Simply Sweet

Mermaid Waters off the Port Bow!

2011-12-19T01:58:00.000-08:00

A friend's daughter turned five this week. She is an adorable little red-head that just loves the Disney Princesses. Her favorite is Ariel from the Little Mermaid. My friend asked me to make her a Little Mermaid cake for her birthday.

It was a chocolate cake with strawberry filling. Buttercream Frosting and the entire cake was edible except Ariel.

It turned out very lovely. I used Nerds candy for the ocean gravel.

Janice Mead's Pound Puppies - For Sale

2011-12-17T14:23:00.000-08:00

These Pound Puppies are created by Janice Mead, my mother. She uses the original Pound Puppy pattern from the 80s.

Each puppy has it's own unique personality because of the stretch of the fabric as Mom sews them together. They spotted ones have spots that are completely unique to him/her.

Mom does not use the Pound Puppy patch or eyes. She creates her own eyes and "signs" the puppies with hand sewn heart and paw pads.

Mom strives to make each puppy unique and child friendly. The puppies do not contain any removable plastic parts and are sewn to withstand play. They are super soft and cuddly. They love to be cuddled and pampered.

If you want one, please email me.
The large Puppies are $15. Small are $5.

Color availability is what is shown in the images. No other puppies are available at this time.

Large: Yellow, Green, Tan

Small: 5 Tan, 3 Pink Dalmatian, 4 purple, 4 green, 1 camo, 1 yellow

Cake Pop Vacation???

2011-12-12T23:40:00.000-08:00

I have to make another batch of Java Pops tomorrow. I ran out today. Thankfully, the cake is already made, so I just have to mix it up and dip them. I still have an upright freezer completely full of cake pops. I will also have two boxes that won't fit in the freezer full of cake pops. I'm going to have to adjust and move things around a little to get them all in the freezer.

I also made gluten free cake pops. It really is amazing how many baking ingredients are naturally gluten free: nuts, coconut, white frosting, chocolate, chocolate chips. It made creating flavors a whole lot easier. I made up 8 flavors of gluten free cake pops. I have to say, the are scrumptious. Gluten Free cake is denser and richer, so the pops are as well. Unfortunately, they are quite a bit more expensive to make, so it's time to find some recipes and experiment.

After the Java Pops are made tomorrow, I will be taking a Pop break. I have a large supply, so I can afford to take a break and just refill the ones I run out of as I go.

The Yard Sale Facebook group has been successful. I've had seven orders in two days, and at least one more in the works. My mother has orders for two more little camo puppies, too. So, we're both doing well.

I hope I can take a Cake Pop Vacation in January... I need to.

Cancelations

2011-12-10T23:52:00.001-08:00

Well, the bazaar was cancelled. Bummer. I was looking forward to unloading a few more pops.

Fortunately, a friend shared a local Craigslist type site through Facebook. Love it. I posted that I had pops for sale and made 6 sales in less than a day. That's very helpful. Especially in light of an empty checking account 2 weeks before Christmas.

I also posted my mother's little pound puppies. She sold 3 of them within 3 hours of posting.

I believe it is a great site. I'd share, but it's for locals only.

Here are a few photos of cake pops I've made, and mom's little Pound Puppies.

A bazaar is a good thing

2011-12-08T23:50:00.001-08:00

I had a nice result from the bazaar. I wish I could have done a little better, but overall, it was successful. I made $255. I think for the number of people that came through that was great!

I have another bazaar tomorrow and all I made were some sugar free ones. Figured I had enough left over to sell at this bazaar.

In total I made just over 1,100 cake pops for the bazaar.
My mother was also part of my table. She sold pound puppies. They're a little difficult to see here, but she made them in multiple colors and in two sizes.

Busy making cake pops

2011-11-22T17:35:00.001-08:00

I am participating in a bazaar on December 2 and 3. I am selling cake pops. I currently have 8 flavors made up. I still have many more to go. I have 14 cakes left to make, and then, put together my pops. I will be busy for the next week. Thankfully, it's a holiday weekend, so I don't have to worry about school.

TinkerBell is adorable

2011-11-18T11:53:00.001-08:00

I am about to be blessed with two great-nieces. Both babies are due about two weeks apart, roughly in January. At first, I was upset with the prospect of becoming a great aunt at the young age of 35. But I soon realized that I am still young enough to enjoy the little girls while they are also young and energetic.

This week, one of the girls had her baby shower. She asked me to make the cake. Her theme is TinkerBell and lady bugs. I was very excited. I purchased some Tink cupcake toppers about 8 months ago and have been designing the cake in my head ever since.

