graduation!

Last week my cousin, Janiece, graduated from high school!

Whoo-hoo!!

I made cakes! This winter I took a cake decorating class [which I will tell you about ASAP] and I attempted to put my new Wilton Decorating Basics Level 1 skills to test.

I told everyone the whole time I was working on these babies that I was a graduate of Wilton Decorating Basics. It's true. I am. For each cake I used my jelly roll pan, so I baked the cake and then cut it in half to make my rectangular cakes. Number one thing I learned: CORNERS ARE HARD!

Boom.

First, red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. I love all things cream cheese. Yes, I do. The words, stamped in food coloring by my mother, are descriptors Janiece's family gave me. All of them except "doer." Someone did say "mover & shaker" so that's kind of the same thing and we needed a short word so we could have something over on the left side of the cake. [This is me justifying in case that wasn't clear...]

Yum.

This is a vanilla buttermilk cake with a layer of whipped ganache [heated cream plus chocolate, stir, cool to room temperature, then whip until the color changes] and heath bar bits in the middle. The frosting is a white buttercream. The images are edible printed at our local bakery supply store, Country Kitchen [also where I got transportation boxes and the cardboard bases].

Last but not least, the gluten-free cake. It's a box mix [I have no shame about this since it is gluten-free] and it's topped with salted caramel buttercream. Run to your kitchen and make this buttercream now. Hello, lover. Unless you're on a diet or something then don't go near this because you will not be able to control yourself. Freals. The cake itself? Well it tasted good, but when I baked it in the large pan it came out about...1/4 inch thick. Soooo, I had to be resourceful and I made a 4-layer cake. Needless to say, it was mostly frosting. The pretzels on the side are GF, but they were a tragic mistake that became soggy. No bueno.

Happy graduation, Janiece!

[We took some senior pictures in the winter and some in the spring--snow and flowers! And, yes, I think it's ridiculous that I'm talking about baking cakes and taking pictures all at the same time. I HAVE TOO MANY INTERESTS!]
[eh. Maybe not.]