My Chocolate Fantasy

Gourmet cakes are baked sweet foods designed elegantly in classic style. It comes in round shapes, having different assortments and designs. Gourmet cakes are often served in celebrations, special occasions and festivities.
Gourmet cakes are both sophisticated and delicious. They can be birthday cakes, wedding cakes or holiday cakes. It is a great gift for any type of occasion.
Most common flavors:
• White Cake
• Marble Cake
• Cheese Cake
• Spice Cake
• Raspberry Cake
• Banana Cake
• Chocolate Cake
• Strawberry Short Cake
• Sour Cherry Cake
• Carrot Cake
• Raspberry Cake
• Lemon Cake
• and Zest Orange Cake
One can choose from the cake fillings available in cake stores like:
• Natural Preserves
• Fresh Fruits
• Bavarian Cream
• Fudge Filling
• Chocolate Mousse
• Chocolate Ganache
• Pineapple Charlotte
• Pear Mousseline
• Cannolis Filling
• Cream Cheese
• Mocha
• Cream Cheese
• Raspberry Mousse
Gourmet cake icings depend on the artistic design. Most ingredients they use would include the following:
Whipped Cream:
This is a non-dairy product which has a light kind of icing. It is not that sweet.
Butter Cream:
This is made from starch, having real unsalted butter.
Ganache
It has a rich chocolate taste. It can be melted into an icing and poured on a butter creamed iced cake.
Rolled Fondant:
This is a smooth looking sugar paste that can be rolled to cover butter cream cake.
Different Types of Gourmet Cakes:
Cheesecakes are made of cream cheese, cottage cheese and ricotta. It has a little flour component. Different flavors and toppings include key lime, strawberry, mango and kahlua. Cheesecakes can be decorated on top with fruits or nuts.
Rum or brandy cakes are a flavorful blend of sweetness and crème sherry subtle.
Muffin cakes have a tendency to dry out fast. It is much heavier as compared to other conventional cakes. Tea and coffee are good complements of banana or plain vanilla muffins. Muffins are usually served in tea parties.
Meringue cakes are good for formal occasions. It is made of fruit or ice cream.
Angel food cakes are fluffy and light because of beaten egg whites. It is recommended to dieters because the cake does not contain fat. Angel cakes can be drizzled with fruit sauce.
Chocolate cakes are the all-time favorite of adults and children alike. Different variations have come out such as:
• Chocolate raspberry
• Chocolate butter cream
• Chocolate hazelnut, etc
This cake is perfect for all occasions.
Coffee cakes are a smooth blend of chocolate, coffee and cream. It is ideal for a family gathering or tea party. This can be blended with walnut, banana and almonds. This cake is perfect to eat with hot tea or ice cream.
French pastries or gateaux are prepared with exotic and colorful flavors. Tarts are filled with cream, fresh strawberries and other fillings. Black forest and gateau Basque are one of the well-loved wonderful dessert cakes.
Some of the well-loved cakes are:
Red Velvet Cake – This is a smooth southern classic cake that is also one of Oprah’s favorites. It has a mild chocolate flavor, having a rich shade of red. Red Velvet Cakes are topped with frostings of thick cream cheese, making it more moist and delicious.
Chocolate Satin Cake – This cake is a two layered dark and moist chocolate filled with rich satin smooth ganache frosting. The sides are designed with chocolate crumbs.
Banana Split Silk Cake – It has caramel and roasted walnuts topped with dark chocolate ganache layers. It also has a white chocolate strawberry silk, white chocolate banana silk and strawberries on top.
Mocha Hazelnut Truffle Cake – This cake is an ultimate chocolate dessert. It is completely flourless and not too sweet. It is decorated with chocolate ganache and bordered with rosettes.
Best seller gourmet cakes include:
• Black Forest
• Chocolate Chip Cake
• Carrot Spice Layer Cake
• Chocolate Truffle
• Cappuccino Cake
• Strawberry Short Cake
• Chocolate Mousse
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Torte

