Calais' Cakes

Sorry it's been awhile everyone! I am currently typing a paper and then studying for finals, all while doing the finish touches for my Christmas Wedding! So hectic! So, this may be my last post until January. Then, i promise i will pick it back up and post recipes and cakes photo's and "DIY's" :)
Hope all is well and hope you all have a VERY Merry Christmas!

This recipe is very yummy! My boyfriends family wants me to make it every year for Thanksgiving! I hope you all like it as much as they do. It is quick and easy to make and best of all it's NO BAKE! :)

You'll need:
4oz Philadelphia cream cheese package (softened)
1cup plus 1 tbs milk (divided)
1 tbs sugar
1 tub cool whip
1 Honey Maid pie crust
1 15oz can pumpkin
2 packages instant vanilla pudding (dried)
1tsp ground cinnamon
1/2tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Step 1) Mix cream cheese, 1tbs milk and the sugar in a large bowl until well blended. gently stir in half of the tub of whipped topping then spread all of this mixture onto the bottom of the crust.

Step 2) Pour 1 cup milk into a large bowl. Add pumpkin, dry pudding mixes, and spices. Beat with a wire whisk for about 2 minutes, or until well blended. Spread over cream cheese mixer. Let refrigerate for 4 hours.
** I suggest after adding the cream cheese to the crust putting it into the freezer until you are done with step 2 because it will get too soft otherwise.
*** when adding pumpkin mixture to cream cheese mixer start on the outside and work your way toward the middle. Use a spoon to do this. This way the cream cheese wont overflow over the edge of the crust.

These are perfect for Thanksgiving! If you love Pumpkin Pie but don't want to eat a big piece or you're watching your calories this holiday season, then this is PERFECT for you! This recipe makes 28 bars and each bar is 133 calories, 2 grams of fat and 17 carbs. Not as much as a slice of pie.

You'll need:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cloves
4 eggs, beaten
1 15oz can pumpkin
1 cup cooking oil

preheat oven to 350 degrees F
In a bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cloves. Stir in the eggs, pumpkin and oil until combined. spread batter into an ungreased pan. (size of pan varies depending how think you want them, but if you want to stick to the calories and fat content i mentioned above use a 15X10X1 in pan).
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. If you have a gas stove it'll will take about 5 to 10 minutes less but check with a tooth pick to make sure center is done. Let cool for 2 hours.

* I can't follow directions lol. I have to change it up! So, i'll add another 1/4 teaspoon cloves and another 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon for extra flavor. Spices don't have calories, so it's all good! ;)
**Also, if you want a richer flavor, add cream cheese icing after the bars have cooled!

Hope you love this Thanksgiving treat! Let me know what you think! ENJOY!!!!

For those of you who are thinking about taking up our whisk and baking up a storm, I say if you want to do it, go for it! Some of you may be thinking, 'I don't have time to take classes.' Well, i didn't have time for classes either, so i didn't take any. I think that you never know what your capable of unless you try. If you think 'I can't' then you wont. Plus, making cakes is something that takes practice. It is a learning experience. My first cake that i made was for my mother-in-law and OMG! I messed up the fondant BIG TIME! You can't tell in the picture i posted but i had to add an extra piece of fondant to it because i made a hole in it! I cried! I told my boyfriend that his mom was going to hate my cake because it looked like crap, but he said it looked really good. Then again, that was the only answer he could give me because the negative one would've made me mad at him LOL My point is, as time goes on and you work with it and try new things and new ways of doing things you'll get better :) It is very frustrating at times but well worth it! I think that if you work hard at something, you appreciate it more. So, don't give up. Hang in there! Get your Kitchen Aid mixer, or whisk, and go for it! ;)

For those of you who love my work and would like to place an order or contact me about one, I have now added an e-mail box to the bottom of my blog! :)
Hope to hear from you soon!!!!

Now that i have decided what I want to do for a living, the hard part is find a job at a wedding cake bakery! I have been e-mailing various wedding cake decorators asking if they hire interns. Hey, it's worth a shot right? I just want to be able to gain experience before i go on my own. If you  know of any places hiring in the Oklahoma area, and wouldn't mind passing on that info, that would be AWESOME!

So many of you may be wondering how to paint on cakes. A helpful hint: add a small amount (a couple drops) of lemon juice to your food coloring. The lemon Juice is very acidic and will evaporate leaving the color vibrant on the cake when it dries :) I love to add a little edible glitter to the mix to make it more metallic.