you asked for it

Happy Monday to you! And thank you so much to all of you who requested through phone calls, emails, and even this here blog to see some REAL cake decorating. This one's for you! I have something super exciting to show you...

But first off, a big round of applause to the product that made this all possible:

Sweetex, high ratio shortening. Oh yeah. Sweetex, I have a love-hate relationship with you. You help me make frosting, but you are also comprised of 50 kinds of trans fats and not to mention extremely difficult to clean off of anything you touch. Mmmm hmm. To top this all off, you have a shelf life of like infinity years. Not sure how I feel about that one. I feel the diabetes coming on. Thank you, Sweetex.

Cake, pre-decorating stage. Do you see some aberrant crumbs in the frosting? Oh good, me neither. Just making sure we're on the same page.

This week's class was mainly focused on roses. I was super nervous because...well, all bravado aside, I have been less than awesome at cake decorating up to this point. Furthermore, I had to miss the class where part #2 of the rose was taught. (Oh yeah, the rose was supposed to be taught over three weeks. The intimidation mounts...) Finally, and this is totally embarrassing to admit, but in previous classes the best decorator by far was a guy...a 60 year old guy who owns a gun store in town. I know, right? My competitive streak came out to play. (Note: it only surfaces at inappropriate times like cake class...or yoga class...but most of the time, you would have no idea I even care that much. Heck, it surprises me too.)

But look!! A rose!! This one a) got smashed on the way home and b) is tie-dyed. Fun, right? I was so excited that my first one came out.

As you can see, some fared better than others. Car rides and cake carriers are not kind to fledgling roses formed from the shaky hands of a bona fide amateur.

See that shell border along the side? Me and shell border are not quite friends at this point. We'll get there, I predict.

This one I did at home in a fit of euphoria. Probably the best ever!

Hi there, pretty.

You can use this torture device to fashion them, but I kind of prefer the humble chopstick. Wait, did I just find another use for a chopstick? Heck yes I did! Here's the process, in a nutshell: pipe Hershey Kiss-like base (if using flower nail, no base if using chopstick). Switch tips, pipe a breast cancer awareness ribbon ish thing on top of that while sliding nail/stick in between your fingers. Half arch half arch half arch. Then full arches opening up all around. Got it? Okay good.

Granted, this cake is a little more "Happy 80th Birthday, Punky Grandma" than anything else, but if you have any punky grandma birthdays coming around the bend and feel the need for an onslaught of roses, I'm your girl. I'll be the one furiously practicing with a decorating bag in one hand, chopstick in the other.

It's been awhile since I've posted a question, and since I bared it all (cakewise) to you, it's your turn: What skill did you totally suck at the first, second, third time around? Are you better at it now? How'd you get there? Note: does not need to be a transferable skill. (Unless you'd consider rose piping a transferable skill, in that case...I want in on your career path!)