Multiple "Purse"onalities

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was to do this project. I've been planning it for weeks now, and I finally started baking Thursday night. I cut and iced the individual pieces on clear rectangular plates from one of the local party supply stores, so I had cake pieces covering my counter top for a couple days!I finally had to pull my starter plants off of the island so that I had plenty of clear counter space to work. We had 4 flavors - yellow cake, strawberry cake, chocolate cake, and white cake.I'd decided long ago that each flavor of cake would be its own style of purse. I ended up doing 10 of each flavor for a total of 40 in all. Here they are all completed.This was the white cake. I covered it in white fondant and gave it a black ribbon and handle. This was one of my two favorites. This was the chocolate cake. I covered this one in light blue fondant, gave it a brown ribbon, handle, and a little latch/tie.

This was the strawberry cake. I marbled pink, white, brown, and black for the purse and gave it a brown and white twisted strap.

This was my other favorite of the bunch, the yellow cake. This was my first time making daisies for any cake related project. I finally got to use the gum paste flower set my mother found for me, though I decided to make the daisies out of fondant instead. I covered the cake in yellow fondant with a matching strap and flap.

I had fun getting this many individual cakes to the church. I was sweating every bump and turn in the road, but we only had two casualties that were easily fixed once we had everything inside. Overall I received many compliments for how cute they were, all of which were greatly appreciated! Many sisters suggested this idea for a bridal shower or birthday party for a little girl.

February's Enrichment

So what started out as 2 or 3 interested sisters turned into 12-15 signing the sheet, and ended up as 25 Sisters in all!!! I had enough cake, barely enough caramel and hot fudge, and almost enough icing. Wow. It was definitely an interesting experience for me, and hopefully a fun experience for them!

This is our hostess, Sister Gilbert, who graciously allowed the event at her house. We had to set up 2 extra tables for all who attended.

This is Christie (works with me at my day job). She does professional catering and cakes also so we have a lot to talk about. She provided the munchies. Let me tell you, that little cucumber sandwich was to die for!

Here are pictures of the Sisters with their cakes. No two are alike, cakes or Sisters, and they were all a lot of fun. Everyone got a 2-layer 6" cake to practice on and take home, while I did the full size 4-layer 8" cake.

For those who didn't get to make it, here is the recipe:

Triple-C
(Chocolate Caramel Cake)

For this cake you will need:
1 chocolate cake mix (or home-made recipe)
2-8” pans
1 batch of chocolate icing (or 1 tub of store-bought icing)
1 icing bag
1 coupler
1 #21 star tip
A spatula or other utensil to spread icing
Caramel cubes (or caramel topping)
Hot fudge topping
2 spoons
Toothpicks

Instructions:
1. Bake two 8-inch chocolate cakes using a boxed mix or home-made recipe of your choice according to the box/recipe directions.
2. Cool cakes completely.
3. Level and tort to ½” to ¾” in height (total 4 layers)
4. Melt approximately 20 caramel cubes and ¼ cup milk in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
5. Place a layer of cake on a cardboard circle or plate.
6. Arrange cakes in a row with one “top” layer at one end and the plate on the other.
7. Working from the “top” layer, spoon 2-3 tablespoons of melted caramel onto each of the top three layers leaving the plate cake layer bare.
8. Spread caramel to within ¼” of cake edge with out going over. **note: the caramel will soak into the cake slightly.
9. Warm hot fudge until thin consistency.
10. Starting with the plate cake layer, spoon 2-3 tablespoons of hot fudge on to the bare cake layer and spread to within ¼” of the cake edge without going over. **note: the hot fudge will soak into the cake slightly.
11. Flip the next cake layer, caramel side down, onto the fudge layer and straighten the edges before the caramel sets.
12. On the bare cake layer, spoon 2-3 tablespoons of hot fudge onto the cake and spread within ¼” of the cake edge without going over.
13. Flip the next cake layer caramel side down, onto the fudge layer and straighten the edges before the caramel sets.
14. Repeat steps 12 and 13 on the remaining layers.
15. Ice the assembled cake using the chocolate icing of your choice and pipe a tip#21 shell boarder around the bottom of the cake.
16. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of caramel onto the top of the cake allowing the caramel to go over the edge in places.
17. Drizzle hot fudge over the top of the cake and pull with a tooth pick to create a “web” look, if desired.
18. Enjoy.

The Results Are In!!!

OK Ladies (and any gentlemen that happen to be reading this), the results are in! It looks like the Triple-C (Chocolate Caramel Cake) will be the featured cake for this month's enrichment. I'll be working the next couple weeks to prep for the class, baking cakes, and getting things together for those in attendance. Initial numbers indicate that we'll have approximately 10-12 Sisters (including one Brother maybe), but that may go up to over 20. We've decided have enrichment at Sister Gilbert's house because it is more centrally located, so please come by... we'd love to have you. I promise pictures of the event will be posted here for all to see!

February's Enrichment

Hello, Sisters, and welcome to That Little Cake Place. Among the classes offered this quarter is cake decorating with yours truly as the primary instructor. As promised, I'm willing to relinquish one of my top secret recipes for the good of Relief Society, so please vote for your favorite. The winning cake will be featured in the class with all materials provided. I'm hoping everyone has a fun time icing the evening away.

Descriptions:

The (insert fruit here) Cordial in Chocolate - Four chocolate cake layers with two layers of cordial cream filling and one solid layer of your fruit of choice, iced with my special chocolate icing, and decorated with your chosen fruit or icing embellishment.

The (insert fruit here) Cordial in White Chocolate - Four yellow cake layers with two layers of cordial cream filling and one solid layer of your fruit of choice, iced with my special white chocolate icing, and decorated with your chosen fruit or icing embellishment.

The Triple C (Chocolate Caramel Cake) - Four chocolate cake layers with creamy caramel and hot fudge filling layers, iced with my special chocolate icing, melted caramel coating the top of the cake, and hot fudge drizzled over the cake.

The Hex-a-Lot-a-Chocolate - Four chocolate cake layers with hot fudge and chocolate chips baked inside, filled with alternating layers of white chocolate and chocolate icing, iced with chocolate icing, and topped with chocolate shavings.

The Oreo Cookie Cake - Two chocolate cake layers with cookie chunks baked inside, filled with cookie cream filling, iced with chocolate icing, and topped with crumbled cookies.

The Peanut Butter Cup (Cake) - Two chocolate cake layers, filled with creamy peanut butter, iced with chocolate icing, and embellished with icing.

The Italian Cream Cake - Three fluffy layers of Italian cream cake baked with pecans inside, filled and iced with a variation of cream cheese icing (with or without nuts).