Floral Bouquet Cake

A couple of years ago, I was fortunate enough to meet a talented chef online, her name is Gigi and she owns, Kids Culinary Adventures, in Northern California. I encourage you to like their facebook page; Kids Culinary Adventures Facebook Page And, if you are in the bay area, they do kids classes and lots of fun activities, so check them out.

Gigi had the most amazing cake displayed, and I decided to make one for a birthday party for co-workers.

First, let me show you my end result, and then we can go step-by-step.



I stacked a two-tiered cake, and put "planks" of chocolate around the edges. They are affixed with frosting, but the pretty ribbon also keeps them in place. The finishing touch is the bright bouquet on top. It almost looks too fancy to eat. Gigi was so creative to come up with this beautiful design.....it's my favorite "pretty cake"

Baking the cake was easy....you can make any size you want. In fact, for Mother's Day in 2010, we made mini versions out of cupcakes at my baking class. This time, I used two, 6 inch cakes.

First step is to grease and flour your pans, so you can remove the cake easily.



Pour the cake batter into the pan, making sure it is evenly divided between your pans.



While your cakes are baking, you can temper your chocolate.

Tempering is the process of heating and cooling, at precise temperatures, so that the chocolate ends up with a hard, shiny shell. This does not work by melting and cooling, at least not with real chocolate. You can always temper by hand (which is time consuming and a fickle process), you can use fake chocolate (which you can warm up and cool in the fridge), or you can get a tempering machine. I use my tempering machine often, it's the size of a shoe box, and is quick and easy. I have other pictures and videos on this site, if you want to learn more about tempering.

I tempered white chocolate, and then, using a fork, drizzled it onto parchment paper.



It's important to let the chocolate cool and set up, before adding another chocolate layer. I tempered dark chocolate, and then spread it out onto the drizzled white chocolate. I did my best to make the level of thickness even.



After about 10 minutes, the chocolate started to harden, and that is the time to use a knife to score the "planks". When I first spread the chocolate, it was shiny, but as it starts to harden, it becomes matte, and that is when you want to cut it. If you wait too long, you will crack the chocolate strips.



When you stack your cakes, make sure that you use a generous portion of frosting along the side. I actually like to frost as I go, so the frosting has not started to set or dry, and is better able to secure the chocolate planks. Here is a stacked cake, with two of the chocolate strips on....



I continue icing the sides, and carefully placing the chocolate on, so that the chocolate planks are touching each other....



When I have put chocolate around the entire cake, I tie ribbons around the cake. This is a great place to accentuate colors or themes....and also to give an added bit of support to the chocolate.



I noticed on Gigi's cake, that the top of the chocolate was uneven, and had that "natural" look...and that is what I have done. When I made the strips, I made them flat and level on the top and bottom, and then broke the tops to be uneven.

To insert flowers, use straws, cut in half, and insert them into the top of the cake. You can then place the flower stem into the straw. You may want to play around a bit, so that the flowers are set in such a way to cover some of the chocolate edges.



You can make a variety of variations on this...change up the chocolate design, the ribbons, the type of flowers.....Id love to make this with white chocolate sides, and hydrangeas on top...wouldnt that be gorgeous??

Thanks again, Gigi, for the inspiration :)

Valentine's Day 2012

Remember when Valentine's Day meant exchanging mini cards decorated with super heros or Barbie?

It's much more fun to make delicious treats to share with friends.....

My kids each picked out a goodie to give to their classmates;

Andrew picked marshmallow pops!




Christine went for the chocolate covered strawberries.



Elise loved passing out chocolate covered pretzels.



I hope your Valentine's Day was sweet <3

Zebra cakes

Ok, now that pinterest exists (I still think googling my interest yields more ideas and pics...but anyways)....I have found some fun new ideas.

I saw this picture of individual cakes, in mason jars, and this one in particular is rainbow themed....



the original poster was Brooke McLay at http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/04/08/rainbow-cake-in-a-jar/

So, anyways, when I saw this, I immediately thought they would be fun to make in a "zebra print" design, because...my daughter loves that, and points out all things zebra print.

It's her birthday party this weekend, so, naturally, I decided to cram this baking experiment into my busy schedule.

Now, one thing you need to know about my blog, if you havent already figured it out....it's for the basic person. My pictures are not professional, I dont fix up my creations, I simply make them, like you would, and the results are not always perfect. My purpose, is to show you how to make fun things at home....even if you arent Martha Stewart.

So....on with the zebra cakes.

I started out with mason jars. I sprayed baking spray in each one...just a little bit.



I made a batch of cake mix and left it white.....



and I made a batch of cake mix and colored it black (you can get all kinds of food colors and Michaels)....



I just alternated black, white, black, white in the jar.










The oven is preheated to 400, and the jars are placed inside a baking pan, with 1/4 water inside. Just put the pan in the oven.....for about 40 minutes (check, and use a skewer to test that they are cooked throughout)



The result, (imperfect) zebra cakes. These will be topped with hot pink, whipped cream on the day of the party.



