Tennessee Riverplace Wedding and Toppers

When I met with this happy young couple, they were very sure of the cake they wanted.  They wanted the look and the whimsy of a wonky cake, but they didn't want to use triangular risers and they wanted each tier to maintain it's rectangular shape (no cutting the base/top at an angle.  It was a bit of a challenge, but I decided creating an angled well in the cake below was the best way to accomplish this.

The rest of the cake was fairly easy, and as you can see I decorated it with some scroll piping, some gumpaste tulips, a fondant ribbon, and gray gumpaste bows that I textured to give a more realistic fabric feeling.

I delivered this to the Tennessee Riverplace, which is the beautiful location where they had the reception.

Click to Enlarge

But take a look at this topper the couple picked out!  Isn't it just the cutest?  They got it from Etsy, but I am not sure of the seller.  They were SO cute that they just had to have their own special photo session!

Even though their groom's cake was a simple, budget-friendly design, they also had a specialty topper made for it.  Unfortunately, I don't know this Etsy seller either.

Now, they didn't explain their design to me, but I'd like to think it stems from the episode of Friends where Phoebe explains that "Lobsters mate for life" and that Ross and Rachel are each others lobsters.  I'm not sure if lobsters actually do mate for life, but I can certainly appreciate the sentiment.

As always, thank you for stopping by, and I'll see you back here next week.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will reply to it using Blogger's new(ish) reply feature!

Wonky Sweet 16 Birthday Cake

Last weekend I had the pleasure of making a Sweet Sixteen cake for Maranda in Dalton, GA.

It's been a while since I have made a wonky cake, They're big fun to make, and they look impressive. 

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but when I make a wonky cake, I carve out a well for the second tier in the spot it will be placed on the first tier.  That way, the cake will sit flush and keep the proper center of gravity.

And since the tiers wind up being higher than my normal (already tall) tiers, I add a cake board in the middle of the tier for extra added stability.

Once everything is carved, fitted, and stable, just add on fondant accents, ribbons, and your gumpaste bow loops!

Have a great weekend!!

What are All the Words a 2 Year Old Can Say?

We have many great customers, but the ones that are "in the industry" are some of my favorites.  Many times, they let you "do whatever you want" or at the very least they understand the time involved so they don't take issue when they know you give them a fair quote.

This mommy goes all out for her sweet little man.  She designs 90% of the cake and then decorates the entire party to match the cake, which I have no problem with of course!  Her idea in this design was to do each tier with something primary and familiar to a two year old.  There are several animals on the other side of the cake because it was to be displayed in the middle of the room.  My favorite is the penguins because I have been watching a lot of "Penguins of Madagascar" on Nickelodeon lately.

The cake is iced in butercream and all the decorations are fondant.  The greens on the monkey tier are very different, but it didn't show up well in this picture.  The "2" is "busting out of the top" with the fondant peeling back.  I quoted 12 hours of art on this cake and between carving the cake, mixing colors, and 14 animals, I used every bit of that time and then some.  I HAD to have all four penguins in the cartoon!

After six years of making cake, I think I'm starting to get the artwork estimates down pat.  This is what you do.....estimate how much time the cake will take you after it's all smooth and stacked THEN DOUBLE IT!  I have given a little money back when I have over estimated, but that is a rarity.  Anyone have a better idea?  Happy New Year! 

Abigail's First Birthday

You all know how much I like making first birthday cakes.  They're like wedding cakes for newborns!

Little miss Abigail's cake was no exception. I was given a picture of Abigail's dress and used it for inspiration.

The colors, the polka dots, even the cupcake came from the dress' design.  I even broke out the Cricut Cake to cut the letters... so easy!  For the zigzag ribbons, I used a new silicone mold I just bought and it turned out beautifully.  Isn't that called rick-rack?  I have no sewing skills whatsoever - LOL!

The cupcake was made so that it could be easily removed to serve double duty as Abigail's smash cake.

Oh, and I almost forgot about the marabou boa around the cake board!  Too cute, huh?  Have a great weekend and a Happy Halloween!!

Deja vu all over again!

Look familiar?  Remember a couple of posts back I said that everyone was calling for wonky cakes?  Well, the day before I finished the blue wonky cake, someone called and ordered the exact same cake (only in green and pink).

I have to admit that sometimes I get tired of doing the exact same cakes over and over.  I don't know why it bothers me - each time I do the same cake I do it more quickly than the last time and usually a little better too.  I guess I just like spreading my artistic wings and seeking out new cake challenges.

Stop back in again soon and I promise I won't show you another version of this cake, in fact, I'll make sure to showcase something other than a wonky cake!

Have a great week, OK!

Wonky Blue Polka Dot Cake

Things definitely come in waves here at the bakery.  And lately, everybody that calls wants a wonky cake.

Maredith was turning sixteen and needed a special cake to celebrate the occasion.  She picked this cake off my website and changed the colors a bit

I went to town on it, carving it and covering it with fondant, while Chad was busy making bow loops, polka dots, and cutting out the 16.  We put it all together and I even accented it with some fondant ribbon roses.

I was pleased with the color scheme and thought it came out quite cute and whimsical.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Sweet 16 Cake

It's been a while since I did a Sweet 16 cake, and I had big fun making this one! Sam and Kelsie were having their big bash together, and I got to provide the cake!

This one was fun all the way around. Tilty-wonky cake with swirlies, harlequin pattern, and funky retro circles. Some fun little hot pink fantasy flowers made everything really pop!

Discussion question for all the bakers out there: You'll notice the crystals on the curled wires (sometimes we use fondant balls on the end). I know I'm not the first to think of or use these, but do they have an official bakery name? Around the shop we just call them crystal (or fondant) "doomies".

Well, y'all have a great week, K?