The Great American Cake Show & Wedding Competition

The weather is getting better...so why not go to a wonderful Cake Show!

The members of the Maryland Chapter of the International Cake Exploration Societé (ICES) will be be meeting us all at the Great American Cake Show and Wedding Cake Competition, which will be held at the Shipley Arena at the Carroll County Agriculture Center in Westminster, Maryland.

They will be having a wonderful wedding cake contest, which will be open to everyone. They will also have many exciting and fun demonstrations, live competitions, and classes throughout the weekend. They have also arranged for numerous prizes to be awarded.

It will be an awesome weekend! Don't miss out! I can't wait!

Check out their website for further information.

True Asian Cake Lovers!

The caption on this picture from girlpixieshoot on Flickr reads...

"during Easter Parade at SM Mall of Asia."

These are true Cake Lovers! I would love to go see this parade in person! I know in Asia there is always so much fun going on...I miss Japan...lol

Global Cupcake Experience

I heard it through the cupcake bake line ...aka... Cupcakes Take the Cake blog ...that there is an awesome event coming our way!!

Global Cupcake Experience hits Austin May 26-30

Melbourne, Australia's Sugadeaux Cupcakes and Austin, Texas's Sugar Mama's Bakeshop are teaming up for five days at the end of May for a very special event!

Sadly, I am not close enough to attend, but it sounds awesome! Maybe next time! If you need to get away and taste some great delights check it out! If you go let me know how it goes!

You can contact them at:

Sugar Mamas Bake Shop in Austin,TX at www.sugarmamasbakeshop.com/

Sugardeaux Cupcakes in Melbourne, Australia at www.sugardeaux.com.au/

Cupcakes Take The Cake at http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/

April 22...National Jelly Bean Day!!!

National Jelly Bean Day!!! Oh How much fun! This is a great day to let your creativity soar! Jelly bean cupcakes, cakes, drink and even contests!

Go to http://www.wheresmrjellybelly.com/index.tbapp for a chance to win $10,000 dollars!

Where is Mr. Jelly Belly....

"Try to keep up with him as he travels the world, gathering all the real ingredients used to make Jelly Belly jelly beans and you'll get a chance to win the $10,000 sweepstakes grand prize! Plus, play his Spin The Globes game and you could win one of thousands of great prizes instantly!"

Whats your favorite flavors? I melt when I have a cotton candy one or a pina colada!!! OHHH! Coffee flavor...mango...Oh my!

"Jelly beans are one of the oldest forms of candy we have. They date back to at least the mid-nineteenth century. Jelly bean historians believe the jelly bean centre originated from Turkish Delight, which comes from the Middle East. The gummy centre is made from sugar, corn syrup and other ingredients to give them their fruity taste. Machines spray the insides with coloured sugar to give the beans their hard shells. Jelly beans today come in all kinds of different flavours, including spicy. You can even put different ones in your mouth to create new flavours. They are even popular with American presidents. Ronald Reagan supposedly kept a jar on his desk in the White House."

Come and try this awesome recipe for Birthday Bark from Jelly Belly.com!

Birthday Bark

Ingredients:• 1 bag (12 oz.) white chocolate chips • ¾ C. (6 oz.) Jelly Belly jelly beans, in party colors or assorted fruit flavors

Instructions:

1. Pour white chocolate chips in a 2-cup glass measuring cup and microwave 2 to 4 minutes until barely melted, being careful not to overcook (chips may not look melted; stir before microwaving again). Or, melt chocolate on top of a double boiler. Stir to be sure all the chips are completely melted.

2. On wax paper, pour out chocolate into a 2-inch puddle, spreading to about ¼ inch thickness.

3. While still hot, sprinkle about 15 Jelly Belly jelly beans on each, and press beans lightly into the chocolate. Allow to cool completely.

Makes 8 pieces, about 16 to 20 servings.

Variations:Chocolate & Cherry Bark: Use milk chocolate chips and Very Cherry flavor of Jelly Belly jelly beans. Peanut Butter Bark: Use peanut butter chips and Grape Jelly, Top Banana or Blueberry flavors of Jelly Belly jelly beans. Or, try a combination of fruit flavors of jelly beans.

copyright-www.jellybelly.com

Happy Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day!!!

Yes! Could you believe it ! Today is the celebration of that wonderful cake grandmothers all over the world love to bake! The famous Pineapple Upside Down Cake!

The term 'upside down cake' wasn't used very much before the middle of the 19th century, but the style of baking probably dates back much further, probably to the time of King Arthur and his round table. My favorite era!

The early recipes for fruit upside down cakes were made in cast iron skillets on top of the stove.

The legend started with the popularity of the cake during sometime after 1903, when Jim Dole invented canned pineapple. The Hawaiian Pineapple Co. (now Dole Pineapple) held a pineapple recipe contest in 1925, with judges from Fannie Farmer's School, Good Housekeeping and McCall's magazine on the judging panel.

The 100 winning recipes would be published in a cookbook the following year. Over 60,000 recipes were sent in, and 2,500 of them were for Pineapple Upside Down Cake. So it is obvious that between 1903 when canned pineapple was first available, and 1925 when the contest was held, Pineapple Upside Down Cake had become a very popular item.

The Hawaiian Pineapple Company ran an ad campaign in 1926 based on the fact that so many recipes for the cake had been submitted, naturally making the Pineapple Upside Down Cake even more popular.

