Opening up another session of the FNCC! Everyone is welcome to come and share what they are working on this week, share photos, or ask and give help to those who are still in the middle of their projects! Hope to see lots of photos this week!

Cat

Just a quick One Direction cake. 8" round, 1D on top, and the boys' names around the sides...I just gotta google to see what they are, since I don't follow them ;-)

My 2 tier and dessert cakes are done. No weddings for a couple weeks. 

A[IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/2916466/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

I made this today, its just a 6 inch two layer cake with chocolate SMBC, I'm recipe testing so I'm trying to keep them small! Made the flower with my five petal and heart shaped cutters, and some freehand cutting.

Ironically , as we are getting hit hard by the storm Nemo,  I am working on a 3D Nemo cake.

Freezing now, prepping for carving. 

Still open for ideas on how to do the fins.

I have cut them out of gumpaste and fondant, but still have them sealed up while I figure out if I am going to let them dry and attach them, somehow, to the cake, or create the fins by forming them with fondant covering the  cake .

We were out tonight for our son's belt promotion. He got his red belt tonight and was moved up to the teen class...youngest to ever do so in his Dojo. Very proud night. Only one job this week and that was birthday cupcakes. Yellow cake filled with blackberry buttercream, topped with vanilla buttercream and drizzled with blackberry syrup. So simple but definitely yummy! I made more than enough so we could have some at home this week too<G>.

This upcoming week is totally different...I have both my daughters 29th birthday cake but also Valentine's to do. Going to be a really busy week!

Cat

Hello everyone,

I am just putting the finishing touches on a Wedding cake for tomorrow. Just a super simple square 3-tier quilted cake with fondant ribbon and monogram on the middle tier. The best part is is that I get to attend thsi wedding and maybe eat the cake!  Also have a gender reveal cake for tomorrow. That one is done but letting the bows and such dry for the night. And I had a 2 tier Hugs and Stitches 1st birthday that left this morning.

This week was moderate, next week is NUTS! I ran a V-Day cupcake promo and WOW never would have dreamed to get as many orders as I did. Fairly simple design, just hardened chocolate drizzled hearts, `be mine` Love` etc`and pink,red and white icing.

Melanie: Can honestly say I have never done a Nemo cake. But... I would likely do a gumpaste fin with a skinny wire in it and attach it to the body after it is dry. But.. that is about all I can offer... never really thought about it.

I do know what you mean about next week. I have so many cupcakes to be done for Valentine's Day and then my daughters cake, I'm overwhelmed thinking about how much work I'll be doing Wednesday and Thursday alone! Your cakes sound wonderful! Post photos when you can?

I am off to bed. Tomorrow begins our Little League year...first practice is tomorrow morning.

Night!

Cat

I have just got 2 new pantry cupboards and so am turning my sewing room (Which is rarely used as such now a days) into a cake decorating room this weekend.  That way I don't have to look at mess spread out over the dining room table for days at a time.  Now I will be able to shut the door and walk away.

Working on a disney princess inspired cake with hand painted princesses, fabric ruffles, roses, and crown on top. Then a valentines cake inspiration cake for me and hubby. We will not be in town for valentines, so why not make a cake early for the both of us. Pink champagne cake, strawberry filling with SMBC covered in fondant. :) YUMM!

Iceland, that sounds just SOOO cute! And, yes, why not do Valentine's a bit early?!

And Cazza...I'm totally jealous! Now that California has a Cottage Law and I can work out of my home I'm finding the same issues...stuff everywhere! When I use to go to the rental kitchen I had everything in boxes that I just took in and out of the house...now I have to find home for everything and I'm having issues. There is going to be a BIG makeover for our kitchen cabinets next week while the kids are on winter break. I have to find room for everything and get it off my counters!

Cat

Hi Cat and everyone, 

Valentine's day isn't really that big in Oz so I don't have an Valentine stuff to do.  I have started back teaching this past week , I must admit I really do enjoy it. I have one new student that is a young boy and he is so keen and motivated that it motivates me too. I also think he is going to be quite talented, he covered a cake like a pro first go and piped a snail trail and leaves almost as well as I do .  Of course you could put it down to me being and excellent teacher ( says she with her tongue firmily in her cheek ) . 

It appears to have stopped raining today , so I am hoping to get to work on the flowers for my upcoming wedding cakes , just roses and lilys but I also need to have bits and bobs made for a bird cage cake. 

I also have to adapt a caramel mudcake recipe to be gluten free and dairy free , so it is recipe testing this week as well. 

Cazza , I just had shelving installed in my office floor to ceiling on two walls to hold all my cake equipment , I am planning on putting a small aircon in there and a TV point so I can lock myself away .  We have a joke in this house about when I clean up the dining table , It is actually brown . 

Chelle,

Valentine's is a huge deal here. Oddly enough, this year, cupcakes are all the rage. I'm making three different types Thursday for deliveries. Let us know how the gluten/dairy free thing goes. I haven't had a whole lotta success with it. Well, the stuff tasted good but it wasn't good cake/frosting.  And good to hear the rain let up a bit. We could actually use some here in California. After two months of the wettest weather we've had in a long time we suddenly are totally dry. 

I'm SO jealous of your shelves! I have no where near that sort of space. Have to make due with what I have...thus the storage overhaul of my kitchen next week! LOL!

Cat

The enthusiasm for holidays like Valentines Day took me by surprise when we moved here. The fact that every store has a whole aisle for its 'seasonal' items, and is always filled, is quite amazing. In Europe we might wish each other a happy St Patricks day, if we even know that it's that particular day, but we won't spray our hair green, wear green outfits, walk round in green plastic beads all day, and eat green everything. And kids don't give each other valentines cards unless its because they want to! It is fun though. 

I am working on a 3 tier topsy turvy Alice inWonderland cake for a first birthday with 24 teacup cupcakes to co-oordinate need coffee lol

It took me two years to save for the shelves Cat , they were a might expensive but sooooo worth it , they have lovely sliding doors as well to hide everything from sight. 

It is the same here Kiki we really don't go overboard with much in Australia , I guess we are too laid back to put ourselves out much. 

Diva they had Alice in Wonderland on TV here last night , I actually had nightmares after watching it. 

I have found that I can adapt my mudcake recipe quite well to gluten free , I do sub the plain flour /self raising flour mix for all self raising gluten free and it seems to work okay.  For the dairy free , I use coconut milk  instead of the usual buttermilk as well and it still seems to work .. I won't say they are as good as my regular mud but I am not ashamed to say I baked it.  At least this bride is only having a small portion , around twelve serves as the gluten and dairy free. So the rest of the wedding guests get the good caramel mudcake.