Gluten Free Holiday Pies + Cakes

It's that time of year again, already!?!  It's PIE TIME.  I'm breaking out the pie pans, stocking up on sweet creamery butter, and lots of apples, pumpkin, cherries, blueberries, pecans, and dark chocolate for the flakiest, most tender, and best of all GLUTEN FREE pies and mini pies. Large pies are $25.00 and mini pies (2") are $24.00 per dozen (sold by the dozen only) Choose from Apple, Cherry, Pumpkin, Chocolate Truffle, Blueberry and Pecan.

Place your orders early, as there will be a limited number baked for Thanksgiving. Orders will be available for pick up only this year in the Northwest Phoenix Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving..  Place your order by email to : angela@angelcakesgf.com   Orders can be paid through Paypal invoice or cash at pickup.

 Don't forget about Holiday cakes!  And melt in your mouth Pumpkin Macorons.  Custom orders are always welcome, but please provide 2 weeks notice.

Baseball 1st Birthday

Red, white, blue, and baseball.  What a perfect theme for a little boy turning one today.  Happy Birthday Charlie!

Pearls + Peonies + Bling Wedding Cake + Macaron Towers

 Soon to be featured on Wed Luxe is Lindsay and Brad's Sweet Pink, Vintage, Bling Wedding at the gorgeous Silverleaf Country Club in Scottsdale , AZ.  A beautiful pink wedding cake and a sweet pink and silver dessert vanity table topped off this lavish affair on October 5th, 2013.  

 The backdrop was custom made by me (Angela Saban Design) based on a picture that the Mother of the Bride fell in love with early in the wedding planning process.  The fabric on the backdrop was a gorgeous rose pink taffeta and the vintage sconces with dripping crystals were the perfect backdrop for the sequined pink linens and garden roses.  

The cake was four layers, Vanilla Bean cake with fresh raspberries, and raspberry butter cream, Double Chocolate cake with toffee crunch, chocolate ganache, and chocolate butter cream, Vanilla Cake with Lime curd and lime butter cream, and topped off with Peach Cobbler cake and vanilla bean butter cream.

 The  pink Peonies were so delicate and the pearls were strung on clear string with fondant pearls.  The sugar skeleton keys were a last minute inspiration.  The cake bling, a silver square with crystal insert, finished the layers off perfectly.  Pink ruffles on the largest layer were tipped with silver sugar paint.

An extravagant sweets table was Lindsay's request, so I put together some French Macaron Towers with white, silver, and pink candy dishes, white embossed treat bags and Mercury Glass Decor to surprise her guests on the patio after dinner.

 The Macaron flavors were Pecan Chocolate and Bourbon butter cream for the groom (from Kentucky) and Vanilla Peach Cobbler, for the bride.

 Vanilla Taffy, Coconut Jelly Beans, and Sugar Sticks were stacked on a silver tower and  placed in crystal glass dishes. Pink and silver sixlets were layered into apothecary jars and vintage pink milk glass dishes along with glittered skeleton keys.  The sequined silver linen was a special find and is now available for cake tables.  The glass vanity was loaned by the bride's father.  The chandeliers, crystal tea lights and hanging flowers are available for rent.  Call today for pricing!

Beautiful photography by Diana Elizabeth

Ruby Red Grapefruit Curd Recipe

Living in Arizona has it's perks.I have all the grapefruit, lemons and oranges that I could ever use.  Fruit for juice, lemonade, and lots of baking.  My favorite use for the juice of the lemons and grapefruit is curd.

If you've never tasted curd, you may be saying "yuck" right now!  Believe me, curd is far from yuck.
Curd is simply a fantastical emulsion of juice, sugar, zested rind, egg yolks and butter. Cooked slowly until a magical, creamy, slightly tart, deliciously sweet and spoon-able creation forms.  Licking the spoon is optional, but probably necessary as a reward for your patience during the stirring.  You can use any citrus fruit for this recipe.  Lime, lemon, or grapefruit.
Oh, and by the way, my favorite places for curd are: mixed into butter cream, filling for mini tarts with whipped cream topping, dolloped onto vanilla ice cream, spread onto toast, and most definitely tucked into biscuits.

Servings: Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
• 7 large egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar (7 ounces)
• 4 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 stick (1/2 cup, 4 ounces) cold unsalted butter , cut into pieces

Directions

In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the sugar, grapefruit juice, lemon zest, and egg yolks.  Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water to make a bain-marie. Whisking occasionally, cook the mixture until it thickens considerably (to about 172 degrees F). You will know it's done when the creamy mixture coats the back of a spoon.

Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean container.  Let the curd cool SLIGHTLY (to about 140 degrees F).  This may take 20 minutes, or it may take less time, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.  

Using a whisk, mix the butter into the curd until it is completely incorporated.  The important thing here is to make sure you don;t just throw the butter into the bowl and let it melt.  Mix it into the curd while it is still cold.  If you have lumps, strain again.  Place plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture to prevent a skin form forming on top and refrigerate until well chilled. Curd will keep for up to 7 days tightly covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator.It also freezes beautifully for up to three months.

For the Favor Jars:

Spoon some of your lovely curd into small canning jars, or any jar that you love.  For these, I wrapped the tops in a burlap, chevron ribbon I found at Hobby Lobby, and cut rounds of decorative scrapbook paper for the tops before I screwed the outer lids on. You can always add a cute thank you tag as well.

