Simply Homemade Cakes

The Celebration of Heddy and Steve

2011-06-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

When Tawna first approached me with a cake request for Heddy and Steve's engagement party, she used the word "celebrate" about half a dozen times.

It was very clear about how she felt of their pending nuptials.

It was definitely time to celebrate.

This cake design was inspired by one of Colette Peters' cakes.
I'd love to take one of her classes someday.

The butterflies were made from melted chocolate,

which can be made ahead of time.

Instructions on how to make these butterflies

can be found in the Hello Cupcake book.

Heddy is always a good reason to celebrate,

but when you add Steve into the mix?... you have one helluva CELEBRATION!

Congratulations, Heddy and Steve!

Vanilla cake with whipped dark chocolate ganache filling.

Marshamallow fondant decorations and chocolate butterflies.

The words were polished with Luster Dust.

Aw Heck, Let Them Eat Crayons!

2011-06-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's the last day of school!
Eat those crayons!

I've had this cake on my "to-do-list" for awhile, so finally I had to make one when I found this awesome tutorial on cakecentral.com.

The cake is from two 9x13 cakes, stacked, then carved into shape.

I used Joy Kids Cones for the crayon tips. They were covered with marshmallow fondant then "glued" to the cake with candy melts.

I adore this cake because it makes me happy.

But then again, I never met a cake that didn't make me smile.

Happy, happy, happy!

Vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream.

Everything is EDIBLE!
LET THEM EAT CRAYONS!

Thank you Teachers for another wonderful year!

Tinkerbell for Kaitlin

2011-05-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

We recently made a trip out to Disneyland with Kaitlin and her family. This was our first trip with the kiddos and it was not terrible. It was actually pleasant. As parents of toddlers know, it could've easily gone the other way...... way, way, way to the other side.

Tinkerbell is SASSY! Did you know this? At least the character at Disneyland was. I loved it! Because after waiting in line for 45 minutes, not knowing whether we were in line for a ride or not, I was surprised to find a sassy Tinkerbell. She was fun and entertaining. Kaitlin was starstruck. For Rocco... not so much. He was more interested in whether Terence's wings had superhero powers or not.

The design of the cake was inspired by Tinkerbell's Pixie Hollow at Disneyland. And why the heck not, I was waiting for what seemed like hours for a meet-n-greet, to soak in all the Pixie Hollow decor.

Happy 5th Birthday, Kaitlin!

Vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream and fresh strawberries filling.

Cake sizes are 8-6-4 rounds.

Cake covered with marshmallow fondant and decorated with fondant flowers/butterflies. Tinkerbell was a candle.

Pops for Teachers Nancy and Betty

2011-04-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Teachers Nancy & Betty!

I can't begin to tell you how much I

appreciate all the teachers at my son's preschool.

They enrich MY life by simply taking

such good care of OUR children.

Thank you.

Need a pop gift box of your own?

Here are the items you'll need:

Homemade cakepops

Pretty satin ribbon

Textured sash (leftover from my wedding invitations)

or construction paper

Wilton's Pop Gift Box

All of these items can be purchased from your local arts and crafts store.

Isabella's 1st Pooh Celebration

2011-03-27T21:22:00.000-07:00

It's been quite sometime since my last posting in January.

February passed on by without a cupid cake posting. Shucks!

And no lucky charms cake for St. Patty's day either. Dang!

But, I finally got a chance to make Pooh and now I feel much better.

Isabella celebrated her first birthday today!

My son saw this cake and was a little bit confused.

He wanted to know why Winnie the Pooh was making such a mess

and whether he was going to clean up. Rocco was very concerned about the mess.

Hmmm, maybe I'm going a little too far with having Rocco be so "neat" and "clean." Isn't it his given right to make a mess and have fun as a 3-year old? Oiy, but, picturing him play with a barrel full of "hunny"..... yeah, not so much.

Izzy, Bella, Bel, Ella, El, ISABELLA!

I love all the beautiful iterations of her name.

Rocco asked if he could eat Winnie's head. I said he can ask for an arm after Isabella blows out her candle. He also bargained for one bee and a ladybug in exchange for his well behavior at the party.

He got all three.

Vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream and fresh strawberries. All decorations, including Pooh, bumble bees and ladybugs were made of marshmallow fondant. "Hunny" was made from tinted piping gel.

Happy 1st Birthday, Isabella!

Rocco's Toy Story 3

2011-01-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

"Ooooo, Rocco is three!"

Rocco woke up this morning at 6AM, screaming

"Yeah, it's my birthday party! Let's go right now everyone.

I'm ready to Pump-It-Up"

He's into Toy Story, in a big way. He has seen all three movies and can tell you which story goes with which movie. He's crazy about all of the characters, especially the Space Alien. Here you see Mr. and Mrs. Potato Heads. Last night, at 11 PM, my tired mind and body were thinking that maybe they didn't need shoes and arms.... I actually convinced myself that they were better off. That's still up for debate.

I just love T-Rex. The reptile skin effect was achieved from using Duff Goldman's Cobblestone Texture Tiles.

Hamm is another one of my favorites.

Buzz Lightyear was absolutely the most difficult to do.

I just couldn't figure out how to do his clear space helmet.

Woody was actually one of the easiest characters to make...

I was pleasantly surprised.

This cake took me a good, solid 10 hrs to make. With the exception of the Space Alien candle, all decorations were made of marshmallow fondant. I took all day (and night) Saturday for this cake, which forced hubby to play single parent again. He's the best.

The best thing about making this cake was Rocco's reaction when he first saw it, "WOW. It's AMAZING. Can I touch it?"

With the cake AND cakepops, I think the children really had their share of Toy Story for one day.

Chocolate cake with whipped chocolate ganache. Vanilla cakepops.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Rocco!

A Weekend of Cakepops

2011-01-09T20:55:00.000-08:00

OOOOO, CAKEPOPS!

"Nirvana is coming, the mystic portal awaits."

I can't think of a better way to start off the year.

This weekend was all about the cakepops.

I started preparing for my son's birthday party. He's having a Toy Story themed party and these will be the party favors!

I used mini chocolate morsels and chocolate covered sunflower seeds to help accentuate those adorable alien features. Easy-peasy. However, the pre-made eyeballs by Wilton just my life a little easier. I used to make all my sugar eyeballs from fondant or royal icing!!!!! I found these at my local arts and crafts store.

Push the EASY button, done.

I also made these baseball cakepops for Chase's 3rd birthday!

Chase is going to make some waves with his athletic talents some day. He's the only 3-year old that can hit a baseball pitched to him. Yes, pitched. He even swings like a real ball player!!!! WTF!
Both parents played ball, so I guess that explains it.
As for me, I had to look up what the stitching looked like on a baseball. After the candy melt dried, I used a red edible pen to draw in the stitch. I have to say, these are probably one of my favorites.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Chase!

Holiday Cupcakes

2010-12-18T21:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!

Chocolate cupcakes with whipped chocolate ganache icing.

The decorations were made from marshmallow fondant with

sprinkles and edible luster dust for the shimmer.

All edible.

Cupcakes were made for my department's white elephant gift exchange potluck. I brought a gift card for the exchange and ended up with two Christmas tree ornaments and a soft Mr. Potato Head doll. My son absolutely loved it!

Holiday Cookies

2010-12-18T21:11:00.000-08:00

Martha Stewart's sugar cookies with royal icing.

