Coyote Trail Cakes

Christmas 2021 on Coyote Trail

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 19:05:00 +0000

There will be Christmas Cookies a plenty in the weeks ahead.

These are just a few pics from recent years bakes.

I would love to add you to my Christmas List for cookies!

To order please call or text 704.213.8419

All Cookies orders and cakes will be ready for pick up by December 23rd.

Cookies are $36 a dozen in assorted designs

Mini Cookie Jars were a huge success last year and I look forward to baking those again.

Mini Jars hold 18 sugar cookies $18

Bake Your Own Cookies for Santa $18

Includes 6 ready to bake precut sugar cookies

3 bags of buttercream frosting and

2 containers of sprinkles

The Christmas Cakes

Two designs, two flavors. You choose

Red Velvet Cakes covered in Peppermint Ganache

2 layer 6" serves 12 for $30

2 layer 9" serves 30 for $65

The Christmas Hat Cake will be Red this year.

Last year's was white, so expect a change in that detail

when I recreate that for this season.

Hershey's Dark Chocolate filled with

Fresh Strawberries in White Chocolate Whipped Cream

3 layer 6" serve 15 for $35

Gingerbread Boys and Girls are $3.50 each

Last but certainly not least are the Gingerbread Houses.

Pictured below is the house from last year.

I'll be posting this years design as soon as I have it made.

The theme will be Santa's Workshop

Gingerbread Houses are $40 each

Merry Christmas!

Cheers to a Roaring 2020

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 13:51:00 +0000

Any resolutions for your New Year? 2019 brought me the #frostmorein2019 and I think I completely Nailed It! Thank you to all my customers for bringing that hope true. If there was a trend in the cake decorating world, it found its way to my kitchen!

Drip Cakes never go out of style and 2019 saw the buttercream stripe, gold drip and watercolors added to these dramatic drips

Fault Line Cakes were EVERYWHERE on Instagram and Pinterest.

Thrilled to try to my hand at it. So much more patience than the videos show!

Fresh florals and separate tiered wedding cakes regained the spotlight, in part thanks to Kate Middleton's stunning separate tiered wedding cake display.

How can you not love Buffalo Plaid? It showed up everywhere, cakes and especially cookies.

Too Sweet!

Was this Mousse Cake a trend? Um probably not but I LOVE it. Hershey's Dark Chocolate Cake, Caramel Sauce, Fudge Ribbon, Heath Bits, Pecans, Chocolate Shell and More Caramel Sauce. Heavenly

Adorable Baby Shower cakes, Unicorn Cakes and Polka Dots

scattered my cake portfolio all year long. Love creating such sweetness for joy filled occasions

May 2020 bring some sparkling, glittering sweetness to add Joy to your New Year!

#cakeon #cookieon

In Love with Drip Cakes

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 13:01:00 +0000

What's on trend in cake this year? Naked Cakes are still a thing but my favorite cake for all time is the Drip Cake. I love it in color, in chocolate, in white. With piles of strawberries or candy themed is good too. There is something about the Drip Cake that looks so incredibly delicious. I mean almost mesmerizing.

Drip Cakes make awesome Thank you cakes,

and extra special Birthday Cakes!

The shine when the ganache is still slightly warm is incredible!

Reese's peanut butter cup cake? Yes. Every time.

Easter? Yes, Drip Cake please.

Christmas? Abolutely.

Donuts and Oreos on a Drip Cake?!! Heck yeah.

For a Smashingly Pink 1st Birthday? Always on trend.

Confettie Sprinkles and Gold glitter for a 21st birthday, even better.

Unless we are talking Chocolate and Raspberries or...

Salted Caramel Drip.

Don't forget the new trend, Striped Buttercream. I absolutely

love the effect of stripes, buttercream and chocolate drip <3

Chocolate Sails added to the cake create a little drama and it's awesome!

If you are looking for a show stopper centerpiece cake you can not miss with this Drip Cake Trend.

Rejoice!

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 01:20:00 +0000

Easter is one of my all time favorite seasons! Winter is gone, the promise of warm weather is just around the corner, Lenten sacrifices end and Jesus is Risen. It is time to celebrate! Let's roll out the good stuff.

Easter Cookies are so very much fun to make, bright colors, crazy patterns. Bunnies and Chicks are so easy to pipe, what's not to love about that?

Last year I took the time to create Easter Cookie Baskets and I am so glad I did! I love this gift for Easter. Sweet, Delicious and Colorful. This year I found some more great baskets to use with Decorated Sugar Cookies. And some new patterns to try on the Easter Egg Cookies! Can't wait.

