Halloween cakes: Zombie Edition

I just completed, delivered and assembled what ended up being the most fun cake I have ever had the pleasure of working on. My college friend, Sheryl, got married this weekend at Wolf Mountain Vineyards in Dahlonega, Georgia. It was an absolutely gorgeous ceremony, complete with a deliciously beautiful cupcake tower. Since everything for the wedding was so formal, Sheryl asked me to make a surprise "grooms cake" for her new hubby, and the three-tier zombie cake is what spawned from our creative energies.

Each layer was made with chocolate cake with chocolate chips, and the filling between the layers was a rich and delicious chocolate ganache. Topped with murky green/brown butter cream to portray a muddy graveyard, the cake came complete with zombie-green appendages sticking from the graveyard and zombie-hunting bride and groom posed up top with their chainsaw and machete.

I used the Wilton line tip to pipe metal fencing on the bottom tier and added fondant gravestones to each tier. I completed the effect by using crumbled up cake tops mixed with a little ganache to emulate the loose dirt of a freshly-dug grave.

Again, let me say: MOST FUN CAKE EVER.

Here is a preview of the cake, and there are more pictures under the pictures tab!

Covered in cake,

Ashlee

Cupcakes galore!

In addition to the grooms cake and birthday cake for this weekend I had to complete an order for a dozen fall-themed cupcakes and 2 dozen Halloween/birthday cupcakes. I had a lot of fun making cupcakes instead of a full scale cake! Be sure to check out pictures to see the purple and green Halloween cupcakes on the picture tab!

Covered in ICING,

Ashlee

Giant Cupcake Pan

The Dimensions Giant Cupcake Pan is a really cute, really simply tool to use when you need a great looking cake for a small amount of people. I couldn't find baking instructions for it anywhere, though, and so it was a little bit of trial and error the first time I used it.

What I found easiest was to actually remove the cake momentarily during the baking process and take the top portion of the cupcake out of the pan before allowing the remaining portion to cook. This helped to keep the top from cooking quicker, and also helped to keep it from burning.

If you are lucky enough to use Wilton Cake Release for your baking needs, then popping the top portion of the cake out will be no sweat. If you're not using Cake Release, please do. It is the best $4.00 I have ever spent on any baking supply.

Once my cake was successfully baked and cooled, I smeared chocolate buttercream around the base to adhere aluminum foil to it easily. This gave it the impression of a traditional cupcake, only giant sized! After the foil was in place I put another thin layer of chocolate buttercream in between the top and bottom layers, and piped on chocolate buttercream around the top with large tip. No cupcake is complete without sprinkles, and since I have been on a chocolate kick lately I decided to use semi-sweet chocolate chips as sprinkles for this cupcake!

It was a huge hit at the dinner party I went to, and it was a lot of fun to make, too! Be sure to visit the pictures tab at the top of the page to see my latest cakery-creation!

Covered in Cake,

Ashlee

Death, by chocolate

I recently completed a grooms cake for one of my good friend's step-brother and his fiance. Erin and Kristafur were looking for something classy and cute to mirror her wedding cake, and a two-tier, square, chocolate cake with chocolate covered strawberries was just the thing. Taking some inspiration from chocolate grooms cakes online, I was able to deliver a 100% homemade chocolate cake, chocolate butter cream icing, mocha butter cream accents, and two-tone chocolate covered strawberries that both bride and groom adore! Take a look at this cake and more under the pictures tab!

Halloween Cupcakes

The breezy days and crisp nights means two things for certain: Fall is finally here to stay, and Halloween is just around the corner! To celebrate the season I made Halloween cupcakes today using decorating inspiration from the Wilton website. For any amateur cakers out there, I highly recommend Wilton as a great place for tips, recipes, discussion boards and general inspiration for your caking endeavors. They have a huge catalog filled with everything you could possibly need for baking and caking.

Today I used modified Wilton recipes for both yellow cake and chocolate cake, a classic butter cream icing recipe, several Wilton dyes and various designs to make mummy cupcakes, pumpkin cupcakes, spider cupcakes and worm cupcakes. I used several tips and techniques to create different textures, shapes and designs. The worm cupcakes were a great way to let kids get involved: two of my favorite girls, Sammy and Jess, had a blast using crushed Oreos and Gummy worm candies to decorate these cupcakes.

Pumpkins, Mummies, Earthworms and Spiders!

For more pictures of today's treats, visit the pictures tab at the top of the page!

Covered in Cake,

Ashlee

The Cakery Bakery

Hello, and welcome! My name is Ashlee, and this is your go-to place for all information on Ashlee's Cakery Bakery. The goal of Ashlee's Cakery Bakery is to provide clients with unique custom cakes, perfect for every occasion. From birthday cupcakes to multi-tiered wedding cakes, I promise you will never walk away disappointed. Check out the tabs at the top of the page to explore flavor options, pictures, pricing, and more!

Not all portions of the site are complete yet, but bear with me as Ashlee's Cakery Bakery continues to grow!


Covered in Cake,

Ashlee