Joshy's Pumped Safari

2010-10-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

I try to make sure that every cake project that I take on is different and one that I haven't done before. I was stumped on the design for Joshy's cake after I found out it was a safari theme... a theme I've done before. Luckily, Debbie gave me total design control... so, I decided to make a Horton look-a-like cake.

The cake design was actually inspired by the adorable foam animal party hats Debbie had bought for the party.

The body, head and feet were carved from two 8-inch rounds and 6-inch round cake. The party hat and trunk were made from Rice Krispy Treats. The elephant cake sits on top of a 12-inch square cake. All of the decorations were made of marshmallow fondant, including the ladybug. I thought the ladybug on the elephant's back was so cute... got the idea from my son's elephant figurine.

A fun time was had by all, especially my son, at Pump-it-Up for Joshy's 3rd birthday party.

Vanilla cake with fresh strawberries and vanilla buttercream.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Joshy!

Ethan and Friends Celebrate

2010-09-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

Ethan is 4 years old!

I've been making his birthday cakes since he turned two.

His collection of Simply Homemade Cakes are the

Diego cake, Phineas and Ferb cake and the most recent,

this Thomas the Train cake.

I'm starting to enjoy making sculpted cakes now - before, I was terrified of them. But ever since the Star Wars cake,

I'm starting to welcome new challenges.

When I arrived at Ethan's party and greeted him with the cake, the first words out of his mouth were, "wow, it's Thomas." Those simple words almost brought me to tears. Since I was up until 2AM the night before making this cake, those words were just what I needed to hear.

All the decorations, including Thomas' face, were made from marshmallow fondant. I found an awesome tutorial online on how to make Thomas' face. I used my son's Thomas toy as a guide to help me sculpt the rest of the body (train) and add the distinctive details.

Vanilla cake/cupcakes with fresh strawberries and vanilla buttercream icing. Everything is edible, excluding the candle (purchased from Draeger's Market). The train tracks were made from chocolate marshmallow fondant.

Toot, toot! Happy 4th Birthday, Ethan!

Hiro's First Safari

2010-09-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

HIRO - what an awesome name!!

He is celebrating his first birthday today!

A very special giraffe sits on Hiro's smash cake.

Although, I'm not sure his parents will be able to capture that typical

"frosting-all-over-1st-cake" type picture, since fondant is not very messy. Nevertheless, it is his first cake, so Hiro will dig right in.

I'm sure of it.

All of the creatures were made from marshmallow fondant.

Happy 1st Birthday, Hiro!

A very close family friend shares the same birthday as Hiro.

So, Hiro's parents thoughtfully requested a lovely cake to be made especially for her.

Happy Birthday to you, Tora!

All summer strawberry cakes with cream cheese icing.

All of the decorations were made of marshmallow fondant.

Oliver Shines

2010-09-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

I've known Oliver since he was kickin' it inside his mama's belly.

Now, he's kayaking with his grandpa and throwing frisbees like one of the big boys. He's such an amazing little fella.

It really is amazing how fast our little cuties grow.

Once they're born, they steal your heart (not to mention your sleep and hygiene) and they do nothing but eat, poop and sleep.

Then they start making funny faces, laugh and poop some more.

Then you blink and you suddenly find yourself negotiating with them for one more episode of Caillou before dinner. Seriously, all I did was blink and now Oliver is three. At least one thing remains the same - Oliver is still a cutie.

Summer strawberry cake with cream cheese icing.

All decorations made of marshmallow fondant.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Oliver!

Star Wars Venator Class Republic Attack Cruiser

2010-08-28T22:56:00.000-07:00

Say what?!?!

This is what I was thinking when Debbie approached me with the Star Wars idea for her son's 8th birthday. That's right, I made a Star Wars Venator Class Republic Attack Cruiser cake.

My son's school was having a fundraiser, so I donated my cake services to help raise some money. I was so flattered when Debbie contacted me saying she bid on me during a silent auction and had won. This was a great opportunity for me in so many ways. I got to make my very first Lego cake, which happens to be a Star Wars Venator Class Republic Attack Cruiser cake.... say what?!?!?!?! And I got to meet a nice family with an 8 year old boy who is smart enough to follow Star Wars.

The challenging part about doing this cake was carving it to achieve "C2 symmetry" (for all you chemistry geeks out there). I used a combination of cake and Rice Krispy Treats to get the 'Attack Cruiser' effect. This cake started to come to life after I started putting on the Lego dots. My son's into Legos right now, so I'm thinking a Lego cake for his next birthday - but probably not a Star Wars Venator Class Republic Attack Cruiser.

Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream. Rice Krispy Treats and marshmallow fondant for decorations.

Happy 8th Birthday, Jonathan!

Steph's Topsy-Turvy Birthday

2010-08-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

Steph's turning 21 and it's time to celebrate!

The cake design was inspired by her adorable party invitation.

The topsy-turvy shape of the cake made it more whimsical and fun.

All the decorations were made of fondant.

The figurine was made of gumpaste.

All edible.

Vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream and fresh strawberry slices.

4, 6, 8 inch rounds.

Happy 21st Birthday, Steph!

Mom's Birthday Daisies

2010-08-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

Today is my mom's birthday!

Not only do I get to spend it with her AND my sister,

but I got to make her a cake!

Daisies always remind me of my mom.

To me, these flowers are so sweet, simple and could bring a smile to anyone's face... just like mom.

My all time favorite:

chocolate cake with whipped dark chocolate ganache filling.

Decorations were made of marshmallow fondant.

Happy Birthday, Joann!

Black and White Lovely

2010-08-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Back in March, I did the Spring Baby cake for a friend's baby shower and got an overwhelming number of wonderful responses.

So, I played off of that and made a black and white version with a splash of color.

These fondant roses were so easy to make.

I've tried making buttercream roses once,

back when I took a buttercream decorating class.

It seems as though the roses come out differently (ugly)

when the teacher is not there to help me.

In any case, I used Duff's (Ace of Cakes) fondant roses as a guide.

If you don't have fondant on hand, you can practice with rolled out

Tootsie Roll or Starburst candy.

You'd be very surprised on how easy it is.

I was going to use all red roses, but I thought it would be too Valentine's Day-ish.

The colorful roses make this cake a bit playful, yet elegant.

Happy Belated Birthday, Joanna!

Vanilla cake with almond buttercream.
All marshmallow fondant decorations.
6 and 4 inch rounds.

Thank You, Eileen!

2010-08-04T07:33:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Eileen! You are great at what you do.

Vanilla cupcakes with almond buttercream.

Marshmallow fondant decorations.

Aiden Street

2010-07-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

Aiden is celebrating his 2nd birthday today! Last year I made him a dinosaur cake, but this year is all about Sesame Street.

To be honest with you, after making Rocco and Sabrina's Sesame Street cake earlier this year, I really was not motivated to do another one. UNLESS, it was for Aiden... and a different design.

I'm lovin' this version.

It's bold and colorful and "in-your-face" kind of cake.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Aiden!

Vanilla cake with almond buttercream.
All decorations made of marshmallow fondant.
Candle from Draeger's Market.

Joseph's Wiggly Party

2010-07-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I must love Joseph as though he's my very own,

because I made him a Wiggles cake.

I really thought he was going to ask for a fire engine cake or

a police car cake or something really cool.

But, he asked for The Wiggles.

Sigh. Really? The Wiggles?

