Long time no blog!  I can't believe it's been six months since my last post, and I have so much to share!  The last few months have been a little crazy for me... trying to balance a 9-5, my son's school schedule, a very active toddler, and my baking addiction has pulled me away from updating my blog.  Don't fret!  I have plenty to share, and I apologize ahead for this lengthy post.  The last few cakes I made were for my friends, and friends of family.  They were fun to design, a pleasure to bake, but most of all, it was exciting to try out new techniques and ideas.

There is nothing cuter in this world than a baby lamb cake. Except for a pink ombre, baby lamb cake! The gradation of colors gave this simple and chic cake depth, and leads your eyes up the tall cake to where the little guy sits.  I mixed three different shades of pink, covering the bottom cake in the darkest, and the lightest on top. All three cakes were stacked to created an overall height of 12 inches. Each cake was then accented with molded fondant lace that I covered with gold luster dust. With same medium shade, I cut out the message for the second tier to not break up the ombre effect.  I then piped little swiss dots on the rest of the cake. The cake was so pretty, but no baby shower cake can be complete without an extra dose of cuteness. The star of cake was the fondant lamb and gumpaste balloon topper... this has got to the most adorable thing I've made so far! She was shaped out of two balls of fondant... the body was an oval and the head was more of a teardrop. For the fleece, I used a large round tip and made overlapping impressions all over the body.  This method was simple and very effective. I used the same method for the small cap of fleece on her head, and accented it with a small pink flower.  The ears were small teardrops of fondant, while the eyes were small black sugar pearls. I used a veining tool for her nose and mouth, and completed the look with a touch of pink luster dust for some rosiness.  What do you think?!

This following cake was a first for me... I've never had the opportunity to make a princess dress cake for anyone before.  What better than make my first one as Elsa from Disney's Frozen!  The first step was to figure out how tall the doll was and how big the cake would have to be to feed the expected number of guests.  After much research, I came across the Disney Frozen Musical Magic Elsa doll.  She was the perfect height for an 7" in tall cake.

First step is to prep the doll. I removed her original dress and wrapped her legs and hair in plastic wrap to keep them clean.  Since glitter is molded into the bodice, I used a strip of scotch tape and removed any excess glitter, and strategically wrapped her in plastic wrap.  This is to protect the cake from any glitter that might fall. I then figured out the sizes and height of my cake versus the height of the doll.  Her hip to feet measured 7", hence the height of the cake.  Then the width of the cake was determined by the width of the doll.  I wanted to make sure the proportions didn't look strange... didn't want her to look like she was drowning in a dress, but still had enough to serve.  The top of the dress was baked in a oven-safe glass bowl, yielding the the general shape and size I needed. The rest of the cake was constructed out of a 9" and 10" round cake.  These layers were baked and cooled completely prior to stacking.  Once stacked, I slowly carved for a smoother dress shape, tapering a bit to her waist.  I then cut out a cavity for her legs. Once happy with the shape, I crumb coated the cake, and covered the cake in an ice blue fondant.



Elsa was then carefully placed into the cake, and I finished off the opening.  I then stamped the cake with various Wilton decoration stencils to create a swirled motif along the bottom, and flowing up the sides. Be careful when doing this to not break through the fondant.  Since Elsa's dress has an icy gradation, I air brushed the entire dress area in a pearl sheen, and blending in a darker blue sheen towards the bottom of her dress.  For her cape, I opted for a printed mesh fabric that matched perfectly, color and motif.  I made sure the sparkles were not simply glued on... Who wants glitter all over there cake?! oh, and I washed it prior to cutting out the desired shape.  I simply cut two arm holes near the tapered top and slipped her arms through it.  The finished look was perfect!

Last month, I had the pleasure of creating an adorable cake for my sister's friend... It was her little girl's 1st birthday!  When she told me what she wanted, I was excited and quickly began brain storming.

Normally, I would bake a series of cakes, stack them, and carve it to the desired shape.  This process takes quite a bit of time, and creates quite a mess.  However, for this cake, I found use of a kitchen item that I've had for years. And it can be found in most households... an oven safe glass bowl!  I used a 4 qrt mixing bowl, and made sure it was nicely coated with baking spray.  I poured the vanilla cake batter into half of the bowl, and carefully added dollops of chocolate cake batter.  I then poured in the remaining vanilla batter and more chocolate dollops.  Using a long skewer, I carefully swirled the two batters together to create a marbled cake.  With a cake this big, I preheated the oven to only 325 degrees instead of 350.  Baking it at a lower temperature, will ensure that the cake will done all the way through, without drying or burning the outer parts.  Of course, the bake time will be longer than normal.


After the cake is baked and cooled completely, I leveled and torted the cake into 3 layers.  To level a cake like this, the easiest way is to run a knife long the top of the bowl and keeping it straight until cut completely through.  The layers were then filled with strawberry preserve, and crumb coated with buttercream.  A blanket of pink fondant was then draped over the cake, and smoothed out by hand.  For the distinct piggy nose, I created a large rectangle with rounded corners and indented the nostrils with a large ball tool.  I then attached it to the cake with the help of some piping gel.  I prefer to use piping gel or royal icing for large pieces like this, instead of water, for the holding power.  The same goes for the piggy feet that I simply shaped out of balls of pink fondant.