The Yuletide season has just set in and the mood is that of a merry one as people are busy planning out the perfect way to celebrate their Christmas. Personally speaking, the magic of the occasion never ceases to fill me with the same feeling of goodwill and blissful merry making as we happily indulge in more than just decorating the Christmas tree. Singing carols at friends’ places are always there, although it always seems like doing a new thing every time. The real attraction, however, is provided by the assortment of several well dressed cakes to mark this auspicious occasion. And talking about cakes, you don’t need to squeeze out time from your busy schedule to bake them either, as you can easily shop for celebration cakes over the Internet or at stores.

It is really amazing how times have changed, and all for the better of course. Although replacing the older method of baking cakes frantically, this new trend hasn’t replaced the custom altogether. While shopping for gifts to give out to friends and family, you can visit a bakery and order from some of the most attractive cakes baked ever. Things which could have been quite a challenge for you are now possible through a string of celebration cakes that come in all kinds of flavours and toppings for a real treat.

To add to the sparkle that is set through brightly decorated lights and a richly adorned Christmas tree, you would obviously want the food to be equally special. With celebration cakes, you can now have all that you could have desired. You can go for cakes with figures of Santa or the baby Jesus carved on the top. You can choose between options like chocolate cakes with rich fillings, lemon drizzle cakes with butter cream fillings, maderia sponge cakes and so on.

All that you need to do to fill your Christmas with these celebration cakes is to simply order over the Internet and receive the same through courier.

There are numerous occasions comes in your lifetime to celebrate but, birthday has its own importance. As it comes once in a year it gives you an opportunity to invite your friends and relatives. But, in a birthday party the most important thing, other then the birthday person, are birthday cakes.

People purchase a lot of gifts for the celebrant but thrill that one can feel when he/she blows the candles is something special in itself. But when, you take the pictures of cake cutting or birthday boy/girl having it, in such events cake remains the centre of attraction. That is the reason there are so many pastry shops in the market.

But, before selecting any cake you must know the choice of the celebrant. Then, you can go accordingly for chocolate cake, strawberry cake, black forest cake, etc. If you want something different then you can try cakes that are adorned with silver or golden foils that give them a different look altogether.

If you want to give a bigger surprise to your loved ones, then you can select a suitable recipe and bake the cake yourself. It is not so difficult to bake cakes whereas it provides you an extra satisfaction. You can also decorate it with different types of sweets and confetti.

These cakes are available in different sizes also. You can go for a small one or for a huge one, as per your guest list. You can also select the different shapes of the cakes that suits the age and style of the celebrant. Like, if you are celebrating your kids’ birthday then you can take cake in the shape of any cartoon character.

You can also check the flavours, shape and sizes online, as there are several pastry shops offers you cake through their websites. Through, online you can conveniently order the cake as per your requirement.

Birthday cakes are available in different sizes, shapes and colours. So, you can easily select the cakes as per your need.

