Talking Allergies

Here are pictures of my kids last b'day cakes, which I made. I could not bake a cake at all prior to having kids with allergies. My youngest daughter had her first severe reaction on her first birthday...her party was 3 days later and I was forced to get creative and learn to decorate cakes. I did not want them to have ugly disaster cakes every year because mommy was patheitic in the kitchen. I bought a decorating kit and taught myself. The pictures of the cakes I made the first year are not on digital...so I can not post them. These cakes were from march '05. My older daughter had 2 care bear cakes because she invited lots of her school friends, and needed two cakes.

Figuring out how to get them here was quite intense, but I did it thanks Storm!

The girls both have bdays in march, I can't wait to try their cakes this year! I really enjoy it now. My friend has kids with peanut/nut/milk/egg allergies, her daughters birthday is in april and I am going to make her cake as well.

Those are great looking cakes.

I taught myself how to decorate cakes while off of mat leave with my daughter. Little did I know it would come in handy because of her allergies. Can you post the recipe for your icing? I made her an ELMO cake this year but my icing was too runny so it wouldn't hold the stars - it turned out anyway but I'd like to find a recipe I can use to actually use the tips I have.

Thanks

Decorator icing

1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup milk free marg (must be a thick one, I recommend earthbalance)
2 tsp clear vanilla extract (made by wilton)
8ups icing sugar
4 tbsp soy milk

Cream shortening and marg with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Makes 6 cups. This can then be colored with wilton gel colors that do not thin your icing...consistency is critical for decorating.

earth balance makes a good shortening as well...I plan on using it this year. Typical vegetable shortening (crisco) is trans fats. The earth balance is a blend pf palm, canola, olive and NOT hydrogenated, but still the right consistency. Recent studies show that coconut and palm oils, which are typically solid at room temperature, are not saturated fats as previously thought. They are a liquid at the room temp. of the areas which they are grown, and their molecular structure is not "saturated". They actually have health benefits and should be included in our diet. I figured a switch from crisco to earth balance shortening would be a lot healthier. I'll let you know how the icing turned out with the product change.

Wonderful cakes! You are amazing, saskmommyof2!

Good job on posting the pics! Just edit your message to get rid of the text [URL"http://photobucket.com"] and then the other [/url]. Basically, remove the text before [img]and%20after[/img]. That way the message and text will fit on the screen.

Almost there, saskmommyof2. Just add [img] right before the "http" are it will work!

There you go!! EXCELLENT!! You're a pro now!

Yikes that was complicated. Storm, how do you know so much about computers?

Oops double post!

I work all day on one! I'm self-taught. If I can do it, so can you!

I also moderate two other boards (not allergy-related). One of the boards has software similar to this one.

Beautiful cakes saskmommy!

Saskmommy, your cakes turned out BEAUTIFULLY! I am so impressed! What is the name of your cake decorating book? My cake's are NOT a thing of beauty ... What I've been doing is icing the cake (just your basic smearing of the icing on the cake), and then putting a cake topper on it. For my son's birthday in January, I iced the cake and then stuck Thomas the Tank Engine on top - he LOVED it! His mouth was gaping open when he saw Thomas on top. For my daughter's birthday in March, I'm once again going to smear the icing on, then stick Barbie Pegasus Pony on top. I'm sure you can envision nothing too elaborate, but my kids think their mom is so creative! Isn't that hilarious?!

I had purchased this

http://goldaskitchen.com/merchant.ihtml ... 941&step=4

it includes a book, and all you need to get started. I have since purchased a box of 12 icing gel colors, and some more tips, just to try out some new cool decorating. I made my brothers wedding cake and made the side look like a basket weave. I also have a few different shaped pans, which are easy because the markings are on the cake you just pipe a line of icing on the outlines and fill in with stars (tip 16 ).

You can go to the wilton website

http://www.wilton.com/decorating/basic/index.cfm

to learn pretty much anything you want to know about cake decorating. There is even some video clips of how to use certain tips. It reminds me of "playdoh fun factory" how the icing comes out in different shapes. It is honestly really easy, you just have to have the right consistency of icing. I find icing a cake "the old fashioned way" of just spreading on the icing to be rediculously hard. I always make a mess, and crumbs get in the icing. I find decorating to be easier.

Saskmommyof2 said,



You truly have a talent for it! I wonder how much we have changed since food allergies came into our lives?

My husband is making a Barbie doll cake for a birthday party our daughter is attending. You know, the type that you bake in a bowl and stick a doll in then decorate like a dress?
I'm going to give him your icing recipe, thanks!!

beautiful cakes-would you please tell me what store do you buy earth balance from and I can check if its in Ontario-thx