Cake!

[Bowwowmeow]

I am going to be an auntie in May! My sister in law will have the first new baby in the family, which will make my dad a grampa and me an auntie for the first time! We had a baby shower for her on Sunday, and I made the cake. It was a half sheet chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling and vanilla "buttercream" icing. I used to be a professional cake decorator, until I injured my right wrist and went back to school to finish my degree. So, without further ado, here is the cake:

Before icing:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/cake001.jpg

Before decorating:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/cake002.jpg

Before eating:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/cake003.jpg

This was the picture used for the party theme,
which I used for the cake design:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/cake.jpg

Everyone loved the cake, and no one knew it was vegan, except of course those who know I am vegan and saw me eating it! :cool:

[Tiggerwoos]

Congratulations on becoming an Aunty soon!:yea: :yea: :yea:

That cake is amazing. Looks like a professional job. Don't suppose you can teleport me a slice down the PC!:yea: :D

[1vegan]

I used to be a professional cake decorator

and it shows :)

I think you did a great job with (and on) that cake :)

[thevegantwins]

:hungry: Want to fly out to NYC next month to do a 2nd birthday cake for the twins? :chef:

It looks fabulous and I'm sure it tasted as great as it looks.

[Tigerlily]

Wowwowow.

[Delicious]

Beautiful and VERY expensive looking! I want a piece!!! (Okay, 2 peices! :) )

[Bowwowmeow]

Wow thanks everybody! :) My sister in law took the leftover cake home with her.

Vegantwins, I would love to fly out to NY some day, and make you a cake, if I could find someone I trust to watch my family for me while I was away. It really would be nice to have a get-together with everyone here some day. Maybe somehow we can all find someplace to meet halfway some day.

[Oracl]

Why is it that some threads just get lost for me sometimes? :crying: I just found this one and I don't know where it was hiding until now! :rolleyes:

Beautiful cake decoration, Bowwow. :nanakiss: Not long now until auntie status kicks in! :infant:

A Naked Vegan get together would be great fun. :wigglebutt: :cheer:

[Bowwowmeow]

Not long now until auntie status kicks in! :infant:
Indeed. I am starting to get butterflies in my tummy.
:monarch:

[Fauxmage]

We celebrated my brother's birthday today (it's actually this Wednesday), and so I made a very nice cake. I used the recipe for Coconut Lime Cupcakes from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World", with a slight modification to the ingredients list, and, making it into a cake instead of cupcakes. YUM!
I have been making cake since I was a pre-teen, and my Dad, who doesn't like sweets, and has NEVER been able to make an unqualified comment on any cake he's ever eaten, (Yes, its good, but... ), said he thought it was really good. :faint: My step-Mom said "Well, some time you'll have to tell us what's in this cake". :rolleyes: So I told her what its made of. You really don't have to put something "weird" into a cake when you don't use milk or eggs. But she's not much of a baker, so its all probably a mystery to her. But she had thirds! Even Amelia was allowed a taste, since there was nothing in it she's not supposed to have yet. She made quite a face, though, since the lime buttercream was very tart!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/WillsBirthday001.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/WillsBirthday004.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/WillsBirthday2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/WillsCake.jpg

I had to stay up until nearly midnight last night to do the baking, since I had to wait for the tide to come back in and make the boat level. I wanted to try the plain Vanilla Cupcake recipe first, to see how it would turn out, and it came out lopsided on account of the boat not being level. Daisy and I didn't mind, though, since it tasted great!

[paul]

that looks amazing

[Gliondrach]

It looks delicious. In fact, good enough to eat.

[Keykeypie]

OMG.....that looks so delicious...it's a good thing I'm very far away or that beautiful cake would be history http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/4158/cakeim8.gif (http://imageshack.us)

[Fauxmage]

Thanks everyone! :DOMG.....that looks so delicious...it's a good thing I'm very far away or that beautiful cake would be history http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/4158/cakeim8.gif (http://imageshack.us)
That's what they're for though, Keykey! :agree:
I wish I could send a piece to all of you!

[Oracl]

Yes, that cake looks good but....... :whistle: ;) :D

Only joking, that cake looks scrumptious!! :excited: I can almost taste it, even from right down here. :yum: :eat: :updn:

[thevegantwins]

I had to stay up until nearly midnight last night to do the baking, since I had to wait for the tide to come back in and make the boat level. I wanted to try the plain Vanilla Cupcake recipe first, to see how it would turn out, and it came out lopsided on account of the boat not being level. Daisy and I didn't mind, though, since it tasted great!
I can't see the cake, the state computers at my job seem to have a problem with photos but I'm sure it looked and tasted delicious. I was giggling about your baking issues with the boat. It just sounds so funny.

