Farewell, 2009...

I admit it, I totally got Christmas-brain! I completely forget I had a blog for awhile. Before this year is up I think I should just upload a whole lot of pix I haven't had a chance to share here. It doesn't seem right to leave these hanging till the new year. Here are a collection of cupcakes...

A run for the Hills

I love it when customers want to be a little adventurous. There are numerous Hollywood themed cakes out there but I haven't come across any that have made the Hollywood Hills and paparazzi into a 3D diorama cake. This took a little creativity to visualise but we got there in the end. I particularly like the fact you can see 'around' and 'in between' the cakes, complete with waiting limousine!

Love And Christmas

This week has been THE scariest cake week of my life - 2 wedding cakes, 5 birthday cakes, a couple of Christmas orders... *eek*! But it's all done and iced and all customers are happy as am I! Now on to the edible Christmas gifts for this year... everyone I know is goin to get fat. This is where the Christmas fun starts!! As you can probably guess I love Christmas and look forward to it with open arms, holding rolling pins and piping bags. Here are some I prepared earlier ;) Please have a peek at Love And Cake's Christmas catalogue.

Most importantly, there are so many who won't see a smile or a present this Christmas day and the real spirit of Christmas means doing what little (or a lot) we can to make their situation just a little bit better - sharing the love we have been blessed with. 10% of all proceeds from the Christmas cakes and cookies will go to the Salvation Army who DO do that - every day of the year. That's one small way Love and Christmas goes hand in hand!

Formula for a muscle cake

One of the muscliest cakes I've done, this Formula One racing car belonging to Mark Weber (yes that is his head in that lil white helmet there) was for an F1 fanatic.
Vroom vroom!

The accountant wears Prada

Yet another friend in accounting, I seem to attract them! This accountant loves her Prada handbag so in this collaboration with the girls again, we decided a posh designer + corporate numbers theme would be most fitting. The good thing about having mini cakes is that the main cake can be saved for a later date while we munched on the mini ones that night. The birthday girl was nicely surprised so our job was done. She even showed it to the restaurant owner and left my business card with him! Nice work, BDM!

Baby cookies

A boxful of cookies hand-cut for Baby Rico, whose parents' cakes have made a few appearances on this blog already. First the wedding then the baby shower then the baptism! What a journey I've been on to be able to cake their milestones, I feel so honoured :0)

Hmmm must be on the lookout for onesie and baby bottle cookie cutters now, I'm sure there will be Rico #2!

The hole package

If good things come in small packages, then delicious things come in big spotty-holed fondant-covered bow-adorned packages!

Feast your eyes

For a girl who's been on the receiving end of a couple of cakes and cupcakes from me, I wanted to give her something different. I came across the idea of mixing cupcakes with lil mini cakes and loved the idea. This was my first attempt. I like the focus they bring to the set - from my point of view, they are a different canvas to decorate altogether thus an opportunity to introduce something different, eg words, colours or decorations. Variety IS the spice of life, gotta play up those assets! If the balance is right, it should be a feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds.

High on peepy-toes

You can tell what sort of girl this cake was made for... a girl with great taste and impeccable style for sure! The shoe was modelled on the birthday girl's actual Peeptoe shoe. I was especially nervous drawing in the Peeptoe logo - one chance is all I get. But it was surprisingly easier than I expected. Luckily no sudden sneezes or an unfortunately timed 'boo!' or I'd have to start all over again... right from baking the cake!

Wonder if this girl saw the chinelas cake... might be an idea for her high-heeled nights out...

Naruto no keki

How many of you recognise this guy? I'm feeling rather not with-it as I had no idea who Naruto was. I don't mind so much not knowing the kids' characters, but this one was for someone my age!

I'm quite pleased with the way this turned out, it looks sufficiently like the real character for my liking. Bit mischievous. To make the 2D pic pop out, I added a layer of 3D hair to give it a little texture and some folds on the bandanna.

I was at a loss for what to do around the base, but when in doubt, use an extension of the main feature. So I used the idea of the bandanna and dusted it over in silver to make it look a lil snazzy and dangerous like the Naruto pix I found online. Wonder if he's like hero-dangerous or naughty-streetkid dangerous.

A standing occasion

This was done for a dinner party at my house, so I was allowed to go with a colour scheme of my very own choosing. Pink is always a shoo-in for a girly girl. Remind you a bit of Neopolitan? hehe

A cake stand adds so much to a cake or cupcakes. When presented nicely it's like the icing on the top. I encourage anyone who buys a cake to think about how they can display it to create the wow factor. This cake stand could even be played up with a couple of bows or maybe a string of beads... think Sportsgirl accessories. Such inspiration to be found there. It's all up to your imagination!

I have my cake and eat it too...

