Country Kitchen’s 45th Anniversary

Country Kitchen SweetArt was started 45 years ago by my Grandma and Grandpa, Mildred and Wilbur Brand.  My parents took over ownership in 1986.  Both my mom and dad (Vi and Ed Whittington) are retired, though they both can be found here doing projects every so often.  In fact, my mom just finished her Cooked Sugar Art book this summer!   I feel so thankful to have been “born-into” such an awesome business.  We are celebrating the week of October 19-23 with various events, special pricing and doorprizes.  We are also having a local Celebrity Challenge Thursday evening with participants:  Mayor Tom Henry, FW Derby Girls, Melissa Montana (CEO of Star 88.3) and Cathy Brand-Beere (Owner of DeBrand Chocolates).

My mom, niece Kayla and I decorated a five tier cake for the week long event.  We had so much fun creating an assortment of the treats that surround the cake.  Everything on the cake is edible.  My mom made the awesome little cake stands from Isomalt.  We used an assortment of media to create the treats including fondant, royal icing, gelatin, and more. 

Christine Schnee’s Flower Cake and April Farnum’s Cookies

The August/September 09′ issue of American Cake Decorating magazine featured Christine Schnee’s beautiful floral cake on the cover.  Christine used my Flower Fun mat with a very cool, unique fondant technique.  She created cane flowers (like the clay beads) and had amazing results! 

Christine is known for innovative tools and techniques, such as the Cake Wheel and an instructional DVD using chocolate transfer sheets on fondant. Visit Christine’s site.

Also featured in the Aug/Sept issue were two of my cookie cutter texture sets with the most fabulous gown cookies I think I’ve seen!  April Farnum created Elizabethan Fashion Gown cookies in deep, jewel tones using several techniques and textures, including the swirl mat from the wedding cookie cutter set and the flower mat from the heart cookie cutter set.

Photo by Nathan Hoskins

Dave’s 40th Birthday Luau Cake

A friend of mine had a surprise 40th for her husband and I volunteered to make the cake.   I’m working on a book on hand-molding, so this cake happened to fit in perfectly with this project.  The luau themed cake had a 14″ bottom tier with waves at the bottom accented with scuba gear, signs, surfboards and a crab.  The top of the cake featured a tiki hut made from Wilton’s 3-D cupcake pan and hand molded characters and details.

Cookie Bouquets for Spring Open House

Country Kitchen’s Spring Open House is this Friday, April 17.  I am giving four demonstrations on cookie bouquets.  The demos include buttercream iced cookies, chocolate iced cookies and fondant covered cookies.  The fondant cookie bouquets will be wedding and baby shower themed bouquets.  I will be demonstrating my new mini cookie cutter texture sets.  Below are samples of the cookie bouquets I am showing in one of the demonstrations.

Baby Cookie Bouquet with Mini Baby Cookies

Mini Brown and Pink Wedding Cookie Bouquet

Mini Wedding Cookie Bouquets

Launching of New Website/Branding

I’ve launched my new website, www.autumncarpenter.com.  It is a start and I hope (with much of my wonderful husband’s help), that we will have ideas, recipes and instructional videos up and running by July.

My mom and I have developed several products throughout the last few years.  We have been promoting these products with the brand name Country Kitchen.   We have changed product branding to now be Autumn Carpenter Designs.  Country Kitchen’s retail price will be the same as the suggested retail on www.AutumnCarpenter.com.   Retail shops who carry Autumn Carpenter Designs will have the option of being listed under “Where to Buy”.  Currently, several of our products still have the Country Kitchen site promoted on the packaging or the product.  We hope to have all products with new tooling and packaging with the new brand by July 2009.

Spring Cookie Decorating Class- March 17

I typically teach two cookie decorating classes a year at Country Kitchen.  This  spring, I am teaching again.  Here is the description:  Using fun and simple techniques, create spectacular looking and  delicious tasting cookies. You’ll learn how to decorate cookies with run sugar, candy coating, chocolate transfer sheets and more. Take home  a half dozen decorated cookies plus a mini cookie bouquet. Class  includes supplies used in class and Autumn’s book, “Cookie Decorating”.   Find out more information at www.shopcountrykitchen.com

Spring Cookie Bouquet

Truffles for My Valentine Class- February 10, 2009

Teaching my students how to make truffles is so much fun.   Most are surprised at how easy it is to create truffles in a variety of techniques including molding and dipping.    In this hands-on class the students make several different truffles including:   raspberry, caramel, mocha, deluxe nut and many more flavored truffles.  The students divide the truffles made in class, and everyone takes home a heart-shaped box filled with truffles.   It is probably the messiest class for students as well as the dishwasher, but the students are thrilled with the generous box of delectable truffles to share with their loved ones!

New Paisley Candy Mold to Coordinate with Paisley Texture Mat

I designed a paisley candy mold to coordinate with the paisley texture mat so that cakes and candies can be easily enhanced with a matching design.  Below is a sample of a cake decorated using the mold and texture mat.  The paisley texture mat was used with blue fondant directly on the cake board, and the paisley candy mold was used with coordinating colors of fondant and attached to the cake with piping gel.  Available at www.countrykitchensa.com.  More details at www.autumncarpenter.com

Retro Paisely Cake

Published in American Cake Decorating Magazine

I was honored to be asked to create a cake in the October, 2008 issue of American Cake Decorating Magazine. They wanted an issue with chocolate cakes and chocolate techniques and asked if I would create a cake with a mosaic design. Because it was a fall issues, I decided to decorate it with a Halloween theme. The cake was iced with a chocolate ganache and set aside. The mosaic pieces and the chocolate wrap were made from melted chocolate and chocolate transfer sheets. The witch, pumpkins and kitty were hand molded from fondant.

Teaching at Ohio DOS- September 27

I will be in Columbus, Ohio September 27, 2008 teaching Run Sugar Decorating on Cookies.  The following day is The Ohio ICES day of sharing, which I will be demonstrating cookie bouquets.  B Keith Ryder will also be demonstrating gum paste flowers and Diane Brown will be demonstrating Custom Cut cakes.

For more information, visit:
http://www.geocities.com/caketalkoh/