Gourmet sweet treats for every occasion
I’ve decided to extend my “Are YOU TBDOFITL?” contest due to popular demand!
How would you like to win a FREE cake that looks like OSU’s stadium?
Refer to the “Are you TBDOFITL” post from an earlier blog to find out contest rules.
New deadline for entry? December 28, 2009.
Delivery will take place on January 1, 2010!
When I first pulled up to deliver and set up the contest winners’ cake, members of Maranatha Baptist Church greeted me and immediately began helping me carry my cake boxes and supplies into the church.
The reception area was decorated beautifully with votive candles, red and white tablecloths, and twinkling Christmas lights. Hurricane globes filled with coffee beans and red pillar candles were centered on each table. Men, women and children walked around making sure each detail was just so, and some of them even offered me assistance with setting up the cake. They were all very nice and helpful, and I immediately realized why Stephanie and Chris love their church home so much.
Soon, I got to work setting up the cake. I set up the tiers and adorned them with the red roses that were left for me. 
I sprinkled the table with rose petals and set lighted votives around the cake. 
I put the truffles in their cups and set them on the head table along with a card for the bride and groom. 
I looked everything over and made sure it looked OK, then took pics of everything to show you! Let me know what you think!
And. . . congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Perin!
Cakefully yours,
Cosette
Well, folks, the “Love is in the air contest” has come to a complete close. Chris and Stephanie will be married in a few hours! As I already told you, I really enjoyed meeting them and creating their dream wedding cake. Also, I really felt like I wanted to give them a lil’ something extra. Thanks to all of you who weighed in about whether I should make cookies or truffles.
Seeing as how I stayed up until 2 a.m. creating their cakes (there were 5 in all – stay tuned for pics!), I was tired and decided to make truffles. I thought they would be fun and easy to make and easier for the bridal party to eat!
I modified this recipe from one I got from a couple of friends. I hope you try it ‘cause it was easy and fun! There are a lot of steps but it’s well worth it –I made an extra one for myself (Quality Control and all), and they taste uber delish!
Happy Caking!
Cosette
The Cake Chick’s Layered Chocoberry Truffles
Total time: about an hour and 45 minutes
Ingredients
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
20 chocolate sandwich cookies, divided
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
chocolate ganache
heavy whipping cream (optional)
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/3 cup simple syrup (recipe follows)
½ cup cocoa powder or ½ cup powdered sugar
Directions
Prepare the chocolate ganache (see earlier blog post for recipe).
Prepare the raspberry preserves by putting the frozen raspberries and simple syrup in a saucepan. Simmer over med. low heat. Let cool completely.
Prepare the vanilla buttercream by creaming together the butter, 1 cup of powdered sugar and vanilla in your stand mixer or using your hand mixer. Crush 10 of the chocolate sandwich cookies and add them to the vanilla buttercream.
Meanwhile, prepare a baking sheet by covering it with a sheet of wax paper.
In your food processor, mix the cream cheese and the remaining chocolate sandwich cookies.
Using a spoon, scoop some of the mixture and form it into a ball. Place it on the wax paper. Repeat until all of the mixture is gone.
Place in the freezer for about 10 minutes, or until firm.
Put some of the raspberry preserves in a bowl. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer. Hold the truffle using two forks and dip it into the raspberry preserves. Put the truffle back onto the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining truffles. Put the baking sheet back into the freezer for about 10 minutes, or until firm.
If your chocolate ganache has solidified, reconstitute it by putting it into the microwave until it liquefies. If necessary, add some heavy whipping cream and whisk it together to achieve the desired consistency.
Remove your baking sheet from the freezer and, working quickly, use the two forks to dip a truffle into the melted ganache. Place back onto the baking sheet. Repeat with all truffles.
Place in the freezer again for one hour.
Remove from the freezer and finish your truffles by rolling them in the powdered sugar or the cocoa powder.
Enjoy!
Simple syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
Boil the two ingredients together in a saucepan until the liquid is clear and the sugar is incorporated into the water. Let cool.
I was honored to be able to be a part of Mark and Elizabeth Shell’s wedding day! If you followed the “Love is in the air” contest at all, you will recall that Mark and Bizzy won second place in the contest, which gave them $150 off of their dream wedding cake!
The first time I met Bizzy, she and I were setting the table for a rehearsal dinner for a close friend of mine. I was a bridesmaid in Kristin and Jon’s wedding, and Bizzy is Jon’s sister. One of the first things I noticed about her was a beautiful tattoo she has across her arm.
