Big Awesome Cake: Vacation, Cakes, Love, and FOOD!

Since I've been away from the blog for such a long time, I thought it would be a good idea for me to update you guys on everything I've been doing. I've really taken a hiatus from cake decorating since the beginning of December. I made a really awesome Marbled Pumpkin Spiced cake for Halloween. I hand painted the fondant, which was superrr fun! I used candy corn an candy pumpkins for decorations, along with some modeling chocolate decorations and buttercream decorations. I had a blast decorating this cake! I'm still not happy with my fondant. I can never seem to get the edges straight without having to pinch something in the back. I'll have to practice more, especially now that I have a square cake pan set to work with!

In November I had a giveaway on my Big Awesome Cake's Facebook page. The two winners would receive one mini cake each, and would get to choose one of my two most popular Fall flavors: Apple Pie Cake or Spiced Pumpkin. One winner requested a fall themed Spiced Pumpkin cake. The other winner wasn't able to collect her prize until December, so she received a Winter themed Apple Pie cake!

Sometime around the end of November I got my first 21st birthday cake request. I was really scared because I've only ever done traditional type decorating. This birthday cake had to be fun and flirty and a little bit boozy. I finally came up with the perfect recipe: Bushwacker Cake! I made a coconut rum soaked cake with creme de cacao mousse filling and a Kahlua buttercream. After a few test rounds and some finite changes, the results were phenomenal. I really wanna get wasted eating that cake. *ahem* Naturally I had to give that barbie some sprinkle vomit. I got the bottle decorations that are on the cake from Etsy.

In December I started selling my annual Christmas cookie and treat tins. They were a huge hit. Unfortunately, the divinity was a big problem due to all of the rain we just happened to have those few weeks, but everything else went swimmingly (just imagine I said that in a British butler's voice.) I came up with a new cookie and a new candy to sell in the tins: Peanut Butter Swirl Old Fashioned Fudge (none of that "can of condensed milk" BS - no offense, it's just not nearly as good as the original) and Pecan Pie cookies (with a sugar cookie crust!)

My boyfriend and I took a vacation for our anniversary at the end of December. (I can't believe he's put up with me for so long. Muahahahaha I've got him hooked!) We're usually pretty tight on funds, so I saved up just enough Money to surprise him with a trip to Louisiana. I planned it all out, paid for the hotels, which I got extreme discounts for, planned some things for us to do on our trip, and printed it all out for him to read. He was so happy he nearly cried, but if you tell anyone that I'll kill you with my icing spatula. Our first night we stayed in a lovely, beautiful, and romantic B&B in Covington, LA. We also went to the Abita brewery nearby. Beer is poison. That is all. Then we traveled to the magical land of New Orleans where we ate pork belly and king cake, among various other cajun delights. We also went to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.