Catching up!

It's been a couple of months since I posted new cake photos so today I decided to play catch up and include a few celebration cakes that I created before the hot summer weather arrived. Lots of fun designs, delicious flavours and special occasions!!

 It was a candy lover's dream come true for Madison's birthday! This two-tiered cake combined fun, bright colours, real candy and sugarpaste lollipops in a festive design for a special celebration.

This Hollywood-inspired birthday cake was all sparkle and shimmer, including a 2D movie camera, clapboard and theatre marquee featuring the birthday girl's name. A red carpet, silver stars topper and film strip border added the final touches.

An elegant baptism cake, complete with quilting, sugar flowers, butterflies, a sugarpaste cross and pearls, marked this special occasion. Inside was a delicious tropical coconut cake with layers of pineapple curd and pineapple buttercream.

I had a lot of fun creating this vintage record player, covered in delicious chocolate fondant with edible details made from sugarpaste. There was even more chocolate inside - rich chocolate cake with layers of milk chocolate buttercream!

It was Star Wars and superheros all wrapped up in one for Ben's 5th birthday cake. Superhero logos surrounded the sides of the cake while edible, hand-detailed 2D versions of Yoda and R2D2 adorned the top.

First Communion weekend

Two very pretty but very different cakes were part of recent First Communion celebrations. The first is similar to a design I did in the past. The three-tiered pink and white cake features edible blossoms, butterflies and sugar pearls and is topped with a crystal and silk butterfly topper. Flavour is vanilla sprinkle with vanilla buttercream filling.

The next First Communion cake is also three tiered in bright pink and lime green with glittering white butterflies and blossoms as accents. A dazzling letter B and silk butterflies decorate the top of the cake and a decorative edible cross sits on the middle tier. A sugarpaste model of the First Communion girl includes her white dress, tiara and veil. Flavours are chocolate cake with cookies and cream buttercream filling, and raspberry ruffle cake.

Legend of Zelda cake

This cake was a family affair! My two sons helped to model the Zelda-themed details for a special birthday cake for a friend. Since I know nothing about the Zelda game, I needed all the help I could get!

The top tier is marbled fondant surrounded by Grecian pillars, sage medallions and features the master sword as the topper. Flavour is chocolate cake with peanut butter cup buttercream filling. The ocean-influenced bottom tier features an edible Link, bombs, ocarina, boomerang and pearls. Flavour is vanilla cake with caramel buttercream and a caramel drizzle between each layer.

Yee haw! Carter is 1!

This fun 1st birthday cake combines great colours and a fun theme! Carter's cowboy cake includes a decorative sugarpaste topper featuring a cowboy hat, sheriff's badge, rope, bolo and bandana. Inside is lemon cake with raspberry buttercream filling.

Ringette celebration!

Based on a basketball-themed cake design, this slab-style cake celebrates a great ringette season with the team  jersey, including edible hand-drawn logo, ring and a spray of stars.

Guitar cake

This acoustic guitar-themed cake is completely edible, including the sugarpaste guitar, sheet music and musical staff.

Spell-binding birthday cake

A special birthday cake for twins! This Wizards of Waverly Place book of spells is entirely edible, including the hand-drawn logo and wands. Vanilla cake is layered with chocolate cream cheese buttercream in this magical confection.

A trio of superheroes!

Batman, Superman and Spiderman take centre stage on this three-tiered colourful cake for Avin's 1st birthday. A big cake for a big occasion! Edible logos, capes draped over two tiers and starburst toppers were among the design details. Inside, flavours were coconut cake with pineapple buttercream and curd, marble cake with milk chocolate buttercream and chocolate cake with cookies and cream buttercream. Happy Birthday Avin!

Welcome Maya baby shower cake

Pink, white and brown are always a pretty combination and they were perfect for this baby shower cake. A little gumpaste baby girl sits on top of this cake, complete with quilting, sugar pearls, ruffles and bows. Inside is vanilla cake with raspberry buttercream filling.

Kailey's 1st birthday cake

Minnie Mouse was the inspiration behind this three-tiered 1st birthday cake. From Minnie's signature bow and ears on the top of the cake to the very girly ruffles along the bottom tier, this pretty and very pink cake is the epitome of a little girl. Flavours included chocolate cake with milk chocolate truffle buttercream, vanilla cake with cream cheese filling and chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese filling. A coordinating chocolate smash cake with white and pink vanilla buttercream was made just for Kailey to enjoy!

Basketball birthday!

