I’ve always been inspired by painterly textures when it comes to my cakes, and although watercolor buttercream has been around for quite some time, it hasn’t gotten old in my eyes. It works in all sorts of color palettes and is so freeing to create because you really can’t go wrong. I do the technique a little differently because I tend to like bigger blobs of color in my watercolor finish, so I wanted to whip up a quick tutorial to show you my way.
Read More
For the past few years, I’ve been shooting my cake photography with an all-white backdrop – white wall behind the cake, white board beneath the cake. Super simple and clean. Recently though, I’ve been thinking it would be nice to have a variety of colors and textures to use as backgrounds and surfaces just to switch things up every once in awhile. I found some backgrounds I loved, but after realizing that each one can cost upwards of $75, I thought I’d get a little creative and make my own. They turned out just the way I hoped, and I can’t wait to show you how to make them!
Read More
I tend to use color ombrès a lot in my buttercream cakes. There’s something about the gradient color change that is so eye-catching and works a little better than a solid finish in some cases (like my Cactus Cake, Under the Sea Cake, and Strawberry Lemonade Cake Recipe to name just a few). Today though, instead of creating a subtle gradient with my buttercream colors, I decided to make them a bit more edgy with this Layered Ombrè Cake. The design allows each color to really stand out and I just love the beautiful texture you can create with the layers!
Read More
One of my most frequently asked questions (aside from what my favorite buttercream recipe is and how I get my buttercream cakes smooth): “how in the world do you move a cake off the turntable and onto a cake stand without ruining the finish?” Transferring a cake, whether it’s onto a stand or into a box, can be totally nerve wracking if you’ve never done it before. After you’ve spent so much time decorating, the last thing you want to do is mess up all of your work before anyone gets the chance to see the cake in its most perfect state! In hopes of saving you extra stress, today’s Cake Basics is all about the method I use for transferring my cakes once they’re decorated.
Read More
One of my favorite easy things to dress up a cake is to do a chocolate ganache drip finish. Over the years, my ability to create the drip look has definitely grown, and I get tons of questions asking what my secret is. The truth is, chocolate ganache has definitely put me through the wringer before (especially white chocolate ganache, which used to be my absolute nemesis). After figuring out the perfect ratio for chocolate to heavy whipping cream and learning the do’s and dont’s of drip cakes, I’ve got it down to a science these days. And now you will too!
I think one of the coolest things about cake is how artistic it can be, and a big part of that comes from the freedom to create any buttercream color you could possibly imagine! In fact, when planning out my cakes I love to nerd out on the color palette and get a real thrill when the colors turn out exactly how I pictured. As with anything, getting my buttercream shades just right has come with tons of practice and finding products I love to help make it happen.
Read More
Sprinkles these days aren’t what they used to be (in the best way). I remember swooning over the little vials of rainbow jimmies and sugar sprinkles in the baking aisle as a kid – little did I know that a few decades later sprinkles would come in all shapes and sizes and colors and textures with names like Bombshell and Party Monster and Unicorn Barf. You can find a sprinkle blend to match any color scheme you could dream of, and I think dressing up cakes with them is one of the easiest ways to add intrigue.
Read More
Have you ever had a fiasco with your cake filling? I have. Between it bulging out between layers or straight up oozing out of the sides because it’s just too thin to withstand the weight of gravity, I’ve seen it all. The thing is, the filling and stacking process is arguably the most essential part of building your cake’s foundation. If your cake filling is unstable in any way it can throw off the entire outcome of your cake, and if you’re anything like me (perfectionistic to a fault), that can be totally devastating.
Read More
Whether my cake layers come out of the oven with a domed top or a flat one, there’s one step I never miss once those cakes are cooled: torting the layers. Torting is a fancy word for leveling, and the process ensures that any domes get chopped off and any difference in height between layers is eliminated. Perfectly level layers not only make for the most picturesque cake slices, they also ensure that your cake is more level overall when frosted. In my humble opinion, it is a must.
Read More
Before you mix up your cake batter, there are two things you’ve got to do to set yourself up for cake baking success: preheat your oven and prepare your pans. There’s no need to explain how to preheat your oven (I hope!) but I do have some things to say about cake pan preparation. After all, there’s nothing more disappointing than thinking you’ve baked the perfect cake, only to have it stick to the pan and fall apart upon release. Whether you’re completely new to baking and don’t know the first thing about what it means to “grease and flour” or “line a cake pan,” or you’re just curious about how I prepare my cake pans, you’re going to learn all of it in one handy little blog post!
Read More