Happy Birthday/Easter!

This weekend was not only Easter but also Chris' Mom's 50th birthday. On Friday Chris' sister and her boyfriend came over to color Easter eggs with us and to decide what kind of cake to make for Mom's birthday. Here are the rules: NO buttercream, fruit filling, pudding filling, or too much chocolate. I was left to make the final decisions with Chris' help. We decided on a black and white layer cake with a cookie filling. I made the same Chocolate Guinness cake that I have made previously and a white cake. Then I layered a chocolate layer in between two white layers. I ended up crushing Oreo cookies in my blender and using them for the filling. Then I topped it all with a chocolate ganache, fondant flowers and of course 'Happy 50th Birthday Mom".

She absolutely love it. I was worried that with no wet filling it might be too dry but the cakes were perfectly moist and the chocolate ganache on top was just perfect. I had meant to buy dark chocolate for the ganache but instead accidently bought bittersweet chocolate, so I had to add the sugar separately to the ganache and I was SO worried that it would not come out well. But it really was just the right sweetness for the cake.

Unfortunately, we were so pressed for time to get to the party that I didn't have time to take pictures AND I left my camera at home. So once we get the pictures from Chris' sister, I will post them.

Because I only used one chocolate layer and two white layers, I had TONS of batter left over. Hmmm, what to do with it? Make cupcakes of course!
The purple was my favorite:
The pics came out a little fuzzy because the flash kept reflecting off the pan they were on, so I had to turn it off.

This was my first time working with fondant of any kind. It is surprisingly easy. I ordered a few cutters and a veiner today that I hope to get before next weekend. Chris' sister's birthday is next weekend and she requested a red velvet cake. If I get my order in time for that shipment it would be perfect.

Happy caking!