Hallowedding

A coworker decided very last minute to get married on Halloween. She asked me to do her cake! She sent me about 6 different cakes showing me what she liked about each one. I did the best I could to add all the elements she asked for.

She also asked for 6 dozen cupcakes decorated Halloweenish. She provided the stand.

I took pictures from every angle because it's so different all the way around. The tombstones and little skulls are gum paste. There is one that has their names etched in it along with their wedding date.

Here's a little up close of the cupcakes.

 

It was definitely different than anything I've ever done before. Congratulations Mike and Cher!

Happy Birthday Pa

This year was a BIG birthday for my dad. The whole family was in town (that doesn't happen often) so we had a big ol party for him. The organizers decided to go with a cowboy theme because my dad really likes old westerns.

My dad hates fondant- so his cake was my first ever fondant free cake with real live piping on it. I didn't have the tip size I would have preferred so the bandana detailing is a little large, and we knew the cake was going to be gobbled up right away so I didn't spend a lot of time making sure it was structurally sound- so don't look too closely at the pictures because there are cracks in it where it was starting to come apart a little. But it tasted awesome- and really, that's all that matters, right?

And then, just to make it interesting, I found this post on Pinterest and had a go at making it a polka dot cake (my sister said it looked like cow print- I'll take it!)

Happy Birthday, Pops!

Flag Cake!

I had a great idea to make this cake for my co-workers



Mine didn't turn out quite as picturesque, but still it tasted really REALLY good. and ultimately, that's all that matters, right?

It was a huge mess and there is a lot of leftover cake scraps that someone is going to have to choke down [insert Katniss meme: I volunteer!]. I also made a lot of cupcakes with some of the remaining batter since 8 and 6" cakes don't take a whole mix.

I baked white and red cakes 6 and 8" one 8" blue cake. I cut the red and white cakes in half and layered them with a bit of frosting between the layers (my frosting is seriously like crack and even people who tell me all the time that they hate frosting and always scrape it off- they tell me that they love it).

 

For the blue layer, I evened out the cake then cut a hole in it. I cut the 6" cakes in half and then cut them to fit inside the hole. (note to self- when you are making a striped cake, make sure to put the stripes in the right order otherwise the cake loses the whole effect [face palm- stupidstupidstupid]).

 

I frosted the whole thing with a light crumb coat then gave the outer edge some stripes.

 

The outside of the cake looked really pretty if I do say so myself.

Once we cut into it- it wasn't as pretty as I planned- but still, it impressed my co workers.

Happy Fourth!

Peacock Birthdays

When I first got my job at the hospital, I spent the first few days on the computer watching snooze-fest videos about ethics and policies and blah blah blah- so to keep myself awake, I doodled cakes. This cake to be exact.

Sept 2011

This was my first attempt at a fondant character. There is a lot I would do differently now, but I think for a first attempt, he's pretty cute.

It's kinda funny to go back and look at these old cakes I've done. I haven't done many since then, but I still think I've come a long way.  This was really only my second fondant cake ever.

Speaking of peacock cakes, I don't think I posted the one I made this year for my little cousin's birthday. All Butter cream. (which would have been eaten- every last bite- except we used trick candles so 3/4 of the cake was covered in spit and/or ashes.)

Feb 2013

Referee Cake

My older brother is a Ref for high school and city league football. So for his birthday he got this:

Oct 2011

Because I know some people who don't understand football, the yellow bit on top is not a sweaty towel, it's the foul flag thingy that they throw when someone does something meaner than usual on the field.

I think.

Cheese Cake

Guess where I'm going tomorrow!? Disneyland!!! So I thought this cake would be appropriate for today!

My sister asked for cheesecake for her birthday. So this is what she got.

Jan 2011

Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

Ok Ok, this is just a small cake, we actually did get her cheesecake. sheesh.

I don't want this post confused with this  other post. from a few years ago. Different kinds of cheese.

Train birthday

This was my first and probably last attempt at a sculpted cake. What a pain! It was fun to do- but I definitely don't recommend doing sculpted cakes with flimsy cake mix cakes. They definitely need to be a kind of sturdier cake. There were a lot of dowels running through this cake to keep it together. I think I had to work the day of the party because I don't remember being there when he saw it and when it was cut. But I seem to remember my mom needing to warn everyone to watch before they took bites that they weren't eating wood!

