Shark Cake

It's no secret my friend Ann likes to throw theme parties.  More people really should - they're such fun! The latest theme party happened a few weeks ago and was inspired by two HUGE cultural obsessions of the moment - Shark Week and Sharknado.

A shark party, you may ask? How fun could that really be?  Well let me assure you there's nothing like a crazy shark flick, silly costumes, thematic food, a giant remote controlled helium balloon shark, and crazy friends to make a fantastic evening!  I'll share a few pictures from the night later, but first I'm going to show you how to make a super-cute shark cake that will impress your guests (and not cause you too much of a headache).

This cake will serve between 12-16 people.  Use this post as a how-to if you'd like to make this cake yourself...or just enjoy the progress pictures!  It's kind of fun to see how it comes together!


Here's what you'll need

Three 8" square cakes
Buttercream frosting
Fondant
Black gel color
Brown gel color
Blue gel color
Red gel color
Crisco
Toothpicks
Wooden skewer
Rectangle cake board

And here's how to assemble your shark cake...

1 - Cut two of your 8" cakes so they are 5" x 8".

2 - Now you're going to stack your shark.  Place the two 5" x 8" takes on top of each other.  Then place the two extra strips you cut off together on top of those (to make three layers).

3 - Ice between these three layers, re-stacking.

4 - Spread some icing on a cake board and place your cake on top to secure it.  Then ice the outside of the your cake and refrigerate for 1-2 hours until icing firms.

5 & 6 - Now it's time to carve the cake!  First we're going to carve the shark's mouth.  It's a good idea to trace out your cuts with the tip of your knife before cutting - you can always take more cake off, but you can't add it back on!  This cut should start at the top of the 2nd layer of cake and curve down to the cake board, but should not go all the way through the cake.  You're actually going to cut a chunk out of each side, leaving about 3" in the middle, which will be the boat.

7 - Carefully angle the first layer until it reaches to top of the boat.  This angle should not be as steep as the mouth angle.

8 - Cut a 5" x 3" piece out of your third 8" square cake, and place it on the board at the back of your shark.  With the tip of your knife, trace the shape of your shark on one side of the cake.  Once you're happy with the curve of the shark, begin cutting pieces of cake off until you're happy with it!  Just remember - cut carefully - you can always take more off.

9 - Continue taking bit by bit off your shark - round the corners at the top (sharks aren't square!), smooth the edges of the cake...get creative - he's your creation!  Add a small (two layer) piece of cake to the front of the boat, so it extends about 1.5" past the top of the shark's mouth.  This is going to be the tip of the boat your shark is chomping on.  (If this little piece tries to fall off, use a toothpick to attach it to the rest of the cake.)

10 - Carefully shave away at the "boat" until it looks like a boat.  Your boat should be narrower at the tip, slope inward at the bottom, and have a lip (the railing) around the outside (so pull a little cake out of the inside top).  Cut away most of the excess board so it mirrors the body of the shark.  Do not cut the board to fit the shape of the boat too - it will be too flimsy.  We'll cover that up later!  Then ice the entire cake and place it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to set.

11- Mix grey fondant (white with a little black), until the color is consistent.  As you're working with fondant, you'll need to add a little Crisco to the ball so it doesn't stick to your hands.  Tape two sheets of wax paper on a flat surface and cover it with Crisco.  Roll out your grey fondant so it's about 1/4" thick, then carefully cover your shark body.  Using scissors or an exacto knife, cut the grey fondant so it ends at the edge of the sharks "lips".

12 - Mix pink fondant (white with a little red), until the color is consistent.  Roll out small pieces and fill in the area that would be the shark's open mouth.

13 - Mix light brown fondant (white with a little brown), until the color is consistent.  Roll out a piece and cover the entire boat in one move.  Cut three long, thin strips of the brown, that will be the upper rail and "boards" on the front of the boat.  Measure the appropriate lengths and attach to the boat by dabbing a little water on the back of the "board".  (Water helps fondant stick to fondant.)  Using a butter knife (or the side of the fork), gently draw the rest of the boards along the sides of the boat.  Place the cake back in the refrigerator for another hour while you work on steps 14 and 15.

Roll out more pink fondant and cover the rest of the inside of the mouth.

14 - Now it's time to make the accessories!  Roll out some white fondant and cut out teeth that are approximately 1/2" long.  Cut toothpicks in half and slide the toothpick halfway in the tooth.  Set these aside so they dry - the worst thing that could happen to your shark cake is for it to have floppy teeth!

15 - Roll out more grey fondant (thicker than the teeth).  Using a pizza cutter, cut out the shape of a shark fin.  Slide three toothpicks along the edge that will touch the shark so they are about 1/3 in the fin, 2/3 sticking out.  Let the fin set until it's completely dry.  (Second worst thing would be a floppy fin...)