For those parents who have seen the show, know that kids go crazy over them. I know, my son loves, Loves, LOVES The Wiggles. He even requests their songs at bedtime, which requires me to watch the show and learn the lyrics. Maybe it's time for me to buy a CD. I was hoping he'd grow out of them by next month, but looks like he's in it for the long haul. Sigh.

Despite my feelings about The Wiggles,

I really love how this cake turned out.

I was so thrilled that my son quickly recognized all the characters:

Greg, Jeff, Murray, Anthony,

Henry the Octopus and Dorothy the Dinosaur.

He quickly asked if he could eat Anthony or Jeff.

He got his wish at the party.

This cake is very colorful, cheery and fun.....

everything The Wiggles represent.

Carrot cake with cream cheese icing.

Everything was made with marshmallow fondant,

including the "JOSEPH" sign.

Happy Wiggly 4th Birthday, Joseph!

Independent Whoopies

2010-07-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

Red Velvet Fluff Whoopie Pies!

Happy 4th of July!

Chloe Makes a Splash

2010-07-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

Chloe is an adorable one year old who

loves to splash around in the pool.

Her parents asked for a swim-themed birthday cake

to celebrate her first birthday.

Everything is made of fondant and/or gumpaste.

The "water" is colored piping gel.

Vanilla cake with almond buttercream.

Happy 1st Birthday, Chloe!

100 Days of Jacob

2010-07-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

A Red Egg party was held today in

celebration of Jacob's 100th day of life.

Jakey was born in the year of the tiger:
Chinese character for tiger was written with royal icing.

The red egg symbolizes happiness and the renewal of life, according to some sources. A Red Egg party is typical in the Chinese culture to celebrate the first three months of a baby's life. Also, the number of red eggs represents the sex of the baby, but I read conflicting articles off the internet, so I'm not sure which is correct: even or odd for a boy. My plan was to remove an egg if someone noticed and were counting.

The adorable paw prints were done

with a stamp using gold luster dust.

I think the gold ties in together very nicely with the blue and red.

Everything else was made of

fondant/gumpaste and is completely edible.

Happy 100th day, Jakey!

Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.

Hubby, Can You Hear Me Now?

2010-06-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

For weeks now, Justin was going on and on about getting the

new iPhone 4 and how awesome it is and blah, blah, blah.

I remained quiet, because after all,

it was his birthday and that's what he wanted.

The most awesome wife would've waited in line at the Apple store,

rain or shine, three days in advance,

buy the iPhone and give it to the hubby on his birthday.

Hmmm..........., uh, um........, well,..... oh,...... I'm still thinking.

I got him an iPhone alright, but I didn't wait in line.

I guess this makes me awesome and smart? He he he.

Hubby got an iPhone 4 chocolate cake with raspberry and chocolate ganache filling. The whole cake was covered with black marshmallow fondant

and decorated with fondant and royal icing accents.

Everything was edible on this cake.

Hubby, can you hear me now?

Happy 35th Birthday, Justin!

Waaka Waaka Waaka

2010-06-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd never hear myself say this, but dang I miss the 80's.

Aw, the neon fashion, black rubber bracelets, lace gloves,

and leg warmers - good times.

I better get my precious 80's fashion treasures out of storage.

I hear they're making a come back... right?

Remember all those classic 80's arcade games like Centipede, Frogger and Ms. Pac Man? A while back, I came across Hello Naomi's amazing photostream on Flickr. Her incredible Pac Man cupcakes inspired me to make a set for my friend Heddy.

Heddy is all things fun and Waaka Waaka Waaka,

just like Ms. Pac Man.

Happy Birfday, Heddy!

Strawberry cupcakes with strawberry icing.

Last Day of School - Let Us Eat Cake!

2010-06-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of school and all the parents in my son's class were invited to participate in a special "ceremony."

Teachers Brigitte and Terasa gave each child a folder filled with their abstract priceless artwork along with a certificate reflecting their persona in the class:

Rocco was named Class Builder.

Apparently, it was all about the Legos and blocks for my son.

Teachers Brigitte and Terasa have taught my son to become more confident, independent and social. Rocco was lucky to have them as his first set of teachers.

The accents on the cakes were made from marshmallow fondant and edible food coloring pen.

The books were made from Rice Krispy Treats.

Mini chocolate cupcakes were personalized with colorful fondant "crayons." Teacher Brigitte indicated to the children that this was the only time they were allowed to eat "crayons." LOL.

The "apples" were made by sugar coating the icing then rounding them into shape. They didn't look like apples until the fondant stems and leaves were added.

Last day of school - LET US EAT CAKE!

Thank you, Brigitte and Terasa!

Host With The Most

2010-06-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

Robyn and her family hosted a wonderful brunch for all the kids in their son's preschool class. I decided to make them some confectionary goodness as a 'Thank You' for their kind gesture.

For the Host with the Most, a half dozen moist chocolate cupcakes filled with dark chocolate ganache center topped with whipped chocolate frosting. Chocolate much? The colorful accents were made from marshmallow fondant.

Thank you for a delightful morning, Robyn, Jason and Chase!

Thank You, Teachers!

2010-05-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

A Teacher Appreciation Luncheon

was held today at my son's preschool.

All the parents either brought in food or volunteered

their time to make sure the teachers enjoyed themselves.

Thank you, teachers! You really are the best.

These cupcakes were made with love and
much appreciation for what you do for our children.

Vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream. Marshmallow fondant accents.

Stacey's Technique Diaper Bag

2010-05-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

This "diaper bag" cake was so fun to make!

I was asked to make one for Stacey's baby shower.

The design was inspired by the diaper bag she registered for:

JJ Cole Technique Diaper Bag.

When I first saw the bag design, I was pleasantly surprised.

It didn't look like a typical frumpy diaper bag to me.

I made a pink-n-blue version of the Technique bag.

Stacey decided to wait until the birth to find out the sex of her baby - hence the pink-n-blue themed baby shower cake.

The bag is cake and the handle is fondant painted with luster dust.

Everything on this cake is edible.

Congratulations, Stacey!

Chocolate cake with whipped dark chocolate ganache filling.

Celebration of Princess Chantalle

2010-05-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

The thing I like most about attending first birthday parties is seeing the one year old take a bite of his/her first cake. The look of...

"Hmmm, what is this awesomely sweet goodness in my mouth?

Is that.... IS THAT A PARTY IN MY MOUTH?

WTF..... mama has been holding out on me!"

I swear every child has the same look. And as parents know, it's all up hill from there - struggling to get them to eat anything nutritious.

I've been meaning to do a pillow cake for a long time now. So, the timing was perfect when Chantalle's parents were organizing a princess-themed birthday party and asked for a celebratory cake to match.

I found a great tutorial over at cakecentral.com on how to make a pillow cake. The instructions were very clear and the process was easier than I thought.

Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream.

Happy 1st Birthday, Chantalle!

Princess Kaitlin

2010-05-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

One adorable birthday girl. Check.

One huge princess bouncy house. Check.

One pink castle cake. Check.

A group of toddlers ready to party. Check.

I really can't believe it, but another year just flew by again.

Kaitlin is 4 years old.

She is now into all things girly and princessy - so cute.

The turrets were made of pretzel rods covered with marshmallow fondant.

Three tiered chocolate cake with whipped chocolate ganache filling.

Happy 4th Birthday, Princess Kaitlin!

Simply Elegant Mother's Day

2010-05-08T22:50:00.000-07:00

I had a fantastic week! First, I survived the first week of being on the South Beach Diet (Phase 1 - the hardest phase). Second, my "skinny" pants were loose on me - say what? Third, I'm finally rocking my bangs (so I think)... my hairdresser would be so proud. And finally, my in-laws are visiting! Yes, you heard right..... I love my in-laws.