I have wanted to make these for years and finally bought the Giant Egg Mold to make Giant Peanut Butter filled Easter Eggs of my own. Yay! You know Buckeyes that everyone loves at Christmas? Multiply that times 100. If a teaspoon of peanut butter filling is good, a whopping 1/2 cup is BETTER! The Cake Lace and fondant flowers are just the right touches to adorn my Giant Peanut Butter Eggs <3

When I talk about rolling out the good stuff for Easter, this cake has got to be it. I mean, IT. Fresh Coconut with 7 Minute Marshmallow Frosting and handmade chocolate flowers. The cake is a coconut sour cream white cake made with coconut milk. That is a celebration cake worthy of Easter. And just in case coconut it not your thing, This design is awesome on Carrot Cake too!

Call or email coyotetrailcakes@gmail.com if you'd like to order some of the Good Stuff for your Easter dinner <3

To Fondant or Not to Fondant

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 21:53:00 +0000

Seek the middle road! I like to think I reach a happy medium when it comes to fondant. I do use it and some weeks it seems like I use a lot. However, I do not cover cakes completely with fondant. Ever. (Ok, except for that one time. And no, not again!)

In my opinion, I just don't like it. I don't think it tastes lovely like buttercream. Even more insulting is when you cut a cake covered in fondant, it just doesn't look as nice as buttercream. So I go for the middle ground, cakes that taste amazing frosted in Italian Cream infused Buttercream and adorned with fondant details. The trick is to achieve such a smooth finish on the buttercream that it looks like fondant.

Let's take a closer look at what I mean. In this basketball cake, where the arrow is pointing to orange, that's buttercream. The black lines on the ball is fondant. This cake has a lot of both buttercream and fondant. not so much fondant that it over powers the buttercream.

I love, love, love this Cinderella cake.

I call it "multi-media".

That sounds artsy, right?

The pale blue section is buttercream, the bottom white with ruffles is buttercream. The wide white band, that's fondant. Stil mostly buttercream. And what would a princess cake be without a few well placed toys? The crown and the doll are toys. Real light-up toys. See, multi-media!

Not quite as blinged out as Cinderella, still another great example of combining buttercream and fondant. The hat is completely covered in fondant and under it, if I remember correctly, cake! The banner on the bottom is fondant along with those "x" marks. The entire rest of the cake is buttercream.

Creating a smooth finish on my buttercream to appear like fondant is something I have practiced and practiced. When my children were little, I loved this motto from Sesame Street:

"Practice and tomorrow you'll be better than today."

I think that all the time with cake! I hope you enjoy the end result of all this practice <3

The Secret Ingredient is Love

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 14:15:00 +0000

Sometimes my husband will make a sandwich for me and he always asks, "Can you taste the love?" It is the secret ingredient to any meal and especially when creating a cake! What I enjoy most about designing a wedding cake with a couple is the love that goes into the event. Love for each other, love for their family, their guests. So much thought goes into who would like what, and how to make sure everyone enjoys the day and the cake.

And then there are the many ways couples choose to show case their personality through cake. Whether it is an abundance of sugar flowers or overflowing fresh fruit, you can see the joy and love in the cake.

One couple didn't want to leave out their families, and carefully selected the best photos to feature on the cake. She want both a traditional cake and one that had flair. So this cake was placed on a turntable; it could be spun to reveal the photos on the back.

Buttercream always receives so much love! Creating all buttercream decorated cakes is a joy. Even though stacking these cakes takes patience, practice and a steady hand, the final creation is so very delicious. I always infuse Italian Cream into my buttercream for an extra depth of flavor. It's my secret ingredient!

Don't forget the inside of the cake can be just as special as the outside! From the ultra-moist Almond Sour Cream cake to Hershey's Ultimate Dark Chocolate cake to Fabulously Fun Flavors and Fillings, you can design a cake your wedding guests will not forget. The one below had one tier that was sooo delicious, White Russian Cake, an ultra moist, coffee, boozy cake with Kahlua whipped cream filling! That is unforgettable!

Wether your tastes run to the personal, dramatic or sublime,

there is surely a wedding cake that we can create together.

I look forward to hearing from you <3

~Peg Fisher

Coyote Trail Cakes

Falling In Love in October

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 15:47:00 +0000

As long as I can remember I love all things fall. I love the mountains in the fall, the apples and yes even pumpkins spice everything! I met my husband in the fall and we married in October. It is such a blessing and a joy to create wedding cakes in October <3

Hand made a special mold just to make these sunflowers.

There were formed from modeling chocolate to ensure they would not melt outside.

