Cherpumple

So, by now, everyone has probably heard of the cherpumple (cherry pie, pumpkin pie, apple pie baked inside cakes, and stacked on top of each other). So, this year for Thanksgiving, I decided to try my hand at this new classic. Okay, well actually, I cheated and decided only to do a spice cake with an apple pie baked in it. So, I guess I will call mine pake or pie cake since it is not a true cherpumple.

I started with mixing up my spice cake like I normally would. Then after greasing the pan, I poured some of the cake into the pan (enough to cover the bottom). Then, I took an already-baked pie out of its tin and placed it in the cake pan. (I cheated again here, since I bought the pie instead of baking it myself... oh well.) Then, I proceeded to pour the rest of the batter in over the pie. Now, I typically over fill the cake pan in order to cover the pie, I bake the cake on a cookie sheet, in case of any spillage.  

Then, I slide my "pake" into the over at 350 for a little over an hour. I know my oven at home takes forever, but just bake it until your fork comes out clean. As you can see, I did have some cake spill over, but that's okay because it just spilled on the cookies sheet.

After the cake has cooled, I iced it and served it. I prefer to serve the cake a little warm, so you might want to warm it in the microwave before eating! ENJOY!

The cake that started it all!

So, I thought I start off with the cake that launched me into cake decorating! No, this is not my very first cake, but rather the first cake that I realized I might actually be able to make this dream work.

It all started, back two years ago in September of 2008, when I decided to enter the OSSAS (Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show). Actually, my husband (boyfriend, at the time convinced me that I should enter. I had never entered a competition before and this was certainly setting my expectations high. Nevertheless, I decided to go for it, since I had nothing to lose. I entered a cake in the beginner's category under sculpted cakes. Now all I had to do was come up with a design. After much thought, I finally decided on a pirate ship being attacked by a Kraken, mostly because I love the "Pirate of the Caribbean" movies.

I started about one week before the competition and baked and sculpted the cake. Then, I began to add the layers of details that would put this cake over the top. When it was time to pack up and leave for the competition, the cake was nowhere near being done, but regardless, we had to get on the road to make it in time. So we packed up both of us, and a suitcase and one cake to make the 24-hour drive to Oklahoma.

When we finally arrived in Tulsa (after one of the most boring/stressful rides of all time), I set up shop in our hotel room and went to work finishing the cake. I finished the night before the competition and we dropped it off that night.

The rest of the weekend went by in a blur of pretty cakes and lots of demos. On Sunday, when they announced the awards, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I had won best in category, best in division, and best in show (non-professional). I was over the moon and had my first real taste of competition. I was hooked, and from then on, I have challenged myself  to make it each cake bigger and better.

On a totally separate note, this same weekend my fiancé proposed to me making it the best trip ever.

A little bit about me!

My name is Samantha, and I have been decorating cakes now for about three years. I find inspiration for cakes everywhere I look—from designer dresses, to invitations, to tableclothes. I enjoy trying to push myself with every design, to give my client the cake of their dreams!

I recently married my best friend back in October (more on that later), and now we are starting our life together! Through this blog, I hope to share my passion for cakes, art, and life with all of you. ENJOY!