Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there! I hope you have a fabulous day and get spoiled to the max!    (Who's for bringing back "to the max?" Anyone?...No?... Yeah, it wasn't one of the best phrases to come out of the 80's. I prefer "gag me with a credit card and put me on layaway.")     

Baby Mac spent the night with her grandparents Friday night. Since I didn't wake up to my normal Mommy routine yesterday, I got an ambitious streak and decided to make cakes for some special women in my life as Mother's Day gifts. 

Because I am still learning, each time I bake I like to try something new. I had recently bought some 6 inch pans (so far I have only used 8 inch) and decided to break those out and make some smaller cakes. 

My mom really liked the ruffle cake I made earlier in the week. I wanted to replicate that style, but decided to try a different method. Instead of piping in a vertical fashion I piped horizontally. I still started at the bottom, but went around the cake in layers of ruffles instead of straight up in rows. Here is a video that shows the technique. 

I tried something else new this time around. A filling. I have used strawberries before but I really wanted to go with a curd type filling this time.  I found a strawberry rhubarb fruit filling at Kroger and it sounded delicious. And as it turned out, it WAS delicious.

It's so simple to fill a cake. Simply pipe a dam of frosting around the edge of the cake layer and spread the filling in the middle. The dam keeps the filling from seeping to the outside of the cake once it's frosted. 

That black spot is a strawberry, I swear. It's shape is very unfortunate and it scared me, too, at first.

I am all about taking advantage of ready made ingredients. There is something to be said for totally homemade food. However, when I come across something that helps me get done quicker, I go for and don't blink an eye. After all, the finished product is still homemade.

Also, between the cost for the ingredients and the time it would have taken me to make it, this filling was a steal at $4.89! (It was a Private Selection item. Have you tried Private Selection? So far I have never been disappointed with a single product.)

I recently ordered a bunch of gum paste flowers from Wholesale Sugar Flowers including the one above. I thought they added a nice touch to the cakes. They have such a fun site. If you are a baking geek like me you'll enjoy it. 

My next goal is to talk one of the recipients of these cakes into giving up a slice to this mom.

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!