ISO:Baby Shower Dessert

[fudi2000]

Hey there. I need your help. I need a WoW 'em kinda cake for a small baby shower that I'm catering next week. I have been given a list of demands that CANNOT be on the cake. And since I learned at a very early age to never argue with a pregnant woman, I figured I better pay attention. NO NUTS and NO Caffeine. That's what she gave me to go on. ARGH!!! She's the kinda girl that will eat anything, pregnant or not, so I could really use some advice.

Thanks Kids,
Theresa

[JJeannette]

This is mostly to kick your post back up, but how about the White Texas sheet cake with a good buttercream frosting, or a jelly roll with a fruit filling? No caffeine would mean no chocolate--the Italian Wedding Cake without the nuts? Something seasonal could be a spice cake with penuche fudge frosting or a pumpkin cake with a browned butter frosting. I'd make Val's Gooey Apple Cake myself because it's a "Wow" as far as taste and presents a beautiful "homemade" appearance----of course, in my area store bought and decorated cakes are the usual fare.

[Molli526]

The Baby Block cake from Martha!

http://a444.g.akamai.net/7/444/703/20030305183635/www.marthastewart.com/images/content/feature/ft_baby03cake01_l.jpg

Baby Cakes

Serve up a sweet birthday surprise: little cakes in the shape of babies’ favorite things. Decorating a half-dozen tiny cakes shouldn’t take much longer than completing a single elaborate one. And to your child, the marvelous transformation of an everyday object, whether a favorite toy or a practical shoe, into a confection all his own is bound to seem like so much birthday magic. You’ll find plenty of other cake ideas in our Spring 2003 issue of ‘Martha Stewart Baby’ magazine.

These “building blocks” are covered with fondant and decorated with royal icing. One sheet-cake recipe will make twelve scrumptious blocks.

MAKING BLOCK CAKES
Materials
One recipe white sheet cake
One recipe buttercream
Two pounds rolled fondant divided in thirds and tinted green, yellow, and white
One recipe royal icing divided in fourths and tinted blue, green, yellow, and pink
Cornstarch for work surface for rolling out fondant
Serrated knife: To slice uneven cake layers with precision.
Offset spatula: Its flat, slightly flexible metal blade makes this the best tool for spreading icing.
Piping bag: A soft, conical sack with the tip lopped off, made of coated fabric or plastic. Put each color of icing in its own bag, so you don’t have to wash bags in the middle of the project.
Piping tips: A round hole creates a line or dot; a star-shape hole makes a ridged line or flower.
Plastic coupler: Allows you to change piping tips to make various shapes in the same color.
Drinking glass: Place a damp paper towel at bottom, and set piping bags in it when not in use.
Cake turntable: Lets you spin the cake with one hand while holding bag or spatula steady with the other (a useful extra).

Decorating Technique
If you’ve never tried piping, your baby’s first birthday is the perfect time to begin. He’s too little to mind the occasional wavering line or droopy flower, and your skills will improve with each year—imagine the cakes you’ll be making by his fifth birthday!

All these designs were piped with a #3 plain tip using royal icing, which dries hard in about ten minutes. Turn the side you’re decorating face up before piping. Wait for the finished design to dry, and then you can lay it face down to do the opposite side.
http://a444.g.akamai.net/7/444/703/20030305183635/www.marthastewart.com/images/content/feature/ft_baby03cake02_m.jpg
http://a444.g.akamai.net/7/444/703/20030305183635/www.marthastewart.com/images/content/feature/ft_baby03cake03_m.jpg
1. Place sheet cake on clean work surface, top side up. Trim top to make level. Cut cake in half horizontally. Sandwich layer of buttercream between the layers. Trim sides of cake to be square. Cut cake into twelve 2 1/2-inch squares. Place each on its own piece of parchment or waxed paper. Ice each with a thin layer of buttercream to help fondant stick to cake. Chill blocks to set the buttercream.

