Welcome!

Thanks to the incomparable Kerry Vincent, Killer Sweet Tooth debuted at the 2011 Oklahoma Sugar Art Show in Tulsa this past weekend. (Pictured is Karen Portaleo’s entry at last year’s show.)  Ms. Vincent was instrumental in getting some pre-publication buzz for Daphne’s third adventure among the premiere cake decorators in the country.  Both Gayle and I appreciate Ms. Vincent’s kindness and generosity!

Please note, we’ll be having a contest prior to Killer Sweet Tooth‘s release on October 11 (next Tuesday). So please stay tuned for details. There will be lots of great prizes to be won, including, of course, copies of Killer Sweet Tooth.

Welcome!

I’m hoping that by the time the next newsletter rolls around, I’ll have a cover for Killer Sweet Tooth to show you. In the meantime, I had some of the sweetest strawberries the other day. And that made me think a strawberry cake would be really good. Don’t you agree? I found a receipe for Paula Deen’s Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake and I also found one for Strawberry Shortcut Cake courtesy of the Neelys. If you try either one, please comment below and let me know how it turned out!

Site Spotlight: My Cake School Blog

If you’d like to learn some cake decorating techniques or get fresh decorating ideas, check out My Cake School Blog. The blog is available for everyone and is usually updated 2-3 times per week with cake decorating tutorials and ideas. The author, Melissa Diamond, also has a site called MyCakeSchool.com, which is a members-only site. A membership in the school costs $30 per year and gives the member access to over a hundred online cake decorating videos. Again, the blog is available to all. But $30 is a small price to pay for a year’s worth of instruction! (And, no, I’m not an affiliate of MyCakeSchool.com.

Welcome!

Happy Independence Day, America!

In honor of the occasion, I’ve found some cute Fourth of July-inspired cakes for you:

I found the star cake at Wilton and the eagle cake at coolest-birthday-cakes.com.

Sneak Peek: Killer Sweet Tooth

[This scene is from Chapter One. Myra has come over to play Scrabble with Daphne.]

I had the Scrabble board set up on the island with the two stools set on opposite sides of the island. The cashew brittle and chocolate-covered raisins were plated and on a tray to the right side of the board along with a large bowl of popcorn. The Scrabble tiles were to the left.
“What would you like to drink?” I asked.
“Something hot. That wind chilled me to the bone on my walk over,” she said. “How about a decaf café au lait?”
I smiled. “Sounds good to me.”
Myra sat down and began choosing her tiles. “Great. Nearly all vowels. How am I supposed to make a word out of this mess?”
“Just put those back and draw some new letters.” I have a single-cup coffee maker, so I began making Myra’s café au lait.
“No, now, you know I don’t cheat,” she said. “I’ll make do with the letters I have. Maybe some of this cashew brittle will help me think.”
The next sound I heard was a howl of pain.
“Myra? What is it?”
“Owwww, my toot . . . my filling…fell out!” She rocked back and forth on the stool.
I turned the coffee maker off. “Who’s your dentist? I’ll call him and ask if he can meet you in his office.” Don’t think I was being sexist when I said “him.” There are only two dentists in Brea Ridge, and they’re both men.
“Bainworf.”
I got “Bainsworth” out of the mumbled word and rushed into the living room to retrieve my phone book from the end table. I called the dentist’s office and then dialed the emergency number left on the answering machine. Dr. Bainsworth answered the call immediately.

[Little did I know what I was about to get myself into. Stay tuned....]

Welcome!

It has certainly been a while, hasn’t it? Sorry for the extended absence (the last newsletter issue was posted on March 28!), but Gayle and I have been really busy. Gayle has been penning a novel, and I’ve been making lots of cakes. Good for business, but not so great for keeping in touch with my friends.

Gayle has added “Monday’s Cake Series Quote” to her Facebook page. Check it out each Monday for a quote from the series. She’s also doing “Sneak Peek Saturday” where she gives readers a glimpse into upcoming books.

Site Spotlight: Cake Decorating Events

Nothing says “summer” like a road trip, right? And what better road trip than going to a cake decorating event? Hopefully, one of the following will be taking place near you:

June 24-26, 2011: Celebration of Cake, Gilbert, Arizona

June 25-26, 2011: ICES June Day of Sharing, Marlborough, Massachusetts

July 10, 2011: Capital Confectioners Annual Day of Sharing, Round Rock, Texas

July 10, 2011: Veterans Benefit Cake Show, Toms River, New Jersey

August 20, 2011: Cove Country Cake Show & Challenge, Bedford, Pennsylvania

September 11, 2011: Cake Decorating EXPO, Houston, Texas

For more upcoming cake events, please check out the American Cake Decorating website.

Welcome!

If you’ll recall, in my last issue I mentioned Gayle was hoping to do a book signing at a local Barnes & Noble to coincide with the release of Murder Takes the Cake. She has been scheduled for a reading/signing at the Barnes & Noble in Johnson City, Tennessee, on Saturday, April 2 at 2 p.m. If you’re in the area, please stop by! She’d love to meet you.

Even if–or maybe especially if–you aren’t in the Southwest Virginia/East Tennessee region, be sure to mark your calendar for the Facebook virtual release party on March 29. That promises to be a fun day as well.

I called it right in the last issue when I told you about Gayle becoming a blogger for Killer Characters. Myra Jenkins was the very first one of us to blog. But that’s okay. She said some really nice things about me and my cakes.

Project Spotlight: Floral Petits Fours

Actually, I suppose you could call these petits fleurs. ((giggle)) This is just a quick batch I made to test the new Nordic Ware baking pans, but I think they turned out really well. With the huge bundt cake mix that came with the pans, I had enough to fill both cake pans and a six-inch round pan.

