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So Friday when I got home from work it was time to start the assembly and decorating of the glorious cake.  But there was a limitation, I needed to get this done, stay clean so I could go to dinner with friends. 

Well to start things out I tried to cut my finger tip off.  So then I have to wear a rubber glove and get frequent band-aid changes.  So at the end of this event I had blood and chocolate all over my shirt.

Here it is coming together.  I used a different icing reciepe so I had to make 3 batches.    Good thing that was enough I used all of the cocoa powder that I had and was out of powder sugar. 

The cake was a huge success!  There is a ton of it left over.

Unless I am lucky enough to have time off or or the project is big enough to require time off I just work cake baking into my normal schedue and routine of things.  This is one of the latter.  The sad truth of cake baking and decorating is the amount of dirty dishes.  So far I have actually washed a sink full or two and placed into the dishwasher what would fit, what is left you might ask?

This was taken early this morning while I was making breakfast for the dogs.  What is yet to come?  All of the tools from making buttercream frosting, all of the decorating tools, all of the leveling and frosting tools and all of the towels I dirty making this spendid cake.  My next home will have 2 dishwashers!  And if I can afford it it will be 1 dishwasher and 2 dish drawers! 

The story of a birthday cake.

Well I have this vision of a really tall cake.  I don’t know why, maybe it’s because it will be “impressive”.  This limits me to 10″ cake pans because I have enough of them to make many layers without washing in between.  All had to be washed and dried, they sit for a long time before getting used.  But look how pretty they are, I bet they last for the rest of my life.

So we need some ingredients.

, ,  and the seekrit ingredient

Mix er up in the kitchen aid

Then you need some pan grease to coat the pans.  Pan grease is the greatest thing I learned in the cake class.  Basically you just mix equal parts Crisco, Crisco oil and flour.  Nothing sticks to the pan with this wonderful stuff.  I apply with a brush and use this for everything.

Well here are a 2 of the four layers.  This one cracked and fell into pieces. I am not worried I will have tons of frosting.  Friday there will be more pictures as I torte and assemble this beauty. 

How about some cookies?

If you know me then you know I don’t turn on the oven in the summer unless I have to.  Making a birthday cake for a friend is a have to.  I had seen a couple cookie recipes on smittenkitchen.com and to be honest they sounded pretty good.  So if the oven is on I might as well try to make them, right?

Here are the Lime Melt-Aways waiting for the oven on my NEW cookie sheet.  Man I love Wilton pans and their Lifetime Warranty.

I love those little specks of lime zest sticking out!

Here they are all ready to eat.  My initial thoughts are that the lime flavor is weak in the begining but it is really there as you finish the cookie.  Maybe it is all that sugar on the outside.  Yummy buttery cookies!

Then there are the Margarita Cookies

Here they are ready for the oven.  They are covered in an egg wash and rolled in sugar and salt.  Finding the sanding sugar was impossible so I went with Raw Cane Sugar.  Flake Sea Salt I figured would be difficult to find but Payless actually had it, $3.39 for 4.25 oz.  Of course you can’t find the exact things listed in the recipe that would be too easy.

So my thoughts on these, AWESOME!  Salt and sweet is always a great combo.  More tequila might be a good idea.  I think they look just fine and appreciate the recipe from Smitten.  Hey she twitters to! Here they are cooling and ready for consumption.

So the question is what does one do with the fruits that had their zest taken away and are left?  My suggestion more Captain and Diet.