Carolyn Braden's Under the Sea Cake

I created this Under the Sea cake for my friends 1 year old. It was her first birthday so it had to be special. It was 3 cake layers that were each 4 layers of fresh strawberry cake with lemon zest and homemade strawberry lemonade jam. I also dyed it bright pink to match the white chocolate sea candy I made. I dusted the candy and fondant "pearls" with an edible shimmer powder. I love having an idea in my mind come to life and look even better! It was my first try at the ruffled fondant and I love the look. I dyed the fondant so it would have an ombre look. I put took picks under the ruffles to keep them 3-D as it dried. 

Here was Brinley's own cake. I made this with buttercream icing so she could easily eat it. She loved it. 

Carolyn Braden: Mother's Birthday Cake

Here's the cake I made for my mom's birthday. It's carrot cake with cream cheese icing. Cream cheese icing is tricky to use. It is hard to make it smooth. I was just experimenting with some new ways to decorate using it. The cake is three layers (6 inch pans) with a 4 inch cake on top. It was yummy!

Cream Cheese Icing (makes approximately 5 1/2 cups)

2 sticks softened butter (use unsalted)

16 oz. softened cream cheese

8 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Using a mixer (I used a Kitchen Aid stand mixer), beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and blended. Add one cup of powdered sugar at a time into the mixture. Add the milk. Beat on a medium speed until smooth.