Celebratory Cake

This post is a bit different from the ones we usually do, but this cake was lots of fun to make so we thought we'd share it with you. This "C" cake represents a triple whammy of achievements made by our amazing friends. Our friend Will was accepted to Columbia, our friend Ethan was accepted to Cornell, and our friend Caroline ran at nationals. We cleverly used the colors red (Cornell's color), blue (Columbia's color), and white, together making the nations colors. Impressive, huh? Making this cake was a team effort between your favorite bloggers, Katie and Yvette, and our two friends Dan and Nora. After many trips to the grocery store (note to readers: heed Santa's advice and check your list twice before checking out), we finally got all we needed to make the cake. Here's how we made it.

What you'll need: basic vanilla cake, vanilla frosting, fondant, piping bag with tips, food coloring



1. Make a basic vanilla sheet cake. (Note: Dan's enthusiasm is due to the fact that he knows he gets to eat the cake scraps now)


2. Next cut a C (or letter of your choice) out of each half of the cake. We recommend using a template for the letter so both halves match up.


3. Now, after carefully removing letters out of the cake pan, ice the bottom layer with frosting.


4. Then, stack the second letter on top of the first and ice the entire cake.


5. Now that you've dirty iced the cake (I've been watching a bit too much "Cake Boss"), it's time for the fun part: fondant! Fondant is like icing, but thicker and more malleable. It doesn't taste great, but it gives cakes that finished look that professionally made cakes have. You can buy fondant at specialty bakers' stores or you can pick it up at Michael's like we did. Roll out the fondant with powdered sugar until its big enough to fit over the entire cake.


6. Then gently lay the sheet of fondant over the cake. To make it fit in the shape of the letter, cut slits where the letter parts. For example, we cut one slit in the C cake, you would need to cut three slits for a K cake, etc. Then use a fondant smoother (sometimes comes with the fondant or sold separately) to smooth the fondant over the cake. Pinch the fondant at the base of the cake to seal.


7. Now mix remaining frosting with colors of your choice.


8. Fill the piping bag with colored icing and decorate away! Icing the cake is the best part. This time we just did some simple piping because we wanted the cake to have a clean look. We used a circular tip to write the letters in alternating colors.


9. Then we used a ridged tip to pipe the blue border around the base and used the circular tip again to pipe a funky, kind of loopy red border over top. You can experiment with different piping. You can make bubble letters, or use different tips to make flowers or balloons, the possibilities are endless!


Congratulations! Using a simple process and the magic of fondant, you have made a cake that will impress all your friends!

Congrats again Will, Ethan, and Caroline -- we love you guys!

Apple Pie

We're back! Finally, we have a long weekend to provide some relief from the stress that is senior year. After being bombarded with college apps, physics homework, and AP Art Studio projects, we felt that we needed some good ol' comfort food. So we're heading on back to America for some apple pie. Just in time for Thanksgiving!




Apple Pie
(adapted from Irma Rombauer's Joy of Cooking)


1. Okay, first make the crust. We chose to make a flaky pastry dough. Here's what you need:


-2 and 1/2 cups of flour

-1 teaspoon of sugar

-1 teaspoon salt

-1 cup solid vegetable shortening (or you can use a 1/2 cup shortening and a 1/2 cup butter, like us)

2. Mix the dry ingredients, then add the shortening/butter.


3. Cut the fat into the dry ingredients using the knife crossing method. Now is a good time to practice your Japanese Samurai skills.


4. When the consistency is dry and crumblike, drizzle a little over 1/3 cup of ice water and cut with a rubber spatula until it begins to stick together. Then knead with your hands until it forms a ball. Divide into two equal sections (one for the base and one for the lattice) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.


5. While that's refrigerating, make the filling. You will need about 6 apples, we used Fuji and Rome, but any will do...try to avoid Granny Smith though. You will also need 3 tablepoons of butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

6. Peel, core, and slice the apples then toss in a skillet over medium heat with the butter and cover for about 5 minutes. Now, stir in the sugar, cinnamon, and salt.


7. Raise the heat to high and cook the apples until the juices become thick and syrupy. Transfer to a baking sheet to cool.


8. While the apples are cooling, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface.


9. Lay the dough for the base in the pie pan and brush the overhanging edge with cold water.


10. Now, add the apple filling.




11. Here's the fun part. Time to make your pie look fancy. Cut the remaining rolled out dough into strips (about 1 inch thick. Lay half the strips across the pie and then weave the remaining strips in the opposite direction.


12. Trim the edges


13. Optional - brush an egg yolk glaze on top of the lattice.


14. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 40-50 minutes and wa-laa, you have yourself some apple pie!

Sorry for the hiatus

We will be back before you know it. Senior year is upon us!