At the time, I didn’t have a tattoo so I recall wondering how long it took and how much it hurt. Even though I didn’t know her well at the time, she seemed like a cool person and I immediately wondered about her story.
I soon learned that she was madly in love with her boyfriend and shortly thereafter, they become engaged and started a family! They asked me to meet with them about a wedding cake, and I was so excited!
When I met with Mark and Bizzy for their tasting and consultation, I could tell they were a cool couple who liked departing from tradition. (That makes my job even more fun!) They tasted the samples I had for them and made final decisions on cake flavors, fillings and icings pretty easily. They chose chocolate cake with chocolate ganache iced with chocolate buttercream AND yellow cake with homemade raspberry preserves filling and vanilla buttercream. Both choices were covered in homemade fondant. That was covered, BUT it was the design that they were most unsure about. All Bizzy knew is that she wanted to incorporate their color choices (sage, silver, black and white) and some kind of henna design.
After receiving their beautiful invitation and talking with Bizzy some more, I had the idea in mind and went to work. Crafting “The Shell” (as I affectionately call it) was fun! My hands hurt by the end and I was up until 3 a.m. but I loved the way it looked.
Congrats to Mark and Bizzy!
Are YOU TBDOFITL (The Best D*mn OSU Fan In The Land) ???
OSU Football season is here! That means Brutus, tailgating, bands, and Buckeye madness!
What else does it mean?
Another contest and giveaway from The Cake Chick!
Make YOUR Ohio State/Michigan party extra delicious with a gourmet
Ohio State cake from The Cake Chick!
It’s simple and free, and you only have to do a couple of things.
First, take a picture of you and your friends in your craziest OSU gear. Email it to thecakechickgourmet@yahoo.com along with a short blurb about why YOU are TBDOFITL! The pic and your reason for why you should win will be posted on the blog at http://thecakechick.wordpress.com. Don’t forget to include your name and phone number.
You can enter as many pics as you want – the crazier the better! And – encourage your friends and family members to check out the blog.
Why, you ask?
Because the entry that gets the most votes will be the winner! Stay tuned to the blog to see your entry and don’t forget to tell everyone you know to
vote, Vote, VOTE!!!
In order to enter the contest, you must join The Cake Chick’s Facebook fan page or follow @gourmetcakechic on Twitter. Or, if you want, do both!
It may increase your chances.
Quick rules:
The deadline for entry is November 7, 2009 at 10:00 p.m.
Delivery fees may apply, and delivery will only take place within the Columbus metro area.
Please keep entries to 150 words or less – I want to be able to read ‘em all!
Contest winners will be announced on the blog so don’t forget to keep checking back!
And, as always, questions? Ask The Cake Chick.
When I first shared the thought about holding a contest to give away a free wedding cake, some people thought I was insane. (I admit that, at times, I am certifiable, but I do not think this would be a good reason to make that decision about me.) I decided to do it, and am really glad I did! Not only did I get several entries and get to hear some beautiful love stories, I also got some input from some of the people who have helped The Cake Chick become successful and got to know them better. Overall, it was fun, and I’m considering having a cake contest every year!
If you’ve been keeping track of the contest, you know that Stephanie Rice and Chris Perin won the free dream wedding cake! The judges thought Stephanie and Chris should win hands down! Their love story is beautiful and touching, and I know you’ll agree with me.
9.5.2009
“My fiancé, Chris, and I met when we were in second grade. He was
definitely the cutest boy in the class, and I developed a huge crush on
him instantly. By the end of the year, we “liked” each other (you know,
in the dramatic elementary way). It was then that I first dreamed of
marrying Chris. That dream continued throughout my elementary and junior
high years, and by the middle of high school, we were very good
friends. We started dating our senior year of high school, and continued
even when we were at separate colleges. Chris asked me to marry him on November 8, 2008 – and my childhood dream will come true when I marry him on September 5, 2009 at Maranatha Baptist, the church/school where I first met him!”
I Emailed Stephanie about a time for her consultation and tasting, and her enthusiasm was contagious! (What I didn’t know about Stephanie and Chris was that they are paying for their wedding themselves and had decided that they weren’t going to have a cake at their reception. Being The Cake Chick, I believe that cake should be present at every occasion, so I am convinced that they are definitely the ones who should have won!) Stephanie’s sweet spirit and grateful heart came across in our Emails so, by the time July 11 rolled around, I was UBER excited to meet them!
