Thomas the Tank

After my Halloween challenge I became so excited about my next one.It's like an addiction once I get used to making one thing I search for a greater buzz. I was delighted to be asked to make a Thomas the Tank themed cake.This was new and different. After doing a bit of research about Thomas himself I could imagine the cake I wanted to make. It would be a 9 inch round cake with 3 butter-cream layers.
                                                 

Using the same method and recipe as the Halloween cake I prepared it the night before so it would be easier to carve and layer. This is a little trick I learnt along the way.The following morning at the crack of dawn the fun began. Cutting the cake into three layers I prepared the butter-cream.Using 339g of butter , milk,31.5 oz of icing sugar I combined it with some vanilla essence to make the perfect consistency to cover the cake in. Once the 3 layers were butter-creamed I began to cover the sides of the cake carving off any bumpy bits in preparation for the icing.

Now for the fondant layer. I chose sky blue for the cake and I would put Thomas exiting the side of the cake through what would look like a tunnel. Taking 3 packets of ready to roll fondant I began to knead them. Now anyone who has tried to knead ready to roll fondant knows the hulk himself would struggle . Putting a bit of muscle into it it started to soften nicely. Next up it was time to roll it out. The trick with fondant is to keep it moving on the work surface with a sprinkle of cornflour. Once measured against the cake and confident it would cover it I rolled it back over the roller to prevent it ripping. Once draped over the cake patting it down and smoothing it out becomes a priority, trimming off the excess edges.

Now for the tunnel. I cut out some black fondant to signify the darkness inside the tunnel then using some dark grey fondant shaped some stones for around the tunnel. Then cutting out the face of Thomas himself using the different colours and placed him as though he was leaving the tunnel. Of course Thomas would not be complete with out a railway track. Using brown chocolate flavoured fondant I cut out rectangles and joined them together with long strips. It was starting to look great. As I wanted to give the illusion of a sky clouds were needed. It took a few attempts and a great deal of patience but eventually I cut one large cloud which I put Tommy on and a small one for the age.

Finally it was complete
  

My WKD cake

Welcome to all my new followers and thanks so much for joining me on my journey. Today's cake is a very fancy one indeed.None other than a WKD BOTTLE CAKE. Initially when I thought about making it I nearly had a stroke but then the competitive cat came out and it became all I could think about for days on end. Waking and sleeping all my thoughts centred around this cake. Wondering what problems could arise and how I could fix them.

To start I baked a 9 inch round cake and a 9'' flat one using the same mixture as my Halloween cake ( See previous blog). I allowed them to cool over night which makes the carving that bit easier. I say carving like I'm a pro but trust me it takes lots of practice and the only way to learn is to make a mistake. I began by carving the body of the bottle which is the wider part.Then I cut the cake into 3 layer. Praying all 10 decades of the rosary they would not break as I transferred each one. Layer of butter cream then a layer of cake. It sounds so easy :). The butter cream is easily made using 336g of butter whisked for 3 minutes , add 31.5 oz of icing sugar and 3 oz of cocoa a splash of vanilla and milk bobs your uncle. It needs to be a nice spreadable consistency.Once I felt the body was high enough  I used the 9'' flat for the narrow neck . Carving it very slowly to ensure the joining between the neck and the body was flush. Flush... a funny word FLUSH isn't it ( Miranda Harte tribute).Then I cut it into 2 layers and again added butter cream. Once it was in place I began to butter cream the outside. This is used firstly for taste but more importantly to stick the fondant.  At this stage some people may panic wondering how the hell it's going to turn into a masterpiece but I decided to keep the faith :)
                                           

Roll out 3 packets of ready to roll fondant. Remember to spread some cornflour on the work surface to avoid roller rage. Then roll the fondant back up with the roller and drape it over the cake aligning it. Gradually roll out over the cake. Then smooth out the top and sides eliminating all creases.Trim the ends and transfer to a cake board.
I then cut out all the letters manually with a great deal of patience and a knife. Then a rectangular piece and a round piece for the logo. The logo I did with icing.
                                           
All in all I still can't believe I made it. I love it and can't wait until my next one!

Reeling in the years

                                

Who remembers marble cake? Grannies favourite served with a pot of tea straight off the kitchen range. As a little one I wondered how Nana managed to combine all those colours and integrate them to look so good. So I decided to have a go myself. Mine is called Army marble cake. Army because of the colours and my childhood desire to become a super hero army girl.