2. Lightly brush cornstarch onto a clean work surface. You’ll cover just one block at a time. Remove a 2-inch ball of fondant from one of the larger, tinted pieces (tightly wrap remaining fondant to keep it from hardening). Using a rolling pin, roll it out into a thin circle about 1/8 inch thick and roughly 7 inches in diameter. Don’t refrigerate the blocks after you cover them; the fondant will get sticky.
http://a444.g.akamai.net/7/444/703/20030305183636/www.marthastewart.com/images/content/feature/ft_baby03cake04_m.jpg
http://a444.g.akamai.net/7/444/703/20030305183636/www.marthastewart.com/images/content/feature/ft_baby03cake05_m.jpg
3. Remove cake squares from refrigerator. Center the rolled fondant circle over a block of cake, and place it gently on the cake. Carefully press the fondant against the sides of the block, working on two opposite sides at the same time and smoothing up from the bottom. Repeat for the other pair of sides. Gently pinch the fondant together at the corners, creating four flaps.

4. Working quickly, so fondant doesn’t dry out, fold two flaps toward center of one side, as if wrapping a gift box; repeat for opposite side. Use a dab of water to help the flaps adhere, if necessary. Trim excess fondant from base of block with a sharp knife. Repeat process for each block, using different-colored fondants, as desired. (If trimmed scraps are free of crumbs, knead together and reuse.)

Baby Cakes (http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel182244)

[lhall]

I made the Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Curd and Mascarpone from the April BA for a friend's shower. It was divine. The mom-to-be had great fun just watching everyone take their first bite of cake.

If you follow the recipe and make your own lemon curd you'll need to start making the cake 2 days in advance because the lemon curd needs to chill overnight.

http://www.epicurious.com/db/recipes/photos/107898

Here's the recipe.
Lemon Layer Cake (http://www.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=107898&kw=lemon+layer+cake&action=filtersearch&filter=recipe-filter.hts&collection=Recipes&ResultTemplate=recipe-results.hts&queryType=and&keyword=lemon+layer+cake&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=submit)

Leigh

[Vicanddi]

The baby block cake looks absolutely beautiful, but looks like something very tough to attain. I don't think my amateur hands could create that!

Does your friend want a decorated cake, or does she prefer a yummy cake without much decoration? Or does she not mind on that front?

[Jodi]

I've done the baby block cakes for several showers, and they're always well received. In fact, I'll be making them again in December for my SIL's post-delivery baby shower (they live in CA and won't be home with the baby till Christmas). They're really adorable!
Jodi

[fudi2000]

Thanks for the advice guys. I forgot that no caffeine means no chocolate. I was going to make a chocolate cheesecake from the Hershey's website but the baby block thing would be awesome. I don't know if I'm good enough yet to actually try and make something like that.

Where would I find Fondette or whatever it's called?

[JJeannette]

You might find the fondant at a craft store--any place that carries Wilton cake and candy supplies. It will be in a box--all you need to do is color it and roll it out and proceed--:)

[DanaSD]

Fondant is a little tricky and I've been decorating cakes for a year now. Also, many people don't like the taste.

If you do try it I have a correction to Martha's directions. The cake should be iced right before you place the fondant on it so that it will stick. Also, keep the fondant covered at all times or it will dry out. I've refrigerated fondant cakes and they were fine. To color you must use gel colors (decorating colors) and not regular food coloring.

I've done baby blocks with just regular buttercream icing. If you're not a decorator buy chocolate letter molds and make the letters with white chocolate. For the person that doesn't want caffine they can pick off the letters - does white chocolate have caffine? Ice each blocks so that some are white and some are blue (or pink).

I posted a baby shower cake that I did recently but you do need to know how to pipe.

baby shower cake (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46455)

I did a relatively easy baby cake that was a sheet cake trimmed to look like a sweater and it was decorated using stars (the most basic decorating technique). I haven't had must success at posting pictures so here's alink (http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/1c0b2694/bc/My+Photos/__sr_/DSC00527.jpg?BCc_2l_AitIQe684)

How about strawberry shortcakes or something with whipped cream and fresh fruit on top - it always looks elegant but so easy and would fit the restrictions.