I have always loved to "add" special touches when I decorate cakes, you know the swirlies and spikes with the spatula? My friends would call me over to help set up their kids' birthday parties and to ice the cakes because it would looke nice and I love planning parties! Back then it would just be canned frosting and a boxed cake mix, but that's okay because it is still special to the child to have their own cake! While in college I started working part-time (one day a week) for a bakery. I would wash the dishes and clean up for her. It was just a small bakery and she had just started to teach me how to frost cakes with a smooth finish when she needed someone to go full-time. I couldn't because I was in college studying to be a teacher and working at the daycare after school.
I taught a few years and in 2003 while living in PA I decided to take some Wilton cake decorating classes from Michaels. I talked my two friends Kara and Christine into taking the classes with me. They took the first two classes and I went on to take every class they offered , Wilton I,II, and III, candy making, cookie bouqet, and the first fondant class my teacher had ever taught. I had two wonderful older ladies as my teachers - talk about a lot of experience! My friends at work would see me looking through the Wilton Yearbooks and started begging me to make cakes for them. I was still using a box mix and my frosting was the Wilton decorator's buttercream. Everything additional I learned was from books (another love of mine!). I read cookbooks and cake books the way other people read novels!
After moving to Texas several of my new friends do not like cane sugar so I had to learn another way of cooking! Palm sugar is a great alternative with a low glycemic index that can be used for diabetics and gluten free cakes. All my cakes are from scratch now. Most of my "staple" cake recipes come from "The Whimsical Bakehouse". Every recipe I have tried has turned out great. The IMBC is the easiest to use with palm sugar since you melt the sugar first.
I had a great chance to attend my first cake show a couple of months ago in Austin. Talk about a great learning experience! I learned about modeling chocolate, gumpaste flowers, sugar art(blown and pulled sugar), airbrushing, and a lot more. I also met a lot of new friends who are helping me on my journey to expand my "art"
Why do I also want to write about aprons? I love aprons! Who does not have an apron in their kitchen? Each apron is unique and I want to learn more about their history and this is a great way to do it!
Since I have started blogging I have also learned to sew and quilt and like to talk about that also.
Thank you for joining me!
Missy
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