Pokémon Cake

My boyfriend is turning 7- his birthday is leap day! 😅 so Pokémon it is this year! 

I like to occasionally use incredibly time consuming cake decorating techniques 😅 including making color flow decorations. First, draw or trace your image. I like to simplify any shapes used, and draw with a pencil on parchment paper taped to a cake circle. Once you’re done sketching, cover with a layer of wax paper taped down around the edges. You want it secured firmly, but it should be easily removable too. Now you’re ready to trace your image with icing!

Make color flow icing. It dries out quickly, so anything you’re not actively using should be tightly covered with plastic wrap. I pipe the outlines of shapes first, and let to allow briefly before thinning out the color flow with a few drops of water to flood the image. This can take a lot of time, especially if you’re using a lot of different colors, so plan accordingly! The resulting decoration is extremely fragile, but I like the effect. Fun ridiculous fact- I made this Pokémon decoration using only two piping bags 😂 100% would not recommend, but I didn’t plan ahead, it was late at night, and I made it happen somehow using some MacGyver ninja magic.

I used edible markers to add detailed elements, and sooo many toothpicks. Let dry completely at least one full day, preferably longer. 

To remove your color flow icing decoration, carefully free your wax paper from all the tape. Then using a counter or table with a straight edge, slowly run the edges over the edge, carefully pulling the wax paper down. Do this gradually, all around the sides of the decoration until it is free from the wax paper. Use caution, as it’s very easy to drop and completely break something you’ve spent hours of your life on. Here’s my residual color flow print left behind on the wax paper!

I rolled out two circles of fondant to make poke balls, and used red and black food safe markers to complete the design. After a dusting of star sprinkles, this cake was done! 🔥👌🌟 

Love Pun Valentine Cookies

 

 I opted for fun, colorful designs and love puns this year! I enjoyed using traditional red, white, and pink design elements and also creating alternative, unique color schemes. 

 First, I baked sugar cookies and let them cool completely. I like to add a little almond extract (or nutmeg instead if it's Christmas time!) to take my decorated cookies to the next level.

 

I made a batch of Royal icing once I was ready to decorate. Use plastic wrap to cover any icing you're not actively using, because it dries out quickly, and it can take time to mix different colors and consistencies! 

 I used marbling techniques for some of the cookies, by swirling colored food gel in thinned out icing with a toothpick, then dipping the surface of the cookies into the icing. Let the icing dry before piping any additional details on the cookies. I used feathering techniques on other cookies, by piping horizontal stripes, and then using a toothpick to drag the still-wet icing in an alternately up and then down pattern.

 Heart shaped sprinkles, edible pearls, and edible glitter took these cute cookies to the next level! I'm happy with how they turned out.

 

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

I made red velvet cupcakes, and used the rest of the batter to make delectable cakepops for Valentine's day. To decorate these, first I mixed up some cream cheese icing. I used a large round icing tip (Wilton tip 2A), to frost some of the cupcakes, then rolled the edges lightly in sprinkles. 

 I painted a stripe of pink and red color gel into an icing bag fit with Wilton tip 2D, then filled with cream cheese icing to pipe tri-colored Valentine-themed swirls. 

I melted some red candymelts in the microwave, and then piped designs onto wax paper. Once completely dry, carefully remove and use to decorate cupcakes along with additional sprinkles. 

Valentine Cakepops

 Cakepops are always appreciated- what's not to like? A delectable couple bites (or a mouthful!) of cake and frosting surrounded by a shell of candy coating- yum! They're easy to make, freeze well, and are the perfect way to show your loved ones that you care.

First, bake a cake in a 9X13 in pan. You can choose whatever flavor you'd like. I made a red velvet cake for these cakepops. Bake as normal, and then let cool completely. In the meantime, I whipped up some cream cheese icing. You can make the flavored icing of choice- buttercream icings are a good bet. You don't use very much icing for these babies, but I used leftover icing to frost other cupcakes. Stored properly in an airtight container, buttercream or cream cheese icing keeps well in the freezer for several weeks too- for future projects. 

Once your cake is completely cool, crumble into a bowl with your hands. Add a few heaping TBSPs of frosting and mix well with hands. You want the mixture to be moist enough to keep shape easily, but not overly goopy. You can add additional frosting to taste. Take a spoonful of cake/frosting mixture and roll in your hands to form a ball. I like to make all of the mixture into balls and put into a freezer-safe container. Freeze until firm- at least an hour. If you're not ready to decorate, or only want to decorate a few cakepops at a time, properly stored these cakepops freeze well for quite awhile. 

When you're ready to decorate, gather several small containers for various colors. For these cakepops, I used white, red, and pink candymelts. Microwave each color in 30 second increments, stirring well in between. Don't overheat, or candymelts may seize up. Heat until melted smoothly enough to coat the cakepops. I like to dip the tip of the lollipop stick into the melted candymelt mixture, then push the stick into the middle of the cakepop. If you want to slightly shape the cakepop by hand (for example, I shaped a few of these cakepops into hearts), you want to do that before you insert the stick. I like to stick the cakepops into a block of floral foam, and then freeze again until firm.  

Now it's time to decorate! Dip and submerge the cakepops to coat completely in the melted candymelt mixture. It can be helpful to use a spoon. Work quickly, because the candymelts shell dries quickly. You can add sprinkles or other decorative elements at this point. Once you're done, freeze the cakepops again, standing them up in the floral foam block. One completely dried, I like to individually wrap the cake pops and then share with friends!