Because they were unsure about what cake combos they wanted, I decided to help them out a bit and come up with a tasting menu that I thought they’d love! I prepared yellow cake with vanilla buttercream and raspberry filling (traditional and a popular fave!), chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream and chocolate ganache filling (for the chocoholic in all of us) and white cake with cream cheese buttercream and strawberry filling (my cheesecake cake).
As they told me their love story, it was cute to see how Stephanie blushed when she talked about falling in love with Chris. Chris was so kind and funny and I loved that he seemed like he just wants his beautiful bride to be happy. It was obvious that they are so in love and so glad to be able to start their life together. From start to finish, the tasting was a pleasure and I feel honored to be able to be a part of their special day.
Stay tuned for more about Stephanie and Chris!
And now. . . I have a question for you! I would like to include a special gift for Chris, Stephanie and their bridal party. A gourmet sweet treat just for them! What do you think I should make? Comment, and help me out!
Cakefully Yours,
Cosette
So. . . for those of you who aren’t up to speed, the deadline for the “Love is in the air” cake contest was last Saturday. The judges have deliberated and winners have been chosen! It’s not over yet, though – stage one is done and now the fun part begins! The winning couple win a customized consultation and cake tasting where I will help them conceptualize their FREE dream wedding cake! The runner-up will also receive a customized consultation and cake tasting as well as a $150 off coupon for their dream wedding cake! I’m uber excited to meet with the couples and help them design a cake for their special day! And I know that you’re waiting with breath that is baited BUT before I tell you who won, I have to give a shout-out to the people who made this possible.
First of all, I must thank the couples who entered the contest. Thank you so much! If you didn’t win, please don’t be discouraged. I will be having other cake contests and would love for you to enter those so that I have a chance to create something that is uniquely you. I appreciate you so much, and loved reading your love stories!
Next, I must must MUST thank Michael D. Nicholson, who owns MDNgraphics. Michael has been an extremely helpful and knowledgeable resource for me. He is very talented and fun to work with! MDNgraphics is a professional graphic design and marketing business that creates business solutions by creatively utilizing both design and technology. MDNgraphics provides services including brand management, print design, interactive media and web development. For all your needs in this area, please contact him!
I must also thank the judges who helped me judge the contest. I never could have done this without their help! The judges are fans on The Cake Chick’s Facebook page and I randomly selected them during the contest. Kimberly Knight is a full-time Realtor with Coldwell Banker King Thompson. She specializes in first-time home buyers, but has helped many clients on both the buying and selling side of real estate. If you have a real estate need in central Ohio, she is the gal to call! Newlyweds: Want to know all about how to take advantage of that $8000 tax credit? Call Kimberly today!!! 614-596-7809. www.KingThompson.com/Kimbe Dionna Jackson Hannah, Katie Ricker and Jennifer Moore also helped with the judging. For their invaluable assistance, the judges will receive freshly baked cupcakes!rly.Knight
OK, OK!!! I know! I’ve made you wait long enough! The couple who will win their DREAM wedding cake for FREE is . . . . (Drum roll, please) STEPHANIE and CHRIS!!!!!!
And. . . . the 1st runner up couple who won a $150 off coupon is. . . . BIZZY and MARK!!!!
Congratulations to the winners! I can’t wait to meet you and get to know you better!
Readers – Look for updates about the customized consultations and cake tastings!
Cakefully Yours,
Cosette
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How geeked was I when one of the coolest people at our church asked me to make her husband a 30th birthday cake?? I was excited but a bit nervous, too. I always try to capture the essence of a person in a cake and, because Nathan and Megan are uber-cool (creative, artsy, talented, fun), I wanted to make sure to do a good job for them.
After a bit of back-and-forth, Megan finally settled on a Mii. Being one of the only people on the planet without a Wii, I didn’t really know what a Mii was.
But no worries – Megan schooled me and even sent me some pics for a guide.
Getting started was fun! I baked the yellow cake, filled it with my homemade raspberry preserve filling and iced it with raspberry buttercream.
My favorite part of the caking process is the decorating. So I rolled out the fondant
and covered the cake with it.
After adding a chocolate fondant strip around the bottom, I added another aqua strip and started to think more about the design.
.
Although I had a pic of Nathan’s Mii, I didn’t really know how I was going to design the entire cake. Unlike some cake artists, I don’t always know the entire design before starting on the cake. I expect it to come to me at some point during the process. And that’s exactly what happened!
Next, I dyed and rolled out peach-colored fondant for Nathan’s face. I cut it into a circle, shaped it a bit and applied it to the cake.