The cake was pink champagne with buttercream frosting. I used gum paste flowers and I do believe this is the best cake I've made to date.

I spent the day with my other niece, whom I do not know very well, and I am extra excited about bringing her and her little girl into our family.

Children are a very big blessing.

Well, There is Dirt

2011-11-05T00:27:00.000-07:00

Instead of making a "muddin' cake," I decided to make a construction themed cake instead. Less messy, but still has some dirt on it.

The first muddin' cake I made had lots of mess on it, and it wasn't very brightly colored. This is for a one year old's birthday, so I wanted to integrate some bright colors into the cake.

The little guy's favorite toy is Chuck the Truck, so I thought a dump truck and a construction theme would be closer.

It turned out really cute... But, when I put it in the box, the front was damaged. :( I was not happy. I think it's pretty easy to fix, but still. I'm not happy about that. :(

This is a chocolate cake with no filling. I used chocolate buttercream frosting. The "dirt" is made out of low -fat Oreos. Something I discovered about using low-fat instead of regular: when I crush the regular, I have a uniform color - dark brown. With the low-fat kind, there is more white and it's a lighter color. It's better as dirt. I used pretzels for the stack of wood and the orange fencing around the outside of the cake is orange colored candy coating. I used silver sprinkles for the gravel under the jeep and cement truck. I found the trucks at my local dollar store.

The biggest issue I had was writing on the cake. I made a couple mounds of dirt and the frosting rolled off as I tried to write on the cake. So, I made a sign instead. It looks kind of like one of those "The future home of..." signs that are always around construction sites.

Hope they like it.

Such fun!

2011-11-01T23:26:00.001-07:00

I have another cake order for the very first "theme" cake I've ever made... The muddin' cake. It's for a one year old, so lots of bright colors and fun.

Very excited because this is a rectangular cake, so I have more room to play. Hooray!

Attempt #2: Refried Beans, not so Successful

2011-10-29T23:46:00.001-07:00

I attempted making the refried beans again, using the recipe I made up. Still really tasty... except, I put way too much salt in them. So much that it burns my tongue. Of course, I'm not a big salt eater anyway, so to most people it's probably perfect.

Tomorrow I will make another pot of beans and make them up without the salt, then mix them to counter the extreme amount of salt in the first batch.

This time I used black beans. They are a little sweeter tasting, once I get past the salt.

Cake Pops Galore

2011-10-28T23:25:00.000-07:00

Starting tomorrow, I will begin making more cake pops. I just got a new job and I will be extra busy between college and two jobs. So, I need to make a little every day so I can stock up. Also, I have that bazaar coming up in December. I want about 900 so I have an abundance, but also so I don't run out of any one flavor. Plus a few hundred sample sized pops. Itty bitty pops on a toothpick. Those should be cute. I might even have to start another new fad. Itty bitty pop bites: 12 for $1.

Let me see how tough they are to make first.

Wedding Cake Success

2011-10-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

My newest endeavor was a success. It's a 4 tier, stacked cake with the top on pedestals. It turned out quite lovely. I need to practice with fondant. I have a tough time smoothing it down the sides. I guess I'll have to make some cakes just so I can practice.

Too bad my neighboring cake testers are all getting married.

Amazing New Flavor

2011-10-17T11:23:00.001-07:00

Last night I invented a new cake pop flavor. It is really tasty. They are chocolate peanut butter cake pops. And they are scrumptious. They have layers of chocolate and peanut butter (melted peanut butter chips) on the outside of a scrumptious chocolate peanut butter cake.

I'm willing to share this pop recipe with a few of my followers here.

Supplies:
Sucker sticks
Baggies
Ties
Devils food cake mix
Eggs
Oil
Peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
Melting chocolate (aka almond bark)
2 packages Reese's peanut butter chips
Shortening.

Directions: Bake cake according to package instructions. Cool completely.

Place chocolate in a bowl; place over a small saucepan with about 2" of water. Place on burner, set to lowest heat. In a separate bowl, melt peanut butter chips. Place the bowl over a small saucepan with about 2" of water. Place on burner st to lowest heat. Stir both frequently. Do not allow the chocolate or peanut butter chips to get too warm or the chocolate will crack on the pops. Add enough shortening to each flavor to make them thin. The chocolate will use about 2 tbsp of shortening. The peanut butter will need more, but you have to just add more until it is thin enough.

