Project Cake Number THREE and my SECOND cake commission

It's hard for me to decide where to start this post and what exactly to do with it. This week I had two multi-tiered cakes due that both needed to be decorated to perfection while still maintaining my high standards for taste (ha! how's that for high class food jargon!). I've always struggled with timing when bake, so this week I made an exact schedule that I was to follow to the minute if I was going to finish these cakes, go to work, and maintain some semblance of sanity. A very loose semblance of sanity.

But like anything, there were many phases that I went through to complete these two cakes on time and without throwing any sharp objects.

Phase One: Excitement
It was at this (misguided) first phase where I decided it would be a good idea to go for a three teir cake and a two teir cake. Lasting approximately 3 days, I made over two dozen fondant roses and rose buds in various creamy pastel colours while watching BBC dramas on the tv. After taking out every baking book I owned, I settled for a "simple" sponge cake that I could put together and freeze no problem. I would also whip up a marscapone cream in lieu of a buttercream for the three teir cake for something different to try. I wanted this cake in particular to impress. I looked at countless photos of wedding cakes and youtube videos of making wedding cakes for inspiration and nailed the ability to effortlessly draw out a 3D picture of a teired cake with any number of designs on it. Pages and pages of designs.

Phase Two: Apprehension
The thing about looking at countless pictures of wedding cakes online, is that after a while they all begin to look exactly the same. The colours, the flowers, the general themes... it's as though all these cakes were taken out of the same book. However, with a generic cake look, comes an inherent expectation for that exact look. An expectation I was begining to believe would be very very difficult to meet. It was during this phase where I began to try scheduling myself to the minute. It was also here where I keenly chewed off each and every one of my carefully manicured fingernails. Delicious.

Phase Three: Calm
The thing about phases is that there is always one stuck in there that surprises you. In one single day I set out to (calmly) do everything on the schedule with no excuses or complaints. This meant that in that one single day I made 4 cakes, a lemon curd, lemon syrup, raspberry syrup, marscapone cream, and honey buttercream. That's right. Honey buttercream. And yes, it was as spring delicious as it sounds. Unsurprisingly, this was the least stressful part of the whole ordeal. I got to be creative and play with food the way I always have. It came naturally and I was able to dance through the kitchen listening to The Clash and Adam Ant without any worries at all. It was going to taste good (it was going to taste freaking delicious actually) and really, to me, that's all that has ever mattered.

Phase Four: Terror
The two teir cake was the project cake for the final class of my cake decorating course. As part of the criteria, I had to get as far as rolling the fondant onto the cake before the class. Everything else would added at the actual class itself. First off, let me say that fondant is the stupidest concept ever. You don't actually eat it, and putting it over a cake is most likely the reason I will die of a heart attack or stroke at 30. Forget high cholesterol--fondant is where my issues lie. That's not the terrifying part though. Oh no, that's only stressful. The Terrifying part is the part where I have to drive to the class with this cake place precariously on my lap. If it fell due to a sudden stop or turn I think I might have actually got out of the car and punched someone in the face. Little bit high strung at this point, needless to say.

Phase Five: Acute Panic
Cake number 2, the three teired cake that was commissioned, is covered in fondant, has some admittedly adorable ribbon wrapped around it, and a nicely piped string of pearls. AND IS SAGGING LIKE THE PARTS ON AN OLD PERSON!!! People ask whether it's themed as the leaning Tower of Pisa (so clever) and I am very concerned that the whole thing will topple over before I even get a chance to pipe on my carefully planned decoration. Is the cake inside alright? Has it turned into some kind of mouldy mush?? When I deliver it to my unwitting (possibly unwilling) partons, will they cut it open to find something green and hairy living inside?? All I want to do is peel back the blue fondant and check...

Phase Six: Sweet Relief (see also, pride or euphoria)
It's over. The whole ordeal has finally come to an end and I can see the cakes for what they are. They really are quite pretty. I don't think I've ever made anything that looked quite so beautiful before. It's almost a shame that they'll have to be cut into and devoured. They look like they're worth the time and effort (and maybe even the tears). I have to say that even the actual decorating part was exciting to the point where I didn't want to stop. Didn't expect that one!

