The First Couple Of Post-Class Cakes

Late Summer 2010 (July-August)

The next couple of cakes that I did were for family and friends who were discovering that my newfound talent could get them relatively cheap (or free) cakes that weren't half-bad.  I was happy to take advantage of their cake needs so I could continue to practice.  That was one of my fears starting this hobby out- that after the classes were over that I would never decorate a cake again, or at least that I would barely ever do it.  You see, the the cake class itself was quite inexpensive- $22.50 a month (supposedly half off from the "original price," but I think it is always "half off"), but the supplies necessary to properly complete the curriculum were not so cheap.  All in all throughout the four classes, I probably spent over $300 getting all the supplies (and plenty more since then!).  I think I did that all, though, because I knew deep down that this would not be another one of my fleeting hobbies.  I think it has been well worth it.  I may not have made the money back, mind you, but I have enjoyed (nearly) every hour I have spent doing the decorating, and that has been quite a few.  

This cake was made for a friend of my sister's, Caroline.  It is all buttercream.  My wording skills left something to be desired at this point, but I think I have improved significantly since this cake.  Looking back, I should have planned the layout of the words better before I started piping.  

The flowers are roses (pink, yellow, and blue), primroses (orange, blue), crysanthemums (yellow, pink, and orange), and pansies (yellow and blue)

Those are some of the pansies on the side, and a little pink carnation over top of them.   

Then I had a request from a friend for a carrot cake.  It had a cream cheese frosting.  It turned out quite delicious.  

And pretty cute, too!

At this point in life, I was working at a friend's pizza shop.  The lucky folks working there were the main recipients of my extra cake, considering that if I had eaten even half of the cake that I made for that class, I probably would have about doubled in size.  But problem was, there were two vegans working there who could not enjoy the tasty treats I brought in on a somewhat regular basis.  So I decided to have a go at making vegan cake.  I didn't go crazy with decoration, these were just to see if I could make them delicious.  I am a firm believer that it should taste as good as it looks (and if possible, vice versa, though the former seems more important.  If it tastes like complete crap, what's the point?).  The cupcakes pictured below turned out quite well, and to all you naysayers out there, I bet they could have tricked you, too.  Especially the chocolate cake/cookies n' cream frosting ones.  Mmmmmmmmmmmm.  They were moist and creamy.  I'm gonna have to make that recipe again, even if there are no vegans around.  On a complete side note, did you know that Oreos are vegan?  I didn't.  I bought some fancy oreos that proclaimed non-dairy and vegan all over the packaging and cost, like, two bucks more per package, but apparently could have just gone for the regular ol' stuff.   How bout that?   Anyways...

I was very pleased with the turn-out.