The ears were then created with the help of a large triangle cookie cutter.  I attached them to the cake with a touch of water, and draped it over rolled up paper towels to create a nice dimensional shape.  I do not remove the paper towels from under the ears until the cake is on the dessert table.  It acts as a fail-safe during the commute, not sure if it helps or not.... but it makes me feel better during the drive!  The same rule applies to the polka dot bow on her head.  Isn't it it adorable?  I rolled out a thin strip of fondant, and added white polka dots to it.  I gently rolled over the "ribbon" again with my rolling pin to make sure the polka dots are attached and flattened.  I then creased and folded the bow over rolled paper towels to created the billowy shape.  The smiling eyes were created with black fondant strips, and curved triangles for the lashes.  For the curly tail, I rolled out a tapering log and curled it on itself.  I let this set for a few hours prior to attaching it to the back of the cake. Last but not least, no piggy would be complete without a mud bath!  This one preferred whipped chocolate buttercream, and tons of it was swirled onto the cake drum.  I think she got some on her nose :)  Now that is one cute piggy!

A while back, I was asked by a friend if I could make a birthday cake for her fellow 45 vinyl enthusiast, Kevin.  Kevin has recently introduced Soul Togetherness to Chicago, a weekend festival that brought in an international cast of DJs, and collectors of rare obscure American soul music, all on original 45rpm vinyl.  His birthday coincided with the festival, so naturally, she asked that the cake resemble their logo... no problem!

The cake started out with two 8" rounds and 2 6" rounds of spiced chocolate cake.  These were torted and filled with a rich, buttery cinnamon buttercream.  There is something magical about that combination of sweet and heat.  The top tier was covered in fondant panels that I imprinted with a brick pattern, and covered the top with a circle of fondant with the same imprints.  The bottom tier was covered in white fondant, and accented with mini 45s that I had cut out using round cookie cutters and icing tips.


The cake was then topped off with sugar figures of the owls and record box that I had made a day ahead.  The owls' bodies were shaped by making flattened logs, with one end rounded.  The other end was cut with a knife to create the legs and lower half.  Skewers were used for the legs, and covered in a thin sheet of fondant.  I left the skewers long so I could insert the owls into the cake.  The wings and ears were cut and attached with a touch of water.  A tip for details like these is to poke or create an indent for the piece to sit into with a veining tool.  I then carefully ( and tediously ) added the eyes and chest details.  Small details such as the pupils, freckles, and glasses rim were drawn on with edible markers.  Looking at the poster, I think I did pretty well!  What do you think?

 Recently, I received an email from Jessica!  Okay, so I received an email from her.... big deal, right?  Yes, it is!  Let me run a little back story here.  About 2 years ago, I made a cake for a friend of a friend.  That was the first time I was going outside of my normal circle, and I was super nervous.  It was a cake for her niece's first birthday, and I really wanted to impress them.  I designed a wonderful Strawberry Shortcake themed cake, and a smash cake to match.  When I emailed to follow up, I didn't get a response.  That left me a little worried, and I ran through a billion scenarios in my head.  The thought of them not liking the cake lingered in my mind for almost 2 years!  Now, you see why this email was such a big deal?  Well, it turns out that they loved it and were hoping I would help with her other niece's first birthday cake... My first Minnie Mouse Cake!



To start, I created the signature mouse hat by covering a small spice bowl with black fondant that I had added tylose to.  A pinch of this powder will allow the fondant to dry like gumpaste.  This is a great tool to have when working with dark colors... no need for mixing the color when there is ready made fondant!  I allowed that to dry completely before carefully removing the hat part from the bowl.  A great is to cover the outside of the bowl with cornstarch or powder sugar so the fondant won't stick.  I then added the ears and a pretty pink bow.  To give the bow a nice full shape, I stuffed a bit of tissue inside the loops and left them until they dried completely.  The same method was also used to create the yellow accent bow on the cake.  I rolled out a long wide strip of fondant and pinch the center, folded in the loops and pinched again to meet at the center.  A narrow strip then was wrapped around the center to finish the bow.  Once again, I left the tissue in the loops until it dried to give it fullness.

And on to the main cake!  I started with a 10 inch cake that had a layer of yellow, and a layer of rich chocolate cake.  The layers were torted and filled with a sweet and tangy strawberry cream cheese filling.  The top 6 inch cake were two layers of chocolate nestled around a cloud of decadent coconut flakes and cream.  The two cakes were crumb coated before they received a blanket of smooth pink fondant.  To stack the the two cakes, I figured out the center of my cakes and measured the height of my base cake.  I cut bubble straws to the proper height, and carefully inserted them half way into the cake.  This is a trick I used to keep my cakes clean, and gives me time to adjust my placement if need be.  I pipe a dollop of buttercream at the top of the straws, and align my top cake.  I carefully release the cake, and allow it's weight to lower itself on to the base cake.  This works great with buttercream cakes too! No buttercream covered fingers or gouged tops.