Figuring that I needed to start at the bottom, I looked at the pic of Nathan’s Mii again. In fact, I put the laptop with the pic of his Mii on the island in my kitchen right by my workspace so that I could look at it again and again. I applied the goatee and went to work on the hair. And even though I didn’t think it would be, the hair was the most difficult part! I wanted to achieve the spiky look so I cut out the hair in two parts, applying the spiky part of the design after the other hair layer.
After applying the mouth, teeth, glasses, eyes and eyebrows, I piped on the nose with chocolate ganache.
Almost done! I was so pleased with how it looked! (No really, I was. So pleased that I started jumping up and down in my kitchen! Yes, I know – I’m a cake geek.)
Finally, what to do with the chocolate and blue fondant strips at the bottom?? I didn’t want to just leave them plain. Also, I wanted to incorporate all of the colors so I made circles of different sizes with the other colors of fondant and applied them in different patterns.
Lastly, I made his little black Mii shirt and put it on. I couldn’t believe it was finished – and uber cool (if I do say so myself). And I had the feeling I’d done him justice.
The moment I knew I’d actually done him justice with the likeness is when my 7-year old daughter came home from school. She saw the cake and pointedly asked why the cake looked like ‘the guy from our church with the baby who came over and played with [my] baking pans.’
BONUS! Mission accomplished. And the birthday boy and his wife loved it, too!
Cakefully Yours,
Cosette
So, there were many people who wrote me or made comments saying that they wished the cake contest would have been extended or held in a different month. So. . . you asked, and The Cake Chick listened. Due to popular demand, The “Love is in the air” dream wedding cake contest has been extended!
If your wedding is due to be held anywhere from July 11, 2009 to September 26, 2009, YOU are eligible to win a FREE gourmet wedding cake! Isn’t that fantastic??
So, here’s what you need to do. Check out my last blog post on WordPress OR Check out The Cake Chick’s note on Facebook for the rules of the previous contest. Other than the date of your wedding and the deadline for the contest, everything still applies. The winner will still receive a custom consultation with The Cake Chick. One runner-up will still receive a $150 discount off of a gourmet wedding cake. And – you still must be either a fan of The Cake Chick on Facebook or follow @gourmetcakechic on Twitter. And – you never know – maybe you should do both. It might increase your chances.
Next, when you Email your love story to thecakechickgourmet@yahoo.com, please make sure to let us know how many people are in your wedding party. The Cake Chick just might include a little sweet treat for them, too!
Lastly, make sure you Email me your love story by 5:00 p.m. on June 13, 2009. I will judge the entries along with some fans who have been pre-selected. Contest winners will be announced via Facebook, WordPress and Twitter on June 22, 2009.
And as always, you have questions? Ask The Cake Chick.
Attention Columbus area June Brides!
Do I have your attention??
How would you like to win the wedding cake of your dreams for FREE? Yup – you didn’t hallucinate. I said FREE!!
The Cake Chick is having a “Love is in the air” wedding cake contest, and you can win the wedding cake you’ve dreamed about for FREE!
And now, I bet you’re wondering what the rules are. They’re simple, and if you have a love story, you have a great chance of winning!
In order to qualify, there are a few rules that you should know. You must:
Join The Cake Chick Fan page on Facebook. In your Search engine, type The Cake Chick. Once the page comes up, it’s as simple as becoming a fan.
Or. . .
Follow The Cake Chick on Twitter. Search for @gourmetcakechic, follow, and you’re done!
Also, you must live in the Columbus metropolitan area.
Now, that wasn’t hard, was it?
Now, to enter the contest to win your FREE Dream wedding cake!
Email The Cake Chick your love story. In 150 words or less, please tell me how you and your fiancé (or fiancée) met, when/where you’re getting married and some aspect of your wedding day that will make it uniquely you. Emails must be received by Friday, May 8, 2009 by 5:00 p.m. No exceptions.
Contest entries will be judged and the winner will be announced via Facebook, Twitter and WordPress by Friday, May 15, 2009, by 5:00 p.m.
The 1st prize winner will meet with The Cake Chick for a customized cake consultation and tasting. The first runner-up will receive a coupon for $150 off of a cake customized by The Cake Chick.
And – just to let you know – delivery fees may apply. Questions? Message The Cake Chick on Facebook or Twitter OR Email questions to thecakechickgourmet@yahoo.com.
So, what are you doing now? You’re going to enter, right? And you’re going to tell all of the people you know who are getting married in June or who have friends who are, aren’t you? Who doesn’t want to win a FREE wedding cake??!!
So, what are you waiting for? You don’t have much time! Get going! The Cake Chick wants to hear your love story!
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