Baking
Many years ago I used to make wedding cakes. I had taken several cake decorating classes and still have a lot of my cake pans and supplies. I also used to make gingerbread houses and other fantasies but haven't done anything in recent years. I'll be pulling out any old pictures I can find and add them here. You can leave comments at the bottom of the page if you like.
Gingerbread
Train Pattern and More on my New
Gingerbread Pattern Page!
I just updated the Santa's Tugboat pattern (12/5/09) as well as adding a new one called Santa's Workshop. You can also see all the gingerbread patterns I've collected from magazines for over 20 years. Click here to go to the Gingerbread pattern page where you'll find the Gingerbread Train, Santa's Tugboat, Gingerbread Dollhouse, Icing Church and a Swiss Chalet. I also belong to a Yahoo Gingerbread Group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gingerbreadhousebaking (check it out if you want to talk Gingerbread!)
Gingerbread
Inspirations
I've started adding photos of gingerbread houses featured in Good Housekeeping and other magazines from years ago, some of them prize winners from past contests just in case you are looking for inspiration. Click here to see the photos.
Cake Bites that Rock!
I found an incredible blog site called Bakerella. This wonderful lady does the most creative things with cake, icing and chocolate I've ever seen. One of my favorites was her "Cake Bites." Her site is so popular and well known that somehow Martha Stewart invited her on her show!
I just had to try making some. You take leftover cake, grind it up in a food processor, mix in cream cheees frosting, shape into balls and dip in chocolate. I know I'll get better and faster with practice but they were relatively easy to do. Click on the photos for a larger view.
Valentine's 2008
I
saw a version of these cuter-than-cute baby lollipops on the Cake Central
site and was so inspired I thought I'd make some up to take to work
since the group I work with has either just had babies or going to have
one in a couple of months.
Doing an internet search I found the chocolate molds at a place called Sugarcraft in their 'molds' section. Yes, they are cabbage patch baby faces. I used Wilton Candy Melts in white--man they were easy use! I poured them into the molds and refrigerated for about 2 hours and they popped right out. I bought Wilton food coloring pens to paint on the hair and mouth but they did not work very well for me. The oil in the chocolate made the color smear and separate--augh! Maybe another brand of pen will work. I ended up going over the mouths with red Royal Icing. I used red tissue paper cut with a scalloped scissor and bought wired Valentine ribbon for the bows.
Next time I'll experiment with other skin tones and ways to present (maybe on giant cupcakes next time.
Click on the photo for a larger view.
Christmas 2007
At
the last minute I decided to make some gingerbread houses. One I made
for my boss at work, the other for some friends who invited us over
for Christmas dinner. I also thought it would be fun to make and decorate
cookies since I'd picked up a couple of great books on fantastically
decorated cookies. Next year I'll get started a little sooner.
About 35 years ago I took a class from a very nice lady who wanted to make some money to buy her husband an expensive shirt for Christmas. Her version is like a little Swiss Ski Chalet and not covered with a bunch of candy. It has a little window balcony and a double-dutch door, along with cute little shutters on all the windows. Click here for some photos from this year.
Let me know what you think, or if you have any questions contact me: jkeeler415@costumepastimes.com
New! Download the directions to make this Gingerbread House here.
Download the patterns.
Gingerbread
Townhouse - 1986
This was a house featured on the cover of Good Housekeeping when they used to do a big Gingerbread issue for their annual contest. It's three stories tall with a Mansard roof. The first floor is a kitchen complete with a little stove, cupboard and table. The second floor is the living room with Christmas tree with little presents, rug, chair, fireplace and candles on the mantle. I used fruit rollups to make curtains. The third floor had a bed with Chiclet quilt and a dresser. I made little gingerbread people around the base. There were a lot of pieces but it was really fun to do. Click here to see bigger photo and close-up of the inside.
Gingerbread Swan - 1980's
Quite
a few years ago (try 20) I found a pattern in one of the woman's magazines--I
wish I could remember which one. I just had to try and make it--even
entered it in the Coyote Point Museum (in San Mateo) annual Gingerbread
House contest. I got a "Special Award. for it. I baked the body
over a small metal bowl and the wings and tails over crumpled pieces
of aluminum foil to get the curved shapes. The crown was piped over
a small funnel. I'm working on recreating the pattern and looking forward
to making this again for Christmas 2008. Click on the swan to see some
other views.
Icing Church - 2008
I finally remade this Church--forgot how much fun (and how easy) it was to make. I found the pattern years ago in a woman's magazine-it looked so interesting I just had to make it. I laid the pattern pieces on a flat surface, covered it with wax paper and then used Royal Icing and a small round decorating tip and piped criss-crossed lines of the icing. You let it dry for a couple of days and then ever so gently peel it off the wax paper and use more Royal Icing to 'glue' it together. I also piped a small altar and rows of pews for the inside. You can use fruit leather to make the windows but I tried melted Jolly Rogers this time. Looks great but very hard to work with--I have to keep trying. Click here for another view. You can also click here for a picture of the first one I made in the 1980s using it on a different base.
Click here for a pdf of the pattern and instructions for this church.
Corset
Cake for an HBO Special
Autumn Adamme owns Dark Garden, a speciality corset shop in San Francisco. She was asked to do her wedding as part of an HBO special and she asked me to do the cake. I made Calla Lillies with gold-dusted stamens and Royal Icing lace points in the shape of high-heels. I put gold-colored corsets with whips around the bottom layer, with gold shoes around the top layer. The cake top is a wire-sculptured corset body with bands of latex and a latex bow. See more pictures here of Autumn and John's gorgeous latex wedding outfits.
Cherie Caperton Oliver's Wedding Cake
In
June 1996 I made this wedding cake for Cherie's wedding at the Palmdale
Estate in Fremont. I piped buttercream Lillies of the Valley cascades
on each tier and added pinks roses made out of buttercream. Each tier
is also decorated in cornelli lace. It was a very sweet cake. Click
on the photo or here
for a larger view.
Lora
Trimble's Wedding Cake (right)
Lora Trimble and Jason Bohm were married in October 1995. They love penguins and bought a very cute glass penguin topper. I made little black color-flow penguins that marched around the sides of all the cake tiers. It's not often you get to do a black and white wedding cake. See more pictures here.
Bastille Day Event (left)
The
Greater Bay Area Costumer's
Guild put on a Bastille Day Event at Guzman Hall at Dominican College
in San Rafael. We had Aristrocats and Revolutionaries at the same event--oh
my! Made a Guillotine Cake--somewhat gross, but appropriate for the
occasion. Click here for larger view of the photos. You can also see
pictures from the event here.
Autumn
Adamme Wedding Cake
Autumn and John had there actual wedding in August 1996 after the HBO special and I was asked to make here wedding cake. Click on the photo for a larger view.
Angels
and Insects Picnic
The Greater Bay Area Costumer's Guild put on an Angels and Insects afternoon at Lake Park in San Francisco. I met some of the group after the event at the Cliff House and I brought this letter cake to share. I found the lacquer bugs at a little shop in Chinatown and created gumpaste leaves for the sides of the cake and Royal Icing flowers for the bugs to play upon. Click on the picture for a larger view. You can see photos of the event here.