Art- My Passion. My love. My life.

Growing up I was always interested in art.  Art class was my favorite time of the day.  Getting into high school I realized a had a little bit of talent.... Just enough talent to think "Hey I should be an art teacher someday." So after I graduated I went off to college with the dreams of studying art and one day teaching it.
One year later I got married. Ended up moving back to Iowa and going to DMACC for a few semesters before becoming a mommy!  Insert putting my life on hold here   ___________________________________________________
One day while I was thinking of jobs I could do from home I thought hey I could take photos and my friend could make cakes and together we could rule the wedding scene. I began taking classes to become more familiar with the camera and she wanted to take classes to decorate cakes.  I thought "why not learn with her then if she needs help I'll be able to step in." I loved it!

Going on 7 years ago I started my first Michaels Wilton class and took 3 classes from them before I ended up teaching for them.  I taught the first and second class for them for about 6 months.  It was fun but I moved to a new house farther away so I quit the Michaels gig.  I wanted to focus on my photography again and didn't advertise the cakes anymore.  At one point I knew I had to choose though and I thought to myself... "Man Michelle it's a LOT of work to go to a wedding take photos all day long and then go home and edit them for a week." Where as yes you have prep for wedding cakes but you get to do that all at home with your radio on.  You take the cake set it up and you get to go home you are done for the night! It's amazing really!

I chose cakes!
I promised myself last year I would learn 1 major new thing a month for a year.  Which I totally blew out of the water.  At the beginning of this year I have already started that promise again.  I have watched countless informational videos and have tried 3 new techniques.  I will be trying out hand painting cakes soon and have already busted into the modeling chocolate world more. Learning what I did wrong when actually making the chocolate to begin with...(That helped a LOT!) 

Going to school 10 years ago to become an art teacher may be a thing of the past but I didn't go too far off the road.  I know I didn't finish college but I KNOW this is where God has planted me and I'm thrilled to see where he takes me in the next few years.

Goals:
1.)When I get my youngest (now 2 in 2013) into school open a shop.
2.)Step out of my box - get uncomfortable - make new designs I wouldn't have imagined before.
3.)Bring HOME as much money as my hard working husband.  (Which as I've said before means I actually make at least x3 as much for taxes, supplies, rent, employees.)
4.)Have at least 3 full time employees.
I'm sure there are more goals but I'll leave you with a few photos of new techniques I've learned!

 This cake I learned how to make and use one continuous line of fondant with an extrude that would normally be used with clay.  Makes for a VERY nice effect on cakes! Very happy about that blog find!   

 This cake I put fondant on wax paper and then attached it onto my cake -that way I didn't stretch my design.  VERY handy trick!

30 years young time to play TF2

Happy 30th birthday to my husband Josh.  He works 60+ hours a week for our family so I wanted to make him a special cake this year.  He is really big into gaming so I asked him what kind of cake he might like.  If you look up the two games he plays the most there really aren't many cakes to get ideas from so this is an original cake!  We decided he needed a Crate from Team Fortress 2. 
I made this cake by first putting a strip of black fondant around the middle of the cake and then adding the brown boards. ... Looking back I would have just covered the cake in black and then added the boards.  It was far to hard to add the boards and A)keep them stuck to the side of the already dry buttercream and B) keep the buttercream from showing through the boards.
Once I had all the boards on I painted on the darker accents to make them look more like wood.  I also painted the "Mann Co" sign and "Happy Birthday Joshua" onto the cake.  I added the chain and lock and it was complete.  Pretty simple cake that Josh just loved!  

Making Cake Pops

Making cake pops simple as 1 2 3...

 

Make a regular cake. Do NOT do anything to make it super moist such as adding extra liquids/ apple sauce/ mayo/ or puddings!  (If you do this your pops will fall apart from too much moisture and you run the risk of them tasting mushy.) Once you pull your cake out of the oven and it cools completely cut it up and put it in your mixer by pieces. Start mixing.

Add 1 spoon full of frosting at a time.  (I use my homemade butter cream.) You will use about 2 good size spoons full of frosting to your mixture but you will want to watch to make sure you aren't adding too much.  Mix until the batter pulls to the center of the mixer/ away from the edges of the bowl.  It is important to not add too much frosting because you can make the mixture taste nasty very quickly!!!  Once you have the right consistency use a cookie scoop to make pops that all have the same amount of cake.