When a baby is born, many families celebrate the coming of a new member by conducting baby showers. Although originally only for the first-born, nowadays baby showers are held for every baby a family welcomes into the world.
Usually baby showers are arranged and organized by friends and relatives of the to-be parents. These parties help parents get a head start on the things needed for the baby. However there are many religious beliefs and cultures that consider it bad luck and do not feel it is proper to have parties and bring into the home baby things before the birth of the baby.
Baby showers have many names. Some examples are:
• Daddy’s shower – a party for men only, namely dads-to-be.
• Grandma shower- is a party where items like changing pads and collapsible cribs are brought by the guests to be kept at the grandparents house.
• Baby sprinklers- a party held on a small scale for succeeding children for parents who don’t need too many gifts or items.
Commonly, baby showers have a theme around which the party is centered. The essential components of a baby shower include presents, games, food and cake.
Without a cake, no baby shower party is complete. One of the main attractions of a baby shower is the cake and there are various basic techniques for making them :
1. All-in-together – this involves gradually adding liquid ingredients after the placement of the dry ingredients along with the shortening in the food processor.
2. Creaming method – this involves creaming sugar and butter together and then gradually adding the remaining items.
3. Rubbing method- this involves rubbing the dry ingredients with the butter before gradually adding liquid ingredients.
4. Melt and mix- this involves first mixing together the dry ingredients, followed by adding melted butter and then the remaining liquid ingredients later.
5. Sponge making – this involves whipping the sugar and eggs into a froth and carefully mixing in the flour. Here, there is no fat or raising agent used so making the light sponge needs great skill.
Icing, frosting or toppings (like sprinkles) are usually used to enhance the finished cakes and to make them look more pleasing.
There are a number of cakes one can select for a baby shower. Some are as listed:
• Butter cake
• Angelfood cake
• Carrot cake
• Butterfly cake
• Cheesecake
• Chiffon cake
• Chocolate cake
• Cupcake
• Fruit cake
• Devil’s food cake
• Gingerbread
• Mooncake
• Ice cream cake
• Pineapple upside down cake
• Sponge cake
• Spice cake
• Pound cake
In addition to the numerous cakes, there are a number of ideas for baby shower cakes that can make the baby shower celebration much more special:
1. Toy Blocks Cake. One more idea is designing the baby shower cake to make it resemble children’s toy blocks, either three to four small blocks or just one large block. Surrounding the toy block cake with little toy cars or candies can further enhance the cake.
2. Belly cake. One terrific idea is designing the baby shower cake to make it resemble a pregnant belly. This can be done by frosting together a circular cake and a rectangular cake after placing the circular one on top of the other, to make it look similar to a pregnant belly.
Another interesting option is to experiment and come up with a creative idea of your own. One must always keep in mind that the goal is not just making a delicious cake but also to make a terrific centerpiece that commemorates the to-be-parents.

