Joyce Gourmet

I received a request from a sweet lady who wanted to gift a birthday cake to her cousin.  She was driving all the way up from Hampton, VA, a 160 mile drive, to celebrate her cousin's 21st birthday. Her cousin loves zebra print and lavender, so I was to create a zebra patterned vanilla & strawberry flavor cake (zebra pattern cake means that when you cut into the cake you would see the zebra striped pattern…I would cut the cake to show you, but I didn't want to ruin Kathryn's cake!), covered in zebra pattern fondant to resemble a gift box, & tied with a lavender ribbon.  10 black, white, and lavender shooting stars would shoot out of the cake.  A fondant "name tag"was to read "Kathryn" with piped Happy 21st Birthday on the cake board.  I was informed that Kathryn was studying culinary at Stratford University, so I was very honored to create her birthday cake -- hope she liked it as much as I enjoyed making it! :-) Happy 21st Birthday, Kathr

I received a request to make a Triple Layer Bourbon Buckeye Birthday Cake for a boyfriend who loves Buckeyes.  What is a buckeye, you ask? That's what I thought too, when I first received the call.  Buckeyes are a nut of the Buckeye tree, well known in Ohio, where Brutus Buckeye is Ohio State University's mascot. Kevin, who was turning 29, loves Buckeyes.  So the design was to create a triple layered Bourbon chocolate cake with layers of peanut butter buttercream frosting, topped with chocolate buttercream, drizzled with Bourbon ganache, finally decorated with 29 Buckeyes scattered on top and around the cake.  And the message, "Happy Birthday, Kevin" was to be written on a dark green plaque, placed on top of the cake. Happy Birthday, Kevin!  

I received a request to create a birthday cake for a wife who is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta , a sorority founded at Howard University with over a hundred years of history.  He wanted the cake colors to be red & white, the colors of the sorority.  His design was to have the Delta Sigma Theta elephant with its truck held high on the top of a red cake, with hearts to go around the sides.  I thought this was so cute since her birthday was right after Valentine's and it also shows his love for her. Cake: Vanilla Butter Cake Frosting: Vanilla Buttercream Cake Toppers: Red & White Delta Sigma Theta Elephant & Hearts made of fondant Happy Birthday Connie!

  I was honored to teach a cake decorating class to support our military spouses and their families at the USO Wounded Warrior & Family Center.  The class was originally scheduled before Valentine's, but due to the snow storm, the class was rescheduled a week later. As this was the first cake decorating class that I was teaching, and perhaps the first for the attendees, I thought we should start at the basics.  I taught how to make buttercream the right consistency for piping, how to use a coupler, attach tips to couplers, then fill piping bags.  I also taught how to make rose swirls and flower petals.  My students also practiced piping letters onto parchment paper.  They took turns piping rose swirls onto the ombre cake, starting with the darkest color at the bottom of the cake and gradually piping lightest colors at the top. Though the rose swirls were not perfectly shaped nor equal sizes, I gave everyone 110% for effort and believe my students did a terrific job at m