 

Roll your batter into a ball or a desired shape.  (You can push the batter into a cookie cutter for any shapes!)

  Carefully heat up your chocolate.  I like to use almond bark because A)it's not too runny B)it dries quickly C) can be added to the candy melts and make about any color under the sun easily.  Once you have your chocolate melted dip a stick into it and then push it into your pop.  Do not push it over half way into the pop or you run the risk of the stick going right through the entire thing during the drying process.

Place the pops in either the freezer or fridge until the pops are chilled. Then you can dip the pops into the chocolate.  GENTLY tap the pop on the side of the bowl getting what you can of the dripping chocolate off.

At this point you can place your pop in a piece of floral foam or anything that will hold it up right while it dries.  You can either sprinkle jimmies or sprinkles at this point or wait until they are dry and put designs on them.   If you are going to sprinkle on them make sure you only dip 2 or 3 at a time and not let them dry... it's helpful to have someone sprinkle them for you while you dip them.  (Very nice time savor!)

And that is how you make a cake pop!! If you have any questions feel free to message me!
Until next time happy baking! -Michelle 
www.sweettoeatcakes.com

Getting your perfect cake out of the pan

Ever wonder how to get your cake out of the pan without having it come out in chunks or using a spring form pan?  Follow these super simple steps and you'll have a perfect cake every time!

What you will need:
1-2 pans
Crisco
Flour
Wax paper.


Flip your pan over and place the wax paper on the bottom.  Cut paper so it fits into the bottom of your pan.  Set aside.
Grease the side and corners of your pan.  (I have used pam before and it does not work nearly as well as Crisco.)  When greased well put a little flour in the pan and coat where you placed the Crisco.
Place the cut out wax paper in the bottom of the pan.
Walla- you are ready to make your batter and put it in your pan!

I suggest filling it just about 3/4ths of the way so that when it rises it makes a dome over the top of your pan.  (Don't put too much in though or it will spill out of your pan making a mess in your oven... trust me you do not want to clean that up!) Once baked let cool.  Take a large knife and using the pan as a guide cut the dome off. Using a butter knife (so you don't cut your cake) between the cake and the pan gently go around the pan.

Put a little frosting on your cake board then place your board on top of your pan.  Flip your cake board and pan over together then remove the pan.
At this point you can pull the wax paper off of your cake.
Add a layer of frosting to your first layer (if only doing one layer do a *crumb coat)
After you have a layer of frosting cut the dome off your second cake, release the sides with a butter knife and put your hand on the cake and flip it over and out of the pan.  Once out of the pan take the edges and hold it above the cake already on your board and center it.  Place the cake layers on top of each other.  Then *crumb coat your cake.  

*A crumb coat is a light layer of frosting just to keep all the crumbs from coming off while putting your final layer of frosting on.  This does not have to look perfect its just a seal for  your crumbs.

Next time I will show you how to crumb coat and frost your cake! Stay tuned!

Homemade buttercream frosting

What you will need for a dbl batch:
1 bag of powdered sugar
2 tbls Meringue Powder
2 pinches of salt
1/2 tsp Vanilla, Butter, and Almond flavoring (or mix and match flavors you like)
1/2 cup water
2 cups Crisco

Lightly mix together 1/2 of your water with your Crisco, flavorings, salt, and meringue powder.  While still mixing slowly add 1/2 of the bag of powdered sugar.  The frosting will start to becoming thicker and at this point you will want to add the rest of your water.  Keep your mixer going and add the rest of the powdered sugar.  Make SURE your mixer is on low until it is all in the bowl.  Once you have it started and to a point where it wont make your house a dust storm you can turn the mixer up a little and blend until the frosting is completely mixed together. 

Side note: 1/2 a cup of water will give you the perfect consistency for frosting cakes.  If you desire to have it a little runnier when piping, you can add more water.  Be very careful not to add too much water because once you add to much you can't undo it. 

Keep frosting in an air tight container. Store at room temperature.

 

Out of my home

I feel that being out of my home is holding me back.  If I had a shop where everyday customers could come in and buy last minute cupcakes or cakepops my business would take off through the roof!
Would doing this be a HUGE leap of faith? Of course!
Am I scared? You bet.
I have been told "you need to have a certain amount coming in before you can get a place." BUT What is that magic number? What do I need to be bringing in for this to work? I have NOTA clue. How do I get more business if I'm only going to Bridal Shows?  Yet again nota clue!
I know I want to be the Cake Boss or Georgetown Cupcakes of Iowa!  I need a business planner to help me get there! 