Jan 2011

It was my oldest nephews 5th birthday- and boy howdy did that kid LOOOOVE trains.

Everyone stop and have a moment of silence for the Ding Dong wheels. Sigh... I miss Hostess.

Birthday Experiments

These two cakes were just simple birthday cakes I made. I was experimenting.

The snowflake is piped royal icing and was transferred to the cake- not piped onto the cake.  The "roses" on the side I was trying to make look like ribbon rosettes, but they were too bulky and ended up tearing down the side of the cake. I think next time I'll thin the fondant out. A lot. and work on the draping. It's not something I've mastered yet- as this is the only time I've attempted it and it was like, two years ago.

Dec 2010

This cake was an experimentation with my cake cricut. I was aiming for a damask look- but I apparently had a brain fart and forgot what damask looks like.

Dec 2010

This one was just a let's-get-the-heck-out-of-winter-even-though-it's-still-winter cake. Just trying to bring spring a little early that year. I don't think it worked, but it was a fun cake anyway.

Jan 2011

Ball Pit Birthday

I don't seem to make as many cakes these days as I used to. But I was trying to show my blog off to someone last week and realized that most of my cakes never made it on here. So I guess since I'm in the mood to post something- and I can't think of anything interesting to write about on my other blog, I'll work on a few cake posts.

Over two years ago now my little nephew had a first birthday! For his birthday his parents got him a ball pit- that was the theme of his birthday I guess. Because everyone contributed to it. That kid had a fuller ball pit than any local McDonald's.  So naturally, his cake went along with the theme (we all know how much the Baker's love to theme everything)

I made the little balls tumbling down the side of the cake- with a few of them bouncing away.

Dec 2010

And of course a fondant replica of my nephew sitting in his ball pit. :)

Jones Baby Shower

"The colors and red, teal and grey. And she likes elephants."

Those were the instructions I was given- here is what they got!

It's all fondant, even the little elephant.

Congratulations Kelli!

Avast Me Hearties!

My sweet nephew Donaven is turning THREE! :)

Right now he's really into Jake and the Neverland Pirates- but even more than that, he LOVES Captain Hook! So for his birthday, his mommy organized for him a pirate party. They dug for treasure, they went on a treasure hunt around the house, we wore pirate hats and eye patches- the whole nine yards.

And not very often am I really proud of one of my creations- but this one I have to say, is pretty rad.

It was surrounded by sand and "Go-daboon". I asked DJ if he wanted one- so I let him pick one out. I asked him if he was going to eat it and he looked at me like I was weird- but went to put it in his mouth. I explained I had to take the wrapper off- so I just tore at a little side of it. He about passed out when he saw was I was doing. His eyes got big and he grinned and said "CHOCOLATE!?" The next day he found a gold dabloon under the couch and tried to eat it. He was pretty bummed when he realized that one was plastic.

It's a new technique I learned on Pinterest. It's all hand piped butter cream. The cake is just a regular old chocolate cake- but it was my families first real time tasting my new frosting. Cake normally does not disappear in our house- but everyone was saying it was the best tasting cake I've ever made- and almost everyone asked for seconds. There were not leftovers.

Ahhh pride.

The next day I made a cupcake tower for my sister and sister in law's birthdays... those did not get eaten. Same frosting- but my family is biased. They only wanted chocolate. Lame.

Oren turns UNO!

My baby nephew is ONE! He's UNO! So his mommy threw him an Uno birthday party. It is also my brother's birthday, so baby and daddy got to celebrate together.
 

Since the whole soiree was her brain child (her's and Pinterest's) I'll leave the blog filled with birthday details to her-

Since it was an Uno themed party, Oren got an Uno themed cake.  Travis got Wild chocolate chip cookies (which I made- but they just look like regular ol cookies so no sense posting the picture) 

It was a dark chocolate and french vanilla cake with my new buttercream frosting recipe- but it was spread so thin that you couldnt even taste it. Gah! The frosting is the best part of the cake!!! Trial and error... I'll do better next time.

Cupcake Wedding

I don't get asked to do many wedding cakes these days. Maybe I should actually let people around here know I do them. This Bride is the sister of a friend I worked with in Idaho. It was actually fun to do a cake. It's been a while.

