Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Cup Cake

Dunkin' Donuts recently announced that they'll be expanding to California in the next few years and there's one person I know who'll be waiting in line the first day they open in San Diego: my brother Ryan.  He's loves Dunkin' Donuts.  I remember growing up my dad used to buy a boxful of Munchkins and we'd always fight over who gets the chocolate glazed and jelly filled ones.  Ahhhhh childhood memories...a mix of warm and fuzzy nostalgia and pushing and shoving matches with your siblings. And speaking of Dunkin' Donuts, I thought I'd rummage through my old cake photos again and share this DD coffee cup cake.  I made it for Ryan's birthday a few years ago and it was one of the first 3-D cakes I ever tried to make.

Mae Anne's Hot Pink Debut Cake

I've been sifting through my old photos and I started to realize there's so many cakes I haven't had the chance to post yet.  In most cases, I didn't have time to do step-by-step photos so I decided not to post them.  But I've changed my mind.  If anything, they're fun and pretty to look at.  They could even be the inspiration for your next cake creation.  So here goes my first "Throwback Thursday" cake...

Angry Birds Cake

Whenever I think about how I got started in allergy-friendly baking, my first thought is...it all started with a cake.  My oldest son was just about to turn two years old when I found out he had multiple food allergies.  I remember thinking, "How am I gonna bake him a birthday cake if I can't even use eggs, butter, flour and milk?"  That was five years ago and I still can't believe I figured out how to make him an allergy-friendly cake in time for his birthday.  He's since outgrown his wheat and dairy allergy but I still have to avoid dairy for my youngest son.  Every birthday cake I've made for my boys have become milestones, each one symbolizing another year that they've been able to enjoy life despite their food allergies.  So I try to do my best to make each birthday cake as special as they are.

Ruth and Daniel's Wedding Cake

Photo by Sweet Day Studio

My little sister got married!!! Woohoo!!! It's been craziness planning for this wedding but now that it's all done and the kids started summer break, I can finally sit down and tell you all about this gorgeous cake :-)

Tutorial: Baby Elmo Birthday Cake and Cupcakes

Photo Credit: Kristen Somera

Guess what? My little boy turned two this summer and I still haven't written about his FIRST birthday cake.  How lame is that?  So what's my excuse?  Well, for one thing, I didn't get a chance to take any pictures during his party.  I was running around like a crazy mom while Hubby was busy keeping the kids entertained.  Pretty much the same thing happened this summer but we made sure we took pictures this time.  And of course, I'll be writing about it next year...when he turns 3!  Anyway, I gathered up all the pictures I could find (with the help of friends and family) so I can finally sit down and write about his adorable little cake.

Tutorial: Transformers Autobot Cake

When I was a little kid, I used watch Transformers with my brothers and sister.  I remember we used to go to our parents' bedroom on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons.  It's so funny now that I think about it because now my kids are doing the same thing.  I guess that's my life coming full circle, huh?  My hubby also grew up watching Transformers, so it was no surprise when one day he decided to get the entire DVD set.  We had a Transformers marathon that weekend.  It was awesome :-)

Tutorial: Cielo's Birthday Cake

I remember the first time I ever tried to cover a cake in rolled fondant.  It was for a wedding cakes class back in pastry school.  I was actually not looking forward to using rolled fondant because I heard it was a nightmare to use.  I thought you had to work really fast or else it would crack or tear and repairing any mistakes was next to impossible.

Tutorial: Monogrammed Birthday Cake

Here's a quick tutorial on how to make an elegant yet simple monogrammed cake. I made this one for my friend Ket.  I used her favorite colors red, pink and gold to match her ultra-feminine style :-)

Tutorial: The Twilight Cake

With The Twilight Saga: Eclipse out in theaters this week, I thought it was about time that I finally write about the cake I made last month. It was for my dearest friend, Juls. She's the biggest Twilight fan I know and so when her birthday came around this year, I just knew I had to make her this cake.

Tutorial: My Birthday Cake

Ahhhhh...it's good to be back. Yes, I've returned from my hiatus. Soooo...what have I been up to?  Well, I recently moved and I still have quite a lot of unpacking and organizing to do. I've also been busy making cakes (and cupcakes and all kinds of desserts) for friends and family. Yeah, it's been a little hectic but now that things have settled down a bit, I can finally get back to my blog. Whew!

Tutorial: Dinosaur Birthday Cake and Cupcakes

When I asked my son what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday this year, he immediately jumped up and down and said, "A dinosaur cake, Mommy! A dinosaur cake!" He even had a particular dinosaur cake in mind.  He went straight to my bookshelf, pulled out one of my cake decorating books and showed me a picture of a silly blue dinosaur with yellow spots. Whew! For a second there I thought he was gonna show me a T-Rex. Okay, I think I can do this. This is gonna be fun.

Tutorial: Mini Wedding Cake

My friend Jaycee contacted me recently and asked if I could make a cake for his parents. He and his sister Lyn didn't get a chance to celebrate their parents' wedding anniversary earlier this year, so they wanted to surprise them with a mini wedding cake. Now, is that just the sweetest thing ever or what?

