I made a birthday cake for a friend of mine who wanted to give it to a friend who was celebrating her 70th birthday and loves the Bronco football team. I made a three layer cake and "glammed" it up a bit because it was for a lady. I love the way this cake turned out.
I made a round disc of thin gum paste. Thin enough to be able to see the outline of the Bronco Logo. Then I drew it on with food coloring slightly watered down with Vodka. The Vodka evaporates and leaves the logo looking great.
Two other techniques I tried on this cake that I haven't done before and that is
edible lace which I used as the blue border at the bottom and
butter cream roses made on marshmallows. Just click on the links for the tutorials. I found them very helpful!
The cake is Old Fashioned Butter Cake with chocolate ganache filling. The recipe is below.
Old Fashion Butter Cake
2 cups all purpose flour (measure after sifting)
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened (Use salted butter or add 1/2 tsp salt to recipe)
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs - room temperature
High Altitude Adjustment: add 2 tablespoons flour to the 2 cups of flour, cut sugar back to 1 cup, cut baking powder to 2 teaspoons, and add 2 tablespoons milk to the 1 cup milk. Follow the directions below.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) or 325 degrees (F) for high altitude.
Grease and flour two 8 inch by 2 inch cake pans and set aside. (I use parchment paper cut the size of the bottom of the pan to help the cake not stick and come out easier. First spray the cake pan, lay in the parchment, spray again and then flour. For the right cut of parchment just set the pan on the parchment paper and draw around the base. Cut it out and it fits perfect.)
In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. (Yes, this makes the second time you sifted the flour. I sift the flour before measuring and again when combining the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.)
Add butter, milk, and vanilla. With a hand or stand mixer, beat for 2 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add the eggs one at a time until just blended, then beat for 2 minutes more.
Divide batter equally between the two pans. Spread with spatula and then lightly tap the pans on the counter to let up any air bubbles. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (40 to 50 minutes for high altitude). If you put a tooth pick or knife in the center it should come out clean. I use a knitting needle.
I use cake boards that I buy at Walmart to fit the size of my cakes. As soon as I take them out of the oven I carefully run a knife around the edges. Then I place my cake board over the top and turn out the cake gently banging it on the counter. I know that sounds rough, but it works. I do this hot because all of the moisture hasn't escaped yet during the cooling process. Then I cover it loosely with commercial grade or heavy plastic wrap. If you cover it too tightly the heat will cause it to pull in the edges of the cake. Let it cool that way and than put a second layer of plastic wrap around it and put it in the freezer for a few hours or until you need it. Using this method keeps the cake moist and it is easier to frost when it is cold. (You can frost it as soon as it cools too.....you don't have to wait if you're craving dessert!)
Chocolate Frosting
1 stick butter (1/2 cup) melted
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
1/2 cup half and half
1 teaspoon good vanilla
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed to spreading consistency. Add more half and half if needed. Stir in vanilla. Makes about 2 cups.
I let the beater really work on it for at least five minutes. Makes it really glossy and spreads well.
I made sure to taste! I didn't want to taste too much so that I would get sick of the candy. As each batch was done I labeled them on a cookie sheet. Then I glued nuts, coffee means, and painted edible dust to indicate what each one was. The mint ones I swirled a mint green in the mold and then put the chocolate candy coating in and the affect was stunning.
I made the flowers out of gum paste and painted them with petal dust. I glued stamens and pollen pods in the center to make them look more real.
The tiers of cake were made of decadent chocolate cake with chocolate ganache in the center. One layer had raspberry filling. I used chocolate ganache and chocolate butter cream frosting to crumb coat the cakes. Yes, the box on top is chocolate cake with coffee/mocha chocolate ganache filling. 
My dear friend, Winema, had her 40th birthday last week. It was a wonderful party with lots of family and friends. Her mother gave me a call several months ago and got on my calendar to make an elegant cake with chocolate throughout. She said I could do whatever I wanted so I chose a Topsy Turvy cake in black and white. I had the chance to practice on a single tier cake which I put in a previous post. This cake, however, was more of a challenge. I used fondant from Walmart. Usually I don't have problems but it kept tearing when I tried to put it on. I really got frustrated. I used the molds to help me cover some of the defects and it turned out pretty well. 
They loved the cake, so with all the grief it gave me it was a success.
Three of my grandchildren have their birthdays in the first week of March. This is the year for all the new Star Wars stuff coming out. I tried to avoid making one of these cakes but in the end I relented. I chose to do an Ewok tree. As usual the grand-kids loved it! 
What I really like is that Wilton has put out some cool party cake decorations that worked perfectly for the bottom layer. I put enough on because I knew all her students would want some. I used coconut flakes for snow.
