The long road to inspiration...

I'm often asked where I get the ideas for my cakes. And sometimes I can give you a very specific answer. Like, the client was very clear, they told me what to do, I followed instructions, and there you have it. Other times, the route to inspiration is anything but direct.

This past spring one of my display cakes was being transported to a show, when the box that held it was picked up by a very disagreeable gust of wind, carried several feet, and thrown to the ground, where it was smashed into an unrecognizable mess. This was a very stressful moment for the caterer that was transporting my displays. (No worries, I didn't yell at him.)

The display cake before the wind took it on a wild ride.

It is moments like these that have a way of forcing your hand. There were no plans for an additional display cake. Over the past 2 months, I'd made six! As far as I was concerned, I was all set. But... ummm... yea, things happen. The smashed cake was the biggest display cake I had. It showed a variety of techniques and well... I figured if I had to remake it, I might as well take it a step further. The whole idea of a display cake is to show potential clients what is possible. For me, it's not about creating a cake that I can copy in the future. I just want them to see what their options are. And with very little time until the next show, I was a little stressed.

And I was quickly reminded that I often do my best work when I'm under the gun. I don't know why. It makes no rational sense... And yet, I was so pleased with the resulting cake, that I was happy the original cake was smashed. In fact, I decided that I no longer liked the original cake. Go figure!

Isn't it pretty!?! I really love it. It's so very romantic and soft looking.

A little later... I had the opportunity to make a baby shower cake for a client's daughter to match the theme of the baby's bedroom.

Isn't it cute!

Fast Forward to this fall... The same client saw that pretty display cake that I had to make under the gun this past spring. Seeing how they love all things super girlie and feminine and of course PINK, she wanted that cake used as the inspiration for the Christening Cake.

So, I was able to adjust the design down a bit to make the perfect Christening Cake for Janel's precious baby girl. I added a little more pink into the mix than the original cake had and we removed a few of the more mature elements. And Voila!




Isn't it interesting how cakes are born? Inspiration comes from all around, and you never know what will inspire you to create something new. Sometimes, even a disaster can result in something amazing.

Happy Baking, Caking, and Decorating!

Lia's Bumper Party!

This a pretty cool cake! Not because of how it looks, but because of how it got here. Usually the design for a cake comes from a piece of inspiration from the client. Either an invitation, or bedding, or party theme, or a flower, etc. But this cake, had an additional inspiring element.

Lia's Birthday Party was planned at a play zone that had bowling, bumper cars, and other fun activities for the kids. So when Lia sat down to draw a picture a couple of weeks ago, she was clearly imagining her upcoming party. She drew 2 bumper cars to represent herself and her daddy. As you can see by the numbers on the cars, Lia is a young 7 and Daddy's 40!


She had already let me know that she wanted pink and blue on her cake so when mom e-mailed me the picture, a few changes were made to bring Lia's drawing to life.



In the end, Lia got the pink and blue cake she asked for along with a three dimensional edible version of her drawing.


And what did I get? I got a wonderful e-mail from Lia's mom.

Dear Stacey,
I wish you could have seen my daughter’s face when she first saw her cake today. She was basically ecstatic! The cake was absolutely adorable, and everyone raved about it. There’s only one problem with the cake – it’s so delicious I can’t stop eating it!!!
Thank you for a fabulous show stopper!

Best regards,
Nicole

And this is why I really love my job!

Bows & Booties

Precious, Feminine, Delicate, Pink, Frilly, Girlie, Dainty, Adorable & Sweet, that's what little girls are!!! And that's what a baby girl shower cake should be!

So here's a baby shower cake that is all those things. The little flowers were made using a custom mold (yea... I'm addicted to mold making now!) The bows are gum paste as are the baby booties. Everything is sweet and edible!

Congratulations to Billy & Becky on your Precious Gift from God.

Pretty Pillows for a Princess

Never before have I attempted a pillow cake. But most of my cakes are that way. I've been caking for 2 years and five months now. So it's not unusual at all that I get a request for something challenging that I've never attempted. Sometimes, I'm honestly a little intimidated by the requests, sometimes excited, but always confidant that one way or another, the request will be filled.

I will say that there have been times when it included tears, frustration, and extra baking. And sometimes, I've even had to learn a couple of things that hard way. But thankfully, I've learned a lot and my clients have been happy.