Piping on the side of a cake is a labor of love <3

Buttercream Baby! Loved piping these buttercream ruffles.

No one wants a mouth full of fondant ribbon.

Added just a few fondant roses

These roses were hand made from slightly

different shades of white and pink.

The leaves were white with shimmering

green petal dust.

Love, love, love this Bride and Groom cake!

If you are planning an wedding this year, there is still time to get on my baking schedule. I would love to create something special for your day. Hop over to facebook to send me a message for more information :-)

Making History Sweeter

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 21:59:00 +0000

One of the things I enjoy most about this job is donating cakes and cupcakes for a good cause! And of all the great causes to support in Salisbury, the most fun event for me is the Boot Scootin' Dessert Dash auction during the Denim, Diamonds & Dazzle Fundraiser at Sacred Heart.

How cute is this Tiramisu from last year's Dash? And that fresh strawberry cake! Yum.

It's really pretty simple. Everyone at your table chips in to buy dessert. The table with the highest total gets in line first. Then the Dash begins!

40. That's right 4-0 bakers and dessert makers from our school and parish

will donate their signature dessert for our buffet.

The highest bid last year went to Micheal Goodman who got in line first

to choose his mother's freshly piped Cream Puffs. So Sweet!

To make this year even sweeter, all the proceeds from this part of the auction will go to purchase a new history curriculum for Sacred Heart. And that makes this Dessert Dash a really good cause.

There is a whole lot more going on that night than just The Dash.

I snapped a few good pics from last year's event:

Can't wait to see this year's ice sculpture.

It's where all the Diamond and Dazzling appetizers will be.

Whose not dazzled by bacon?

Thank you to Canteen for providing our dazzling menu for the entire evening!

Once the Auction closes, it is time to Get Your Lucky On.

Head on in to the Casino in Brincefield Hall.

The late night buffet will not disappoint!

Robin Fisher, Camille Denhard, Julianne Goodman, Erin Brinkley and so many other fabulous volunteers are working diligently to make this night Dazzling! Designing the tables, gathering some fabulous items up for auction and keeping the focus on lasting improvments for our students and for those in the years to come.

The Boot Scootin' Dessert Dash is my favorite event but there are other fabulous raffles and items up for auction, like the Grand Prize Raffle is a trip for 4 to Disney! Including hotel accommodations, daily park passes and a family meal plan. Anyone can purchase raffle tickets and you do not have to be present to win, The tickets are $20 each or 3 for $50. Contact any parent from the school or call the school office if you want to throw your hat in.

Still smiling! Anna served as a waiter and

I was gearing up to roll out that Casino buffet

The new game this year is "The Good, the Bad and the Lucky" with two trips to choose from for the Lucky Winner. And several great consolation prizes for 4 other Lucky players.

All in all, there is a sit down dinner, three raffles, a silent auction, a live auction, a casino and The Dash! Let's get back to my part of the Dash <3 Deciding what to make last year was easy, I choose the cakes that got the most likes on facebook! Chocolate Raspberry, Chocolate Wrapped Red Velvet, and Reese's Cup Peanut Butter Cake (ok, that was a new one for me but Y-U-M-O!)

This year, we are Bringing Back the Dazzle! I am taking my desserts up a level. Literally. I am choosing to make three double barrel towering confections to Dazzle the dessert table! Each cake will be two cakes tall and serve a generous 15.

I made this Chocy-Wocky-Do-Dah cake for Catholic Daughter and St. Ann's Circle bake sale last summer. I'll be adding chocolate covered strawberries to the tower.

Next up is this Dazzling Golden Peanut Butter Tower. I have not made it yet but The Cake Blog photos are stunning! Erin Gardner created it and I can not wait to try it!

My third cake will have to be Red Velvet. I mean, hello, what Southern can deny the Dazzling-ness of a chocolate wrapped Red Velvet cake? The one below will be taller. Much taller. Towering.

We are just three weeks away from the Denim, Diamond & Dazzling Fundraiser for Sacred Heart on Sturday April 30, 2016! I just love that the proceeds from the Boot Scootin' Dessert Dash are going to Make History Sweeter for the students at Sacred Heart! Hope to see you there!

Burlap Cake Lace

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 01:36:00 +0000

Super excited to share this method of making burlap for cake! Fretted about spending a lot of money for what might be a one time project and finally came up with this approach. Using Amazing Mold putty, 7 count plastic canvas for sewing and Cake Lace mix from Hobby Lobby.

For about $20 with a coupon, I made my own silicone cake lace mold.

