Inspired by Cake

Go Wallabies!

2012-02-12T22:18:00.000+11:00

This cake was for a 30th Birthday and a very big fan of the Wallabies. The original cake was a 12" inch White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Mud Cake, I then carved the shape of the jersey. Getting the fondant neatly under the arms was a HUGE challenge!!!!!

All logos are hand cut from fondant and the Australian Coat of Arms was an edible image.

I received a lovely email from the client -

I just wanted to send you a quick e-mail to thank you for the amazing job you did on Andrew's 30th Birthday cake. It was an absolute hit and not only looked amazing, but tasted fantastic also. I had a number of people ask me who it had been made by because they were so impressed by it. I definitely intend to use your services again if I require a cake for another function.

Regards,

Belinda

This week brings lots of sketches of cake designs and some cute little Valentine Cupcakes!!

Happy Baking xx

Amber's Shabby Chic Wedding Cake!

2012-01-31T22:24:00.000+11:00

My First Friday Wedding! The Bride wanted 60 cupcakes surrounding the 6" cutting cake using a shabby chic mismatched look. Each guest had their name piped on a cupcake. Soft blues, greens and ivory colours were requested.

The cutting cake was a White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl and their cupcakes were Cherry Ripe, Citrus (Lemon, Lime and Orange) and Choc Raspberry Mud.

And for anyone who wonders whats underneath....

Rock and Roll on your 50th Anniversary!

2012-01-27T19:22:00.002+11:00

This is the Anniversary cake I've made for the 21st January, the client decided to go for something fun so the theme was the 1950's Rock and Roll era. We used Red and Blue because these were the colours of the wedding. The cake was a 10" Turkish Delight Mudcake.....which is my personal favourite.

I had such wonderful feedback from the couple and even some from the staff. I know I have said this many times before but when you start with a lump of icing and cake batter, then create something that brings such happiness to an occasion.......there is no better feeling!

Happy Baking Everyone : )

Everything Ivory!

2012-01-15T23:11:00.003+11:00

This two tier wedding cake was a very simply elegant design with everything in ivory. The wedding was on Sunday 8th January so unfortunately I didn't get to see the cake at the reception centre. The cakes were a 12" Cherry Ripe Mud Cake and a 8" Chocolate Mud Cake.

The piping took 3 and a half hours and by the end I was ready for a new hand!!! The design had to stand out so I used a No 2 nozzle. To get the ivory royal to match the fondant colour I used a small amount of Ivory Ameri Colour Gel.

The design only had a single rose so it needed to have impact, this is the biggest rose I've made to date 125mm wide!

Next weeks order has a rock and roll feel to it....should be fun : )

Thank You!

2011-12-28T20:10:00.002+11:00

I hope everyone had a Safe and Happy Christmas. I just wanted to take the time the thank you for following my blog this year. I hope you have enjoyed sharing my journey in cake decorating.

My wishes for you in year 2012 - Great start for Jan, Love for Feb, Peace for March, No worries for April, Fun for May, Joy for June to Nov, Happiness for Dec, Have a lucky and wonderful 2012 and keep checking in from time to time!

Happy decorating!! = )

Baby Shower in Chocolate!

2011-12-28T19:53:00.004+11:00

This order was the last for the year. I had two baby shower cakes close together, they were both designed the same but one used soft baby pinks, blues, greens and orange while this one was to be made in chocolate browns and creams. The cake is a White Chocolate Mud.

This mum to be was one of my brides earlier this year, This was her cake http://inspiredbycake.blogspot.com/2011/02/karas-wedding-cake.html

Congratulations on the pending arrival of your little boy or girl!! = )

A Combined Graduation / 22nd Birthday!

2011-12-21T16:50:00.004+11:00

This is the second order for last week and was picked up Friday morning by a very happy customer!! Her daughter has graduated from Uni and it's also her birthday so the two were combined to make this cake. Due to circumstances last year they could not have a big party for her 21st so this year they are having a double celebration!!

Orange is the birthday girls favourite colour and the cupcakes are a mix of White Choc Mud and Caramel Mud. The cutting cake is a Caramel Mud with fondant decorations.

Is it a Boy or a Girl!

2011-12-21T16:39:00.003+11:00

This Baby Shower Cake was for my daughters teacher. She is due early next year and doesn't know if it's a boy or girl, so I went for all the soft baby colours. The cake is a Cherry Ripe Mud Cake and all decorations are fondant. I made a sticker for the top of the box to match the design of the cake. Congratulations Mrs Lee!!

Close up view of the teddy and the hand made baby tag.

A Year Two Farewell!

2011-12-09T20:29:00.004+11:00

This weeks order was 100 cupcakes and 6" cutting cake for the Orange Public School Year 2 Farewell. Orange Public School has two campuses one for K - 2 and another site for 3 - 6. The cakes were Butter Cake covered in a Vanilla Buttercream with stars in the school colours blue and yellow.

This is a close up of the OPS Year Two Farewell Cutting Cake! The Cake is also a Butter Cake coated in Vanilla Buttercream with fondant decorations. The boy and girl were made from fondant and dressed to match the OPS school uniform.

I also sprinkled blue and yellow coloured sugar over the cupcakes. As I was setting up the stand an 8 year old boy walked up and said "Wow that's cool". That's when you know you've done a good job!!!

I loved how this tower looked when it was set up!

Next week is the last of my orders until the New Year!! I'm going to enjoy recharging the batteries = )

Spring Inspired Birthday Cake!

2011-11-27T13:09:00.004+11:00

This was my last cake for the week and was for my Mother in Laws Birthday, as I said we had a week of rainy, cold and grey weather so this cake reminded me that we actually are in spring!! The cake was for a small celebration so it was only 6" in size, the flavour was Dark Chocolate Turkish Delight Mud Cake (which is fast becoming one of my favs).

The flowers are baby fuchsias in pink and purple and to contrast a single orange rose. I really loved the colours in this cake!

Well after a week of baking a wedding cake, birthday cake and cupcakes my kitchen is in need of some TLC... better get to it = )

Orchid White Lily Wedding Cake!

2011-11-27T11:24:00.006+11:00

I loved the design of this wedding cake right from the start. The bride wanted a simple yet stunning design with a little bit of bling. She was worried it could look overdone, so I decided to put the bling into the lilies. This gave the sparkle though the flowers in a subtle way. The ribbon also had silver through it which gave a lovely soft shimmery feel to the cake.

The cake was a three tier square and was for 75 guests so the sizes were 11" 8" 5". There will still be some cake left over but I didn't want to have the cake to small. The flavours were White Chocolate Raspberry Ripple, White Chocolate Bounty and a Dark Chocolate Turkish Delight.

This week has been 4 days of rainy and cold weather which gave me some trouble getting the lilies dry. It also gave the bride something to worry about considering she was having her wedding outside on the vineyard.

When I delivered the cake to Racine Restaurant in Orange the room looked beautiful. Such a gorgeous venue to be married in, the view of the vineyard is stunning and I'm so glad for the brides sake that the rain stayed away!!!

Baby Shower Cupcakes!

2011-11-27T10:04:00.005+11:00

First order for the week was 24 cupcakes for a Baby Shower in Bathurst. The mum to be doesn't know what she is having so there was a mixture of boy and girl designs. I also was asked to do half in buttercream and half in fondant.

All decorations were made from fondant and they were so cute, I love putting all the little details on everything. Little stitch lines, embossing, tiny blossoms the nappies on the bears, it makes the cupcakes!

Some of the designs were simple and others had more detail, this was also at the clients request and I think the twelve together look so cute.

The cupcake boxes I found were great, they had the window in the front which showed the cupcakes off. The boxes also came with the inserts so the cakes weren't going to move in the trip to Bathurst.

The client was so happy when she saw the cupcakes and said the mum to be is going to love them!! It's great when you make the customer so happy = )

30th Birthday with a 1920's Feel!

2011-11-23T13:24:00.009+11:00

I loved creating this cake, you can get so many ideas from the 1920's and because this cake was for a female the fashion of the era came to mind so course we went for feathers, beads and fringing. The venue was being decorated in dusty pink and black so the cake was designed to match. The cake was a 10" round and the flavour was Caramel Mud Cake.

I loved the dusty pink colour of the roses. My roses are always a work in progress, I'm always looking for new ways to make them more life like.

I saw a cake last year that inspired this design and couldn't remember where, thanks Madeleine for reminding me = ) The link to Wild Sugar Rose's version http://wildsugarrose.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html

A Spring Wedding!

2011-11-23T12:59:00.004+11:00

This Wedding was held a couple of weeks ago, I've fallen a little behind with my blog duties...now it's time to catch up!!

This wedding cake was completely organised via emails, about half of my orders are done this way! The bride decided on a three tier round cake, she wanted ribbon and diamante buckles on each tier. Fresh flowers were placed for photo shoot only, the bride was having her own topper which I place on at the venue. Flavours were Cherry Ripe Mud Cake, Caramel Mud Cake and Jaffa (Choc/Orange) Mud Cake.

DJ / Hollywood Glam for a 21st!

2011-11-07T19:16:00.008+11:00

This order was going to be a challenge, I had two personalities to put into the one cake. The design was for a joint 21st, Lenor likes everything glamorous so we went with the Hollywood gold stars and red carpet and Jeff loves music and is an aspiring DJ so we added the music notes and lime green DJ Headphones that wrapped around the side.

The cake was a 12" White Chocolate Raspberry Ripple and according to the birthday girl went within 10 min of being cut up! It's great to find out that the taste of your cake is loved as much as the look of it!!

I loved making the figures and I matched their outfits to what the birthday girl and boy were wearing on the night.

This week brings a simple yet elegant 3 tier wedding cake and a 1920's themed 30th birthday cake.

Cailtin's 6th Birthday!

2011-11-06T17:48:00.006+11:00

My little princess turned 6 on Tuesday (Melbourne Cup Day) and had her party on Friday this was the 6" cake she had with her 12 cupcakes. White Chocolate Mud is one of her favourite cakes and like most little girls everything had to be pink and purple!!

The Princess theme for the cake came about because she wanted to take pirate and princess cupcakes to school on Tuesday for her class. The Prates had to be blue and the princesses had to be pink. Let me see I think that was all the demands my little client gave me......oh yes the princesses had to have their hair in a bun!!!!!

