Orange & Blue Daisy Wedding Cake

It's traditional for wedding cakes to be white cake with white filling and white decorations. But, more and more, brides & grooms are choosing to incorporate nontraditional fillings (like guava, Bavarian cream, or raspberry) and using...*gasp*...COLOR on the cakes!

Of course, there is such a thing as too much color (think fluorescent green, orange, etc)...but bringing in touches of your wedding accent colors can really help decorate your reception.

Here's a cake we made for a bride and groom who were having an orange and blue wedding:


The cake was iced in white buttercream, and we wrapped real ribbon around the base of each cake tier.


The daisies were all hand-made from gum paste and attached to the cake. Then, we added a sprinkling of orange and blue polka dots around the daisies.


It's just enough color to bring the cake to life and still keep it elegant and formal. I love color on cakes, don't you?!

Lego Pirate Cake

I posted another sneak peek on the Facebook Fan Page last week. Did you see it?! I thought the photo was a little more cryptic this time, but you guys were still able to guess! I'll have to get a little more creative in my photography in the future...


So, yes, it was a pirate ship cake. But not just any pirate ship! It was a Lego pirate ship made especially for Adam's youngest cousin, who just turned 7 and is absolutely obsessed with all things Lego.


The ship was carved out of cake and "wallpapered" with wood grain-printed edible paper fresh from my new PhotoFrost edible printing system. Now, before you all ask me, "Where did you find the amazing wood grain image???" Here's a secret: I just googled it! Here's the one I used, which came up with a search for "wooden planks."


I made a special mold using real Legos so that I could, in turn, create edible ones for the cake. And all the decorations (anchor, Lego people, sails, treasure map, etc) were made of gum paste.


In fact, Noah specifically requested that his "squid man" be driving the pirate ship. Now, I wasn't about to try to carve that detailed, tiny character from red gum paste so I simply made a mold of the real thing! The one you see in the picture above is made from gum paste. I am now in love with molding putty!

Noah's party was held at the local skating rink. I used to spend all day Saturday at the skating rink when I was growing up...*sigh* those were the days. And you know what? They still use the same fluorescent carpet on the walls! When we arrived at the party with the cake, the staff put it on a counter so skaters-by wouldn't damage it. Noah stood there staring at it for at least 15 minutes.


Then some random little boy walked up and Noah announced, "That's my birthday cake! My cousin made it!"



I think he liked it. What do you think?

A Casino-Themed Birthday Cake

Here's a fun cake we made for a man's 30th birthday party!


They wanted the cake to be casino-themed so we made a roulette wheel out of Rice Krispies Treats for the topper. The cards and poker chips were made of gum paste and we "glued" them to the cake to make the cake come to life.

They didn't want the cake to specifically say "Happy 30th Birthday!" so we subtly hinted at this birthday milestone. Can you find it? *HINT: You can see it in the picture below if you look very closely.*


ANSWER: The roulette ball came to rest on #30!

Mango Calla Lily Wedding Cake

Here's another wedding cake from back in October 2010. This one was done for some friends who were in the same doctoral program as me at the University of Florida. I'll post the groom's cake tomorrow - it's very "scientific."


Megan and Jeremiah got married at the Sweetwater Branch Inn, where they set up the wedding cakes in front of a gorgeous mirror in the foyer area.

The cake was iced in buttercream, and here is a close-up of the gum paste Mango Calla Lilies cascading down the cake and the hand-piped details that matched the embroidery on Megan's dress.


Their wedding photographer was another friend of mine: Elise Kersey. Here are the shots she got:

White Buttercream Wedding Cake, Black Bow, and a SURPRISE!

Here's a very clean, elegant, gorgeous wedding cake. It was 3 hexagon tiers iced in buttercream, with each tier wrapped with a black satin ribbon.


The bride provided the shiny, ornate monograms and the broach to go in the center of the large gum paste bow I made. I love how the bow is offset on the top of the cake, and the tails just drape down over the other tiers!


But, wait! What's this peeking from around the back of the cake???


Oh my! It's a gecko!

Yup, they wanted a sugar gecko climbing up the back of the cake! The bride has a pet gecko, and apparently it represents the couple's quirkiness. Just like no two couples are the same, neither are their cakes!

Or their geckos, for that matter. This is actually the second gecko I made. I based the creation of the first one off a quick Google search for "gecko." The bride & groom were in the bakery the week of the wedding so we excitedly showed them the gecko. It didn't pass inspection. You see, she doesn't have an ordinary gecko. She has one with a stumpy little tail like you see in the photo. The tail actually mimics the head so if the gecko is attacked by a predator, it can fool him and escape!

You learn something new every day, right?

Pillow Cake for a First Birthday Party!

Maybe you should sit down before I show you this cake. The order was placed only TWO weeks ago by a woman for her granddaughter's first birthday party. Big deal, right?

Well, the party was for 120 people! And she wanted a 3-tier pillow cake. Actually, she specifically wanted this cake from Elegant Cheesecakes, but we changed it a little to incorporate her colors and "feel" for the party. The party colors were dusty rose, ivory, and pink! And the party had sort of a girly vintage feel to it.


The cakes were carved, covered in fondant, and decorated with fondant accents.


The pillows were topped with a gum paste princess crown, which was wrapped around the smash cake! See it peeping from behind the crown in the picture below? At the party, they were able to lift the crown and smash cake and set it in front of the birthday girl.


I knew this would be a fun delivery. I love it when the rooms are at least partially set up so I can see how the cake fits into the rest of the party.


I'm proud to say we perfectly matched the party colors! Yay!


Just look at this room!


Again, there's the girly vintage feel...an elegant, mature centerpiece with a pink & silver crown sticking out of it!


And how many 1st birthday parties have you been to where there is a favor bar. What's the favor? GOLDFISH! Yup, each party attendee took home a new pet!

Light Pink Christening Cake

This cake is all about the subtlety. It was made for a baby's Christening and was iced in very light pink buttercream.


I decorated it using white fondant pressed into a lace mold, some buttercream dots & crosses, a hand-made name plaque, and a hand-made gum paste bow topper.


It's subtly feminine and baby-ish while still giving impressions of maturity, elegance, and the importance of the event it celebrates.

Tackle Box Cake

A few weeks ago, a woman ordered a cake for her husband's 30th birthday. We were so excited to see the order come to fruition because there was a LOT of sugar artwork involved!

She asked us to make a life-sized tackle box filled with grubs, fishing lures, and things that had special meaning to the family.


We marbleized different shades of brown fondant to give the box a wood-grain effect, and the lid of the box was made of Rice Krispies Treats.


The tool tray was made entirely of gum paste. In it, we piled in the grubs, worms, and fishing lures. We also added a hand-made orchid because the family grows & sells them, a sugar pacifier to represent their baby boy, and a book called "Why Daughters Need Dads" because he had given his oldest daughter that book years ago.


In front of the tackle box, we placed more grubs & lures, another orchid, and a side of cole slaw. Cole slaw? Apparently the husband and wife are crazy about the stuff!


Off to the side, we placed a sugar replica of the husband's sunglasses, another orchid, and a spool of fishing line that read "30 Year Test."


We were so thrilled with how this cake came out, and I'm especially proud of the orchids!