Once the cakes were stacked, I added a ribbon of yellow around the bottom of the 6 inch, and a random pattern of white polka dots were attached with a little water.  The yellow bow was then attached off center, with a flow of ribbon sitting below it.  The Minnie Mouse hat was then attached to the top with a bit of clear piping gel.  Be careful when doing this because piping gel will dry shiny.  For the finishing touches, I hand shaped Riley's name in the signature Walt Disney font and added it to the hat.  I was extremely happy with how the font turned out, being a type freak and all :)  I then molded two white buttons to resemble those Minnie's dress, and a whimsical number 1 for the birthday girl.

Last year, I was happily blessed with my daughter, Eva.  She has been a wonderful addition to our family, and we couldn't ask for anything more.  Well, except Mateo... I think he secretly wants a brother, but Eva's giving him a run for it.  I can't believe a year has passed by so quickly, and it was time for her first birthday.  Of course, I had to plan something fun and design a cake to match.  I went online looking for some inspiration and I came across winter themes, then Valentine's Day... then I saw it!  I found the cutest Valentine's Day edition Buff Monster ever!.  A side note about myself, I love designer toys and vinyls... I mean LOVE.  This was right up my alley, and was reminiscent of Mateo's first Dunny cake.  I knew exactly what I had to do, and started planning the party.

Like all of my carved cakes, I started with a nice template to guide me on how much I needed to bake or carve away.  Luckily for me, I had plenty of Ice Cream Minis on hand to reference.  I stacked a 8" round on the bottom, two 9" cakes in the middle, and another 8" on top.

Once the 4 cake layers were baked and cooled, I leveled and filled the bottom two layers.  I then added support straws into the bottom half, and then placed a 7" cake board on top of the stacked cake.  I then stacked the other 9" cake and 8" cake on top of the 7" cake board.

With all my layers stacked, I slowly started carving away at my cake.  I used my template as my guide, sitting at eye level, and rotating the cake inch by inch.  My advise for cake carving is to use a really sharp knife, carve away small sections, a chilled cake carves easier, and don't be afraid!  Once I got the cake to a shape I was happy with (I carved too much away from the very bottom), a crumb coat was smoothed on before I laid on a blanket of black fondant.

Using the template, I cut out and applied the pink fondant accents to
the front and back of the cake before adding the horns and arms that where shaped of out of a 50/50 fondant and gumpaste mixture.  I tend to have an issue with aligning the front and back, side to side, placing decorations evenly.  A trick I came up with is to use long strips of wax paper and taping it to the cake... scotch tape is food safe!  This has helped me immensely to avoid lopsided arms and ears. To complete this cake, it was placed on a custom cake stand made of wood and round drawer knobs that the guys at work helped me put together :)  A proper Buff Monster needs its signature round feet.






For Eva's smash cake, I went with a 3" cake decorated in two toned buttercream rosettes.  Buttercream rosettes are so easy to do, and they look wonderful for different occasions.  I also figured buttercream would be easier for her to eat or dig her hands into, and in her case, put her face into. Happy Birthday to my little monster!

A year ago, I made Pierson a Yo Gabba Gabba cake for his first birthday, and everyone loved it :)  This year, when my friend asked if I could make him another cake, I was happy to say yes!  But this time, it would be themed after everyone's favorite mouse...Mickey!

I wanted the cake to represent Mickey Mouse without looking exactly like him.  The colors were ordered to copy the colors on the cheerful guy - Yellow (shoes), Red (shorts), and Black (ears).  Get it?  You got it!

A few days prior to baking, I formed the recognizable mouse ears.  I rolled out a thick sheet of black fondant mixed with tylose powder.  That helps harden the fondant like gumpaste.  I then proceeded to cut out the two ears with the help of a 3 inch diameter round cutter.  6 inch popsicle sticks were then gently inserted with a touch of gum glue.  These were left to dry completely so that they would be nice and firm to handle.  Another element that I made ahead of time was the edible plaque of Mickey Mouse.  I found an image online and sized it to what I needed, and created a halo around him.  I did this because I like the contrast of the white against the cake's color.  I brushed on a thin layer of clear piping gel onto a thin sheet of gumpaste, and adhered the edible image to it.  I allowed it to set a few minutes before I cut it out with an small pen knife.

The cake itself was as yummy as it looks!  I started with two 9 inch layers, and two 8 inch layers of rich chocolate cake.  These were then filled with a toasty, gooey coconut filling.  I love these two flavors together, Yum!  The Mickey hat was also the same flavor, but was baked in half of a Wilton Sports Ball Pan.  All the layers were then covered in fondant and stacked, making sure that they level and straight.  Fondant decorations were then cut out to embellish the sides of the bottom two cakes.  Pierson's name was cut out in the same style as the Disney's logo, of course.  It's starting to look like a hat I once owned when I was young.  For final touches, I attached the edible plaque to the cake with some melted candy coating, and carefully inserted the ears into the hat part, making sure they were even.  The finished cake almost had me singing, "M-I-C-K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E!"