Why do birthday cakes cost so much?

I know people are able to make their own cakes, they are even able to go to Hy-Vee / Target and get a cake for $20 or less.  So spending $80-100 on a birthday cake seems outrageous.  "Why would she charge that much for a cake?" 
Well I want to give you my why!
I charge brides not for butter cream or fondant (since I charge the same price) but for my time.  I spend countless hours baking and decorating their costume cake.    Something they can't or don't want to do on their big day! (And rightly so it is a major project they shouldn't need to worry about on a day of such importance!) 
Birthdays are basically the same thing.  It is a day when mom is very busy making sure all the other details are perfect.  I still spend at least the same amount of time making birthday cakes as I would a wedding cake and now that I make my own toppers I would say I spend even more time.  The Mario Brothers toppers I made I spend 4-5 days in 4 hours sessions to make it all.  Nemo has been about the same and I'm not even done yet.  (I will post a few photos of some more toppers and show you what I am talking about.) My cakes are not something you can run to the store an hour before your party and pick out of the case.  They are carefully executed and thought out cakes custom made for your event! 
Are my cakes a necessity when the economy is bad? No.  Is my cake worth the money though?  I would like to say yes- every penny! Do I have hurt feelings if you email me about a cake and then decide my cake isn't in your budget?  NO!!!  I know my kids wouldn't get cakes like this if I wasn't the one making them!

Bridal show learning curve

I went to the "Everything Bridal Show" at Hy-Vee conference center yesterday.  It was so fun to see all the brides and be interactive with new clients.  I think that is my favorite part of these shows... meeting with the people!  I love speaking with them and just smiling all day long! My cheeks hurt by the end of the day I was laughing so much!

I did learn a few new things. 
1) I need to answer questions in a more direct answer.  Josh says they don't want to hear back stories... just an answer to the question they asked.  (This will be hard for me since I'm rather social!)  One example would be:  "How long have you been making cakes?"   I would say "I have been promoting for 1.5 years but making cakes for almost 7 years."  Josh has informed me I need to just say "7 years" and be done with it.

2) I will never go to a show without my cupcake tree again. The wow factor of my tree is amazing!  I didn't take it this time because every other show I go to people assume I only do cupcakes and I wanted to see if I could avoid that this time.  I did avoid that but at the expense of not having my "wow" factor.  Just not worth it! I am tossing around the idea of making it a tad smaller and putting a spinner on the bottom then just setting the big stand on the table.  The tree is SO big and takes up more space then I normally have... so to avoid taking up too much space I would use the table space that is provided.  We shall see how this works in April.
3)Raspberry in French Vanilla and Chocolate caramel in chocolate cake is the best cakes I've EVER made. Even with my love affair with Butter Pecan!   Fillings make a world of difference!
4)I will be putting a fondant heart on all cupcakes in the future!  It is another added touch that other cake places dont usually offer at shows!
5)I LOVE hearing "you had the best cake of the whole show"... makes my heart sing!
(I'm sure if you read that it sounds like I'm bragging but I truly am honored to hear stuff like that!  Makes what I do worth it!)
One bride yesterday said "I only had your toothpick from your cupcake at the last show and I lost it. I have been looking for you for six months, I'm SO glad I found you today!"
Here's what my booth looked like this time... be on the look out for my next show!
Thanks to all my loyal customers and new fans!

Newest Adventure

I make my own clay toppers now!
I was getting a bunch of slack about my fondant toppers that I was just throwing away ... because what does one do with a sugar shoe/ skate??
SO I decided I would start making toppers made out of FIMO and Sculpey clay.  (That has to be fired to harden.) Then your kids can play with them after you have eaten the cake!

I have also decided since I am out of a lot of peoples comfort range for a full cake that I would start making and selling just the toppers.  That way people can buy a cake somewhere else and put an awesome topper on it.  I have seen this done by a lady that lives down in Texas so why not get in on the action??

If you want a topper made by "Sweet To Eat Cakes" let me know and I will get you a price quote asap!

Enjoy one of my creations!
Michelle