Graduation Cake

Here is a chocolate flavoured cake that my friend gave as a surprise for his girlfriend's graduation. A cake like this starts at $90 and can be personalised with the graduate's favourite colours, or by adding the year to the graduation cap or the area of study to the spine of the book(s).

Butterfly Naming Day Cakes

This weekend I had two very girly cake orders, which are always a lot of fun to make. The first of which were naming day butterfly cupcakes, with a larger cake to go on top with the girl's name. The cupcakes were strawberry flavoured, with a tasty cream cheese icing that was tinted light green, and the cake was vanilla bean and tinted with different shades of pink for a fun surprise when sliced. 

I absolutely loved the look of these cupcakes, and once you get the hang of it the butterflies are pretty simple to make! Here is the way I went about making the butterflies:

Candy Melt Monarch Butterflies

200g candy melts (colour of choice - or white chocolate)

100g black candy melts (or dark chocolate)

White sprinkles (optional)

1.  Before making, cut out individual squares of baking paper (a little larger than the size of one butterfly wing), and draw the outline of the wing on one sheet.

2.  With the remaining squares, trace the rest of the wings, remembering to alternate the sides so that the wings aren't all pointing to the same side.

3.  Melt each colour of candy melts separately, but be careful not to overheat. I did this by placing them in a mug and microwaving 10 seconds at a time. If you think the melts are too thick then you can add a little bit of shortening (or vegetable oil) to make it runnier.

4.  Pour into a piping bag fitted with a small plain round tip (or a sandwich bag with a small hole snipped from the corner).

5.  Place one square of baking paper onto a flat baking tray (drawn side down) and pipe the outline of the wing in black, followed by the coloured inside. Leave a few millimeters between the black and the colour as they will spread together.

6.  Gently tap the baking tray down on the bench until the candy melts have spread together and no gaps remain. Before the candy sets hard, use a toothpick or skewer to quickly draw lines from the black of the wing in to the colour (wiping down with a paper towel when needed) and, if using, add the sprinkles to the black edge. Tap the baking tray on the bench again to make sure the wing has a nice smooth surface.

7.  Repeat with the rest of the wings (you may want to get comfy as it can take a while) and allow the butterflies to set in the fridge.

8.  Once set, place into iced cupcakes at a 45º angle, and pipe some melted chocolate or candy melts down the middle for the butterfly's body.

I definitely recommend a lot of patience when making these butterflies, as you can expect a few messy ones before you develop a rhythm. It can be a bit frustrating when the weather is cold as you may need to remelt your chocolate a few times throughout making to keep it runny - and I need to top my baking tray with a tea towel as it was too cold and making the butterflies set too quickly.

More Little Mermaid Themed Treats

Vanilla rainbow cupcakes with turquoise white chocolate icing, toasted coconut 'sand', 

edible pearls and white chocolate shells.

Sugar cookie thank-you bags, incorporating the red, purple and green colour scheme.

Oreo pops with coloured candy melts and confetti sprinkles - a bit hit with the kids!

Little Mermaid Cake (& Licensed Character Policy)

This weekend was my friend Louise's 21st birthday party, and for her present I made her a strawberry flavoured Little Mermaid cake!

A cake this size and style would cost $150, however the photos of this cake are an example only as, due to copyright laws, I am unable to sell cakes that have licensed characters (such as Ariel or Flounder) without a copyright release. When browsing online for cake ideas, it is likely that you will find many different licensed character cakes, but these cakes would have been made for personal use (such as this one), with a copyright release, or illegally - without the copyright owner's permission.

If you would like to order a cake with licensed characters, you can either contact the copyright owner to obtain a release (which can be expensive and take a long time) or request that the cake matches the theme of the party as much as possible (eg. a coral reef themed cake), for which you can buy licensed accessories to put on your cake after receiving it.

Oakland Raiders Cake

This is a white chocolate Raiders helmet cake, the first of two very different cakes for this weekend. It was so hard to try and get every detail right, but I think it turned out pretty well considering how little about gridiron I know!

A cake similar to this one would cost $100.

This Week...

This week I have been busy with cupcake orders, making sugar cookie gift bags, trying a new Cookies & Cream Cupcake recipe, and preparing gum paste figures for this weekend's cakes, which I am so excited to start making. And it's only Tuesday!

Dried Pineapple Flowers

Dried pineapple flowers make for an eye catching garnish that are sure to impress. I use them as decorations for my favourite cupcake flavour - hummingbird! The best part is they are much easier to make than they look. Depending on your oven they can take several hours to make, but with the oven on such a low setting you don't need to worry about checking on them too often.

Dried Pineapple Flowers

(Makes 24)

1 large pineapple, peeled*

1.  Preheat oven to 100ºC and line two large baking trays with greaseproof paper.

2.  Remove the pineapple eyes using a melon baller or paring knife.

3.  Slice pineapple with a sharp knife - the thinner the better - and place on trays.

4.  Bake until the top appears dried (about 30 mins), then flip. Don't worry if you need to do this several times, it is important that they dry out as much as possible so that they aren't sticky.