Begin by creaming 4 oz of margarine and the same weight in sugar I was very much at home with this project. The phrase creaming comes up in almost every recipe and it involves whisking the sugar and butter until they become one.As the spice girls would say 'When 2 become 1'. Next just like making a Madeira cake add 2 beaten eggs whilst gradually whisking adding air to the mixture. Now for the flour. Grab 6oz of self raising and sieve and stir into the mixture along with a pinch of your very finest salt.If you have seen Hocus Pocus then you all know to keep salt close by at Halloween. Add a dabble of vanilla essence and some milk until it's at dropping consistency. Now for the funky part.

Remove 1/3 of the mixture and pop it into another bowl. Add some green food dye and let the magic happen as you stir. Then take 1/2 the remaining mixture and add cocoa and a sprinkle of baking powder.Taking dollops of each mixture keep going until your baking tin is covered.I used a 9 inch round tin just to be different but traditionally they were also served in a loaf shape.Then using a skewer make zig zag motions through the mixture. Pop in a moderate oven and bake for up to 1 hr.




From the bottom it looks like a football and on the top and beautiful camouflage piece. I had loads of fun recreating and you can too adding what ever colours you like I think marble cakes will make a come back yet!

ASK FOR HELP

So many people take for granted getting up each morning and going about their day to day business. But what if you felt you had no reason to get up? What if due to mental illness or depression you found it impossible to find a reason to leave your bed? This is a challenge so many people face alone each day.We are normal after all and things such as stress can take a toll on our minds. My reason to get up and go is to bake. I get up every morning wanting to create something better than the day before.I call it baking therapy. . Focusing on the task to hand not the what if's.However I have asked for help and I have no shame in admitting it. Mental illness has a major stigma attached and is somewhat over looked by society as a serious illness.I decided to ask for help and I encourage anyone in a similar situation to do the same. If I walked into a shop on crutches everyone would ask how I am but with a mental illness such as depression the world can be a very lonely place. 6 weeks in a cast and some rehab won't fix it  for it requires enormous strength and courage.

People can be harsh rushing about in their daily lives and not stopping to see if someone they love needs a helping hand with theirs. Depression is like viewing the world in black and white all day everyday.Can you imagine that? Do your friends know they could speak to you about anything suicide or self harm included? Do you know how to recognise suicidal behaviour.
                                                

For anyone struggling at the moment I say its OK to ask for help. There are so many services available simply chatting to your doctor can help.There are a huge range of therapies too and my personal favourite is baking.Help available includes Console,1 Life Suicide Helpline,Samaritans and Pieta House are to name but a few. The far braver decision is to ask for help and tell your family and friends so they can support you. 

It's time to stand up and say not being OK is OK! A problem shared is a problem halved and suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. A problem that when chatted out with a friend may have looked entirely different. There are some wonderful people saving lives everyday in Limerick alone. CSPP suicide prevention Limerick patrol the bridges at night and the river areas preventing suicides. I choose life is a page set up only this week by Cormac Hayes encouraging people to speak out about teen suicide and Water Risk Aware a local voluntary movement to spread the word about the dangers of water aiming to save lives.

I hope this blog has given those who need it the strength to ask for help and those who overlooked it before to offer their hand in support!

My Halloween Challenge

It's that scary time of year again! For to mark the occasion I made a Haunted Halloween cake covered in fondant. Very bold decision for me as the closest thing I had practised with to fondant was kids play dough.Now we all saw how my John Deere turned out :). I'm definitely the easiest person to frighten in all of County Limerick.Therefore I dread October. One example in particular involved a trip to Roscrea. After returning from ambushing an ice cream van delighted with my ice cream boat I entered the house where everyone else was. On entry one of them jumped out screaming from behind the door. As they did my hands went for the roof and the boat followed only for it to land upside down in my hand.Talk about reflexes of a cat! For any of you that know me this is a classic Caitriona moment :). Hopefully we'll keep these moments to a minimum.Never the less Halloween seems to trigger them!

The cake will be baked in a 9 inch deep scary tin. Start by creaming 350g of butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy.Beat 6 eggs in a jug (not with your fist) and alternatively add 350g of Self raising flour and a pinch of salt. Pop into the tin and bake for over an hour. Once out of the oven allow to cool. I like to cut the cake into 3 layers . Doing this for the first time is not for the faint hearted. As the cutting commenced I wondered how I would lift each layer off without breaking them. Using more spatulas and spoons I started to look like Edward scissor hands but eventually successfully moved all layers. To my dismay I attended a course a week later to discover some genius invented a special cutting device which for all the world looks like a saw for cakes.This saw makes cutting the layers simple! Yet another Caitriona moment.
                                                     
                                                