Now it's time to make the mast for your boat.  Make a little "snake" of brown fondant.  Wrap the fondant carefully around about half of a wooden skewer and carefully roll it with your hands until it's no longer lumpy.  Cut out a rectangle piece of red fondant (add a little more red gel to the pink that's leftover from the shark's mouth) and attach to the top of the dowel using a little water.  If you have food-safe markers, feel free to decorate the flag.  I decided to go with a K, for Krentz (the last name of the friends throwing the party).  Nothing like having your shark eat the family boat of your hosts!  ;)

Once your shark's teeth are hard, stick each one around the rim of the shark's mouth.  Using small ovals of white fondant, place on the shark's eyes (attach with a dab of water).  You can draw on the pupil with a food-safe marker or by adding a smaller dot of black fondant.  Then, using a butter knife or edge of a fork, carefully etch in the shark's gills (three on each side).  Be careful not to cut through the fondant - you just want to etch them into his skin.

Then it's time to work on presentation.  Every shark should be in water, so we're going to do just that by covering a small, rectangle cake board (you can cut a larger one to the shape you'd like).  Mix light blue fondant (white with some blue), until the color is consistent.  Spread a very thin layer of white icing  on the cake board, roll out your blue fondant, and cover the board.  The fondant should  just go over the edges of the board, so use scissors to trim.

Spread more white icing down the middle of the covered board, and place your shark cake on top.

Color some of your buttercream icing with blue gel and fill a piping bag (or a Ziploc bag with one corner cut off).  I didn't use a piping tip for this - I just cut the tip off the disposable piping bag.  Fill your bag with the blue icing, and pipe waves around your shark.  Make sure your waves cover up the white board around your boat, then go down the sides of the shark.  The piping motion you'll be using is more pressure at the beginning, then less pressure as you pull away.

The final touches are the fin and boat mast - carefully stick the toothpicks into the shark's back, where you'd like the fin to live.  Then stick the end of the boat mast in right at the back of the boat, coming out at an angle.

Make sure your cake stays in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve.  Then remove about 45 minute to 1 hour before you're ready to cut in!

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Now for a few pictures from the party!

Now...go wow your friends!

Cake Decorating How-To: Berry Basket Cake - A fun summer cake!

Saturday night, my fabulous husband had his dissertation piece performed at Brandeis University!  To complete the dissertation (FINAL!) phase of his doctoral program, he has to write a dissertation piece and paper.  His piece was a song cycle for soprano, clarinet/bass clarinet, and piano, which I'll post recordings for once they come in.

I decided to make a cake for the concert's reception.  I was going to make a Star Wars cake (since the concert took place on May (the) 4th (be with you)), but realized a little late in the game I'd need more fondant than I had for that.  Instead, I decided to make a fun spring/summer cake.  Besides the flowers that are starting to bloom all around us, I'm most excited about berries coming back into season.  No more tasteless strawberries!  Because of this, I decided to make a "berry basket" cake!  It's a super cute cake topped with fresh berries.

Here's how to make the cake

Bake two 8" cakes.  Travis requested my Chocolate Stout Cake with chocolate buttercream icing.  Then...

1 - Once they cool, level the tops (cut off the rounded tops so they stack evenly!), and cut them into four inch squares.

2 - Stack one square on top of the other, with a generous layer of icing between!  This will be your basket.  I made three baskets for my cake.  Each basket should be on a piece of cardboard.  Once stacked, put your baskets in the refrigerator (uncovered) for 45-60 minutes.

3 - Now it's time to shape your baskets.  This is a pretty simple carve - the baskets are a little smaller at the bottom than top, so carefully whittle away the edges until they're smooth.  Then cut the middle out of the top, leaving a thin edge of cake.

4 - Here's what your baskets will look like once cleaned up a little!  If there are some holes, don't worry - you can fill them in with icing.  :)

Now to give your baskets a thin layer of icing.  You'll want to thin some of the icing you're using with a little water so it glides on easily.  Give the baskets a thin layer all over, then refrigerate for 1-2 hours to let the icing set.

Remove these from the refrigerator and add a second layer of icing.  Make this icing as smooth as possible, since fondant takes the shape of whatever is under it!  Make sure to trim the piece of cardboard down so they are the size of the bottoms of the baskets now too.  Then give these puppies another short stint in the fridge.

While the cake baskets are in the refrigerator, start mixing the fondant that will cover them.  I used "Kelly Green" Wilton gel coloring.  You'll need to add Crisco to the fondant as you mix the color in, or it will get very sticky and tough to work with.

Spread Crisco over some wax paper or (clean) counter top and roll out some of your green fondant.  If your baskets are the same size as mine (4"x4"x4.5"), that means you need a 16" x 5.5"

Wrap this around circumference of the basket and over the top lip.  The center of the top will still be exposed, but that's ok!  Clean up the "seam" with an exacto knife to keep things tidy.