Once I kneaded the putty, I rolled it out super thin between two cutting mats and pressed the plastic canvas into the putty. After it cured for 20mins, I mixed the cake lace, colored it brown and spread it on the mat. I baked the lace following the package directions. Once it cools, you can gently peel away the mat and you will end up with a long ribbon of burlap!

One important step in the cake lace instructions, not included in the package, is to let the mixture rest to allow the air bubble to rise to the top. Then you can gently stir it to eliminate that problem. My first attempts using cake lace resulted in one side being quite spotty from bubbles and the other side nice and flat. So far, letting the mixture rest is the only solution I have found.

As you can see, I did not scrape the cake lace mixture completely off of the mat, leaving some of the little holes covered. I did this to make the finished product a little stronger and because burlap isn't completely see through. I think it looks rustic enough!

Here I have already cut out the bow using a small leaf cutter, one leaf for each half of the bow. Then I folded the leaves over and made a little loop for a bow. Use a tiny bit of water to seal the loop.

When I have a chance to experiment more I plan to see what impression it makes with fondant.

Dreamy Caramel Frosting

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 19:01:00 +0000

The absolute best part of this job is research. Frosting research. Caramel Frosting research!

I have tried several versions of Caramel Frosting and the winner is Martha Stewart's Dark Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue.

What I was searching for was a creamy caramel flavor, without a super sugary taste. So that rules out every recipe that adds powdered sugar. Those were too sweet and somehow never fully incorporated the sugar, so a little crunchy.

Then there are the cooked caramel frostings. You know, the kind you think of when someone says Caramel Cake. Cake Doctor has a Quick Caramel Frosting that is nice, but this frosting tend to harden quickly. And they are not silky. And if you mess up, the frosting gets crunchy. Alton Brown did a whole episode on the science of Caramel.

Allrecipes.com has this Caramel Frosting V that I really do love. The only downside is that you have to start a day in advance. Let the butter/cream mixture cool completely in the fridge overnight. And then, if it is too humid, the frosting might not whip up without 4 cups of powdered sugar. I think I've mentioned how I feel about that!

My second favorite and go-too in a pinch is Caramel Marshmallow Meringue. I found the recipe here, Abby calls it Shortcut Marshmallow Buttercream. Add a tablespoon or two of caramel sauce and instant delicious creamy frosting. Ok, so there is 3/4c powdered sugar. But it does melt into the fluff. Worth noting about this recipe: you can not double it. Somehow when you try to double this recipe, it gets too soft, not pipe-able. And it takes about 2 batches to frost an 8" cake.

That brings us to Martha Stewart's Dark Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue. It is everything I was looking for in a Caramel Frosting. Not too sweet, creamy, deep caramel flavor and one batch is plenty to cover an 8" inch cake. Takes about 30 mins to make. One hint to make this recipe fool proof: when you start to whip the egg white/sugar mixture wrap the outside of your bowl in ice packs or frozen veggies. I used canned vegetables to hold the ice bags in place. It cools the frosting to the right temp to add the butter.

To add to the caramel-i-ness, I gently poured caramel sauce over the chilled cake just enough to run down the sides.

Let's Roll!

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 17:53:00 +0000

20 edible equilateral triangles.

Not many pictures of this process but will share what I have. Begin by making 3 batches of rice krispie treats.

The websites that helped the most are these: 20D Gingerbread (this has clear pictures of the pyramid shapes you will need) and Metallic D20 (this has an excellent description of how to make this out of cardboard). Oh yes, and20D template

Once you read those to posts, you can begin to see how this is going to come together.

Step 1. Make a cardboard mold. It will be three pieces: 2 pyramids and a middle section. And like the Metallic D20, the triangles need to be 4" on every side.

The two circle like shapes are the top and bottom, You cut these out of corrugated cardboard to make a 5 sided pyramid. Once you cut the outside shape and score the inside line, tape the open ends together and tah-dah: pyramid. Cover this in foil.

The long string of triangles makes the middle section. Once you cut the strip out of cardboard and score the inside lines, you need to wrap this all in foil before you attach the two ends together with packing tape or duct tape.

Step 2: Spray the foil with cooking spray so the RKT's don't stick! Fill the two pyramids with RKT. Then position one pyramid below the middle round section, lining up the sides. And fill that with RKT. Finally place the second pyramid on top and really press the whole thing together. Let this chill in the fridge to get firm.

Step 3: Cut out 20 triangles from modeling chocolate. Modeling chocolate allows you to blend the seams a little better. These need to be fairly thick. Use the yellow rings from the wilton rolling pin set.

Step 4: Place all 20 triangles of modeling chocolate on the rice krispie treat shape.

Step 5: Remove foil from cardboard and use the cardboard mold to help define your edges.