Crumble cake in a bowl. Add enough peanut butter to make the cake form a ball. Make sure the cake is not sticky or mushy. The cake needs to be just sticky enough of form balls. Form balls about 1" around. Place on a waxed paper or parchment lined cookie sheet. Chill for 15 minutes. Remove from fridge. Dip sucker sticks in chocolate and push into balls. Make sure they go at least half way through the pops. Chill for 10-15 minutes or until the chocolate is set.

Now comes the fun part.

Dip the balls in chocolate and place in styrofoam blocks to dry. Once the chocolate is dry, dip in peanut butter about halfway down the pop. Allow to dry. Dip one more time in chocolate far enough down to leave just a small strip if peanut butter showing. This give the appearance of a Reese's peanut butter cup that is cut.

Or, be creative. Dip the balls fully in chocolate, then peanut butter, then chocolate, and top with finely ground peanuts. (make sure the nuts are very finely ground or they will make the chocolate run off the pop and they won't look pretty)

Tip: squish the balls in your hand until they form a solid ball. If you are using crunchy peanut butter, the nuts will make it more difficult to shape the balls. It can also cause the balls to break apart when you add the sticks.

Don't be afraid to experiment a little. These are yummy pops, but rather boring to look at.

Wedding Cake Order

2011-10-13T00:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend I will begin making a huge wedding cake. I'm very excited for this one. I have free reign. The only requirements are red and ivory, and roses. Easy. It's for a dear friend who is like a brother. I am making it for him as a wedding present. I will start Saturday because school is keeping me super busy, so I need some extra time to prepare things.

Chocolate Peanut Cake Pops ideas are running through my head. I'll be working on that recipe this weekend as well.

Stay tuned...

Attempt #1 a success: Yummy Refried Beans

2011-10-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

I have now made homemade Mexican style Re-fried beans. And they are yummy.
They are still fresh and haven't quite finished meshing the flavors, but they are still pretty good.

I'm going to put the recipe here because the one I used, I completely changed, and it is no longer the same recipe.

Michele's Refried Beans
3 cups uncooked pinto or black beans (do not use canned), sorted and rinsed
Water
1/2 cup lard
1/2 to 1 large onion (depending on your taste preferences), finely diced (food processor is very quick)
2-4 jalapeno peppers (to taste) finely diced
3 Tbsp minced garlic (or more, if you want)
1 tsp cumin
Salt

Soak the beans overnight (or at least 8 hours) in water that covers them at least 3 inches. Drain the beans. Place beans in a large pot or stock pot. Fill with enough water to cover at least 3 inches. Bring beans to a boil and simmer until they are soft enough to squish easily - 3-4 hours.

Remove from heat, but do not drain. Using a food processor (or a big spoon and a bowl), gently puree beans, adding enough of the bean water to keep the beans almost fluid. Make sure you don't completely mash the beans, because there needs to be a few lumps. You will use quite a bit of the water, but don't worry, as the beans sit, they'll finish soaking it up and they'll dry some.

Melt lard in large skillet over Medium heat. Add onions, jalapenos, and garlic. Saute until cooked through. Add cumin. Add mashed beans. Stir well to mix and cook until they are a thicker consistency.

Add a lot of salt. These take a lot of salt, but you could also try some different seasonings if salt is a no-no.

As an added note: I ate some of these beans while I was typing this. The longer they sat, the tastier they got. So, that means that most likely, the beans will improve with flavor over time. Make these a day ahead of time for the fullest flavor.

Mexican Food family Gathering

2011-10-05T22:56:00.000-07:00

My aunt and uncle are traveling evangelists. They come through twice a year, and our family gathers together and does what our family does best: eat and talk. (Well, and tell terrible jokes). So, this time through, I decided that I was going to foot the bill for the family dinner rather than my mom and dad. Usually, they spend all the money, and everyone else comes to eat, with maybe a desert or salad brought along.

I haven't cooked a full meal for a large gathering in a while, so away I go.

I have another not so looked at blog that I put together for my church's Daniel Fast last year. On that blog I have this really wonderful recipe for Meatless Mexican Lasagna. It's very scrumptious. It's one of those foods that has so much in it that you just can't imagine what else you might find. And it's tasty as well.

Besides the Meatless Mexican Lasagna, I am going to attempt authentic re-fried beans (made with LARD!!!), and real Mexican Rice. Not those packages of rice that are bland and boring. I am also planning to make the delicious Hershey's chocolate cake with (Sh!) cherry filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting. Yummy. I can't wait.

