but just barely! I can’t believe I just baked 130 hours in two weeks. Thank you Lord, Christmas 2007 is done!

Of course, now, my tendonitis in my right arm, from my elbow to my wrist is killing me! So it’s pain meds, physical therapy, and a splint while I sleep for the next couple of weeks.

I just finished the week out by baking and icing 40, 9-inch brownies for a wedding. I just had to ask my Bakery Manager the other day: “What is this? A shotgun wedding? They can’t get a wedding cake?”

Apparently, the bride wanted brownies instead of cake, go figure. Thank god I had help last night for that, cause I would have never have survived scooping and icing 40 brownies.

I actually have the weekend off (how did that happen?), and right now I’m tending a pot of goose stock (for goose stew tomorrow night), reading, and enjoying a pot of tea.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

me too… been in the sling, and baking days, so I have some help…  glad it’s almost over..just new years eve, then three days off… whew….

rest up…. and PM me about your PT, if you would…. I’d love to know what is recommended…

enjoy your tea… I love tension tamer tea… ever try it?

I didn’t do much baking over the Christmas holiday this year… just some brownies and cookies in a holiday basket for one of my clients.  (BTW - I *swear* by the cheesecake brownie recipe in the KitchenAid Cookbook - the one for the mixer.)

I do have a story of why it’s important to focus on moderation over the holidays—after a couple of glasses of wine and a little bit of bragging about my nascent cake decorating skills, I think I volunteered to make a wedding cake for my cousin in April.  Whoops!

DAN:
  Good afternoon, Judging from the cake you have posted you are skilled in cake decorating. I am certain you will do a excellent job for your cousin’s wedding cake. Do you do this this type of baking in your job???. Enjoy the upcoming holiday.

  ~FRESHKID.

I’m a network engineer by trade… I have my own consulting business.

I took a couple of cake decorating classes through Arlington County Adult Education and have been doing it as a hobby.  The cake picture I posted was for the “graduation” of my fondant class.  I’ve been tinkering, but haven’t done anything so high-stakes as a wedding cake.  I’m hoping that my cousin wants something very simple: some white fondant or buttercream, ribbons, real flowers to match.

The groom can find someone else to do his cake

there seems to be alot of “talent” here.. we’ll help you however we can… I know that I will.

but it would appear that you’ve got a pretty good handle on it so far…

clement - 30 December 2007 09:46 PM

we’ll help you however we can… I know that I will.

I was hoping somebody would say something like that.  I’ve just tried Rose’s Mousseline buttercream for the first time today (chocolate, actually).  It seems like it came out OK, but I can’t imagine piping roses with it.  Perhaps I’m too used to the Crisco-and-confectioner’s-sugar stuff!  The French and Italian buttercreams taste SOOO much better, but they’re quite a bit more challenging to work with.

One thing that’s nice about Rose’s approach… it’s very methodical and scientific, which is reassuring for us techie types.

Dan O’B - 30 December 2007 10:08 PM

I can’t imagine piping roses with it.

Hmm… upon standing overnight, the consistency seems to have firmed up a bit.  I made an all-occasion yellow downy cake today.  I’ll have to play with the frosting tomorrow!

Dan O’B - I hope I’m not too late to chime in here… there has been much talk about piping roses on the blog - go to that page and do a searh.  Hector is the master of Mousseline Roses!  (I’ve dubbed him Hector “the rose man” Wong).  Elicia has also made very nice roses with the mousseline bc.

Not too late… I ran out of steam and froze my cake layers and the buttercream.  I’ll definitely search for the stuff on roses on the blog.  I’ve only started reading it in the last few months and haven’t made my way through everything.  It’s a little overwhelming at times, but it’s a great reference.

(Sorry for hijacking this thread, and more so if it’s somewhere else I haven’t searched.)  While we’re talking about buttercreams… I’m guessing the answer is yes, but is it possible to make the buttercream and store it “unflavored”?  I’d like to make some mousseline buttercream without the liqueur, chocolate or fruit and do the additions when it’s thawed and rebeaten.

Dan O’B - 02 January 2008 08:33 PM

is it possible to make the buttercream and store it “unflavored”?  I’d like to make some mousseline buttercream without the liqueur, chocolate or fruit and do the additions when it’s thawed and rebeaten.

You bet - I make my mousseline without liquer all the time and freeze it.  You can easily add your additions later, but please be sure the bc is at room temp before you attempt to rebeat it - otherwise it will “break”.