So 20 cupcakes were sent to school, then my little client said buy mummy we haven't got any cupcakes for my teachers little boys and girl....so off I went again to make 3 more cupcakes and because these ones had to travel we put them into the cupcake boxes and tied them with matching ribbon.

So now I have found out of all the clients I have made cakes for my two girls are the most particular about what they want......help me when it comes time for their wedding (little bridezillas in the making!!!)

Christmas Snow Elves!

2011-11-01T11:47:00.005+11:00

This was my last demonstration day for the year, I had to get up at 4.30 am to head for Sydney!! So now I know I am definitely not a morning person!!! I demonstrated these little Christmas Snow Elves, everyone seemed to enjoy the dem and after the first nerve racking one I started to enjoy the day. I still after 2 years of demonstrating get nervous.......it's so annoying!! I had such a great day and loved catching up with everyone = )

Most of the demonstrations had a Christmas theme and as always I picked up some great little tips.

When I was making the display piece my hubby walked passed and said he didn't think blue and white was Chrismassy enough so I made him a red and green version!!!

An African 21st!

2011-11-01T11:20:00.003+11:00

This was my African 21st cake, the lucky birthday girl is going to Africa so her family threw her a surprise 21st and wanted the cake to fit in with this theme. The client supplied a picture of what she wanted and we made a few changes to suite her request.

I then called on a friend who comes from Africa to help with getting the shape for the tree. She was such a help and I was so happy with the way it turned out.

The cake was a 10" Bailey's Mud, tree is hand moulded with some wire supports, animals were hand cut and edible images have been placed on icing tiles around the base of the cake.

I found the original cake and it was made by Cakes.KeyArtStudio.com

Here is the link http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakes-by-larissa/5776862748/in/set-72157622163908672

Royal Colours for this Wedding Cake!

2011-10-23T08:22:00.006+11:00

‎This wedding cake was delivered yesterday and was my second order for the week. The colours of the wedding were Royal Red, Royal Purple and Royal Blue. I created several sketches for the bride and groom starting from something very traditional leading up to this cake design which used their colour scheme quite boldly, this was the one they loved.

60 Purple blossoms 24 Red roses and Blue drapes, the red piping did make me a little nervous. Each tier is 5" high and carved in at the sides (grooms request). Cake flavour was a White Chocolate Raspberry Ripple.

Delivering this to the reception definitely made my heart race.....because being a top heavy design the cake swayed in the car at every bump and corner I took!!! By the time I got to the reception venue I think a blind 95 year old would have driven faster!!!!!

In the end everything turned out fine, the cake was delivered in one piece and looked great at the venue. Sorry didn't get the chance to take photos of the whole venue.

Next week brings an African themed 21st and I'm off to Sydney to do my last demonstration of the year!

Little Azahra Turns One!

2011-10-23T07:48:00.003+11:00

This was my first order for the week and was for a lovely repeat client. I had been given the invitation and the cake was designed around this. There was a cat on the invite which we changed to two cute fairies, the fairies were inspired by Dot Klerck's work.

Two different pinks were used to coat the cake and lovely little blossoms finished the side design.

Close up shot of the two little fairies having their Birthday Picnic! Another cake that was such fun to make.

Pretty in Pink!

2011-10-15T22:12:00.003+11:00

This would have to be my biggest order to date. A three tier wedding cake, two 12" kitchen cakes and 200 cupcakes that were boxed with ribbon and a thank you tag. Everything about this order was so soft and romantic, the best part was that everything went like clockwork! Not one mess up.....well maybe the fact the 200m of ribbon only arrived Friday morning!!! This was the only thing that had me worried everything else just went so smoothly.

The Wedding Cake was a 12", 9" and 6", The flavours were Cherry Ripe Mud Cake and White Chocolate Raspberry Ripple. The decorations were two large pink roses and icing lace with draped pearls. It looked so pretty at the venue.

The cupcakes were White Chocolate Mud with a Vanilla Buttercream Swirl. Two pink hearts with the same lace pattern as the wedding cake and 5 edible pearls. I was very nervous taking them 45min to Bathurst thinking that they would move in the boxes and end up with buttercream up the sides.........not one moved :-D

Thursday was my biggest day, I spent all day baking the cupcakes and then all night icing and decorating. I think my head actually hit the pillow at 3.45am.

This is what 200 cupcakes looked like packaged up........ I must give my friend Estelle a huge thanks for helping with the tags and ribbon. I don't know what I would have done with out her, she saved me hours of work and a sleepless night. xxx

The venue was The Carrington in Bathurst, such a lovely venue with history and character. http://www.carringtonbathurst.com.au/

The Venue was set up by Posh Designs with such precision http://www.poshdesigns.com.au/

Now I think it's time for some much needed sleep....happy decorating everyone = )

Soft Pink and Silver with an Artistic Edge!

2011-10-02T10:19:00.005+11:00

My Second order for the week was a Three Tier Wedding Cake designed personally to compliment the brides Wedding Day. This bride had seen the very different artistic wedding cake I created back in March this year and wanted something equally as unique for her wedding....this is the final product.

She sent through pics of her bridesmaid dresses and wedding colours and the flowers she was having and we went from there.

The cakes were 12" Chocolate Mud, 9" Baileys Mud and 6" Cherry Ripe Mud. The bottom tier was coated in a latte coloured fondant then airbrushed with colour tones that were in the bridesmaid dress. The Groom was wearing a gun metal grey suit so the middle tier and base board were painted silver, the ribbon also picked up on this colour. The top tier was a very soft pink and two large sugar pink roses and silver wire finished off the design. It looked fantastic at the reception!!!!

I know creating wedding cakes can come with it's stresses, and I'm sure my family sometimes wishes I didn't do it......but the feeling you get when you see your cake set up at wedding venue is fantastic!! = )

Hunter Turns One with Mickey Mouse!

2011-10-02T09:18:00.005+11:00

This week was a great start to a busy next few months!! A Mickey Mouse cake for a lucky 1 year old was my first order.

This Mickey Mouse Cake sat on a 15" x 17" board. It was hand carved from a 12" square chocolate mud cake and coated in vanilla butter cream. Mickey was hand cut using fondant pieces and finished off with a black piped outline. The present had a 3D icing bow on top.

I had lots of great feedback on this cake which is always great to hear!

Sweet little Westie Dogs

2011-09-27T07:33:00.007+10:00

A few weeks ago I went to Illawarra to demonstrate my little westie dogs. It was another great day for of helpful tips and information. These little dog toppers were based on the westie cake I made last year.

There were 4 other demonstrators on the day, Helen Dissell and Joan McDermott from Queensland. Diane Screen from the Central Coast and Estelle Patrikios from Orange (my partner in crime.....)

Joan McDermott showed us all how to create this adorable Drummer Boy.

Helen Dissell made a beautiful flower called a Snail Creeper. Helen also has a new book out called Sugar Art Creations Floral Art which is worth a look! You can find the book on her website http://www.sugarartcreations.com.au/

Diane Screen made the Protea which is an Australian Native Flower, I loved the colour of these.

Estelle Patrikios showed everyone how to make sticks, stones, driftwood, moss and fungi. All things that would come in great for fishing or garden theme cakes, plus much more if you put your imagination to work. This was the same dem that was shown at Wagga so to see these photos here is the link http://inspiredbycake.blogspot.com/2011/08/demonstration-day-at-wagga-wagga.html

A Lightning McQueen Week!

2011-09-12T20:47:00.004+10:00

This lucky little boy had two cakes this week. Mum ordered a Lightning McQueen cake for the Birthday Party on Saturday. The cake was a White Mud coated in a vanilla butter cream with fondant decorations. Lightning McQueen was hand cut.

I don't have a lot of experience with butter cream covers and still struggle to get a flawless finish. But once I had placed the check flag pattern down it hid the mistakes in my cover!!

The second order was a No 5 cake to take to school, the cake was a butter cake and coated in a red butter cream covered in fondant dots and edible image dots of Lightning McQueen.

A MUST Read Article by - Truly Custom Cakery!

2011-08-27T14:57:00.009+10:00

This is a fantastic perspective on how to set your budget for a Custom Designed Cake! I love the detail description into every aspect of custom cake decorating, it is a must read for any decorator or potential client.

I've posted the article below but if you would like to see the original by Truly Custom Cakery this is the link - http://staceyssweetshop.blogspot.com/2011/08/howd-you-arrive-at-that-number.html

How'd you arrive at that number?

Setting a Budget for your Custom Cake...

Sometimes I get a phone call or an e-mail from a potential client inquiring on a cake. They have very specific ideas about what they want and have the cake designed in their head from top to bottom. They know the colors, accent pieces, sculpted pieces, flavors, and they know what they want to pay.

So when my client calls I have some questions that need answered so we can get down to business.

- What is the date of your event?

- How many servings of cake will you need?

- Do you have a design in mind?

- Do you require delivery?

- What is your budget?

I want to elaborate on this one. Some people think it's a trick question. But it's not. There are many techniques and materials that can be used to get from raw cake and filling to finished piece of edible art. I need to know how much money you want to spend so I can choose which methods to use to get to your finished product. I need to know how much detail to include, if I can use fancier techniques like poured sugar, hand sculpted pieces, or possibly even purchasing special tools for your project. Do I need to employ a carpenter to build a frame for your cake? It's all going to play into your quote and that is why your answer is so important.

So, when you tell me you want a cake to serve 60 people and you want it to defy gravity, you want specific detail pieces (about 30 of them), you want sparkle, you want your guests to go "WOW", and you only want to spend $300.00. I need to know, HOW did you arrive at that number?

Let's get the facts.

Those shops you see on TV have a minimum order for custom cakes. One has a minimum of $1,000. And it doesn't matter if you only want to feed 25 guests. One charges $100.00 just to sit down, taste some cake, and talk to them about your design. No finished cake included in that price. And the per serving cost of a fondant decorated cake usually STARTS at about $8.00 a serving. But more likely will cost you about $12.00 - $14.00 per serving because we already know you want WOW factor.

So let's break it down. 60 servings of cake. WOW FACTOR. Budget of $300.00. That's $5.00 per serving. Which is the base price at my shop for a fondant cake. You know, where we start. (Remember those TV guys start at about $8.00) So HOW did you determine your budget of $300.00?

