Earlier today I posted a screen shot of some roses I found searching Google.

That particular set of images captured my interest as they are so beautiful. I figured I'd use these as models to practice creating realistic sugar roses. If you're following me on Facebook you may remember a few months back I set out to focus on creating life-like sugar roses, then eventually other assortments of flowers.


Today began Day 1 of the roses in the screen shot:

Now on to the others!
Hope you like it. Thanx for looking!

A few months ago, I started off by telling you about my sugar rose adventures. Well I guess the practice and hard work is paying off. At least I was satisfied to see the finished product of a floral bouquet I put together. And this time it was for myself, so that made it even sweeter. 

In my continuation of practicing and studying the sugar rose, I decided to incorporate them into my birthday cake this year. Let's face it, they're so darn darling! 

I get asked a lot how do I come up with concepts for cake or is it just all in my head....my response is always "a little bit of both, mostly the later" lol. My canvas for cake is a lot like my paintings, I don't sketch much, I just have an idea in my head, then as I'm working, God gives me a little something extra and ZAP!, it can all change just that quick!

I'm inspired by many things fashion, paper, jewelry (all things Darling) this year I wanted to make something pink with a black and pink striped hat. So the concept for the cake was built around that. As you can see, here's my rough sketch just to get the idea down. Pen down, then a week later, sketch #2 in color! Which I want to believe is the final sketch but know it's not.

Day 1 began the roses:
I took my time and began early working on the sugar roses. Giving me enough time to prep, plan, make arrangements and make extras (for mishaps) as they are so delicate. 

Day 2 began the roses plus filler flowers which I'd never taken time to create. 

Of course there needs to be time for them to dry, in the interim, cakes are being baked and I'm making more fillers! Now comes the fun part, decorating the cake!!! HORAYYYY!! I'm excited to see what the end result will be, sometimes it's like I'm not even putting it all together. Cakes have been iced and decorated, now comes the Assembly:

Yup! This girl ;-)
Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Purity, Innocence, Sympathy, Spirituality. 

As I worked on this cake, (and in my head this is incomplete lol), I generally accompany this style of cake with a rose. Which you can see a small bud in the pic above. Although blue roses aren't natural, they're so darling! So I decided to work on blue roses.

I fell in love with it so much that my focus now for the next few months or so will be sugar flowers and perfecting the art of the sugar rose. Hopefully I'll have something to post soon, as I've already begun working on them. I'm so fascinated. 

So, Halloween is nearing and for those of you that still like to host Spooktacular Parties you'll want to have amazing treats! This year, instead of buying candy from the store, why not try your hand at making some of your favorite Halloween treats yourself? Better yet, why not get the kids or your guests involved? Makes for a fun party!
 
Today I'm sharing a recipe courtesy of Alton Brown of Food Network for those of you who may want to try your hand at homemade candy corn. 

Gather your ingredients and give it a go! 

Candy Corn
Total Time:
1 hr 10 min
Prep:
1 hr 5 min
Cook:
5 min
Yield:80 to 100 pieces
Level:Intermediate

Ingredients
4 1/2 ounces confectioners' sugar (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 ounce nonfat dry milk (about 6 1/2 teaspoons)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 1/2 ounces granulated sugar (about 1/2 cup)
3 3/4 ounces light corn syrup (about 1/3 cup)
2 1/2 tablespoons H20
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 or 3 drops each yellow and orange gel paste food coloring

Directions
Combine the confectioners' sugar, dry milk and salt in a food processor. Pulse 4 or 5 times, until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Set aside.

Combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup and water in a 2-quart pot. Place over medium heat, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Add the butter, clip on a candy thermometer and bring the sugar syrup to 230 degrees F, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the thermometer.

Add the vanilla and the dry mixture and stir continuously with a silicone spatula until well combined. Pour onto a half sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture is cool enough to handle.

Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Add 2 or 3 drops of yellow food coloring to one piece and knead until the color is consistent throughout. Add 2 or 3 drops of orange to the second piece and knead until the color is consistent throughout. Leave the third piece white.

