Contemporary Elegance

Last fall I designed a wedding reception cake for a young couple who had been married in Oregon and wanted a cake for their Kansas reception. The bride wanted something contemporary to compliment her cream and black color scheme. I had recently seen cakes designed with alternate items used in place of the traditional pillars and separator plates. By purchasing a black 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" x 3 1/2" square ceramic vase, I was able to get a new look.For this three-tier cake I used smooth cream colored buttercream frosting with piped swirls over the entire surface. I liberally added cream apple blossoms with black centers and pearl stamen to finish the look. By piping some additional black frosting dots I was able to add some more visual interest and dimension.As I assembled everything on-site, the whole look came together. For this reception I was also in charge of the flowers and decor for the cake display table. The bride ordered dark red roses, leather leaf and some filler flowers for me to work with. I made a large arrangement using these for the cake topper and also made two rose and greenery bouquets to flank the cake. Three bouquets finished out the set for the serving table.As I stepped back, it was wonderful to see the entire concept come together in a fresh new way.

Pink Roses

Roses are beautiful, especially on wedding cakes. The bride for this spring wedding was using bright pink roses for her flowers and also as her main wedding color. The couple needed cake to serve around 250 people. So I designed a center 4-tier cake with pillars between the second and third layers and four 8" side cakes. Each cake was white-on-white with a variation of cornelli lace. I used a #7 writing tip for the lace and a #352 leaf tip for an occasional leaf sprinkled among the lace.
For the main cake I piped the entire top layer in lace and then let it continue down the next layer where it trailed out to dots. I repeated this with the bottom two layers and on two of the four side cakes. On the remaining two side cakes I piped the entire surface with cornelli lace. This cake grouping required a total of 16 layers of cake and multiple batches of buttercream frosting. I baked and assembled for many hours in preparation of the big day. Once I arrived with the cakes at the hotel ballroom reception site, I assembled the main cake and positioned the side cakes. I was thrilled to see the wonderful rose, ivy and baby's breath floral arrangements all ready for the tops of the cakes! Once I had them all placed, I did some final frosting touch-ups and the cakes were ready to go. They made such a pretty picture of pink freshness!

Zebra Girl Birthday

I have always had a weakness for animal prints. Whether it be clothing, in my interior design work or in cake design. So when a client requested a birthday cake for a 20-something friend I knew exactly what to suggest. She wanted something fun and hip and I had just the thing! I described a brown and white zebra background with pink roses and blue accents. The client was thrilled when I dropped it off. After the party she told me it, "Was a beautiful and delicious cake!!!" I love happy endings!

Polka-dots & Roses (2005)

When hired to design a cake for a college friend, I was very excited. She is a fellow cake decorator and I knew that she would put my skills to the test. The bride was anticipating approx. 180 guests so together we planned a center 3-tier round cake with 14in, 10in and 6in layers. For additional quantity I planned to make five additional 10in round individual cakes to arrange around the centerpiece cake. The bride had concept pictures of a wedding cake that was all white with varying sizes of polka-dots covering it. Another picture had frosting roses ringing each layer of a cake. By combining these two we thought I could make a stunning cake. So three days ahead of the wedding date I started making roses. Each layer of the centerpiece cake had a different size of flower with the largest being on the bottom layer. Rose after rose they took shape. Talk about a sore hand! That evening and the following day I baked all 16 white and chocolate cake layers that would ultimately form the finished product. Then it was on to the the frosting and assembly of each cake. Every surface in my kitchen was covered and overflowing! Cake was everywhere I looked but it was the best part of the process. Just before everything comes together it is so exciting to anticipate what will be created and then see it take shape! Once everything was boxed and ready for transport the day of the wedding, I loaded it into the vehicle for the short journey. Driving with a wedding cake on board is always a little nerve wracking but I just take it slow and steady and avoid any and all speed bumps! A friend met me at the reception site to assist with unloading and set-up. We got all the cakes into the ballroom and then placed the center cake on the tall pillars that housed a small water fountain. I then placed the individual cakes radiating around the center. My final touch was placing the Bianca Figurine by Wilton on the top tier. That evening as the bride and groom cut the cake, I was happy to see them both thrilled with the cakes and enjoying their memorable moment.

Seashell Cupcakes

Recently, I was asked to bake and decorate sample cupcakes for a potential client. She wanted to try four different flavors each with a different filling. I made:

Chocolate with cherry filling
White with raspberry filling
Carrot with cream cheese filling
Yellow with raspberry filling

So I baked, hollowed out the middle and filled each little cake. Then, after replacing the 'lid' over the filling, they were ready to be decorated.

At the client's request, I had special ordered baking papers from Canada that were tulip style and would simply require the cakes to be placed in and then frosted. With buttercream frosting I piped a tight swirl (using Wilton tip 2D) to cover the top of each cake.

The day before I had made shells in the Wilton seashells candy mold using swirled combinations of white and light cocoa candymelts. I placed a shell on top of each cupcake and sprinkled them alternately with blue sprinkles and brown sugar to give the impression of water and sand.

After I packaged them all up, they were ready for delivery and approval!