I'm A Published Author!!!

I took my Lambeth cake to the 2011 ICES Convention in Charlotte, NC for exhibit in the Cake Room.  Exhibitors were encouraged to showcase old school, piped technique cakes, so what better than the cake I'd done for the Great American Cake Show in May?  The exhibits aren't judged, but are there to provide inspiration and entertainment for the several thousand attendees at the convention.

When the cake was retrieved from the Cake Room, there was a card from American Cake Decorating magazine asking me to contact them, as they wanted to feature it in an upcoming issue.  I honestly thought it was a mistake--there were so many gorgeous cakes--but when I got home, I e-mailed them and answered their questionnaire.

Today, I got the surprise of my life when I opened an envelope containing the magazine and found my cake on the cover--THE COVER!!!!

The cake isn't perfect or "purist" in the technique, but it sure looks pretty on that glossy paper!

To Gnome Me, Is to Love Me!

This was another, "Where's the cake???" 

 Well, it's not just the cupcakes............It's the basket, too.  

The gnome is a rice krispie treat sculpture covered in modeling chocolate--fully edible execpt for the dowel rod supports.

The basket cake (serves 8) and the cupcakes are yellow cake with strawberry mousse filling, iced with vanilla buttercream and accented with modeling chocolate daisies.

I don't know the back story on why a gnome for Susie's 50th, but I hope she loved him.

Safari Cake for Jayce

This is a special cake for Hugo and Alyse's new son, Jayce.  It's white cake with fluffy vanilla buttercream filling and vanilla buttercream icing.  It serves 30.
All of the animals and leaves are hand cut from fondant and highlighted with edible markers.
The scene was adapted from a nursery quilt that I found on the internet.  I think the animals all  look very happy to meet the new baby--just too adorable.

But Where's the Cake??? In the POT???

When I moved to Ohio 19 years ago, one of the first social events I went to was a clambake.  I can't tell you how funny I thought it was that clambakes were regular fall events in OHIO!!   There are no lobsters or clams in in Lake Erie............., or are there??

With the popularity of 3-D cakes, when I was asked to do a cake as a dessert for a clambake birthday/pre-surgery party, I was so excited to make this design!

The "pot" is 2 stacked tiers of yellow cake with strawberry mousse filling (serves 40), wrapped in fondant that has been sprayed with edible metallic silver.  The corn on the cob and the lobster are hand modeled rice krispie treats covered in modeling chocolate.  I made my own molds for the clam shells and freehand modeled the clam bodies.  The cracker & pick are also hand modeled. They're all made from modeling chocolate and completely edible. 

I was really happy with the cake--and so was the hostess and her family-- but I was even happier when the hostess told me that one of the guests, upon inspecting the scene asked, "But where IS the cake? In the pot?" 

Yes!!! Success!!!!

Lovely Lace

The bride will be wearing a lace gown, so I got to have fun combining lace molds to create a one-of-a-kind wedding dress for the top of this cake.  Maybe I've found another calling??  LOL!

The cake was white cake with strawberry mousse filling to serve 40, delivered to the Gamekeeper's Tavern in Chagrin Falls, OH.

A Gem of a Day!

I was asked to combine an 60th wedding anniversary and a 80th birthday for this cake. 

Taking the lead from the black and white damask cake I made last summer in my class with Stephen Benison, I recreated the damask design in ruby red and added red roses with silver foliage.

The 2 side cakes were lemon with lemon mousse filling and lemon buttercream.  The stacked cake was french vanilla and chocolate fudge marble with chocolate raspberry filling.  All are covered in vanilla flavored fondant.  Together, they would serve 80 comfortably.

I was going to be away for almost 2 weeks before this cake was needed, not returning until the day after the party. Not wanting to disappoint the client, I assured her that I could package the cakes for freezing and defrosting so that they would look and taste as though they'd been made the day of the event.  All of these cakes, when wrapped and boxed,  fit into home refrigerators and freezers.  After setting them up at the venue, the client placed the flowers into prepared areas of the cakes and added the silver butterflies.  She was thrilled with the results (and so was I), e-mailing me after the party to tell me that everything went smoothly and that the cakes looked and tasted wonderful.

Tailgating for a Cure!

The Solon Relay for Life chapter needed a cake for a kickoff backyard pizza party.  The theme for the 2011 Relay is "Tailgating for a Cure", hence the rear view of a pickup truck bed.  The truck showcases the purple in the Relay logo, along with the purple ribbons, hearts & stars.

