Wednesday, December 8, 2010

A Daffy, Bunny, Piggy Birthday Cake!

This cake was a gift to an avid Looney Toons collector.  Since she was a small child, she has always yearned for a "special" birthday cake, so what better than a cake featuring Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, and Porky Pig!

The 12" round, 2 inch tall cake is chocolate fudge cake filled with cookies & cream mousse, iced in vanilla buttercream. It would server 24.  The top of the cake is a fondant plaque with hand cut "cartoons" of the 3 Looney Toons icons. The sides are decorated with small, primary colored edible quins.

"That's All, Folks!"

Diamonds & Bows--a special 25th

I was contacted by the winner of a charity auction certificate about making a cake for her parent's 25th wedding anniversary.  Unfortunately, I was going to be out of town the day of the party, but I assured her that if she had enough freezer and refrigerator space, she could have almost any cake she wanted.

I absolutely DO NOT freeze my cakes as part of my regular practice as a baker & decorator, but there have been several times when someone has wanted/needed a cake on a date when I was not going to be in town.  I was taught a method of freezing and defrosting a decorated cake for up to several weeks that will keep it looking perfect and tasting fresh-baked.  I take care to create a design that can fit in the freezer & refrigerator space available to the recipient and I include detailed instructions about how to properly care for the cake so that it arrives at the table looking it's best.

This cake was a 2 tier, stacked marble cake (a 9" tier + a 7" tier to serve 40) with vanilla buttercream icing, quilting with hand made fondant "dragees", a hand modeled fondant "25", and a gum paste fluffy bow on a gum paste plaque.

The photo of the cake was taken AFTER it was frozen for a week and then defrosted for 24 hrs.  The recipient positioned the bow topper & the "25" after the cake had come to room temp., right before her party.

Because I couldn't take my own photo of the completed cake, the recipient graciously sent me the above picture and stated in her e-mail, "Again Thank you so much! It was beautiful and delicious!"

Hubby Breaks Another Speed Limit !

For the first time in 15 years, we were able to spend Thanksgiving with my in-laws in New Hampshire.  My DH's birthday always falls around Turkey Day, so I took advantage of having lots of family around and made him a birthday cake.  Yes, he has a cake decorator wife, but only gets a birthday cake every 5 years, or so, go figure.......
Poor guy, he also got about the simplest cake possible--a speed limit sign marking his 55th.

The cake is a 9x13x2 that would serve 24, french vanilla with vanilla buttercream.  I did jazz it up by putting 20 long black sparkler candles in the numbers for serving--you know, the kind that refuse to go out......