Train part 2!

Well, the second train turned out pretty cute as well.  This time, the cake was for a second birthday party.  I did the cake for this little guy's first party too... and his baby shower.  :)  I like when I can do several cakes over the years and watch the themes change year to year.

This cake was a 1/4 sheet with the train cars placed on top.  I didn't use the firmer cake mix this time and did a trial with the regular type of cake.  It turned out just fine but took a few minutes longer in the oven.  I was pleased with the way it turned out!

That same day, another cake was due.  I had no clue who "Team Umizoomi" was at the time.  I freehanded this one to resemble a picture I was given.  I'll have you know... that I knew that I had done a good enough job when my four year old cheered and yelled "Umizoomi!"  I figured.. if he can recognize them, they must look ok!  :)  We have watched the show, several times a day, every day since this cake was made.

This next cake was ordered by my Mary Kay consultant.  She wanted a cake made for her husband who was having a suprise birthday party for his 51st birthday.  He was very sick, battling cancer for his 50th birthday and couldn't enjoy his birthday.  He is since in remission and enjoying life a little more this year.  She wanted to make this birthday special for him since he has had such a rough time.  This cake was to incorporate his love of flying, black for the big 5-1... and the message "We've only just begun." 

It was yellow cake with a raspberry preserve icing filling.  YUM! 

Train Baby Shower Cake

     This past Christmas, I received a William-Sonoma train cake pan.  I was excited to receive it an wanted to use it, but knew that it would be too much work to just make it for myself.   I waited for the perfect reason to use it.  After waiting what seems like forever, I finally got a request for a train cake!  Within a day, the second train cake request came in.  The first cake was due today.  I have another one due next weekend. 
     The first train cake that I was asked to do was for a baby shower today.  I used a picture of the baby bedding to choose the colors for each of the train cars. 

I started by mixing the cake mix for the train cars from scratch.  It takes a little different cake mix to make this because it needs to be sturdy and able to hold the icing well.  I followed the directions provided with the pan, and filled the pan to the top of the well.  I would  leave a little space next time, as the cake spread a little and ended up needing to be trimmed up after baking.    I then trimmed the edges to separate the train cars and began to decorate them seperately.

I used the colors from the crib set in this cake.  Colors included red, blue, green, yellow, orange and black.  I decided to use some chocolate chips and some brown sugar in the cargo train cars.  Below, you can see the car with the chocolate chips and the brown sugar.  I thought that M & Ms would have been really cute as well, but my kiddos ate them before I was able to get them on the train!

I was almost finished and was in the home stretch.  I decided to create a train track and trim the cake in plain white icing.  I didn't want to take away from the train itself.  I then sprinkled the top of the cake with opal sanding sugar for a little sparkle... and voila! 

I was sooo excited with the finished project.

Can't wait to see what I can do with the train cake next weekend! 

I think this is one pan that I can use over and over for an original look every time! 

Back to Business!

Well, I have done a little of my own rehabilitation lately with my wrist.  I have almost gotten my entire range of motion back in just a little under 2 weeks.  :)  I am very excited to be back at working with cakes and am sooo happy that I have a few more wedding cake consults coming up in the next couple weeks. 

This past weekend was a crazy one!  I made one cake for Friday night that had a softball design.  It wasn't anything too original and crazy, but it turned out just the way I had hoped.  Just after dropping off the softball theme cake, I began work on a two tier cake for the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet that was taking place on Sat. 

My son was earning his bear badge, which is very exciting.  Blue and Gold is a more formal scouting event.  We get together to celebrate the birthday of scouting, as well as the accomplishments of the kids over the course of the year.  They boys strive to earn their rank by the time that the Blue and Gold rolls around.  We were also celebrating the 100th year of scouting.  After RSVP count for the big event, we were expecting roughly 150 people to attend.   I decided on a square, 2 tier cake in white and dark chocolate fudge.  I did a little research to decide exactly what kind of design I should go with for the occasion.  I found a badge online that the boys would be receiving for attending the Blue and Gold banquet.  I decided to utilize this as my focal point on the top of the cake.  I decorated the cake with white icing and accented in blue and gold.  I delivered the cake to the church hall where the dinner was being held and set things up.  I tried to take a picture, however, my camera decided to be difficult and had an error reading.  Someone else took the photos and will be sending them to me shortly.  I'll add the pictures at that time.    I spent the afternoon and part of the evening enjoying the company of the cub scout family and we cleaned up around 7:30.  I was headed home to begin the third and most difficult cake of the weekend. 

