Kennedy's 1st

Our youngest grandchild recently had her first birthday.  She is just a "baby doll" and her parents wanted a cake that was girly.

Girly, ribbon and bows.  I made six small pink 5 petal flowers and dusted the edges in  purple.  I also made a large "1" in purple and a pink butterfly.

The cake was a six inch white cake with fresh raspberry and covered in buttercream.  After crumb coating the surface, I marked the sides of the cake with a toothpick so that the ribbon would be balanced.  I piped the ribbon using a rose tip.  The top was  just one continuous chain of ribbon in buttercream.

This cake was transported to Tennessee and the edible items were added just before the guests arrived.

This is our girly girl with a fist full of sweetness.  Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Junior

This was for a little neighbor boy celebrating his 4th Birthday.    It features a 15 x 17 sheet cake; half carrot with cream cheese and half chocolate with fudge filling.

Diego and pal were done as a buttercream transfer.  You outline your art in black buttercream on wax paper and chill completely.  While the outline is chilling, mix all the necessary colors needed for the fill-in. Put each color buttercream in a small pastry bag with a small round tip. Carefully fill in your outline and chill overnight.

Base-coat your cake with white buttercream.  Then airbrushed clouds in the sky and green for grass to give depth to the finished design.  Chill the cake again at this point to allow the airbrush color to dry.  When ready carefully lay the buttercream picture on the cake and peel off the wax paper, add the celebration message.  Happy Birthday little man!!!

Bob

This cake also features buttercream transfer of the Corvette logo.  Bob was celebrating his 60th Birthday. 

The 15 x 17 sheet was half Banana cake and half Chocolate cake with Chocolate Mousse inside both flavors.  The cake was covered in buttercream and I airbrushed the side with the checkered flag pattern and the edge was done in a single side shell pattern.   

Donna turn 90

This cake was for a very loved mother who was having a big birthday...  

The cake was a 15 x 17 White sheet cake with Raspberry Compote.  The base frosting is buttercream and the accents are fondant and gumpaste.  All the adult children went to church with their mother and asked the congregation to stay after the service to have cake and coffee  in celebration of their mother.  Many happy returns Donna!

35th Anniversary

That would be February 18, 1977 when a young couple said "I DO"

The couple;  my husband and myself.  We celebrated this past Saturday.  I read about this cake and decided to give it a try.  First, you will need to bake three 8" layer cakes in one flavor and one 8" layer in another flavor.  Split each of the three cakes in half.  Using a thin layer of buttercream glue three thin layers to create two finished cakes, each three layers high.   Carve the bottom of the heart by creating a well with a pointed bottom.  The top is a little tricker as you need to create an island in the center with a small point.  Next take the single flavor layer and make the "cake ball" mixture and put this in each side of the carved out cakes.  Next put the top of the heart on top of the pointed bottom.   

I covered the exterior of the cake with white buttercream and combed the surface and finished with a shell broader.

This is a picture of the cake after we cut into it.   They say the best way to a man heart is thru his stomach...eat up honey :)

Pansy

Gumpaste Pansy:  The first photo shows all the tools I use.

First I cut two of the smallest petals, two of the medium petals and one of the heart shape petal.  I insert my wire at the base of each of the five petals and thin the edges creating a soft ruffle.  I then insert the wire into styrofoam and allow all the petals to dry completely.

The next step:  I cut two large leaf petals and three small leaves.  Again I insert wire and thin the edges.  I add the veins to the leaves using a silicon mold and then dry the leaves on foam rubber to give then a natural shape.

I colors used to create this pansy, were violet and moss green.  I dust the flower petals close to the center.  The leaves are completely covered in the moss green petal dust.

After taping all the flower petals together I add spike lines from the center of the two small petals and the one heart petal.  This is done using airbrush coloring and a fine paint brush.  When the lines are dry I add a small center in bright yellow and attach the leaves.

My Blue Wedding

The modern day wedding is done around a theme.  This bride choose to represent her favorite color blue.

The cake featured four tiers in a  Hexagon shape.  The flowers were gumpaste Delphinium (there are very few flowers that are a true blue color) and were wired into gumpaste ivy.  The complete cake is buttercream and trimmed all the edges in blue for a unique display.

Leaves and Lattes

Fall makes a beautiful season for a wedding.  As with Spring, Fall has very define colors.

This was a last minute wedding cake for a small group of 50.   It features three round tiers in buttercream with gumpaste fall leaves.  The lattes is made of pistallage.  I first roll out the pistallage and then place it into the mold, using my roller, pressing with medium pressure, roll over the prepared paste to imprint the design.  Next using a pallet knife I gentle cut away the excess and carefully remove the piece from the mold.  I dried them on a flat surface for several days.  They were then inserted into the sides of the cake.

