Campfire Cake

 To celebrate local Running club BURN's 8th anniversary, I made this cake with a striking camp fire on top. I used fondant to make BURN logo on top layer, the list of top 6 world marathon series on second layer, and runners around the bottom layer. I used Pretzel rod for the campfire logs, and the melted hard candy for the flame.

To make the flame

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Break yellow and red hard candy into pieces. I used the Butterscotch disc for yellow, and Jolly Rancher for red. Place the pieces on parchment paper lined bake tray, shape like hot flame (yellow inside, red outside).

3. Bake for 10 minutes or until the candy fully melt. Use a toothpick or chopstick to shape the melted candy into random flame shape. You can break out the flame pieces once the candy is cool to room temperature. 

Maison du Cake

 My daughter requested a Cookie Run Kingdom cake. So I made a cake based on the Maison du Cake from the game element. It was Lemon Raspberry cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese frosting, decorated with fondant.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Here is how to create pink strawberry frosting without artificial flavor or food coloring. The key is the freeze-dried strawberry.

Ingredients

Freeze-dried strawberries - 1 cup (about 25g)
Cream cheese - 8-ounce block, softened to room temperature
Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup, softened to room temperature
Confectioners’ sugar - 3 cups
Milk - 1–2 TBSP
Pure vanilla extract - 1 tsp
salt, to taste
Yields about 3 cups of frosting.

Steps

1 Using a blender or food processor, process the freeze-dried strawberries into a powdery crumb. You should have around 1/2 cup crumbs. Set aside. 

2. In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute on high speed until completely smooth and creamy. Beat in the butter until combined.

3. Add the confectioners’ sugar, strawberry powder, 1 Tablespoon milk, and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy. Add 1 more Tablespoon of milk to slightly thin out, if desired. Taste, then add a pinch of salt if needed.