03 Dec
Birthday Cakes
Posted by Chelle as Cakes | 12 Comments
During the month of November I had two orders for birthday cakes:
This first one was for a surprise 50th birthday party. The customer requested a zebra-style cake with a pink bow on top. The cake was chocolate with a peanut butter filling and chocolate buttercream icing. They were thrilled with both the look of the cake and how it tasted!
(Again, bad lighting and excuse the wax paper in the bow - that’s to hold them open and in place while the fondant dries and until I deliver.)
This next cake was for my cousin’s 40th birthday party. His party invitations were blue and silver with what looked like transparent bubbles, so I tried to stay with that theme and this is where it led me. The bottom cake was a yellow cake with raspberry filling and vanilla buttercream; the top cake was chocolate with peanut butter filling and chocolate buttercream. I’m happy to report that everyone at the party raved about the cake!
03 Dec
I’m in Business!
Posted by Chelle as Cakes | 16 Comments
First an apology for my month-long hiatus here at Brown Eyed Baker - hopefully you’re all still around and excited to read my updates 
Back at the beginning of November I officially launched my baking business:
Buona Dolce is Italian for the phrase “Good Sweets”. As many of you my who read my blog frequently know, I have strong ties to my Italian heritage and so in thinking of a name for my business, I really wanted my background to come through.
Keep reading for more information on the business and a lot of pictures of the orders I’ve filled this month!
28 Oct
Buttermilk-Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake
Posted by Chelle as Cakes | 18 Comments
I have had this crumb cake bookmarked for quite some time; as soon as I saw it sitting in my Google Reader it drew me in. I have developed a great preference for cakes, quick breads, and muffins/scones that use buttermilk - it definitely seems to bring out all of the other flavors and provides a richness that most other ingredients can’t accomplish.
I was trying to pinpoint the smell and flavor for the longest time and couldn’t figure out, and then I realized that it tastes like a donut! I’m not sure what contributes to that flavoring, but it definitely takes on the smell and taste of a donut. It goes without saying then that this is a fabulous cake and the crumb topping makes it absolutely delectable.
16 Aug
Zebra Cake
Posted by Chelle as Cakes | 11 Comments
Annie and I were back in the kitchen together this week, and she chose an amazing cake for us to bake up - a Zebra Cake! The special part of this yellow and chocolate cake is the way the batter is added to the pan, and thus makes a zebra pattern when it is cut into. The recipe for this cake didn’t include a frosting, but let’s be honest - the frosting makes the cake and I just couldn’t imagine eating a naked cake! I added Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate frosting to the cake, and a half recipe was perfect for the size of this cake. I thought that the flavor of the cake was just alright, but the technique is really very neat. I may try to play around with this using different cake recipes.
30 Jul
Strawberry Mirror Cake
Posted by Chelle as Cakes, Daring Bakers | 16 Comments
I joined the Daring Bakers in September 2007 with my inaugural recipe being Cinnamon Rolls & Sticky Buns, but prior to my joining, the group had already made 10 fabulous, daring recipes. It is my goal to eventually tackle all of them, as well as the few that I had some trouble making since I joined. When my friend Annie said that she was interested in making the Strawberry Mirror Cake that was chosen by Culinary Concoctions by Peabody in July 2007, I figured it was a great way to jump start my way to completing all of the ones I had missed. And true to Daring Baker form, this was certainly a challenge! But I stuck it out, and it was definitely worth it, both for the sense of accomplishment and flavor of this wonderful cake.
