Sunday, May 15, 2011

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.