Rainbow ruffles - Just for fun

I needed practice this week on my piping skills so have created this colorful rainbow ruffle cake using piping tip 103.   This is done on a styrofoam cake dummy so I will be saving it for awhile which means I get to make use of my lovely cake stand I got for Christmas!  Thanks sis! My daughter had a hard time understanding why she can't eat it.

1963 Ford Cortina

Here is my latest cake made for my cousin for his 21st.  This is a replica of what his car will look like once he finishes doing it up.  I loved creating this cake!  Classic cars are so much fun to make. If you can't own one, you can have cake!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Yesterday my daughter had one of those days where she seemed to grow up before my very eyes.  It started with her dressing herself for school.  You may think "so what?" but this is  huge deal because while most kids her age have been dressing themselves for awhile she has refused.  This was a victory.  Secondly, she became a true kiwi suddenly adding "eh" at the end of every sentence or saying "eh mum?"  I nearly fell over laughing the first time she said it!  Finally, last night she stood at the gate watching all the kids riding their bike in the cul-de-sac  longing to join them.  I decided to let her spread her wings a little and join them and she was so proud of herself, feeling very grown up.  When Dad arrived home she didn't seem to notice him but instead stayed out laughing and playing with the kids.  We both felt as though we lost our baby and instead a grown up little girl was in her place.  I guess every parent encounters this at some stage and the only thing you can do is eat yummy treats to make yourself feel better.  

These peanut butter rice krispie treats definitely helped to soothe the pain, bringing back memories from childhood.  I thought I would share this recipe as these are incredibly popular to make in the US but I have not encountered many kiwis who make these.  You can buy them as bars for school lunches but I assure you that once you realize how easy and cheap they are to make, you will have a hard time buying these again.  The recipe link I have give has peanut butter in it but if you are not a fan, simply leave it out and you will get the same result!  Also, I melted Nestle Melts and spread them over the top and put in the fridge to harden.  

For the marshmallows I use a brand called Mr Mallow.  It is the closest I can find to marshmallows found in the states.  These are in the confectionery aisle at countdown or Woolworths or you can also get them from the pick and mix bins.  They are expensive at full price so I only ever buy them on special.  For 10 oz I use around 285 g of marshmallows which works out to be roughly 40 marshmallows.  When spreading out the rice krispie treats in your pan, it helps to use baking paper to press it down, then you don't get your hands all sticky.  

I will fill you in on a little secret with cake decorating.  When making structures and models on a cake many cake decorators use rice krispie treats, aka 'cereal treats' to mold.  I use this medium a lot as it is really strong and you can manipulate it into just about any shape you want.  Once it hardens you can cover it in fondant or modelling chocolate.  People are often 

For this recipe go to: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/peanut-butter-kelloggs-rice-krispies-treats/

Birthday biscuits

Yesterday my daughters pre-school had it's fifth birthday.  For the shared lunch I made these biscuits to help celebrate.  I love my daughters kindy!  All the teachers, kids and parents are so incredibly lovely!  Whats better is my daughter loves it probably more than I do.

I thought I would share a little piping trick with you that I picked up from watching Ace of Cakes.  Instead of buying piping bags I often make my own with baking paper.  Its incredibly easy to make and they hold up better than some piping bags I have owned.  Whats even better is that you can throw it away. To see the instructions for parchment triangles go to: http://www.wilton.com/decorating/decorating-basics/folding-parchment-triangles.cfm

For small writing and designs like these biscuits I shrink down the size of my parchment triangle to no bigger than the length of my pointer finger.  I don't put a tip in the bottom but instead I fill with a very small amount of royal icing (which admittedly I cheat and buy the royal icing you can simply add water to).  I then cut a very small hole at the end and have a very manageable easy to use piping bag, almost like writing with a pencil!

Quiz night treats

Last night my cousin hosted a quiz night to help raise funds for sending herself and her youth group to Cambodia.  For the night I donated some baking to be sold to go towards the trip.  It was a great chance to try out some new things which I love to do!  I probably got a bit carried away as always but I was having fun. The best part?  My 3 year old helped me decorate the biscuits.  While decorating them she said "I like helping you mum. I need to tell my dad that I helped you because he is going to be so proud of me." The things that melt your heart as a mum.

I tried a new technique which I thought I would share with you all.  The cupcake below with ruffles is buttercream piped on with tip number 104.  This is so easy I am fairly certain most people could do this.  Simply squeeze and turn the cupcake as you do, alternating with colours.  You could do any colour arrangement.  Check out this link from my favourite blog that explains it in more detail: http://www.thecakeblog.com/2012/02/ombre-ruffle-cupcakes.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HalfBakedTheCakeBlog+%28Half+Baked+-+The+Cake+Blog%29