Ineeda Mulligan, RN--Golfing for a Cause!

  Made for a nursing scholarship golf outing fundraiser, this purple  scrub top cake would serve at least 20.

The cake is white velvet with mango mousse filling, strawberry buttercream icing, and a vanilla fondant finish.  

 

All of the details--the scissors, golf balls, scorecard, name badge, pencil, tee, and stethoscope--are edible and made from fondant or modeling chocolate.

The Groom Was Such A Hot Dog!

Mallory wanted to surprise her groom, Danny, on their wedding day with this iconic cake.  He drove the Wienermobile for a year after graduating from college.

The car portion is yellow cake with chocolate
buttercream, covered in yellow vanilla fondant.
The University of Missouri logos, used with permission, are edible images.  The license plate reads,
"RELSHME".

The hot dog is made from rice cereal treat and covered in modeling chocolate and fondant.

Everything is completely edible.

The cake would serve 12-15.

Said the Fish to the Mermaid, "Will You Mahi Me?"

Alexis and Curt were having a destination wedding in Key West, FL.  A few weeks prior to the actual wedding, they hosted a "pre-reception" at her family's Canton, OH home. 

In keeping with the tropical wedding theme, Alexis wanted to surprise Curt with his favorite fish--the colorful Mahi-Mahi. 

The cake portion of the fish is over 2 feet long and 12 inches wide at the forehead.  It was at least 30 servings of vanilla cake with cookies 'n cream buttercream covered in vanilla fondant.  The fins are gumpaste.  The piece was airbrushed and handpainted using edible paint.

To complete the tableau,
a sculpted mermaid accompanied the Mahi.
Her tail is actually 10 servings of carved chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream and covered in aqua blue vanilla fondant.  Her torso, head, and hair are hand modeled from modeling chocolate.  Her tail is gumpaste.

The decorative board was made by layering scrunched up colored cellophane and various sea life scrapbooking elements.  This was then covered with a layer of clear, foodsafe cellophane.

Because 100+ servings were required, the Mahi was displayed on a 34" long cake "plaque" made up of 30+ servings of white cake with cookies 'n cream buttercream filling and 30+ servings of chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream filling.  It was covered in wood-grain patterned chocolate fondant.

Capping Off Graduation!

Julia wanted a very feminine graduation cake for her big celebration and this was the result.

The grad cap and tassel, flowers, and bow are fondant.  The diploma on the board is constructed from pretzel rods coated in white chocolate and wrapped in fondant.

The fondant covered cakes are chocolate with chocolate mousse for the pink tier and white cake with chocolate mousse for the blue tier.  The entire cake would serve 60+.

Let Go O' My Ninjago!!!

Ah, little boys and their toys.........I am SO out of that loop.........but I was literally thrown back into it on Friday night when an emergency call went out from Icing Smiles to complete a special birthday cake for delivery on SUNDAY!!

As it turns out, another cake friend of mine was set to do the cake, but her own son had been hit by a car while riding his bike!  Another baker was needed quickly, and I happened to be available.

After a quick consultation with Michael's mother, learning that Michael likes Legos and the color red,  I was off to find Lego scrapbooking paper to make the board, pre-made red fondant, a mold to create fondant legos, and a suitable pattern for a Ninjago character--all before the stores closed in 2 hours...............

Bright & early Saturday morning, I fired up the oven, enlarged patterns, made icing, lined pans, cut boards, and baked cakes, while still formulating a plan in my head and while George tried to locate that Lego mold.  While the cakes cooled, we made a lightening strike on a local craft store--coupons in hand--to grab the red fondant that I had called ahead about and had held at the register.

I usually think about the logistics of a cake for WEEKS!  For this one, I had hours....

In the end, it was sooooo worth the lack of sleep!  Michael & his family were really delighted with the cake and so appreciative of my effort.  His grandmother looked at it and said, "Wow!  I thought it would just be a rectangle with a picture of a Lego man on it!"

The cake fit really well with the party venue, Brikz for Kids in Westlake,  where they deal in all things Lego.  Even the floor tiles look like blue Lego bricks.

The cake is a modular, head, torso, arms, and legs, and will feed at least 40.  The head & torso are marble cake iced & filled in vanilla buttercream.  The legs are marble cake filled & iced in chocolate buttercream.  The arms are rice cereal treats.  The fondant is a mild vanilla flavor.