Now it's time to cut the drainage holes around the bottom.  Remove the fondant and use a skinny tool (or toothpick) to pull out about 1/4" of cake.  Then, using a rounded tool (or your clean finger) and push the remaining cake to smooth out the cut-outs.

Now to add the top lip.  Roll out another, thinner strip.  Mine was about 1.5" wide and 16" long.  Fold the top 1/3 over on itself.

Then, with a paintbrush, brush water along the top 1/2" of the basket, where the strip you just made will go.  (The water helps fondant stick to fondant.)

Wrap the strip around the top of your basket, with the doubled-over edge sticking up above the top of the basket (facing in).

Then fill the tops of your baskets with your (washed and dried) fruit.  I chose strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.  You could also use raspberries or cherries if you'd like!  Put the baskets back in the refrigerator.

Now it's time to make the board for them to sit on.  Presentation is always key to a great cake.  These would be nice sitting on a table as is...but are even better on a cute board to tie the entire thing together!  I decided to make a checkered tablecloth board.  I used a large, rectangle, piece of cardboard as the base.

Mix some red fondant (I used "No-Taste Red") and roll out each color and cut 1.5" squares.  Put a thin layer of clear piping gel on the board, then layer the squares in a checkered pattern!

Then place the baskets on your beautiful board with some more piping gel.  Then cut a (yet another) thin green strip about 1/4" wide and wrap it around the bottom of each basket.

Cake's done!  Now, add a few more berries around the bottom of each basket and impress your friends with your super cute cake.

This was a huge hit at the reception - no one guessed it was a cake until they were told!

Later this week, I'll tell you about our celebratory dinner out and post some recordings from the concert!  Check back for more!

Dinner out at 80 Thoreau

I few weeks ago my friend Ann posted a link from Zagat Blog about 9 Must-Try Tasting Menus in the Greater Boston Area.  This past weekend, Ann, Vivian, and I decided to pick one of the restaurants on the list and give it a try while the husbands were busy.  After looking them over, we decided to try 80 Thoreau in Concord, MA.

We've spent a lot of time in Concord - whether it's wandering around the cute downtown area, visiting Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, or walking around Walden Pond - but I'd never noticed 80 Thoreau.  As I was approaching the restaurant I realized why I'd always missed it.  It doesn't look like a typical restaurant.  We ALL had trouble finding it - it's just a pretty blue door with a sign to the right.  I kind of like a "hidden restaurant" though...

Our seating was at 8:45.  When Vivian made the reservation, she did so on Open Table, but didn't realize that that didn't reserve the tasting menu.  When she called the restaurant, they said their tasting menu was sold out that evening, but had room at the "Chef's Table".  Now THAT sounded like fun!

The Chef's table was a bar overlooking the kitchen, so we spent the evening watching the chefs work their magic...and then eating their creations.  We soon learned the other perk that comes with the Chef's Table are the little extras that are thrown in as you dine.  After we ordered our first course, our waiter brought us something to sample - tuna and an olive compote on crackers.

Then our first course arrived - we had Duck Confit with Grapefruit, Pistachio and Endive, and Poached Farm Egg over a bed of greens.  They were both delicious and full of flavor.

We enjoyed watching the chefs work while we waited for our Main Course.  It was a fun way to pick out what you wanted to eat next.  Watch them make the dishes...and pick the one that looks the best!  The chefs move around the kitchen so gracefully, flawlessly plating all the orders coming in.  I couldn't believe how calm it was.

For the main course, we decided to go with Pan Roasted Quails with Pomegranate, Chevre, and Barley, and the Roasted & Braised Chicken with Potatoes Gratin, Brussels, and Almonds.

The Quail

The Chicken

I was blown away by how large the servings were.  At most of the nice restaurants in Boston, you're presented with tiny portions.  Not so at 80 Thoreau.  I could only finish half of the juicy, bone-in breast - it was so big!  I did, however, polish off the Brussels sprouts and potatoes, which were fantastic.  I'm not usually a fan of the skin on a chicken breast, but this was delicious and perfectly cooked.

After watching the kitchen all evening, we knew dessert was going to be the Flourless Chocolate Cake.  The chocolate cake was finished off with a blowtorch, so how could we not get it?  I was most excited about the poached pears that came with the dish, which did not disappoint.  The cake was very rich, so these were a nice addition to the dish.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Poached Pears

While we were swooning over the cake, the chef we'd been chatting with passed us another little gem to try -   Goat Cheese Cheesecake with a winter fruit compote and graham cracker crumble.  THIS was the dessert of the night.  It was tart without being overbearing, and we immediately abandoned the chocolate cakes for this guy.  We had a Goat Cheese Cheesecake at Audubon Circle a few weeks ago, but this was 1,000 times better.  The perfect way to end a meal.

Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Winter Fruit Compote

It was a fantastic evening out with great friends and was honestly one of my top two dining experiences ever.  I can't wait to go back!  If you live in the Boston area, you MUST make your way to Concord and try this restaurant - you won't be disappointed!