Did you research what custom cakes cost before you got that number? Or, is it how much you have to spend, it's a number that "sounds good", and really, it's just Cake and Icing! Right?! Let's nip this one in the bud. If it was JUST Cake and Icing, you'd have gone to the Warehouse store and picked up a sheet cake. You don't want cake and icing. You want mouthwatering edible art! There's a difference. And creating a custom sculpted/carved/designed piece of art work, requires talent, experience, time, materials, and skill. And that cost money.

So before you "decide" on your budget. Do a little research. Make sure that your budget makes sense. Make sure you account for what you are asking for. And be honest with your cake designer when they want to know your budget.

You see, you might not be able to afford a Carved 3-D cake of your fiance's dog. BUT you could afford a smaller tiered cake with a sculpted topper that looks like his dog, Rusty. There's a difference of about $300.00 or more in those two cakes. So keep that in mind. If your budget isn't reasonable for what you requested, ask your designer HOW you can still match your theme but get closer to the budget. And don't be offended if they tell you that you can't afford a custom cake. It's okay. I know I can't afford a Mercedes. I just buy the car I can afford. I don't try to tell the Mercedes dealer that he HAS to change the price of the car because I only have $15,000 to spend. He'd laugh at me.

So when you figure out your budget, make sure it is backed by a little research. AND make sure that the shop you choose has a gallery of photos that show they can pull of what you are asking. Don't be disappointed in the end because you didn't research in the beginning.

And have fun with it! Custom Cakes can truly be the centerpiece of your event. And considering it's art that you are paying for, they should be!

Well don't you agree.... this puts everything into perspective! Don't forget if you want to see the original article by Truly Custom Cakery I have a link at the top of the page.

Happy Decorating : )

Mmmm Brownies!

2011-08-25T19:45:00.003+10:00

After a big chocolate hit....try these yummy Brownies mmmm.

Ingredients

200g good quality dark chocolate
250g chopped butter
1 2/3 cups pressed brown sugar
4 room tempered eggs
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

Method

Preheated Oven to 160C

Melt butter and chocolate in a pot over low heat allow to cool slightly.

Place sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and cocoa in a bowl and combine.

Line a 20cm square slice tin with baking paper and spray with cooking spray.

Place chocolate butter mixture in to bowl and combine.

Pour in to tin and place in oven for 50min.

Serve while warm.

Spider Chrysanthemum with Lace and Bling!

2011-08-25T13:25:00.006+10:00

Spider Chrysanthemum Demonstration Notes are FINISHED. This would have to be one of the hardest things about demonstrating......writing the notes. The best part is creating the display piece!!!!!!!! I was so happy with the way this cake came together.

Now packing all this and the pieces for the other 3 flowers so they don't break on the way to Kempsey (7 hour drive) was another huge challenge!!!!!!!

So you can imagine how I breathed a huge sigh of relief that everything arrived in one piece. My Dem went really well, no major stuff ups. Although the poor girls had to sit and watch me wire 54 petals for 20min (not very exciting)!!!!

Off again in two weeks to demonstrate something novelty this time.

Happy Wiggly Birthday Jock!

2011-08-14T15:17:00.005+10:00

I delivered this Wiggly Birthday Cake yesterday for a very happy 3 year old. My little girl just loved this cake!!!!! She was very sad to see this one go. It's a 9" White Chocolate Mud Cake, all decorations are hand made in fondant. To come up with this design I googled wiggle cakes and took some inspiration from Simply Homemade Cakes.

It is so much fun making a kids birthday cake, you can go nuts with colours and details...love them!!!! = )

Demonstration Day at Wagga Wagga!

2011-08-14T14:00:00.005+10:00

Wagga's Demonstration day on the 6th of August 2011 went really well, I did my little Gumnut Blossom Babies. This time I made the little yellow one chocolate as my hubby thought my last one looked deathly pale!!! (Original can be seen here http://inspiredbycake.blogspot.com/2011/04/australian-natives-and-gumnut-blossom.html ) I think this version actually turned out really cute.

There were four other demonstrators on the day from Parkes, Forbes, Wagga and Orange. The Photos below are the demonstrations from these cake artists.

Jeanette MacGregor created an Australia wild flower, the Banksia (for many Australian children, Banksias are famous as the Big Bad Banksia Men in May Gibbs' Snugglepot and Cuddlepie stories. This is the same author that created the Gumnut Blossom Babies.)

Estelle Patrikios showed everyone how to make sticks, stones, driftwood, moss and fungi. All things that would come in great for fishing or garden theme cakes, plus much more if you put your imagination to work.

Sandra Davies showed how to create beautiful bejewelled cakes with bows encrusted with jewels. Many cakes over the last few years have been stripped back using less sugar flowers and overall patterns on the cakes surface giving a very simple design with a stylish classical effect.

Lastly one of the new Members of the Wagga Branch Jay Rivett showed how to create a Rose Cake inspired by the Debbie Brown version.

As always such a great day with so much information to walk away with. No matter how many of these days I have been to I always learn something really valuable.

Ben 10 Birthday Cake!

2011-07-31T21:01:00.004+10:00

This cake was for a repeat customer, it's a 9" White Chocolate Mud Cake with a green marbled fondant. All decorations are fondant and the Ben 10 logo has been cut freehand. This was the first cake that went perfect from start to finish which was such a blessing because it was a very last minute.

I'm really happy with the way it turned out! Customer was very happy as well!!

Fun Time Teaching!

2011-07-30T16:47:00.007+10:00

I went away teaching on the 11th of July, these were the finished cakes by the girls. I showed them how to cover the cakes in butter cream and then fondant. How to stack the cakes, make roses, create a ruffle boarder, do stripes and exploding stars. They picked it up so fast... both are going to be naturals!! We had a day off in between and went to Port Macquarie and had a fantastic seafood lunch......I had so much fun!!

Cute Little Giraffe and Duck Cake Topper!

2011-07-22T17:11:00.005+10:00

These were for a repeat client that wanted me to make her little girls first birthday cake, unfortunatley I was away teaching the weekend she needed the cake so she asked if I could at least make the toppers for the cake. This is my take on the Giraffe and Duck.

The photo below is the design of the cake she was looking to have. She found a lady that would cover the cake and make the little blossoms, I'll have to see if I can get a photo of the finished cake.

Little Leftover Bear!

2011-07-22T17:03:00.003+10:00

I'm working on some demonstrations that use all the little pieces of leftover coloured paste. This is my little leftover bear. I made her snugly and warm due to the weather here in Orange at the moment.

Sweet Little Fairy House!

2011-06-19T09:10:00.008+10:00

After such a big week last week I had something fun and cute to do this week!! A little girl turning 6 was having a fairy party so a cute fairy house was on order.

The cake is a 6" and 8" (pudding bowl) White Chocolate Mud Cake, I was sooooooo happy with the coating on this cake. Most kids don't like fondant so we decided vanilla butter cream for the cover. I have seen many ladies on Flickr who get super smooth butter cream, one that stands out in my mind is chocmocakes http://www.flickr.com/photos/chocolatemoosecakes/ This is my first attempt at trying for super smooth!! All decorations are fondant. Everything on this cake is edible.

Gorgeous fairy inspired by Dot Klerck's work. You should check out her cakes on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/cupcakesbydesign/

Masquerade Ball Cupcakes!

2011-06-12T15:33:00.008+10:00

Third order for the week I thought I'd finish with something easy and stress free....... 60 cupcakes for a Masquerade Ball!! Each cupcake was a Caramel Mud Cake covered in black and white stripes and decorated with a sugar mask.

The mask design was piped and then sprayed with edible gold, several coloured blossoms and a sugar feather finished the cupcake.

I then boxed all 60 of them and added ribbon bows. This took sooooooooooooo much longer than I thought it would!!!

When I delivered the cupcakes to the function they looked amazing set up in the room!!!!! Everything matched perfectly right down to the colour of the ribbon (which was matched over the Internet)

This brings a huge week to an end and now for some well deserved rest! Maybe some TLC to my family who were so great at staying out of the crazy cake ladies way!!!!!! : )

Bird Cage Cake for a 21st!

2011-06-12T13:55:00.006+10:00

The second order for the week was for a 21st Birthday. A few weeks ago the client had organised her and her partners 21st cakes (V8 Racing Car). The colours of her invitation were mint green and white with a bird cage design. The cake was to follow this style.

The flavour of cake chosen was a white mud cake with a raspberry swirl with one extra request...could the cake be a mint green as well.So this is how the inside of the bird cage cake looked.

After making 70 roses for the christening cake what was another 6, add a few blossoms, a little bird and the most time consuming part of this cake was creating the wire cage effect.

A friend of the birthday girl picked up the cake so I can't wait to hear what she thinks! : )

Peeking Baby Christening Cake!

2011-06-12T12:46:00.007+10:00

This was my busiest week since I started making cakes, I had three big orders, all very detailed with their design. My first order was due on Thursday and was for a little girls christening. The client wanted something different, not the normal christening cakes you see, so we decided to try and get an Anne Geddes feel by having the baby peeking out of a mound of roses.

Just to add a little more stress....the cake was being transported 3 1/2 hours over the Blue Mountains to Sydney so everything needed to be really set. The flavours were an 11" Chocolate (Dairy Free) Mud cake and a 8" Caramel Mud cake. To get the effect I wanted it took 70 sugar roses, 50 sugar leaves and a hand moulded peeking baby girl!!

When the client came to pick up the cake she just loved it! I always worry about the first time they see their cake..... is it what they thought it would be!!! I try to get as much info about the order so the cake they have in their head is what I end up creating. So far (touch wood) every one has been happy = )

I received a text on Thursday night that everything traveled well and the cake arrived in one piece!!

A Super V8 Supercar for a 21st!

2011-05-31T11:03:00.004+10:00

This cake was for a huge fan of Garth Tander.

The cake was carved from a 12" bailey's Mud Cake. It was only going to be the shape of a V8 Supercar, but we needed more cake to feed 40 people. So I re-thought the design and added the flag. Main design is covered in fondant, all the stickers and logos have been hand piped or flooded.

I had a text message from the client to tell me that the cake was a huge hit, he just loved it and it wasn't allowed to be cut!!!