Since my mother-in-law was going to be in town for the Mother's Day weekend, I wanted to make her a special cake. I surfed the internet for design ideas and came across Tiny*Prints.com. This Gratitude Gardens design reminded me of her... simply elegant.

For me, this cake celebrates my appreciation for all mothers who embodies the true meaning of motherhood.

Happy Mother's Day!

Old-Fashion Chocolate Layer Cake recipe from Cook's Illustrated.

Jack and Kiara's 'Very Hungry' 1st Birthday

2010-04-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

Jack and Kiara celebrated their 1st birthdays today. Together, their parents hosted an outdoor The Very Hungry Caterpillar-themed co-birthday party. It was perfect. The sun was out - yeah! And there were lots of great food and drinks to go around to make everyone feel like fat caterpillars.

The cake design idea was taken straight from the pages of Eric Carle's classic book about a caterpillar eating his way through a week's worth of sweet and savory treats before transforming into a beautiful butterfly.

All the design accents were made of marshmallow fondant.

The words on the book were written with an edible food color pen.

Today was a glorious day to be celebrating Jack and Kiara.

Happy 1st Birthday!

Tart and Sweet Anniversary

2010-04-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

My hubby and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary this weekend. I made us the Ultimate Lemon Layer Cake from Cook's Illustrated. YUM! I think what made this cake special was the ultra fluffy white icing.

This icing recipe calls for lemon juice, which cuts the sweetness way down.

Cook's describes this icing as "billowy and shiny." Yes and yes.

I think this was the best lemon layer cake I've ever tasted.

As usual, Cook's Illustrated got it right on.

Happy Anniversary, dear hubby!

Ni Hao, Ella!

2010-04-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

Ni Hao! That's how I say "hello!"

Ella is celebrating her first birthday today!

Her mom requested a Ni Hao Kai Lan cake for the celebration and told me to come up with a design.... I just love hearing that! So, this was the final design based on two pictures I found on cakecentral.com. I get most of my inspiration from that website. Everything is made of fondant.

This cake is cheery, colorful and just plain fun.

I think it represents the cartoons very well... do you? I've only seen one episode for research.

I hope Ella will be mesmerized by all the vibrant colors.

Carrot cake with cream cheese icing.

Happy 1st Birthday, Ella!

Mirror Mirror On The Wall...

2010-04-15T23:01:00.000-07:00

Who's the fairest of them all?

Aw, remember the classics? Well, to be honest with you... no. I didn't grow up knowing the stories behind the characters. I don't remember my parents reading us any American "classics," so I didn't really know what they were all about. It's not until the remake of The Beauty and the Beast that I started to appreciate the stories. Wow, that was in high school.

Don't get me wrong, I knew who all the characters were... Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc. How could I not, marketing was everywhere... plus, I wanted everything my friends had.

I really love how this cake turned out.... despite all the plastic figurines. I have issues about using plastic as the main focal point for my cakes. I'm cheating myself when I use pre-made decorations (including fondant) because I don't get to improve my figurine-making skills. However, due to limited time these plastics came in handy. Thank goodness! Plus, Emily now has toys to play with after eating some cake!
It's a win-win situation here, folks.
To make up for all the plastic, the cottage had to be made of cake. It's covered with marshmallow fondant and buttercream. The cobblestone, apples in basket and mirror are all made of fondant.

Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream.

Happy 5th Birthday, Emily!

I read to my son every single night. His book of choice is My Penguin Osbert over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. Every night, I hope and cross my fingers that he will pick another book... but that rarely happens. I think he loves this book because Joe looks a lot like him. He's starting to show some interest in The Lion King... I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Curtis On The Go

2010-04-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

Curtis is ONE today! He's cute and he's chubby! I just fell in love with this little guy when I saw a picture of him trying to eat his burp cloth. Well, it looked like he was eating his burp cloth.... the picture just made me chuckle. Chubby babies=a good chuckle.

Curtis loves his cars and trains.

His mom tells me he's always on the go, so I made him this cake.

Chocolate cake with vanilla icing. Everything made of fondant. Candle purchased from Draeger's Market. Here's the info regarding this candle, since so many of you have asked about it: Design Design Inc. I believe you can only buy them at retail stores.

A Spring Baby

2010-03-06T19:24:00.000-08:00

Today was Lisa's baby shower - a first time mom expecting a baby boy in the spring!!! Lisa, you're in for a wonderful treat.

Chocolate marshmallow fondant was used as a base cover for both cakes, then they were adorned with colored marshmallow fondant cut-outs. Funny, I thought this cake would take no time to assemble, since the design was so "simple." Hmmmm, have you ever stamped out 350 fondant circles? I have and it turns out... it takes some time. Good thing The Office was on Hulu. This week's episode, The Delivery, was very fitting for this cake. Watch it.... so hilarious.

In any case, I just love how this cake turned out. So simple. So pretty.

Vanilla cake with dark chocolate ganache buttercream.

The inspiration for the color scheme came from my son's chairs.... so cute.

Get Down, Get Down!

2010-02-27T11:43:00.000-08:00

Here, you start off with an awesome tie-dye base cake, pop in The Last Days of Disco soundtrack and then start dancing like you just don't care - a lot of prep work is involved when attempting to make a groooovy cake. Then your husband walks in and looks at you like he doesn't even know where to begin. Shakes his head and leaves you alone to be with your disco-loving self.

I used to play this CD in graduate school nearly everyday.

Chemistry is taken to another level when disco is playing in the background.

My professor probably caught me dancing in the lab a couple of times...

and probably had the same reaction as my husband.

Mike and Kisha are celebrating their birthdays! I guess it's time to "get-down, get-down."

More grooviness is added.

Before you know it, we have a disco party.

Happy Birthday, Mike and Kisha!

Strawberry cake and carrot cake, alternating with cream cheese icing.

Everything is made of marshmallow fondant. Disco ball made of rice crispy treats.

Baby Sprinkle Made Simple

2010-02-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

Has anyone heard of a Baby Sprinkle? One of the invited guest apparently did not because she was about to have an intervention with the 2nd-time-mom-to-be about naming her baby "Sprinkle." The invitation was titled "Robin's Baby Sprinkle." Too funny.

A Baby Sprinkle is a smaller and low key version of a Baby Shower....

hence the term "sprinkle." So cute.

Party favors were chocolate cupcakes with fondant accents.

Simple packaging yielded a beautiful take-home gift.

M&M's were used to stabilize the cupcake and provide a splash of color.

Chocolate cake with dark chocolate ganache buttercream. All the decorations on the cake and cupcakes were made from marshmallow fondant. All edible.

Addison's Wonderland

2010-02-06T12:26:00.001-08:00

A very merry is right! Addison is turning ONE!!!!!

As you can see, Cheshire is quite excited about this.

Addison's mom and dad decided to throw a vibrant

Alice in Wonderland theme party to celebrate this huge milestone.

Anyone up for a card game with these fellas?

Doorknob is waiting for the fun to begin.....

All the figurines are made of fondant and gumpaste.

Everything is edible.

Have a Very Merry 1st Birthday, Addison!

Vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream.

Fondant/gumpaste decorations.

Edible pen used to write "Very Merry..." on gumpaste sign.

