Happy Valentine's Day!

A "Victorian Heart Cake" was on the docket in my cake decorating class this week and I was little nervous.  After the basket-woven confection of a few weeks prior, I had visions of mauve frosting and lacy borders.  I expected something pretty over the top.  Don't get me wrong, I'm learning so much in class and really enjoying it, but I'm definitely a fan of clean lines and simpler styles.

At the end of Victorian Heart night, though, I was pleased with the contents of my cake box.  I think all of our cakes turned out pretty nice and I looked forward to sharing mine as a Valentine's Day treat for my co-workers.  I think this has something to do with the fact that 1. the cake was covered with a smooth layer of pale pink fondant, 2. the roses and other decor were a little bit more modern, and 3. I'm just more skilled than I was at the beginning of the quarter.

We made our own fondant and it really gave the heart-shaped cake a nice clean look.  The taste was pretty good too- homemade fondant is definitely the way to go!  Brighter pink roses created a visual contrast, and now that my piped roses are a little bit less dilapidated looking, were also a pretty detail.  Now the scrollwork- I can take it or leave it- but it really didn't look half bad on the cake.  My chef instructor gave me extra points for trying script on the top of my cake.  As you can see from the picture, it's a little wobbly, but it's progress people!

Now, I'm no master when it comes to cake decorating, and I'm not sure that I ever will be.  But, it does feel good to make something that tastes good and looks pretty too.  I'm excited for what we'll make next!