...can you see what it is yet-take 2...

You might remember few posts back I had done couple sketches of the Statue of Liberty for a New York themed 21st cake for Stephanie...well the cake complete looks a little something like this! It's a 2 flavor cake, alternate coconut and red velvet layers (got the stripes in but will have to think on better solution next time to getting stars layer involved!) Happy 21st Birthday to my gorgeous sister!! Xx

...muffins make the world go around...

Listening to country radio and singing my achey breaky heart out, I got to making some muffins last night to add to the amazing platter being taken to the Freeman's radiology team today:)

I tried the Fireball Whiskey Chocolate again and was happy once more. Also pleased with Blueberry Lemon and then Chocolate Walnut muffins. All in all a good day which started out with the Thursday Quilting on the Hill team consisting of the lovely Lucie, Shelley and Sylvia- you can find the lovely Lucie teaching every fortnight on the Hill, Thursday mornings from 10-1. This week they started a mixed painted stitchery- all looking very fetching so far!

...oh pancakes you glorious things you...

Well it is Shrove Tuesday after all...and I don't think pancakes are the same without a good lashing of maple syrup!! I enjoyed the superfine pancake variety by the hands of Dad..and they were gooood:)

...fireball whiskey chocolate cupcakes...

Today's day away from the 'Hill' was spent doing some recipe research and play...a bottle of Fireball whiskey and bar of Green & Blacks 85% dark chocolate were my inspiration! The recipe I devised was a dark chocolate cake mix using cocoa powder as well as chocolate chunks in the batter to add a good bit of texture. I cored a small part of the cake out when icing to keep the Fireball taste running through the bite. For my icing I used a mix of Fireball whiskey and vanilla essence to cut against the bitterness of the dark chocolate. I plan to decorate these with Valentine's themed painted toppers, but for now have used edible glamour dust...a girl can never have enough glamour dust!

...margaritas...moustaches...cupcakes...

Last night was spent with the company of girlies Leanne and Kayliegh, we enjoyed the delights of homemade frozen margaritas, Mexican food and Tom Selleck...what better way to spend an evening:) a true girls night we watched Valentine's Day followed by Three Men And A Baby. Good times indeed!

Today was spent on the 'Hill' where the lovey Margaret, Julie, Brendie, Alison and Karen joined in on a good painting session:) I went all cupcakey and this little garland was the outcome...

...can you see what it is yet...

The gorgeous Stephanie's 21st is coming up and I'm planning a New York themed cake for her...one day she hopes to own a record/art gallery in New York. Here's a couple of sketches I've been working on this morning to possibly have painted on top of the cake...

...a 21'st choccy cake...

So last week's cake antics involved getting the KitchenAid out again...always ends in something good going in the oven! The lovely Callum turned 21 last week and fabulous musician that he is I thought I would create an 'Orange' Amp inspired chocolate ginger cake for him.

The cake recipe was altered from one of The Hummingbird Bakery's...Brooklyn Blackout Cake(chocolate addicts heaven!)

                                                                                                              

I absolutely LOVE Green & Blacks cocoa!

 Okay to the Brooklyn Blackout recipe I added a couple extra ingredients to taste...ginger powder...gingerbread rum (Marks and Spencers- thank you very much, just found this over Christmas!)

 Baked in two square tins and cooled then sliced both cakes in two again...filled with chocolate frosting. This shows before I trimmed the cakes and cut off rough edges.

Strong arms required for coloring the icing...:(

 I next began to cover the cakes and board with the various colors.

 Once covered and relatively smoothed I began painting a wood effect on the board and adding more color to the speaker covering on  top of the cake.

 The emblem and label  is normally stitched onto the speaker covering of the amp, so a-painting I went...

I painted using concentrated icing gel colors (Wilton's I've found quite good to use, different consistencies gained with water). After I applied the emblem I made small corner coverings and got on with painting the dial symbols from the amp, instead of adding actual dials I thought it would be more effective with the symbols enlarged and surrounding the cake.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALLUM:)