Step 6: Let the shape rest. I set one of the pyramids in a bowl, placed the shape in that. Here was the tricky part. As my 20D rested it started to sag. No worries. Just use the cardboard to reshape the whole thing. As the modeling chocolate dries a little, the shape will harden too.

This shows the shape sitting in a bowl. The foil would leave an impression on the modeling chocolate, so take that off. Then the chocolate should not stick to the cardboard. Nice flat edges to help shape it.

Step 7: Add numbers. I used a Wilton Number mold. But you could pipe these on with royal icing too. Once your numbers are on, spray the whole thing gold or silver!

To position this on the cake, I covered a small square with brown fondant, placed dowels in the bottom cake and set the 20D on that. I also ran kabob stick through the whole through to add stability.

Whew. It worked! A fabulous trophy cake for the game lover in your life.

Mr. & Mrs.

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 14:24:00 +0000

October may be the new May for weddings, but May is still, well, Wedding Season! I love that brides have so many different ideas for cake and especially cake flavors!

I love these cakes because they really show the personality of the couple.

These smaller cakes are among my favorite because they are so simply elegant.

Finally, I love these cake because of the fresh flowers, the patterns,

the white on white and the solid gold tier!

I would love to plan something special for your wedding, please call.

Most of all enjoy every second and look forward to Celebrating Life Together <3

No Power? No Problem.

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 00:10:00 +0000

As most of you know, here in the Carolinas, winter really doesn't even begin until late January. I mean the days get shorter and it is kind of dreary out. But if you are looking for snow and ice, think January or February and sometime March.

It was February/March last year when we were hit with two storms in a row. The second one lasted half a day and we were without power for the next four days. By half a day, I mean the sun was shining and ice gone by 3p. No matter, we still were without power for the next 4 days. No school, no heat and most importantly....no way to turn on the mixer.

By the grace of God, I had already baked all the cakes for that weekend and even had finished most of the decorations. Just need to make frosting.A lot of frosting. That meant a mixer, running water and paper towels.

Enough time has passed I can finally share the story of that weekend and the 4 orders I finished on the fly.

First up is this adorable set of cake, smash cake and cookies. I loved this whole design. At this point in the weekend, I was still feeling positive. Lee hooked up his generator and plugged in my Kitchen Aid, I set up the 5 gallons of water at the sink and I was ready to go!

Next, were the simple and elegant cupcakes for a wedding shower. These were sweet and simple. No power? No problem. I did have to call and change the location pick-up because I knew we would not make it much longer in our house.

By the now time was flying, one day turned in to two. I was confounded that such a short storm could disrupt My Baking Schedule so much! I packed up the Kitchen Aid, cake, butter, sugar and, well, enough stuff to compete on Cupcake Wars and moved to the first borrowed kitchen of the weekend. That was enough time to run the mixer and frost two cakes to chill in the fridge for stacking the next day.

The next day, I moved the whole show to the second borrowed kitchen for several hours to decorate this beauty for a wedding shower at my favorite, Ellis Park. And called the customer and offered to deliver the cake to gain a little more time. I didn't even get a picture but downloaded these from facebook.

Finally, after three days and two kitchen and waking up to yet another day of NO POWER. I move to the third borrowed kitchen. Although I was so very, very tempted to cancel this order, I was so very, very happy I did not! I was not able to print the image I wanted from my own computer but went to Staples for their help, Then got busy fulfilling this last order for the Weekend-With-No-Power.

The circles and monograms were for cupcake toppers. I can't remember how many cupcakes, nor can I find my notes.And the sheet cake was for the grooms cake. When we arrived, I learned that the bride's cake baker had also lost power and sent what she was able to complete. A very,very small cake. My heart went out to the bride and baker. Losing power is hard to overcome when your buisness is at home. And I was so very, very glad that even though this cake was not what I had planned...the guests would have cake at the reception!

What a weekend. I can't say how grateful I am for two sisters and a very dear friend giving up their kitchen for hours at a time for me to complete these orders. I've had a year to consider what kind of plan I would have next time the power goes out. Meanwhile, I'll keep praying that it doesn't!

All Things Monogrammed

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Fri, 19 Dec 2014 22:49:00 +0000

This has been the Year of the Monogram. And I have loved trying so many ways to personalized sweet things for your celebrations!

Up first is Cricut cut letters with the fancy plaque fondant background.

These cupcake toppers were hand-piped royal icing on fondant circles.

I first requested a printed monogram so I could copy the pattern from

Initially Yours by Allison and Brandi

This one was hand cut following the same font as above. Reminds me of a nautical circle concept.

