cheesecakes

These I made for a friend's birthday party. The decoration on top is spun sugar. It looks really elegant - like stained glass - but isn't hard to make at all. It is a little tricky to get it into the shape you want, but once you get the hang of it not hard to do. It is a little messy to clean up though! I will make these again soon.

petit fours

These are petit fours I made for a party. They took 2 days with my 2 year old daughter "helping". I need to work on my photography skills because they really looked better than this photo shows. They also tasted really good. The almond paste made them very moist. I think when I make these again, I will get a better quality white chocolate. I used nestles white chocolate chips and they did not melt easily. I think they would make great Easter Egg shapes and look really nice for an Easter party.

yes - it's supposed to be off center!

This is the birthday cake I made for myself last year. It was my first attempt at something odd and fun. It was also my first attempt at using fondant icing. I think, if I were to try this one again, I would cover the entire cake with fondant to make it more smooth. I would like to try it again soon. I always learn something each time I make a new cake. I used dowels and cardboard circles to make sure the whole thing could be supported. I baked the layers all week and froze them. Then, on the day of construction, I assembled everything and iced it. The layers were cut on a diagonal to make the teetering appearance. The circles were fondant.

And in case you were wondering - it was chocolate! Yum!