Easter Basket Cake

I was asked to bring dessert to an Easter lunch & egg hunt we are going to today with the girls....so it was a perfect chance to become familiar with my basket weave technique.  I also used a big rope border.

 

I topped it off with some classic Easter candy and green grass to give it an easter basket feel....

 

I also tried a new frosting recipe that is creamy and delicious....but doesn't quite cut it when it comes to the decorating wtih tips or taking color....but for smooth white icing, it may be my new favorite!

 

Happy Easter

Fire Truck Cake

I found the Wilton Fire Truck cake pan on clearance about a month ago....how could I resist??

 

I made two cakes, and layered them so that this could be a thick, 2-layer cake.  I decorated it using mostly the star technique and also just plan 'ole smearing on the icing.  My husband's department has white trucks...which look just as cool in real-life as any fire truck, but on  a cake....not so much.  :)  This pan is great, but I think next time I use it I will stick to bright fire truck red paint!

Happy Birthday to my loving, wonderful hard-working husband!

Blue's Clues Birthday Cake

My own sweet Lily turned four today!  I have been absolutely delighted with this little person God has given me, and since everyday as her mom gets better and better I can only imagine how wonderful this year will be!
Lily had made up her mind in January that she wanted a Blue's Clues birthday cake.  I was pretty excited about the idea, because it's a great show and it's full of inspiration for a great cake design.  Most importantly, Lily has been my faithful assistant through most of my cake projects, so it was time to make a REALLY cool cake just for her!



By assistant, I mean "Batter Removal Technician"


She was also having a big birthday party, so we needed a lot of cake.  Two tiers was the way to go!

 

 

I didn't want to make little figurines out of gum paste or other edible-type sculptures-- it's really not my thing, and I don't think I would enjoy that type of cake work very much.  Plus, Blue's Clues is very 2-dimensional in it's illustrations, so I felt like even trying to attempt little sculptures would be taking some liberty with the characters.  So I free-handed a Blue dog out of fondant to put on top of the cake:

I surprised myself, because I'm not much of an artist as far as drawing goes...but I can honestly say that the dog really does look just like Blue!

I also added spots on the sides of the cake in fondant, and cut out 2" high letters to put her name on the front.

I am so happy with the way this cake turned out!  It was bright, cheerful & fun...just like my Lily. 

Ready to Pop! Baby Shower Cake

This cake was made for my friend Jill, who is due to have her 3rd son sometime this month.  I designed this cake with the Ready to Pop! theme because she was 37 weeks along at her shower.  The circle design was intended to look like bubbles, cut from fondant tinted in 4 different colors. 

 

12" 2 layer cake frosted in buttercream.  Fondant decorations and buttercream border and lettering.

Minnie Mouse Birthday Cake

What a fun cake this was!  A pink Minnie Mouse themed birthday party calls for lots of mouse ears and bows!  This is a 12" diameter 2-layer chocolate cake.  Iced with vanilla buttercream and decorated with buttercream and fondant.  I made the bow and ears with a 50/50 gumpaste/fondant blend.  I "accidentally" learned a new technique in the process- putting the blend in the oven at 200 degrees with the door propped open creates a billowing/pillow like effect - perfect for the puffy bow...not so much for the slick, black ears.   My friend Mindy and her family loved this cake, and it tasted great, so I am so happy I was able to make Miss Olivia's birthday a little more special.

I have to say that seeing all the cake plates scraped clean was the best compliment I got today! 

Wilton Course 3 Final Project - Pink Rose Cake

I finished Wilton Course 3 last night, which focused on using gumpaste and fondant.  It was a great class and I learned many helpful things that will be so useful.  For the final project, I created something that's my style....a fancy little pink cake covered in fondant with a mound of gumpaste roses on top.  For the bottom border, there is a gumpaste ruffle around the base and an "eyelet" lace border wrapped around the bottom of the cake. 
I enjoyed learning to make the roses, mums, daisies and calla lilies in this course.  Enrobing a cake in fondant, on the other hand, is going to take a lot of practice before I am comfortable with it....but I did learn a lot of tricks in this class which I think will make a HUGE difference.
I am really happy with the way this little cake turned out and look forward to getting more practice with fondant.