A half basketball, personalized jersey and hand-drawn Vipers logo were the highlights of this fun sports-themed cake for Carson's 12th birthday. Inside is the newest flavour - cookie monster! Alternating layers of chocolate and vanilla cake are filled with vanilla buttercream and perched on a bottom layer of chocolate chip cookie.

19th birthday times two!

Instead of one tiered cake, this celebration warranted two separate cakes - one for a family gathering and one for the birthday girl to share with her friends. Both cakes feature the same colour combination...black, white, hot pink and electric green and similar design elements were incorporated into both cakes.

The family cake has a whimsical look with stripes, a 19th birthday plaque and a gumpaste flower with a disco-dusted black centre. Flavours are marble cake with raspberry buttercream filling and chocolate buttercream icing underneath the fondant.

The party version is brighter and bolder - black zebra stripes on hot pink fondant and black disco-dusted beads on wires create a fun topper. The margarita has a frothy cascade of sugar pearls spilling from the top on to the cake. This chocolate lover's cake combines layers of rich chocolate cake with milk chocolate buttercream filling and chocolate buttercream icing under the fondant.

This unique 30th anniversary corporate cake has an interesting feature - a female superhero exploding out of the top of the cake! Inside, carrot cake dotted with pecans, raisins and a touch of pineapple has a cream cheese filling and vanilla buttercream icing underneath a layer of silver fondant.

Spring (and Easter) are on their way!

After a gruelling winter, it's so nice to finally have the window open and hear the birds singing. It's only March so I'm sure that this taste of spring will be short-lived but it's just what we needed after months of cold and snow. Spring also means that Easter is just a few weeks away and it made me think of a cake that I made two years ago for a family function. Festive both inside and out, the neopolitan cake was iced and surrounded by rolled wafer cookies, topped with pastel-coloured M&M candies and tied with a coordinating ribbon. Pretty and delicious too!

Cookie...or cake...or both?!

The Cookie Monster cake! Alternating layers of chocolate and vanilla cake, all sitting on a bottom layer of chocolate chip cookie. For this "taste test" version, I filled and iced the cake with mocha buttercream and added a sprinkle of shaved chocolate on top. Milk chocolate buttercream filling would be delicious as well. Final verdict: Thumbs up!

I really enjoyed the challenge of making an edible version of this onboard computer for a workplace celebration. Inside is lemon cake with raspberry buttercream filling and a layer of white chocolate vanilla buttercream underneath buttercream fondant. Entirely edible aside from one toothpick supporting the toggle, this 14x10-inch carved cake was as close to the real thing as possible, right down to the onscreen icons.

Cake version:

 

Real computer:

Special delivery baby shower cake

There are so many great ideas for baby shower cakes but I especially like the stork-themed creations. They're playful and whimsical ~ perfect for a happy event like a baby shower. The sugarpaste topper on this two-tiered neopolitan cake features a stork taking a much-needed rest after landing with his "special delivery", wings wrapped protectively around the bundled baby. The border around each tier is made up of individually embossed baby blocks in pale yellow, soft fuschia and teal. An embossed cake board and light spray of pearl dust adds the final touch!

Have your cake and play it too!

My dad has quite a collection of string instruments so it made sense to create an edible version of one for his birthday. Other than the strings, this replica of a Kala ukelele was completely edible. Underneath the fondant is tangy lemon cake with raspberry buttercream filling.

Fun with flavours!

February was a month for dessert cakes and an opportunity to work with some fantastic flavour combinations!

The first was a German chocolate cake, which is a huge favourite at our house. Layers of rich chocolate cake and the signature sweet coconut and pecan filling, iced with a milk chocolate truffle buttercream. The chocolate plaque is completely edible!

Next was my version of a Butterered Almond cake ... layers of vanilla cake filled with an almond custard cream, iced in brown butter frosting and dressed up with toasted almond slices. A delicious flavour combination!

You can't go wrong with banana and caramel. This four-layer banana cake was filled and iced with a yummy salted caramel buttercream (you can see the flecks of homemade caramel in the frosting) and then topped with a sprinkle of crystallized caramel and fleur de sel. Sophisticated and delicious!

 

Faux wedding cakes

It's a fact that some couples simply don't want to serve wedding cake. They may opt for a buffet dessert table or choose to provide plated desserts that are part of the venue package. For those who still want to dress up their decor with a beautiful cake or pose for traditional cake slicing photos, a faux or artificial cake is a great option. These fondant-covered cakes have all of the attributes of a real wedding cake, from unique toppers to delicate sugar flowers, and can be custom designed to suit the wedding theme. In addition, they can either be returned or kept as a wedding keepsake.