Glitz and Glamour!

2011-05-22T13:21:00.005+10:00

This Birthday Cake was for a repeat client of mine. She was having a Hollywood style - Glitz and Glamour party for her 30th and wanted a special cake. Her colours were sliver and black and some bling was a must!!!

The cake was a 10" White Chocolate Mud Cake, Black and white to me always looks classy and I liked the idea of a single white rose with silver leaves and feathers. Adding some diamontes to look like water drops gave the cake some extra bling!

The figure I had lying down in a sassy pose like you see the Hollywood singers do on the top of a piano. A black dress was a must to match the birthday girl. Add in more feathers behind her and a number 30 for more bling!!

The stand was one I had at home that I've made a few adjustments to, I thought it would look great to give the cake some extra height!

Seminar Cake for Merimbula 2011

2011-05-15T21:19:00.003+10:00

This is a cake that I worked on with several ladies from the Orange Cake Decorators Guild. It was for the NSW State Cake Decorators Seminar at Merimbula. Everything is made from sugar. My contribution was the Merman and the Lady in the bath plus a few extra bits here and there.

The theme of the Seminar was Paradise (which we thought every woman's idea of paradise would be relaxing in a hot bubble bath under a beautiful Balinese hut dreaming of a hunky merman with a treasure chest full of handbags, credit cards, hats, shoes, perfume, wine, jewellery etc.).

The cake was a 12" fruit cake with a 10" square bailey's mud for the kitchen cake.

Lucas' Christening Cake!

2011-05-08T20:51:00.005+10:00

This is very similar to the Christening cake I did last year. The cake was a 10" Caramel Mud Cake, this also was the first time I've had an attempted at making the blocks from scratch (not covering LCM or foam) so everything is icing or cake.

I had a little trouble with the icing bow but after playing around it worked out (I still find these hard to get right). When the client picked it up she was very happy and didn't want to cut it!! I always love seeing the reactions to my cakes, makes all the late nights worth it = )

For a Scottie Dog Lover!

2011-05-07T19:28:00.004+10:00

This cake was created the same was as my Maggie cake. The client had seen a photo of it and wanted me to recreate the cake using a Scottie Dog. I have put a tutorial on my blog to show how to create the fur effect. http://inspiredbycake.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-to-create-maggies-fur.html

My little girl just loves dogs and was so sad to see it go!!!

Easter Egg Caramel Slice!

2011-04-24T08:42:00.005+10:00

HAPPY EASTER!!!
This slice is for the TRUE Chocolate Lover....

Ingredients
Melted butter, to grease
200g plain chocolate biscuits
80g melted butter
400g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
300ml ctn thickened cream
2 x 125g pkts Cadbury Caramello Easter Eggs, unwrapped

Method
1. Brush a 26 x 16cm slice pan with melted butter. Line the base and two sides with non-stick baking paper, allowing the sides to overhang.

2. Process biscuits in a food processor until finely crushed. Add the butter and process until well combined. Press firmly over the base of the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30min to chill.

3. Meanwhile, stir the chocolate and cream in a saucepan over a medium-low heat for 5min or until smooth. Set aside for 10 min to cool slightly.

4. Spread 3/4 of the chocolate mixture over the biscuit base.

5. Arrange the Cadbury Caramello Easter Eggs over the chocolate.

6. Drizzle the remaining chocolate mixture over the eggs. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 4hrs or overnight until set. Cut into squares.

Very rich.....but so yummy = )

Australian Natives and Gumnut Blossom Babies!

2011-04-17T11:28:00.006+10:00

After making the Australian Native flowers a few weeks ago I decided that I'd try to make the Gumnut Blossom Babies that May Gibbs made so popular in her illustrations (this is my interpretation of them). I Demonstrated these to a group of 54 ladies yesterday, it was so much fun although my throat was sore by the end of the day! I now have a new respect for teachers!!! = )

The flowers are Gumnut Blossoms and Grevillea with Gum Leaves and gumnuts. The base board is marked with a new impression mat I bought a few weeks ago.

There were also 3 other demonstrators, each showed a different icing technique. One was flood work then there was air brushing and we were also shown how to make daffodills. Such a great day!!!

Present Cake with Australian Natives!

2011-04-03T15:30:00.007+10:00

I love making Australian Natives and there is not a huge call for them in modern cake decorating so when the client wanted them for his wife's' 60th birthday I couldn't wait..... although I did forget how many pieces it takes to make a Grevillea!!!! 41 pieces to be exact for one flower, which meant piping 164 half petals for the two flowers, joining the halves and then colouring each one! The Wattle, Gum Leaves and Gum nut Blossoms were such fun to make.

When I started putting the spray together it took a few attempts to get something I was happy with and when I placed them on the cake I just loved the final effect. It's was really great to see some Aussie flowers on the cake. This would have to be one of my favourite cakes.

A Wedding Cake for the Artistic!

2011-03-26T12:03:00.003+11:00

Now I know I've said it before but this cake was soooooooooooo much fun to create!!!! When I first met this bride and saw photos of the invitation, bridesmaids dresses and the brides bouquet I knew this cake had to be different!! I sat down and sketched a couple of designs and this is the end result.

This is the photo of the bridesmaids dress so you can see where the inspiration for the hand painted tiers came from, also the colours.

The bouquet was also very unusual and this was what I based the flowers on. I decided to change the colour so they would tone in with the cake design.

The size of the cakes were 12", 9", 6", and 3". Each tier had a different flavour, the base was a White Mud Cake with a Raspberry Swirl then a Cherry Ripe Mud Cake, Bailey's Mud Cake and last a Jaffa Mud Cake.

I can't wait to get some feedback from the bride on this order!!! = )

My First 4 Tier Wedding Cake!

2011-03-25T20:26:00.004+11:00

This was my first 4 tier wedding cake! I was really looking forward to making this one. The Ivory Ruffle effect on the 1st and 3rd tier was not difficult but I just didn't realise how many of these little ruffles I'd need, 14 hours later!!!!!! It was well worth the time, because I was so happy with the end result.

The ribbon was a charcoal colour with "blingy" broaches for the 2nd and 4th tier. The cake sizes were 12", 9", 6", 3" alternating with caramel and white mud cake. The heart cake topper was supplied by the bride.

When it came time to deliver this one all I can say is thank god my husband was around to do the heavy lifting!

A Big PINK Fan's Birthday!

2011-03-15T12:38:00.002+11:00

I had such a great time making this cake, something fun and bright with lots of character! This cake was made for a birthday girl who is a huge PINK Fan. The theme was along the lines of the Funhouse album. Using hot pink, red and a goldy colour, I had the image of PINK on the horse made into an edible image and hand cut around the picture. The same thing was done for the writing on the top tier. I thought the feathers just finished the cake off!

The cakes were a 9", 6" and 3" Caramel mud cake and when the birthday girl saw the cake she just loved it!!

A Fluffy Wedding Cake!

2011-03-10T19:39:00.004+11:00

This wedding cake gave me something to think about! When the bride sent me the photo below and asked what the cover was it had me guessing. So I thought the best option would be to create some sample cakes and play with the cover.

My first attempt below was using butter cream and pulling the surface out with a knife. The second sample was using a butter cream cover and the coating the cake with coconut. The last option was using a butter cream cover and coating the cake with Fairy Floss. Unfortunately after two hours the fairy floss wasn't looking that great.

The Bride had the final say and she liked the coconut finish, which went great with the cherry ripe mud cake she was having.

Knitting Enthusiast Turns 80

2011-02-26T20:09:00.003+11:00

This cake needed to be ready for Thursday because it is going to make a four hour trip to Gosford for an 80th Birthday. The cake is a 12" Lemon, Lime and Orange Mud Cake, with LCM Bars rolled into balls and covered in fondant to make the wool. Even the knitting needles are icing.

I'm crossing all fingers that it arrives fine!

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T11:46:00.004+11:00

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!

I woke up this morning to MUM.... where's my breakfast,.....I can't find my school shoes,....I don't want to get ready for school. Then out of the corner of my eye I spotted a little white box with a red bow. After 10 years of marriage my husband can still surprise me!!

This cake was made for a lovely couple who were just married in January. It's being picked up at lunch time and I can't wait to see what she thinks!!!

The cake is an 8" caramel mud cake coated in fondant stripes with two cute little (in love) fondant cows.

Kara's Wedding Cake

2011-02-12T12:12:00.005+11:00

This wedding cake was due the same week as my plumber's birthday cake. Original the bride was looking at having a cupcake tower, circumstances changed and she decided on this very elegant ivory 3 tier wedding cake. The sizes were 12" 9" and 6". Piped royal icing work, cakes are White mud cake, Caramel mud cake and Bailey's mud cake.

On arrival at the wedding reception fresh flowers were placed on top which finished the cake off beautifully. I love how simple and clean this wedding cake looked!

A Plumber's Birthday Cake

2011-02-05T20:00:00.006+11:00

This order was for a repeat customer, I made a 21st cake with a girl in a red evening dress. This time the cake was for her dad who was turning 50 and is a Plumber. She asked if I could recreate the logo that was on her dad's business card. An old Aussie Outback Dunny, and if I could have her dad wearing an Akubra hat, orange shirt, blue shorts, brown boots and holding a stubbie.

I LOVE being able to design a cake from scratch, it gives you such freedom. The cake is a 10" chocolate mud cake that I have carved a path into, all decorations are hand made with fondant.

Roses, Butterfly's and Pearls

2011-01-12T21:39:00.005+11:00

This was the 6" Cutting cake for a cupcake tower order last weekend. It was a caramel mud cake with fondant roses and butterfly's. Topper was made by Sweet Frost Tops in S.A. http://www.sweetfrosttops.com.au/

There were 120 Cupcakes with these three designs, The flavours were chocolate, citrus and jaffa mud cakes. A lot of work went into these but they looked great when finished and well worth the effort!!

When I had the complete tower set up it looked amazing in the venue, I wish my photo did the display justice!!!! I think I need to take a photography course, my flash always washes out the colour and detail.

The reception venue looked beautiful, the lighting and fabrics added such a romantic feel. The tables were covered in crystals and miniature versions of the brides bouquet. My hubby came to do the heavy lifting and even he was impressed!