The cake is half yellow with mango mousse filling and half chocolate fudge with raspberry mousse filling.  It's 13x18 and would comfortably serve 75.

To Infinity & Beyond!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This cake was for the 50 year old grandma's grandson who turned 1, two days after her birthday!

The topper is all hand modeled from sugarpaste and was designed so that it could be removed and kept.  Other collectible toys were to be added later by Peyton's mom .

The cake is one tier of milk chocolate with vanilla mousse filling and one tier of yellow cake with cookies n' creme filling.  Both are iced in vanilla buttercream under quilted blue fondant.

The smash cake is milk chocolate iced in all buttercream.

Grandma Has a Sweet Ride!

I was asked to create a 1979 Formula Firebird for a grandma turning 50.

The car was chocolate cake, hand carved from a generic car shaped cake and then covered in fondant.  The base cake is white cake with cookies n' creme filling and french vanilla buttercream icing.  The 2 cakes together would serve 40.

Cleveland Play House--On the Move to The Allen Theater!

I was asked by the Cleveland Play House (CPH) to create a cake for 125 that would depict their impending move to the Allen Theater in the Playhouse Square complex.

This cake is half yellow cake with chocolate filling and half chocolate cake with raspberry mousse filling.  The facade of the CPH building and the Allen Theater are hand cut gum paste on foam core board.  The moving truck is rice cereal treats covered in fondant.  The cake is iced in vanilla buttercream tinted green with red fondant curtains and gum paste signs showing the upcoming season's shows.

2 Hearts as One

These cakes were made for a co-ed bridal shower.  The colors for the wedding were green & navy blue with a touch of pink. They're both covered in fondant over chocolate buttercream.  The dress design was done using a silicone lace mold.  The tux, tie, vest, & pink calla lily were handcut from fondant.

One cake is marble with cookies 'n creme filling and the other is yellow with chocolate filling.  Each cake serves 20.

Another Show & 2 More Ribbons

April brought me to the Great American Cake Show in Westminster, MD.  I entered the Master's Division Special Techniques and the Master's Division Chocolate.

My Special Techniques cake was fondant covered and then decorated in the Lambeth style using royal icing.  The technique is very labor intensive and the cake showcases many hours of meticulous piping.  I won first place and received many compliments.

My chocolate entry was, again, a ramped up class piece.  The green ChocoMonster is made from rice cereal treats covered in modeling chocolate.  The "rug" is also modeling chocolate done in a loose marquetry pattern.  Everything except the internal structure is edible.  The piece also won 1st place and earned me the Divisional title.

NCACS Show in VA--2 Blue Ribbons!

I traveled to VA for the National Capital Area Confectioners Cake Show, taking some classes and entering the Master's Chocolate and Cookie divisions.

My handcut cookies were handpainted totemic symbols of "Things With Wings".  I won 1st Place in my division.

I entered a class piece that I'd re-designed & improved upon for the chocolate division.  That piece also won 1st place.  Everything is made from modelling chocolate, hand painted, and dusted with edible pearl dust.

A Cheeky Monkey gets a Cheeky Monkey Cake!

Well, life comes full circle! I started making cakes when my eldest son asked for a soccer ball cake for his 7th birthday. I didn't really go beyond "star fill-in" cakes until my youngest son was turning 16--6 years ago. Now, I'm making birthday cakes for my grandson.

These 2 cakes flew from Cleveland, OH to Austin, TX in an overhead bin, arriving just as you see them. They were designed to coordinate with the "Mod Monkey" line of paper goods.
The large cake (served 20) is covered in fondant with a chocolate fondant monkey face on top.
The smash cake is done in buttercream so that the little guy wouldn't have to worry about breaking
through, or chewing, fondant.

Both cakes were chocolate with banana mousse filling and vanilla buttercream icing.
Connor was a blue mess after diving into his little, personal cake, but he sure had a lot of fun!

21 Candles & Some Cupcake............Cookies

A mom was missing her eldest daughter, who was turning 21 while at college.  Mom wanted to send some cookies to her in her favorite colors, teal & purple.
The vanilla sugar cookies are covered in embossed fondant & the 21 candles (one small cookie with a candle isn't in the photo) are hand modeled. 
Shipped via the USPS Priority Mail,  all arrived in perfect condition and were very much enjoyed by the birthday girl & her friends.