Then there is this!!! I love this font. On the website For Chic Sake

you can download a printable monogram. I did that first.

Then resized it to fit the cake.

Next I used Wilton's gold Sugar Sheets and a Crayola Light Pad to

slowly, carefully, cut this design out of the sugar sheet with an exacto knife.

Sugar Sheet Monogram!!!

And most recent is this awesome cake topper!!

It is silver card stock from Intially Yours By Allison and Brandi

I used glue dots and short kabob sticks to

make it stand above the cake.

And if you are so inclined, this paper topper

could be removed and framed!

Keepsake Monogram!

Love it!!

I have thoroughly enjoyed make each cake this as personalized as possible.

<3 The Year of the Monogram <3

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 22:09:00 +0000

A little Throwback Thursday post to celebrate Thanksgiving! I am grateful for so many things: my family, my home, and this great opportunity to create something special for all the moments in life we celebrate!!

Anna and I baked this several Thanksgivings ago!

Back when I was just learning how to decorate with chocolate.

These mini-pie cupcakes were a snowy afternoon activity.

And you can't think about Thanksgiving without pie :-)

I have a great amount of respect for Bakerella and the cake pops she creates.

This takes time, patience and a steady hand.

But the extra jelly beans are worth the effort!

Ok, so these are a throwack to...um...yesterday. :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

May God's love and mercy surround you all year long!

Can I call this cake inspiration?

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 15:39:00 +0000

Does everything come back to cake? Yes, yes, it does in my house. I saw something this morning that would be great in cake or maybe a cookie... Can I share a little non-cake with you?

I dropped by my friend's house this morning and was so excited about this project. Jennifer Isenberg, a local artist, is starting on these originals for Christmas. Each oversized stocking is her original design, and appliqued with wool.

These two are almost half the height of the closet door!

I didn't measure but you can see the a little of the door in the background.

What fun is this guy? I love a kart-wheeling Santa.

J-O-Y

These are a few more designs she is working on.

The Santa with the glasses will be a pillow.

The cardinal will be a Christmas pillow too.

And she'll start the snowman when the white wool arrives.

No surprise that wool is hard to find here in the south, right?

I think her plan is to offer these at the Southern Spirit Gallery downtown closer to the season. Since these take time, if you are interested in finding out more now, you can email Jennifer at kjefreeport@gmail.com

Change is hard... but good!

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 21:12:00 +0000

Finally broke down and upgraded my computer. The blue screen of death prompted the change. I put it off for so long because I looooved my photo editing software and I knew I would have to learn to photoshop anew. Like blurring the background in my cake pics so you can't see all the great things I have in the background!

Anyway, blue screen of death. New computer, new software, blah, blah blah. Here's how it all comes around to cake: I have learned to take better pictures. :-)

The large box as a background worked for a long time. But a white box began to show marks from where I slid the cake across to the center. Marks I had to photoshop out. After looking at pictures from other bakers, I decided to try the black background approach. $2 at The dollar tree for two sheets of black foam board. And wah-lah, better cake pictures! No photoshop needed.

I guess a little change can be a good thing!

Coyote Trail Gluten Free

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 19:52:00 +0000

Most of my cakes are super moist. Super rich. Even in the traditional White Almond Sour Cream cake, I use whole eggs to add a depth of flavor and a little structure to the cake. These are the things I have been looking for in a gluten free recipe. And let's not forget, ingredients readily available.

I have tried chocolate and vanilla from Bob's Red Mill GF Cake Mix, Betty Crocker GF Cake Mix, Cake Doctor recipes, and an online recipe for a GF Citrus Chiffon.

All of the vanilla or citrus were ok, not remarkable, but not something I would say a "Coyote Trail Gluten Free Cake."

The chocolate mixes on the other hand, I could not stand. Not a one. Not any brand, nor any doctored mix,

Until.....Bisquick! I love Bisquick in everything. Even their Velvet Crumb recipe. When I saw Gluten Free Bisquick I had a glimmer of hope. It is available at every store in town, no adding special xantham gum, or rice flour.

Tried 3 recipes from the King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Baking Mix page: GF Vanilla Cupcakes, GF Chocolate Cupcakes, GF Sour Cream Coffee Cake. I would use KAF if it were available here. Thankfully Bisquick works.

Holy Cow! 3 recipes I can get excited about! I recommend adding 2 tablespoons of pudding to the cupcake recipes. As for the Sour Cream Cake, I left out the filling and the glaze then baked it into cupcakes! Moist and delicious!!!