The funny thing is, when I told the family that I was cooking, they began to plan what else to bring. So, now, there will be all kinds of Hispanic dishes and I don't have to cook as much. Oh, the plans I make, always bring out the best in others.

Silly Little Pops

2011-10-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

I have an order for a batch of cake pops. I sell a batch for $25. The batch usually ranges from 30-50 pops depending on how big I make them, the density of the dough, and how much frosting I add.

Today, my batch made 47 pops. The last one made 42.

Not bad for $25.

New Adventures in Popping

2011-10-02T23:05:00.000-07:00

I bought a Cake Pop book. It's not Bakerella's, but it's good. I looked at her book today, and although it is amazing, it's really for the beginning popper. After six months of making cake pops, I am no longer a beginner, but I admit, I am not an expert either.

I bought Wilton's Cake Pop idea book. It has some really adorable pops in it, but they are very time consuming. I wouldn't want to make hundreds of them. That's for sure. I think it will be a really useful tool for me. I can be more adventurous in my future endeavors.

I also found a few people on Facebook that are in the cake pop business. I've listed their links on the right of the page. They have some amazing ideas. Very creative. In fact, one has a really adorable bunch of cake pop roses. I have a wedding cake coming up for a very dear friend who is more like a brother. He loves cake pops. So, for his wedding, I am going to make him some red rose pops. He will love it.

His cake is going to be amazing, and I can hardly wait to tackle it. I have a few weeks left before his wedding, and I can hardly wait.

I am also going to do a bazaar in December. Nothing but cake pops. I will start preparing those about two weeks out. I think I will make between 500 and 800 pops. I will prepare some in boxes, and some individually. I am hoping it is successful. I need the money.

College is expensive now.

Holiday Baking

2011-10-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

Holidays are here... Well, almost. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's are coming rapidly, and I have a feeling I will be doing cake pops galore.

I've moved to another college, and have already started a new reputation campaign. I have a good baking rep at my first college, and I still get people who want them. So, now, I have two "monopolies" on cake pop venues.

It's pretty cool. I'm going to attempt to make some ghosts for Halloween for my classes. Should be interesting.

Sugar Free Baking

2011-09-30T21:46:00.001-07:00

Did you know that Hershey's Sugar Free Chocolate Chips are not only sugar free, they are artificial sweetener free as well? They are simply chocolate.

And they taste like semi-sweet.

Perfect for diabetic baking.

Baggie Delivery

2011-09-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

The baggies arrived today. Much earlier than I expected. However, I was disappointed to see only 5,000 baggies. I rechecked the website and the size I ordered 4x4" is in fact available in 5,000 baggies. I believe I can live with just 5,000 baggies.

I also received my iPad today. I am totally hooked. Hopefully, not only will it help me with textbooks while at college, but it will help me organize my life. I also have an iPod touch, but it is so tiny that I couldn't use it to read texts. But, I still love it for music and games.

Sugar free cake pops need to be made this evening, for a raffle for my weight loss group.

Baggie Mayhem

2011-09-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

I have been searching for the little baggies to wrap my cake pops in for several months. I usually buy them at Michaels, but it gets rather expensive when I'm making several hundred and I can only buy 100 at a time. If I don't have coupons, they run $4 per 100, which is roughly 4 cents a bag. Still not terrible, but when I have to make 500 cake pops and wrap them, I'm looking at $20, just in baggies.

So, I have been searching for a large scale supplier. All to no avail.

I finally found one a few days ago. I've shared the link in my links list to the right of the blog. I bought the 4x4" baggies because the 3x4" baggies from Michaels are always the right length, but sometimes, just not the right width. The best part is: with shipping, 10,000 baggies were only $62, which comes to less than one cent per baggie. I'm very thrilled with this.

Now, I need some orders so I can use up my 10,000 baggies quickly, and have to buy 20,000 next time.

Bride and Groom Cake Pops

2011-09-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

Regardless of the cancelled wedding cake, the Bride still wants the cake pops. I originally decided to make bride and groom cake pops. I found a photo of them awhile back on the internet and couldn't wait until I could make them.

However, they are more time consuming that regular cake pops. The groom has a little bow tie and buttons that have to be put on with either a toothpick, or a #1 decorating tube. I started with the toothpick, but after 20 minutes, I didn't even have 10 cake pops finished. So, I switched over to the tube. Worked great for awhile, but soon, unmelted clumps of chocolate started making their way to the tiny hole and I couldn't keep it clear long enough to get through one cake pop. So, the last 20 or so took a while. But, 2 hours later, I had 100 groom pops.

