baby ruffles

I made this 2-tier baby ruffle cake in honor of my little niece on her blessing day.

lego groom's cake

I made this Lego groom's cake along with the Wedding Lace cake (on previous post) for a neighbor's wedding this month. My 3 year old son told me that the Lego cake was "so beautiful." I asked him if he thought it was more beautiful than the white wedding cake. He answered "yes it is", and when he gets married he wants a Lego wedding cake, too.

wedding lace

I made this cake for a neighbor's peacocks and lace themed wedding. The wedding invitation arrived wrapped in a delightful paper lace doily, which I used as the inspiration for the cake design. I used silicone molds to make the fondant lace. A dusting of super pearl luster dust adds sheen to the intricate pattern of the lace. I finished the cake with piped buttercream pearls.

applique and pearls

ruffles and blossoms

sweet rosettes

This pretty, petite 4-inch cake is decorated in fondant and accented with butter cream beads trailing up the sides. My six year old daughter helped to fashion the sweet rosettes. The girls shared this dainty treat while the boys were away watching football.

the bride and goom's cake

The half-and-half bride and groom's cake is a popular style lately. I made this cake for a neighbor's wedding September of 2013. Combining many different elements made this a fun wedding cake project. On one side, there is a traditional white bridal cake, and on the other a decadent chocolate delight--complete with chocolate-dipped strawberries. The cakes are frosted in buttercream, painstakingly smoothed to look like fondant. A cascading drape fashioned in Satin Ice fondant brings the two sides together.

hydrangeas and white roses

I made this cake in July 2013 for my brother-in-law's wedding. The tiers with the pink fondant ribbon were chocolate cake; the tiers with the blue fondant ribbon were applesauce spice.  All four cakes were frosted in cream cheese frosting. The cake stood nearly thirty inches tall with the beautiful fresh hydrangeas and white roses crowning the top.

fudge fondant & buttercream swirls

super mario world birthday

Mario and Luigi came to life on this cake in 2010 to wish my son a very happy 6th birthday.

what's more American than tall chocolate cake?

                                                                                   

Tall chocolate cake topped with Old Glory, berry style. 
Happy 4th of July.

garden lattice

Fresh flowers give any wedding cake a fabulous finishing flourish. Here delicate sugar pearls subtly accent a garden lattice design in cream cheese frosting. I made this cake in June of 2013 for a friend’s garden reception.

how about some chocolate

swiss dot

smooth white fondant

For a long time I avoided using fondant because of the bad taste I associated with it.  However, I stumbled on a recipe that is not only easy to make, it tastes pretty good, too--no bad chemical aftertaste--just a thin layer of delightfully sweet sugar and vanilla draped over rich butter cream frosting. There is nothing like a clean white canvas to get the imagination going.  A wedding cake covered with smooth white fondant welcomes endless decorating possibilities.

flora freehand

stacked hexagons

I made this cake for my sister's wedding in 2009. When she said she wanted stacked hexagons, I thought, "what's wrong with circles?" But I borrowed some pans, and began baking. The flat sides all around the cake created a challenge to frost smooth but a fun palate to decorate. Each tier was four inches tall, making the cake alone sixteen inches tall, plus the bouquet of tulips on top. The day of the reception was supposed to be hot--and it was--so I froze the tiers of chocolate cake before assembling it, thinking that by the time we served the cake, it would be pleasantly almost-defrosted. Despite the heat, the cake remained frozen, and we had to wield the almighty butcher knife to get it divided and served. Guests went home happy, carrying plastic "take-out" containers of frozen chocolate cake.

yellow fondant ribbon

I made this cake in 2005 for a cousin's wedding. Making it square presented a fun new challenge. In addition, adding a yellow fondant ribbon around the base of each tier gave the cake a pop of summer color. The bride's sister-in-law arranged the flowers, giving the cake a super sophisticated and fresh look.

fresh red roses

I made this cake in the spring of 2005 for my sister's wedding. It was applesauce cake with cream cheese frosting. The simple lattice-style decoration felt at home in the spring garden reception. This cake really came alive when we added the finishing touch--exquisite, fully-bloomed, fresh red roses.

white chocolate curls

I made this cake for my brother's wedding in 2003. This is the second wedding cake that I ever made. (The first that I photographed.) It tasted delicious...white chocolate cake with raspberry filling, iced smooth with white chocolate frosting, and garnished with white chocolate curls and pink flowers. I lost count of how many bags of Ghirardelli white chocolate chips I used. Amazingly they were on sale for $1.25 a bag at the local grocery store.