This was a very special birthday for Michael, celebrated after finishing a course of chemotherapy.  If you have a moment, please say a few prayers for him and his family.  I'd like to be able to make a cake for his 9th birthday, too.

Holly Golightly Cupcakes

All four styles of cupcakes: gift box, bow, flower, & shopping bag

 These Tiffany-inspired cupcakes were made for a bridal shower held at a classic Italian eatery in the Little Italy neighborhood of Cleveland. 

The hostess of the shower asked me to replicate a series of 4 cupcakes she'd found on the internet made by Lorinda Seto from cakesbylorinda.com.au., an award winning Australian decorator who specializes in ornately decorated cupcakes. 

Close-up of the delicate flower toppers

Each tiny cake was white chocolate velvet filled with raspberry mousse, iced in vanilla buttercream, covered with tiffany blue white chocolate fondant,  and dusted with edible pearl luster dust. 

Close-up of the miniature shopping bags

All of the decorations were hand made using gum paste or fondant and were completely edible.  The  shopping bags held a caramel in the center.

Close-up of the one inch gift boxes with bows

The hostess was delighted with the 3 dozen cupcakes, stating that they were just what she was looking for in both style and flavor.

A Cousins' Communion Cake

This large open bible cake was done for a First Holy Communion party.  It would serve 50 comfortably.

The left side of the book is vanilla bean cake with chocolate mousse filling.  The right side is milk chocolate cake with chocolate raspberry filling.



 
The entire cake is iced in fluffy vanilla buttercream. 
The top pages, host, and bookmark are vanilla fondant. 
The grapes, leaves, and wheat are hand modeled
fondant. 
The chalice and rosary are fondant that
has been painted with edible luster.

Everything is completely edible.

Feedback on the cake was that it was beautiful and even impressed several teenage boys in attendance--no easy feat! 
Because I strive to have the cake taste good, too, I was also happy to see this comment, " To make it even better-the cake tasted delicious! It was moist and cut well-not messy."

For A Special Little Girl............Squirrel...

They'd given it over to God.  If it wasn't meant to be, then so be it.  Life went on, and then..........A BABY ON THE WAY!!!  Early on,  they called the baby "Squirrel".  When they found out it would be a girl, they changed it to "Girl Squirrel".

How exciting to be part of this wonderful event!

We couldn't attend the party, but I sent a cake to go with the Noah's Ark theme.

This 12x12x3 lemon cake is filled with strawberry cream mousse, iced in vanilla buttercream, and decorated with hand cut fondant decorations.  It will serve at least 40.

Of course, Girl Squirrel has a pink bow and a special place in the Ark!

2..........Already??????????

It was time to fly again with a very special cake.

This time the cake was a belated birthday celebration for my grandson, who loves all things "Cars" AND cake.

As usual, the TSA agents joked about needing to do an "E.A.T" scan on it and I think they'd have been very happy had I left it behind.

Connor was delighted and his smile was nearly as large as McQueen's!

60 and Stll Running!

This was a small 60th birthday cake to serve 15, dark chocolate cake with mocha mousse covered in chocolate fondant.

The recipient is a lawyer, an avid runner, a landlord, a tennis player, and is affiliated with a popular commemorative jewelry company.
I was asked to include all of these things on this 7x11 inch surface!

The tennis ball and running shoe are hand sculpted rice krispie treats covered in fondant.  The rental contract is edible sugar paper, hand printed.  The silver "60" charm is hand cut fondant painted with edible silver color.

Sometime, it's difficult to include so many icons
on one cake, especially a very small cake, but in
this instance, it all seemed to work together very well.

The client and her husband were very happy with the results.

Make My Day!

This cake was done for Erika, a new graduate of an area cosmetology program.  The program refers to its graduates as "Day Makers" because they'll really "make your day". 

The cake, which will serve at least 22,  is a golden white cake using real vanilla and whole eggs with fluffy vanilla buttercream icing and filling.  All of the fondant decorations are handmade & edible, even the scissors.



Fantastic Art of the Cake Show 2012

This was my entry in the Art of the Cake show here in Cleveland this past weekend. He took 2nd place in the Master's Division Sculpted Fantasy/Mythological Cakes.

