Jenni & Romain's Wedding Cake

This post is LONG overdue!  This past April, my dear friend Jenni married the love of her life, Romain, in Ohio.  Since Jenni and I met in cake decorating class several years ago, it only seemed logical that I make the wedding cake for this very special occasion.  So, my husband and I packed up a suitcase full of cake-making supplies, and hopped on a plane to Ohio!

Jeff and I took over Jenni's parents' kitchen for several days (thanks again to them, for the space, farm fresh eggs, and the company!), and on Jenni and Romain's big day, we delivered a gorgeous damask cake, adorned with fresh spider mums, to a beautiful train museum - the perfect location for their travel themed reception. Guests chose from 4 different flavor combinations - chocolate cake with chocolate ganache,  chocolate cake with cappuccino cream filling, white velvet cake with raspberry filling, or white velvet cake with fresh strawberries.  It's a bit rare for me to be able to have an actual slice of a cake made for an event - I think Jeff and I *may* have had the chance to sample a sliver of all of the flavors :)

You'll also notice some perfect French macarons in the photo above - Jenni, who is a pastry chef (in Paris, I must add!) somehow found the time to make macarons and buckeyes for the reception while trying to get everything finalized for the wedding.  Definitely a fun way to bring the French and American together through sweets.

And how did the cake taste? I think the above photo sums it up nicely!  Congratulations, Jenni & Romain - we can't wait to visit you in Paris!

Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel Caramel Turtles

This may surprise a few of you, but...I'm not really a cake person.  Or a cookie person.  I'd much, much rather have ice cream, or chocolate, or a chewy, caramel-y candy!  I already knew that I like making ice cream, but I recently found that I really enjoy candy-making.  There's something very satisfying about being able to turn simple ingredients like plain old sugar and cream into wonderfully chewy caramels.

I've had a multitude of baking projects going on lately - the largest of which is baking for charity!  My husband is running the Boston Marathon next year with the Dana Farber team, and as part of our fundraising effort, we've been offering baked goods packages to our friends and family.  One of the most popular items in our winter holiday dessert packages is our Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel Caramel Turtles, and today, I'll be sharing the caramel recipe and turtle making technique with you.  They do take a little bit of time to make, but there's still plenty of time to whip some of these up for your next holiday party!

Continued after the jump »