Toy Story Buzz's Spaceship Cake

I thought that by making this cake with all my son's favorite Toy Story characters would make his birthday extra special.  However, during the creation of the cake, all I heard is complaints that Buzz wasn't right next to Woody!  There's no reasoning with a 3 year old.  But he ended up liking it when all was said and done.  Much like my daughter's birthday cake, I started with a hexagon cake (vanilla "funfetti" with BLUE frosting - Jack's request) and topped it with a smaller chocolate cake which I sculpted into the shape of Buzz's rocket.  I covered the spaceship with white fondant and created wings and the cockpit window (and BUZZ) with additional fondant and edible markers.  I added the hand-painted character panels around the bottom (Woody, Jessie, Rex, Alien, Ham, Mr. Potato Head)

 It was fun to do Buzz's space ship this time, and the kids all seemed to like it too.  I'm just glad that the birthday party was a big success.  Until next year...

Disney Princess Castle Cake

So one of the biggest challenges about having two young kids and creating cakes every week is that said kids decide that they want EVERY character I've ever made on their own birthday cake.  My compromise with my daughter Hannah was that she could pick her 6 favorite princesses and I would hand draw each one to put on her birthday cake.  I figured by using the hexagon shaped baking pans, it would give me the perfect surface for adding one princess per side panel.  Similarly, I made the mini pink castle on top by adding pink fondant panels that I imprinted with my brick texture mat.   Then I added windows, shutters, edging, and a the "5" crest.  For the top of the cake, I stacked cupcakes and topped them with 3 glittered ice cream cones to create spires.  For each princess on the bottom cake, we made a corresponding decoration for the side of the castle: Rapunzel & paintbrush, Aurora & castle, Ariel & shell, Snow White & gemstone, Cinderella & glass slipper, Belle & rose.  The cake was strawberry of course (it's PINK!) and Hannah enjoyed sharing it with her friends.  I can't believe my sweet girl is already FIVE!  Yikes.  

Fire Truck Groom's Cake

This little cake was my first official "grooms' cake"!  The groom, who was a doctor...(just kidding!) a fireman, got his own mini truck cake, complete with a ladder, lights and vanity plates.  I carved the cake shape and covered it with buttercream and red fondant.  I added all the details with black, white, and gray fondant, plus a little silver highlighter powder where needed.  It was only about 8 inches long, but the perfect accessory to the cupcakes and mini cake (see Wedding Cupcakes - Lauren & Colin).  I really liked the idea of a personal size grooms cake.  Maybe this will catch on!  Hope you liked it, Colin!  And I hope the wedding was everything you wanted and more.  Congratulations! 

Wedding Cupcakes - Lauren & Colin

 So the bummer about getting wedding cupcakes picked up (instead of delivering) is that I don't get to see the finished product all put together.  For this wedding, I made a variety of regular size and mini cupcakes with simple sprinkles and tiny decorations reflecting the wedding colors of white, pale yellow, dark "Tiffany" blue, and shades of brown.  The cupcake flavors were chocolate chocolate chip, vanilla, red velvet, carrot, and snickerdoodle.  Their mini wedding cake (for cutting) was a chocolate chocolate chip cake with vanilla buttercream, covered in white fondant.  I hand painted the scroll design on the side of the cake for a simple, elegant statement.  At the wedding, this cake got a topper of fresh flowers in whites and pale yellow.  The cake would have topped the 100+ cupcakes on my tiered cupcake tower.   I hope it turned out as pretty in person than it did in my mind.

Mickey and Minnie Birthday Cookies

These cookies were for a little girl turning two; she gave these out to her preschool class for a birthday treat.  I did these cookies a little differently and piped on black glaze on plain sugar cookies.  I used a little white glaze for the eyes, a little red frosting for the mouths, and made fondant bows for Minnie.  I even gave one Minnie a white fondant crown for the birthday girl's cookie.  Lots of hand piping, but man did they turn out darling.  Anything for my favorite mouse.  

Ni Hao Kai Lan Birthday Cake #3 (Allanah)

When I first started designing cakes, and someone asked me for a "Ni Hao Kai Lan" cake, I would start by going to Google images and plugging in "Ni  Hao Kai Lan cake".  Now, I look at just the characters and come up with my own design.  But apparently, I'm not alone.  For fun, I plugged in "NHKL cake" recently, and can you believe that people have copied MY cake design now?!  I guess I've come full circle.  It's the sincerest form of flattery, right?  

When this client asked for the SAME cake as the one on my blog site, I copied myself!  But I have a hard time doing the EXACT cake twice.  So to break it up, I made "Mr. Sun" as a topper to the cake, and I added the pagoda on the back.  Makes me feel creative.  It turned out really cute AGAIN.  Such fun characters and colors.  And the matching cupcakes were a nice addition.  

Hello Kitty Cake and Cookies

It's so funny to me that all the cartoons and characters that I grew up with are all back (Smurfs, Strawberry Shortcake, Transformers, etc.)  Some of them never left, as in the case of Hello Kitty!  She's  been very popular 'round this house too, so much so that I got to try out a new toy and make my own HK cookie cutter!  (This has made my fondant work go much quicker.)  For this order, I created a 9" round vanilla cake and covered it in pink fondant.  I added the Kitty, clouds, stars and the balloons all out of fondant.  Then I finished off the bottom of the cake with a big pink bow.   Then, I made sugar cookies with matching Kitty faces and pink bows.  I just don't get tired of that cute little face (and I'm a dog person...go figure!)

