Yesterday was Jake’s 5th Birthday and he wanted a racing car cake, Maxi to be exact, from Roary the Racing Car.  I gave him the choice of cake flavour and he chose Caramel mud so it was time to get down to business.

I decided my best option for this cake was to use a loaf tin and cut the car shape from this.  I also baked four cupcakes with the left over cake batter to use for the wheels. Using a picture of Maxi to copy from, I did a free-hand cut to get the car shape and using the cut pieces of cake to increase the height at the back.  The entire cake is covered with white chocolate ganache and a thin layer of coloured fondant.  Maxi’s hat and sunglasses are pure fondant. The rear spoiler I was unable to make from pure fondant as it just would not hold straight so I used a piece of cardboard and covered with fondant for that added strength.  The track is also made with black and white fondant.

The kids all seemed happy with the results and were all very keen to eat a wheel.

I had lots of family gatherings on the Anzac Day long weekend so thought what a fantastic reason to try a new cake!  I’m really enjoying my Crabapple Bakery Cupcakes book at the moment so tested out another recipe for this book, Banana & Macadamia with Chocolate Fudge frosting.

I had some bananas heading towards the over-ripe stage so thought this recipe to be very suitable.  Great little cakes!  The chocolate fudge frosting I varied a little, using more butter than the recipe stated and less icing sugar, I guess making it more like a buttercream.  It turned out lovely.  Using my favourite piping swirl to top each cake.  They were a hit with all the family!

I wanted to make some yummy easter gifts for my family & friends so decided on a new recipe from my Crabapple Cupcake book.  I chose the choc brownie fudge cakes but omitted the nuts due to my friend’s daughter having a nut allergy (she had missed out on the coffee & walnut cuppies the week earlier so couldn’t do it to her twice!!)

 These cupcakes are just devine!! Very indulging!! One is definately enough of these little beauties.  I topped them with caramel frosting and “Celebration” balls.  As these cupcakes were to make easter gifts, I purchased a few plastic containers from my local cheap shop and my four year old Jake and I made some grass from tissue paper to place in each one.  We then placed a few cupcakes in each container and wrapped in cellophane in a bon bon shape.  I think these little cuppies make the perfect indulgent easter treat! Happy Easter everyone !

My youngest boy Jake was very excited that his pre-school teacher’s birthday was coming up.  He so desperately wanted to make her a cake so Thursday night we made a batch of cupcakes for her to share with the class.

Jake helped me with measuring the ingredients and putting them into the bowl, cracking the eggs, turning on the mix master and of course licking the beaters and the bowl!  

We made a simple vanilla cupcake mix and I decorated with vanilla buttercream and handmade fondant butterflies and stars.  They turned out well and went down a treat with the class at pre-school!

When I was first getting into cake decorating, I was keen to get a lot of practise.  So when a friend of mine’s daughter was having a birthday party, I offered my services of making the birthday cake.  I was very excited when she accepted.  Also, not having any girls myself, it was a great chance to make a “girly” cake.  Thanks Donna!

	For a little girl’s 3rd birthday, the options were endless.  We decided on butterflies and pink.  The main cake was milk chocolate mud cake covered with ganache and fondant.  I shaped this cake from a square.  For decorations around the cake, I made little insects: bees, lady beetles, caterpillars, along with some little flowers and placed all around the cake.  The writing was done using purchased gel icing.
	I made some cupcakes for Scarlett also which were white chocolate mud iced with pink strawberry buttercream.  I topped them with some hand made butterflies and a few sprinkles.  I was pleased with the end result and they are still now one of my favourite cupcakes!
	I was over the moon when Donna asked me to make a cake for her son’s 2nd birthday in December last year.  So now for a little boy’s cake.  My direction was that Bailey likes big trucks and smarties, so I went with that.  Since Scarlett’s cake was a hit we again went with a milk chocolate mud cake covered with ganache and fondant, shaped as a truck – again, I shaped this cake myself from a square cake.  I put smarties in the back of the truck and used coloured fondant and letter cutters for the wording and number signs.

I hope that Scarlett and Bailey both enjoyed their cakes!

Its hard to pick a favourite, but this one would be a close contender as my favourite cake so far.

I decorated this cake for my niece Gabrielle’s 3rd birthady.

The cake is a milk chocolate mud cake, one of my favourite self tailored recipes. Covered in ganache with an outer layer of sugar paste fondant. The decorations are made using modelling paste.