My My My My Poker Cake!

If you're a fan of poker, you're sure to go "Ga-Ga" over this poker cake!

 It's a wonky cake covered in fondant with fondant stripes.  I cut out the card suits (hearts, clubs, spades, and diamonds) and had them lining some of the stripes.

I even put Chad to work on this one.  He scanned some of our playing cards and found some poker chip insert graphics.  He printed them all out on the edible image printer.

We cut out the poker chips from fondant and then used white luster dust to paint the white stripes on the chips.

This was for Owen's 21st birthday, so we put the Ace and Jack of Spades together (a "21" in Blackjack) and Chad even photoshopped a "Happy 21st Birthday Owen" on the face of the Ace.  All in all, we were both very pleased with how the cake came out! 

Another Slice of Chicken Cake??

For the most part, it always seems like my family and friends get the shaft when it comes to their birthday cakes.  I have grandiose plans, but paying customers or lack of time sometimes prevent me from doing just the cake I want.

For example, my brother turned 50 last week and he really likes chickens and roosters.  He especially likes the Poultry in Motion chicken figurines by Sharon Neuhaus.  My initial plan was to make a fabulous cake in the image of one of her creations, but I scrapped that almost immediately when I saw the cake schedule for that week.

I finally wound up making this little clucker.  The cake is sculpted and I used a leaf tip to make the feathers.  The chicken's head and tail were made from modeling chocolate so that it would stand up and be more rigid.

It was a very unconventional 50th birthday cake to be sure, but he loved it!!  Hope you had a great birthday Bubbee!

Furry is the Head that Wears the Crown

How cute is this little fella?  You all know I have an affinity for making children's first birthday cakes, but I thought this one came out extra cute.

The cake is a simple two tier butter cream cake with fondant accents.  I hand molded the bear based off the design the mother showed me.  She did however want the crown added.  Now I didn't ask why, but I like to think that the crown was added either because (a) Jude is his mommy's little prince, or (b) to symbolize that all the world is his kingdom.

Grrr.. .Arrgh!

Now I enjoy making huge, 3D sculpted cakes as much as the next baker, but sometimes the client's occasion or budget just doesn't warrant such a huge elaborate cake.

Such was the case on this cake.  Owen was turning 3 and is WAY into dinosaurs.  I made some fondant fern leaves and filled the sides of the cake with them.  As you can see, I used different greens and bent some of the leaves to add some dimension to the cake.  For the top of the cake, even though the dinosaur is a flat cut out, I added arms and cute dino toes (OK, I guess they would be "claws") to give him some more dimension.

Well, the eggs are crackin' here at the bakery trying to get this weekend's cakes done, so I'll keep this one short and sweet!  Have a fantastic weekend!!

UPDATE: March 28, 2011 - Over a year after this original posting, we were alerted that this cake was based on a design by Hannah Wiltshire.  Many times our clients bring in pictures of cakes they want us to make and most of the time we never know where in the World Wide Web these pictures came from.  When we do, we like to give credit.  Thanks for the inspiration, Hannah!!

Cupcake Pebbles

So everyone here knows that I'm a big fan of the cake and it's diminutive kid brother, the cupcake.

What you may not know is that I'm also a cereal fanatic.  As I grow older I try to stay away from the sugary stuff, but sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I just have to have a bowl of Frosted Flakes, or Corn Pops, or whatever happens to be in the house at the time.

So I always keep my eyes peeled for something new and exciting while I'm shopping down the cereal aisle.  Imagine my surprise on seeing a box of Cupcake Pebbles last week on my trip to the supermarket.  I immediately scooped them up and made my way home.

Well, I have had the opportunity to have a couple of bowls and let me tell you, from the second you open the box, there is a strong smell of cupcakes (well, actually more of a buttercream scent).  They are a frosted white color with "sprinkle" colored speckles.  If you like sugary kid cereals, you will most likely like these as well.

Are they my new favorite?  No, but don't worry, I will happily finish the box.  It's all in my job of keeping you informed of any cake related news.

Happy Blogiversary!

It certainly doesn't seem like it, but this Sunday (March 14) will mark one year that my little old blog has been online.  In that year I have made several online friends and I'm astounded that over 100 people now follow my blog!  I have really enjoyed writing about the activities here at the bakery and the things I have learned and can share with my fellow bakers / decorators / artists.

So thanks to everyone who reads, comments on, and follows my little corner of the Internet.  I hope to keep blogging for many years to come, and hopefully I can post beautiful cakes and insightful comments to keep you coming back also.

Thanks, and have an AWESOME weekend!

It's Springtime, Baby!

So March is already here and the daffodils are beginning to poke their little heads up from the ground here at the bakery.  So naturally my thoughts turn towards springtime endeavors and activities.

But then there are still all these pesky cakes to decorate.  So last weekend when I had a customer give me almost full reign on a baby shower cake I wanted to "spring" it up a bit.

I used my Silhouette digital cutter to make templates for the baby lettering, and it actually turned out quite well.  I had seen a similar bow motif used on a cake a while back and decided to borrow it on this one.  Some cute little flowers and butterflies.  I even made a little rattle as an accent.

Pack Your Bags!

I made this luggage cake as a retirement cake for a woman who wanted to spend her golden years jet setting around the globe.

This cake is mostly buttercream, but the straps. handle, and other accents were made from fondant.  We even used the edible image printer to make a luggage tag and a passport cover.  A small spray of gumpaste flowers completed the package.  It sure was nice that a cake took LESS time than I planned!

One of the best tools I ever bought was a "ribbon cutter".  It is such a simple thing that I use every week!  I wish I would have textured the straps with a "leather" type print.  I've been looking at rolling pins for textures on things, but they are so expensive.  I have two, one with floral pattern and one with a wood texture.  Does anyone have a cheap source? 

I would love to make vacation plans after doing this cake!  How about you?

Chattanooga City Scope Magazine

A couple of months ago I got a call from the nice folks at Chattanooga City Scope magazine.  They were putting together a wedding issue and wanted to do an article on this season's trends in wedding cakes.  After a short interview they asked if I would send in some hi-res pictures that were representative of those trends.  Chad and I immediately went through all our wedding cakes and sent them more pictures than they could ever use.

Several days later I got a call that really made my day.  It was City Scope magazine and they were asking if several of my cakes were buttercream or fondant.  They thought it was buttercream, but they were so smooth they thought it could be fondant.  Now you all know that I go the extra mile to make my buttercream smooth as silk so I was especially glad that their staff noticed and felt the need to confirm.

So over the weekend I get a copy of the magazine in the mail and they did feature one of my cakes.  They also post their issues online, so if you would like to read the article, just click here.

Thanks for stopping by!