5.  Remove from oven and place in a cupcake tray to curl up the edges. Allow to cool.

6.  Remove from cupcake tray and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days.

*Don't worry if the pineapple looks too big in diameter for the cupcake, you would be surprised by how much they shrink.

Adapted from Martha Stewart.

Update:

Jemma's Sweet Treat Catering only begun to take orders less than a week ago, and already the response has been amazing! Thank you so much to everyone who has already made an order, I'm looking forward to getting in the kitchen and making something special and unique for you.

However the downside to having so many orders come in is that unfortunately I will not be able to make any new cakes between now and May 16. This is because I would like to make every cake to the best of my ability and be able to give it my full attention. I will still be taking orders in this time, but only for cakes that are to be made from after this date.

Please note that this only applies to fondant cakes, and I will still be available for cupcake orders, as well as cake pops, sugar cookies, etc.

For order enquires, please contact me through the Jemma's Sweet Treat Catering Facebook page, or email jemmas.sweet.treat.catering@live.com.au.

Choc Honeycomb Cupcakes

As soon as I was inspired to make these choc honeycomb cupcakes I knew I had to make them right away, and they did not disappoint. I would go as far as to say that they are now my favourite chocolate-based cupcake (and I thought I would never be able to top the Ferrero Rocher cupcake).

I'd never heard of a choc honeycomb cupcake before, but thought that they certainly couldn't have been an original idea. Sure enough, I found heaps of recipes on the internet but they were nothing like I had in mind. These are are chocolate flavoured cupcakes, with a deliciously mousse-like chocolate icing (made with a Nestle Violet Crumble block of chocolate) and sprinkled with shards of broken Violet Crumble. However the thing that sets them apart from other cupcakes is the light and creamy honey custard filling. They will definitely be my chocolate cupcake of choice from now on.

Choc Honeycomb Cupcakes are a gourmet cupcake, meaning they are priced at $40 for 12, and $65 for 24. Please email for a quote if you require an order of different amounts.

Another Easter Treat

Carrot cupcakes make for a great alternative for a tasty Easter treat if you've had a chocolate overload. This Easter I made some mini carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing and candied carrot garnishes to go along with Cadbury Creme Egg cupcakes, mini Easter egg nests, and hot cross bun truffles. They make for a nice break from all of the chocolate, and I'm sure the Easter Bunny would approve!

Regular-sized carrot cupcakes could cost $30 for 12, or $50 for 24.

Happy Easter Long Weekend!

This year I received a special request to make Cadbury Creme Egg cupcakes. So I made chocolate cupcakes with a Creme Egg inside each one, with two-toned buttercream icing and a mini chocolate egg on top. But despite my massive sweet tooth, they were still far too sweet for my taste!

I love anything with peanut butter so I much preferred the mini Easter egg nests, which I made by simply nesting mini Cadbury Easter eggs in chocolate spiders. They make for a cute - and super easy! - Easter treat.

Mini Easter Egg Nests

(Makes 12)

1 x 100g pkt fried noodles

2 tbsps peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)

200g milk chocolate

36 mini Easter eggs

1.  Prepare a baking tray (or large container) by covering in baking paper.

2.  Melt chocolate and peanut butter together in a heat proof bowl. This can be done gradually in the microwave, 20 seconds at a time, or over a saucepan of simmering water. Mix until smooth and completely melted.

3.  Stir in noodles until they are thoroughly coated.

4.  Spoon about 1 tbsp of mixture onto tray, and press down into the centre so it resembles a little nest.

5.  Add 3 mini eggs to the middle, and then repeat with the rest of the mixture.

6.  Refrigerate and enjoy!

Note: These could also be adapted for a baby shower by using either a single blue or pink egg.

Elliott's Half Birthday Celebration

This week we celebrated my son's half birthday, because 6 months is a long time when you're little! It was a great excuse to have a little get together and make him a cake, and it's safe to say he had a blast. I combined two of his favourite things - cake and Giggle and Hoot - and he had just as much fun playing with Hoot and picking off the fondant buttons as he did eating his cake and sneaking Oreo Pops off the table!

If you'd like to make a cake like this, all you have to do is bake an 18cm cake (I used hummingbird), level the top, cut it in half and sandwich it on top of itself with a little buttercream. Then decorate!

A cake this size and style would cost $40.

Welcome!

Introducing Jemma's Sweet Treat Catering! I want to take this opportunity to thank all of my friends and family who have encouraged me on my enterprise. I feel so blessed to have such an amazing support system, and to be able to do what I love every day. 

As you can see, my passion lies in baking, and not web design, however I have created this blog to keep everyone updated with any new photos and cupcake flavours. For a full gallery of photos, you can check out the Jemma's Sweet Treat Catering Facebook page.