Emily and Michal!

Hello All!

Once again The Bakerettes have been craaazy busy and we've neglected our sweet, innocent blog. But between our siblings buying houses, moving across the country, keeping up with clients and, if you know us you know we're already getting into the Christmas spirit, we managed to sneak in a wedding cake for a dear friend.

It was such an honor to be able to make Emily's cake (who Patty has known since preschool!) Every time we do a cake,we are reminded of how amazing this profession is. We get the chance to make people's favorite days a little more sweet, and it is truly a blessing. (Even with all the dirty dishes!)

For us, getting chosen to help celebrate a marriage is a huge deal and not one we take for granted. 

So without further ado...

Our beautiful bride opted for an ombre ruffle design, fading from purple to white.

Thank you so much, you two! We wish you both a lifetime of happiness...and dessert!

All for now, lovelies! 

Make sure you check back in with us soon, Christmas is coming and that means dessert! Stay tuned for our favorite holiday desserts. 

You can also connect with us on Twitter!  Follow us: @TheBakerettes 

Finally a New Post

Hello All!

Sorry we have been so negligent in posting the past couple months.

Since the last time we've posted we did our first official Bakerette wedding cake! Our Bride, Kathleen was a pleasure to work with and we are so thankful for her and her faith in us.

Not only that but, as we write we are sitting in a Starbucks waiting for our bride, and our second consultation to begin.

We've been crazy busy with work and as always side jobs are keeping us occupied!

Not only do we have our meeting today, but we also have two more weddings on the docket for the next six months! Woo Hoo!

We would like to thank all of our friends and family who have supported us in our dream of becoming business owners. Every cake and dessert you ask us to make is a blessing and an honor. Without you The Bakerettes wouldn't exist!


All for now! Don't forget to check out our brand new photo galleries!

Much love,

The Bakerettes

Lemon-Blueberry Greek Yogurt Muffins!

These delish muffins are quick and easy to whip up! No fancy equipment needed! All your friends and family will wonder how you did it! No more dry and crumbly muffins for you.

We especially love these because they're so versatile. You can really choose any flavoring you'd like. If blueberries aren't your thing, try adding chocolate chips, or banana...or both! (Not limited to either of these, use your imagination!)

Lemon-Blueberry Greek Yogurt Muffins

Yield: 12 Muffins Oven: 350

Step 1: Get all your ingredients together, here's what you'll need:

-Unsalted Butter (melted): 8oz (1 cup)

-Eggs (slightly beaten): 2 

-Greek Yogurt*: 10oz  (1 cup + 2 Tbsp)

-Pure Vanilla Extract: 1 tsp

-Zest of 1 Lemon

-All Purpose Flour: 10oz (2 Cups)

-Granulated Sugar: 8 oz (1 Cup + 1 Tbsp)

-Baking Powder: 1 tsp

-Baking Soda: 1 tsp

-Salt: 1 tsp

-Fresh Blueberries: 1-2 Cups (depending on your preference)

Step 2:  In large bowl combine all wet ingredients (first five ingredients). When adding butter make sure it's not too hot, the last thing you want is scrambled eggs!  

Step 3: With whisk, stir until well combined. 

Step 4: Sift dry ingredients together, and add into egg mixture. 

Step 5: Stir until just combined. DON'T OVER MIX! IT WILL BE LUMPY AND THICK!  

Step 6: Gently fold blueberries into batter. 

Step 7: Scoop batter into lined/greased muffin tins.

Step 8: Bake at 350 for approximately 20 minutes, or until toothpick test comes back clean. 

*Can be substituted with sour cream.

Ta Da!! You now have scrumptious bundles of joy. They're super tasty right out of the oven, but a sneaky trick that we sometimes use, is to toss one in the microwave and you won't know the difference!   Perfect for breakfast, snacks, kids lunches, or even dessert! 

We hope you enjoy this recipe.

More to come!

-The Bakerettes

We're Certified!

We finally got that piece of paper. 

We traveled back to school on Tuesday afternoon for our graduation luncheon. We had a wonderful time with our families as we heard our chef instructors talk about the quality of work that this group of graduates puts forth. 

After countless hours in the kitchens at school during class hours, and even more we spent there for extracurricular activities, yesterday's luncheon brought our culinary education to a lovely close. 

