Dol-fan Cake

Have you ever heard of a “Dol-fan?” Well a Dol-fan is a diehard, win or loose, hands down, supporter of the home team, The Miami Dolphins kind-a-fan. In other words, this is the unofficial name for my nephew, Michael – he is a Dol-fan.

So it was no surprise for his birthday cake he wanted a Miami Dolphins theme cake. A few years ago I made him a Miami Dolphin cake for his birthday and ended up having to make a New York Jets cake for his older brother, Dominic, two months later. I am sure he thought I was going to make a sheet cake and put the Dolphin logo in buttercream on the cake. I surprised him with this cake gift: 

Michael was turning 11, so I placed it above the Dolphin on the helmet. He plays Impact football and his number is five, so the five yards line fell right in place. The Dolphin I drew on sugar paper and coloured with gel food colour. He wanted a chocolate cake, so I made a cake filled with whipped chocolate cream filling and covered with chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream then covered with fondant.  The biggest challenge was stacking and carving the cake; plus making the grill out of gum paste. The grill broke and I had to patch it (forgot to make an extra one) in a number of places – oops!

My sister told me that he said, if his NFL career does not take off he would like to become a baker. Sweet! We have another baker in the family.

Walk good and happy caking!

Jeannie

A Fruit Cake In May?

In May of this year, Henry and I had occasion to visit his sister in Hagerstown, in Maryland for a graduation ceremony. We had an extra "passanger" with us...a fruit cake for our niece graduation dinner. Yes; a fruit cake, in May! It was a question of that sort the TSA personnel at the airport asked me when I put the box containing the cake through the x-ray machine.

"Madam, what type of pie is that?", he asked.

Pie? I thought to myself. I did know there was not a pie in my "cake box", but a decadent fruit cake covered with almond paste and fondant. Maybe this is a trick question to see if I was taking something more than a cake.

I replied with all honesty in my voice, "That's not a pie, but a fruit cake."

"A fruit cake? Isn't too early for fruit cakes?" he said to me with a frown on his face.

"Special request" I said as I jolly gather my stuff and proceeded to explain to my husband what that was all about.
This is the cake that made the journey from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Hagerstown, Maryland. Oh! I put the decorations on when I got to Maryland...and I could not get the "s" to fit. It's also another cake they did not want to cut.

Walk good. Jeannie

Baking With Katie

When you need a birthday cake that's a fruit cake...you ask Mommy (Ena); any other cake, that Jeannie.

Well, in January my brother-in-law and my niece celebrated birthdays. I would get the usual phone call saying, "Auntie Jeannie, I would like a Barbie cake for my birthday with..." and so on. Now this January 2007, I felt like an actress waiting for my agent to call me with a part in a big movie, because I never got the call! I am always happy to bake and decorate my niece and nephews birthday cakes. It's a wonderful way to practice my cake decorating skills. I though maybe Katie forgot to call Auntie Jeannie. Oh well! Life goes on...

I therefore asked my sister what's my niece plan for her cake, she did not know either until I had an occasion to be at my sister's home (Jacquie) along with my mom and other sister, Carolyn, and the subject of birthday cake came up. I shall try to dialog the conversation I had with Katie as best as I possibly can because I have never felt soooo...I don't know, but here it is:

I asked, "Katherine, what kind of cake do you want me to make you for your birthday?"

She replied, "Didn't my mom told you I got an Easy Bake oven for Christmas?"

"No." I said while in the back of my mind I was wondering 'what is an Easy Bake oven?!?'. I guess my this time you know I was not born in the USA, because most girls my age, at that time, would have wanted an Easy Bake oven when they were popular.

Katherine further said with such pride in a voice and I was totally not prepared for what came next, "Didn't my mom told you I bake my daddy's birthday cake and he loved it?"

"Noooo." I replied feeling a tad hurt because I thought I was the only real baker in the family. How dare her! I thought. My little six year old niece trying to take good business from me. Now she hit me with the bomb when she said,

"Oh Auntie Jeannie, you don't have to bake my birthday cake this year. I will make my own cake in my Easy Bake oven. Do you want to order a cake from me? The Oreo cake I know you will love it is $2.75!"

Even before I could catch the word leaking out of my mouth like invisible drool, with excitement an Easy Bake catalog was placed in my hand and a little girl, whose finger was pointing to the 'Oreo Cake' asked me, "Can you take me to the store to get supplies?"

"Huh?!?", was my reply. What else could I say? Her brother Michael shouted from the living room, "Auntie Jeannie you can buy cookies from me too...seven cookies for $12!!"