The sweetest friends in the world tickled me pink by their adventures in cake-making for my birthday. I cannot ask for better gal pals and if you're thinkin of stealin them, you can forget about it. They're mine!! *hugs* This is what they surprised me with at dinner. Totally me and totally them. I LOVE IT!!! xoxo

A rose to the occasion

We wanted something soft and pretty for a friend's mum's 60th. I thought a rose theme would be nice (roses always the classic!) without being over-the-top about it. So I scattered mini roses on the giant cupcake with matching rose-style swirled icing on the pink and yellow cupcakes. It's a little difficult to see in the picture, but it's the first time I've tried those swirls and it came out as I'd hoped - a bit ruffled around the edges and in imperfect circles.

Party bags

A great idea for giveaways when you find yourself hosting a party of laydeez are these mini sized cakes made to any theme you like. Handbags is an obvious one and here are some I prepared earlier...!

Crane cake stance

I hope you recognise this throw-back to the Karate Kid movies! I was especially tickled by this request for the birthday black-belter who can obviously use the crane kick stance to his advantage. And thinking of his reaction made it even funnier. An especially tricky figurine to do but it kept me laughing all the way. I wore an extra bright grin when I could finally see some resemblance. Two white slightly bent legs without any body, arms or head takes a lot of imagination to shape! Oh and I didn't mean to give him such a flat-top, though that's how it came out (hehe).

Bapt-iced

An open Bible for a lil baby's baptism. My first attempt at an 'open pages' effect and there were no surprises, thank goodness! The cake was unbelievably heavy and was carried all the way to Queensland by plane for the service. Kudos to the messengers! A lil boy topper was added on later.

Spot the princess

For a gorgeous lil girl on her one month celebration. We were going for simple with a touch of sweet... and the building blocks were a must. Behind them are matching cupcakes stacked to mirror the blocks. The inspiration was a similar cushion design I'd seen somewhere and thought it would be cute for a baby. It has a princess element to it too - think royal crowns resting on deep red velvet cushions. Princess Bernice!

Snow better way to say I Do

A wedding present for friends of mine - a great couple who got married this year. They've been avid snowboarders for as long as I can remember so it's only fitting that something on their big day alluded to that passion. I tried to capture as many details as possibly down to their goggles' colours. Too fun!

Cookie-enabled

I've recently ventured into the world of cookies. It's a whole new concept altogether (for me) and utterly inviting! Design-wise it's similar to decorating cupcakes with fondant. But shapes-wise, the sky's the limit! Well, the cookie cutter section of the cake shop is the limit. They can come as a matching set with cupcakes too, such as the two pix on the left. And they can carry any message you like. Only setback is I tend to 'taste-test' too many in each batch... *hehe* oops!

Birthday cupcakes

A few sets of birthday cupcakes... the top two were gift boxes, the bottom was for a children's birthday party. Hope they shared!

Inspiration hit

My fellow cake decorator (more like my mentor) just asked me what my current inspiration is... right now I'm seeing cakes in everything.. fashion, nature, stationery, even furniture. But one website has really caught my eye (thanks to a dear friend who sent it to me!): http://amyatlas.com/ This is the constant cause of my net-surfing right now. I can spend hours just scrutinising every picture and it's also got me thinking beyond cakes... which is good coz it all feeds back into cake designs in the end, and I'm seeing things through a wider lens. However, if I ever give up the 'cake stylist' title, you'll see me behind a dessert table instead!

Sport the difference

I love a cake inspired by the recipient's personality - if done well, they can recognise themselves in it when they see it. This one combined football and golfing passions for a 50th birthday. On the flip side a cake like this might not mean much to those who don't recognise a logo, such as the eagle in the top left corner, but it does tell them a little bit more about the birthday person that they might not have known before.

(Hmm... It's funny that similar designs seem to come in twos... first the 90 shaped cake and then this 50! There have been others. Weird...)

In full bloom at 90

For a friend's dear grandmother who celebrated her 90th birthday. In the spirit of honesty, we wanted the '9' and '0' to stand, but at 11" in height they decided they'd lie down instead - we had no say in the matter! Much more stable that way, though. I wanted to add a bit of significance by using exactly 90 flowers but we ended up making more as we went, not that anyone would have counted anyway, not when there's cake inside!

Mei the plate make the cake

My friend Mei, a devoted Manly Sea Eagles fan, requested this for her 29th birthday. The cake already says it all doesn't it! Hehe.
The choice of cake actually tells even more about her as a person... She's an attention-to-details perfectionist and presentation is of the utmost importance (you should see the chocolate bouquet she made me for my birthday!). Lots of careful thought went into this selection but it didn't take long for her to decide in favour of one of her great passions - the Sea Eagles. And since she can't proclaim it on her licence plate, I guess the next best thing is having it as a cake!

