondant pearl for the center of the flower.   But it just wasn't "gem"-y enough for me.

So I went ahead and tried my hand at poured sugar.  I put some clear venuance pearls in a small ramekin and melted them in the microwave (about 30 seconds or so) .  Then I stirred in some purple candy color to make a deep purple color.  I had to re-melt the "sugar" after that because it had already begun to set up.  I then poured the molten sugar into the silicone mold that had been sprayed with cooking spray.  The individual molds are small so I didn't do such a great job of staying inside the lines.  Fortunately, the sugar cools fairly quickly and within a minute, it was cool enough to handle and I pushed it better into the mold.  I did have some stringy pieces which I think I will be able to handle better as I work with poured sugar more.  But for a first time, I thought it turned out pretty well.  Again, I added a small pearl of fondant for the center.

The teachers at my daughter's preschool were so surprised by the delivery this morning.  Their appreciation makes the work so worthwhile!

4/25/2011 4:57:03 AM - bfmcallister@...

LinkedIn Christy's, I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. - Benita Benita McAllister IT Consultant at Computer Task Group Indianapolis, Indiana Area

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5/27/2010 4:45:01 PM - 001077594114
a note from 2 satisfied customers!

Christy,

You went over and above what we looked forward to for the cakes. Not only did you make the awesome "bug" cake, but the individual cakes were such a nice touch. I know Glenn and Larry enjoyed sharing them with their wives.

Thanks so much,
Alison and Dennis