We walked away yesterday afternoon with certificates of completion, and a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. As two young women starting out in this competitive industry, hearing words from our mentors like "come back and see us when you have your own bakery.." and "we're a family, maybe dysfunctional, but a family all the same" were inspiring and heart warming. 

We wouldn't trade our time in culinary school for anything, and it's very bittersweet to have it officially be over. After all without our time there, The Bakerettes would have never existed. It was through this journey that we became great friends, and willing to embark on this journey toward making our dreams come true together. 

It was in that lecture hall waiting for our ServSafe instructor to get to class, that we started chatting. Waiting for him to show up after two hours, we became friends. 

It was in our cookery class, where our chef always partenred us together referring to us as "The Pastry Chefs."

We're proud to announce that, yes, indeed we are: The Pastry Chefs. The Bakerettes. 

As they say this ending is merely the beginning of a new adventure.  

And so this new adventure begins, where it will take us we're not quite sure. But we know that as long as we have the unending support from our families that we've always had, and each other to remind us of our dreams, maybe someday, you'll see our shop, and the brunette and the red head back in the kitchen where we always hoped we would be. 

Chocolate Mousse

This is another one of our favorite recipes that can be eaten by itself, fill a cake, or fill a delicious fruit tart.

It's quick and easy, and very versatile.

This recipe makes a large batch approximately enough to fill three eight inch cakes

Chocolate Mousse:

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
•  1 tsp vanilla extract
•  1 cup of heavy whipping cream 
• 3 Tbsp powdered sugar

Procedure:

1. Start by placing your chocolate in a metal/glass bowl large enough to fit all the chocolate, heavy cream and room to stir. 
2. Put the 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream in a heavy bottomed sauce pot on the stove with the vanilla extract. Heat this up until you see little bubbles rapidly forming around the edge of your pot. 
3. Remove from heat and immediately pour over your chocolate. DO NOT STIR!
4. Cover your bowl with either a lid or saran wrap, or really anything that will keep the heat in. 
5. Wait about two minutes and then stir, stir, stir. Keep going until no lumps of chocolate remain. *(if you do still have lumps of chocolate after stirring for a while, heat it up in the microwave on half power for about 15 seconds, take out and stir. Repeat this process until the mixture is lump-free and glossy)
6. Set aside (don't refrigerate)
7. Put the rest of your heavy cream on your stand mixture fitted with the whip attachment. Start the mixer on a med-high speed, fast but not so fast you get splatters of cream everywhere. When you see the cream start to thicken add the powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time.  
8. Mix until stiff peaks form.
9. Check your chocolate mixture (ganache). It should be thick but spreadable. When it reaches this consistency, stir in one scoop of your whipped cream until it blends together. After that fold in the rest of the whipped cream gently in two additions.
10. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using. (Overnight is best)

After the mousse has set for several hours you should have a fluffy and delicious chocolate mousse. 

This mousse is easy to switch up, use dark chocolate or add flavoring. One of our favorite vartions is to add Baileys Irish cream. :)

If you do decide to add a flavoring or a liqueur stir in directly after you fold your whipped cream in. 

Good Luck! We hope you enjoy this scrumptious chocolate mousse!!

-The Bakerettes

Questions to ask your Wedding Cake Decorator

There are a bunch of articles about what brides and grooms should ask their baker before shelling out hundreds of dollars for a wedding cake. Here’s the Bakerettes version. Take it from two former counter girls and two pastry chefs.

1. When should I start looking for my cake?

You can go as early as you like, it’s always a good idea to shop around. Never order your cake from a bakery that cannot provide you with a tasting. After all this is one of  the most important desserts you’ll ever serve. It’s a good idea to go four to six months ahead of your date to book your cake.

2. What should I bring to my appointment?

Be prepared! Come to your appointment with some ideas. You don’t have to have the cake of your dreams picked out, but think about flavors and colors ahead of time. Most places have a time limit with how long you have to spend with them for your appointment. You don’t want those precious 45 minutes to be squandered debating square or round. Come with color swatches so your mint and gold cake doesn’t show up at your reception green and yellow. Your baker will appreciate this! You also wouldn’t want a call the night before your wedding from the decorator asking if you wanted light pink or hot pink roses.

