Vintage and a new black

A wedding cake for my very own sister... the cake appointment of the year for me. I got first-hand insight into the process of selecting a wedding cake. 1) Collect approximately 50 pictures of cakes you like 2) Narrow this down to 10 or so 3) Consider the wedding dress, venue, invitations, table decorations, colour scheme and bonbonierre 4) Decide what you like and what you don't about each of the 10 cakes 5) Have model cakes created to help visualise, incorporating the other elements of the wedding 6) Select wedding cake! I would have expected nothing less :)

The order of the day - delicate to suit her dress, vintage to match the castle-like venue, relatively simple, no bling, no fuss, not too loud, and unique in structure - no tiered looks here, but a two layer cake with the bottom layer double height. I must note that this is the first time I've considered using black faux flowers for the cake, and also the first time it was perfectly appropriate.

Around the world in 60 slices

No cute cartoon characters on the cake for this kid, he's more interested in the world around him! This half-globe shows the land down under in a prominent position, and approximately half the world on the rest of the cake, in roughly the same shape and position as in reality. I did say roughly - getting it perfect would be quite an accomplishment! Hope he doesn't think that if he sails too far south past Australia, he'll fall off the cake board.....

Strumming a cake

My second guitar but my first that's intact. Quite a few posts ago I uploaded a guitar that was 'smashed to bits' by an 'angry rocker'. This one is pre-angry rocker! Very important to get the shape just right. Not that it won't look like a guitar if it's slightly out, the strings and 'neck' are hard to miss, but the specific brand and model of guitar seems to be very important to those you would make a guitar cake for.

A royal occasion

While most wedding cakes use pastel colours, this couple selected royal blue as their main colour. Against a backdrop of white, such a bold shade of blue really defines the angles and shapes of the cake, especially on a square design. Complemented by shiny pearls and pretty lillies, it's a balanced and elegant combination... even a little royal (think Kate Middleton's engagement dress)! And of course the personal touch on top... This couple were toying with dressing their figurines in casual Oriental wear significant to a particular aspect of their lives, but for this occasion they were bride and groom, so their figurines were too.

Today's post is brought to you by the letter L

In contrast to the small building blocks in the previous post, here is one giant one, and seven tiny ones! L is for Lachlan, little man and lots of cake!

Building blocks of cake

Building blocks, the staple of any kid's toybox, becomes cake for this 2nd birthday. A great idea when catering for several flavours, one of which needed to be gluten-free. Having that flavour as a separate block ensures it doesn't come into contact with the other flavours. It even sat on a board of its own, to be safe! A fun colour-themed cake, complete with little figurines to make it personal for the birthday boy.

A li'l touch of lilac

A sweet simple and elegant wedding cake to match the waterside venue and laidback atmosphere. The lilac and lace detail on the top and 3rd layers matched the detail used in the decorations. Up until I deliver the cake, I can only visualise how the flowers will look based on what has been ordered. When I have the pleasure of placing it on and seeing the finished product, I always have an "ahh... now it's complete" moment!

Bottle it up

A replica of the wine of choice for the birthday boy. Fruitcake made up the inside, which is denser than any other flavour and much more reliable when a standing shape is required. The label was printed on edible paper. I was told later on that some point during the night, someone nearly reached for this 'bottle' to pour a glass of wine... job done!

Lil pink birthday

Let's carry on the pinkness today... here's a lil pink thing all dressed up for a party. The unusual theme of this joint birthday was that it was a first birthday for a lil miss girl turning one and a last birthday for a lil miss lady getting married before her next birthday. Hence 'the first and last lil miss birthdays'!

Pretty in pink

One of my closest friends turned 30 and I had the great pleasure of cakeing her wish for a pink cake. No work, all play for me! The dress on the birthday girl figurine is modelled on the exact dress the birthday girl wore (thanks to the girls who went shopping with her for her outfit and fed me the details!).
The toughest aspect of carrying out this cake was actually carrying it (in heels) from the car to the boat, then onto the boat for the birthday celebration. One couple stopped me to take a photo of it en route to the boat... sweet of them but not so sweet on my arms!

Au naturale

Fondant is my medium of choice but on occasion, and only in the cooler months, I'm happy to use butter cream if it serves the design better. It gives an unpolished textured finish which is a lovely backdrop for some bright coloured flowers for an overall rustic natural l0ok. Scattered petals extend the theme of the naturally blossoming flowers.

A good sport for a cake

Here are two similar designs for two different sports, one for a 30th and the other for a 1st. Boys will always be boys!

If I'd known I'd be doing so many half-ball designs I might have invested in a half-sphere cake tin. On the flip side, they are getting easier and easier to carve. Necessity is the mother of new skills!

Fire engine yellow

An action shot of two firemen unraveling a hose from a fire engine. The birthday boy was particular that it should be this type of fire engine - a yellow airport one. I never even knew they existed!
Figurines standing on a cake board are tricky because they have no wires holding them in place - they need to be balanced enough to stand upright with the help of gravity. In addition to that, these lil guys were carrying oxygen tanks on their backs and holding a very delicate hose. All turned out fine in the end, there were no fires to put out!

Engaged in cake

This cake makes a statement instantly - right away you can tell it's a cake for an engagement. On top of that, it doubles as a display for the couple's most romantic photos. You can't pack more punch into a cake than that! The rest of the cake was designed to match the invitation - with scattered blue leaves and royal blue ribbon.

Telltale design

As mentioned in my previous post, the theme of a cake can be a testament to one's personality - or what someone thinks of one's personality. This was a love job for a close friend of mine and this is what I thought of her... a shopping queen! The shoe, the handbag, the shopping bag, the feathers, the pearls, the bling, all very her. I must admit, this would be very similar to a cake I would make for myself. No wonder we're friends!

Personality festivity

You can gain great insight into people's personalities through their cakes... the theme of any cake can be one way of answering the question: what is your one possession that defines you at this point in your life? The usual suspects are a car (for guys), a designer handbag (for girls), an iPhone (for the tech-savvy), a cartoon character/soft toy (for kids), or a football or football jersey (for the sports fanatics). For this discerning lil boy it's his Sony Vaio. For such a serious and grown-up toy, we wanted to jazz it up with a little festivity, so we added balloons, presents, party hats and a colourful cake base.

Wedding night sight

One of the least traditional wedding cakes I've had the pleasure of cakeing. Even more risque than the cupcake tower a few posts ago, this one actually had the wedding couple *ahem* asleep in their bed... and with undergarments strewn all over the three layers of cake no less! The offset layers of cake also added to the quirky theme. Lucky the lights were on during the wedding but who knows what the little figurines got up to once the night was over!
PS. That is a garter at the foot of the bed.

Farmyard banter

This is before Porky Pig, Shaun the Sheep and Cow and Chicken became famous... they were just farmyard animals enjoying the greenery and having farmyard conversations! What a simpler life they led without the trappings of fame, and Porky was still walking on all fours!

Speeding fine

I'm not sure if the birthday boy owns a Ferrari, but this sure is the closest I'll ever get to one! Gentlemen, start your appetites... this cake weighed about 8kg upon completion!

A stroll down memory lane

I've made a few larger pram cakes so it was fun to make a mini pram this time, suspended on shaped wire. The advantage of having a fondant topper is that it can keep forever as a memory of the special occasion it was made for. Note to those preserving toppers/figurines - they keep best at room temperature. Please don't fridge them! :)