Cake decorating

I have a confession...I love making food that people enjoy eating. Right after my daughter was born I realized I needed a night out away from the kids. I decided to take a Wilton cake class at Michaels. I have gone through course one, two, and three. I need to get back into it and complete course four, but the summer is super busy (I'm sure you can relate).

I have started making cakes for family and friends. Some have come out better than others, but I learn from each one. One of my secrets it to use boxed cake mix. Personally I like the taste of boxed mix better than most bakery cakes. Bakery cakes tend to be drier and that's just gross. The frosting recipe that Wilton has you use in the classes contains meringue powder, this is because it allows the frosting to crust over better. However the Wilton buttercream recipe on their website that calls for 1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening is AMAZING! It's the only thing I use. My daughter also has a egg allergy so this frosting is the only one she can eat.

Buttercream taste amazing but fondant I find much easier. You can create flowers way ahead of time and store them for weeks. I know many people avoid fondant covered cakes because fondant and gum paste are not the tastiest of things, but my theory is if you put a thick layer of buttercream under the fondant then you can just peel off the fondant and eat the rest.

 Royal icing is also helpful when preparing a cake ahead of time. I love that you can make a large amount of flowers and just store them. They do harden (they could break your teeth), but they look amazing and taste much better then fondant. The great thing about fondant, gumpaste, and royal icing is that you can play with the placement of the flowers. With buttercream you really have to commit to whatever you have in mind.