I had a two tier, marble cake to create for a baby shower.  I was making this cake for someone that I went to high school with and whom I had never made a cake for before.  She wanted a jungle theme cake similar to one that I had made in the past.  It featured fondant accents of jungle animals, polka dots and fondant shoes on the top.  I began icing the cake at approx. 10:30.  I then realized I had run out of the butter necessary to make the icing.  Grrr..I was a little moody, but headed to the grocery store for the butter and a couple bags of donuts that the kiddos could have for breakfast.  I just knew it would be a LONG night.  :)  I rolled the fondant and created all the little creatures, etc. for the sides of the cake.  This is a fairly easy process, it just takes time and the right consistency of fondant.  Things went well til I got to the shoes.  I worked on the shoes for a solid hour and a half.. and finally, decided that since it was 3:30...I was going to add a bow accent to the top of the cake instead.  I would rather alter the cake slightly and make it elegant and a slight variation of the original than to risk the shoes not looking as nice on the top of the cake.  In the end, I feel it was the best choice to make with this situation.  Below is a picture of the original cake that I made.  The new cake looks much the same, only with a bow on top.  :)  I'll try to upload a picture of that one soon.  :)

Now... I am apparently an absolute crazy lady.. but, immediately following the pickup of this order, I started cake 4 for the weekend.  This one was for a special customer.  A little over nine years ago I gave birth to this special customer of mine.  He wanted a special birthday cake which represented his interest in wrestling.  He was recently bummed to hear that his favorite wrestler, Jeff Hardy, had left the WWE.  We decided that we would create a cake that had a pendant design on it.  He was insistant that he needed a two layer cake with chocolate and white cake.  White on the top layer and chocolate on the bottom layer.  The colors were to be blue and bright neon green.  He did some research and printed off a picture for me to "refer to."  Using the picture, I created the cake design below and he LOVED it!

Of course, we had to explain the theme to most guests, since not everyone is a true Jeff Hardy fan!  Lastly...we added a 9 candle to the cake... that upon request as well.  :)  Happy Birthday Seth! 

Thinking outside the box....

Yesterday I met with a bride and groom to go over the contract, design their cake, and collect their deposit.  I was so excited that they decided to think outside the box a little.  Most couples go with the traditional white cake, yellow cake, chocolate cake combination.  Those flavors are all fine and good, but it's exciting to see couples who think outside the box and try something different.  It's happened a few times recently. 
The couple, Kasey and Zach, came for a tasting here a few weeks back.  It was a crazy cake weekend and I had sooo much to do.  I had several cakes to do that weekend, and had some cake that was left over from a custom cake.  I cut the leftover pieces into squares and used it for their tasting cake.  It was funfetti cake.  I was a little worried about their response, but I knew that the cake was fresh, moist, and quick.  I put it out there and explained that it was a busy weekend and that I created a funfetti tasting cake for them.  They tried the cake.. and within a week or so, they called to schedule yesterday's meeting to finalize their cake plans!  I was really happy.  (This couple will be married on June 12th, the same day that Ron and I celebrate 11 years of marriage!  I think that is really cool!)  They decided to go with a 4 tier cake. To my surprise, they ordered funfetti cake for ALL layers.  I am so glad that I went with my gut and created their tasting cake with what I had available.  It worked out great for them and certainly helped me with time and budget!

Here are a couple other cakes that have been ordered recently that are different and demontrate a little creativity.

This cake was for my friend's daughter, Emma.  She is quite a princess and has recently spent time with her princess friends at Disneyland in California.  She met Belle personally and came home to hold her own royal ball for her birthday.  She served her guests this cake which featured Belle.  Princesses from all over the area came to wish Emma "Happy Birthday".  This cake included edible pearls as a walkway for the princess as she walks through a grassy area.  The sides of the one layer, petal shaped, base cake were decorated with purple ruffles and red roses.   By adding the one layer cake to the bottom, we were able to accommodate more guests and add a little extra detail to the average "doll cake."

This Lego cake was actually ordered by the birthday boy himself.  A couple weeks before his birthday, Chris called and ordered this cake.  He knew exactly what he wanted.  He was specific with his color choices and told me how he wanted each lego to be positioned.  I used 3 actual legos and made these to scale.  They were all three covered in marshmallow fondant.  At the Lego Party, matching balloons, tableware, and lego building sets for each guest, made this cake a very appropriate addition.

This cake was created for a 16th surprise birthday party.  The cake has a variety of cake flavors and is bright and festive for such a fun occasion.  I used a butterfly pick found in the floral section at a local hobby store for the center butterfly.  Fondant was used to make the 16 topper, and ostrich feathers were used to bring out the colors in the rear of the cake.  Ribbon and other beaded floral picks were used to create a more whimsical look for this cake. 

It's always nice to see what ideas my customers come up with.  I love new and exciting requests and look forward to seeing what people will come up with next.

Some more of my favorites..

I have just under a week before I visit the orthpedic surgeon again.  He'll let me know at that point if I am ready to have my cast off.  I am really hoping so, however, I am still experiencing pain.  It doesn't seem promising.  I am able to move my fingers better at this point, so I may try to squeeze the decorating bag and get back to work with the cast still on!  We'll see what he has to say. 

For now, I'm going to post some previous cakes of various types so that I can cover some old cakes before I'm back at it.  I'll have way more to post and say at that point.  :)

These cupcakes were ordered for a bridal shower.  The customer wanted something simple that would go well with the invitation that was sent to the guests.  We decided on 2 different flavors of cupcakes with a lilac icing and a ring on top of each.  They were simple yet elegant. 