When everything is all said and done, I think I learned more from making these two cakes these weeks than I could have learned reading any one of my many many books or online. I know that the next one will be easier only because there are so many things I would do just a little bit differently. I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed that the cake inside isn't actually green and hairy...

top five locations in which to put yourself in a food coma (that I missed out on):

I would never by any means say that I have been all over the world traveling and eating good food. In fact, I have this bad habit of adopting strange and "budget friendly" diets while in foreign countries. So here is a list of the places in the world I have been to that offer some of the best food man has come up with, and the food that I ate there instead:

1. Rome

While in Rome (and Venice too) I survived solely on nutella, apricot pago, and fresh baked bread from whatever bakery was still open and close by when I was on my way back to the hostel. While nutella is undoubtedly delicious (especially on fresh bread), it is not exactly intended to be consumed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a week strait. I will admit that I snuck in some fruit and vegetables from the markets, but that was really only to prevent scurvy. Now many Italians would argue that Rome is quite possibly the worst place in Italy to go to if you're looking for the very best Italian food, but I have to say that the one Pizza Margherita that I splurged on on the my first day there was almost an erotic sensation, it tasted so good. I will also admit that some of the money I saved by not feeding myself like a rational human went to a daily scoop of gelato from one of the many little gelato places that are open in Rome in July. That is something I will not apologize for to anyone. A brand new flavour every day was my goal and by the end of a sweltering hot day walking the streets of Rome, a cold scoop of pistachio gelato melting on my tongue was just about the closest thing to bliss I could think of (that or a cold shower...).
While in Italy I was far to poor (and honestly way too overwhelmed with all the sights this fantastic city has to offer) to really get to taste some good Italian food. So the next time I hit up Roma (and believe me, there will be a next time!), I will make a definite effort to eat some of the brilliant food that Italy has to offer.

2. London

Ah London... The few times I was in London I was only there briefly, and so overwhelmed by the cost of everything in the city that I limited my food intake to what was available on the "day old" table at Tesco and trail mix packages from home. I think I also made a couple special trips to Pret a Manger simply because the food there is so SO tempting and fresh and... available! Also, the happy little phrases that are on all the packaging made me smile. Go marketing! Believe me though, London has far more to offer in the way of food than quick sandwiches and day old baked goods at a low end super market. Even putting aside all the REAL high end establishments like The Fat Duck and Nobu, there are still loads of restaurants and places to eat in London that I would absolutely love to gorge my self in. The unfortunate thing about London, however, is that like Rome, there are just too many other things to do there! You forget that you have to eat at some point when you're too busy running from one fantastic sight to another. Cities with a reputation for remarkable eating should tone down their other attractions so that the average middle class traveller can experience some of their food!

3. Tokyo

While I was in Tokyo I experienced two very different types of food on a regular basis. The first type lasted a month and consisted of eating nothing but instant ramen noodles and the occasional trip to one of the billion little sushi-ya's that are on every single corner in the enormous city. The second type of regular dining experience was on the second month of my stay in Tokyo and I'll go into that in another post. When you think of Tokyo, you usually don't immediately think of all that it has to offer in terms of gastronomic indulgence. Gastronomic adventure maybe... but you'd get that same sense of clueless dining anywhere in Asia. The Japanese are notorious for their tendency toward perfection, and they are no different when it comes to their food. It's an art that is taken quite serioulsy and you can tell.

4. Vienna
When I was in Vienna I was only 13 years old and I was there with family to visit family. Most of the time when I was in Vienna I remember eating food at the home where I was staying with family. However, I know that when I was in the city centre there were Kaffeehauses and delicatessens and restaurants everywhere you looked. Vienna is renowned for its baking and fine patisserie, and while there is often nothing better than homemade, having a chance to try some of the finest food that Vienna has to offer would be an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

5. New York

New York is the exception on this list. While in New York I had the opportunity to dine at possibly the best restaurant I have ever eaten at in my life. I also got to try some delicious Mexican food (a treat that I wouldn't easily get to try at home) and pizza that was on par with pizza I had in Rome. What you learn early on while in New York is that if you want to eat you have to keep your eyes open! You gotta pay attention and look beyond the construction sites. Definitely check your guidebook and make an effort to try and find these places. The gems aren't always going to cost you a weeks worth of food at home and are probably closer than you think. I do have to say though, just because the Starbucks are everywhere and easy to find in a pinch, there are definitely better options if you keep your eyes open.