Contemporary Birthday Cakes

Stepping out of the bridal realm for a post on a contemporary version of the classic birthday or occasion cake. I've never been one who needs an occasion to eat cake but for those of you who do, please allow me to introduce you to the entremet. An entremet (meaning 'between meals' in French, because they needed a word for that whole cake they eat between meals...) is a type of mousse cake that is built in a metal ring and contains layers of multiple different textures and flavors encased in a singular exterior mousse. It is garnished with the purpose of serving it whole to a person or party, who may then slice it up and share it (...or not). Because of the petite size and easily frozen nature of the entremet, you'll find them most frequently in upscale restaurants or bakeries reserved for guests with a special occasion. I just took a whole class devoted to these little gems in pastry school and I thought they were too cute and delicious not to share.

The best part about an entremet is how many different layers of texture you can incorporate into one. A particular flavor can be repeated multiple ways to make a strong statement, or you can build an interesting blend of different ones. Because it is created in a mold, you can use both hard and soft textures with ease without worrying as much about structure. The entremet pictured below has a spicy gingersnap cookie on the bottom, a blueberry jam, an almond cake and a marscarpone mousse on the exterior. The colored band is a decor sponge cake that we 'camouflaged' using brightly dyed cake batter, and there is a raspberry glaze on the top to finish.

Entremets come in all shapes and sizes like this buche de noel mold. The ends are sliced off to reveal the gorgeous layers inside of sugar cookie, blueberry jam, citrus chiffon cake, blueberry compote, basil mousse and lemon mousse. This one is also glazed with a raspberry glaze and garnished with sugar decor items.

Now this one, this one, is modeled after the Take 5 candy bar. Yes. It is a chocolate cookie crust followed by a chocolate pretzel crunch, a caramel cremeux (similar to a mousse), chopped peanuts, a chocolate flour-less cake and a peanut butter mousse. Then the whole thing is en-robed with caramel glaze and garnished with chocolate. It really is as good as it sounds.

I saved my favorite for last though. As much as I love chocolate and peanut butter, the textures and flavors of this last entremet jive with me the most. 

 It is a modern version of the classic carrot cake with a hazelnut cookie crust, raspberry jam, carrot cake, strawberry gelee (almost like a jelly), and cream cheese exterior mousse. To finish this cake I sprayed a hot glaze of white chocolate (dyed orange) onto the frozen cake using a paint spray gun from the hardware store. The warm chocolate sets instantly when it makes contact with the frozen cake and creates a velvety, slightly crunchy texture. It's garnished with chocolate and dried, candied orange slices.

An entremet is the perfect platform to experiment with new flavor/texture combos and really be inventive. They also make a beautiful centerpiece for a birthday or your next special occasion. For your flavor inspiration, any of the mousse flavors listed could be used as a filling in a more traditional type of birthday or wedding cake to make the concept more practical for larger events too.

Elegant Hat Box Cake

For my final project in Confectionery Arts, we did a timed butter cream cake that could be designed in any way, as long as it was three, round tiers. We had about five hours of class time to complete the project when all was said and done, and it is a 10, 8 and 6 inch vanilla cake with vanilla butter cream. The design I chose for mine was hat boxes that are stacked and dripping with fondant pearls and gum paste roses, topped off with a floppy sugar bow. 

All the decorations are 100% edible and all hand made by yours truly. The edges of the 'boxes' and the striping on the third tier are formed from strips of fondant along with all of the pearls.

The roses are formed with individual petals around a base and dusted with powdered color for a more realistic touch. 

The bow is two-toned in gum paste and then steamed for a shiny finish. 

The elegance and femininity of this cake make it perfect for a bridal shower or birthday, but who really needs an excuse to eat cake when it looks this pretty? (Not me...)

The Rice Krispy Cake

Once you go homemade marshmallow you never go back. It's safe to say that I'm obsessed! Marshmallows are naturally gluten-free and fat free (definitely not sugar free, don't worry, no health lecture here...) and when made from scratch they are soft, chewy, melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I have a fire pit in my backyard now and I've been making my own marshmallows for s'mores and sweet snacks but now I'm taking over the rice krispy treat too. In cake form of course:

I learned from my catering days that no matter how simple the quick combination of rice cereal, marshmallows and butter may seem, the results please the highest number of people every time. I could not make rice krispy treats fast enough to keep up with our demand - and we fed them to mainly adults. But seriously, who doesn't love this sweet, gooey, crunchy treat?

This is my take on the classic favorite. I kept it simple, but added a lot more love than the usual read-off-the- box-microwavable version. This rice krispy cake is made from homemade vanilla bean marshmallows and a pinch of sea salt, sandwiched between layers of milk chocolate ganache and garnished with rainbow non-pareils to complete the nostalgic effect. 

The Rice Krispy Cake as pictured here would be a great centerpiece to a birthday party or any fun-loving gathering. The idea could also be applied to a wedding cake if regular cake isn't your jam, and it could be filled and decorated anyway you like. Rice Krispies can also easily be covered in fondant or frosting to look exactly like a traditional wedding cake if you're a bride who wants the dream cake look but wants to eat this one too.

This cake is a whole lot of tasty and sure to be loved by everyone in attendance at any event.

October Birthday Cakes

 When I started my office "day job", I found a whole new cake market that has been so good to me for the past few months. Last week I even had two birthday cakes in one week- a first for my little business! I'm also loving to get to practice birthday cakes more frequently, because it is a different skill set from wedding cakes and it's a new challenge. The first of the week was a pink lemonade 1/4 sheet cake with citrus cream cheese frosting. I decorated with lots of little gumpaste flowers and yellow sugar. There's a Mamita somewhere with very happy taste buds:

The second was southern red velvet with cream cheese frosting, decorated with stucco texture and a chopped chocolate wave for Randi:

Here's to staying busy!

Vineyard Vines Birthday Cake

A friend of mine recently asked me to re-create a birthday cake that she saw online in the shape of the Vineyard Vines whale. The result was a deliciously simple, vanilla-on-vanilla version of the company's logo paired with prep-tastic cupcakes to match. If you're not familiar with the clothing brand's miniature marine icon, click here to see how I did!

 The cupcakes were also vanilla bean pound cake with vanilla butter cream frosting. I dipped the sides in sugar and garnished with handmade fondant bow ties and pink whales. 

Thanks to Michael's for selling the perfect pink and green plaid cupcake liners to go with this theme.

 The water spouts are made from sandwich toothpicks and are not edible.

This cake will certainly satisfy even the preppiest of taste buds.