[Bowwowmeow]

I've made several recipes from Isa's book, and since they all came out uneven, due to the tide being out, they were not fit to share with anyone else. :chef: :whistle:
I've eaten too much cake. :o :yum:

[thevegantwins]

Now I got to see that cake, oh my!! :yum: I don't even like coconut flakes. You could always do baking as a side-industry, Faux.

I had the pistachio rosewater cupcakes from Isa's cookbook and the maple walnut cupcakes (made by Isa herself ;) ) and they were both fantastic though I prefer the pistachio/rosewater.

[Bowwowmeow]

I started this thread with Amanda's baby shower cake, and now Amelia is one year old!
Here are five views of her cake. I had to put the writing on the side; hence five photos.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/AmeliasFirstBirthday001.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/AmeliasFirstBirthday002.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/AmeliasFirstBirthday004.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/AmeliasFirstBirthday008.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/AmeliasFirstBirthday007.jpg

I used the recipe for vanilla cake from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and used rolled fondant icing.

Here is her party theme, which inspired the cake artwork:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/img006.jpg

Here's the Birthday Girl!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/AmeliasFirstBirthday027.jpg

[Oracl]

You have been busy! :agree: That cake is absolutely amazing and Amelia looks very happy with the result. :)

[Bowwowmeow]

She did like the little bits she was able to pick off. She poked lots of holes in it with her thumb, and pressed on the animals' noses, thinking they might make a sound. :laugh:
I also made three dozen cupcakes for the party guests, since Amanda wanted Amelia to have the cake for herself. So I made

Chocolate with Vanilla Frosting, with Newman-Os:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/AmeliasFirstBirthday010.jpg

Lemon Macadamia with Lemon frosting and a lemon snap cookie:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/AmeliasFirstBirthday013.jpg

and Coconut Lime with Lime frosting:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/AmeliasFirstBirthday018.jpg

My first attempt at taking over the world with vegan cupcakes! People loved them, which made me happy. My brother was a little annoyed that Amanda told people they were vegan beforehand. He figured they should just eat them first and see how good they are, since some of the people think "vegan" is some kind of religion or something. I was worried that the same thing would happen to my cupcakes that happened in "Year of the Dog" when she tells people in the office that the cupcakes are vegan, and they put them all back and wouldn't eat them. Sometimes people think if something is vegan it means you made it out of something "weird", and I'm a little sad about that. Those cupcakes are made out of the sorts of things most cupcakes are made of, except eggs and butter, and personally I think using eggs makes it possible for a bad baker to make a hash of a recipe and still get decent results. Baking without eggs shows that a person has a good understanding of their ingredients, and a good technique (which takes patience to learn with some things!).

I would rather have not told them until after, but it didn't seem to put anyone off, and people just said they were excellent, without any qualifications like "they're pretty good for vegan cupcakes" or anything like that. The nice thing about them is that babies who aren't supposed to be eating eggs and cow milk (like any of us ae supposed to :rolleyes: ) can have the cupcakes, and Amelia could eat her cake.

You guys will laugh again when I tell you that this time, though I had no troubles with lopsidedness on account of low tide, I got my cupcakes loaded into my brand new cupcake pan, and when I went to put them in the oven, the pan would not fit into my tiny shipboard oven! Fortunately, I have a pair of tin snips. I had to cut about 1/2 inch off each end, while the poor cupcakes waited to be baked (this is not supposed to be good for them, they need to go into a preheated oven as soon as they get poured!) which took a bit of time, and care not to overturn the pan! :bhead: They came out beautifully in spite of the delay.

Something else happened I can't get a straight answer to. My Dad loaded the cupcakes into his car and brought them to the park. In between the time I handed him the cases, and they got put on the picnic tables, somebody stole a Lemon Macadamia cupcake. I had baked three dozen (one dozen of each flavor), but sampled one of each to make sure they were good, so there were 11 in each case instead of 12. I noticed two empty slots in the Lemon Macadamia case, but no one will admit to having stolen one. :rolleyes: (I think it was my step-Mom, who confessed to being ravenous, and hoped I would get the cupcakes out of the house before she started eating them.)

