Turtles & Tipsy Cake.

So the other day I was on the phone with one of my devoted blog readers, whose identity I will protect.  Ok it was my Dad.  He asked me if my new instructor, Chef Sebastian was a serious man.  I just had to laugh!  All the pictures I've posted on here, he has looked very serious.  Well he may be serious about pastries, but Chef Sebastian has an amazingly rich sense of humor! The man is just absolutely hilarious.  My mission on Friday was to get you a small taste of what class is really like.  Fun. 

So our final cake was an orange chocolate cake.  We baked a dry sponge and then soaked it in an orange spiced syrup.  As if that's not enough, we then sandwiched it between orange marmalade and dark chocolate ganache.  Put your running shoes back on, for sadly the taste week is over. 

I was on the train on Friday when I realized that I forgot something! My downstairs neighbor's baby girl was having her third birthday this weekend.  I love that girl, and I hadn't ordered her birthday present yet.  I figured it would be much easier to just go pick it up at a toy story.  Thank goodness for mobile internet, I looked up the closest toy store and got off at the next stop.  I started walking, crossing my fingers that they would have a Dora backpack.  I walked up and down the street and I couldn't find it.  Finally I looked up the actually address number.  3330... 3328... 3326, here it is.  I look up to see a seedy  hookah/bong shop.  Where I'm sure they only sold legal substances.  I was like "are you kidding me?!" God bless America.  Well I was fairly certain I wasn't going to find a Dora backpack in there, so I re-boarded the train and resorted to express shipping. 

I had a stage on Saturday morning at Tipsy Cake.  I was very excited because this was my first stage where the shop did solely cake.  I was nervous, because I really didn't want to blow this! Well, when I first walked in I met the owner/head chef, Chef Naomi.  If it wasn't her Australian accent, then it was her absolutely lovely personality that made me love staging here.  I felt like I had walked into a cooler version of Charm City cakes (ace of cakes).  All around were cakes that were waiting to be picked up.  There was a miniature version of the Sears tower, a large deer head, and a Halloween themed 3-tiered birthday cake.  All of them were just amazing.  I spent the day building, frosting, and cutting cake.  At one point I was coloring fondant, and watched one of the cake designers make a Tiffany's box cake.  It was time for me to leave, and I went to go say goodbye to Chef Naomi.  I nervously rambled off a "I loved staging here, I'd love to come back if you..." I got cut off with a "great then we will see you next Saturday".  I was ecstatic!  So be prepared to hear more stories about my new love, Tipsy Cake. 

As soon as I left the cake shop I dashed back home.  My brother & his wife were having an early Halloween party at their church and I was part of the group costume.  I pulled on my Halloween costume, while my sister-in-law smeared purple eyeshadow on my eyes.  Then I jumped in the car and joined my fellow mutant ninja turtles.  

Nerd alert! I love my family.

After that, it was off with the purple shadow, and on with a dress.  I met up with a few of my favorite cake girls for some city fun.  At the end of the night I crashed on my friend Michelle's couch, thoroughly satisfied with the use of my Saturday.