A Bun in the Oven, a Cake on the Plate

In keeping with my promise never to make a Baby Cake , this flower cake was a sweet way to celebrate the pending arrival of a friend's baby girl. Her shower was this weekend, and I hope that all the guests took a small slice and left the rest (and a fork) for the mama-to-be, suffering these last months through our Arizona summer.

The 10" by 4.5" high cake is a moist white almond sour cream with  almond American buttercream and raspberry filling. It was frosted with white chocolate ganache before being covered with homemade marshmallow fondant (though some of the flowers were done in Satin Ice fondant). There are 120+ cut flowers laid in a patchwork-quilt design.  A buttercream border finished the cake. 

This was the first time I tried the new Wilton silver cake platters. Strong, thin and pretty (though they do reflect up on the cake, highlighting an imperfection on a smooth, fondant surface.) 

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with a Red Hot on Top

Dark chocolate sour cream cake with a hint of cinnamon--reminiscent of Abuelita hot chocolate. Topped with an oversized (is there such a thing?) swirl of almond scented American buttercream frosting. Some then got a sprinkle of sanding sugar, some a drizzle of 60% dark chocolate ganache. A few took a full on dip in the ganache. But everyone got a cinnamon red hot on top.

Apple Pie a la Lorie, well not exactly

The Independence Day holiday got me in an All-American mood, and that means Apple Pie!  This one was different in that I followed the recipe to. the. letter. Except for the two-hour wait to freeze the bottom crust before adding the hot apples. I rushed it. Which could be the equivalent of pastry suicide. Thankfully, it worked out just fine. And except for not using an egg wash on the top crust for that shiny, toasty finish. My littlest is allergic to eggs and he was doing an actual pie dance in the kitchen he was so excited to eat a dessert with the rest of the family. And except for the upgrade to 1 tsp of Dalwhinnie single malt scotch instead of the generic 1 tsp whisky listed. (note to self: baking with a bottle of Dalwhinnie on the counter can be dangerous) But for me, this is pretty damn close. And once again, thanks to Baked: New Frontiers in Baking for the recipe that made me not want to stray.
End result is a pie that's delicious and a perfect interpretation of the classic apple pie.