how to bake a margarita

i've been wanting to share my shape cake decorating process, but kept forgetting to take pictures while i work.  plus most of my recent orders have been more simple.  last week, i had an order for the margarita cake i did a few months ago and since it was the second time creating it and more involved, it was perfect to document...

this cake is created using three 9 x 13 cakes.  i would love to try to bake them from scratch one day, but i love betty crocker butter recipe for now.  i usually bake them the night before and have them nicely chilled to make cutting them up easier.

 
i should have taken a couple of pics during this part, but i kept forgetting about the camera!  basically, the top is two layers, trimmed on the corners to look like a margarita glass and the bottom is created by cutting the third layer in two even strips for the stem and, from the third strip, four small half rounded pieces for the base.  my family loves the leftover scraps a cake like this leaves for them!

 
the next step is to dismantle the cake and put it back together with icing between the layers and to "glue" the pieces together...

 
followed by the crumb coat--a quick coat over the whole cake to seal in the crumbs.  this is usually the part where i think that it'll never come together and i'll have to scrap it and start over!  after this, the cake goes into the fridge for the icing to firm up and make the decorative icing easier.  for the icing, i use a yummy cheater buttercream:  2 sticks salted butter, 2T milk, 1t vanilla + 1 box of powdered sugar, sifted.  this "homemade" touch makes such a difference!

 
this cake is covered in two shades of green, so i did the "margarita" shade first...

 
followed by the darker "glass" shade.  i try to get the icing as smooth as possible, unless the design needs texture.  for example, on this one i wanted the margarita to be a bit swirvy and i plopped on extra at the top to make it look more like a frozen margarita fresh from the machine.  also, as smooth as i can get it, the camera still picks up every stroke line, even though they don't show so much in person!

 
finally, i add the finishing touches--here, a little piped icing to define the glass and add the honoree's names and a green fondant lime!  and there you have it--how to "bake" a margarita!

cheers!
:) lexi

Comments

[Melissa]

This is awesome!

[Rose Ann]

Very cute, and it looks yummy! Thanks for the tutorial! ;)

[Kelly]

I love it! I should do that and make it a martini for my brother! Cute!

[KristinaaLewis]

Thanks for showing how you make your fabulous cake creations! This turned out so well!!

[Julie Masse]

Very neat Lexi! Looks yummy! :)

[Amanda Pedro]

cool cake.
My mom used to decorate cakes. I watched mezmerized many a time. A trick to getting the icing smooth is to dip your palate knife in a glass of water each time you smooth a section. Like buttah!

[Sally]

That is way cute, I'll have to try this one sometime!!!