CAKIE MONTH

Hello Everyone,

Happy New Month!!!! 

This month will be very interesting as I look forward to the cakes I will be making, so I thought I should share a few cakes I enjoyed decorating in April. I don’t know about you guys but when am decorating, am very much happier, i switch to my cakie world with my favorite songs on replay on my playlist. Also my very first video tutorial will be this month (yea, I know have said that before *covers face*) but I promise you, on a serious note it’s this month. Anyways enjoy viewing the pictures..... 

Red velvet cake for a Twin Birthday

Red velvet cupcake for a Hen-do

Vanilla and Red velvet Handbag cake

Coconut and Vanilla cake for a church anniversary

Feel free to drop your comments and questions, I would respond as soon as a I can. Hope this month brings to you every good thing you all deserve.

Have a Caketastic month

xoxo....

RANT 101

Hello everyone,

Ermmm, pardon me as this is my first rant on this blog. So I got a cake order last week Thursday and I was sent the details as well as a picture of what the client wanted. Immediately I sent a reply back that it’s too short notice to get some things  I would need for the cake, thus I cannot achieve the exact replica of the cake and the response I got was a sad face and a go ahead from the client. I have an habit of messaging my clients before I start baking to double and triple check the order (especially the flavor) and I asked do you want a red velvet and the reply was I sent you a picture of what I want and I was like I don’t mean the decor I mean flavor and further asked if client wanted vanilla or coconut.

On the day of collection, the client sent me a message saying 'send me a picture of the cake', to which I replied I don’t have a picture of it on my phone because my phone camera is not the best for pictures and the memory card was full so I used my camera and the client said 'send me a picture so I send the rest of the bill (hmmm, meaning if I  don't send a picture i wont get the rest of the bill paid???...jokes). I decided not to respond to the message because I had another cake to finish up so I knew two things will happen, either comes to pick up the cake and balance the bill or Not. And then my buzzer sounded, client sent a friend to pick the cake with my balance and I can recall friend saying the cake is BEAUTIFUL.

Fast forward to some minutes later, I suddenly got a message saying this is not what I asked for; you can keep the cake and money. As much as I like to be professional some people just take the piss. I have worked in customer service for a while now and that sort of attitude does not solve any problem. Been rude or abusive would not get your dislike for a service solved. In this case it didn't because I knew I had not done anything wrong so I referred client back to the messages we exchanged previously.

In every business COMMUNICATION is key, maybe somewhere along the line, I or client may have misinterpreted a message I don't know. But I know a client won’t go into a shop, place an order and ask to see pictures before the rest of the bill is paid. Just because am a Home baker doesn't mean I will sell myself short, NEVER. Have got a day job so if I don’t bake, I would still earn a wage. Baking is what I enjoy and I won’t let anyone ruin that for me.

Here are the cakes I worked on this weekend:

This is the cake that was tagged RUBBISH

To a Lovely Mum on her Birthday

Vanilla cupcake... Click HERE for Recipe

11th year Anniversary of RCCG HOLYGHOST ZONE

The top tier is a Coconut cake and Bottom tier is Vanilla cake

Oh well, sorry to have bothered you with my rant, Hope you all have a Caketastic week.

xoxo...

BREAD-MAKING EXPERIENCE

Hello everyone,

Hope you all have been getting your baking on? well I have been; I went for a bread-making class today and I had so much fun. Honestly, I didn't know bread-making could be that easy and straight-forward (as long as you follow the recipe though) however, am sure my shoulders will hurt later from the dough kneading but am well happy with my bread anyways. 

The class was taught by the lovely Annaliese at Landgirls Cookery School; it was all hands on, which is a good way of learning because the process will stay with you. The atmosphere during the class was very welcoming and she gave us as much guidance as possible, we had refreshments as well. It was money well spent for ME. 

Here is a link to the school CLICK HERE , so anyone interested can book a place on the classes they run and you can also find them on Facebook CLICK HERE . Trust me you won't regret booking a place and I would be booking another class very soon. Below are a few pictures of my bread (not the best pics, used my phone), couldn't stop taking pics..loool

ME, my BREAD and ANNALIESE

This was made with Fine French Flour

This was a mix of Onion and Chilli Flour, smells Gorg....

So that's what have been up to today, and it was a day well spent.

Have a Caketastic evening

xoxo

SOME CAKES

Hello everyone,

Last week was a bit busy for me so I couldn't do the tutorial on how to make butter cream icing as promised, am really sorry guys. But on a positive note, am working on bringing tutorials to you in video which is a lot better than showing in pictures. Anyway this post is showing you guys what I have been up too this week ranging from vanilla cupcakes, red velvet cake and coconut cake using butter cream, fresh cream and fondant icing.

Happy viewing...