Tutorial: Macie's Birthday Cake

What I love about making cakes for friends and family is that I get to be unabashedly creative. It's very liberating and I think I do my best work when I'm free to make whatever cake I dream up in my head. Luckily, I find inspiration from everything around me. I could be flipping through a fashion magazine and be fascinated by a pretty print on a dress. I might be watching a movie and be captivated by the colorful scenery. I may even find inspiration from looking at a wrought iron balcony. Once I've got an idea to go with, I just pull out my sketchbook and start drawing. Sometimes I'll draw because I'm brainstorming for a cake project and sometimes I just draw for the fun of it.

Tutorial: Race Car Cake

I made this cake for my nephew's 5th birthday earlier this year. It was inspired by the cake I made for my son last year (see below). When my cousin asked me to make a race car cake, I was thrilled, but there was only one problem...I had to figure out how to ship the cake from California to Philadelphia. I was always reluctant about shipping cakes (even fake ones) because there's just soooo many things that could go terribly wrong. But I figured, I'll go ahead give it a try and see what happens.

Tutorial: Lego Birthday Cake

Every year, I look forward to making my son's birthday cake. Just to see the huge smile on his face when he sees his cake for the first time....WOW! That does it for me. I've made some pretty awesome cakes, but nothing gives me more pride and joy than the ones I make for him. What can I say? It's a mommy thing :-)

Tutorial: Wedding Monogram

I was asked about this monogram that I made for my cousin's wedding cake, so I thought I'd do a step-by-step tutorial on how to make it.

Have your cake and eat it too: the making of a fake wedding cake

In these tough economic times, more and more couples are trying to find creative ways to have the wedding of their dreams without spending a fortune. But when in comes to the wedding cake, there really isn't a lot of options out there. You can have a cupcake tower or serve individual desserts instead, but if you have your heart set on a wedding cake, even a small plainly-decorated cake can cost a few hundred dollars. So what can a budget-conscious couple do? Consider using a fake wedding cake.

Tutorial: How to Make a Fondant Frame

Whenever I'm shopping for new toys...errrr tools, I always have a hard time narrowing down which ones to get because I want to buy them all. To keep myself from going on a spending spree, I try to practice some restraint by getting one or two items each month (okay, maybe three). My most recent purchase is an FMM textured lace set . One of the lace patterns looked remarkably similar to the pattern on a picture frame I have. So I had an idea...I'm going to make a picture frame out of fondant!

Tutorial: Marc Jacobs Bag Cake

My sister is truly an inspiration to me. Six years ago, she decided to forget going to law school and follow her dream. Without telling anyone, she applied to the Fashion Institute of Technology and got accepted. Soon after breaking the news to everyone, she packed up her bags and moved to New York City to study fashion design. It took a lot of guts for her to make such a risky decision, especially after investing so many years of schooling. But it was a bold move that paid off in ways she couldn't have imagined. Today, she's working as a handbag designer for Marc Jacobs , one of the top fashion designers in the world. She was the one who encouraged me to go to pastry school and I'll be forever grateful to her for that. So when she told me she was coming home to celebrate her 30th birthday, I wanted to make her a cake that symbolized her dream fulfilled. I just had to make her a Marc Jacobs bag cake.

Tutorial: Making Simple and Easy Monograms

Monogram made from rolled fondant

I recently started using monogram plaques on my cupcakes. I've been using plaques on cakes for a while, but I never thought of using them on cupcakes until now. I was inspired by the individual pastries found in tres chic patisseries like Laduree and Pierre Herme. If you've ever browsed through their display, you'll notice that they top their pastries with logo inscribed plaques. The plaques they use are actually made of chocolate and the logo is made of melted cocoa butter and powdered food color. To make them, a thin layer of chocolate is spread over a pre-printed acetate transfer sheet. The chocolate is allowed to cool for a little bit before cutting into desired shapes. Once the chocolate has set, the plastic is peeled off, leaving the logo imprinted onto the plaque.

I decided to recreate that look using fondant and gumpaste because, a) it's quicker and easier to make, b) the materials are readily available in any arts and craft store, and c) I can be a bit more creative with the designs. The possibilities are endless when it comes to designs and shapes; you can stay simple and elegant or get fun and creative. You can try using Alphabet Stamps(like for scrapbooking) to imprint letters or designs onto the fondant or gumpaste. You can also try using Wilton White Candy Melts as plaques (just paint the letters on the flat side).

Monograms made from Wilton Candy Melts

Here are just a few of the ideas I came up with. You can search online for font types that are easy to copy onto a plaque.

To make monogram plaques, you'll need:

- rolled fondant or gumpaste

-fondant rolling pin

- fine tip paintbrushes
- food color (powder, gel or paste) or gold luster dust

- food color pens

- small round cutters

- letter and number fondant/gumpaste cutters

- clear alcohol (vodka or lemon extract)



To start, roll the fondant or gumpaste into the desired thickness and cut out shapes. Let them dry a bit so they'll be easier to write on.




For this design, I wrote the "R" with a black food color pen then I mixed silver luster dust with vodka and painted dots around the plaque and inside the "R."


I used the same black food color pen to write the "N" and drew a border around.

The letters on this diamond plaque were painted on with a silver luster dust and vodka mix.


The "H" was stamped on with a fondant letter cutter. I painted it with gold luster dust then painted an S pattern with silver luster dust.



I used red gel food color to paint this monogram plaque.



This is the same technique as above; I just used green gel food color.



Have fun making these monogram plaques. Use them to personalize cakes, cupcakes or any other dessert. So far, I've used them for a birthday, a baby shower, an engagement party and a baptism. What's next? A wedding? Hmmm.... stay tuned.