Winter Wonderland Cupcake Tower

2011-01-09T15:45:00.003+11:00

These cupcakes were designed for a bride that wanted a white christmas wedding, white and ice blue were the colours. Snow flakes and snow balls are all made from fondant and an icing drape was made for the cutting cake. The large snowflake and snowballs on wires at the top were hand made. Cake and Cupcakes are chocolate mud cake.

I was so happy with how this design turned out, I think this is my favourite cupcake tower I've made so far.

Hannah Montana, Orange Poppies and a Year 2 Farewell!!

2010-12-21T16:19:00.003+11:00

My Niece turned 9 this month, her party was on the 18th December and she really wanted a Hannah Montana Cake for her Birthday!! This is what I came up with! It's a 8" and 5" chocolate mud cake with zebra print on the bottom tier. Hot pink top tier and coloured fondant balls around the base. Loved the effect the feathers have..... very girly!

The second cake this week was a simple birthday cake for a lady turning 60 who loves chocolate and bright flowers!

Now don't judge this cake to harshly, it was put together very quickly and was for my daughters year 2 class. The are now moving to a different campus for year 3 to 6. The cake was a simple sponge cake covered in vanilla butter cream to feed approximately 80 hungry kids!!!

Optimus Prime and Pink Bows!

2010-12-07T13:55:00.002+11:00

The weather was not my best friend this week. With all the rain nothing would dry and I was starting to think that I'd never get these cakes finished!!

The first cake this week was a 9" Chocolate Mud with fondant stars and hand cut transformer logo. Optimus Prime is made from LCM Bars covered in Fondant. This was the first time I have used the LCM Bars to decorate with. I think I need a little more practice working with them before I get the result I'm after (difficult to get a smooth finish).

My second cake was a 10" Chocolate Mud with fondant teddie, bow and spots. Blocks are made from LCM Bars as well. The booties were from mums cake when she was christened.

A Merry Christmas then Casino Style and a Birthday!

2010-11-28T20:10:00.006+11:00

Another busy week this week. Three cakes in total and all very different. The first cake I created as the centrepiece of a Christmas display for a local shop front. The sizes are 12", 10", 8" and 6".

The second cake was for a 21st the whole party has a Casino theme, the Birthday girl is wearing a red dress so I made the figure to match.The cake is a 10" Chocolate Mud with fondant ribbon and decorations.

The last cake was for my mother-in-laws birthday and with the fondant left from the chocolate wedding cake I created this cute birthday cake. A 6" White Chocolate Mud and a 3" Bailey's Mud with pink and light brown stripes, little ribbon roses and mint green leaves.

Chocolate and Roses!

2010-11-23T22:50:00.004+11:00

I couldn't wait to get started on this cake. It was the first time I have worked with chocolate fondant, I did have a little trouble in the beginning because the consistency is different to white and ivory fondant. After phoning a friend and getting some tips things were back on track and running smoothly. I loved the way the roses came together, their colours were the same as the bridesmaids bouquet.

The cakes were a 14" Cherry Ripe Mud, 10" Bailey's Mud and 6" Choc Raspberry Mud. Once stacked the cake was so heavy there was no way I could carry it on my own so I had my husband help me take it into the reception venue. As we were carrying it to the table he pretended to drop the cake OMG I nearly had a heart attack he thought it was hilarious!!! Don't you just love the male sense of humor......

I'm waiting to get some photos of the cake once it was set up (I left my camera card in my computer), there were two different shades of fabric under the cake with silver heart chocolates scattered across the table - it looked beautiful!

Ivory, Red and a touch of Bling

2010-11-14T16:30:00.005+11:00

This cake I thought would be free of trouble, it looked easy enough and the fact I only had one this week - no problems! Ha......

Everything was going according to plan until it came time for the bling, placing these tiny balls in the shape of the bride and grooms initials nearly brought me to tears. Every time I had them placed my tweezers would knock one and five would fall off............ Finally I had finished and although my eyesight was shot and I had pulled most of my hair out it was worth the effort.

The cakes were a 12" White Chocolate Mud with a Raspberry Swirl, 9" Caramel Mud and 6" Bailey's Mud. Covered in ivory fondant with gum paste ivory roses and bride and groom supplied by
JAM Cake Toppers. http://www.jamcaketoppers.com.au/index.php

Wow....What a Week!

2010-11-06T20:02:00.005+11:00

This week was huge.... I had 4 orders which meant baking 8 cakes, on top of that I have some appointments for cake tasting over the weekend and early next week so I had another 8 mini cakes to bake. My poor oven nearly had a melt down...come to think of it so did my family due to the fact dinner was very very basic over the last week = )

This was the first cake of the week, 10" and 6" Caramel Mud with an 80's theme, MTV a microphone, roller skates, PAC Man and our cute little Smurf!!! A great way to start the week.

The second cake was a 12" Chocolate Mud, 9" White Mud and 6" Caramel Mud. Black blossoms and leaves in a silhouette style. I loved making this cake, black and white is always so striking. Now only two more to go!!

My third cake was an 11" Citrus Mud cake (sooooooooooo yummy) and 8" Cherry Ripe Mud cake. Red side design is made from fondant. Roses were supplied by the Bride, she was having silk flowers for her bouquet and wanted the cake flowers to match. One more to go!!!

Lastly a nice simple one, 9' Fruit Cake with ivory icing. The flowers on top are silk (I just added them for the photo), the customer is placing fresh Australian Natives on top for her Mum. Now I have one day off and it starts all over again.....no complaints here I love it!!!

Rainbow Dash does Karate

2010-11-01T16:00:00.006+11:00

Why is it that your family give you the biggest challenges!!! My daughter wanted a My Little Pony character called Rainbow Dash but she had to be in a karate suit and there had to be a rainbow!!!

The cake is a Chocolate butter cake with fondant decorations. Rainbow dash gave me a few problems, she was suppose to be standing on the cupcake. Unfortunately gravity had other plans for her and she ended up with a new set of legs and sitting!! Despite this little hiccup I was really happy with the end result.

Caitlin was so excited when she saw her cake, although she did ask why Rainbow Dash was sitting = )

I Offically Hate Buttercream!

2010-10-31T17:42:00.009+11:00

I always find getting a flawless cover in fondant the hardest thing about cake decorating, now I have found that getting a smooth buttercream finish is 10 times harder!!!!!!!!!!!! This is only the second time I have coated a cake in buttercream and I had air bubbles, spatula marks and uneven corners........................ I hated it!!

On a positive note I was very happy with the roses which were made from gumpaste. Pale pink and white were the colours with pale green leaves. The whole cake had such a soft romantic feel and looked great at the reception venue!

PS. Finished cover looked OK from a distance!!!!!

Christening Cake for a Boy!

2010-10-23T22:33:00.006+11:00

There are so many beautiful designs you can come up with for girls christening cake but when confronted with making a christening cake for a boy......things get a little difficult!!

I loved the design of this cake, and the little converse shoes were so much fun to make. I am still having some trouble getting my icing bows made!!!!! Then they do say practise makes perfect = )

Pretty in Pink at 90!

2010-10-23T21:58:00.003+11:00

This was my first repeat customer, I had made her daughters Wedding Cake and with all the organising for the wedding there wasn't much time to plan Mums 90th Birthday!! There had to be pink roses and something simple and elegant. The cake was a 10" Baileys Mud Cake (this smelled soooooooooo good while it was cooking!!!!)

I was very happy with the way this cake turned out, the single rose was the perfect colour and the pearls were mums favourite!

A Wired Sugar Gerbera!

2010-10-11T14:08:00.004+11:00

I traveled to the little country town of Rylstone last weekend. I always enjoy their demonstration days as they usually involve great Dem's, great food and lots of laughs, this time was no exception!!

These Gerbera's at first glance looked so real, they truly were amazing!!!!!! They were demonstrated by Jean Palmer and it was one of the best Dem's I've seen in a while.

Each petal is individually wired and it takes about an hour to complete one flower, definitely worth spending the time in my opinion!! I just love them and can't wait to give them a try.

A Spring High Tea!

2010-09-26T18:33:00.009+10:00

Most of my clients come via the Internet so we don't meet until delivery or sometimes not at all! This can make it very hard to be on the same visual page as the customer. The best way I have found around this is to create several design sketches and email these images. That way the client has a concept they can see before the cake begins.

So when this order arrived and the client wanted a High Tea theme with a Spring feel this method came in very handy! This was the winning design.

And this was the final cake!!! When I delivered this the girls were so happy, they both said it's better then we imagined (so great to have happy customers!!)

The cake was for a wedding anniversary and the flavour is a fresh citrus mud cake (lemon, lime and orange) with a lemon butter-cream filling.

The cake fitted in so well. Each table place was set with it's own little teapot, cup and saucer and each place had a different design. Fresh flowers were being placed everywhere, I wish I had remembered to take my camera!!!!!!!

Ashton's Barnyard Friends

2010-09-18T19:21:00.004+10:00

Such a cute cake and so much fun to make, not like work at all!!!! My little girl was so sad to see this one go! The cakes were an 11" chocolate mud and 8" white mud.

Everything is edible except the top of the tree which has a Styrofoam ball in the centre. This was also the first time I've piped leaves.....so much faster than cutting them from paste!!! My friend that taught me to pipe is always telling me that you can get the same effect from royal icing and a lot quicker!

I loved this little guy! Such a naughty piggy thing to do!!

Simple Wedding cake with White Rose and Pearls

2010-09-18T19:01:00.005+10:00

A very easy wedding cake for a bride who wanted things simple! It was a 12" Chocolate Mud cake coated in white fondant with varying shades of blue ribbon around the side. Single white rose and a string of pearls give an elegant feel.

Roses and Pearls

2010-09-11T17:02:00.006+10:00

These are some cupcake designs I created for an upcoming wedding. I took some inspiration from the brides wedding invitation. The bride wanted whites, creams, pearls and lace. I also added a latte colour which came from the darker recycled texture in the paper.

Anniversary Cake with a Little Bling!

2010-08-30T15:59:00.004+10:00

This was a little 6" black and latte coloured cake for a wedding anniversary. I added a bit of bling for an elegant feel.

4WD Aussie Outback 60th

2010-08-30T15:42:00.005+10:00

This was for a 60th birthday and 4WD tour reunion party, the birthday girl was known for wearing white driving gloves on the trip and has a high heel shoe fetish.