These are the GF Sour Cream batter baked into cupcakes. Nice and round tops, fluffy and moist on the inside. Each recipe makes a scant 4 cups batter, about 12 cupcakes or one 8" or 9" layer cake. To make the cake below would require 3 batches of the recipe. This is a GF Vanilla cake with buttercream and fondant decorations.

The last note to share is that my kitchen is NOT gluten free. However, I wash all utensils, pans and my mixer thoroughly before beginning any gluten free projects.

Up the Learning Curve

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 21:24:00 +0000

Of all the things I learned cake making last year, there a few little tips are the make a huge difference.

1. Cake Photography

If you are an amatuer photographer like me, with a point and shoot camera, the single, most helpful purchase I have made is a large cake box. White on the outside. Largest one I could find in our little town.14" square cake box. I folded it inside out, white is on the inside, leaving the top up and the front open. It is the perfect background for cake. Also, I have taped a little bit of white tissue paper over my flash to make it not so harsh. However, placing the white box near a window during daylight is the best condition all around for lighting.

2. Measuring Ingredients

The second most important tip I have learned is to weigh my shortening for frosting. I use a 1:1 ratio with butter. Once the butter is in the mixer, I use that wrapper to weigh out the shortening. Why is this important? Simply because it is one less mess measuring cup to wash. It only makes a difference if you are also the Head Dishwasher in your bakery.

3. Stacking Cake

There are plenty of websites that describe in detail how to stack cake. If it is a small two tier cake, you can use large soda straws, not the skinny ones. Google "bubble straws" and you'll see what I mean. I can find those near the ice cream cones in our local grocery stores, for milk shakes I think. But if you want to stack more, a lot more, you need this:

A brand new, stainless steel, unopened pair of nail clippers. These clippers are absolutely perfect for cutting wooden dowels without leaving splinters. It is easier and safer than cutting plastic dowels with a knife. Quicker, cleaner and more precise than a hacksaw for wood. No splinters, sanding or dust to worry about when you stack a cake. Give me a pack of wooden dowels and these clippers and I can stack cake all day.

A few little tips can go a long way up the learning curve!

Favorites from 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 03:12:00 +0000

Oh my gosh! Looking through all the pictures from this past year. Truly a privilege to have been a part of so many fabulous celebrations.

Chocolate and ganache always receive lots of love on Facebook and in person too!

There are a couple of "most requested of the year" designs:

Birthday cakes are so much fun!!

And then there were some "special projects" this year. This were cakes that require hand painting or multiple mediums, and lots and lots of time.

Thanks for taking a little stroll through some of my favorite cakes from 2013!

Mini Cheesecake Bites

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 00:14:00 +0000

There are those days. Those days when your child says something like, "Oh yeah and I need a dessert today." Really. Today? I like to think, plan, shop and create something special, unique, just for you! Not just throw something together at the last minute while running out the door.

Today was one of those days. And I found myself standing in the grocery store aisles thinking, "I can do this last minute. I know I can. What would Sandra Lee do?" Thank you Sandra Lee for reminding everyone that semi-homemade can be special too.

Here's the Mini-Cheesecake Bites I pulled together in less than 15mins, not including the trip to the store!

Mini Cheesecake Bites Recipe

Crust

1 pack of Chocolate graham crackers, crushed and mixed with

5T melted buttter

2T sugar

Press 1t into each mini cupcake cake liner.

Filling

No-Bake Cheesecake Mix combined with

1 1/2 Cup Milk

Follow directions on package for the the filling. Set the graham crust packet aside for another time.

Pipe the filling into the mini cupcake liners. Leave room for the topping.

Topping

Whip Hershey's White Chocolate Pudding with

2 C whipping cream till it thickens.

If you whip it too long it won't look as pretty, but will taste as good! Try not to eat this all straight from the bowl. Use the same piping bag with a star tip to pipe a little swirl on top of the mini cheesecakes.

Finally, drizzle a little of the fudge sauce on top. I used some peppermint ganache I had already made. If you want to add a little peppermint extract to the fudge sauce you can. I used peppermint candy oil. I think they carry it at Michael's.

Let the cheesecake bites set-up in the fridge for an hour. Although I think I had a little less time than that today and it was no problem. The picture a quick shot while running to the car :-)

Here's what I can do with a little more notice:

Red Velvet Cake with White Chocolate Frosting, Peppermint Ganache and Chocolate leaves

Hope you are making some sweet treats for the holiday! Merry Christmas

4 Ways to Flood a Cookie

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 01:37:00 +0000

My single biggest stumbling block to icing sugar cookies is flooding. You've seen those cookies with the smooth flawless royal icing finish. It is luck of the draw for me, sometimes perfection, sometimes less.

