Merry Christmas! Happy Holiday! Just Be Creative

Merry Christmas or Happy Holiday, whatsoever you are celebrating remember it is the real season of Love. I won't apologize for my Christian faith and I won't knock you on yours but it is because of God's love for us we celebrate His gift of His only Son to us this month. The fine prints of which month Jesus was born is for another forum and another blog. Here I want to talk food and sweet stuff. Food that is delicious and sweet because it hits that sweet spot! Sweet stuff  you may not be able to eat but just do really sweet things. Holiday food and sweet stuff!!!.

Thanksgiving is gone and many of you I'm sure have finished your shopping, giftwrapping, tree trimming, home decorating, card sending and ready for the baking. Before you pull those recipe books, cards or piece of paper - my favorite thing. I often scribble on Post-It ingredients for recipes (without title) then later wonder what recipe is this...cookie?...cake:...stuffing?!?  Here is something I will call it my "sweet stuff" to share.

I came across this website called Creative Market with tons of fonts, graphic and all the really cool things to make cards, invitations, labels and the list goes on.

Creative Market is a site where creative people, like me in another sort of creative way, hangs out. Beautiful designs are shared and offered at ridiculous price to the public. Although I don't have a Word Press blog, I have found a template I will be using for this blog as well as some other cool stuff too. Go check them out.

Now on the food side of things. I got the call yesterday. Yes, my mom calling me regarding the baking of our traditional fruit cake, a.k.a., Jamaican Black Cake or Rum Cake. In our house it will be the cake for all our celebrations especially Christmas. The Southern Red Velvet cake is coming in at a close second but it won't replace our beloved fruit cake. I have had my fruits soaking from last year, likewise my mom. My family is from Jamaica and the plum pudding-like fruit cake, rib roast and ham are staples at our dinner table. Living here in South Florida for 20 years we have added a few additional items such as sweet potatoes, and green beans casserole. What are some of the traditional meals you have at your family dinner table?

CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY

Here's a chance to start your creativity at Creative Market one (1) fortunate winner will receive Creative Market credit for $25, delivered via email.

HOW TO ENTER

To enter to win, leave a comment on this post answering the question above:

"What is your favorite meal on the family dinner table this holiday?"

You can enter FOUR additional entries to win by doing the following:

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Deadline: Sunday, December 8, 2013 at 11:59PM EST.

Winner: The winner will be chosen at random using Random.org and announced at the top of this post. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be selected.

Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by Blue Ivy, LLC.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

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Copyright by Jeanette Jackson of Blue Ivy, LLC., d.b.a. Blue Ivy Cakery.  If you would like to post any of my photographs, please contact me. Thank you!

Double-Rich Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I came across a recipe years ago in a Better Homes & Garden Magazine, when I was looking for a different type of pound cake. The pound cake was made using cream cheese. It is absolutely delicious! As usual I wanted to "kick it up a notch" so I made a simple flavor change and it got even better. He is my version:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 stick)
1-8 oz pack cream cheese
1 oz Almond Paste
6 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup Amaretto (optional)

Method:

1. Grease a 10-inch flute tube pan or 2 - 8x4x2 loaf pan. Set aside. Prehead oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Bring butter and cream cheese to room temperature.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt together, then set aside.
4. Cream butter, cream cheese and softened almond paste using an electric mixter on high for 20 minutes. Gradually add sugar and beat for another 6 minutes (should be light and fluffy). Beat in vanilla and almond extract.
5. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
6. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed till well combined.
7. Stir in Amaretto then pour in prepared tins.
8. Bake in oven for 60-65 minutes for tube pan or 70 minutes for loaf pans. Cakes are done when wooden pick comes out clean.
9. Leave in pan to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove and cool throughly on cooling rack.

Serves: 20

This cake is delicious with whipped cream and fresh fruits and a light sauce. My hubby loves it with frozen yogurt; me, one slice at a time.

Walk good and happy caking.

Jeannie


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Copyright by Jeanette Jackson of Blue Ivy, LLC. If you would like to post any of my photographs, please contact me. Thank you!

“Thank You Teachers!” by The Cake Artist



Teacher's Appreciation "Apple Cake"

My sweet niece, Katherine, the other day asked if I could provide a cake for her school’s Teachers Appreciation Day Luncheon. I was delighted because I thought it would be a very good idea to do an apple cake. I told Katie to let her teacher know that I would be doing an apple shaped cake.