Share A Little Love

2010-01-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

The forecast calls for more showers in the Bay Area this week,

but a brownie-cheesecake bite can brighten up anyone's day.

Mmmmm, brownie.... mmmmm, cheesecake.

This heart-laced, tart and sweet combo is truly

a confectionery marriage made in heaven.

A dainty pink bow to complete the packaging.. voilà!

We have a simply homemade gift.

Rocco and Sabrina Street

2010-01-17T20:18:00.001-08:00

'Rainy Day

Sweepin' the cries away

On my way to where the air is sweet

Can you tell me how to get

How to get to Rocco-Sabrina Street'

Rocco and Sabrina are celebrating their 2nd birthdays together!
Despite rainy weather, all their friends decided to come join the fun
and help them blow out their candles! Cookie Monster showed up, as usual, with CCOOOOOKIEEEEEEESSS! These cookies are made from marshmallow fondant.

Oscar was grouchy, but he showed a smile or two during the party.

The trash can is rice crispy treats covered with marshmallow fondant.

We have Bert and Ernie poking through a window.
Bert had a pigeon convention, but he thought
Rocco and Sabrina were more important.... aw.

Of course, how could we forget the big guy... Big Bird.

All of Rocco and Sabrina's friends were made from gumpaste and marshmallow fondant. Everything on this cake was edible.... well, except for the candle.

Oscar's trash bin was painted with silver luster dust.

This cake makes me so happy.

Oops, I almost forgot about these guys. Sesame Street cakepops!
Who doesn't love a good cakepop? This wonderful idea came from,
none other than Bakerella's Street Party.
I was so grateful for the idea that I sent Bakerella some pictures.
I'm now a "Pop Star!" So cool.

Each wonderful kid went home with a stomach full of
pizza, juice, ice-cream, cake and more cake ...on a stick.

Rocco and Sabrina, Happy 2nd Birthday!

....and to think, just 24 hours ago, a simple cake was waiting in the wings for the furry friends to take their seats.

Vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream. Cakepops are vanilla cake covered with candy melts. Marshmallow fondant and/or gumpaste were used for the figurines. But, the most important ingredient was Justin's help. Without his temporary single parenting skills, there was no way I could've made all the Sesame Street characters come alive. I believe he learned this valuable skill during my Twilight days (all four books, two weeks).

Justin, you rule! You may refer to this blog for your next golf outing. :)

Please don't ask me to make any Sesame Street related cakes for at least a year.
I think I need that much time to recuperate.

This cake was brought to you by
the number 2 and the letters R and S.

ROCCO-BAMA is TWO!!!!

2010-01-14T15:13:00.000-08:00

Rocco-bama is TWO!

Rocco's little buddy, Oliver who is also 2, has started calling him

"rocco-bama" and it just stuck! What a clever little fella.

We used to call him "rocco-tacco," but I certainly love his new nickname much better.

Can anyone guess what Rocco is into lately?

Yep, like all two-year olds, he is totally into the whole Sesame Street gang.

My favorite is the Cookie Monster because he comes with his own cookies.

What's better than having a friend who always has cookies?

...well, unless you're on the Atkins diet.

Happy Happy Happy Happy Wonderful 2nd Birthday, Rocco... my sweet!

Mini-carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese icing.

Cupcake toppers were all made from marshmallow fondant.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-13T14:48:00.001-08:00

My husband and I had our annual 2-person holiday cookie party this year! New holiday designs include jolly snowmen bleeding from their necks (my husband's observation) and various christmas ornaments.

We yielded over 650 cookies!

Happy Holidays!

Wall-E for Evi-E

2009-11-15T09:35:00.001-08:00

I guess it's true what they say about time passing by faster as you get older. Sigh. To me, it feels like just yesterday that I made Evie's first birthday cake? I'm sure Evie's parents can agree.

It's a huge leap from a ladybug cake to a Wall-E cake. Evie seems to love this movie and loves Wall-E. But who doesn't? I saw this adorable movie to do research for this cake, and I too, fell in love with Wall-E.

Here's Eve: Wall-E's love interest. So sweet.

Here's evidence that there is life on planet earth.

All the figurines are made of marshmallow fondant. Everything is edible, except for the wax candle.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Evi-E!!!!

Vanilla cake with almond buttercream. Marshmallow fondant decorations. Dirt is crushed chocolate cookies.

Dino for Hayden

2009-11-14T13:53:00.000-08:00

Hayden is celebrating his 2nd birthday this week!

This dino cake design was inspired by his Evite birthday invitation, where a cute dino is blowing out his birthday candles.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Hayden!

Vanilla cake with classic buttercream and marshmallow fondant decorations.

New Moon Inspired

2009-11-01T13:23:00.000-08:00

Seriously, does anyone else have Twilight Fever? It's finally November and the Twilight Saga's New Moon will be out in theaters in three weeks! For heaven's sake, three weeks!!! Can the weeks move any slower? Really!

It's Sandra's Birthday today! She's also a fan of Twilight, so I decided to make her a New Moon inspired birthday cake. This cake sort of resembles Bella's birthday cake in the paper cut scene. In retrospect, I should've used fresh gerbera daisies instead of fondant flowers.

Team Edward or Team Jacob... hmmm, I haven't decided yet. But it's fun just thinking about it... (big grin).

Happy Birthday, Sandra!

Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream and fondant accents.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T13:36:00.000-07:00

Mummified chocolate headcakes

Identity Crisis

2009-10-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

I suppose Halloween is the best time of the year to reinvent yourself and have a little fun while you're at it. Bob the Ghost was tired of his "scary" image, so he decided to go as a clown for Halloween this year.

Sissy wanted to walk on the wild side and let her animal personna out this year.

Joe was inspired by the recent airing of Goonies on tv this past weekend. Ah, Goonies.... good times.

Jane couldn't think of anything creative, so like everyone else, she decided to be a witch.

Edward didn't think being a ghost was scary enough, so he decided to dress up as a devilish one.

Okay, everyone is good to go.... anyone know of a good Halloween party?

Chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream and fondant accents.

Check out the CupCAKE Spooktacular from last year.

Emma's Little Minnie

2009-10-10T13:37:00.001-07:00

Emma's 3rd birthday is here! She recently visited Disneyland and now she's into Minnie Mouse. Of course, this little iconic creature needed to be a part of her birthday celebration. I tried my best to create this for her.

Minnie Mouse? Not quite, but it's Emma's Little Minnie.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Emma!

Vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream icing. The cake is covered with marshmallow fondant with fondant decorations. Everything is edible including Emma's Little Minnie.

Cake Phineas and Ferb

2009-09-19T13:07:00.001-07:00

I bet only a hand full of people reading this blog know about Phineas and Ferb, am I right? Ethan requested a Phineas and Ferb cake for his 3rd birthday.... huh, what? That was what I was thinking when Heather told me what Ethan wanted.

I had to do some research.

This is Ferb. He doesn't say much, but seems pretty nice.

This is Phineas. He's a bit curious and dreams up adventures.

This is Perry. He's a platypus with a secret identity. Strange.

Today's adventure was to show up for Ethan's 3rd birthday

and help him blow out his candle.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Ethan!!

Vanilla cake with buttercream icing. Everything made of marshmallow fondant/gumpaste, except for the candle.

Fly High, Cove!

2009-09-12T13:15:00.001-07:00

A kite flying party was planned for Cove's 2nd birthday.... until a light thunderstorm forced us to seek out other plans. Thunderstorm, shamunderstorm.... nothing can stop us from celebrating Cove, so the party moved to her house, where bright and fun toys were waiting for all to enjoy.

