Learning--All of the Time!

I tell people that I'm a "class junkie"! I enjoy learning new techniques so much and I take classes whenever and wherever I can find them.

This year the ICES Convention was held in Orlando and Cake Camp was held in Las Vegas just one week later.

I was able to take some fantastic classes with some well known cake artists at both events. I learned to do cross stitch in royal icing on a gum paste plaque, to paint with cocoa, to model an adorable baby ballerina (taught by British artist, Debbie Brown), to make quick animals (taught by Food Network Challenge winner, Bronwen Weber), to paint delicate watercolor flowers and henna designs on cakes (taught by Norm Davis--another Food Network Challene winner), to make miniature bridal dress and tuxedo cakes (taught by artist Susan Carberry), to make delicate miniature evergreen and poinsettias (taught by artist Diane Gruenberg), and to pipe delicate Oriental stringwork (taught by artisit Geraldine Randlesome).

You just never know when one of these techniques will be the one for that perfect cake!

An Outdoor Wedding in Blue & White

Three years ago, I was out for dinner with my husband. While waiting for the salad, I began discussing something about cake decorating. Our waitress happened to hear me and asked if I did cakes. I told her that I did decorate cakes and that I happened to have a photo of the one I'd just made for my son's 16th birthday. She liked it so much that she ordered a Valentine's day cake on the spot--little did she know, that cake would be my first donation/paid cake!

Fast forward to July, 2008. Out of the blue, she calls me to make a wedding cake for her mother! I couldn't believe that she would think of me after over 3 years (I'd always thought she wasn't too impressed with the first cake because I hadn't heard from her :), let alone be able to find my phone number after all that time.

There were no specific requests for this cake--just a stacked cake with some baby blue flowers.

I made the flower covered entwined heart topper using a floral wire armature wrapped in gum paste. I applied the blue and white dusted gum paste flowers using royal icing.

The 3 tiers were french vanilla cake with strawberry filling and buttercream icing.

The bride was so very happy with her cake--I got a big hug!

40th Wedding Anniversary: Rubies & Stargazers

This 150 serving cake was created for a formal 40th wedding anniversary party. The couple wanted a traditional, understated cake with stargazer lilies to match the centerpieces and a few ruby red accents to represent the gemstone associated with the 40th.

Each gum paste stargazer lily was handmade and colored. In all, a dozen lilies and 2 dozen leaves accented the cakes. The ruby accents were provided with custom colored fondant dragees.

The largest cake was white almond sour cream with raspberry filling. The middle tier was lemon cake with mango mousse, and the top tier and satellite cakes were dark chocolate fudge cake with oreo mousse or chocolate chip mousse.

The customers were delighted when guests declared that they couldn't believe that the flowers weren't real !

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!