Summertime Lazy Daisy Cupcakes

Special cupcakes for a post wedding barbeque. Yellow daisy cupcakes were lemon buttermilk filled with vanilla buttercream and white daisy cupcakes were caramel filled with burnt sugar buttercream.

Embossed fondant covers a thin layer of buttercream so that the cupcakes would remain pretty in the summer heat.

Daisies are fondant with sanding sugar centers, all dusted with pearl dust.

Each cupcake was wrapped in a handcut, individual decorative paper.

Butterflies, Flowers, & Circles Gone Mod

Delicious vanilla-almond butter sugar cookies covered in embossed and inlaid fondant for a young lady's graduation party. The request for something "not too girly", but still pretty.

Mom said that she hates cookies, especially sugar cookies, but that she LOVES these and can't stop eating them.

The fondant keeps the cookies softer and these store beautifully for long periods of time in airtight containers, even in the freezer!

'29 to 20-09:Art Deco to Deco Art, My Wilton Contest Entry

As part of an 80th anniversary celebration on June 14, 2008, Wilton Industries in Chicago held a cake decorating contest at the Wilton School. The theme of the contest was "Past & Present", so I looked back to the start of the company at the end of the Roaring Twenties. I found my inspirations in the flapper dresses of the era, cloche hats with egret feathers, Erte Art Deco prints, and the jewels that symbolize an 80th anniversary--diamonds and pearls.

The 3 tier, elongated octagonal cake was done in shaded fondant from dark purple to pale violet. The settings for the jewels were made in fondant from original 1976 Wilton Baroque Gum Paste Molds. The diamonds were done in 2 shapes in a silicone mold that I made from scrapbooking jewels. The egret feathers were hand cut and veined gum paste. All of the draping was done free-form in fondant. The finishing touch was beaded fringe trim on all 3 cakeboards.

I was delighted to be awarded 2nd place out of nearly 30 entries in the non-professional (i.e. don't make a living selling cakes) division .

I've taken the Wilton Master Course and many other classes at the school and I attribute many of my skills and my keen interest in cake decorating to the wonderful people and instruction at Wilton.

"Little Jim" and the Giant Church Organ

Our church Music Minister and organist celebrated his 10 year anniversary and the social committee asked me to do cake for 150. Since the celebration coincided with the church picnic, cupcakes were the grab & go choice for the majority of the cake, but a centerpiece cake for the special anniversary was a must, too.

I modeled the church organ and bench using Rice Krispie Treats covered in woodgrain fondant. The 2 church hymnals were added, along with music, and other various "organ parts"--stops, tabs, etc. "Little Jim" was done in gum paste.

"Big Jim" was so delighted with his cake! I made it so that he could take the maquette home to eat, dust--whatever.

The support cake was blood orange with mango mousse filling and cream cheese icing (Big Jim's favorite) and the cupcakes were cherry bit sour cream with buttercream icing.

The day was extremely HOT--97 degrees plus! Thank heaven for the nice breeze! The cakes were enjoyed thoroughly and I hope to be doing one in 10 more years for Big Jim's 20th!

Polka Dot Shower --Just like the invitation

This was done to match a wedding shower invitation--a green & white striped background with a 3 tier, stacked cake accented with polka dot bands and topped by a gathered, draped ribbon.

The white almond sour cream cake filled with mango mousse was covered in a layer of buttercream under the white fondant. The bow topper was gum paste. It fed 50 comfortably.

The shower was kitchen-themed, so the minature kitchen tools on the board are molded fondant. The recipe card has the ingredients for a "Happy Marriage".

Hangin' 10 Surf & Guitar Hero Cake

6 year olds have such great ideas for cakes! Gio was having a beach party in the backyard, complete with a waterslide, so he wanted a beach themed cake. He also loves Guitar Hero, palm trees, and purple octopi, so......that's what he got!

The cake, which stood about 17 inches tall with the sun plaque, would serve well over 50 people. The bottom oval tier is chocolate cake with malted chocolate ganache filling. The middle tier is yellow cake with seedless raspberry preserves. The carved wave tier is one layer yellow & one layer chocolate with buttercream filling. The outer icing is vanilla fondant. The sand is brown sugar. The white wave foam is buttercream.

Everything on the cake is edible. The palm trees are pretzel rods coated in chocolate. The shells & fish are molded fondant. The sun is gum paste lettered with edible marker. Gio, the surfing Guitar Hero was hand modeled using gum paste & fondant.

Gio's response to seeing his cake, "Awesome!"