Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Cake Pop Craziness!


Last week was all about Cake Pops around here!!! Here's an absolutely scrumptious one year anniversary cake... 'cause sometimes pain old cake just isn't enough:


These Cake Pops are perfectly coordinated with the Baby Shower theme, "She's ready to Pop!"


Apparently, I'm not the only one with Cake Pops on the brain, I just noticed no less than two magazine covers at the grocery store that featured Cake Pops! 'Tis the Cake Pop season, I guess!

Monday, September 5, 2011

Planes, Ships, and Automobiles: or Cakes for Big Boys!

There has definitely been a theme to last few cakes that I have made: Toys for Big Boys! The thoughtful mothers, wives, and girlfriends of these lucky big boys ordered some very special cakes for their loved ones!

This Airplane Groom's Cake was styled after the old school Fisher Price Airplane and Little People Toys:


The cake was Vanilla Buttermilk with Double Chocolate Cream Cheese frosting between the layers. To continue the recent fondant free trend, it was covered in Vanilla Buttercream. I did use some contrasting fondant for the details. My little people at home (aka kids) were most impressed with the Krispy Kreme mini donut wheels! The bride and groom were sculpted out of sugar paste and fondant:


The Viking Ship Cake was created for a Viking aficionado:


I loved all the little details on the ship and on the little sugar paste viking clothes (and helmet):




The License Plate Cake was created for a Big Boy who collects license plates. His wife knew she wanted to customize it with his initials and a play on the NH state motto: Live Free or Die. I thought that The Old Man in the Mountain license plate image went along perfectly with the theme:

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Wedding Cake with Purple Fresh Roses

This was such an elegant wedding cake. In planning, the lovely couple getting married and I went through a couple different ideas, as they used a Mardi Gras theme as a jumping off point for their wedding. They eventually moved away from a literal Mardi Gras theme, but kept lavenders and purples for their wedding colors. Ultimately the bride chose this classic square based cake with two round layers on top with fresh flowers. I think it was simply gorgeous!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Bold Asymmetrical Stripes and Cascading Flowers


This may be one of my favorite color combinations: hot reds and oranges accented with a bold splash of cool blues. Maybe it just looks like the way summer here in North Carolina feels. This cake kind of evolved as I made it, in fact, I wasn't intending to cover it in fondant! The bottom square was Red Velvet and the top was Carrot Cake, both iced with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.

After stacking them I realized I could have some fun with the colors of the flavors graduating asymmetrical fondant stripes from the bottom to the top in red to orange! The cascading cool blue daisies finished off the look of this hot summer cake!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Surfing Baby Shower Cake


I loved the theme for this cake! My client was hosting a surf themed baby shower by the pool. This cake was part of what I am sure was an amazing dessert table! The cake was a Buttermilk Vanilla Cake filled with Lemon Curd and topped with Lemon Buttercream! The details are vanilla and light chocolate fondant with crushed vanilla wafer sand. So summery! So refreshing!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Kate Spade Handbag Cake


Kate Spade Handbag Cake, originally uploaded by bakers-cakes.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I adore making handbag cakes! Every so often an order comes in that I just can't wait to get to work on, and this Kate Spade New York Gold Coast Elizabeth inspired cake was one that I had to stop myself from working on too early (the whole fresh factor, you know)!

Ironically, I am not much of a handbag person myself, although I found a bag that I love here on a serious markdown and I hope it lasts forever! But the purpose of this post isn't to discuss my style short-comings!!!

This cake is Buttermilk Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and rolled fondant. The customer requested a purple cake (but the bag in real life comes in black and white).






Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Monogram Wedding Cake


Monogram Wedding Cake, originally uploaded by bakers-cakes.

It seems like I have been making more and more cakes without fondant recently, this past weekend was no exception. This elegant monogram wedding cake was served at a sweet intimate wedding in Durham this weekend. The wedding cake was Baker's Cakes Signature Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting with bands of off white rolled fondant.

This fun children's birthday cake was also served at the reception. The cake was Buttermilk Vanilla Confetti with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. The R2D2 and C3PO characters are sculpted out of sugar paste:

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

High School Graduation Cake Craziness!

