When I decided to go home for the weekend, I wanted to make something special for my Mum. For some reason Carrot Cake jumped out as the obvious choice. Having never made a Carrot Cake before I was excited about the challenge and wanted it to be outstanding. It took a while for me to pick the recipe I wanted to use but eventually settled on one and added a few of my own tweaks. Instead of one large sheet cake I wanted a towering layer cake, generously iced with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting. The cake itself was moist and flavourful which balanced out the sweetness of the frosting. I like the 'naked' looking cakes so I left the sides bare, I only wish I had added more frosting to the top. I finished by decorating with Walnut halves and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Had I used Pecans in the recipe I would have decorated with them instead. I enjoyed a wedge of this scrummy cake with a cup of tea! I was really happy with how my carrot cake turned out and the feedback from my family made it extra special. I will definitely be making this again!
A few days ago, one of my friends and work colleagues asked me to make her mothers 50th Birthday Cake. This is the first time someone had commissioned me to bake a cake for them. I was truly honoured, if a little hesitant at first. With a simple request of a vanilla layer cake, filled with vanilla butter cream and raspberry jam, how could I say no?! I was informed that her mother like all things Scottish, so I finished the cake with fondant icing and added thistle flowers and a bow for decoration. I am really proud at how elegant the cake turned out to be. The cake gets collected later this evening so hopefully it goes down well.
