Throughout the year I post several pictures of the cakes I make for the kids' birthdays, and throughout the year many of you lament that you wish you could decorate cakes just as well. The truth is: you can! Decorating cakes (at least the ones I do) takes a bit of skill, but it's mainly about having a steady hand and an almost infinite amount of patience. While I prefer designing
my own cakes, more often than not I end up using a
Wilton cake pan. You can rent them from our local bulk food stores, or sign them out of the library. These pans are really made for the home baker, so decorating them is pretty easy (and you can download .pdf instructions from the link above). Basically, you just need the time to do hundreds of little icing stars, usually with the #16 tip. Above is the cake that Son #1 made me for my birthday yesterday.
So, what about recipes for cake? And icing? Although it's not perfect (a little too dense, I think) I have had the best results using Isa's cupcake recipe (
chocolate or
vanilla). I have also used
this recipe, but find the end result to be rather tough and chewy. Also, the measurements are annoying when doubling or tripling (or I just hate math). A double to triple batch will work in the shaped pans, and 40-50 mins baking time. Just make sure to follow the instructions re: preparing the pan.
On to the icing. I use
buttercream frosting which is made exactly the same way as its non-vegan counterpart with the exception of subbing margarine (Earth Balance) for butter. I usually use half the liquid and make a stiffer icing that will keep its shape even in the hot days of summer. I colour the icing with
Wilton Icing Colours. The company assures me that their "icing colors are plant based and vegan." I like the gels because they are concentrated (a little goes a long way) and they don't thin down your icing. Here is the Hello Kitty cake I made for Vegan Daughter's birthday.
For birthday dinner I signed
The Conscious Cook out of the library and made the Summer Chopped Salad
and Pine Nut and Basil Seared "Chicken" with Lobster Mushroom Beurre Blanc, Braised Kale and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes.
I loved the salad, especially the peppery bite of the arugula with the creaminess of the avocado. I usually don't eat a slab of veggie meat like this (you could just as easily use tofu), but the recipe looked really good. I think I pulsed the pine nuts too much for the breading, and my sauce broke (as you can see) but overall everyone loved the dish. The sauce together with the kale and potato was delightful.
