Seeing as I just finished Ethan’s 5th birthday cake, I figured it was time to post his 4th birthday cake!  So I’m a year late – no big deal…right?

The biggest challenge to this cake was the fish bowl teetering on the edge of the cat’s hat.  I knew the key to the cake was going to be good support – especially since the cake had to make two 20 minute car trips.  I started by constructing a custom base for the cake.  And of course, that led me to Home Depot.  (One of my chefs at the CIA once said that home improvement stores were a great place to find chef supplies – this has proven to be true over the years.)  I bought a piece of particle board, PVC piping and some do-hicky that would attach the two together.  Then I borrowed a friend’s jiq-saw, donned some sun-glasses (didn’t have any safety-goggles) and prayed that I could cut a semi-decent circle.  Once the base was successfully put together (and I still had all my fingers and toes) it was time to assemble the cake.

The cake itself was made from 4 8″ round cakes, each split once and filled, for a total of 8 layers of cake.  The fishbowl was constructed out of rice krispey treats, then covered in white fondant.  I molded the fish out of gum paste and threaded him onto a wire to dry.  I purposely kept the cake black & white with just a few splashes of muted color.  If you look closely at the book, the illustrations are done in a similar manner.  To add extra support for the fish bowl, which did end up heavier than I anticipated, I cut a small hole in the central PVC pipe that ran up the center of the cake.  Once the cake was fully assembled and iced, I threaded a medium wooden dowel through the cake, into the hole in the PVC pipe, leaving 4-5″ of the dowel exposed at the top of the cake.  This was what I intended to hold up the fish bowl – especially because I wanted the bowl to “defy” gravity and wobble on the edge of the hat.  So far – so good.  I was impressed with myself that I had designed this support system in my head and then managed to construct it as well!  So holding my breath, I carefully placed the fishbowl on top and smiled.  It was perfect – just like I had envisioned.  I added the fish, and took some pictures, and I was done. (more…)

Basketball Cake

It’s March Madness time again, and that can only mean one thing – my annual basketball cake extraordinaire.  My husband, Scott, works for ESPN and along with a myriad of perks, one of the best days of the year is the first day of the NCAA tournament.  His group (.com) gets together and organizes a food drive so that their two-day event of watching b-ball games all day (they claim they do some work here and there) can be fueled properly with the likes of 13 different kinds of chips, various cookies, baked goods, wings, pizza, and all other culinary delights that would make any chef’s stomach turn!  My annual “showing” at this event started Scott’s first year working for ESPN when he called me at 4 pm on Wednesday afternoon and (an advance apology  to all the men reading this blog) very typically asked “I need to bring in something for work tomorrow, can you go pick up some cookies or something?”  I then patiently explained to Scott that I am a pastry chef, everyone knows this, and that I look like an idiot if I send him in with store-bought cookies!  So off to the grocery store I went (at this point as a dutiful girlfriend, not even a ring on my finger!) to bake something for the ESPN.com group.  The first year were basketball cupcakes (very do-able with short notice.)  The second year – a sheet cake decorated as a basketball court.  Each year I felt the pressure to one-up myself, so the third year I made the basketball hoop cake that many of you have seen already on the blog.  The next year (last year) we had literally just moved the week or two before the tournament, so I, in trying to grow as a person, said that I was bowing out for the year – usually I can’t say “no” and take on much more than I can handle (to the joy of my family and friends around me!)  Some of Scott’s colleagues, however, recently reminded us that I managed to send in basketball cookies (we sell them at the store) with a little personal message “GO ‘Cuse.” Yes, I am an Syracuse grad.  So, this year, I needed to come back in a big way.  So ta-da!  This is it – I have decided this is my basketball cake swan song – I am not sure there is much more I can do with cake, fondant,a ball and a hoop.  (Well…that’s not true…I have one more idea up my sleeve, but I am not promising anything…) (more…)

Here’s a fun hexagon cake that I made over the weekend.  Mickey and Daisy are both made of out white chocolate, using a technique called flood work.  Flood work allows you to trace images with chocolate and, when they harden, transfer them to the cake.  (How-to post to follow).  I tried to continue the whimsy of the characters with a fun multi-colored bubble border.  And yes, Kristin, (my Disney obcessed cousin) I thought of you the whole time I was making it – and no, this can’t be the basis for your wedding cake one day. 

Here is a fun cake I made last week at work.  A mom came in and requested a Big Bird cake for her daughter.  I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do when I took the order, but I was surprised how easy Big Bird is to draw when you have a leaf tip that pipes perfect yellow feathers!  It came together in surprisely little time.  Most importantly, I had fun making the cake.  I will continue to say it: children’s cakes are my favorite to make.

This is my latest cake, and I must say, one of my favorites.  Although not technically Thomas, this cake is of two of Thomas’ friends, Percy (Green) and Gorden (blue.)  The cake is the round house where the trains “sleep” and was made from one 14″ round cake, cut in half and then trimmed to create a semi-circle building.  The two trains are sculpted from gum paste and fondant, along with the doors, stones, and train tracks.  I had a lot of fun making this cake and continue to challenge myself in the sculpting department.  When I dropped off the cake, the birthday boy’s father asked how I had learned to sculpt (classes etc.)  My honest answer is that I think I taught myself, both from observing and then simply good old trial and error.  I am certainly finding that each sculpting project seems to get easier and easier.  I have to credit my good friend, Diane, (Dee’s One Smart Cookie Bakery) with the observation portion of my scuplting education.  Diane and I worked together in a small custom cake shop.  I was in charge of building and icing the cakes, while Diane created all the sugar art work to adorn the cakes.  So every day, as I was icing, I would watch her miraculously create golf bags, baby carriages, and an evening gown-clad humpy dumpty out of seemingly nothing. So who knows exactly where I picked it up, but I am hooked now.

I must admit, however, that the best part of the cake was the delivery.  As I placed the cake on the table, the birthday boy who is turning five, ran in and exclaimed “It’s Percy & Gordon!”  That was all I needed – it made my day.  You always expect the adults to appreciate cakes of this nature, but to have the child get as excited is really neat.

I am still a big believer that cakes are made to be EATEN!  They should look great, but they should taste even better.  This particular cake is Caramel Apple:  Cinnamon Spice Cake, layered with Sauteed Apples, and finished with Caramel Buttercream.

	I started with a rectangle cut from rice krispys for a solid (yet light weight) base.  I then covered the base with black fondant, and then topped it with gray fondant.  I sculpted the face pretty early on – mainly because I was scared and wanted to get it over with!
	Next, I added a tube of blue gum paste for the body of the train, attached the face and wraped a small section in black fondant, creating the “head” of the train.
	The train really starts to come together with the final details.  A red runner in placed around the base of the train, two smoke stacks are added, and the wheels go on.  A couple more details in the front of the train and he is complete.

Here is the latest cake from work.  I was given the invitation below and asked to create a cake to match.  I fell in love with the mermaids (and their little shell bras) and therefore had a blast making the cake.  I think children’s cakes are my favorites; they are always creative and colorful. The decorations were drawn on with colored frosting.

Chocolate Wedding Cake with White Scrolls

I made this three-tiered cake at work a couple of weeks ago.  Chocolate through and through, this simple cake was chocolate, layered with chocolate mousse, then iced with chocolate buttercream.   Classic white scrolls were piped on the sides of the cake for an elegant design.  Because the cake was made at work (The Crown Market), it is a kosher wedding cake.