Molly Cookie

Cakes Everywhere!

May 20, 2010 Uncategorized

This past week I think I started to come to terms with my place in the cooking world. I am a person who loves to cook and I can make things (both savory and sweet) that taste great. Taste-wise, I’m pretty good. I did learn however that I am not by any means, nor will I ever be, nor do I ever want to be, a cake decorator.

About two weeks ago a teacher at the preschool I used to work at asked me if I would be interested in making the graduation cake for their 19 graduates. She asked if I was any good at cake decorating because she had seen my blog and she knew I knew a lot of the kids and that it might be special for me to make the cake. I told her I was by no means professional but I was confident that I could come up with something cute, and that most importantly I was willing if she really needed someone. It was decided that I was the lucky baker who would make the cakes, so I started planning.

I knew that even if the cakes didn’t look super cute, they were going to taste great. I also knew that I didn’t want to make a tiered cake because I have never done it before. The cake would need to feed about 200 people, so I decided instead of one BIG cake I was going to make 5 medium cakes. The preschool is divided into classrooms that are named with colors. There were 5 classrooms that had kids graduating, so I decided to make a cake for each class that was the color of that particular class. I came up with 5 recipes that I was confident would taste wonderful. After that my mom took me to Sam’s and we got 25 pounds of flour, a ton of sugar, about 16 pounds of butter, 64 eggs, and everything else that goes into making 5 awesome cakes.

The first one I went with was the Pink Lady Cake that I posted about last year. It is one of my favorite cakes and it was perfect for the Pink Class.

The Blue Class got a Tuxedo Cake (chocolate cake) with milk chocolate buttercream.

The Purple Class also got a Tuxedo Cake but with Raspberry Buttercream.

The Green Class got a White Chocolate Whisper Cake from the Cake Bible with Vanilla Buttercream.

I found out after all the planning that there was going to be another kid graduating, but he was in a new class (one that didn’t already have a graduate. I had to decide if this was going to mean I would make a whole new cake or if I was going to tag that kid onto another class. Luckily, the Red Class only had one kid graduating too, so those two kids got to share a cake. The Red class and Aqua Class got a Vanilla Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream and strawberry filling.

Tonight is graduation. On Sunday night at 9:00 the baking started with the Vanilla Cake for the Aqua and Red class. Each cake I made was 10 inch square and layers high. I talked to my pastry chef friend Jessica who told me that 5 cakes at this size should feed about 200 people. I had two pans and I realized fast that having only two pans made the process take a really, really long time. The first cake took me 3 and a half hours to finish (not including icing) with mixing, baking, cooling, wrapping, and sticking in the freezer. Tragedy struck when I flipped the first layer over and one inch of one end missed the plate and broke clean off from the rest of the layer. After debating whether to cry, make more batter, or try to save it, I went with saving it and simply stuck it back on, wrapped it all in plastic wrap and froze it. I prayed that when I took it out of the wrap to decorate that it would be alright. Knowing that my first layer was broken and that I might have to make a new cake when I was ready to start decorating was a thought that haunted me all week. By the time I was done my kitchen was a mess (a theme that would last all week) and I was ready for bed.

On Monday morning panic began to set in when I thought about how long that first cake had taken me. I called in to work and took the day off, then bought a third cake pan so that I could bake all three layers at once and started baking. By Monday night I had 7 more hours and  three of the five cakes under my belt, but my mental state was starting to turn from determined to confused. I don’t know if it was because I was covered in flour or if it was the smell of sweetness surrounding me, but I started to feel like someone was playing a practical joke on me. I started to wonder why I ever thought I could do this and why anyone would ever ask me to such a big cake for such a big event, and I started to glance around the room for hidden cameras. When I came back to reality I realized that I was alone in my kitchen and that the flour would wash off, and that in a few days I would be bringing these cakes to the school I trudged on.

The next day I went to work which was a nice break. On Tuesday night I baked the last two cakes, and when I started the last one it felt so much faster and easier than the first one had been. I didn’t break any layers and there wasn’t so much flour that ended up on the floor. When the last cake was wrapped up and in the freezer I cleaned my kitchen and started to think about the decorating that would happen the next night. This wasn’t the first time I had thought about the decorating, but I still wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do to make these cakes look cute. I had gone shopping and bought candy to make tiny graduation hats that Bakerella made once. Those turned out to be what saved the cakes if you ask me. Without those hats, the cakes would have looked very sad. All it takes is a square of Godiva chocolate, a mini Reese’s cup, a small part of a sour straw, a mini M&M, and a little icing to stick it all together. The link in bold can show you step by step how to do it.

On Wednesday night the decorating began. After doubling my first batch of buttercream and seeing that it didn’t cover one cake, I realized I was going to have to make a lot more than I had planned and I sent Brian out for more eggs. During this whole process, I used 70 eggs. That’s a ton of eggs! Some of those eggs were ones that I broke or dropped on the floor or something, but not very many. Most of the cakes called for egg whites, and a few of the buttercreams called for egg yolks. If you know that and you make them on the same day you can use less eggs, but I didn’t know that and I made them a few days apart, so My yolks were long gone when I realized I needed them on Wednesday night.

I mixed, I iced, I chilled, I iced, I chilled, I mixed some more, I made the graduation caps, I wrote kid’s names on huge polka dots, and 9 hours later I ended up with a final product. I moved everything in my refrigerator around to make room and I put all 5 cakes in there until today when Gloria came and picked them up. Now I’m sitting at my laptop with a cup of coffee, and even after taking a shower I can feel sticky spots in strange places on my body.

I know why I agreed to do it, but I don’t know why I thought I could do it cuter. I agreed to do it because I am so proud of the kids who are graduating this year. Each one of them has worked so hard and developed way beyond what doctors though they would. Each one of them has a special need, but they are all so smart and wonderful. Out of the 19 kids graduating 5 of them were in my class when I was an associate teacher there, and I am so glad I get to be a small part of their graduation. I love all of them, but I only have pictures of the 5 that I taught, so here they are:

Here is Cayla, having fun in the gym. Cayla is super smart and loves to laugh at jokes. She is 7 years old and one of the most beautiful kids I have ever seen.

Kaitlyn, lounging in the sprinkler on an inflatable alligator. Kaitlyn loves to climb and started walking this year. She is so lovable. I have known her since she was 2, and now she’s graduating! What a big girl.

Bethany, sunbathing on Water Day. Bethany is so sweet. Every time I visit the school I find myself looking for her so I can make sure and play with her a little bit and talk to her. What a cutie.

Andrew, looking for something in the water. I wish I had apicture of him with his eyes open. He’s a really adorable kid. He’s a charmer, that’s for sure. I remember his first week seeing his smile and wanting to kidnap him.

And Sullivan, Playing with shaving cream. Sullivan is a very, very special kid, and I have known him since he was just one year old. He has grown up so fast. One of the most amazing things about Sullivan is his remarkable family. If there ever was a super-mom, his mom would be it. Her secret weapons are tissues and hand sanitizer which she keeps clipped to her jeans at all times, and she has done such an amazing job making sure Sullivan has everything he needs to be successful. He was definitely put in the right family.

After graduation tonight I’ll taste the cakes and see which ones are worth posting about. I think the White Chocolate Whisper Cake is going to be awesome. I tried some of the shavings that I cut off before icing it and they were amazing. I know the Pink Lady Cake is going to be awesome too, but I already posted about that. Since I don’t like chocolate cake I’ll have to go off of other people’s reactions to see if that is good or not. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me very soon with a recipe and some more cake pictures.