Fresh as a Daisy

This was a very fun cake to do!  Kelly green fondant with over four dozen hand-crafted gumpaste daisies.  Three-layer marbled cake with buttercream icing.  The name was modeled in (red) white chocolate.

Go Wildcats!

Double-layer butter chiffon with buttercream.  Covered in fondant (marbled floor to look like a basketball court).  First time carving a wildcat head.  Tools were MIA, so this was done with an exacto knife and a toothpick!  Fondant basketballs and pom-poms surround the cake.  Roooooaaaaar!

There's something special inside...

...and it's love!  Seriously, people.  I love what I do.  You love whomever you are honoring by choosing me.  You love these special moments in time that bring families and friends together in celebration.  Last but not least, hopefully, you love cake.

And if I may say so, you have exceptionally good taste and a keen appreciation for good food.  I mean, come on, it's obvious you are a trendsetter and wise beyond your years!  Hey, is that a new shirt?  It looks fab with your eye color... 

Dark Chocolate...hmmm...

Very few birthday cakes are "manly" without looking cheesey.  Yeah, dad likes football, but does he really want a football-shaped cake?  Perhaps.  But I thought I would try something a little more sophisticated and understated for a male friend of the family.  Four wafer thin layers of chocolate sponge, sandwiched between decadent espresso-mascarpone cheese.  Covered in dark chocolate ganache.  Elegantly surrounded by dark and white chocolate-dipped strawberries.  My only regret?  Not taking a better picture! 

Cinco de Mayo! Circa 2007.

My first fondant cake.  Ah...back when I didn't know any better and used (gag!) Wilton's pre-made fondant (gag, gag!)  Thus began my love affair with odd birthday cakes.  I so wish I had a picture of my daughter's chicken leg birthday cake still!

That's no moon, that's a space station!

So much fun to make!  Cake is chocolate with cookies-n-cream icing.  Final result had a second tie fighter dangling above the storm trooper, "flying" in outer space.  Can I put on a resume that I know how to make a 1/2-inch sugar paste gun?

Cupcakes and Tiny Treats!

Various assortment, and no, your eyes do not deceive you...that is a picture of miniature (and fantabulous!) fruit cakes.  I thought portion control would help prevent an all-out gorging this past Christmas...boy was I wrong!  Those little rum-soaked fruit cakes made a wonderful breakfast.  And snack.  And after lunch treat, and...well, you get the idea.

Albert the Alligator

Albert was so much fun to make!  Jelly roll with lemon curd for body.  Butter genoise for all else.  Football in mouth is rice crispy treat, body covered in fondant.  My daughter was glad to see the "scary gador" gone!

Luau Ice Crem Cake

Ten inches of awesome!  Not so awesome on a 94-degree day!  A hot vile mess within thirty minutes of cutting, but once upon a time it was a beautiful, decadent feast: oreo crust, vanilla ice cream, cookie crumbs, oreo and cream layer, cookie crumbs, chocolate ice cream, cookie crumbs, cookies-n-cream ice cream.  Covered  with Italian Meringue Buttercream and fondant hibiscus flowers and seashells.  Grass skirt looked like worms according to some lovely, lovely children at the party.  (The grass skirt here does look a bit like worms, ok, I admit it.  BUT, I fixed it up right before the big reveal as some of it broke off in transit, and I wanted it to look more "grassy"!)  In my defense, only working on the cake for ten minute increments before having to refreeze for thirty was a little tricky.  Back off first graders! 

Sugar Dog!

Dairy-Free American Girl Sugar Dog cake covered in fondant!

Mama Owl! Hooot, Hoooot!

Cupcake Cake

Idea (inspiration) from Disney's Family Fun Magazine.

Purse Cake

Yesterday was my first attempt at the increasingly popular trend of "purse" cakes.  The birthday girl wanted a pink and purple color scheme with lots of cosmetics!  I made the make-up from modeling chocolate (both white and dark), sugarpaste, sugar glass (I sculpted it to look like nail polish and a lip gloss tube), and fondant.  I wasn't too happy that stamping the child's name on the fondant made it ripple, but hopefully she didn't care!

The cake was marble, three layers, filled with cream cheese, and iced with vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream, per request.

Let Them Eat Cake!

Cakes 

• Orange
• Butter Yellow
• Genoise
• Key Lime
• Chocolate
• Dark Chocolate
• White
• Almond
• Italian Cream (pecans)
• Coconut
• Banana
• Strawberry-Lemon
• Carrot
• German Chocolate
• Red Velvet
• Applesauce Spice
• Marble
• Irish Cream

Fillings

 

• Lemon Curd
• Lime Curd
• Raspberry
• Blackberry
• Mascarpone-Espresso
• Dark Chocolate Ganache
• White Chocolate Ganache
• Cream Cheese
• Sticky Coconut-Pecan

 Icing

 

I use (homemade) Italian Meringue Buttercream as my primary icing.  I can then flavor it as follows:

• Almond
• Vanilla
• Strawberry
• Blackberry
• Chocolate
• Peanut Butter
• Lemon
• Key Lime
• Coconut
• Orange
• Oreo Cookies-n-cream

or American Buttercream:

• Mint
• Cream Cheese
• High Humidity Vanilla or Almond
• Orange
• Chocolate Ganache
• White Chocolate Ganache
• No-Dairy White (marshmallow-like icing)

Decorations

 

My fondant is made fresh from marshmallows and is delicious!

• Vanilla
• Almond
• Lemon
• Orange
• Raspberry

 

or

Dark Chocolate (modeling chocolate)

Milk Chocolate (modeling chocolate)

White Chocolate (modeling chocolate)

Royal Icing

Vanilla

Almond

Bittersweet Chocolate

Sugarpaste

 

 

Other

 

 Pies

• Pecan
• Coconut Cream
• Key Lime
• Lemon Meringue
• Chocolate
• In Season Fruit

 

Dessert Bars

• Key Lime
• Lemon
• Raspberry
• Magic (coconut, pecans, chocolate, and butterscotch)
• Pecan

 

Brownies

 

Cookies

• Lemon
• Sugar
• Peanut butter
• Chocolate chip
• Oatmeal raisin walnut
• Macaroons
• Walnut-date sandwiches
• Pecan shortbread crescents

 

Candies

• Chocolate-covered strawberries
• Chocolate-covered cherry cordials
• New Orleans pecan pralines
• Fudge
• Divinity
• Lollipops

 

Is that a toilet? Why, yes! A toilet!

Seven and a half years ago, the week of my wedding, to be exact, I found  myself staring down the cranium board at my intended.  He and I were facing off against his sister and mother and the game was nearly over.  I pulled the putty card and had to mold a toilet.  I did.  A very respectable (blue, I think?) and realistic toilet in under a minute.  I joked, "If only I could get paid doing this.  I mean, come on, how useless is this skill?"  Well, turns out, if you love to bake and decorate cakes, it's pretty useful after all.  Don't remember who won that game, though...