Tutorial: Fondant Scrolls 101

I love scrollwork! I love seeing them in jewelry, textiles, wrought iron, stationery and of course...cakes! Piping scrolls can be a bit of a challenge, but there's a simpler way to make scrolls. You can shape them out of fondant. If you've rolled out and cut shapes with play-doh, then you can play with fondant...and this is something you can actually eat :-)

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: 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: 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: 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: 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.

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: 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.

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...

Ruth's Bridal Shower

Here's another treasure from the past that I didn't get a chance to post.  As you might have read from a previous post, my sister Ruth got married last year and as the matron-of-honor, I did host a bridal shower for her.  It was a Parisian-themed party, with lots of pink and black decorations, cafe music playing in the background and all the Frenchy food you could think of, including dessert of course.  And before you start thinking that this sounds a lot like the movie, "Bridesmaids," no I didn't give away any free puppies.  My cousin Kristen was not too happy about that.  Oh well.  C'est la vie, I guess...

Lemon Layer Cake

It's my mom's birthday and, upon request, I made her a lemon layer cake. I tried to convince her to let me experiment with flavors, like adding a layer of dark chocolate ganache and raspberries, but she just looked at me like I was crazy. Am I the only one who thinks that sounds like an interesting flavor combination? O.K. Never mind. Anyway, I went ahead and made a vanilla butter cake with lemon curd filling. She specifically asked me to use hybrid buttercream frosting and absolutely no rollled fondant whatsoever...not even for decorations.

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.

Pink Scrolls and Flowers Cake

How adorable is this?!?  I just love the idea of having a small cake and cupcakes for birthdays, especially for kids parties.  Not only is it more economical (especially if you make it yourself), I personally think that for a kid, it feels much more special to have your very own little cake, all to yourself.  Don't you?

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 :-)