 Photography by Diana Elizabeth

Girly "Minion Me" Cake

Despicable Me and the cute little characters, Minions, have been the inspiration for lots of parties this year.  So, when Ava's Mom asked me to create a Minion cake for her second birthday party, I really wanted to make it different, and unique to Ava.  So, I asked for a picture of her and decided to design an AVA MINION!  I loved making the tutu skirt, even though it was literally hours of rolling out fondant, ruffling and placing little squished up layers of sweetness.  Her hair and the bow on top look just like her picture, and the party horn added a bright pop of rainbow colors at the end.  This was definitely one of the most fun cakes I have created lately.  So glad she liked it, oh and the inside was yummy Chocolate and vanilla swirled cake with vanilla bean butter cream layers.  The WHOLE minion is cake, with the exception of arms and legs (under her skirt).

This is how it all starts.  Just a big stack of cake begging to be carved and covered, shaped and molded.

Here she look a little scared!  Just before painting her goggles and adding her bow.

Ice Age Sculpted Cake

I have a new love!  Sculpted cakes present such a huge challenge, I may possibly be addicted.  The stand had to be engineered and measured to fit, the only thing I did not take into consideration...the fact that the cake board would not fit into the fridge.  So me and the cake sweated it out all night, with the air turned WAY down.  Don't even want to see the electric bill for this month!  This was my inspiration, it was also the invitation to the party.

Ombre Ruffled Sunflower Cake

I've been wanting to try this new ruffle technique I learned on Craftsy, in a class taught by the amazing Maggie Austin.  When my dear customer Mary came to mind, I remembered that her daughter's birthday was in July, and she always lets me design the cake for Cristina.  She loves sunflowers, so I immediately thought of a bright yellow, ombre cake with a huge fantasy sunflower on top. 

 

The little sunflower hand painted detail around the board was my favorite part of making this cake.  I would hand paint every cake if I could, no pattern just free and crazy, lots of fun!

Southern Sweets Divine Dessert Table

Phoenix Arizona is my home, but I am a Southern girl at heart.  Born and raised in the South, my roots take me back to my grandmother's kitchen and her sewing room.  This dessert table is the realization of my heritage, right down to the tastes. Gracious, glamorous, delicious, and abundant....the epitome of Southern Hospitality. The masculine pinstripe combined with the feminine flowing pale pink skirt merge bride and groom..

 Chocolate and Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting were baked in natural parchment paper.  The lace trim at the table was custom dyed to match the pinstripe gray backdrop fabric.  The skirt on  the table is blush pink chiffon with a pink satin underlay, custom made by Angela Saban Design, I wanted to create the feeling of the skirt of a dress, flowing and beautiful.  Sparkling Pink Lemonade in champagne flutes.

Buttemilk Blanc Mange with fresh peaches slices and blueberries in shot glasses.

 Bourbon Pecan Tarts

Rich Chocolate Tarts with chocolate crust and whipped cream and shaved chocolate topping

Blackberry Tarts, my personal favorite.  I spent many hours as a child picking blackberries from bushes and suffering the "chiggers" for their deliciousness!

Red Velvet Cake with buttercream Frosting and covered with fresh flowers. My grandmother's antique silver cake pedestal, no one knows how many weddings it has been to.

Modern Mini Dessert Table + The Fairmont Princess Resort

I met Michelle and Ryan last year and we started planning their "Modern Neutrals" destination wedding.  Gold, silver, white and touches of purple were the beginning pallet for this fun, modern, family filled event.  We looked at wedding cake designs, but it soon became very clear that mini desserts were going to make this couple the happiest.  They wanted it all!
French macarons, cake truffles, mini pies, mini cupcakes, cake shots and a small cake just for the two of them to cut at their outrageous clear acrylic sweetheart table.  Their favorite flavors were lemon, blackberry, raspberry, vanilla, peach and espresso (with dark chocolate).

 So, Memorial Day weekend at The Fairmont Princess Resort in Scottsdale, the celebration began.  I decided to use the venues amazing new tables, modern sleek, grey stone tops and silver trim.  This was actually my first dessert table with NO LINENS.  I loved it!  I used two tall, curvy white vases and one very traditional black vase in the center.

The florals we chose for all the guest tables were white tulips, But, when Ivy walked into the ballroom with dozens of white parrot tulips, well my heart was singing!  These gorgeous beauties gave such a n exotic feel to the my design for the arrangements.  I absolutely love the movement of the tulips throughout the evening, uncontrollable and wildly natural.  Just lovely.

The Sweetheart Cake that I created for Michelle and Ryan was vanilla bean with raspberry butter cream.  Two large white sugar roses graced the top, pure and simple, just like this couples' love.  I perched it simply on a mirrored charger and placed it in the center of their sweetheart table.

 

 

 

 

 

Espresso Mini Cupcakes with vanilla butter cream, drizzled with dark chocolate and salted caramel.

 Mini Peach Cobblers, Lemon Macaron with vanilla butter cream, Espresso Mini Cupcakes, Dark Chocolate Cake Truffles with edible purple Disco dust, Vanilla Bean, Peaches and cream Cake shot.

 

 Purple macaron is vanilla with lemon butter cream, Cake shot is vanilla bean with blackberry butter cream.

  Different heights for the tables and my tall three tier white stand fit perfectly.  The vases were illuminated by LED pads under the vases covered with flower petals.  Clear crystals sprinkled around to mingle with the sparkly desserts caught every one's attention as they entered the ballroom.  Votives filled with more LED lights and covered with clear rocks, and labels held by black and white marble squares gave the display a modern, eclectic design.

Such a fun couple, a crazy fun family and by the way...ALL of the food and desserts for this spectacular wedding celebration was not only Kosher style, but together with The Princess, we managed to insure that ALL of the food was also GLUTEN FREE as well.  I can not tell you how wonderful the chef and the entire staff at The Princess was to work with, and the fact that Michelle could enjoy every last bite of her wedding feast, made the evening so memorable for them both.

Venue: The Fairmont Princess Resort
Photography: Imaginale Design
Florals: Garage by Ivy
Design, coordination and decor: Angela Saban Design