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Saturday, 28 June 2014

1yr today since I had Ellie

But today wasn't a sad day, I've been building the best cake i could ever make as birthday/remembrance cake for Ellie (it's #cakebook2014) it's not quite finished but we're getting there - the big event is tomorrow.

I don't want to feel sad either, I've got a little wiggly baby inside my tummy. His kicks and wiggles are the last thing i feel before I sleep and the first thing I feel the next day - how can I feel sad? :-)

Tuesday, 24 June 2014

Cakebook update...

Things may have seemed quiet with regards to me and cakebook, but no I'm paddling like hell under the surface. I've left it until late on to do my prep, practice and panicking.
I've got excuses of course, but excuses don't change things.
So I'll share my progress, and celebrate what has been done (so far).

I'm building St Basil's Cathedral - that 9 towered dome topped colourful delight in Russia - out of cake

That fancy Cathedral in Russia with the domes
(image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Basil's_Cathedral)

Progress:

  1. I have blueprints, a floor plan and a side view (thanks to Carl, the photocopier at work & lots of sellotape)
  2. I have saved myself some time (& headache) by buying 8 Swiss rolls for the towers - they're in the freezer
  3. I've made the domes from cakepops (cake crumbs & buttercream moulded into shapes, chilled and covered in white chocolate - see www.cakepoppins.co.uk for her brilliant cakepop classes)
  4. I've made 3 big rectangle cakes, a 12-egg /600g recipe 
  5. I've got a cakeboard, my dad cut me a piece of wood 24" x 20" - yeh, it's pretty big.
  6. I've got icing, Teddy bear brown they call it - it doesn't look like enough, so I've ordered more!
  7. I'm teaching myself how to pipe icing on a vertical surface using tips from my cake maker friend www.cakepoppins.co.uk blogs and YouTube videos, this includes folding greaseproof to make a pipingbag!
  8. I've designed the icing patterns on my towers, I thought I should do this in advance so I know what I'm doing and the towers look relatively similar and consistent.



I think that's about it so far, I still need to:

  1. Bake another cake
  2. Make more buttercream
  3. Cover my cakeboard in foil
  4. Remove my Swiss rolls from the freezer cut them (or ask Carl to cut them)  octagonal, buttercream and cover in icing and pipe on the icing.
  5. Remove the other cakes from the freezer, cut to shape, buttercream together and cover in icing.
  6. Make the central tower from cake and marshmallow rice crispy cake mix.
  7. I could do with another copy of the floorplan (so I'll trace this and cut it out tonight).
  8. Dome decoration
  9. Some idea of how I'm doing the buildings in front of the towers, I haven't a clue just yet.

I have Friday afternoon off work and most evenings this week to crack on. Ideally I don't want to be faffing too much on Saturday morning with it.

See this and other wonderful cakes on Saturday/Sunday 28th & 29th June 2014: Tea & Cake Planet (food stalls for non-cake eaters)