So this weekends challenge was a three tier pillow cake. The thing that amazes me the most about these cakes is that the corners of the pillow don't just collapse! I mean.. It's cake! And yet, somehow... these cakes work. Thankfully Cake Central (one of my favorite cake resources)had a tutorial on pillow cakes. Of which I took full advantage!


I learned a lot. Will definitely do a few things differently next time. But overall, I'm THRILLED with my first attempt. And the client too was thrilled. I love happy endings!

Cake Stats: Three tiers of vanilla cake. Top and bottom tier contain chocolate ganache filling. Middle tier has chocolate chip filling. The cake is iced in buttercream and covered in fondant.


I hand painted the pattern on the bottom tier and the stripe around the top cake. Then airbrushed the pillows. The tiara is made from gum paste, silver highlighter dust, and Swarovski crystals. The shoes on the cake board were purchased and provided by the client.

Today I built a car...

A 1966 Chevy Chevelle to be exact. The car is carved from two half sheet pound cakes with a layer of chocolate ganache between.



It always amazes me how much cake I have to bake in order to get down to the final product. But it does look cool! The bride asked that the car be black with white stripes and that the couples names appear on the license plate.

The fun part for me comes after the cake is carved and crumb coated. That is when I'm able to start building up the detail work on the car. One layer at a time. It's at this stage that I'm able to add all the little things that differentiate one car from another.



I've often been asked for instructions on how I build my cars and trucks. Honestly... I don't have any. I use several photographs and just keep working at it until the shape and lines match the reference enough that the car is distinguishable. And with every car I tackle, I learn something new that can help me with the next project.


Enjoy!

A super busy week in cake! From Graduations to Dragons...

I finally finished this weeks cakes! The first cake I'm showing you was done for a friend's son. She is a pastry chef and makes YUMMY treats but she doesn't do the kind of sculpting and detail work I do. So... she decided to order her son's cake so she could try one of my creations first hand. This is a chocolate cake with peanut butter cup filling. You can check out Stefanie's desserts at Decadent Desserts by Stefanie. I recommend the Rocher!! YUMMY!




The second cake was done for a graduation. This client requested stacked books with a graduation cap and the graduate wearing his future college's t-shirt. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Although... this is one HEAVY cake!!! White Almond Sour Cream cake with raspberry filling and yellow cake with chocolate ganache.



This final cake was done for a client who originally called Charm City Cakes for a quote. And to my surprise, Charm City Cakes told her to call ME!!! I was so excited to get a referral from CCC that I sent them a big old box of Holiday Crunch! Anyway... the client asked for a blue dragon with black accents and a crystal ball. The crystal ball is made of sugar and resulted in 3 blisters on the palms of my hands! OUCH! This cake is 100% edible! Vanilla cake with buttercream filling. I'm very pleased with the results of this guy. I was a little nervous starting out as I was afraid it would just look like a big lizard... that is until I realized that a dragon IS a big lizard! Enjoy!

Ford Mustang Car Cake

A friend of mine thinks I'm nuts because I actually enjoy car cakes. From Monster trucks to regular cars, I truly enjoy the creative process. There's something satisfying to start with layers of cake and carve it away to reveal a sculpture beneath. But it doesn't end there... then starts the process of laying Fondant down on the clean pallet and building it up to reveal the ridges, curves, and details that bring the car to life. When it is all said and done, if you know what kind of car it is without having to be told, I did my job! If you can't... well.... we won't talk about that!

I hope you enjoy! Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and don't forget to say a prayer for those who have given up so much to ensure the liberties we enjoy on a daily basis.

A couple of cake toppers for this weekend.

Yesterday was a very busy day. I worked on cake details from morning to night. Here are 2 of the pieces I worked on yesterday.

The first is for a baby shower cake and the topper matches the invitation.




The second is a cake topper for a graduation cake.


I'm really happy with how they both turned out but I have to admit I'm partial to the bassinet. I just LOVE how cute it turned out.

Don't forget to enter the drawing for the apron. Contest ends tonight at midnight EST. All you have to do is comment on the Apron Post and tell me why you want one. :)

Have a super sweet day!

AARGH Matey!!! A Pirate Ties the Knot!

Made this for a cast member of Valhalla's Pirates. It's the grooms cake for their wedding. White Almond Sour Cream Cake with Lemon Curd Filling.