To the left is the cake I made, a vanilla cake filled with vanilla buttercream, covered with a paste made of carved cake and buttercream. I love to use this under my fondant especially for carved cakes. Toba Garrett calls it “spackle” and I believe it’s a wonderful idea. I got the recipe from her book The Well-Decorated Cake (Oct 1, 2004).I colored the fondant light red then airbrushed it red and leaf green for depth. The ‘bookworm’ I created using fondant. The apple stem is actually the dowel that goes through the cake to the cake board and I cover it with chocolate fondant.

The Process

Carving the cake was a task. I set the cake up in three stacked tiers with the middle tier being the tallest. I baked 2x12x2-inch round; 1x10x2-inch round and 1x9x2-inch round cakes. Each cake is splitted horizontally into two layers. I filled the ten-inch round and placed on cake board, insert dowels; then placed another ten-inch board on top where I began stacking the 12-inch cakes. Dowels are inserted for support, then a ten-inch cake board is placed on top where the nine-inch cakes are stacked. With buttercream sticking out I placed the stacked tiers in my freezer to firm up for about one hour. After taking the cake out I carved from the top to form the shape I was looking for, then carefully flipped it over to carve the bottom…this is when I said a quiet prayer. Things can happen and if it does you will have a very entertaining ‘cake story’ to tell your friends. So be very careful when you are doing the turn. I stick the cake in my freezer  while I used the carved pieces with buttercream to make the spackle paste. I add a little little coffee creamer to soften the cake to form a nice paste. I remove cake from freezer and apply paste filling in all the open pockets and try to get it completely covered. I apply a real heavy coat because it does taste delicious under the fondant. Place cake in refrigerator this time for about 20 minutes to firm up. Remove and apply a coat of buttercream, I apply a light coat or enough to give a smooth finish. The buttercream helps the fondant to stick and I get no air pockets. The size of the fondant to cover the cake I calculate using an un-scientific method…do you want to hear it? Well, I use a product which I purchased from Sweet Wise called The Mat, I love this product. I can roll out my fondant between the mats and move it around without getting stuff on the fondant before covering my cake. So this is how I carved and covered the cake.

I Am a Cake Artist!

Well, Katherine’s teacher was beside herself when she saw the cake. She actually was expecting a sheet cake with an apple on it. So, this is what you get when you ask Auntie Jeannie to bake you a cake, I try very had to do ‘ordinary’ or simple,  believe me I really try. But every time I get the chance to push the envelope, I some times put it a little to far. Nevertheless, that’s the example I was to teach Katie that you can do whatsoever you set your mind to do. Katie said her teacher said, “Your aunt is an artist.” I  smiled when she told me because I am more and more seeing myself in that fashion: I am a Cake Artist!
Hope this information was helpful to someone. Drop me an email if you have any question or leave a comment on this post.
Walk good and happy caking…
Jeannie

Bridal Shower For A Traveller

 

In December 2011, I delivered this cake for a bridal shower at The Bridge Hotel, in Boca Raton. The bride to be loves to travel and of course her Canon EOS 70 camera, which I tried to recreate using fondant and rice crispy treat. The yellow orchids were made using gumpaste and airbrushed.

Winter Red Roses Wedding Theme

 

Wedding cake for Marisa and Joey who are members of our armed forces. Cake was delivered December 2011 to a private home in Davie, Florida for wedding of a bride I did not get the chance to meet, but coordinated the cake through phone calls and emails. The wonder of technology!

Cake tiers were buttermilk vanilla cake filled with chocolate fudge buttercream and covered with white buttercream. The little droplets were covered with Disco Dust to reflect icicles running down the sides of the cake. Red roses and leaves were made of sugar paste and airbrushed in the specific color.

Daria & Travis Wedding Cake

Daria n Travis Wedding Cake, a photo by Baking Jeannie on Flickr.

This cake was delivered to The Ancient Spanish Monastery, North Miami Beach, FL for the wedding of Daria & Travis.

Lemon cake filled with lemon curd and Swiss meringue buttercream then covered with fondant. Gumpaste orchids and flowers along with fondant drapes decorated the cake.

Andrea & Christopher

Andrea, a photo by Baking Jeannie on Flickr.

This buttercream covered wedding cake was delivered to the Pembroke Falls Country Club, Pembroke Pines, FL for the wedding of Andrea and Christopher. The display was made of champagne and amaretto cakes filled with Swiss Meringue buttercream and covered with American buttercream.