Last week was High School Graduation Week and Baker's Cakes was busy in the kitchen creating cakes celebrating several college bound Grads! This cake was for a Grad heading to Appalachian State in gorgeous Boone North Carolina:



Tennessee:



Georgia:

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Cake Pop Cupcake!



Ok, here it is! The last installment of this year's PTA Cupcakes! It was just a matter of time before these two treats ended up together! I'm not even sure why it took me so long to think of it! The chocolatey cakey truffley goodness of half a Cake Pop Bite on a Buttermilk Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting! Gilding the lily? I think not! Gluttonous? Maybe!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Recent Cupcakes!


Mini Cupcakes!, originally uploaded by bakers-cakes.

Last week was a particularly popular week for cupcakes! These mini cupcakes were created for a graduation party. I love the two toned rosette buttercream design! (Photo courtesy of The Catering Company, Chapel Hill, NC).

The Kitty Cupcakes were the perfect treat for a sweet 6 year old birthday girl who had a kitten themed birthday party! I borrowed the design from the famous "Hello Cupcake" book, but used Strawberry Buttercream to match the pink theme of the party!



Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Acoustic Guitar Cake


Acoustic Guitar Cake, originally uploaded by bakers-cakes.

This cake was created for the 21st birthday of a serious guitar playing music lover! In order to maximize cake I honed in on the beautiful design on the Gibson Hummingbird Guitar. The cake itself was Baker's Cake Signature Chocolate with Double Chocolate Butterceeam Frosting and marshmallow filling with crushed graham crackers! Yes, it was a S'mores Cake!!! It was covered in both vanilla and chocolate rolled fondant to capture the look of the acoustic guitar.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Strawberry Shortcake Cake!


Strawberry Shortcake Cake!, originally uploaded by bakers-cakes.

It's strawberry season in North Carolina and this was the perfect cake to celebrate the season last week. The Birthday Girl was having her party at a strawberry patch and requested a Strawberry Shortcake character cake made out of Strawberry Cake and Fresh Strawberry Buttercream! I love the updated Strawberry Shortcake character, and I just had to include Strawberry's cat, Custard! The rows of strawberry plants are growing out of Chocolate Buttercream and crushed chocolate cookie "dirt." I created the plants out of Vanilla Buttercream and Fondant flowers and strawberries. As Strawberry would say, "Something berry special is happening in the berry patch!"

Monday, April 25, 2011

Mountain Sunset Cake


Mountain Sunset Cake, originally uploaded by bakers-cakes.

This cake was a surprise for my client's wife. He asked if I could create a custom birthday cake from her tattoo, a setting/rising sun behind two mountains. A cake based on a tattoo? Why, yes. That is right up my alley! He emailed me some reference material, but I really wanted to see an image of the tattoo. After I finally convinced him to send me a picture, we nailed down the design.

I began fondly calling this the Bob Ross Cake! When my clients wife finally saw the cake she was thrilled! She said when she saw it she wondered if the Ace of Cakes had made her cake? They also reported that it was the best cake they had ever had. I think that hearing that makes me the most happy! It's so nice to hear that not only is the artistry of the cake appreciated, but it tastes awesome too!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Coin Collector Birthday Cake!

The world of custom cakes shows us that there is more to a birthday party than Spiderman or Princesses for kids these days! This cakes was based off of a 1955 Double Die Penny! Apparently collector coins are displayed on a white card and that's exactly how this 8 year old birthday boy wanted his cake to look!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Adorable Pale Yellow and White Wedding Cake


This wedding cake was such a pleasure to create from start to finish. The bride and groom were so sweet to work with from our first meeting and cake tasting. They came to the tasting with a very fun request, "Could I make their cake with 'Funfetti' Cake?" I loved the idea from the start! How much fun would it be to have a classic elegant cake on their cake table and then cut into it and serve a moist cake flecked with confetti sprinkles?!?!! And thus I whipped up the Butermilk Vanilla Confetti Cake! Which has since become one of my regular cake flavors! The couple also opted to go with buttercream frosting and I love how the bride said it, "It looks more like real cake!" Totally! It's so easy to get caught up in trends and a certain "look." Simply said, sometimes cake should just look (and taste) like cake! While flipping through pictures the bride spotted the graphic flowers that she ultimately chose for the cake. They turned out to be perfect for this simply adorable sweet cake!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Baby Shower Barbecue Cupcakes!