The cake is a citrus mudcake filled with a lemon buttercream. The 4WD was carved from Styrofoam and coated with fondant, all accessories are fondant.

Cake Competition - Challenge 2010

2010-08-21T18:28:00.007+10:00

Firstly I would like to thank my family for living with a crazed, frantic and a very possessed woman!!

After 85 hours and 2 weeks of eating off our laps I have finally finished my show cake for The Cake Art Challenge 2010 held at the Mercure Hotel Rosehill. This competition is held every two years and attracts entries by some of the best decorators in Australia. My entry was awarded 1st in the section Bridal Elegance (an elegantly modern 2 tier wedding cake which must include hand piped royal icing lace). Then to put the icing on the cake - excuse the pun, my cake was awarded Guild Gold for the best exhibit in Challenge 2010.

Even delivering this cake was a stress, driving three and a half hours over the Blue Mountains to Sydney. I couldn’t even look at the cake when we arrived for fear of seeing broken pieces of filigree and flowers ever where. My prayers must have been answered because it arrived with not a thing out of place!

Covering the double cakes was a nightmare as this was my first attempt (trust me to leave it for show work!) After 3 attempts on each tier I had something I was happy with. Thankfully it wasn’t real cake imagine all the icing I would have wasted......all I could think of was the first series of Masterchef where most of the fondant ended up in the bin. 9 phalaenopsis orchids, two large black and white leaves, numerous black round berries, silver and lime green leaves made the flower spray. 33 Piped filigree lace shards with 85 hand made black diamonds (nearly sent me blind) circled the cake.

To win this award which has been won by decorators that I hold in such high regard even idolise is such a huge honour.

Demonstrations at Wagga Wagga!

2010-08-15T12:36:00.003+10:00

This weekend I was 4 hours away from home teaching my little mice in the country town of Wagga Wagga! It was such a fun weekend and I think I'm finally getting control of those nerves!!! There were 5 demonstrations the first being my little mice, I took the Friends of Cinderella cake but to give a new look to them I created a cute Mrs Santa Mouse.

The second Dem was by one of the local girls and this was her first time demonstrating, she did a fantastic job creating these beautiful Swans.

The third Dem was by a friend who traveled with me from Orange. She loves making Australian Wild Flowers so she showed everyone how to make the Sturt's Desert Pea.

The fourth Dem of the day was cute little Mini Bag ideas, showing different patterns, shapes, zippers, buttons and designs.

Lastly were these adorable Christmas Decorations made from modeling paste. There was so much information to take in but to see such variety was fantastic. Definitely a great day!!

I'm working on something special at the moment so can't wait to finish and be able to post the photos!!!

Thanks for taking the time to look!! And if you every get the chance to go to a NSW Guild State Roster Day I highly recommend it!!

Xavier's Bob the Builder!

2010-07-31T17:14:00.005+10:00

Everything about this cake was such fun to make, I know I say this about all the cakes I make so either I love my job or I'm becoming a little obsessed!!! When I dropped this cake off today I had such a huge reaction, little Xavier was so excited, he was just adorable!! I love seeing the reactions on peoples faces, this is the sweetest part of the job!!! This cake is a 9" White Chocolate Mud Cake, everything is edible except Bob's head (I have used a foam ball under the fondant).

I love how Pilchard turned out...now I have a huge problem of not being able to stop decorating when I should and this cake budget was blown out of the water!!! But I was so happy with the end result and seeing little Xavier's face was definitely payment enough!!

Pop Price's Farm!

2010-07-25T17:29:00.005+10:00

This is the second cake I made this week, it was for my Dads Birthday and my girls wanted a Farm Cake because that's where Pop Price lives. I had all these ideas to have loads of animals but ran out of time!!

Pop loved his red tractor!! I really liked the way the ploughed field turned out. The girls said it's not to bad mum but you forgot "Yuk" (it's my dads black rooster!) They are my harshest critics those two! Another friend of mine dropped by to see the cakes and said you really did some work on your dad....he looks like he's had a face lift! I never even thought to put wrinkles on the little guy!!!

Now with all the cake baking I do, this is the first time I have filled a cake!! the bottom tier is a White Chocolate Mud Cake with Lemon Curd filling and Vanilla Butter cream. the top tier is a Chocolate Mud Cake.

A Touch of Irish Luck on your 60th!

2010-07-24T21:36:00.003+10:00

When I received this order I couldn't wait to get started!! It was so much fun to do, the client wanted something Irish. She suggested maybe a Leprechaun if I had time. So using the design of the Gnome I saw demonstrated in Cowra last month, I made a few changes and turned him into a Leprechaun! Add a few clovers and the scarcely found lucky four leave clovers and I had my Irish theme.

When I set this up at the venue the client just loved it and said “ This is going to make my mum cry!!” I have to pick the stand back up on Monday so I’ll get to hear what the birthday girl thought!!!!

By the way the green tags have lucky imprinted on them, you can see it in the close up photo!

Cupcake Designs for Girls and Boys!

2010-07-06T10:17:00.006+10:00

After the cupcake workshop I was left with a box of undecorated cupcakes and a bag of coloured icing, now lucky for me it's school holidays which means a lot less running around with kids and more time to play!!! I wanted to come up with some designs that would look great on a cupcake tower, one for little girls and one for boys.

I loved making this little pink and red Giraffe, she turned out so cute. Add little red and pink flowers and I think any little girl would love this.

Why is it that boys are always so much harder to decorate for!! I had the idea of dinosaur or dragon footprints first, then started playing around an came up with this little dragon. I thought he was so cute and I was so excited thinking I had created this little guy, then I was told he looked like a dragon from a children`s program called Dragon Tales on PBS in the USA . There goes my creation!!!!

A Tower of Puppies

2010-07-04T22:54:00.003+10:00

We had a cupcake workshop advertised for Saturday 3rd July, 36 girls turned up and we showed them how to decorate 3 different cupcakes. My cupcake design was these sweet little puppies. Great day but my voice is buggered!!! 6 of them covered the top of the cake and 6 of them were made to sit on the top of a vanilla butter cream swirl.

Everyone had a fantastic time and the cupcakes produced by girls were great. The other designs were a handbag cupcake and some little flowers on a butter cream swirl.

Cute Shoes for a 21st

2010-06-25T13:19:00.005+10:00

When I got called into my daughters principals office I was a little concerned, until the first words were would you be able to make a cake for me!!! I had such fun making this cake, it was a Cherry Ripe Mudcake and is just 7" so cute!

This is my first attempt at making the high heel shoe with the mini cutters. So much potential and I can't wait to have the time to play around with them some more.

How to create Maggie's Fur!

2010-06-20T17:02:00.006+10:00

Here is how I created the fur on my Westie Dog Cake. This is the tool I used (I'm not sure of the name) it comes in the PME Miniature tool set.

Once you have covered your body with fondant take this tool and mark the whole body with some wavy and some straight lines, working quickly.

Come back over your work again but this time push the tool into the cover at different places over the body to give depth to the fur.

This is how the finished body should look.

With the front legs and tail I rolled out the fondant making sure the sides are thinner than the middle. With the same tool mark the fondant in the same way as the body but as you near the edge pull the fondant out to give the edge a feathered effect.

Place this piece over the leg and attach to the body. You use the same joining method for the tail and the neck.

Using the same tool mark over the joins until it blends in with the rest of the cake. This join is not as good as what was on the cake, I was also trying to find a dog lead for my husband, change a DVD for my daughter and get a drink for the other!!!!

The same method is used to add the pieces over the nose, around the ears and the sides of the head, the only difference is I put little cuts in these to feather it even more.

Cowra State Roster Day 2010

2010-06-20T16:03:00.003+10:00

Another great day with lots of ideas and tips. The first dem were these adorable little garden gnomes, these were definitely the hit of the day!!

The second dem was about making your own moulds with casting gel and some different colouring techniques.

The third dem was also about creating your own moulds by using air dry clay by pressing the item into the clay - leave to touch dry then remove item and leave to dry completely turning periodically. You can find this clay at www.boyleindustries.com.au or at Bunnings.

Next was the Tuber Rose which was very pretty, it was very common in the bridal bouquet years ago.

Lastly were simple ideas with butter cream for quick cakes.

Our Maggie in Cake!!

2010-05-30T19:21:00.004+10:00

I just love the way this cake turned out, it’s my first carved cake. Our little Westie, Maggie is 1 today and most of you may think it’s a little nuts to make a cake for a dog but she nearly wasn’t here. When Maggie was just 10 weeks old she was kick by one of our horses. She suffered spinal injuries and we thought she wouldn’t make it. She couldn’t walk for three weeks, we thought we would have to put her down but to every ones amazement she started to slowly improve. She still is wobbly on her feet and her back is fragile but she is here!!!!! My 8 year old daughter loves that she has a dog that is just like her, Erin suffers from Cerebral Palsy and is also very wobbly on her feet. So everyone is so excited to celebrate Maggie's 1st birthday!!!

She is a special little member of our family. Although Maggie wasn't to fussed with tasting the cupcakes, hope this isn't a testament on my baking!!!!!!

Vanda Orchids

2010-05-30T19:00:00.006+10:00

I had the honour of working with a close friend to make her wedding cake. This was my first attempt at making a Vanda Orchid.

I had the flower in front of me while making this and it really helped with the colouring.

Helping out a Friend!

2010-05-17T19:37:00.006+10:00

I had a very quiet week planed there were no orders and the house really needed some TLC. Then the phone rang and a friend asked if I could come and give her a hand, she had 5 orders due on Friday and she is planning her own wedding as well. So once again the house took a back seat and out came the icing tools (not that I was to upset!!!!!!)

The first cake was a three tier wedding cake, the middle tier was a hexagonal shape. This was the first time I have piped black royal directly onto the cake. To say I was nervous was a given but by the end I was really happy with the result. One more cake decorating technique crossed off the very long list!!!!

The next cake on the list was for a 21st, they wanted a drum kit and I had so much fun making this. The drums are made completely from modelling paste and I made them first thing in the week so they had plenty of time to dry, They are also on a plaque so the birthday boy can keep them.