Hopefully, the kiddos can get together soon to fly those beautiful kites.

Vanilla cake with buttercream and fresh strawberries. Cake is covered with marshmallow fondant with fondant decorations.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Cove!

Lana's 1st Luau

2009-09-06T13:00:00.001-07:00

Several months ago, I reconnected with an old college buddy of mine through LinkedIn, asking me... "AK? Is this you?" It gave me a chuckle, because I haven't heard someone calling me "AK" in a while. The only nickname I hear from time to time is Sergeant Kim, which my husband gave me in graduate school. Apparently, I was mean when I was doing chemistry. Sometimes a girl's gotta do whatever it takes to not blow up the building... right?

Lana is B and Mel's baby girl and they wanted a luau themed cake to help celebrate the occasion. I was more than happy to do it.

This three-tiered strawberry cake is covered with marshmallow fondant. The "waterfall" is made of colored piping gel. I tried to go for the look of a "lei" surrounding the waterfall. I used toffee bits for the "gravel." Everything is edible, except for the waxed candle.

Happy 1st Birthday, Lana!

Jacob's Hot Wheels

2009-08-23T15:03:00.001-07:00

Jacob is celebrating his 6th birthday!

The "racetrack" is made of chocolate fondant and the "grass" is buttercream. The look of grass can be achieved using a grass/hair tip.

Happy 6th Birthday, Jacob!

9 inch vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream. The cake decorations were made from marshmallow fondant and buttercream, except for the wax candle and toy cars.

Make A Splash, Oliver!

2009-08-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

Oliver is turning TWO!!!!!

Bring your swim trunks and towels.... because Oliver's going to make a splash at his swimming pool themed birthday party!

We have baby blue Crocs and a colorful towel for little Oliver.

Can't forget the swimming noodles and floater.

Colored piping gel is the "water." The gumpaste "pavers" were inspired by our newly transformed backyard. It took some time to figure out the pattern, but I think it was worth the effort.

I just love these new number candles from Draegers.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Oliver!

Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream. Everything is made of marshmallow fondant and/or gumpaste, except for the wax candle.

Cake Dino Aiden

2009-08-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

Aiden is celebrating his BIG-1st Birthday today! Jennifer and Eric planned a dino-themed outdoor birthday bash for their adorable son.

Bronnie the gentle Dino came out to attend the party.

Some of the other attendees are T-Rex and Terry (who flew in for the occasion).

...and we can't forget baby Amar. He's vegetarian, so he'll be having the garden burger.

Happy 1st Birthday, Aiden!!!

6 and 8 inch vanilla cakes with classic buttercream and fresh strawberry slices.

Cake Mommy Nouveau

2009-08-02T13:05:00.001-07:00

As a thoughtful husband, Eric emailed me asking if I can make a surprise birthday cake for his wife. She was busy planning their son's first birthday party, which was close to her birthday as well.

As we were brainstorming for his wife's birthday cake, Eric mentioned that he liked the Cupcake Nouveau design and the Cake Dora topsy turvy shape.

Done and done.

Happy Birthday, Jennifer!

6-inch chocolate cake with classic buttercream. Marshmallow fondant and fondant accents.

Cake Eva

2009-07-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

I loved every minute that went into making this cake!!! Eva was celebrating her 30th birthday with style and asked for a purse cake along with other girly things.

It was my very first purse cake and I just love how this turned out. Two 8 inch vanilla cakes were stacked then carved into a shape of a purse. The whole thing was covered with marshmallow fondant. Oh, I just love the way the hot pink fondant scarf hangs off of the purse handle (also fondant).

A girl can't forget her essentials.....shadow, shadow applicant and lipstick were made of fondant. Notice the colored luster dust on the applicant. HOW FUN!

The strand of pearls were made of fondant as well. Everything on this cake is edible except for the flowers. Eva wanted fresh hot pink Gerbera Daisies. Whatever the birthday girl wants, the birthday girl gets.

Happy 30th Birthday, Eva!!!!

Cake purse sitting on top of a 12 inch square strawberry cake with cream cheese icing.

Cake Joseph

2009-07-05T13:44:00.001-07:00

Joseph is turning 3!!!! He is into music right now, especially the guitar and drums.

As Joseph's mom was planning his birthday party, she couldn't decide on a theme. Eventually, she let him decide. She showed him various pictures of cakes ranging from sports theme to musical instruments. He was quickly struck by the drums and got excited.

Musical-theme birthday party it was with a cake to match.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Joseph!!!

9 and 6 inch vanilla cakes with almond buttercream and fresh strawberries. Cakes are decorated with fondant. Everything is edible except for the waxed candle.

Cake Zebra Torte - Happy Birthday, Justin!

2009-06-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my husband's 29th birthday.... again. Apparently, he will be celebrating his 29th birthday until he turns 40.

Justin didn't want me to make a fuss, so he requested something "simple" for his birthday cake. Hmmm, define "simple." Simple cake design? Simple cake recipe? I decided to make him this zebra torte cake...simple? You decide.

My inspiration came from this awesome website called Use Real Butter. Jenn's directions were spot on!!!!!!! First, I baked a vanilla chiffon cake followed by a second cake called a chocolate roulade..... made some whipped cream which was then spread onto the chocolate roulade then rolled into a "jelly" roll. Then, the rolled up chocolate roulade was sandwiched in between the two chiffon cakes that were drunken with vanilla flavored simple syrup. Finally, I covered the cake with an Amaretto infused and blindingly white whipped cream. The fresh red raspberries simply "popped" against the white. Simple cake decoration, yes, but not a simple process. It was one of those multi-step cakes I usually stay away from, but the end results were so gratifying. I would definitely make this again for the wow-factor.

Tah-dah..... we have a ZEBRA TORTE! The cake got a lot of "oooos" and "ahhhhs" as we cut into it. It definitely put a smile on my face, as well as my husband's.

We paired this "simple" birthday cake with some homemade vanilla ice cream.

Happy "29th" Birthday, hubby.

Cake Princess Delia

2009-05-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

In honor of Princess Delia turning 5, Sleeping Beauty and her friends are throwing her a Grand Ball to celebrate. Of course, it'll be held at the magical white castle.

Delia's ball gown (pink, of course) along with her heels and tiara are laid out and ready for her.

Rainbows and flowers are included for this magical event.

Happy Birthday, Delia!

6 inch Vanilla cake with buttercream icing. Cake is covered and decorated with marshmallow fondant. Everything is edible.

Cake Graduate

2009-05-23T20:09:00.001-07:00

Ashley received her Masters in Occupational Therapy. Way to go!

The cap/tassel and flowers are made from fondant and gumpaste.

Everything is edible, including the open "diploma." Congratulations, Ashley!

Strawberry cake with cream cheese icing. The cakes are covered with marshmallow fondant.

Cake Score!

2009-05-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right! We have a soccer cake. Carving a cake into a ball shape was harder than I thought.

These birthday candles are so much fun. Plus, the vibrant colors stand out so well from the black and white ball and green grass.

Happy birthday, Edwin! I hope you enjoy the cake.

10 inch chocolate cake with buttercream icing. The ball is all cake covered with marshmallow fondant cut-outs. The base cake is covered in buttercream.

Cake Dora

2009-05-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

Kaitlin is turing 3 this year! Wow, I can't believe it's been almost three years since I made Kaitlin's baptism cake.

