Tuesday, April 28, 2009

H is for Hotrod

A sweet for my sweet, or so they say...

So the back story - Tim asked for a 1979 Camaro for his birthday cake as it was his first car many moons ago. His was white, but he asked for a black one with a blue flame job. Considering he hadn't had a birthday party in some time, I decided to be sneaky (he, he, he) and throw him a surprise party. I came within 15 minutes of getting away with it, too if it weren't for those meddling kids... no, really one of our guests got lost on the way to the house and didn't have my number so, yep, you guessed it... he called Tim's phone.

Anyhoo, with Tim on night shift, I was able to stay up late and work on the party details and cake without him knowing. He says he'll have to watch out for me from now on! *evil grin here*

This is his cake!Interesting what can be done with a couple of paint brushes, some icing dye, a little water, a paper towel, and a lot of imagination (sprinkle a little patience in there too. It took 2 hours to paint this car!!).
I made the inside of the cake out of chocolate cake with Mounds filling (think "sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't"), a coconut and cream filling that is rather tasty. I carved, iced smooth, then covered the cake with fondant before I started this particular paint job. I actually started with the yellow pin striping, then the black for the body so that I could cover my mistakes and thin the yellow down to a thin line. Then I started with the blue and moved back.

I liken this cake to the difference between a real Porche and Sally the Porche from the Pixar movie Cars. It's a little cartoony, but Tim loved it anyway.
Here we are with his cake at the party. I should mention that we're now even since he blew hot wax from the candles on me!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Siena's Grand Opening

My friend Christie from Royal Vendors asked me to do a cake, but not just any cake. A cake for the grand opening of the Siena Coffee and Bakery in Hagerstown, MD!!! (check them out here)I spent most of the week working on this and two other cakes (a lot of late nights), but here is the cake as set up at the grand opening...This is Christie (the lovely lady on the left) with the mayor of Hagerstown, Robert E. Bruchey II, cutting the cake. After the first piece, they turned it over to me to cut and serve the rest.Here are a couple of pictures of the details. The items on the top of the cake are all gum paste, molded and painted by hand. The Siena logo was replicated in 3D from fondant.A look at the items around the logo... I painted mosaic floor by the coffee cups (which are cake by the way) and added a bagel basket (basket and bagels in it also cake!). Because they also have an assortment of spreads for their bagels that they spread right there for you, I incorporated that as well.This was the aftermath of the cake cutting ceremony and serving of all those in attendance.

We got a good response from the grand opening (and the cake). And now for some good news!!! Ready?

That Little Cake Place is being featured at Siena Coffee!!! So, if you're in the Hagerstown area, check out Siena Coffee at 96 W. Washington Street and order a cake while you're enjoying your bagel (or panini, or hot chocolate... so many tasty options)!

A Present for Hannah

Hannah is my sister-in-law. She doesn't have an exact birthday (records still over in country), and hasn't had one for as long as she can remember. Once, a long time ago, someone decided her birthday would be on 4/15. She went from having a birth-day to a birth-weekend to a birth-week, to a birth-month celebration. I can't argue with that kind of mentality! She asked for a present for her cake, and found several ideas online that she liked... colors from this one, style of this one, look of that one. This is the final rendition for her birthday cake. Complete with a tag...

I had to paint the fondant on the bottom layer with brown food coloring to get that dark, shiny look. The only gum paste on the whole thing is the bow on the top. The top layer is yellow for her husband, and the bottom layer is chocolate for her. I even got to try a home-made fondant recipe!

Inside the Jewelry Box

Miss Patty, our receptionist at Royal Vendors, was hosting a Silpada jewelry party at her home this weekend. Her daughter was doing her first showing as a solo representative! To mark the occasion, Patty asked me to do a cake for the party. We sat down and talked size and ideas, then she showed me this page out of the catalogue showing a set of earrings, necklace and ring that she personally owns. We decided to used this set for the jewelry on the cake, opting for the classic brown Silpada box.
I took some artistic liberty with the logo on the cake because I wanted it to stand out a little more. The original box she gave me as a model had the logo and name in small print on the bottom right corner of the lid.
I hope the party went well. I can't wait to talk to her Tuesday to see how her daughter liked the cake! :-)