RWood

Birthday cakes for myself and a friend. Abstract buttercream for me (one white, one chocolate raspberry) and a mini sorting hat for my friend. Coconut cake with coconut buttercream.

Decorated Valentine cookies. Raspberry and chocolate doughs. Airbrushed with stencils.

Thanks! 😎

Even though I'm from Georgia, I only remember my grandfather ever saying "there's a pone of cornbread in the kitchen." We always just called it cornbread, and it was usually made with White Lily cornmeal mix. The way we like it is to bake it in a large 12" cast iron skillet so it's very thin. The skillet is heated until hot, with the fat melted in it, then that was poured in the batter right before it went in the oven. So, the batter would sizzle and help form the crispy crust we all like. Don't ever mention putting sugar in cornbread to my mother, she has a fit 😋. Living in California, all you find is puffy, sweet corncake. And frying spoonfuls in a skillet was just fried cornbread, made with regular batter. My aunt was visiting from Georgia, and she made it a couple of times, I had forgotten how much I liked it.

Today was my mom's cousin's husband's 🙃 birthday. He is 85. He's gone through some health issues lately, but is doing OK. I wanted to make a cake for him that represented some of the things in his life. So, while I had more things I could have done, I only had time for two things on the cake. He is retired from the Air Force, and has black belts in several martial arts. He was in the interment camps as a child, worked as an interpreter for the embassy, trained gymnasts for the Olympics, taught flying, sailing and got a PhD in kinesiology and taught body conditioning and judo until he retired. So, he's been through and done a lot. And of course he told me no, the knot on the Gi was not right 😋, as I knew. Thanks Jimmy 😊.

Thanks! I can't really draw either, but seem to be ok other ways. I had delusions of grandeur and wanted to do a full carved helmet, but lack of time and bring exhausted canned that idea 😋

This was a very fast stormtrooper cake. My friend asked me to make it for her nephew last minute. I went to Vegas this past week and she asked for it for today. So, the night before I left, I baked and froze the layers and ganache and said here's hoping I can. Got back Thursday night, got it mostly done Friday morning then drove to Sacramento to see Metallica. Got up, finished the lettering, and she left this morning headed home to Santa Cruz for his sleepover party. Whew! And a shot with the birthday boy!

A friend asked me to make her in-laws an anniversary cake for today. I said sure, but don't think I'll do that again when I was the one cooking for Thanksgiving 🙃. Ugh, too much. Carrot cake with buttercream flowers, it weighs a freakin' ton.

Thanks! I don't make this type thing much, and I'm still working on getting more dimension in my faces. But, these came out better than last time.

Some cookies I made for Kitty911's bake sale this weekend. They've helped us a lot with TNR on many ferals. And, with vet visits for our outdoor residents.

Thanks, I think they are too, I love the cutters.

Got a few Halloween cookies done. Fighting with air bubbles in the icing 😡.

Gold and rose gold Macarons for a friend’s daughters wedding today. Filled with vanilla bean buttercream.

The peanut butter pie I grew up with in North Georgia was a little different, but it’s still my favorite. There’s a restaurant in Chatsworth GA called Edna’s where it’s very popular. its just a baked pie crust, spread peanut butter on the crust, then filled with vanilla custard. They top it with meringue (I don’t like meringue, so I scrape it off) and sprinkle it with a mixture of peanut butter mixed with powdered sugar until it is crumbly. Then torch the meringue. I made it years ago, and subbed whipped cream for meringue.

I make my own if I want one. I use it as a experiment for something I’ve wanted to try or test out. Plus, I make everyone else’s as well. Since I do it for a living, I’m kinda doomed 😋.

One of my last cakes at work. Wedding party of 12. They had no clue what they wanted, just chocolate cake, fondant and spring looking with gum paste flowers.

Double barrel cakes are easier to serve if they have a cardboard layer between two cakes. The slices are normal size, not really long. I usually do two three layer cakes, use support straws in the bottom, place a cardboard round on top (cut it just a little smaller than the cake so it doesn't stick out) then add the next cake. You can put a dowel through the whole thing to keep it in place. Then, crumbcoat and chill to set.

Chef Rubber has a line of fruit powders now. They have 4 oz jars. You might check on Craftsy, I think they are cheaper there than directly from CR.

I'm not a fan of white chocolate, only eat it if it's added to something. I use Opalys a lot at work, but there it's only for additions to buttercream, ice cream or a white chocolate layer cake. I would use it more outside of work if not for the price. I prefer it over the Ivoire. I personally do like to use El Rey's Icoa, I used it quite a bit in the past for my molded chocolates and fillings. Was always easy to work with. I order it directly from them in Texas. It's best to order in the colder months from them, they will only ship overnight or 1 day in the summer. So, there's the added shipping cost. I know the flavor either has you loving it or hating it.

So, time for my birthday cake. I loved the Wonder Woman movie and decided to go with that this time. I didn't need a lot of cake, so the bottom and top tiers are dummies. Middle is marble cake. I never know what I'm gonna do untiI I start, and some ideas didn't make it, but I'm happy with it. I gotta learn to not wear myself out trying to get it all done after working all day. Took about three afternoons (after trying things that got scrapped.)

You kinda have to think of cheesecake as a custard. It's set with eggs, so it needs to be baked low and slow. And not overbaked, which I think some people have issues with since it may not look set and keep baking it. For Christmas, I made a goat cheese cheesecake, and I baked it at 350 for 15 mins, turned it down to 275 and baked about 45 mins more (this was a small 7"). It still had a soft jiggle in the middle. I left it in the oven with the door ajar until it cooled. Then ran a knife around the edge. The texture was perfect.

I don't usually make cookies for Christmas anymore, but my mother begs for decorated cookies. Just vanilla cut out cookie with royal icing. I generally don't have the patience to color lots of icing and wait on stages of drying, so not my favorite thing to make. So, I bought these Prettier Plaques by Julia Usher. Love them! Still takes a little while, but all I had to do was one color of icing for a base, then put color in my airbrush.

I would just cut a piece to fit the bottom of your pan. I never lined loaf pans at all, but a chef I worked with insisted on it (because his mama did it) and it did make a difference.

Look up Coca-Cola Cake. Being from the south, that was always a cake I remember growing up.

They all look really nice, Jim. I'm glad it worked better for you. But, seeing all that that you've gotten done just reminds me that is till haven't made anything for holidays