#302_CheeseCake-Stuffed Strawberries

Fresh strawberries stuffed with Cream Cheese fillings.

Here's a good way to dress up and serve strawberries....
fill them with cream cheese.

I got this idea from Paula Dean on Food Network where she used
Mascarpone Cheese and powdered sugar.
I used my old No-Bake Cheesecake Filling recipe, click here.
They are really good!! it's like eating CheeseCake sans the crusts.

Cream Cheese Filling Recipe:

1-8 oz pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 pint sour cream
Vanilla extract
1-8 oz. tub cool whip or whipping cream, whipped

Cream the cream cheese with the sugar then stir in sour cream and vanilla extract.
Fold in the Cool Whip (do not mix or stir).

To fill the Strawberries:Cut "x" in each of the strawberries, cutting almost to the bottom.

Using a pastry bag with a star tip, fill each strawberry with the Cream Filling.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Optional: garnish with chocolate curls.

ENJOY!!!

#301_Cake Decorating Class

Yay! I just finished the Fondant and Gumpaste 101 course!

I had told some friends a while back that I always admired cakes decorated with fondant, but never had a desire to learn how to decorate a cake with it because fondant is so expensive and the taste is disgusting so nobody eats them...so I thought what a waste!

One day I was at Michael's store buying whatnot at the baking supply aisle, I saw books with cakes on the cover beautifully decorated with fondants and thought to myself it would be fun to be able to do that. So I considered enrolling in a class just for fun.... and that's exactly what I did...enrolled just for FUN and I truly had FUN! I know I won't be able to decorate cakes as good as the ones on the book, but I enjoyed the classes and had learned a lot.

For my final cake project, I made a two-layer carrot cake filled and frosted with Cream Cheese Frosting then covered it with fondant icing and decorated it with leaves and roses made with gumpaste-fondant blend.

#300_My Sisters' Cakes

For my 300th post on this blog,

I'm putting together on this page pictures of cakes my sisters

had made for family and friends over the past couple of years

(that is, if I can find all of the pictures).

Cheryl on her 20th birthday

All of my sisters' cakes on this page are decorated
with fresh flowers
such as roses and orchids
except of course the one with fresh strawberries.

Mother dear on her 83rd birthday

I know my 2 sisters in NZ love to cook,
but I never knew they were into baking cakes like these until
Melinda's daughter, Cheryl,
started to send me pictures of the cakes they made.

....but looking at these pictures,
I do know that both of them are very talented and creative.

Don't these look like wafer cookies around the cake?
Whatever they are, they look so yummy.
I don't do this kind of cakes, I only make cupcakes!

"Kiwis" must love chocolate cakes, aye?!!