The last cake I worked on was a handbag cake for a 40th, I wanted this to be a standing handbag but because it had to travel we thought it would be better to lay it down. I loved working on this cake and it was one of those ones where everything just went right!!

This was the first time I have completed three orders in the one week. It really gave me confidence that I can do this as a job and not just a hobby.

Blue Bird Tutorial

2010-05-14T18:58:00.005+10:00

1. Take 2g of blue paste and roll into a teardrop shape, flatten the pointed base into a paddle and then cut a V shape from the base of the paddle this forms the tail.

2. Roll some blue paste out and cut two wings like the shape below, making sure you have a left and right wing. With a sharp tool mark in the lines of the wing. Attach wings on either side of the body with glue and allow to dry on foam (let the tail hang over the edge). Insert wire to make hole and the remove until wings are secure.

3. Take a pea size piece of blue paste and roll into a ball for the head, glue to body. The eyes are a tiny piece of white paste rolled into a ball and then flattened, glue to the head and when dry paint on the rest of the eye. For the beak take a small amount of paste and roll into a ball, shape into a triangle shape. Squeeze the tip to thin out and with a sharp tool cut part way through to open beak, glue onto head. Next roll out some paste for the head wrap and cut a small triangle and wrap around the head. Lastly put some glue on the tip of the wire and insert into the hole.

Mothers Day 2010

2010-05-08T21:57:00.005+10:00

Firstly - Happy Mothers Day to all the mums, hope you have a wonderful day with your families!!

I don't know about you but when I'm out and about my brain is always looking for things that can be used for cake decorating. The ribbon on this cake I found weeks ago and loved it, but I had know idea when I was going to use it! So I came up with this design for a Mothers Day cake just because I wanted to use the ribbon.

The next thing is I find myself looking for props and backing materials, because photographing you cake has become an art form in itself. If you have been on flickr lately you would have noticed some of the stunning ways cakes are being photographed! I found these boxes in a two dollar shop and thought they might come in hand one day, just one problem - I'm fast running out of room!!!!!

I really loved the way this cake came together. I wanted to try a new recipe for White Chocolate and Baileys Mud cake, I had a sample taste from the off cuts and I think next time I'll put a little more Baileys but still very yummy!

I wanted the colouring on the roses to match the ribbon it's pretty close but not quite the same.

With the word Mum, I printed it onto paper then glued it onto a thicker card. Cut around the lettering and attached toothpicks to the back of the"m's" then inserted it onto the top tier. It's not edible but I think it looks really effective!

If you interested in having a look at the fantastic ways cakes are being photographed here are some of my favourites -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bellacupcakes/4582047771/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9329630@N03/4440679040

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bellacupcakes/4579816844/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lecupcake/3313790386/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bakingaddict/4566188343/in/pool-945826@N25

Orange Show 2010

2010-04-26T16:50:00.009+10:00

I was so disappointed this year when I couldn’t produce a cake for the Sydney Royal Easter Show, so when the date for our local show came around I made sure I finished a cake. I wanted to do something fun and cute, my girls are into all the Disney Princesses at the moment so Cinderella came to mind. I loved the little mice and blue birds that created her ball gown. I sketched a few designs before deciding on the final one!!

When I delivered the cake on Friday morning it was great to see so many exhibits, there is some great talent coming through. So on Friday afternoon I received the fantastic news that I had won my Section - Open Novelty Cake and to top it off I had received the overall Best in Show Grand Champion!!!!

Both my girls this year wanted to put cakes in the show, so the last few days before the deadline were nuts. The thing that got me through was how proud they were of their work.

My eldest daughter is 8 and she has Cerebral Palsy so I tried to designed a cake that I knew she could cope with and finish successfully. She needed a some assistance to cut the two leaves and roll the fondant but she placed everything on the cake board with painstaking care and more patience than I would ever have. It took her a great length of time to complete and she was over the moon when she saw her second place!!

My youngest is 4 and she wanted to make a ladybird cake, so with verbal assistance only I watched her pedantically lay the petals over cut toilet rolls. She rolled and rolled the fondant until mum said it was thin enough and covered her first cake!! She was so upset when she broke two of the petals painting the small ladybirds but the look on her face when she saw she had first prize was worth going through the last week!!!

My close friend and mentor entered the Wedding Cake Section, she pulled together this cake in three days and has another Blue Ribbon to add to her collection.

This woman is the queen of piping and has taught me everything I know, I cringe every time the glasses come out for inspection!

Such a stressful week........ but it definitely finished a winner!!!

Demonstration Day in Orange - Including Cosmos Tutorial

2010-04-18T20:15:00.013+10:00

Our local Cake Decorators Guild had their State Roster Day on Saturday. We had people travel from near and far, beginners and ladies who have been decorating for years, this contributed in making it a fantastic day.

One of the demonstrations I really enjoyed was of a lovely flower called Cosmos. The demonstration and notes were by Anne Bromfield, her work was so delicate and fine. I didn't know of this flower before Saturday, you really get to see so many different varieties of flowers when you decorate.

METHOD

Petals
1. Roll small pieces of paste onto a grooved board.
2. Position short pieces of 28g wire and fold over the paste
3. Re roll to desired thickness
4. Cut the shapes for the petals - fig 1.

5. Each flower comprises approx. 8 petals (you can use the two different size cutters to create the same flower head if desired)
6. Ball then thin the edges
7. Vein using a poppy vainer
8. Shape and allow to dry with a slight curve at the end.

Colouring
Colouring depends on personal taste as this flower comes in a range of colours in nature from pink, red and white through to lavender, orange and yellow.

ASSEMBLE

Centre
1. Colour the pointed stamens cotton section dark brown, the upper tips yellow
2. Using brown coloured paste, insert a hooked 26g wire
3. While still soft, insert the coloured stamens at different heights into the centre
4. Allow to dry

Calyx
1. Roll out green paste and cut two calyx shapes
2. Work the edges and tip to elongate
3. Moisten the bud and attach both calyxes transposed with each other, creating a 10 petal calyx and backing
4. Colour as required

Closed Bud
Insert a medium sized ball of pale green paste onto a hooked wire and score 8 equal marks down it to represent the petals. Dust as required.

Semi Open Bud
Create the buds as above and attach a couple of the smaller cut, veined and worked petals. Attach the calyx as for the open flower, colour as required and as fits the finished flower.

Leaves
These are made of short lengths of 33g wire and 1/2 width green stemtex tape. Tape the end of the tape to the wire and continue past the wire to form a thin strand. Add to this more tape that has been twisted on itself with no wire. Tape the different lengths together and dust.

Our other three dems were fantastic as well, next we saw Pansies by Ann Newbold. Again the work was so fine and delicate.

A gorgeous little clown was our next demonstration by Dianne Woollard, he was so cute. At the end of her dem Dianne showed us some really quick things you can make to decorated cupcakes, we have a cupcake workshop coming up in a few months so this gave us quite a few ideas.

Lastly was Hydrangeas by Jeanette Le Breton. These were breathtaking, the colouring technique was amazing to see and considering they are one of my mums favourite flowers I will definitely be making them in the near future.

These days always make you walk away with such enthusiasm, you always learn something new. This week coming I'll be helping my little 4 year old make her cake for the local show, she is so excited. Last year she came third and this year she only wants to get a red ribbon which is second!

Demonstration Day at Goulburn

2010-04-16T10:47:00.005+10:00

I had my demonstration in Goulburn last Saturday and I was so nervous. I still haven't learned the secret to calming those nerves. I showed how to make these cute little mice, my practise run at home took 44min and I was so happy it fitted into the 45min time limit. On arrival I double checked with the girls that the dem was for 45min and to my horror it was only 40min, consequently this put the nerves into over drive!!! I quickly thought about what I could leave out to make it shorter and thankfully everything went fine.

The next dem was by Denise Schaefer and it was the Cattleya Orchid, such a beautiful flower.

I loved the change she made to the centre by making it a little cats head, it was so cute.

Due to this branch having some new girls they had asked to see filler flowers and Estelle Patrikios showed cute little filler flowers and quick and simple ways to colour them.

Lastly was Helen Robinson and she showed the Protea, this was the most realistic Protea I have seen made it was just gorgeous.

I had such a fantastic time, we have our own demonstration day tomorrow so there are a lot of little details to finish up. My Show cake is finished with a weeks grace, I did want to enter two but there is not enough time in the day.

Hot Cross Bun Cookies

2010-04-02T16:48:00.013+11:00

These cookies made the house smell divine, my hubby couldn't wait for them to cool before gobbling down a couple. I definitely think they will become an Easter Tradition at our house!

Ingredients:
125g butter, softened
2/3 cup (150g) caster sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup (40g) finely chopped mixed peel
1 1/2 cup (300g) self-raising flour
1 teaspoon mixed spice
2 teaspoons milk
2 tablespoons almond meal
100g marzipan
2 tablespoons apricot jam, warmed, strained

1 Preheat oven to 160 degrees/ 140 degrees fan forced. Grease oven trays and line with baking paper.

2 Beat butter, sugar and egg with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in peel, currants, sifted flour, spice and milk in two batches.

3 Roll mixture into balls and place about 5cm apart on oven trays.

4 Kneed almond meal into marzipan. Roll marzipan into long thin sausages.

5 Brush cookies with a little milk and lay the marzipan lengths over the balls cutting the right length as you go to form a cross. Press down gently.

6 Bake cookies about 15 minutes, Brush cookies with jam and cool on trays.

These will definitely be a hit on Easter Day, if I can keep hubby away from them long enough!!!!!

A Dragonfly Cupcake Tower

2010-03-28T15:07:00.005+11:00

I loved doing this order, so pretty... and the only specifications were to use Pink and Dragonflies. It's so great when you can create what you like. 30 cupcakes in all with a 6 inch cutting cake, the cupcakes were a variety of vanilla, chocolate and caramel topped with a vanilla butter cream.

When it came time to put the name on I had a few ideas, I wanted the ribbon around the middle of the cake so it couldn't go on the side and I didn't want it flat on the top of the cake so I came up with the idea to put it on a plaque and stand it up. I was really happy with the way it came together!

I did have a play around with colours and designs when it came to the cupcakes and eventually I had two that worked well together. Firstly I had the dragonfly pink but when they were together it was just too much pink so I changed it to a purple/blue colour.