As you can see, Kaitlin is into Dora these days.

Everything edible except for the candles (3 and Dora figurine).

Happy Birthday, Kailtin!

6 and 8 inch Carrot cakes with cream cheese icing. Covered in marshmallow fondant with gumpaste accents.

Cake Pauline

2009-05-04T19:33:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday to Pauline!

Writing done with chocolate candy melts. Gumpaste flowers with luster dust.

Of course, it's all about the presentation, right?

6 inch Vanilla cake with classic almond buttercream

Cake Keevan

2009-05-03T12:33:00.001-07:00

Keevan is receiving his first holy communion and turning 8 all in one month. It's a lot of important milestones for a little boy to handle, but with a cool name like, Keevan... I'm sure he'll handle it just fine.

The writing and butterflies were done with chocolate candy melts. The flowers and rosary were made from gumpaste. I just loved how this cake turned out.

9X13 Vanilla cake with classic almond buttercream.

Cake Blossom

2009-04-17T23:31:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Reshma and Jyoti! They're having a baby!!!!! A cherry blossom cake for the lucky couple! Reshma is Indian, but grew up in Hong Kong and loves everything Asian. There's nothing more Asian than a cherry blossom, right?

9 inch strawberry cake with cream cheese icing. Buttercream and gumpaste accents.

Cake Cumpleaños

2009-04-17T12:32:00.001-07:00

Feliz cumpleaños, Emily! It's her 4th birthday and she loves the Sleeping Beauty.

She originally wanted the Little Mermaid, which I had major plans for...

...such as underwater sea creatures, octopus, coral, etc. All that was scratched when she changed her mind and suddenly wanted the Sleeping Beauty. A last minute change in design resulted in a simply and girly cake for Emily! She loved it and that's all that matters.

I usually hate putting non-edible figurines on a cake, but in this case I couldn't replicate a gumpaste version of the Sleeping Beauty on such short notice.

10 inch vanilla cake with classic almond buttercream

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T06:35:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had their own delicious cupcakes for Easter!

Last minute vanilla cupcakes with almond buttercream.

Chick Cakepops

2009-04-07T19:17:00.001-07:00

I saw this on Bakerella and had to try it. Chicken wings are missing because I ate them... oops.

Cake Easter Babies!

2009-04-03T09:16:00.001-07:00

DON'T drink the water!!!!.... unless you want to. There are four co-workers of mine who are due around the same time! Three girls and a boy! I envy them because the feeling of having a newborn in your arms is absolutely, without a doubt, the most incredible feeling you'll ever get to experience. Suddenly, the whole world disappears and it's just you and your baby. Sniff, sniff.

Baby Mock is not in our department, but every baby should be celebrated!
Baby Lindo, Baby Lee and Baby Cancilla are being thrown a surprise baby shower today!

My 15 month old son pointed at the cakes this morning and signed "eat." I don't give him cake, so I'm not sure where he got the idea that unnaturally brightly colored objects are food. Maybe because he sees mommy pounding away at the cake scrapes. Sigh.

8 and 4 inch vanilla cakes with buttercream icing. Fondant flowers and Whopper Easter Eggs. I used an edible food coloring pen to write on the eggs.

Cake Surf's Up

2009-03-22T14:39:00.001-07:00

I love cake designs where I get to use piping gel. It looks like toothpaste gel, but for some reason, it looks appetizing to me when it's on cake. Piping gel comes clear and colorless.
Add a little bit of color gel, and we have water! The wave effect comes from a little bit of buttercream swirled in.
I was tempted to use Goldfish crackers, but my husband shook his head with disapproval..."you can't put Goldfish crackers on a cake!!" Suddenly, he's the expert on cake design etiquette. No Goldfish crackers here...marine life is made of gumpaste.
Everything is edible, including Jeff's surfboard and Bill's hand-woven beach chair. Sand is crushed graham crackers and the "rocks" are toffee bits.

9 inch vanilla cake with almond buttercream and fresh strawberries.

Cupcake Nouveau

2009-03-12T06:29:00.001-07:00

Artsy cupcakes for an artsy gal. These cupcakes were made for a jewelry artist, so happy birthday, Josie!

Carrot cake with cream icing covered in marshmallow fondant brushed with luster pearl dust. Black accent pieces are made from chocolate fondant.

Cake Preppy

2009-03-09T05:39:00.001-07:00

This cake was made for Grace's baby shower. She's having a boy! This argyle design was perfect for this preppy mother-to-be. I love how this cake turned out. The cake is covered in marshmallow fondant with squares that are fondant cut-outs.

8 inch strawberry cake with cream cheese icing.

Cake '30 and Flirty'

2009-02-28T19:22:00.001-08:00

Ebony and Kisha are 30 & Flirty and letting everyone know about it. They threw a huge bash celebrating this momentous occasion. After making this cake, I realized that I needed to hit the gym again. This cake weighed a ton. This is the biggest cake I ever made.... and probably my last. My husband almost had a nervous breakdown. Sigh.

12, 10 and 8 inch cakes. Strawberry cake with cream cheese icing (bottom), chocolate cake with whipped dark chocolate ganache (middle), carrot cake with cream cheese (top). All marshmallow fondant brushed with luster pearl dust. Cake measured over 16 inches tall.

Cake Rubber Ducky Sans Rubber Ducky

2009-02-28T11:31:00.000-08:00

Made this cake for Gina who was going to decorate it with her own little rubber duckies for a baby shower she was hosting. Hopefully, she'll provide me with pictures of the final show piece....

...and like she promised, Gina sent me this photo. I just love how she displayed the cake and cupcakes. I would've never thought to use cups and a bowel like this. Very clever!

6 inch carrot cake with cream cheese icing. Gumpaste "wood" and accents. Vanilla cupcakes with almond buttercream for the "bubbles."

Cake Blossom

2009-02-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

I made this cherry blossom cake for Robin's birthday....Happy Birthday!

6 and 4 inch cakes. Chocolate and vanilla cake with whipped chocolate ganache.

Cupcake Bouquet

2009-02-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

Vanilla cupcakes with almond buttercream....just because. It's a Monday.

Cupcake Bambina

2009-02-09T13:39:00.000-08:00

My friend is having a girl! A little bambina. These cupcakes were made for her baby shower, but apparently, they don't have baby showers in Italy so the whole experience was very new to her. Bambina, bambina, bambina!

These were carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing. The mommy is very health conscious, so I used a recipe that called for one pound of shredded carrots... organic, of course.

Fondant flowers and butterflies. Everything edible.

Cake Abby

2009-02-02T20:15:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday, Abby! Yeah, you're officially older than ME! Hooray for birthdays!!!!!!!!!!!

6 inch chocolate and vanilla cake covered in chocolate marshmallow fondant. Fondant accents.

Cake Bronwyn!

2009-01-29T21:12:00.001-08:00

Bronwyn is finally in her terrific TWO's! Ha Ha Ha!

She received Elmo slippers for Christmas, so she's now into this furry-red creature.

Bronwyn. What a great name. My mother-in-law told me that my husband would've been a Bronwyn had he been a girl.

6 inch chocolate cake with almond buttercream. Chocolate marshmallow fondant with gumpaste accents. Elmo is made out of rice crispy treats with buttercream "fur." I hope Bronwyn doesn't notice that Elmo doesn't have any hands.

Cake Taylor!

2009-01-28T20:17:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday, Taylor! You're ONE now, so what are you going to do?.... Eat cake!