The first recorded recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake According to John Mariani's ( The Dictionary of American Food and Drink , Revised Edition, 1994), "The first mention in print of such a cake was in 1930, and was so listed in the 1936 Sears Roebuck catalog, but the cake is somewhat older."

So go ahead and flip your world around eat an upside down pineapple cake!

Check out the recipe at http://miscakes.webs.com/

The date: November 1925." --- American Century Cookbook: The Most Popular Recipes of the 20th Century , Jean Anderson (p. 432)

copyright: FoodReference.com

picture-copyright: whatscookingamerica.net

NEWS... Cakes,Competitions and TV,Oh My!

If you are like me you are addicted to all the cool new shows like Food Network's challenges and WE's Amazing Wedding Cakes and who can forget Ace of Cakes!!!

Well American Cake Decorating ( http://www.americancakedecorating.com/) has just put out this awesome article with so many new upcoming shows! I can't wait ! So set your DVRs or TIVOs to make sure you don't miss any!

Article: American Cake Decorating/Slice

"Coming Soon to the Small Screen
Buddy Valastro on TLC."

"The entertainment side of cake decorating has steadily built momentum since it’s advent on Food Network Challenge. “Ace of Cakes” brought it to critical mass, making cake-decorating an activity that people talked about over water coolers and in waiting rooms."

"In the coming weeks, several new television shows will either air or begin production. Food Network, TLC, and We TV have all developed concepts that they hope will captivate the ever-growing audience for cake decorating. Here is a synopsis of the different projects that are on the horizon:

Food Network starts it all off with a super-sized challenge mini-series. For the first time, a small group of contestants will be run through the ringer of an elimination series. In “Food Network Challenge: Last Cake Standing,” six cake-decorators compete for a $50,000 grand prize.
Follow FNC all-stars Michelle Bommarito( she is very talented), Courtney Clark, Mary Maher( love her from http://www.cakegirls.com/), James Rosselle, Elisa Strauss( she is awesome from http://www.confetticakes.com/) , and Bronwen Weber( She is fierce...lol) through seven days of nearly continuous competition.

Four episodes, airing April 5, 12, 19, and 26, 2009, (8pm ET/PT) lead to the sole survivor.

“Viewers will be amazed, not just at the brilliant creations, but at the fierceness of the competition,” Said Bob Tuschman, senior vice president of programming and production. “Who knew cake decorating was an extreme sport?”

TLC- Set in an traditional Italian bakery in Hoboken, N.J., TLC’s “Cake Boss” airs its pilot episode on April 19, 2009, with a series launch scheduled for June. Capitalizing on a style often referred to as “Docu-Soap” the show chronicles owner Buddy Valastro’s cake creations, as well as life with the rest of his team—his mother, four older sisters, and three brothers-in-law. With Buddy’s larger-than-life personality and his cast of supporting characters, entertainment and drama are sure to follow.

WE TV- The first-ever WE TV Wedding Cake Competition will be hosted by the Great American Cake Show in Westminster, Md., May 2 and 3. The competition will feature 20 cake decorators creating their masterpieces on site for the network’s cameras. Potential competitors must submit applications to the network before April 12, including photos of yourself and your work.

For rules and applications visit www.greatamericancakeshow.com or email your name and phone number to cakeslive@gmail.com.

According to the network, “It doesn't matter if you are an amateur or a professional. To enter this competition, you just need two things: the passion for making stunning wedding cakes and the desire to be crowned WE TV’s Best Wedding Cake Maker.”

© 2009 Grace McNamara Inc., American Cake Decorating, and Mailbox News. All rights reserved.

C...Confetti Cakes

Talk about talent...Elisa Strauss is a very talented cake designer. (What can I say talented people are from New York...lol) I own one of her books, the first one, Confetti Cakes. I love it. It is not baking technical jargon, its fun chic baking.

It is easy to follow and has a lot of fun sculptured cakes. Its a must have for all baking gurus,chic bakers or cake divas. This unique book contains projects for every skill level, from gorgeous, sugar-dusted heart cookies to delightful billiard-ball cupcakes, to sculpted cakes in the shape of wine bottles. It also has Chinese takeout boxes, sushi plates, and even the extravagantly beautiful, three-tiered embroidery cake showcased on Sex and the City. It also has fun baseball cap cakes and popcorn mini cakes...how much fun!

Confetti Cakes is a must-have for the outrageously chic baker in all of us. I am headed to get her next book and I think she is looking into DVDs. That would be fun! I am looking forward to taking one of her classes when I go to New York again. That would be awesome.

My favorite cake in this book is the Sugar Stiletto and Shoebox. It looks so much fun to make! check it out!

Copyright 2007,Confetti Cakes Ltd.Pic is copyright of uppercrustcakes.com

B... is for the all about me... Bride

Okay, So now a days we have metro sexual guys who love the all about me life and then here we are with the Brides...lol I saw this picture on Bridezillas. Now you tell me I am all about a beautiful wedding cake and a cake the resembles you or your partnership...but this one is a little crazy!

Sometimes in this field you have to cater to the client and who knows maybe I would have fun making this cake for someone. My spoon out to you girlfriend! I guess we all get a little crazy with all the details for a wedding...maybe some of us more than others.