Gobble Gobble

Erin requested some pumpkin cupcakes for her lovely mother's birthday celebration.  Her birthday falls right around Thanksgiving most years, so she usually gets a delicious fall-themed treat for her special day.  This year, Erin switched it up and ordered pumpkin cupcakes, instead of the usual carrot cake.   I was excited to explore this new arena and couldn't wait to secure a new recipe.

And boy, did I find an AWESOME one.  Here's the link for the delicious Pumpkin Cake and Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.  I filled the cupcakes with brown sugar whipped cream (2 cups whipping cream + 1/2 cup brown sugar + 1 1/2 tsp vanilla - beat until stiff peaks).  DELISH!

I handed over the cupcakes and then Erin added the decor.  I laughed out loud!  There's something about those eyes that I find so comical!

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving!  And the happiest of birthdays to you, Sheila!

 Gobble, Gobble!

Cake Mama's Mama

My mom celebrated her birthday this last weekend, but was going to be out of town visiting her mom and sister.  I wanted to make sure she had SOMETHING fun to share and celebrate her birthday with them, and then I planned to have my whole family over for a proper party the following week.  

So, here are the cupcakes I whipped up for her on her actual birthday.  I love how these turned out!  It's like a bouquet of flowers.  But yummier!

And just last night, we had a birthday party for her and this is the cake I made for that occasion.  I think it's appropriately themed for Fall, don't you think?  I found a similar cake on Wilton.com and was totally inspired!

To make the "pumpkin" on top, you just need to roll out an orange gum paste/fondant mix and cut into fourteen 1/4 inch strips.  I put a little stitching in each of the strips.

Connect the loops with a little gum glue and lay them out on a parchment-lined sheet tray for at least 48 hours.

To assemble, place a dowel in the cake and have it stick out on top for the stalk.  Cover the dowel with green fondant to make the "handle".  Place the pumpkin circles around the fondant.  I found that I had to use some additional buttercream to get some of them to stick where I wanted them to stick.  And voila!  Pumpkin cake!  (This cake is actually a chocolate-flecked cake.  My mom's new favorite.)

We celebrated her birthday with a meal of Julia Child's Beouff Bourguignon and mashed potatoes, and the most delicious Apple, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Dressing.  YUM!

We finished off the meal with this delicious (if I do say so myself) cake.

Happy Birthday, Mom!  You're so fun to celebrate!

Pink Pumpkin Cake!

Anne requested a cake for her daughter, Eve's, 1st birthday. She wanted a cake in the shape of a pink pumpkin. I suggested we do a pumpkin cake in the shape of a pumpkin and she thought the idea was a good one. I had a FANTASTIC recipe that I've made once before and still daydream about it. It's a delicious pumpkin cake with a whipped cream and brown sugar frosting. Super moist and super light!

Now, getting the cake into the shape of a pumpkin...that's where I was stumped...but my good cake-decorating friend, Heidi, had done one before and blew my mind when she said you just use two bundt pans, one inverted on top of the other. Duh. (As an aside, almost everything Heidi tells me leads to this response. She's so wise. And thank you again, Heidi!)

Baking the cakes was a cinch and my house smelled absolutely divine. Once the cakes were cooled, I FILLED them with the whipped cream. If I didn't do this, the frosting to cake ratio would have been too dismal.

Added the top tier.

I filled the inside with rice krispie treat to maintain its' shape.

And then I crumb-coated with more whipped cream. I could have stopped right here and the cake was delicious!

But Anne requested a pink pumpkin and a pink pumpkin is what she got!

I made the pumpkin leaves out of gum paste. I used some pink luster dust to add some dimension and shading and added the pink sparkles, per her request.

I hope that Eve had a most excellent 1st birthday party!