These cupcakes were so fun to create! They were ordered for a Baby Shower disguised as a barbeque! The party was a surprise for the expecting couple! I wanted to use the little bears with bows for the baby shower party of the theme and then made coordinating hot dogs and hamburgers (or veggie dogs and veggie burgers if you prefer). I loved the red and white picnic table cloth inspired cupcakes wrappers and tied that back into the bows and barbeque condiments!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Virgin of Guadalupe Cake


Virgin of Guadalupe Cake, originally uploaded by bakers-cakes.

In February I donated a gift certificate for a cake to a fundraiser at my son's school. The gift certificate was placed in a raffle, which meant that anyone young or old had the chance to win a cake! Often cake gift certificates are put into silent auctions where only the highest bidder wins.

In March a teacher at the school emailed me to tell me that one of her students won the cake. He knew exactly what he wanted: chocolate cake with vanilla frosting with the Virgin of Guadalupe! His teacher was so sweet, she wondered if he didn't want a soccer cake or a Spiderman cake, but no, he was sure, he wanted "La Virgen."


I loved the idea! It turned out this cake was the perfect opportunity to blend several different artistic techniques. I used some relief sculpture to create the figure and roses and some painting behind her and on her dress, robe, and face. I think the tattoo style "Happy Birthday" banner added the final element of cool to the cake!


Monday, April 4, 2011

40th Birthday Golf Cake!


40th Birthday Golf Cake!, originally uploaded by bakers-cakes.

This Chocolate Cake with Peanutbutter Frosting was created for a golf lover's 40th birthday! It is a celebration of golf and frosting! Because we went with the peanut butter frosting I needed to cover the entire cake in green vanilla rolled fondant and then add Vanilla Buttercream for the "rough" grass! The sand trap was crushed vanilla wafer cookies and peanut butter frosting! My husband jokingly refered to this as a "Chia Cake," he's so witty!


Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Quilt Cake!


Quilt Cake!, originally uploaded by bakers-cakes.

This Quilt Cake was such a pleasure to create. My client contacted me and requested a cake for his mother-in-laws 70th birthday. (How Sweet!) He wanted to incorporate her Irish heritage, love of quilting, and grandchildren's names. We went with a color scheme with green tones for the Irish flair. I used stencils to crate the designs on the alternating squares, as well as an array of spring colors. I love how the "stitching" turned out on the edged of each square, as well as using that effect for the grandchildren's names around the sides of the quilt/cake.


Hummingbird Cupcakes!


Hummingbird Cupcakes!, originally uploaded by bakers-cakes.

Here is the April PTA Cupcake! It is a Hummingbird Cupcake which is a banana, apple, pineapple spiced cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting! And because it is Spring and there are gorgeous flowering trees here in the South, the Hummingbird Cupcakes are adorned with blooms and tiny birds!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

6" Pint of Guinness Cake!

6" Pint of Guinness Cake!, originally uploaded by bakers-cakes.

It's a little early for St. Patrick's Day, but many would argue that any time is a good time for a pint of Guinness! This was a Baker's Cakes Signature Chocolate Cake with Coffee Buttercream Frosting, covered in rolled Chocolate Fondant! Yum!!! Shortly after the customer picked up the cake she texted me this fabulous cake narrative:

The Presentation:



The Slice:



The Swig:



The Demise:



And that is why I love doing this and have the BEST customers EVER!!!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Weekend Cake Roundup!


I don't usually do a cake roundup, but this past weekend was so busy that I am still recovering! Saturday I delivered this lovely Damask Cake to The Carolina Inn on the campus of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.



Here is the cake in the gorgeous venue of the Old Well Room:



Later on Saturday I delivered 11 dozen cupcakes to a pre-game bash at the UNC Business School. I was honored to have my cupcakes at a big party before the UNC/Duke game. Thankfully, Carolina won!!!



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