You usually hear, or say: it is just icing on the cake. You say that to mean that such a thing is not that important, as what matters more is what’s inside, the essence of a particular thing. In wedding cakes, however, you cannot say the same thing. You cannot say: it is just icing on the wedding cake. The truth is, the icing on the said wedding cake is equally important as the dough itself.
There are many kinds of icings on wedding cakes. Therefore, the task is not only limited to deciding on the design and the number of layers of the cake, it extends to knowing which type of icing should top the wonderful layers as well. Deciding on the type of icing is as complicated as looking for cheap wedding dresses.
Deciding the type of icing on your wedding cake need not be complicated, however, if you know what you are looking for. You simply have to understand what each type is, and what it is for.
Here are some of the most common types of wedding cakes icings:Fondant
This is perhaps the most common type of icing used on wedding cakes because, first and foremost, this does not need refrigeration. Therefore, you can make your precious wedding cake as the centrepiece of your reception without worrying if the icing will melt and the cake will deform.
This type of icing looks stiff and is sometimes regarded as having an appearance like that of a helmet. This smooth cream confection is made of corn syrup and gelatin.Butter Cream
Unlike fondant, butter cream is sensitive to extreme heat. Therefore, this type is not a wise choice for outdoor weddings.
In its simplest form, butter cream is made from powdered sugar and butter. If you want to add a little color, you can always add cocoa powder or vanilla extract. Although this is a popular topping for cupcakes, this is also widely accepted as a creamy and rich icing for sponge cakes.Ganache
Wedding cakes experts would only recommend this type of icing if the venue of your reception has a stable condition: no heat, no humid weather. Why?
This icing is made from chocolate and cream, usually 2 parts chocolate, one part cream. As such, this is a “heavy” type of icing that will give your cake a glass-like chocolate finish. Without the desired room temperature, you run the risk of having the icing slide right off your cake.Royal Icing
This type of icing is made from egg whites, powdered sugar, milk, and sometimes, lemon juice. It is a hard white icing. Usually, glycerine is added in order to prevent the icing from becoming too hard.
Royal icing is not only popular among wedding cakes; it is also widely used on Christmas cakes and gingerbread houses because it can create many decorative effects. Its properties allow it to be the perfect icing used in forming flowers, dots and other figures.
The type of icing that you’ll use largely determines the beauty and extravagance of your wedding cake. Therefore, you must choose it well, just as how you would choose bridal shops in Mississauga or how you would select wedding favors.
Wedding cakes are an important part of the wedding ceremony; it’s but proper that they be given enough attention from color, to number of layers, design, and even type of icing!
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If there is one piece that could almost steal attention away from the blushing bride, it’s a scrumptious, tiered wedding cake. And even though you do not relish the competition, neither do you want guests to whisper about how shabby your cake looks. So how do you go about finding the right cake for your wedding in Toronto? Here are some quick tips.1. Consider your wedding theme.
A fluffy, gigantic, three-tiered fairy cake would stick out like a sore thumb in a beach wedding. So would a rectangular, bland chocolate cake in a grand garden wedding. You have to consider the theme, the size, the color motif, and the wedding favours when you choose your cake.
Do you want a simple, traditional cake or an avant-garde one? You decide. After all, your cake reflects your good taste – or even the lack thereof. And so long as you go with the theme, choosing a design will be as easy as snapping your fingers. Wedding cakes in Toronto have unique designs. If finding a unique cake is your main issue, you won’t have trouble at all. Here’s a little advice: Decide first on all other aspects of your wedding gala. Only after you have done that should you choose the cake. You may also seek advice from any professional from your bridal boutique. Everybody is always eager to give advice to a soon-to-be blushing bride.2. Note the number of guests on your list.
Everyone will want a piece of your cake and eat it, too. Thus, you should pay attention to the number of guests on your list. Ideally, everyone should be able to take a bite of your cake. However, if you choose a dainty teensy cake, make sure that you serve the guests a bunch of other sweets for dessert.3. Pay attention to cake flavors and ingredients.
Chocolate, vanilla sponge, rich coffee, walnut caf?, or carrot – you name it, there’s a cake made of and named after it! Tiered wedding cakes give you the freedom to pick more than one flavor out of the lot, thus satisfying a wider range of your guests’ palate. There are a lot of wedding cakes in Toronto with a wide variety of flavors. There are so many, in fact, your only problem would be NOT knowing which one to choose!
For cake icings, butter cream is probably the cheapest and the most common. Other options are white margarine and fondant. As for the flavor, butter cream wins, hands-down. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have earned the title of ‘most preferred cake icing’.4. Consider your time frame.
Did you know how long it takes to make a complex, personalized wedding cake design? It takes months! Wedding cakes in Toronto usually are ordered three months in advance! This period is justifiable because the wedding cakes in Toronto are considered one of the best in the country. If you have the luxury of time, then go for it. Get a personalized cake! Otherwise, you had better stick to the traditional designs then add a bit here and there to make your traditional cake as personal as it can get.5. Think about your pocketbook.
As special as your wedding cake may be, it should not eat up the biggest portion of your budget. It’s just cake. It’s one of the accents of the main event; it is not the event. If you are on a limited budget, consider this: sponge cakes cost less than all others. Choose a sponge cake and pay to have it richly decorated. However, you might be one of those who prefer to satisfy the palette more than the eyesight. If you are, choose rich cakes and ease up on the decorations. Remember, the wedding cake is NOT the wedding.
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There’s a certain amount of pleasure gained from making fancy birthday cakes that cost next to nothing. How? Not cheap ingredients! Make your fancy birthday cakes from the trimmings of other cakes.

There is inevitably some ‘fallout’ from making celebration cakes, particularly wedding cakes made of many layers. These cakes always need trimming and cutting into shape before they are glazed with chocolate.

