Charlie
The Homebaker
An adventurous homebaker from Italy and the World
Here are some of my recent experiences: a royal birthday, a french lesson and a fresh engagement.
A lovely Princess Birthday
One of my friends had a big birthday - she was turning 30! Maybe for some this is the real end of
childhood and the beginning of fully-fledged adulthood. I agree to disagree.
I conspired with her other friends and we planned a lovely girly cake, with lots of empowering
words
from adulthood written on it in bitter dark chocolate. And this is how the alternative princess
cake
was
born.
A genoise sponge, split in two layers. On the first layer there is some lovely raspberry jam,
topped
with a layer of homemade citrussy custard, then there is a second layer of genoise and a second
layer of
custard. The dome shape is artfully given by shaped chilled hand-whipped cream, on top of which
a
layer
of homemade marzipan has been carefully laid down. After, decorations have been added in dark
chocolate
and a handmade sugar rose tops the whole cake.
Instructor from a workshop I took showing baguette shaping
A light and elegant engagement
I got a wonderful yet awful bit of news recently: two of my youngest friends are engaged to be
married!
Lovely because they are celebrating their commitment to one another in front of their dearest
friends
and family members, awful because - well - they are at least 5 years younger than me and now I
feel
old.
Regardless, I had to give them the best engagement present I possibly could - it was CAKE TIME.
This engagement cake is as sweet as it is stable (with a bit of hidden fun). It has two layers
of
sponge
(both soaked in citrussy rhum), between which sits a layer of homemade strawberry jam and
hand-whipped
premium quality cream mixed in with hand-diced fresh strawberries. Outside it is lavisciously
covered in
vanilla whipped-cream and topped with fresh strawberries, bluberries and mint leaves. The cherry
on
top
being the two sugar-paste engagement rings, filled with edible gold glitter.