Baby Shower Desserts
I had the distinct honor of co-hosting the baby shower of my grade-school friend Pam. She is expecting baby Aria in May. I, of course, volunteered to make several desserts!
Stats:
- 8" round doctored cake
- cooked flour filling and icing
- covered in fondant
- decorated with modeling chocolate blossoms
- "No Fail Sugar Cookies"
- covered with fondant and modeling chocolate
- decorated with texture sheets
- macarons
- filled with dark chocolate peanut butter spread
- dark chocolate fudge cupcakes (box mix)
- iced with mixed swirl of chocolate and peanut butter icing
- failed petit fours (not in photographs)
- cream cheese pound cake
- filled with pate a bombe icing and strawberry jam
- failed to cover with chocolate almond bark
This was my first time to use some brand of almond bark that I got at Walmart. When I went to dip my petit fours, it clumped badly and my parents didn't have any shortening to help smooth it out. I gave up on them and figured I'd move on to baking cupcakes. I look under the kitchen cabinet for their KitchenAid mixer and it's not there! NOTHING is there! Not even the other ancient standing mixer. I look in the pantry and there's no hand mixer! Ack. I called my girlfriend who was hosting the party at her house and informed her it wasn't going well. I asked her if she had a mixer and she said she did. I packed everything up and went over there. Her standing mixer was not awesome ... it was barely adequate. I mean this from a caker's perspective, so I am exaggerating, but I was pressed for time and missed my KitchenAid badly! I managed to make and plate everything else in time (barely). I was piping the frosting on the last cupcakes as guests were walking in.
We had so much food. The guests hardly made a dent in my desserts, and I'm sure the chocolate fountain and its accessories had a hand in that. I'm still working on perfecting macarons. They were a bit chewier than I'd like. I forgot the baking powder in the sugar cookies, but couldn't even tell. The cupcakes were very yummy and chocolate + peanut butter icing was a great combo. I didn't get a slice of cake though :( The grandmother-to-be showered me with compliments, so it was very rewarding.