Squealin' and Peelin' Out....

To date I have had some rather unusual request for cakes. (Steampunk Cthulu? Huh???) But with a bit of research, I can usually figure it out. This one had me a bit stumped...Racing pigs? I have seen them at the fair, but how in the world can I manage this and still make it look like a GIRLS birthday cake. Cecilia's request was indeed a challenge, but I think I made it work. The cake itself was red velvet with a buttercream filling and frosting, covered in fondant. The pigs are a 50/50 gumpaste and fondant mix and all hand sculpted. I am still honing my skills as far as that goes, but I think can hear the oinks from here.

(pic courtesy of Jackie Doan)

 

 

 

 

I could not resist the urge to add a tongue to this little piggy...

 

Run...Piggies...Run!

 

 

 

This is one of only a few cakes that I have done with absolutely no sketch and no game plan. Just thought about the colors, made the pigs, and sat down and started decorating. I guess it works like that occasionally.

Happy Birthday Cecilia!

Time to clean the sugar from my floors, cabinets, walls, face....lol

Until next time :)
Mimi

1st birthdays! I love them...

I absolutely love doing first birthday cakes! It always makes me think about my daughters 1st. (Good grief, she is driving now and I am old!) Funny thing is, my daughter chose not to eat her cake.
She HATED sweets! But good ole grandma hooked her up with a hamburger bun. Yes, you heard correctly...a hamburger bun. We stuck her candle atop and sang and she was so happy. She tore into that bun like it was the best thing ever made. (She gets her love of bread from her mama and her Italian heritage.)





So this 1st birthday cake was done for the niece of an old friend whose mother contacted me. I loved the concept she sent. So simple, but adorable.

Concept for sheet cake

Final Product

And every 1st birthday needs a smash cake!

 Thanks again to Ms. Jennifer for everything. I appreciate the business and the fun creative outlet this gives me. 

Until next time! :)

Jedi Master Miles...

On Saturday Dec. 10th, my patient husband delivered my latest creation because I had to be at my "real job". Curse that real job! *Dreaming* Maybe one day I will be able to play with sugar full time. Oh well, for now I passed the time making another Star Wars Cake for a new client. Ms. Ellie wanted me to make a cake for her son turning 5. Miles loves Star Wars and this is the design I came up with...

 

 

Concept Sketch

I started on Monday cutting and hand painting the 1/2 gumpaste-1/2 fondant Luke, Darth and the Sign with number. I baked the cakes Tuesday night, then tightly wrapped and stored in the fridge. Wednesday night I made the buttercream icing from scratch and applied the crumb coat. After this set, I applied a final coat of buttercream. Friday night I stacked and did all the hand painting to the bottom tier, and assembled all the final decor pieces. As I was working, I thought the back of the cake needed something, and knowing that I can never leave well enough alone, I cut and hand painted a Yoda to add to the back of the cake.

"Have a Happy Birthday...you must...mmmhmmm"

And finally, it was done! Everything on this cake was edible, with the exception of the wooden dowels I had to use to place the "5" and the "Star Wars" logo.

Final product! Yay!

Every cake is a labor of love...and always takes me way longer than I think it will. So now...you know...the REST of the story! That is why I ask for as much notice as possible. Until next time... :)

Smokey's Rifle...

Is it real? Is it cake? Can I shoot it? Nah...it's just cake! My latest sugar adventure was a cake done for a friend. This friend by the way  makes the best grub this side of the state line, check out SmokeDogs BBQ. If you need someone to cater an event for you, or you just want to sink your chops into the best pulled pork ever made, he is your man! When he asked me to do this cake for a dear friend of his, I jumped at the chance. It was so different from anything I have done in the past, and my very first attempt at sculpting a cake. I am pleased with the way it turned out. It was far from perfect, and honestly, I worried about whether or not I could pull it off. But I rolled up my sleeves (wait...aprons don't have sleeves) and got to work. I used my daughters .22 as the model. After some studying, I dove in.

Modeling the gumpaste carriage.

 

 

 Strawberry...mmm

Buttercream the case...

 Chocolate Fondant case

 Laying out the rifle...sculpting...

 Marbled fondant...wood grain!

 With food gel "stain"...

 Details added....success!

 The details man...the details.

 

What fun this was! Given the chance, I would love to do another one. Time to clean the confectioners sugar from my cabinets! Till next time! :)

 

The Hills Are Alive....

Friday morning brought the delivery of a "Sound of Music" cake. I must confess that I cannot take credit for the design of this cake. I was at a loss for what to do so my old buddy Google helped me out. This is my take on a few cakes that I found. Thanks to those that inspired. Wish I knew your name so I could give proper credit. Anyway, I was asked to do this cake by a friend who was attending a community theater production of "The Sound of Music". Some family friends of hers had children who had roles and she thought this cake would be a nice surprise. I loved doing this one. I am still practicing hand painting with food gels. It is a world apart from water colors because things dry so fast. I am sure with more practice I will get the hang of it. Maria, the mountains and the banner were all hand cut from gumpaste and left to dry. Then I hand painted them. I tried to make the flowers something that looked similar to Edelweiss. What a fun cake, but honestly...I am a little sick of singing all the show tunes. And I am certain my family is glad the cake (and the singing) is done!

 

Sing it with me..."Doe a deer, a female deer..." On second  thought, never mind...lol

Possibly the sweetest cake ever!!!

This was quite possibly the sweetest cake ever, and I am not referring to the frosting, but the sentiment behind it. This weekend's cake was done for a bride on her wedding day. It was not for her and her husband, but her future in-laws. She contacted me and stated that her future in-laws were celebrating their 46th wedding anniversary on that day, and she wanted to do something special to acknowledge them. She came up with the record player idea with Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody" as the record on top. This was my take on the "sweet" idea.How awesome is it that with all this bride had on her mind, she still thought enough to do this for them. Wishing the newlyweds much love and happiness...and as many sweet years as the grooms parents! Awwwwww~ That is why I love doing this!

Star Wars Theme

Man...it has been a while since I blogged. This was a cake I did for a young man named Wyatt waaaay back in August! Wow, life has a way of interrupting my caking! I have been busy with work and my 16 year old daughter is driving now, so I have a few more gray hairs. But I have several cake orders coming up so stayed tuned!

Wyatt's cake was a Star Wars Lego Theme! It was a really fun cake to make from my first repeat customer! Thanks again Danielle!

Everything on this cake is edible! All items are hand crafted from gumpaste and/or fondant. No toys here! :)

Birthday boy blows out the candles! (*photo credit Danielle Frisbee)

May the Force Be With You!