The next step involves making the butter-cream filling. A nice chocolate butter-cream normally does the job. Whisking the butter until soft approx three minutes then add cocoa and icing sugar a dash of cow and vanilla essence. Vanilla essence now there's one I will never understand why it comes in such small bottles. It's a bit like buying 1 square of chocolate. Pointless! Whisk for another 2 minutes and spread on the layers. Once the layers are stacked now for the fun part. Butter-cream all sides of the cake. If any part is uneven cut it off .Continue until it's a bump free masterpiece.
                                                 

Next up is the Orange fondant covering. I chose Orange as I think it has a certain significance this time of year. At first I thought 1 packet of fondant would cover a standard cake. Oh boy was I wrong it takes 3 and a whole lot of whoop ass to knead it. Knead all 3 packs together until they become smooth and flexible. Using a rolling pin roll the fondant out evenly. Spread some cornflour on the work surface to eliminate roller rage. Measure the size and say a little prayer :). Now to get it from the work top to the cake. Luckily my classes paid off for this snazzy manoeuvre. Rolling the fondant around the rolling pin I was able to lift it over the cake and gradually roll it on.
                                            
The next step involves patience. Smooth out all the creases and round off the sides of the cake.Trim the edges and it should look something like this!!!!
                                                   
Now for to make up some shapes. I cut out some bats,pumpkins witches, ghosts and a haunted house with a knife using black and white fondant.
                                                  

Using edible stick the shapes onto the cake.

                                       

I hope you all have a wonderful Halloween. I will be staying firmly indoors and away from ice cream vans :)

Mint Aero cupcakes

Chocolate has a very fond place in my heart. In fact at times I think perhaps I have a chocolate heart.Haven't we seen so many bars come and go? Curly wurly's, Fuse bars, Dime bars, Toffee crisps, Dairy milk .... have I made your mouth water yet? Another of my favourites with a cup of Barry's tea has to be the Aero collection and in particular the mint aero bar.Although it's rectangle shape has now turned into more of a bubble the taste remains the same. A bar with definite dunk-ability as the bubbles dissolve. I'm frothing at the mouth here :) . So how about we combine mint aero bars and a moist chocolate cupcake.....DIVINE!
                                             

Sieve 4 1/2 ounces of plain flour into a large bowl, then add 1 1/2 ounces of cocoa powder. It's fierce annoying that the only cocoa available in the supermarket you'd have to sell part of your left leg for.The price of it!!! After a rant add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder followed by 8 1/2 ounces of caster sugar. Stir them all up in a bowl then add 1 egg, some olive oil, boiling water and 150 ml milk. Whisk and pop in a 180 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

To add a little mystery to these cupcakes I've decided to add a mint filling. It will also give the illusion of the centre of the aero bar. In a bowl whisk creamed cheese, sugar, 1 egg yolk, some peppermint flavouring and finally some green food colouring. Now cutting into the top of the cupcake so that the top is hollowed off put a spoon of the filling inside.
                                        
 Trim the lid and pop it back on. Now for the icing. Cream butter in a bowl until your arms fall off otherwise known as 3 minutes then add a little icing sugar, milk and peppermint. Last but not least a tiny bit of green food colouring. Pipe onto the cupcake in swirls and to top it off place a piece of mint aero ontop.
                                        
Pop the kettle on, tea bags at the ready and enjoy :)

Girls night in cupcakes

Everyone deserves a night in every now and then and nothing compares to a girlie night in with friends. I constantly prey on sweet stands in shops in search of inspiration and this project was no different. I wanted a cupcake topper that spelt out PJ's, DVD's and pampering. I opted with nail varnish toppers.Although not your typical girlie girl I still know what a girlie night entails. I will be using large marshmallows for the bottle dipped in coloured sugar and a twirl as the cap.

Beginning by creaming 4oz of butter and 4 oz of sugar then beating in 2 eggs gradually and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Sift in 4 oz of self raising flour and a couple of tablespoons of milk and watch the magic happen. Spoon into baking cases and bake for 15 Min. For the butter-cream icing cream butter in a bowl add 1 oz of cocoa whisking for a further few minutes. Now for the piping! Using a star nozzle pipe out the icing like your pulling a cone. From my days of working in the arena supermarket I had plenty of practice and also plenty of accidents. The first few I pulled required 2 wafers I'm sure all of you out there working with cone machines will sympathise with me :)

                                                       

Piping complete next up it's time to create the nail varnish toppers. Placing caster sugar in a sandwich bag pop a few drops of your favourite colour dye into the bag and rub together. Then taking a few spoons of icing sugar add a couple of drops of water and mix until you get a sticky icing consistency. Roll the marshmallow in the sticky mixture followed by the sugar mixture. Finally take a piece of the twirl and place it on top. Assemble on the cupcake and there you have it girlie night in cupcakes!