My hubby had to stay home for this delivery (thankfully no crazy driving) so a friend came for the trip. Next thing a cake delivery turned into brunch and a little shopping trip.... see girlfriends are much more fun!!! Three hours latter we arrive home.

This was the cake table at the venue, it all went together beautifully. The tables had pink peony roses on them with little dragonflies scattered across the table.

Now back to the cake table to keep working on my Demonstration Cake and Show Cake.

Demonstration Day at Illawarra

2010-03-22T11:46:00.005+11:00

This week I had an easy order, it was an 14" Chocolate Mud Cake covered in poured ganache. Fresh flowers were being put on at the venue. So when a friend asked if I wanted to travel to Illawarra (4 1/2 hours) and see a demonstration day I jumped at it!

The first demonstration was a Special Occasion Card - with Teddies by Linda Colligan The original design is from "Sugar Inspirations - Cake Top Ornaments" by Mark Richards.

They were so cute!!! Then she told us how to make the balloons with styrofoam balls and dip them several times in full strength leaf glaze, I just loved them. I was thinking of posting the notes of this, Linda had all the stages there for us to see and I took photos, so when I have some spare time....

Next was the Cooktown Orchid by Denice Fuhrmann, this was interesting to watch and I loved the colour, I've yet to make an orchid.

Now this is something my little girl would love, a Pretty Ballerina by Dianne Woollard. Under her skirt is a 6" cake that has been carved to help created some of the folds in her dress. Lots of time spent making all the frills underneath, I could see lots of little girls loving this. Dianne told us that another lady had made this on a 10" cake and said the frills took forever, I think I'd make the 6" one then place it on the larger cake!

The last dem of the day was a Gardenia by Barbara Smith, very pretty flower and a favourite with brides in past times. Rose cutters were used to make this flower, it's made up of 4 rows of 6 petals and the real flowers are a bit untidy.

I'm so glad I went it's always great to see new things and everyone has there own way of decorating so you always pick up new tips!!

Next week I have a cupcake stand to create for a christening and I'm working on my cake for the local show. I also have been asked to demonstrate after Easter so I'll be working on my dem piece as well. Lots to do.....

Pretty in Pink & Kung Fu Panda

2010-03-06T18:42:00.005+11:00

This week saw the creation of my first Bride and Groom topper and also put my modeling skills to the test when I had to bring Kung Fu Panda to life for my 8 year olds birthday.

I had such a great time decorating this week everything was bright and fun. The 3 tier Wedding Cake was a combination of Caramel, Banana and Cherry Ripe Mud cake, each tier being a different flavour. The stripes were so easy with my new pasta machine, I actually enjoyed making them this time.

Then it came time for delivery and my husband wanted to drive, now I don't know about you, but when he was at the set of lights and decided the car next to him was not going to beat him and cut in front I new I had made a terrible mistake !!!! So as you can imagine I sat the rest of the 40min trip in fear there would be a mass of cake and pink and white stripes all over the back of the car. Not to mention a dead bride and groom. Now we were delivering to Bathurst but I wanted a grandpa to drive not Peter Brock!!!

Thankfully the cake arrived in one piece and looked fantastic in the reception room. Everything was black and white and the cake was so colourful it really stood out.

Next on the agenda was Kung Fu Panda, he gave me some tricky times. Working with the black modeling paste was a pain, it's so soft and I found it really hard to get it to hold shape.

Eventually I had finished him and I even surprised myself with how well he turned out. While I was working on him my daughter said he looked like an egg trying to run away!!! When she saw the finished Panda she said that's pretty good mum but you made a mistake, his stitches on the pants are white not black!!!!! I've always said that your children are your best critics!

The cake was made with my new cupcake tin (next time I would try and define the swirl on top a little more). I added yellow blossoms to try and give it more of a girlie feel. This is defiantly one of the better cakes I have produced for one of my girls birthdays, both of them just loved it!!!

My First Bride and Groom

2010-02-28T08:48:00.005+11:00

Well my two week holiday from cakes turned into two months, I have had a dry spell with my orders! So this is my first order for the year, the wedding is next weekend so I thought I'd have a practise run at making my first Bride and Groom.

Not knowing where to start I went searching for all the different styles being used by decorators and then just practised. Also not having a pattern for the clothes was fun, it was very much trial and error to dress them. The bride had sent me photos of her dress and the grooms outfit so I knew what I was aiming for, getting their was the hard part. In the end I'm very happy with how they turned out, their are a few things I'd change for next time but at least now I have made my first bride and groom!!!

After I took the photo of the front with the grooms hand behind her back, I thought it might not travel well considering the 45min drive. So I placed his hand by his side, less likely to break on a bump now!!!

Holiday Fun!

2010-01-19T22:44:00.008+11:00

Now this post has nothing to do with cakes..... but considering I've had a two week break from baking I thought I'd share some of the things we did on our holiday. We decided to take the girls to our nations capital Canberra. The first thing on the agenda was the Zoo and Aquarium. I've got to say this is a fantastic Zoo for kids, the animals are so close and it's not to large to walk around so dad didn't have to carry any extra passengers!!

We arrived right on opening and the animals were just having breakfast so they were all very active. The otters were the funniest, as we arrived at their site they came racing down the little river right to our feet chattering away and defiantly expecting food. As soon as they realised we had nothing for them the left as fast as they arrived quite upset!!!!

The koalas as they are best known for were sleeping, and as we arrived at the wombats home he was digging a new home, either that or trying to escape!!!

Erin who is 7 and Caitlin 4, couldn't wait to see the next animal, we would get to one exhibit and the would instantly say what's next!!!! I have never seen them so excited.

Caitlin's favourite was the Giraffe and being a typical child the first thing she said at the top of her lungs was look at all the poo!!!! Out of the mouths of babes lol.

I loved the bears and as we arrived one of them decided to have his morning bath, I swore he was posing for this shot!!!

Once we had been around the zoo we arrived at the aquarium, where to my surprise the girls loved the snakes!! Caitlin also loved the big fish and he wasn't camera shy at all.

Next on our list was a beautiful place called Cockington Green (which Caitlin decided was called Tiny Town). This is a stunning garden with miniature replica buildings, in the original section of Cockington Green they have been completely hand built. The original English village models, are 1/12th scale replicas of actual buildings found throughout Great Britain. The link if you want more info is http://www.cockingtongreen.com.au/index.html

You really felt transported to England with the gorgeous country side, the lawns were immaculate, there is an add on TV where they cut the grass with scissors..... this defiantly looks like it here!!!!!!!!

As you walk around the garden you then come to the International Area of Cockington Green’s display it's a wonderful multicultural display with over twenty-one countries currently represented and once again your transported somewhere else. We felt like we had traveled the world in a few hours.

These were two of the holiday highlights and both girls haven't stopped telling friends about it. Well the rest and relaxation is defiantly over and back to work I go. Although creating wonderful cakes is not really work is it........because I love it, housework on the other hand!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-01-02T12:52:00.007+11:00

I decided this year that I wanted a great cake like everyone else in my family, the only problem with this is that I then had to make it! My hubby did offer but I'm not to sure what the end result would have been!!!! I have always wanted to make a handbag cake but never had the opportunity, so this was the idea I had and the cake my family is going to give me.

I have always loved black and white together in cake decorating so this was defiantly the colours I wanted, plus I always think they look so striking together. The cake is a White Chocolate Mudcake with a Raspberry Swirl, covered in black fondant with a white band. Silver balls down each corner edge and the design has been piped in royal icing.

The spray is roses and a spider chrysanthemum with black and white leaves and little filler flowers. I loved the way it turned out and now I have made my first handbag cake and it's for me!!!!

Last week I also had a last minute cake for a christening, it was for two little girls and I have always loved the christening cakes made by Andrea's SweetCakes so this was inspired by her work.

I hand molded the little angel, she turned out so sweet, I loved styling her hair although you would think I'd be sick of styling hair with two little girls who both have long hair and argue with me every day about having it done. Maybe because this little girl didn't argue back is why I enjoyed it so much!!!

I'm heading off on holidays for the next few weeks just us girls for the first week so it should be fun and then hubby will come on the second leg of the journey can't wait for some rest and relaxation : )

A Happy and Healthy 2010

2010-01-01T08:29:00.003+11:00

I would like to wish you all a very Happy and Healthy 2010. This is the start of a new year and I'm told it will be a good one! When I woke it was raining here so it is already off to a great start, we have been in drought for years!

I would like to wish everyone that pops into this site for a quick visit a wonderful year and remember your Merry Christmas may depend on what others do for you. But your Happy New Year depends on what you do for others.

A Cake for a Bikies Bush Bash!

2009-12-15T09:42:00.006+11:00

This was a cake I was really looking forward to making, when I met with the client this was the cartoon they had on the invitations and they wanted something like this for the cake. First we discussed carving the whole cake like a motorbike and then I thought of the idea of having a bush track that the bike was riding along considering this was the theme of the party.

This is what the end result looked like, I made a 10" Chocolate Mud Cake and then carved a path into the side of the cake. The piece that was removed I place on top of the cake to give me more road and give the cake extra height. The next challenge was to cover the hardest shaped cake I think I've ever had (it didn't go that well, all I can say is thank god for the rocks and grass to cover all the mistakes!!!!!) I was really happy with the result once everything was in place.

The Motorbike put my construction methods to the test, not sure what to do so the bike would have maximum support I used 24g wire to bend the shape of the handlebars and the eased the icing onto the wire. The front suspension was toothpicks covered in icing for extra strength and then both wheels had toothpicks inserted, I then made a block of icing (same colour as dirt road) to go under the body of the bike so the attachment to the cake would be as strong as possible.

The party was being held on his property in a big woolshed, so my hubby came up with the idea of putting the sign at the base of the track. I think I took a little bit of artistic licence though considering the road actually doesn't go anywhere!!!!!!!!!

The little touch I liked the best was the rabbit snuggled away in the hollow log. I think this defiantly gave it the typical Aussie dirt bush track feel, maybe I should have done a kangaroo as well!!!

I don't have much in the way of cakes in the next few weeks which I think is great because I haven't even finished my Christmas shopping!!!!!!!!!!!! and have loads of things to do because Christmas is at our place this year!!!! Well I better get started...............