The flowers were fall mums also made of gumpaste with a few sprigs of gumpaste heather.

Golf

Golfing is a major summertime sport for local residence in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

This was for a man who played everyday.  The little figure was made of Mexican paste.  The cake was done in buttercream with a grass tip for the edge trim and field markers.  Blue pipping gel was used to create the water hazard and crushed cookies were used for the sand trap.

Flowers

Gumpaste:  Gardenia's, Gerber Daisy, Morning Glory's and Poppy's

20 years

If you have been flowing this post, I started this blog with gumpaste flowers and have added several additional post featuring them.

I spend the best part of my day, five days a week, making flowers.  I love all flowers and having the tools and talent to create these sugar flowers brings me much joy.  I left the work force 20 years ago. As of January 8, 2012, I have been in the pastry business 20 years.  I love my JOB!!!!

Sugar cookies

 Christmas time is cookie time.  This year I made cookie bouquets for clients and family.

I found large santa boots at a local holiday supply store and purchased them back in September.

First I make a sugar cookie dough and allow it to rest overnight.  The next day I roll out the dough and cut the necessary shapes.  Allow the freshly baked cookie to completely cool before trying to work with it.

 I personal frost the back side of the cookie as it is the flattest surface and gives me the desired finish.    

Some cookies are frosted with a "cookie frosting" and some are frosted with standard cookie frosting.  The difference is the "cookie frosting" is very thin.  Once the frosting as set or crusted you can then add all the details.

The house was turned into Santa's Workshop.


The large circles became Santa's head, the trees were trimmed and the holly leaves were inserted in a group.  The remaining cookies were candy cane, Santa's boot and a candle holder (not pictured?)  I use a shredded color paper to cover the styrofoam block that hold the cookies in place.

The final picture is the finished cookie bouquet. 

Kathy and Joe

A former pastor and his wife are very dear friends and they recently celebrated their Golden Anniversary as a couple.

There sons arranged a wonderful intimate dinner party with 2 of the bridal party in attendance.

The cake featured a 12" square of Spice cake with a sour cream buttercream filling and a 7" square of Almond cake with fresh raspberry compote.  The frosting was buttercream with gold dragees.  The fall flowers were gumpaste, and included a tiger lilly, burgundy carnations, lotus pod, wheat and pinecones.  The fall leaves all around were also gumpaste.

What a lovely evening at an historical inn, good food, drink and visitation was enjoyed by all.  Congratulations Joseph and Kathy!

Olivia

Baby Olivia is due in January of 2012. Her Mom, Aunt and Grandma our over the moon about her arrival.  (I am sure dad is too)

The bassinet is all cake.  I used a large oval and baked two 3" high layers which were each split three times for filling.  The bottom was Chocolate cake with white chocolate mousse and the top was banana with banana custard.  The hood of the bassinet was made of royal frosting, and the baby was mexican paste and dressed in fondant

Air Soft

This sheet cake was for a young man who was receiving his first Air Soft Gun.  

The gun was made of mexican paste and then dusted with grey petal dust.  The cake is a 13x9x2 and was airbrushed in a camo motif with very small leaves for a true fall affect. 

Italian Cooking

This is a birthday cake for a man who loves to cook Italian food.  

It is a long loaf pan, Almond cake with Raspberry compote filling.  I covered the cake in fondant and then hand marked the woodgrain in the sides.  Next it was airbrushed a rich brown.  The top and cabinet doors were added next in white fondant and scored with their pattern.  

All the items were hand molded fondant.  The spaghetti is long lines of fondant piled in the pot and then I made the "water' out of a very small amount of isomalt.  The pan of sauce and meatballs are done by rolling small balls of brown fondant and rolling them in red piping gel, too cute.

Halloween

What a fun holiday!!!  I found a spooky tree at a local hobby shop and decided to make some cookies to hang from it.  This is a tradition my parents did when I was a child.  They did several different trees through the year for corresponding holiday treats.  

I baked a 4" sugar cookie with a whole for hanging.  I frosted them with smooth frosting and then piped on the gauze for the mummy and added sugar eyes.  The spider web is first frosted then while the frosting is still wet, you pipe several circles and using a toothpick pull the lines out from the center making the web pattern.  The spider cookie is frosted and then I added a fondant spider.  

The cookies are hung on the tree using twist-ties bent in an S shape to make the cookies easy to get off the tree.

Fall

I love the fall in the Northeast.  The air is crisp and the trees are beautiful.  This is a simple birthday cake for two who share the date. 

 It is a 10" Dark Chocolate Mayonnaise cake with peanut butter mousse.  It features gumpaste fall leaves and fondant pumpkins.