Im going to put the mason jar lid on each cake, and keep them in the fridge. Then, Ill transport them to the party (with my pastry bags of pink whipped cream) and each child will get their own cake and spoon.

It's different, festive, and fun......

ZEBRA CAKE UPDATE: These were yummy! they look fancy inside too!

Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Thanksgiving is such a warm holiday. Fall colors, cornucopias brimming with goods from the harvest, and the fragrance of warm pumpkin pies. It really is a time for remembering what matters most, and appreciating the basics of family, friends, and food.

One of my favorite tablescapes involves mini pumpkins and gourds. I love this idea, because it's colorful, festive and EASY.

You can use gourds and mini-pumpkins of all sizes and colors......Im keeping it simple this Thanksgiving and using just mini-pumpkins.



You want to cut a hole big enough to fit a candle...but not too big, it's nice if the candle fits snugly. The hole doesnt have to look nice, you just want to get the candle in.



Im using plain white votives, but you can use candles of all sizes...candlesticks, votives,...mix and match warm colors.



Place your gourds and pumpkins on a serving tray or platter....add additional garnishment if you would like, fall leaves, colored beads, use your imagination.

Im keeping mine simple, on a cream colored cake platter.....



Once the candles start burning, the wax will start to flow out of them (so make sure you are using a heat safe platter). Some will burn quicker and it starts to look so beautiful when the candles end up at different heights....especially so when using different gourds and a variety of candle sizes and colors.

This is an inexpensive, quick way to add a festive feel to your holiday table.

Disney Chocolate Treats

Disney is known for fun, excitement and creativity.....so of course, the Disney
Chocolate Shoppe is filled with lots of delicious ideas.

Everyone loves the goodies they are making...just look at the crowd, gathered around to watch the Disney Chocolatiers work their magic:



If you have been reading my blog, you know that the key to amazing chocolate creations is TEMPERING - the process that allows you to dip and mold chocolate. So, of course, the Disney Chocolatiers are using their giant tempering machine....




And once you temper your chocolate, the sky is the limit.....here are some fun apples, marshmallow pops and pretzels, all done up Disney Style.....



Ill post more soon....including the prices of these goodies....talk about a great business!!

News Flash

What a treat to see my chocolate party featured in the Orange County Register :) I want to invite everyone to "like" my facebook page: Kim's Dove Facebook Page


OC Register article

Let me know if you are interested in having a fun chocolate tasting party.....also, Im looking for gals and guys to join my Dove team. Let me know if you are interested.

S'More Pops

I cant believe it's been since before Christmas since Ive posted. My kitchen is still in transition, actually our floors are gonna have to all be pulled up again, and replaced....(sigh)...so it has hampered my baking fun.

Some of you may have noticed that my latest craze is Marshmallow Pops! Cake pops are fun, but as a busy mom, I dont always have time to back the cake, add the frosting, roll the cake balls.....you know, much easier to just pop a marshmallow on a stick, dont ya think?

My friend Gina told me about a new Marshmallow Pop idea...a S'More Pop. I signed up to bring a dessert to the Boy Scout's Blue and Gold party, and so since Boy Scouts love to camp, this S'More Pop seemed the perfect treat.

You start out with a large marshmallow, on a candy stick:


Then, in typical Boy Scout style, roast your marshmallow:


It's up to you how toasty you want to make them:


Place marshmallows on parchment paper, so that they can firm up. I was able to make these 50 in just minutes:


Graham crackers are easily crunched up:


Since these were for the Boy Scouts Blue and Gold party, I thought it would be fun to add some blue sprinkles. You can add any color to make them more festive, or just use the plain graham crackers:


Dip the marshmallow into TEMPERED chocolate:


Now, you'll remember from past posts, that tempering is the process that allows the chocolate to harden up. This pop will not be messy. The chocolate will be solid, making it easy to put these into cello bags or pass out without a mess.

I use my Rev 1 tempering unit, it's the size of a shoe box, and is quick and easy to use. If you are intersted in learning more about tempering, I have other videos and step-by-step pics in my archives. It's the most fun and creative dessert tool ever, I love it!!

Dip the pop into the graham crackers, covering all the chocolate:


This is not a frilly, girly-girl pop. It's got that masculine, "I live in the wilderness and eat S'mores" kind of look, but I promise, it's super delicious!


My favorite way to serve "pops" is in a basket or container, filled with floral foam, and then covered with plastic/foil and sometimes covered with other decorative filling. It makes them easy to transport and you can have fun with the presentation:


Im looking forward to making all kinds of marshmallow pops this Spring....bunnies, lambs, so much creative fun - and easy!! What are you going to be making??

If you dont already, "like" my facebook page; Kim's Chocolatier page on Facebook and feel free to post pics of your creative desserts.