6.08.2014

Dr. Seuss 1st Birthday

Dr. Seuss 1st Birthday

Dr. Seuss birthday cake
We recently celebrated my grandson's first birthday and the party theme was Dr. Seuss.  It can be easy to get carried away with that theme because there are so many great stories and characters.  This is my take on a Dr. Seuss 1st birthday cake.




















My daughter-in-law decorated the house in great Dr. Seuss themed party balloons and banner.
Dr. Seuss birthday party


I also made a little smash cake for the birthday boy.
Dr. Seuss cake


It was apparent that a good time was had by all......



6.05.2014

Rustic Country Wedding Cake

Rustic Country Wedding Cake


It was a joy to make this rustic iced wedding cake for a very sweet bride.  I am a member of the church that she grew up in and watched her grow from a little school girl into a beautiful young bride.













Did I mention they are just a little bit of Mississippi State fans?  Both the bride and groom are graduates of State.










The bride showed me her Pinterest board which was filled with pictures of rustic wedding décor. I am not a big fan of using burlap on buttercream iced cakes as
burlap tends to shed fibers which can get stuck in the icing.  The bride told me her bridesmaid dresses were brown and her flowers were lime green Gerbera daisies, so I came up with this design that used a dark brown loose weave ribbon on which I sewed an antique lace.  I also made fondant Gerbera daisies and found a flower made of jute to place on the middle tier.  It fit in great with the decorations in the reception hall.


  
I enjoyed making this style of cake and hope the rustic trend continues in my area for the next few years.  Big congratulations to Scott and Cyndi and wishing them a lifetime of love.

6.04.2014

Nintendo Groom's Cake

Nintendo Groom's Cake

If you remember Super Mario Brothers, Tetris, Galaga and Donkey Kong, you probably played on one of these old-school Nintendos.  The bride ordered this Nintendo NES cake for her groom as a surprise.  She supplied me with a photo of Pink Cake Box’s version of this cake and I used it as well as a few other pictures I found online as a guide.
Nintendo cake

Preparation


Nintendo cake
When you are making a replica of something like this in cake, it helps if you can find drawings with dimensions to assist in getting the scale right. 

I took note of the size of the items on the control panel and then scaled that to the controller I was making so it would look more realistic.  I found it much easier to work in centimeters and millimeters than inches.

Carving the Cake


I decided to make the Chocolate Kaluha cakes in a 10 x 10 cake pan.  I cut about 2 inches off one side to give it a more realistic shape.  I wrapped the cakes in several layers of plastic wrap and put it in the freezer.  A cold cake is much easier
carving the Nintendo cake
to carve. Using paper and cardstock, I made a template of the sloped bottom portion and used it to carve the cake, which I had filled with chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream that had been flavored with kaluhua. I iced the entire cake in chocolate ganache and let it sit overnight to firm up.



Nintendo cake carving






It was easier to carve it upside down...





Nintendo NES cake


then flip it right side up.








Nintendo cake
Once the ganache had sufficiently hardened, I covered the top with a light grey fondant.  The Nintendo console is light grey on the top and top portion of the sides but dark grey on the bottom portion of the sides. The template that was used to carve the cake with was also used to cut a panel of fondant for the bottom portion.  



Using the pictures as a guide, I added some details.  The controllers were made in advance from rice cereal treats covered in fondant. I painted on a glaze of corn syrup mixed with vodka to give them a shiny look.
Nintendo controller

 I don’t often get the chance to make cakes like this and was pleased with how it turned out. 



The wedding cake was designed from a picture provided by the bride.  The colors (pale yellow, orange and grey) matched the color scheme of the reception hall décor.  The reception was held at 211 Main Hall & in Como, MS. 










I wish Mark and Kathryn many years of happy memories.  

Mariposa Photography by Emily Tillman