Roll each piece of dough into a strand about 18 inches long. Cut each strand in half and roll each piece into a strand that is about 1/2 inch thick and 22 inches long.

Lay the strands side by side (orange, yellow, then white) and press them together using your fingers. Cut into 4-inch pieces. Then, using a ruler or bench scraper, press each piece into a wedge, keeping the orange section wide and making the white part come to a tip.

Use a wire butter slicer, knife, bench scraper or pizza cutter to cut each wedge into individual candies. Lay the candies on a piece of parchment until dry, at least 1 hour. Store in an airtight container with parchment between each layer.

Photograph by Brett Kurzweil

I'm not usually a breakfast kind of gal, although I know it's very important, but I woke up this morning thinking "I want to make pancakes today."...Literally, I wanted to make them, create them rather, and not cook them lol. So that's exactly what I did, I made pancakes! Well the illusion of them , then I decided I'd add eggs over easy to accompany my panny-cakes. I mean, who doesn't like a side of eggs with their pancakes? 

Once I got in the groove of things I thought of adding bacon, but since I don't eat bacon I decided to nix that idea.

Darling Confections is celebrating its 4th year in business and we still want to be your go to bakery for all your custom baking needs. And because it’s our birthday, we’re offering more of your time favored flavorites with every purchase.  Use the code BDAY4, and every dozen cupcakes or cake pops gets you 4 free. (of same flavor & equal value)

Our traditional fall flavors include:
Caramel Apple
Chocolate Pumpkin w with Whipped Pumpkin Frosting
Eggnog
German Chocolate
Mint Chocolate
Red Velvet
Pumpkin with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Additional Desserts you may also want to try:(not included in promotion)
Original Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake 
NEW! Apple-Cider Doughnuts
Offer expires Dec. 31, 2013. Visit us at the link below for more flavors or to place an order
http://www.darlingconfections.com/Menu---Pricing.html

Please tell us how we can help you: 
With the holidays quickly approaching, we’d like to know what we can do to help you with your holiday planning.  Whether it’s a cake for a family dinner or treats for the office party, we’re here to help you save time and money without sacrificing the home baked goodness you desire. 
 
To submit your wish list, or comments telling us how we can better serve as your premier bakery, click the link below. 
http://www.darlingconfections.com/Contact-Us.html

Letter from the owner:
Thank you for sharing the past 4 years with Darling Confections.  Each of you has been a valued asset to my personal growth and the growth of the business and you truly are my greatest gift.  Please send us your feedback it is greatly appreciated.  Thank you again for your support.
 
Jacqui
Owner/Entrepreneur
Darling Confections
 

For me my artistry has always been my pleasure and is now my work (under no one's conditions). We're also in an age now of DIY and there are many outlets such as Etsy where people take something they enjoy and make a living of it. Now, this may not be the best course of action for everyone but sometimes it just means taking your hobbies and interests more seriously, rather than trying to make time for them here and there. Make them important, because having fun and enjoying yourself is important. You only have one life to live, make it your best life. Take time for you and don't neglect -your pleasure-.

So, from the first blog, I know it mentioned a lot of cake jargon all summed up in one that you may read and think “none of that means anything to me, it’s still too expensive for a custom cake” I thought I’d try to break it down a little more and stay on the subject of cake pricing.

You’re having a party and you need cake, so you decide to go to your local grocer/bakery and order a cake. You approach the counter and let the service staff know you want to order a cake for a birthday party, and ask what options are available. They then point you to a book with a few standard theme cakes they offer and you’re to choose from that book.

Now, when you speak to a baker that does custom cakes your cake is indeed custom, made specifically to fit you and your event. Yes, there may be previous cakes that a client has seen in our photo gallery or have photos of other cakes they want done, their particular cake still won’t be a direct duplicate of a previous cake, there will be similarities but no two cakes will be the same. On that note, we won’t point you to a book and tell you you have to choose from selected cakes. In fact most bakers want to know about You! and your event so that your cake is uniquely made to suit you and your taste. I would start with this, the initial consultation, idea/concept for your unique cake but just decided I may write about that separately as that’s a beast in and of itself! 

                 But let’s get into the construction of your custom cake.