90th Birthday Cakes

Kelly, one of my closest friends, turned 30 a few weeks ago and was having a joint party with her dad who will be 60 later in the year.

Kelly loves pink, pink and more pink and her dad loves nothing more than to spend his free time camping, so with this in mind I promised to make them both cakes to celebrate their 90th Birthday!

Christmas Cakes Are Coming

Christmas is just around the corner now (hasn't it come around quickly?!) and I've made two cakes so far with one more to squeeze in before the big guy comes-a-knocking... or sliding down the chimney.

For the first cake I made a spray of sugar paste flowers and leaves and for the second some pretty poinsettia flowers.

Fondant Cake Number 6 - Fisherman Pete

My mum is one of my biggest cake fans and thank god for her!  She has been telling her friend from work all about my cakes and showing her pictures and as a result I got myself another cake order.  This time for her friends father in law who is mad about fishing.  As it was his 65th Birthday coming up and I was travelling across the country to see them anyway, it all worked out perfectly.  I could hand deliver the cake and see my parents at the same time!

The father in law in question, Pete, is aparently big into fishing, so after he was described to me, I set about making a fishing Pete!  I also used piping gel and food colouring to create the wetlook shiney water and I was happy with how it turned out in the end and I'll certainly use it again.

The cake was very well received and I was very pleased with the finished product!

Cake Challenge - August again

So far August is going well for my self set cake challenge! 

I found myself at a loose end this afternoon so I set to and had a go at incorporating royal icing pipe work with a fontant covered cake.  I think I need to work on the steady hand!  I hope with time the piping will become easier and I'll get the hang of applying the right amount of pressure to create the right look and neat lines, but I didn't think it was too bad for a first attempt.

Here is my black damask pattern 2 tier wedding style cake

Cake Challenge - August

Since completing my complex Alice in Wonderland fruit cake, I've not had a chance to get out my cake decorating box, so I decided today to set myself a challenge to practice my cake decorating and keep my creative juices flowing!

I recently purchased different sized polystyrene dummy cakes and once a month (twice if my spare time will allow) I will create a cake decorating masterpiece!  Well that's the plan!  That way I can try my hand at differnt styles such as wedding cakes and children's cakes and practice different techniques.

So with this in mind, here is my August celebration cake

Fondant Cake Number 4 - Button Cake

Can you believe that my borther's girlfriend has the same birthday as me?!
This meant I had a busy week a couple of weeks ago preparing a cake for her as well as myself.

I baked a moist chocolate sponge cake with a chocolate buttercream centre and covered on fondant icing.

She is crazy about buttons so I wanted to make a button themed cake.  I made lots of small fondant icing buttons and placed them on a fondant ribbon around the edge of the cake and arranged all the rest on the top.

I think she liked it and I really hope she enjoyed eating it too :)

Fondant Cake Number 3 - Pink Gift

It was my birthday 2 weeks ago and I had a lot of fun making my own vanilla sponge cake to share with my friends and family at my camping celebrations.

The cake went down well and everyone seemed to enjoy the taste as well as love the look.

Making this cake I discovered that having such design freedom was quite difficult.  When you have a theme to work to, it is easier to get the creative juices flowing!

I decided upon a pink theme because, let's face it, how long can you have a pink cake for before you have to grow up?!

Fondant Cake Number 2 - Road and Trees

I was commissioned to make my first cake recently for the 5th Birthday of a work colleague's son.

This was a vanilla wheat and gluten free cake and the brief was to make a cake that could have a toy tractor placed on the top.

I covered the cake board and cake in a grass colour green fondant icing with a road which travelled up the sides and accross the top.  To add a little something else, I made 4 trees, one to repersent each member of their family, and a little sheep.

I loved the challenge of making this cake and was really nervous handing it over.  I was so desperate for my colleague to like it and to my relief he really did.  I was told after the Birthday party that Charlie loved the cake and managed to eat the sheep in one go!!

Happy 5th Birthday Charlie!

Fondant Cake Number 1 - Ladybird Cake

It was mum's Birthday yesterday... Happy Birthday mum. x

To her her celebrate, I baked a layered vanilla sponge cake with a ladybird theme.

This was my first fondant covered celecration cake and it was a lot of fun to bake and decorate.  I must admit that I was nervous about how it would taste, but to my relief it was given the thumbs up.

I've learnt a lot making this cake and I've a feeling there will be more to come!