3. How much is the deposit to reserve my date?

Depending on the size of your cake, expect to put down 50%. Some bakeries will have a set amount ie: $100, which reserves your day. But just to be sure expect to pay half.

4. How does your pricing work?

Most times bakeries charge for wedding cakes per slice. Depending on where you go this could include the flavor of the cakes and the decoration. While others will have additional fees for cake flavors and the decorations. Just know that fondant is always more than buttercream! Also, there will always be a delivery charge if you want them to deliver your cake. Most places charge by the distance from the reception to the bakery. This may be an opportunity to cut cost if you are able to find a bakery close to your reception site.

5. When will my cake be delivered?

The cake should arrive at your reception area no later than an hour beforehand. Provide the reception site with the phone number to the bakery so they can contact them if there are any issues. If the reception site doesn’t want them there that close to the start time, then they need to provide refrigeration if necessary. A cake that needs refrigeration can only be out for up to four hours!

6. Does the serving count include the top tier?

Usually the top tier is included in the serving size. If you plan on saving your top tier let your baker know so they can accommodate for the servings lost. Some bakeries may offer a free or discounted one year anniversary cake so you won’t have to freeze it! Don’t forget to tell the wait staff, so they won’t cut the top tier if you plan on saving it.

Hopefully these tips help you out with trying to book your wedding cake! If you have anymore questions that need answering leave us a comment and we’ll get back to you right away!

Until next time,

The Bakerettes

Basic Vanilla Buttercream

Hey Guys!

So, we thought we would share with you beautiful people one of our favorite basic buttercream recipes. A quality frosting can make or break your cake.

Too much fat and you'll leave your guests with a slimy frosting that coats their mouth and is just plain gross. Too much sugar and you lose the quality flavors you worked so hard to establish in your cake and filling. 

You can also decorate with this buttercream without it getting too soft or runny too quickly because of the shortening!

Basic Vanilla Buttercream: Enough to frost an 8" Cake

• 1 1/2 lbs Unsalted Butter (at room temp)
• 1/2 lbs Shortening
• 1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract* (add more or less to your liking) 
• 4 lbs Powdered Sugar (for a stiffer buttercream add more sugar)
• 2 Tbsp Milk (add more if needed)

Procedure:

1. Combine butter and shortening in the bowl of your stand mixer
2. Beat at medium speed until no lumps remain. DON'T FORGET TO SCRAPE THE BOWL!
3. Add vanilla extract *If using clear vanilla reduce 2 tsp* 
4. Beat until well combined
5. Add powdered sugar one scoop at a time, scraping the bowl (all the way to the bottom) between each addition
6. After all your sugar is in the bowl add your milk
7. With your mixer on medium, beat your frosting until fluffy and light in color. (8-10 mins) *If you have yellow frosting you didn't let it beat long enough*

Can be used immediately or store in the fridge up to two weeks (longer if you freeze it!)

Good Job! You made a delish buttercream that will compliment your cake! 

We hope you guys enjoy this recipe! More to come in the future.

Leave us a comment and let us know how it went!

-The Bakerettes 

First Look!

We wanted to share some of our work with everyone. The first two cakes are fondant cakes by Jill, and the last two are by Patty. 

This was Jill's first fondant cake ever! Stay tuned for a tutorial for a multi-loop bow like the one shown here.

This three tier fondant cake was one of Jill's first orders, almost everything is edible from the pearls to the coins!

This buttercream beer barrel cake was for a surprise 50th birthday party! This was hand carved out of eight cakes.

This Cookie Monster cake was fun to do, Cookie Monster is made out of cake, too! Tutorials about carving and using different cake pans will come soon!

We hope you enjoy this little snip-it of some of our work, and we hope that it shows some of the skills and tutorials you can look forward to reading about.

All for now.

-The Bakerettes

First Post!

A few weeks ago we decided we were going to start writing a blog, so here goes nothing...

Our names are Jill and Patty and we met in our first semester of Culinary School at Oakland Community College.

 This spring we'll both be Pastry Chefs and we couldn't be more excited!

Not only do we go to school together, but we work together and are great friends.

Our hopes for this blog is a post once a week about projects we're working on, and the occasional tutorial of a recipe that we love!

Stay tuned!!

-The Bakerettes