Pink Ombre Cake

The neverending winter of snow, frozen tundra, and prolonged sub zero temps.  That about sums 2014 so far.  This is the longest short month EVER.  Last year I joked about the things that winter does to a person in the Midwest.  Little did I know what we were in store for this year.  Crikey.  I’m just going to get in line with the dodos.

To beat the winter blues, I fancied up another cake on Friday to celebrate Valentine’s.  I am happy to report that I survived the encounter.  Y’all know I love to cook but baking is just not my jam.  Too precise for this cavalier cook.  But I love a good challenge so I keep torturing myself.  Icing is Public Enemy numero uno.  Outside of catching the oven on fire with overflowing batter on more than a few occasions, icing almost always gets me down.  Too many fails to chronicle.  And don’t even get me started on royal icing.   Middle finger to royal icing.  Those decorated Martha cookies of my dreams will remain squarely in the land of nod.

Any who – this time worked out just fine using a few tricks that I employed last year for my Cupid’s Arrow cake.  Tip one:  box cake is your friend.  Tip Two:  use smaller pans to give the cake a boutique bakery look. Tip Three:  make your cake the day before - after cooling completely, wrap your layers tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate.  Tip Four:  homemade frosting will go a long way toward fooling your guests into thinking you spent hours in the kitchen whipping up the cake from scratch.

 

Click here for specifics from my Cupid cake last year including an easy buttercream recipe that I used for both cakes.  This year I split the icing into 3rds to create a loose ombre effect using gel food coloring.  I don’t remember the exact amounts but I used about 15 drops of red gel to get the dark fuschia and 5 drops of red gel + 2 drops of yellow gel to get the lighter pink.

This cake would also be perfect for a shower, Easter, or Mother’s day, tinted accordingly.  Now go do your best Martha impression and get your box cake on.  Oh, and please excuse my tarnished silver, Momma. I couldn't find my way to the polish.

Do you ever cheat and use box cake?

All photos and styling by mrs. V.

kisses,  mrs. V

Holiday - A DIY Valentine Mug, Baked Goods & Flowers

Scenes from the Weekend – A Valentine Version

This weekend was all about Valentine’s Day and doing a few small gestures to show my loved ones that I care.

Since Spendy (ahem, me) is on an indefinite spending freeze, I had to get resourceful for mr. V this year.  I raided my stash of art supplies and the kitchen cabinets to come up with a simple DIY Valentine gift.

I had plans to wrap this in cello with a darling bow and tag but mr. V walked in as I was snapping a pic and scarfed up a huge handful of M & Ms.  ‘Yum,’ he said.  I will consider this zero cost gift a thumbs up.

I also wanted to bake something for him because he often grumbles that I only bake for special occasions that usually involve me taking the goods elsewhere.  Back into the flour for more abuse.  I had all supplies on hand so another score for Spendy!

I packed up a few of these for my family as well because I just can’t have a bunch of cupcakes sitting around Chez V begging ‘eat me!’

To me fresh flowers are one of life’s little necessary luxuries.  I almost always have some fresh flowers in the house.  But purchasing cut flowers each week can get pricey so often I will look to potted plants to get a little more lifetime with my dollar.  I picked up some potted spring bulbs for $6.00 and split them into 2 containers.  These hyacinth smell insanely good.

What plans do you have for Valentine's Day?

kisses,  mrs. V

Paper Love - Valentine's

Pulp Fiction – A love affair with paper

I am crazy about paper, design and typography.  Of the many callings I missed, graphic design was one.  I didn’t even know such a thing existed when I applied to college.  No!  I am not 100. I just got bum rushed into pre-med.  Instead of slogging through organic chemistry I could have been learning something useful like Illustrator or how to find the Enter button on a Mac.

I made a notepad with these

In spite of my narrow guidance, I have learned my way around a program or two and as a result, design paper goods for folks from time to time.  Any occasion really, is enough for me to design stationary or a tag or label or tote!  Oh, you stubbed your toe?  ‘WATCH OUT, bum toe’ tags might appear on your doorstep.  Horseback riding at Jen’s farm?  ‘HAPPY SPRING’ labels for cookie bags will definitely make an appearance.

Gift tags for client

Teacher note cards paired with green envelopes

So I have been putting my obsession to good use at Pieti’s pre-school.  Her teachers received personalized note cards at Christmas along with an etched glass ornament (duh)!  And now - Valentine’s!!!!  I made this simple card for her hand outs.  It will have a pink/red Tootsie Pop attached with ribbon.

The PNG image is altering the font a bit but you get the idea

But I also started messing around with a few other ideas...

Got the dragonfly and bee graphics from here.

So what about you guys?  Are you making any Valentine's cards this year?  Stayed tuned for more V Day love.  I am going back into the kitchen for more baking abuse!

kisses,  mrs. V