Now, I'm waiting for the white chocolate to melt so I can finish the bride pops. 100 of them, but they are really simple. Just dip them and sprinkle sugar on them to give them that sparkle. Then, add a little heart for a "necklace" and I'm done. The little heart will take awhile because they are teeny tiny, but once I have the pops ready to go, that shouldn't take more than an hour or so. Then, into the freezer. Deliver Saturday morning, and I'm finished.

Out of curiosity, I looked these little pops up on the internet, just to see how much a baker would charge... Wow, they are roughly $28 a dozen. So, for 200 cake pops, it's around $500. Wow. I think I'll make them myself.

Waterfall Birthday Cake

2011-09-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

I made a birthday cake for my brother's mother-in-law's 71st birthday. Sadly, it was during the week I was supposed to do the wedding cake, so I didn't give it a whole lot of thought. I kind of had an idea in mind, but once I got to baking, things happened.

The first layer turned out awesome. Level, pretty pink, nice and moist. But, dense enough to hold the next layer and the waterfall. The second layer was another story.

When I make white cake I use the Wilton Meringue Powder instead of egg whites for two reasons: first, I hate wasting all those egg yolks. And when I'm making layer cakes for someone, I use 2 cake mixes for each layer. So, that's six yolks I have to waste. I've tried freezing them, but I still end up wasting them.

Second, the powder makes the cake really white and really dense. It also gives it a little "zip" which goes great with a champagne filing. Shh. It's a "Michele Secret". The powder gives it a nice moist consistency and helps it stay level. It's also faster to measure out 6 tsp of Meringue Powder and 6 Tbsp of water than it is to crack and separate 3 eggs for each mix. (AND, it keeps the sprinkles in "funfetti" cake from bleeding and turning the cake gray.)

So, that's why the first layer turned out awesome. It was white cake with a few drops of red food coloring to make it pink. I used the Meringue Powder and it was perfect. Unfortunately, it was after 10 PM when I made the second layer, and I ran out of Meringue Powder. Michaels was closed, and I wasn't driving two miles to Walmart at night just for 6 tsp of Meringue Powder. Plus, I like to use the coupons from Michaels, makes things affordable for a college student.

Instead of Meringue Powder, I used egg whites for half the needed eggs. And one egg yolk; it popped out of the shell when I opened it and broke when it hit the batter.Well, those egg whites made a huge difference in the cake. It was super scrumptious, but it was also so moist that when I turned it out of the pan onto a cooling rack, it all but crumbled. I couldn't use it.

I was tired and a little frustrated now. So, I called it a night, and watched TV. When I woke up this morning, I decided to attempt a made-from-scratch white cake recipe I found online (link posted in the links list on the right near the bottom). It turned out pretty well, even though it wasn't really white. More, tan. I did like that it turned out nice and level, though. Might have to play with the recipe a bit to make it more of a true "white" cake. However, weirdly, I added red food coloring and the cake went in pink, and came out tan. So, I don't know what happened there. Make sure you read some of the comments. They give some tips in there that really make the cake better. The only thing I didn't like was that the entire outside was crunchy. I made a second one and it also turned out very crunchy, but the inside is flaky and moist.

So, overall the cake turned out. The top layer, although white, wasn't that bad. Everyone loved both layers. I used buttercream frosting. My favorite recipe is the kitchen aid recipe that came with my mixer, with one change, I double the recipe and replace half the butter with shortening so it won't harden so much. I used piping gel to create the water and waterfall, I used a 6" circle to make the hill the waterfall came from. I also used graham crackers to make the sandy beaches.

Although it's not what I had pictured, I was so worried about the top layer, that this is what it turned out to be:

Cake Pops are still "in"

2011-09-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

I have made over 2,000 cake pops in the last 6 months. Amazing. I gave a lot away, though. At first, they were a trial, I donated some to different groups, and I took some to church functions and family functions. As the popularity of them grew, I began to make a little bit of money off them. Overall, I've made well over $500, just off cake pops. Not bad for a college student.

I got an order for some cake pops that was rather challenging. She wanted 9 different flavors. And she only wanted 2 dozen. Unfortunately, I didn't have any made. I had a bunch, but I was afraid they would begin to taste like freezer, so I gave them away. So, today, I made 5 cakes just to make these 9 different flavors. I already had a few cakes made up and frozen, so that was good. Since she only wanted 2 and 3 of each of the flavors, I now have quite a bit of cake made up and ready for the freezer. It will keep for awhile so, anytime I get a little order, I can just pull out the flavors I need and whip some up!