Saturday, February 14, 2009

Wedding Cakes and Cookies



It's pretty exciting when your only daughter comes home from a vacation and informs her mother that she's engaged. It's even more exciting when her fiance (very foreign word) is someone who you know will make your daughter happy. After all, I've had 7.5 years of having him around to get used to him and appreciate him as a perfect match.

After a couple of days of burning up the telephone lines and hearing "Sunrise, Sunset" playing in my head, the reality of logistics started moving to the front burner. After all, 75% of the guests will be coming from out of town (myself included). Helping with coordinating this event is a tougher task and largely done by telephone and pictures. I'm thinking I should create a slide show of the different engagement ring options, the samplings from potential restaurants, dresses in styles and colours and ideas for flowers. It does work - thank goodness for the internet.

One of the events we planned was a welcoming buffet and Psychgrad thought that having our blogging friends help contribute with ideas for what would make a smashing buffet would be a fun Tried Tested and True - Wedding Edition Event Submission are due by February 20th - What will we prepare? Ack!!! I definitely need some help!! Yup, this is me begging... (how pathetic am I)

I tend to obsess (should come as no surprise to Psychgrad) and a wedding is pretty high end on the obsession scale for me. What to do? What to prepare? Ok, I think I figured out that I'd like to do something a little different - at least different to me. Here is my submission to Psychgrad's wedding event.


If you're looking at it and saying "what the hell is that", you wouldn't be the first. It's a towel wedding cake that's pretty jammed with small goodies that every bride should have. Let me clarify - Psychgrad and I don't always agree on what she needs.

You'll notice in the front are a couple of cookies, heart shaped, in bride and groom configurations. I borrowed this recipe for sugar cookies that came from Katie of Good Things Catered that came from another friend - clearly a great recipe. They really are the most fabulous sugar cookies. I'm not a fancy baker and working with Royal Icing is a little daunting, messy and a whole day job.


Royal Icing

4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
3 Tbsp meringue powder
5-7 tablespoons water (dependent on the humidity factor of your kitchen)

1. Mix confectioner's in stand mixer with paddle attachment starting on low and adding water 1 Tbsp at a time up to 4 Tbsp and then smaller amounts to achieve desired consistency. You'll need 2 consistencies - 1/2 the batch for piping outlines in the cookies (medium consistency) and 1/2 the batch thinner for flooding the cookies. Adding food colour should be in a clean metal or glass container. Anything that is even remotely greasy (plastic is a good culprit unless it's new) will break the royal icing.

2. The key to good icing is all about practise, understanding consistencies and having a steady hand. I'm still working on all of it and hopefully I'll get it right by June. If not, I'll be giving away tons of wonky looking sugar cookies.

3. I used a #2 Wilton tip for outlining and a small metal spoon for flooding the cookies.

4. After the first step of icing dries on the cookies (overnight) I went back over the bride cookies to add more decoration.

Note: Royal Icing dries faster than nail polish - be sure to cover it with a damp cloth when you're working with it.

With all the stressors people face on a daily basis in their lives, isn't it a fun thing to celebrate!!! Please join our celebration.
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25 comments:

Cakebrain said...

I love your practical and yet beautiful wedding "cake" made of towels! I've seen that often at showers too, but you've done an exceptional job decorating it! I think your sugar cookies turned out fantastic! Congrats to the happy couple! I love weddings! sounds so exciting!

Ivy said...

Everything seems complicated right now but you are a very well organized person and will have everything to perfection. If you didn't say that it was a towel wedding cake I would think you can eat it. Happy Valentine's Day. The cookies are perfect for today.

Deeba PAB said...

Towels or not, Giz, the cake looks good enough to eat, & VERY BEAUTIFUL too! If a mother & daughter agreed all the time, there would be something very wrong...LOL!! Gorgeous sugar cookies; you've done a great job! WOW!!

Lot-O-Choc said...

Ahw wow what youve made looks good!
Congrats to your daughter and her fiancé.

Cakelaw said...

These cookies are so cute - love 'em.

FOODalogue said...

You're a good mother of the bride! Congratulations to all.

Julia said...

Your "cake" looks great! I'm very impressed with your "cake" and cookie decorating skills.

PG said...

Wow - very nice mom. You're slightly crazy. But it's very cute. I can only imagine what's stuffed inside of those towels.

kat said...

Ok, that is so cute!

Dewi said...

That cookies is really beautiful, so does the wedding cake.
Cheers,
Elra

That Girl said...

ooohhh I usually do diaper cakes for showers - this towel cake is a great idea!

Melanie said...

What a clever cake and cute cookies! Congratulations on the engagement, Psychgrad! You have a great mom to go to all this work...

Anonymous said...

How great when you already like your son-in-law before the wedding!! I really, REALLY want to do something for this event (AND BloggerAid!)--will do my best to come up with something smashing and hope I get it in on time!!

test it comm said...

Those wedding cookies look great!

grace said...

i'm so excited for both you and psychgrad--what a terrific time in your lives. and wow--those cookies are adorable!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I like the idea of the cake made of towels...no calories there..wink....The cookies are beautiful. I can see that the bride to be is going to have a very special day with such a talented mom:D

Lori Lynn said...

Sunrise, Sunset. You are funny!
Those cookies are adorable!
LL

Anonymous said...

OH MY GOSH!!! What a FUN idea!! And those cookies a FAAAAAB-U-LOUS! I love it!! How great!

Pam said...

Congratulations to your daughter - how very exciting.

The cookies look really cute.

Donna-FFW said...

How exciting and many congratulations..I can not believe how awesome the "towel" cake looks! How very talented!!

Dharm said...

A towel wedding cake!! That really takes the cake!! I just love the cookies especially how you iced them. You are just fantastic Giz!

TAL said...

What a great wedding cake inspired idea. I think the towel and cookies are a great idea...too cute!

OhioMom said...

Okay I just adore that "towel cake", what a unique and clever idea.

You did a wonderful job on those cookies Giz ... congrats to the mother of the bride :)

glamah16 said...

Adorable and the cookies are so cute.

Unknown said...

I absolutely love your wedding cake picture! I can't believe it is made up of towels! I think that is an excellent idea and I may just have to use it for my friend who will be getting married next January. I am going to try and make the cookies too because I think they are absolutely adorable. Hopefully I have the skills to make them look just as good!

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