This cake was used for a bridal shower.  The bride had seen a similar cake that was made with fondant.  She doesn't like the taste/texture of fondant so she asked that I design something similar with buttercream only.  I used a regular ribbon on the top. 

This is also a bridal shower cake.  The bride was having a black, red, and white themed wedding.  Her mom have very different taste in cakes and decorations.  She ordered this cake and went withe something simple that we both knew the bride would like.  We played a little joke on the bride who called me to make sure her mom hadn't ordered something horrible.  I played along saying... "It isn't something that you would have ordered.. but it won't be horrible."  She was relieved when she arrived at the shower and saw the finished product.

This cake was for girls night at a bachelorette party!  Black icing on the bottom cake with a pink and black floral ribbon and a top tier which had pink icing and black cornelli lace. 

This is a Star Wars themed cake.  It was 2 tier and had fondant accents on all sides.  It featured Jaba The Hut, Han Solo, a Stormtrooper, Princess Leah and Darth Vader.  Several lightsabers lay about the cake on both layers. 



My Little Pony-  This cake was so delicate.  I was really happy with the finished product!  I loved the various flowers, ribbons, cornelli lace and the corresponding colors of the ponies. 


Well, my wrist is officially sore.  I'm gonna end here for the night.  Hopefully soon... I'll be back to decorating and I can share with you some new creations!  :)  Until then....

Wedding Cakes of 2009

I had several wedding cakes this year, which was really exciting for me.  Wedding cakes are my favorite type to make.  They are each unique and somehow represent the couple.  I tried several new things this year.  Here are some of my favorite cakes of the year. 

This cake was for a summer wedding.  It is a three tier creation with cornelli lace covering the three layers.  The florist left the flowers for me to work with and incorporate and with the help of a friend, I feel that it truly turned out to be a simple, yet elegant cake for this "picnic/summer" themed cake.  The tables were all decorated with the checkered print napkins.  Just to set the mood, a few plastic ants were placed at the center of every table... thankfully...not on the cake table though.

This cake isn't a wedding cake, but instead, a groom's cake.  I thought it would be appropriate to put it here in the wedding section since I'll be featuring this bride and groom's cake next.  The groom was an avid hunter.  This cake was ordered by the bride's mom and was a suprise to both of them at the rehearsal dinner.  Groom's cakes are becoming more popular and are usually of the chocolate variety.

This cake has a burgundy cornelli lace over white buttercream.  The silicone heart at the top required quite a bit of support.  Just after leaving this cake at the reception hall, I was called back to fix some damage that had occured.  People setting up the reception hall had moved the cake table and caused the heart to fall down the backside of the cake.  Luckily, I was still nearby and able to return quickly and fix any noticable issues prior to the reception.  Whew!

This is one of my favorite wedding cake creations!  I absolutely love fall weddings and I enjoyed everything about working on this cake.  I worked closely with my friend, Alysha, on her wedding.  She decided on this cake and I recommended this base, which I had used in another wedding.  The base is hand made by my friend's husband.  Shortly after I returned the base to my friend, it was going to be made into a table for his daughter, as a wonderful reminder of their wedding day.  I hope to have another one made just like it since it is such a great complement to square based cakes!  The mini pumpkins and gourds are real and the silk leaves around the base really brought out the fall theme.  The wedding and reception were held in a rustic barn that was just perfect for a fall wedding.

This cake was originally to be made this coming July.  The groom is in the military and left this month for orders.  The couple moved their wedding up to December.  This is buttercream, smoothed to present itself like fondant.  The couple didn't care for the fondant at all.  They did opt to use marshmallow fondant for the swirles and heart accents.  I rolled the fondant into the various accent shapes and then allowed them to dry for a few.  I then used silver petal dust in a small amount of vodka to paint the accents.  It was really cool to watch the "paint" dry quickly as the vodka just kinda evaporated.  I then added some round pearl border and the drop leaf flowers scattered about on the cake.  A few weeks later I received a very nice thank you note from the bride and groom.  I was so glad that they enjoyed the cake!

Well, my snow day is winding to a close and it's time to get kids ready for bed just in case we aren't home again tomorrow.  More cakes to come...

This was a special order cake for a third birthday.  Using buttercream icing and fondant accents, I created this carnival big top cake.  To make this cake even more fun, they went with a funfetti cake flavor!

This cake was also for a third birthday.  The parents requested that I do a pea-pod cake with the number three.  They wanted the girls in the pea-pod to have wings and matching dresses.  Since the girls always have a pink or purple bow in their hair (or at least it seems) I incorporated that into the picture as well.  The girls were to wear white dresses with mocha and pink dots on them.  I created the little pea-pod twins and made their dresses to match.

This cake was my first attempt in making large gerbera daisies.  I had a customer who was trying to decide on whether or not to use me for her wedding.  She planned to have cupcakes with gerbera daisies on top.  I bought the materials and gave the daisies a try.  They turned out really well, and this cake seems to be quite a hit!  The customer who purchased this cake ordered it for use at a bridal shower.

These two cakes were my first attempts at working with gumpaste to make flowers for my cakes.  I was pretty excited that they turned out so well.  I'm still working to perfect them.