Thomas and friends

Thomas pulls up into my kitchen again this time accompanied by mini friends. I love the idea of cupcakes carrying on and extending the theme of the cake. They're almost like a 'support cast'! And although Thomas is one of the more complicated cakes I've done, it does get easier the second time around. Less chance of him frowning rather than smiling :)

Butterflies and flowers

This was an overseas order from a friend - all the way from Denmark! - for her niece here in Sydney. I was delighted to help bring her wishes to the birthday girl. She's got great taste already at such a young age - a girly passion for handbags! (Don't we all). The order for this cake was pretty with lots of pink and purple... right down my alley. Butterflies were also requested. I tried to make them look like they were in flight (not the ones on the bag itself of course, those are just decorations, unlike the others that are 'real'!).

Monkeying around Dora

Dora would've looked a little lonely on her own so the birthday girl's mother chose to add in her lil sidekick monkey. Let me just say, fashioning a 3D figurine from a 2D picture is no piece of cake (haha). Lotsa fun though especially if I can take my time with it. Proportions are so important!

LV and Cake

The LV bags are such a popular request I'm thinking of changing 'Love and Cake' to 'LV and Cake'. This is the first large one I've done (the rest are mini sized), measuring 11" across. Perfect for a party of 50-60 discerning bag lovers!

A rugby tackle

I was so relieved this rugby ball was easy to simplify and turn into a cake. I had no more than an hour and a half before I was to leave on a ski holiday and I just HAD to get this done for a devoted rugby fan. Also relieved he recognised what it was meant to be!

To top it off

For those who bake their own cakes, you can add a personal touch with a cake topper. These were ordered for a combined brother and sister birthday do. If the cake baker is reading this, don't forget to send me a pic of the complete cake! I heard the 'happy birthday' words on the psp didn't last long... :p

New Jersey

If you remember the All Blacks jersey I did awhile back - I painted the black on with Wilton icing colouring. With this Wests Tigers jersey, I did something different - I used RTR black fondant instead (mixing in some white to get the right consistency). Much less messy and time-consuming, but doesn't have the sheen.

Since the jersey is so simple in design, I was careful to get the little details right especially the V-neck collar. If I'd had a bit more time for this job, I would've tried to paint the tiger on. Maybe it's a bit of a relief I didn't, I can imagine the tiger turning out as more of a blob than a scary feline!

Hats off to the birthday couple

A pretty simple cake made personal by adding the figurines of the birthday couple. The cake board is also covered in fondant, which I placed on after the cake was covered. However it made picking up the cake a little difficult so I couldn't photograph this in my normal 'studio' - the beige kitchen floor. Hope Agnes and Hon were smiling as much as their figurines were!

Foldable fondant flats

A friend of mine created an awesome new twist on ballet flats - foldable flats accompanied by a pouch that doubles as a mini handbag and something to carry your heels in once you've popped these on at the end of the night. This was the cake version of her flats to celebrate the launch of Chinelas by Michelle, but they look much better in real life. Check out http://www.chinelasbymichelle.com/. (She was also a big seller of the RSPCA cupcakes, go Mich!)

A friend in cake

Simple, understated, and says it all. One funny thing about having a cake business is that I don't get to meet all the people my cakes go to. But I feel like I HAVE sort of met them, not in person but in cake. ie. if I was ever to meet someone who's seen or eaten or received a cake of mine, we'd have a 'mutual friend' already. Hmm. OK this is the first time I've let myself ramble on this blog. Blame it on the jetlag!

Cause cupcakes can

Cupcakes for a very good cause - the Breast Cancer Foundation. The theme had to be feminine of course, but I decided on neutral colours so the pink fondant ribbons would stand out. This was the result of a team of cupcakers including an overseas cousin who was staying with us at the time. You know the drill: you snooze, you swirl.

Training a cake

I had the best intentions of blogging while on holiday but it just didn't work out. Will make up for it double time now that I'm back!
However, I did cake, for a friend's wedding - taking my lil venture to a whole new level doing it overseas! Will post the pix soon. The best part was that I was able to collaborate with my cousin who also bakes and decorates cakes. Lots of fresh new perspectives and ideas. Hope to share it all with you soon... I'm excited :0)

Meanwhile this is a Railcorp train as you can see (I hope!), created for someone who got a job there. Obviously when something as huge as a train is converted into a tiny cake, a lot of details will be lost but I tried to keep as much of it true to the original as possible, especially the dimensions of the doors and windows and angles on the front. Luckily I had numerous pictures to consult with for this challenge!

Protective cake gear

Lots of time to ponder as I was cutting this helmet into shape. First thing that entered my mind was... this is like carving a human head. Which then reminded me of an email a friend kindly shared with me (the friend with the 'gold licence') titled World's Worst Cakes or something - lots of gruesome stuff I couldn't share here because of copyright.. or erm, I just don't want to *gag*.
Another thing that crossed my mind was that this might actually set me up well for a few other jobs:
hedge-trimmer
jack-o-lantern carver
pooch groomer

Anyway, back to the head - er, cake - at hand, lots of anticipation for this job as it was ordered months in advance. Twas really fun to see how I could turn a helmet into a cake, life-sized. Hope I made a good enough resemblence!

A blog reader asked about muscle cars awhile back. Will a muscle motorbike helmet do?