Hawaiian Themed Cupcakes

These adorable cupcakes were for a bridal shower with a Hawaiian theme.  The colors were yellow and white, so I came up with 4 designs.  I frosted half the 6 dozen red velvet cupcakes in white cream cheese icing and topped them with molded chocolate flip flops or pineapples.  The other half I frosted in pale yellow icing and topped with fondant palm trees and plumeria flowers.  Makes me want to have a luau!  These designs would be fabulous on the "cocomac", coconut, or my soon-to-be-offered pineapple cake!  Aloha! 

Disney Princess Mini Cakes and Cupcakes

My life is full of frosting and Princesses!  I love to be able to work on kids' parties because it's always so fun to do bright and cheery designs.  And since my own daughter is a big fan, the Disney Princess theme is one of my favorites.  These mini cakes and mini cupcakes were for two ADORABLE twin girls turning 3, each with their own favorite princess.  I got to deliver these to the birthday party, and when the first birthday girl smiled and said "Belle!", I knew how to tell the twins apart!  I made them each their own princess cake: a 4" round vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream.  I added ruffles and roses to the "Belle" cake, and scrolls and gems to the "Snow White" cake.  I topped each cake with a fondant medallion with a princess portrait that I hand drew.  Then I made a fondant banner to announce the name of each birthday girl.  For the other party guests, I made mini cupcakes (red velvet, champagne orange, and vanilla) with coordinating sprinkles and decorations.  Everything, as always, was edible.  And the party looked like it was going to be a royal good time.  

Minnie Mouse Cupcakes and Mini Cake

These cupcakes were based on a design that the client found on the internet.  I topped all the cupcakes with a dollop of pink frosting, two mouse ears made out of fondant, and a pink fondant bow to represent Minnie.  For the mini cake, I made a 4" vanilla cake and rounded the top layer.  Then I added the pink frosting and white fondant polka dots and topped it with a larger version of the ears and bow.  

 The cupcakes were vanilla, chocolate chocolate chip, red velvet, lemon and carrot.  What a fun first birthday theme!

Beachy 40th Birthday Cake - Jim

This cake is the big 4-0 meets Hawaii 5-0.  This simple birthday cake was for a rained out beach party.  (Who knew!!  Weird weather this year.)  It was covered in vanilla buttercream tinted brown (with sugar in the raw sprinkled on top for sand) and blue (textured with a spatula to resemble waves).  I added a simple border at the bottom and some white chocolate shells.  But the most spectacular part of this cake was inside.  The cake was my new flavor that I call "Cocomac".  It was a coconut cake with macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips, layered with my coconut cream filling.  It got rave reviews at the party.  If you like those flavors, I highly recommend it.  Yum!

Pink and Green Baby Girl Shower Cake

I just love when my friends say "I don't care, just make it pretty!"  Thank you ladies, because while I'm having SO much fun making cakes, it's even more fun when I just get to try stuff and do whatever I want!  I just love the combination of pink and green, and I am loving the bright lime green for spring, so I thought this would make a cool baby shower cake.  

I started with a coconut cake with coconut cream filling (personal fave!), which I covered in vanilla buttercream icing and a thin layer of lime green fondant.  I "quilted" the fondant with a wheel tool and added a ribbon of white fondant at the bottom.  Then I piped little beads of white icing where the quilt lines crossed.  I then got to practice making fondant roses, which I added with leaves and a little sparkle with luster dust.  

The final and most striking detail was my pair of pink baby shoes; I made them out of pink fondant and covered them in baby pink edible glitter.  They made a sweet topper for the cake and turned out SOOO adorable.  I swear my daughter came out of the womb liking pink, sparkle, and SHOES, so what could be more perfect to celebrate baby girls?  The girls at the shower just loved the design and didn't want to cut it (I get that a lot) but they were glad they did.   

Pea in the Pod Baby Shower Cake

I thought this cake turned out so adorable!  The client was looking for a "pea in the pod" design for a baby shower, so I came up with this idea.  I created a simple design on the top and bottom tiers of the cake in the client's colors of mint green, darker green and chocolate brown (a pretty unisex palette since the expectant couple wasn't finding out the sex of the baby).  I made the baby and pea pod out of fondant for the top of the cake.  Then I added some fondant leaves and vines, plus I piped some white sweet pea flowers to add to the baby feel.  The cake was vanilla with strawberry filling and cookies and cream cake with chocolate cream filling.  Hope everything turned out ok!  Congratulations!  

Toy Story 3 Cake - Luke

This cake was another design in my on-going study of "Toy Story" themed birthday parties.  I topped this square buttercream-covered cake with 9 fondant squares, each with a different character.  The characters were all cut out of fondant and the details added with food-safe markers.  The cake was banana chocolate chip with chocolate cream filling.  It was so funny to see the kids at the party begging for their favorite character.  Turns out I should have made 9 squares with Buzz Lightyear!  Gotta love preschoolers.