Taylor is an adorable one year old with the chubbiest cheeks you'd ever seen.

6 and 4 inch vanilla cake with almond buttercream. Covered in marshmallow fondant with gumpaste accents.

Cake Sabrina

2009-01-24T10:52:00.001-08:00

Sabrina is ONE! She's a genius baby with an adorable smile that will melt your heart.

I decided to make her a Hello Kitty cake because she reminds me of this cute little icon.

I love how Hello Kitty is bringing Sabrina some tulips.

9 inch Carrot cake with cream cheese icing. Covered in marshmallow fondant with gumpaste accents, including Miss Kitty. Everything edible except for the wax candle.

Cake ROCCO!

2009-01-19T12:25:00.000-08:00

Happy 1st Birthday, Rocco! The safari-themed party was attended by all his friends wearing party hats!

There was Harry the Hippo....

Zoe the Zebra, Tyrese the Tiger..

Elijah the Elephant, Louie the Lion...

Moe the monkey...

and finally, George the Giraffe!

Oops, can't forget the party monkeys to escort the guests home.

Cupcake pops and Monkey cake pops were the party favors.

Vanilla cake with almond buttercream. Cake covered in marshmallow fondant with gumpaste accents. The moat/swamp was made of blue colored piping gel. Everything was edible except for the wax candle. Took me about a week to make the figurines...enough time to dry.

Apples, Apples, Apples!

2008-12-20T12:02:00.001-08:00

I made 30 caramel/chocolate covered apples coated with crushed toffee pieces. One apple was simply covered in caramel and white chocolate and coated with crushed peppermint candy. This person is apparently allergic to milk or dark chocolate....sigh. Life without chocolate, sniff, sniff, sigh.....well, I guess there's always donuts. Hmmmmm, donuts.

Cake Gardner

2008-12-20T11:58:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday, Tawna! Tawna, from what I've been told, enjoys gardening, so her daughter wanted a cake to reflect her hobby.

Crushed oreo cookies for the "dirt" with a silk flower. Carrot cake covered in marshmallow fondant.

Cake Nutcracker

2008-12-20T11:53:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday, Alex! Alex is in the Nutcracker this season, so her aunt requested a cake reflecting her passion. The ballet slippers are made of gumpaste with luster dust to give it that shimmer.

Carrot cake with cream cheese icing. Cake covered in marshmallow fondant with fondant accents.

Beet Velvet Cupcakes

2008-12-20T11:44:00.000-08:00

I never really liked red velvet cake, yes there, I said it. I thought the idea of adding an entire bottle of red food coloring to a cake batter to get the red color seemed like it was a recipe for a Red Food Color Cake. Plus, I think people really love red velvet cake because it's always accompanied by cream cheese icing, and who doesn't love cream cheese icing. So, I was in search for a red velvet cake recipe using non-artificial ingredients. I came across a recipe that called for a cup of pureed beets....brilliant! These cupcakes were moist and delicious, however the red color was no where to be found. Perhaps I'll try adding 2 cups of pureed beets next time or try red cabbage. Hmmm, red cabbage cake.... intriguing....maybe not.

Beet Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing.

Holiday Cookies!

2008-11-30T19:31:00.000-08:00

I think it's now a tradition in our household to make holiday cookies the day after Thanksgiving. Hooray for cookies! Sugar cookies decorated with royal icing and white chocolate.
It's all about presentation, right? The sugar cookies are accompanied by thick and chewy chocolate cookies and chocolate chip cookies.... YUM!

Cupcake Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T05:21:00.001-08:00

We have pumpkin pies (carrot), scarecrows (strawberry), sunflowers (vanilla) and fall leaves (chocolate).... YUM, YUM!
Creamy chocolate buttercream adorned with fondant fall leaves.
Fondant and crushed shredded wheat cereal accents for scarecrow.

Cupcake 30

2008-11-23T11:07:00.001-08:00

Cupcakes! Enough said.

Cake Potted Flower

2008-11-22T13:37:00.001-08:00

This cake was long time coming. I first made a potted flower cake for a friend about 5 years ago. Let's just say, it wasn't pretty...I didn't know about fondants back then. I think this one turned out polished and pretty. I'm happy with this one.
Crushed oreo cookies for "dirt."
I'd like to say this was made of gumpaste or royal icing or something edible, but it's not. It's a silk flower I bought from an arts and crafts store. Although, I could probably make something like this using a rice krispy ball decorated with royal icing.... yes, that'll go into my "to-do-one-day" folder.
Since it was a gift, I wrapped it to fit the occasion. I just love these clear boxes. Happy Birthday, Kristin!

6 inch vanilla cake with classic buttercream. Covered with marshmallow fondant.

Cupcake Pops

2008-11-16T19:46:00.001-08:00

I was at a baby shower where they were giving these out as party favors. A cupcake pop is basically a cakeball on a stick...uh, GENIUS! Needless to say, I was intrigued and decided to make them for myself. EASY, FUN and TASTY!

Vanilla cake covered in dark and white chocolate with sprinkles!

Cake Evie 1

2008-11-15T20:00:00.001-08:00

Evie is ONE today! This adorable one year old had a ladybug-theme birthday party, so I was happy to make this cake for her.
The cake took little time to assemble, but there was a lot of prep-work involved. All the daisies and ladybugs are made of gumpaste (edible pen for the details on ladybugs).
The name was also made of gumpaste, coated with edible pearl dust.

Vanilla cake with almond buttercream. Covered in marshmallow fondant with gumpaste and buttercream accents.

9 inch cake.

Cake Wedding

2008-11-15T10:36:00.001-08:00

I just love wedding cakes. This cake was made for a couple renewing their wedding vows after 30 years of marriage! I hope they like it as much as I loved making it.

Vanilla cake filled with almond buttercream and fresh strawberries.

9, 6 and 3 inch cakes

Cake Chip and Duckie!

2008-11-11T07:28:00.001-08:00

Happy 1st wedding anniversary, Chip and Duckie! Chip asked me to replicate a smaller version of their wedding cake....oh, okay... no pressure!

It's not quite the same, but it's pretty close...close enough...okay, in the same color category. I have to say that doing a scroll design is really hard. You have to have steady hands and there are no do-over's. I practiced on a sheet of parchment paper before scrolling the cake. I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Chocolate cake with whipped dark chocolate ganache and raspberry sauce filling. Covered with chocolate fondant, decorated with buttercream and fondant "ribbon."

6 inch.

Cake Gift

2008-11-08T11:10:00.001-08:00

It's Sandra's birthday! I made her a strawberry cake with cream cheese filling! Yum! I love this recipe!

6 inch cake covered with chocolate fondant and adorned with fondant flowers. In retrospect, I should've made white flowers with pink centers. These remind me of teeny tiny fried eggs with the yellow. In any case, I love how it turned out.

I got this packaging idea from Ace of Cakes. I just love that show.

Cupcake Pie!

2008-11-08T11:06:00.000-08:00

I saw this design on cakecentral.com and thought is was so cute! These are strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese icing. Strawberry preserves for the "fruit filling" in the cupcake pies.

Dark and White English Toffee Goodness

2008-11-03T10:11:00.001-08:00

Yep, these are not cakes...this wouldn't be just a hobby if I were that good. It's sometimes good to take a break from making cakes....wait, WTF? Who said that? In any case, these are fabulous and very tasty! I think I'll try making them with mini M&M's next time.

Chocolate covered granny smith apples with white chocolate and crushed english toffee.