She ordered a two tiered wedding cake and 200 cupcakes.

The cake was a chocolate and white sour cream marble cake (as were the cupcakes)

The frosting was a buttery buttery butter cream (seriously- so freaking good that my diet was WRECKED for the weekend)

I had an example picture of what she wanted and I used that as a guideline for the filigree- but it is 100% free-handed.

My sister was kind enough to make pretty bows for the back. She makes the best bows ever!

I think the display of it was fun. They did a good job. 

Also- a HUGE shout out to my sisters and young cousins who helped in the production of flowers and stuff for the cupcakes. I always am more ambitious than I have time for. I also had a minor melt-down over a fondant issue- but everything turned out OK I think. 

Super Baby!

Hi! I know, I know, I've been absent for a while. But since I moved to Utah it's been hard to find reasons to make a cake- or the motivation. I was bound and determined to make one for Valentine's Day to take to work... and I decided at the last minute not to because I didn't feel like spending hours making a cake for my ungrateful (and mostly undeserving) co-workers. I bah-humbugged.

Anyway- The perfect opportunity to finally make one arose! My friend Carolyn is having a baby! But not just any baby- a SUPER BABY! They're decorating his room in Marvel Comics so when we started talking about throwing her a shower, I volunteered for cake duty!

Since the Avengers just came out and it's pretty much the most amazing comic book movie ever made- I went with them (thank goodness they're Marvel!)

This is Baby Thor.  Complete with armor cap adorned with little wings. (By the way- my real camera was dead and I didn't know till it was to late- so the pics are from my el crapo phone camera). He's  also sporting overalls and red cape.

Baby Hulk is fashionable in his torn purple pants. He was going to get a torn diaper- but it didn't turn out so well so I gave up. He is still buff through his baby fat and has a pouty grimace on his face.

Baby Iron Man... well, one can't really tell what is going on under that facade- but knowing him he's probably up to some mischief. Apparently he's the second edition Iron Man (hence the triangle instead of a circle on his chest) He also has little booster pads on his hands and you can't see in the super professional picture- but even the bottoms of his shoes are textured for safety.

Avengers Assemble! I wasn't able to make/fit all four little figurines on the cake- so I saved my favorite hero- Captain America- as the overall theme for the cake.  That way, even when the other little fellows were removed for the cake cutting, the Captain was still fully present.

I forgot how time consuming cakes are to decorate. But it was worth it. She's a good friend and it was a fun Super Hero themed shower. 

I don't know when I'll make another cake- but maybe I'll start posting some more cakes from the past just so there's not another 8 month gap on the blog.

Happy Birthday to Me!

We're celebrating my birthday here today!!!

It's going to be a while before I get a chance to make cakes again- so in the meantime you get cakes from the past.

Bakeshow, "Long past?"

Ghost of Birthdays past, "No, your past."

I'm not even sure which years they were. I have a general guess- but the actual ages I can't recall. I'm pretty sure my mom made all of them- although one could have been made by my sister, Valeri.

PS- if you say a word about the mullet- I'll break up with your for like, ever.

My doll cake. I am guessing around 4 or 5?

Ahhh... the Smurf Cake. I think this was about second grade (I would guess age 6 by the candles)

I actually got the white chocolate ghost cake a couple of times. Once for my 8th birthday party, and then again this year- which I would guess is either 9 or 10 ish.

You can always tell what I was into by the picture on my cake. I used to be *really* into unicorns and rainbows! (Who am I kidding, I still like that stuff) I had that haircut in 7th grade- so uhhh... 11?

If we're going by candles this is 14 ish- but candles are not always reliable in this family (this year I got four).

That's my Kinko cake (Kinko was my kitty). My mom used him as the model for the cake.

I know there are more cakes- but I have no idea where the photos are. I know for my first birthday I had a three tiered cake. Maybe I'll hunt that photo down and use it for the monumental birthday that is looming 366 days from now.

I don't get cake any more. With so many  birthdays all grouped together in my family- we OD on cake pretty fast.  So for my birthday I get chocolate (preferably French Silk) pie. My sister-in-law two weeks ahead of me gets German chocolate (as does her daughter whose birthday is two days after hers). My brother 6 days after me gets white cake with raspberry dessert and my sister the following day gets cherry pie (bleh) just so we can keep the variety going.