The best part...the price can be substantially lower than a real cake but no one would know the difference - unless they try to take a bite!

Football fever

The Superbowl is over but football cakes are still popular. This 13th birthday cake for a football enthusiast - San Diego in particular - combined a fun vanilla sprinkle cake with sweet vanilla buttercream filling. Sugar pearls in the team colours surround an edible football "exploding" out of the centre of the cake.

New year, new flavours!

It's February, it's cold outside and I can feel myself fighting the mid-winter blahs. I think a creative pick-me-up is in order and coming up with a few new flavour combinations might just do the trick!

Just off the top of my head, I'm thinking about pink lemonade (layers of moist lemon cake filled with lemon and raspberry buttercream), margarita (I love homemade lime curd!!)  and chocolate chip cookie (similar to my vanilla surprise cake, combining chocolate and vanilla cake with a layer of chocolate chip cookie and vanilla and milk chocolate swirl buttercream.

Then there's the buttered almond dessert cake (a version of the cake made famous by a former Cambridge restaurant). White chocolate and lemon sounds tempting....so does chocolate and salted caramel buttercream. It's time to do some experimenting . . . taste testers apply here! :)

Something's fishy...

This was my first mounted fish cake and it was so much fun to create!! Based on a photo of a Northern pike, this birthday cake for a fishing enthusiast was almost 30 inches in length and sat on a fondant-covered board texturized and stained to look like wood. An edible plaque airbrushed in gold offered a birthday message. 
Inside, the edible fish was vanilla cake tinted pale pink with a milk chocolate truffle buttercream filling. The cake was carved, iced in white chocolate buttercream and then covered in white fondant, which was airbrushed and handpainted to replicate the colour and pattern in the fish. Handpainted sugarpaste fins and royal icing teeth added the final touch!

Monkeying around!

This 1st birthday cake combined bright colours and Mod Monkey-themed details in a two-tiered confection. A little chocolate fondant monkey sits on top of the cake. Flavours were chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream filling and banana cake with sweet vanilla buttercream filling.

This week's adventures!

This week, I'll be monkeying around, landing a trophy and spending some time with Ironman! (Not RDJ himself, unfortunately.) Lots of fun cakes in the works..... Stay tuned!

Capturing the moment

I was asked to do a 70th birthday cake for a woman who loves photography. When I think of photography, clean lines and sharp contrast come to mind - something that I wanted to reflect in the cake design. This two-tiered design was covered in white fondant and then an overlay of white circles in an eye-catching pattern. A few random silver circles broke up the whiteness of the design and also mimicked the lens of the camera. An edible 35mm camera sits on top of the cake with a strip of edible negative trailing down the side.

Inside are layers of chocolate cake and mocha buttercream, iced in white chocolate buttercream and then covered in fondant.

Twice the flavour for a 40th birthday

Two cakes were created for a special client's 40th birthday - one for an evening out with friends and another to mark the occasion with family.

Sugarpaste details on the first cake represented a favourite pastime (scrapbooking pages), a favourite restaurant (Thai restaurant menu and a plate of spring rolls) and her profession as a teacher (books and a chalkboard). This was also an opportunity to create a new and unique flavour combination based on Chapman's Black Jack Cherry frozen yogurt: http://www.chapmans.ca/productsNew.aspx?cat=yogurt a delicious combination of black cherries and dark chocolate.

The final result included layers of rich chocolate cake filled with a dark cherry buttercream filling, made from chopped cherries and a syrup made from a cherry reduction. The cake was iced in dark chocolate truffle buttercream - decadent!

The second cake included whimsical and edible caricatures of the entire family - mom, dad and their three children, along with a few sugarpaste daisies in fall colours. The neopolitan cake included chocolate, strawberry and vanilla cake layers filled with vanilla and strawberry buttercream and iced in milk chocolate buttercream, just like the well-known ice cream.

Celebrating an 80th birthday!

After taking a short break from "caking" over the Christmas holidays, it was time to get back into the swing of things. The 2011 cake season started with a special garden-themed 80th birthday cake. This was a version of my fall garden cake but the flavour (dark chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream filling) allowed for an opportunity to use a chocolate fondant topper over the milk chocolate buttercream frosting. Chocolate fondant is delicious and is very similar in taste to a Tootsie Roll. I also thought the darker fondant would be a fantastic contrast to the brightly coloured sugar flowers. I used white chocolate to add the birthday message, written in German.
To ensure enough servings for everyone (and for those who don't love chocolate), there was also a vanilla cake with layers of tangy lemon curd and lightly flavoured lemon buttercream, topped with a few additional sugar flowers.