I made this for a friend that got engaged and she totally Loved it.

This cake was made for a Friend's church

Vanilla cupcakes

click  HERE for Vanilla cupcake recipe

A shirt cake for an ARSENAL FAN

This is a Red velvet cake with fresh cream filling and Butter cream roses.

So what are your thoughts or any questions???

Have a Caketastic week....xoxo

DON’T YOU JUST LOVE KIDS

Hello everyone and Happy New Month. Hope you all are having a Caketastic weekend.  I will be sharing pictures on my collection of children’s cake.

I totally love decorating children’s cake. It’s mostly colorful and I love that I get to play with colors again. Kind of reminds me of using water color to paint when I was much younger although I was very much horrible in fine art *covers face*. So today am sharing my collection of children’s cake I have made so far. 

Happy Viewing...

 

So that's it, each cake had its own challenges especially the number cakes but I enjoyed every moment spent decorating. Thanks for viewing and enjoy the rest of the weekend. As for me am off to BAKE.

xoxo.....

MY FIRST TIER CAKE

Hello people, hope you are all having/or had a Caketastic day.

My post today is about sharing a picture of my first tier cake which happens to be my first wedding cake as well. It’s a bit late sharing the pictures (wedding was July 2012) but I thought since this blog is about sharing my experience I might as well share this.

I was excited about making this cake, a bit nervous I won’t lie but I think mostly happy. Everything I needed for the cake was ordered and ready weeks before the date, the second tier was a Fruit cake which I had to bake weeks in advance. Well the process was not smooth all through..... I made a terrible error of stacking the cake from the house so while transporting the cake to the venue; the car drove over bumps which made the cake shift and crack. As if that was not enough stress, after arranging and decorating the cake table, I noticed the cake began to slide to one side. At this point I just thought to myself I must be 'MAD' to have attempted this huge task but I remained positive and hoped that the reception would start quickly so that the couple could cut the cake in time for me to dismantle it and avoid any embarrassment. Yes, I survived, the cake did not collapse and I have also done another tier cake since then.

 See pictures below

First Wedding cake

This was made for a 50th Birthday and Wedding Anniversary

There is always a first time for everything, you've just got to face your fears even if you are in doubt.

Thanks for viewing xoxo....

HOW TO 100: MAKE VANILLA CUPCAKES

Baking a cake is not as difficult or time consuming as most people think. I usually tell my friends and folks around that you don’t have to learn the professional aspect of cake making and decorating except that's your intention. So as promised here is a tutorial on how I make my vanilla cupcakes including pictures. It will take about 50minutes including baking time.

Happy viewing...

UTENSILS NEEDED

A Big Bowl

4 Little Bowls

Mixer (Hand mixer or Stand mixer or good old wooden spoon if you are ready to acquire some muscles)

Oven (of course)

A Spatula

Ice cream scoop

Measuring Spoon

Kitchen Scale

Cupcake cases

Cupcake tray

INGREDIENTS

200g Self Raising Flour (sifted)

200g Butter

200g Caster sugar

2 Eggs

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla extract

4 Tablespoons of Milk (optional)

PREPARATION

• Pre heat your oven to 170c or gas mark 3
• Put the sugar and butter in the big bowl and mix until fluffy and light

• Add the vanilla extract and mix until well incorporated into the butter and sugar mixture
• Then add the eggs one after the other and mix again

• Finally add the flour and mix until the cake batter is smooth, occasionally you can stop to scrap down the sides of the bowl and continue mixing.

• It’s the amount of air incorporated in the mixture that helps the cake rise and gives it that light and fluffy texture.
• Use the ice cream scoop to divide cake batter into the cupcake baking tray and bake for 15 - 20 minutes

• Once baked, place the cupcake on a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.

Hope you find this helpful and feel free to drop comments or questions and I would respond as soon as I can. I will be posting a tutorial on how to make and decorate  with buttercream icing.

Have a Caketastic week....xoxo

DON’T DESPISE LITTLE BEGINNINGS

Hello everyone, hope you've had a Caketastic day. Just got in from work some few minutes ago and I thought had better post this as promised.

When I started making cakes I was clueless about cake decorating, I thought I could just swing it and of course watched a few videos on YouTube and I was like I could do this....hmmmm... that was not the case, sometimes I wonder what my first client was thinking when she told me ‘everyone loved the cake and wanted more’, I said to myself she must be joking, how could you possible like a badly decorated cake.  Anyway this post is to share some of my cakes in the past, am not very proud of the decoration and lettering but at least I started and am a lot better now.

Happy viewing.... xoxo

Well, am sure you all have got something to say about the pictures, so please feel free to leave your comments. Next post I will be showing you in pictures how to make cupcakes with the full recipe.

xoxo...