First Wedding Cake

I made my first wedding cake 2 weeks ago... it was really fun, but also really stressful. The bride was very laid-back, but I wanted to make sure it was absolutely perfect for her special day!

I made a 4-tier cake: 12", 10", 8" and 6". The 12", 8" and 6" cakes were all a Chocolate WASC, filled with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Mousse (without the vanilla bean- I make my own vanilla so it already has the vanilla bean seeds in it), and iced using a Crusting Buttercream that was perfect for the Viva Paper Towel smoothing method.  I'm still working on getting my icing smooth, so I'm trying different techniques along the way to see what works best for me!

The 10" tier was a regular WASC and had a strawberry jam filling (from Trader Joe's) and the same Crusting Buttercream recipe as the other tiers.

This is the 12" tier with its initial crumb coat.

This is the top tier- used a shell border with lavender dot accents. A lavender mesh ribbon was used to accent the cake on the bottom border of each layer.

This is the cake as I was assembling it at the church kitchen- it was a hot day and there was no way I could transport the whole thing assembled- let alone carry it, lol!

 

Annnddd the final product with the cake topper and flowers.In the end, she was happy and that meant the world to me.  Congratulations Barbara! Many happy years of love and prosperity to you both :) Thank you for asking me to be a part of such a special day- it was a true honor!

Almond Butter Cookies

My dream vacation is a 28 day cruise around the Mediterranean Ocean with the first stop being Greece. I have wanted to visit Greece since high school, and it continues to be my dream vacation destination. Because of my desire to make my first major trip a Grecian experience, I felt it was only fitting to make a recipe from Greece as my first experience in my Midnight Baking Adventures!

These are called Almond Butter Cookies, aka Greek Wedding Cookies. They are typically found in the ball shape or crescent / moon shape and covered with powdered sugar once they leave the oven. This cookie is kind of dry, and not ideal for dunking (will crumble!). They aren't too sweet if you only eat one or two, but will satisfy that midnight sweet-tooth craving!

Ingredients:

1/2 C blanched almonds or walnuts (Measure whole then finely chop- I used my Food Chopper)

1 C unsalted butter at room temperature

1 1/4 C confectioner's (powdered) sugar

1 egg yolk

2 C all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

*Preheat oven to 300 degrees Farenheit.

**Line two cookie sheets with parchment / waxed paper.

Steps:

1) Using a hand or stand mixer on medium speed: Blend butter, 1/4 C powdered sugar and egg yolk together until smooth.

2) Add in flour, cloves and salt until well blended.

3) Add in chopped nuts.

4) Roll into 1" balls or form dough into crescent / moon shapes and place on the lined cookie sheet 1" apart (the cookies don't expand much).

5) Bake for 10 minutes.

6) Remove from oven to cooling rack and allow to cool and set for approximately 5 minutes.

7) Fill a small bowl with the remaining 1 C of powdered sugar.

8) Roll each cookie gently in the sugar to lightly coat each cookie.

This recipe yields approximately 40 cookies.

Kitchen Tools used in this recipe:

Pampered Chef Food Chopper

1/4 C Measuring Cup

1/4 tsp Measuring Spoon

Large Mixing Bowl

Hand Mixer with Two Beaters

Pampered Cheff Small Cookie Scoop

Two Cookie Sheets

Pampered Chef Cooling Rack

This recipe was found in Williams-Sonoma's Essentials of Mediterranean Cooking.