Sunday, November 13, 2011

Baby Block Cake

I was asked if I might be able to do a baby shower cake for someone last minute, as their original baker had some technical difficulties and was no longer able to help. It had been awhile since I baked a big cake, so I was more than happy to take on the challenge. They were hoping to have three blocks, like baby blocks, stacked on top of each other, in blue as the soon-to-be bundle of joy would be a boy.

I decided to use three layers of a 6 inch, square pan for each block. The size turned out perfectly. I had quite an assembly line happening in the kitchen that night - bake, cool, mix, bake, cool, mix, ice, in the fridge to set, take the next ones out of the oven, cool, ice, in the fridge to set, cover first block with fondant, in the fridge to set, get the other one out of the fridge, cover with fondant, etc. - it was a little hectic but after the blocks were done, the fun of decorating began.

I loved, loved, loved making the teddy bears! I started with rice crispy squares and molded them into teddy bear parts, covered with brown fondant and added the texture for the fur.


I assembled the bear and placed him on the cake with a sucker stick to keep him in place. Each bear was a different shade of brown. I really liked how they turned out!

Next I stacked the blocks. They were heavy so I added a little support to the top one. Decorated with yellow stars to add a little colour and placed a 'It's a Boy!' on top. I always trim with ribbon, and voila. 


I can see the folds on the bottom of the B block, which bothers me, but I know... most people would never notice that. If you are a baker, I am sure you can relate to seeing flaws that others do not notice, but when it's your work and your name is on it, you want perfection. I have the same emotional pattern each time I do a large cake  - ambition, stress, extreme stress, a slight calm as it begins to come together, then pure happiness. I think everyone in the family has learned what stage to keep out of the kitchen and stay away.

In the end, I quite liked this cake. 





Friday, November 4, 2011

Nuts & Bolts

During my pregnancy, I haven't had too many cravings. I want a lot of cold juicy foods such as popsicles or frozen strawberries, and I seem to want more fruit than anything. However, the other night as I watched tv and spotted my first Christmas commercial, I began to think of the yummy festive food that comes with the season. My aunts Nuts & Bolts came to mind and I immediately thought 'Oh I can't wait for that!'. Then as I sat there, I began to think....what AM I waiting for? I can eat Nuts & Bolts whenever I want! I'm pregnant for crying out loud...eat! I dug out the recipe the next day and prepared to make a batch.

This is one tasty snack so I will be happy to share it with you! I like to alter it here and there so I can have more of the stuff I love and take out the stuff that always seems to be left in the bottom of the bowl. Please feel free to do the same.      

Nuts & Bolts

Preheat oven to 200 degrees

In a large roasting pan, mix:
4 cups Cheerios
3 cups Chex (corn or rice)
2 cups pretzel sticks
2 cups mixed nuts (I prefer just almonds)
1 1/2 cups cashews
2 cups Cheese Bits
Sesame sticks (if you would like, I never have added them)

Mix in a separate bowl:
1 package of onion soup mix, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1tsp onion salt, 1 tbs worcestershire
Melt and add 1 3/4 cup butter
Stir and pour over the the cereal and nut mixture.

Cover and bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and bake for another hour, stirring occasionally. Additional baking time may be required, depending on the size of your roasting pan - you can tell if everything is nice and crunchy.

Enjoy!