The lamp and genie body are cake covered in modeling chocolate. His head and arms are sculpted cereal treats covered in modeling chocolate. Lots of hours in this guy, learning as I went along. I couldn't have done it without George's help drilling the hole in the wooden base, sawing off the center threaded rod, running out to get the right size washers, carrying it carefully, etc.

I also took 1st Place in the Fig & Nut Cake Tasting category--toasted almond cake with mascarpone fig filling & silky chocolate w/mascarpone buttercream icing, confirming my committment to not only having a cake that looks great but also tastes great.

You Have the Right.........To A Happy Birthday!

Well, Devan has graduated from being a fan ofWinnie the Pooh to being a fan of the boys in blue, but he still LOVES chocolate cake!

The cake is swirled dark & milk chocolate with chocolate mousse filling.  It serves 24.  Covered in vanilla buttercream with hand cut fondant police car and fondant message.

Saying Mazel Tov with Cupcakes!

Dave wanted cupcakes for Jack's bar mitzvah................I suggested a cupcake cake in the shape of a torah............and this is the result.

This 110 cupcake cake is half chocolate, half vanilla with vanilla icing.  The star points, lettering, and small stars are done with vanilla sugar cookies iced in vanilla fondant.  The scrolls are poster tubes covered in white paper and clear Contact paper, but the 4 handles are EDIBLE--sugar candy sticks covered in fondant and inserted into rice cereal disks coated in dark chocolate & fondant.

The torah was 28x28 and the entire display was 40x40 !!!

I guess it was a hit because Dave's already given me the heads up for the next 2 big events--Abe's bar mitzvah in 2015 and Liv's bat mitzvah in 2017!

Now This Is A REAL Football Cake!

Hugo got the call to go to NFL training camp and I got the call to make the cake to serve 20 for the celebration/send-off party.

The cake--turf & football-- was white cake with fluffy vanilla buttercream icing & filling.  The football was covered in vanilla fondant with fondant lacing.  The mouth guard and toss coin were hand modeled/molded from fondant. 

I hope to be able to make a draft cake for him in the jersey colors of an NFL team!

More Like A Basketball Score, Really.............

Well, it never fails that family gets the quicker, simpler cakes.  This one was flown to Texas over Thanksgiving for my son and husband's joint birthday.  I used orange and brown--the colors of the Cleveland Browns--and the general shape & design of a football.
The cake (serves 20) was chocolate with vanilla buttercream covered in fondant.  Both men enjoyed it, but I think they'd have rather had a winning season for the Browns...............me, too.

Everything's Just Ducky!

Based on the shower invitations, this cake to serve 40 was 6" tall and made of dark chocolate fudge cake with seedless raspberry preserves and vanilla buttercream, covered in vanilla fondant.
The duck and faucet are hand modeled rice cereal treats covered in fondant.
This cake was frozen for 10 days after delivery and before serving because I was out of town for that time period.  The hostess followed my detailed instructions on how to defrost it properly and it looked & tasted as good as the day it was made.

Kailey is a Rock Star!

I was asked by Icing Smiles (icingsmiles.org)--a non-profit group that organizes special cakes for chronically ill children and their families--to make a cake for Kailey's 9th birthday.  She recently completed her chemo and was having a dance party for her big day.  She's a Justin Bieber fan, too.

I used several techniques to create the handpainted, EDIBLE, "photo" of Kailey and her music idol.  Her mom planned to keep it for her after the party.

For her cake, I used an image from the party invitations to create a custom flying Z guitar cake (strawberry cake with vanilla buttercream) to serve 20.  The neck of the guitar is fondant covered foamcore with individually extruded strings.

I used her favorite colors of green and hot pink and added a bright green boa as a fun accent trim.  When I delivered the cake, her mom showed me the feather boas that Kailey had chosen for her guest to use while dancing.  I couldn't believe it--we must have been on the same wavelength!

Kailey and her family were delighted by the cake and I loved the experience.  I look forward to working with Icing Smiles whenever possible. 

Cleveland Barons Fan Turns 60 !

Mary commissioned this Cleveland Barons hockey jersey cake for her brother Paul.  Although this popular team no longer plays in Cleveland, he still considers himself a devoted fan.  He was really tickled by the cake.

This white cake with seedless strawberry preserve filling serves 40. Under the vanilla fondant is vanilla buttercream.  The hockey pucks are rice cereal treats coated in white chocolate & black fondant with edible logos.