This past weekend I had the privilege of making a wedding cake for a great, fun loving couple. It was a lot of work but for my first cake I am pretty happy with the results.

They knew the flavor combination they wanted right away so we started there.
Devil's Food Cake [which I multiplied by 12 to make the three layers and an extra sheet cake]
Chocolate Mocha Gnache Filling [instead of water I used coffee and then added another tbsp of instant coffee to each batch. I ended up making 4 double batches of this gnache]

They decided on butter cream frosting, which tastes so much better than the more formal fondant. I used this recipe and it was fool proof! [I made at least 8 double batches of this frosting] I used all shortening [no butter] to make sure it was stable in the June heat.

I used this guide from Wilton to determine the size of the layers. We ended up with 14x14 inch, 10x10 inch and a 6x6 inch [which was saved for their one year anniversary]. I also made a 12x18 inch sheet cake for extra slices.

I used the tutorial from Joy the Baker to point me in the right direction of creating, transporting, and decorating the cake. I too decided to decorate onsite. While this was nerve racking I think it was the right choice so that there was no concern for damage on my 45 minute drive to the reception site.

The overall look of the cake was designed by the bride and groom. They wanted simple and casual with the colors green, brown and white. They also provided the extra flower to match their decor.

So have you made a wedding cake? Did it turn out the way you expected?

I recently spotted these cupcakes on pinterest and then realized that I had this very same recipe marked in my Martha Stewart's Cupcake book. Once looking over the recipe I realized two wonderful things. 1. The oven is only heated to 275 F and with the temperatures in the high 80s this was a perfect dessert to make without heating up the entire house. 2. I had all the ingredients on hand. What could be better?

I have to say that I love individual desserts [as you probably already know if you have been reading this blog] and these are a great one now added to my list. The only change I needed to make was to spray my cupcake liners before filling because my cheesecakes stuck a little bit. Not that it stopped me from eating but I did hesitate sharing these with friends because they were a little messy.
Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes

Source: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
Makes 30 [I halved the recipe and it worked perfectly]

42 Oreos, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature
1 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 c sour cream
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Spray liners with non-stick spray. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.