As usual, I choose to focus on what I can do, rather than what I can't. That has led me to....

4 Ways to Flood a Cookie

1. You can actually flood the cookie with royal icing. Sweet Sugarbelle has some great tips on how to do this. When I can get the right consistency of icing and have the patience to flood a cookie, it is magic!

These little apothecary cookies turned out super nice. I made a 100 in one setting and was pleased with the outcome.

2. Another great way to achieve that fabulous smooth background color is fondant. Cheating? Maybe. But it is awesome. If you use a fondant smoother on your cookies when they are just out of the oven, you can gently smooth out any bumps before you attempt to cover your cookies. Oh yes, be prepared to place the cut fondant on a hot cookie and you won't have to add any other icing to glue it together.

I love, love, love the way these snowflake cookies turned out. I was able to add some royal icing piped lines to accent the fondant details. Super clean and polished.

3. If you are not opposed to painting, you can use an egg wash to get a solid background color on your cookie. This approach worked really well on these ornament cookies. Slightly opaque and shiny, it was a super quick way to add color. The down side is the edges weren't crisp. With all the detail for the ornament, it didn't matter. Just keep those edges in mind when planning your design. Even The Pioneer Woman likes this technique :-)

4. Finally, and I can't believe it has taken me years, Years, to figure this out: color your cookie dough. <face palm> For some reason the thought occurred to me last night to just color the dough. Duh. I made the royal icing transfer faces a day before to let them dry. Then attached to the cookies as soon as they cooled with a little dab of royal icing for each piece. I piped on a few additional orange line to mimic pumpkins and tah-dah. I think I might try this again and use a really thin powdered sugar glaze to add a little shine to the cookie before piping the details.

Seeing so many amazing cookie ideas on the web is inspiring. If a cookie project seems too complicated, focus on what you can do and create something fabulous :-)

Cheerwine, Ice Cream and Cake, Great!

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 15:06:00 +0000

Had a moment to experiment last week. Wanted to try the melted ice cream cake recipe with Cheerwine! Although you can buy Cheerwine pound cake locally, I was hoping for a more "Cheerwine" flavor.

Since Cheerwine syrup isn't available, I thought that melted Cheerwine ice cream might do the trick. However, all that was in Food Lion was sherbet. Don't you remember a Food Lion brand Cheerwine swirl ice cream? Oh well, sherbet was the new plan.

The recipe is very, very simple. A cake mix of your choice, 2 cups melted ice cream, three eggs. Mix and bake.

I made a simple glaze with powdered sugar and Cheerwine but couldn't wait for the cake to cool to try it! So the glaze melted some. It was delish. I didn't run my knife through the batter once it was in the pan and thus the air bubble. But the kiddos didn't mind.

However, I have to say, not quite the distinct Cheerwine taste I was going for. I tried a second attempt but that vanished so fast, no pictures! I made a marble cake but instead of chocolate, I boiled about 2 cups of soda for about an hour to make a syrup and mixed that with the 1 cup of batter. It was a really good cake. I think this marble Cheerwine concept deserves a third attempt. I'll post a picture next time I experiment.

It's All About the Game

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Sports are obviously a huge part of life in America. Celebrating "love of the game" with cake is always fun. Among the most requested cake designs is this one with a jersey and ball. I first saw this design on pinterest, but with half a ball instead of a whole ball. The half ball was perched on the edge of the jersey, like a player holding the ball. I liked the idea of a whole ball, just at the edge of the sheet cake and have made this version a few times.

If you are interested in just a sports jersey cake, here is an example using cheerleading uniform top.

Another favorite sports cake concept is one with the stripes on the side and some type of logo on top. Super easy to change colors and logos for a school or team. These were inspired by designs I saw on CorrieCakes on facebook. Her work is so flawless and charming!

And, because you can never have too many basketball cakes! This angry face design is from The Cake Don, except his was fondant perfection. Mine was created using a frozen buttercream transfer.

This last design is another pinterest find. Love the combination of scrapbooking and cake. The original pinned idea had a goal and basket made from gumpaste! This simplified paper version makes the cake affordable and still awesome :-)

As the school year begins, I am looking forward to creating a whole new batch of cakes celebrating The Game, whatever your favorite game may be!!!

"I'm Taking July Off"

noreply@blogger.com (Good Remedy) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 14:06:00 +0000

What I have learned this month is that when I say, " I'm taking the month off," I really can't say no. There were a few more cakes this month that didn't get pictured and some cookie orders too. One wedding cake to go and that brings me to the end of my "month off." After almost a year in this business, I also have learned that the month to take off is January not July!