• But what can you do with those delectable biscuity trimmings? • What to do with the traces of ganache from the different fillings? • What to do with the spare cake and cream left over from the cake shaping?

You can just eat it all, then and there, but that seems downright greedy – or throw it away, which seems downright wasteful… or you can make more brand new fancy birthday cakes!

Just after delivering a large wedding cake one year, to be honest I was a bit ‘caked out’! But my grandson wanted one of my ‘fancy’ birthday cakes. I needed something different, quickly.

I remembered that in my Grandmother’s time, bakers used to put all their cake ends and scrapings from the day’s production into a large bowl, together with any plain cake left unsold and a goodly slosh of alcohol. This was mixed, made into a large slab and sold next day in small slices as Tipsy Cake.

That set me wondering.

Could I do something similar for my grandson, but keep it alcohol-free, and also use up the spare ganache I had prepared for that wedding cake?

Yes! It was one of my most successful fancy birthday cakes, a 3D chocolate dinosaur.

The basic ‘construction material’ is now known in our family as Rubble Cake.

Rubble Cake is excellent for creating 3-dimensional detail. For larger cakes, use sponge layers and ganache for the main body of the shape, then rubble cake for the rest of the modelling. The shaped cake should be refrigerated at regular intervals to harden the chocolate in the mixture. Once the model is firm, more room-temperature rubble mixture can be added.

Rubble Cake: my original experiment (quantities are variable!)

Note: exact results are unpredictable according to the original cake components. Remember that ‘less is more’ regarding the amount of ganache you add to the cake crumbs. Too sticky a mixture is difficult to work with. However, don’t panic if you do add too much ganache; just pop it in the fridge to chill slightly in order for it to harden before use.

Model at will!

As well as fancy birthday cakes, this same mixture makes good plain truffles if rolled into little balls and dusted with cocoa. It can be used as a base for cold chocolate mousse cake or can be used as one layer in a chocolate layer cake.

(Note: so successful was Rubble Cake that now the joke is on me. Instead of making Rubble Cake cakes from leftover trimmings I now have to bake new cakes to break up for my fancy birthday cakes…)

It is needless to point out what importance do marriages have in our lives. It is one of the most important turning point in one’s life – nothing remains the same, everything around the person, within person and within the couple changes and gets a new definition in life. And this new change, new sweetness in life begins and gets consecrated with wedding cakes.

That’s right. Wedding cakes are no ordinary cakes, especially for the couple getting married. Not just because it is their cake – the one that was created for their wedding day, but also because it embodies the fun, the happiness and the sweetness they are going to fill in each other’s life. A wedding cake signifies two people coming together in love and therefore every wedding cake holds great significance.

A wedding cake is so important that it is more like an occasion. And when a wedding cake is as good as an occasion, it deservers to be beautifully made and decorated. Therefore wedding cakes look different from the usual stuff, they are designed in a way that makes them look fantastic. Some of the designs are such fine work of art, that they redefine excellence.

Flowers, fruits, exotic fruits and human figurines are some of the common decorations used in cakes. They are a part of the icing on the cake and serve as great cake toppings. The outstanding precision in designs make the cakes look so admirable that words fail to appreciate them. My personal favourite is a dark chocolate cake with blood red roses and little white butterflies hovering around the roses.

Such elegantly designed wedding cakes are now available online. You can go to any good online cake shop and go through the designs that they have to offer. If your web site allows you, you can also customise your cake as per your wishes or your wedding theme and have the best cake on your wedding day.

We are talking about chocolate wedding cakes and how they make a wedding truly memorable. The best way to make your guests feel perked up and blessed to have come to your marriage is by adding a touch of glory with beautifully decorated chocolate cakes.

Modern chocolate wedding cakes come in a variety of designs and decorations. Usually, wedding cakes. are decorated with flowers – natural flowers or artificial ones. Then there are cakes where the flower decoration is done by icing or with white chocolate – roses made up of white chocolate when decorated on dark chocolate cakes make the wedding cakes look gorgeous. Not just flowers, many wedding cakes come decorated with fresh fruits, seasonal berries, fresh fruit coulis, or even icing done in a way to take the shape of different kinds of fruits.