I followed the recipes in VCTOTW again, but I modify them quite a bit, since I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour. I tried a recipe with all purpose flour, and I can't believe how tough and dry they are compared to using cake flour. If you like the recipes in Isa's book the way they are, you will like them even more if you use cake flour, but you have to use more. I also hate using oil. I always use Earth Balance margarine instad of oil, but like Isa says, you have to be more careful how you handle the batter. But it makes all the difference in the world!
Lemon Macadamia is my new favorite flavor. :yum:

[Charmagne]

The cake looks so good! The ribbons around the side look like real ribbons! I am starving right now so I could easily eat at LEAST one of each cupcake. I'm glad the party was a success - Amelia is so cute and sweet!

[Gliondrach]

By, they look scrumptious. I'll bet they were delicious. The big cake looks very professional. You'll have to be careful that Amelia doesn't grow up to be a cake fiend.

Have you thought about conducting a lie detector test to find the cake thief?

[1vegan]

Those cakes look real good Bowwowmeow :)

(can't believe I'm seeing this thread for the first time :hbang: )

[Blueshark]

That 1st Birthday cake looks quite artistic and neat.

How did the sponge turn out?

Would you share the recipe?

[Oracl]

Awesome cupcakes! :yum:

You'd better write a book about cooking on the water, BWM. How about: All At Sea: Confessions of a Vegan Boat Chef! :chef: :boat:

[IndyVegan]

*them* some nice lookin' cakes.

[my3labs]

BWM, you are an INCREDIBLE baker. Every time I see one of your cakes I'm just amazed at how professional they look.
Nice job, as always!

[Bowwowmeow]

Thanks everyone! :nanakiss: I've always liked playing with my food. :o
I did write my ingredients down this time, so now all I have to do is find the piece of scratch paper I scribbled them on, and I'll post the recipe. Its modified from Isa's vanilla cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

[paul]

Amazing cakes, i wish i could make some half as good.

[thevegantwins]

Very professional, Bow. You could definitely give Vegan Treats (www.vegantreats.com) a run for her money.

[Phoenix]

Wow, BWM, those cakes look absolutely beautiful! :agree: I bet they tasted absolutely beautiful, too! :dribble:

[Bowwowmeow]

Thanks! :nanakiss:
Here's the recipe (http://www.thenakedvegan.net/showpost.php?p=30302&postcount=2) for Amelia's Vanilla cake.
There was supposed to be only one cupcake per guest, but I made more than necessary, and Amelia's great grandma Gigi had two. :) She wanted to try more than one flavor. :D

[Bowwowmeow]

Amanda's Birthday cake, which was Lemon Macadamia with lemon frosting:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/AmandasBirthday012.jpg

[Bowwowmeow]

Here is a piece of the cake i made for Amelia for her third birthday. It wasn't very fancy on the outside. The surprise was on the inside!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/Food%20Gallery/AmeliasCake.jpg

I adapted a recipe from VCTOTW. This was a coconut cake, with coconut frosting.

[Gliondrach]

It looks good enough to eat.

[Bowwowmeow]

It was. I was lucky to get a picture of that last slice. :hungry:

[Blueshark]

Those cakes are amazing!

[Bowwowmeow]

Thank you Yam Yam. I just made Lemon Macadamia yesterday for my step-Mom's birthday party. I didn't take a photo though. I was running late.

[Blueshark]

I tried some baking efforts a while ago, and was great fun. I think I might buy Isa's book VCTOTW.

Anyway I think you are very talented, I think you can really show off making cakes.

:thumbsup::psing:

[Doughnut]

I had a dream about that rainbow cake last night in which some woman had to go and milk a rainbow with a rainbow crystal in order to get the rainbow essence to add to the cake mixture. :crazy:

[Bowwowmeow]

I tried some baking efforts a while ago, and was great fun. I think I might buy Isa's book VCTOTW.

Anyway I think you are very talented, I think you can really show off making cakes.

:thumbsup::psing:
Thank you. :)

I had a dream about that rainbow cake last night in which some woman had to go and milk a rainbow with a rainbow crystal in order to get the rainbow essence to add to the cake mixture. :crazy:
:lol: You should write fairy tales.

[Blueshark]

I made some Millionaires Shortbread today.

I used this recipe (http://www.parsleysoup.co.uk/getrecipe.php?section=biscuits&recipe=millionaire_shortbread).

They taste very good - chewy caramel and crunchy shortbread.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/4320038574_21de5e8d8d.jpg

[Gliondrach]

Very nice.

[Bowwowmeow]

Ooh they look good enough to eat. :eat:

[Blueshark]

Thanks :)