I decorated the cakes using icing tubes like you’d use for cookies, rather than take the time to use a decorator bag and tips. I see a lot of possibilities for these, though, don’t you? For example, I could dip them in various colors of candy melts to create a colorful, completely covered bouquet. Or I could drizzle them with a vanilla glaze. Or I could decorate them like tiny cupcakes.

Just the way they were, they were delicious. Leslie, my niece, especially loved them. I even gave her mom a few to put in her lunch.

Marcy’s Musings

Hi, everybody! I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Did you see the Westminster Kennel Club dog show last week?! And did you see Hickory, the Scottish Deerhound who won Best in Show? And did she remind you of anyone? (Hint: ANGUS!) I was so thrilled when I saw her! Of course, had Angus been there, you know he’d have won. But still, I’m happy for Foxcliffe Hickory Wind – a/k/a Hickory. I wonder where she lives…and if she’d be interested in a date with Angus. They could be the next William and Kate! Brangelina! They could be Hickgus! Hmm…that sounds like a hiccup. I’ll have to work on it. Your suggestions are welcome.

I’ve got a blog gig! (I’m using a lot of exclamation points today, aren’t I?) Anyway, it’s not just me–that has the blog gig, I mean. It’s me, Daphne Martin, and any other Tallulah Falls or Brea Ridge residents who want to post. So today’s spotlight is on the blog. Check it out. I think you’ll enjoy it.

Site Spotlight: Killer Characters

Here is the blog description from the home page: We are the characters–major and minor–who inhabit the pages of some of your favorite cozy mysteries. We’re coming out from between the covers and welcoming you into our lives. So grab a nice cuppa, settle in, and learn what happens when our authors aren’t looking.

We–the Tallulah Falls and Brea Ridge people–will be posting on the 12th of each month. Each month, there is a contest for those who comment on the posts. So drop by, and maybe you’ll win. At the very least, you’ll meet some fascinating characters!

Welcome!

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope all of you are having a great day. As a special treat, I’m including a video Deb Smith made from some photos I took at the Oklahoma Sugar Art Show a couple years ago.

Site Spotlight: Great Cake Bake

Imagination Library in East Tennessee is holding its 2nd annual Great Cake Bake on Saturday, March 26, 2011. All local bakers and cake makers are invited to participate. Am I planning to participate? No…. But I would love to go check out the fantastic cakes. The event will take place at the Tennessee Terrace in UT’s Neyland Stadium, and funds raised will be used to support Imagination Library. The library sends free books to Knox County children through the mail until they are five years of age.

Entries will be accepted for:

All Occasion Cake

Wedding Cake

Single Cupcake

(New this year, the All Occasion and Wedding cakes will be separated into different groups: buttercream frosting only and fondant/gum paste/mixed sugar art.)

Entry divisions include junior decorator, beginner, intermediate, and professional. The entry fee is $10, and the entry must be received by March 14.

Complete rules and photographs of last years’ cakes may be seen at the event’s website.

Welcome!

This weekend–October 1-3–Kerry Vincent will be hosting the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show. Set up will take place on Friday, October 1. Below is the 2009 Grand Prize winning cake decorated by Mercedes Strachwsky of Florida. Mercedes’ cake beautifully illustrated the show’s theme, “Of Sea and Shore.”

On Saturday, October 2, visitors can attend the show from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.  On Sunday, October 3, the event will be open to the public from 10 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. (or the conclusion of the awards ceremony).

The Grand National Wedding Cake Competition’s 2010 theme is Mansions and Monasteries. Contestants will “create a showpiece depicting elements from an existing mansion or monastery.”

A special guest to the show this year will be Richard Ruskell. To date, Chef Ruskell has won the most Food Network Challenge comeptitions. Additional guest “stars” include Corporate Chef Donald Wressell, “Cake Chicks” Cheri Elder, Bronwen Weber, and Carolyn Wanke Mangold, and the award-winning chef Andrew Shotts.

If you’re attending the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show, be sure to check out all the wonderful vendors on hand. You can get some terrific items there–at least, I know I did! Also, if you go, please say hello to Kerry and give her a hug from Daphne and Gayle!

Welcome!

Sorry I’ve been away so long. Gayle has been doing a blog tour, so she has been concentrating on that and working on Killer Sweet Tooth. She has also been celebrating the successful debut of her other novel, The Quick and The  Thread. The book was the #6 bestselling mass market paperback mystery in Barnes & Noble stores nationwide the week of August 3.

Spotlight:

I know it’s a few days late, but check out the Friday the 13th video from CakeWrecks!

Welcome!

There’s only one more day to pre-order Gayle’s latest book The Quick and The Thread (the embroidery mystery written under the name Amanda Lee)  for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card. For full contest information, see the Contest Announcement in an earlier blog post.

Spotlights:

Today, I have two spotlights. The first is Matt’s collection of necktie cakes. As a necktie lover, Matt has amassed an adorable assortment of necktie cakes. (I know, in keeping with the alliteration, I should’ve said “ascots.”)

I’d also like to point you in the direction of Holly Clegg’s burger cake–just the thing for those upcoming summer picnics! The “burger” uses yellow cake for the buns, a fudge brownie for the burger, yellow tinted whipped topping “mustard” and strawberries and kiwis for additional garnishes (pickles and tomatoes, anyone?). How easy and cute is that?! If you try the burger cake, please take a photo and share it with us!

Take care and have a wonderful Independence Day!