It is not necessary that you order for wedding cakes with flowers and fruits as toppings; you can also go for other designs. You can opt for something romantic like a heart or a wedding couple over the cake, or you can also go for funny wedding cake toppers like bride and groom figurines that look funny. For the rest of the cake, along the sides you can add bows, hearts and stars or anything that makes the cake look beautiful from different sides. You can also get something written – maybe a special message to your spouse or a message thanking God.

And now, if you are wondering whether your cake shop would do all that for you, then here is good news. You can book your cake online. You can select from any of the elegant designs or you can simply order for customised ones. For custom-built designs, go for a website that would like to arrange a consultation with you.

Gourmet cakes are perfect gift ideas for any occasion. After all, there is usually a cake at the center of any important occasions.
Gourmet cakes make great gifts. The flavors, design and theme are all endless. People are always touched to receive presents personally made rather than bought. The time and effort exerted to it are always appreciated.
Baking is not exactly easy because it deals with precise measurements. But it is easy to get the hang of it with constant practice. And when you learn, your friends and family will definitely love receiving your home-made sweet desserts.
Most cakes given as gifts are round, good for 12 to 16 servings. That’s about 5 pounds. But you can also bake cakes in square or rectangular pans.
Chocolate Fantasy Cakes are one of the most popular. Almost everybody loves chocolates. It never fails to delight children. Some adults are also endeared to chocolates. You can put chocolate bits inside. Some prefer lining it with strawberry for a blend of sourness and sweetness.
The Red Velvet Cake is a chocolate variety, classic and smooth as velvet. It has a southern touch. It has a rich, red and mild chocolate flavor topped with cream cheese.
The Chocolate Chip Cake has a thick fudge frosting with chip and sprinkles. Black Forest Cake is a light, moist chocolate cake in two layers. One custard layer is filled with cream, cherries and chocolate shavings.
The Chocolate Raspberry Cake is a moist cake with raspberry filling and topped with fudge. The Chocolate Fudge Rum Cake a three-layered light moist cake filled with walnuts and fudge. Chocolate Truffle Cake is semi-sweet with ganache. And the Rocky Road Cake is made of three chocolate types with chips, nuts and marshmallow.
Next to chocolate fantasy cakes, mousse cakes are also delicious. They are very rich and creamy.
The Chocolate Mousse Supreme is a bestseller with lots of chocolate flavoring. Chante …clair is a chocolate mousse with raspberry on top and jelly rolls on the sides. Strawberry Mousse Supreme has creamy strawberry with white chocolate, cream between two layers of vanilla flavored sponge cake.
The Baileys Espresso Cream Cake is three-layered vanilla flavored cake with Baileys mousse and espresso cream. Banana Chocolate Mousse has bananas and thick coverings of chocolate.
On the other hand, white delight cakes are light and fluffy. The most popular variety is the Strawberry Short Cake. It has whipped cream sweeping over mixtures of strawberry filling in vanilla chiffon.
The Hazelnut Torte is a nutty, two-layered cake with raspberry and praline butter cream on top. Coconut Layer Cake has vanilla chiffon filled with butter cream and flakes of coconut just like a snowball. Mocha Raspberry Walnut Cake is three-layers of vanilla sponge cake filled with raspberry and mocha butter cream, with walnuts and swirls at the sides. The Sunny Lemon Layer Cake is three layers of vanilla sponge cake with lemon toppings.
Cheesecakes are gourmet cakes made from cheese, cream and eggs. The most common are pumpkin cheesecake, carrot spice cheesecake, and New York Style Cream Cheesecake.
Gourmet gift presentations come in designer sets and packages that serve as a lasting remembrance. They can be placed in tin cans, baskets or cases/towers.