Eat Cake Be Merry

Christmas M&M tree

2011-12-27T18:45:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone had a warm and wonderful Christmas weekend! The holidays are always a busy baking season. I'm sure you had your hands full rolling, icing, and baking sweet treats. This year I made an assortment of white chocolate bark with almonds and cranberries, peanut butter blossom cookies, and millionaire shortbread bars. To top it all off, I made a simple yet festive cake that my friend's daughter so kindly helped me decorate. A three tier vanilla cake covered in green buttercream, decorated with colorful m&ms for lights, and a gumpaste star. A quick, simple, and kid-friendly idea for your holiday table!

Flower Pot Cake

2011-12-13T10:04:00.001-05:00

There are a handful of edible flowers in the world like hibiscus, pansies, gardenias and roses...but hydrangeas are not among them. Hydrangeas are actually considered moderately toxic. The best way to eat any flower in my opinion is a sugar flower, of course with chocolate cake crumbs acting as dirt and an orange fondant clay pot!

This flower pot was a small individual sized cake made for a friend who is an avid gardener. I thought it would be an appropriate way to show appreciation for her hobby while celebrating her birthday.

Garden Party Cake: The Knot - Winter 2011

2011-11-16T21:51:00.000-05:00

The new Winter issue of The Knot magazine is now on stands. Check out the cake we made for it. If this design seems familiar it's because we originally made this cake in red/yellow/pink hues (last picture). I love how the same cake can be fitted to any occasion just by changing the color palette!

More Eiffel Tower Cake!

2011-11-04T13:23:00.002-04:00

A couple months ago we made a small Eiffel tower cake for a 16th birthday. This time around we made the same cake...only much larger! This 80th birthday cake barely fit in the trunk of the delivery vehicle as it was almost 4 feet tall and weighed...well, a lot :) This was such a sweet cake to make because three sisters collaborated to get this for their mother's big bash in NYC. When you turn 80, you definately deserve a cake this big!

Here's a look back at the other one. This one was only about 14" tall, but still so cute!

Moustaches, banners and silhouette

2011-10-31T10:35:00.002-04:00

Just Married! We recently made a cake, cupcakes and moustache cookies for a wedding that was held at a bar near the Brooklyn Bridge.

Here's a closer look at the silhouette topper of the excited bride and groom.

The banners are made of all edible gumpaste and the tiers were simply adorned with swiss dots.

The table consisted of our chocolate and red velvet cupcakes, vanilla moustache cookies and the Just Married banner cake. In addition, there were classic black and white cookie from Juniors!

Brides Magazine : White Hot Style Shop

2011-10-25T13:36:00.000-04:00

Last Thurs-Sun Brides Magazine put together a White Hot Style Shop open to the public. It was a large space in Soho filled with dresses, invitations, jewlery, makeup, ideas and more. We had the opportunity to participate in the Style Shop by creating a cake for display and holding a tasting. Here are some pictures from the event!

This cake we made is perfect for brides who want that traditional white wedding cake, but with a modern twist. The tiers are uneven heights and we added a modern chevron pattern that is painted in pearl dust so that it won't stand out too much. A few flowers ended up being the perfect color accents.

We made mini red velvet cupcakes for the tasting on Sunday afternoon.

Baked by Melissa spelled out Brides with mini cupcakes :)
Other beautiful cakes on display at the shop.

Red Velvet Cake Debate

2011-10-14T09:21:00.002-04:00

Ah the ever so popular red velvet. Is it odd to eat something that is so unnaturally red? Is butter based or oil based recipes better? Can it only be made well in the South? Did you know there is vinegar in most red velvet recipes? Does it only taste good when paired with cream cheese frosting? Should I use beet juice or red food coloring? Is it just a hybrid of vanilla and chocolate cake?

If you've ever pondered Red Velvet cake in this way then "The Red Velvet Cake Debate" is where you want to be tonight. From 6:30-9pm, Nichelle Stephens of Cupcakes Take The Cake will be hosting an event surrounding this discussion with a guest panel and of course tastings in the form of cake pops, cupcakes and cake. Check it out.

Also...last year at Target I found none other than...Red Velvet Chocolate Milk!! What?? So I baked a small red velvet cake, took it to a friends house and had everyone try the pairing. :) The milk itself just tasted like extra sweet chocolate milk, but it was fun to experience it.

Brides Magazine Pop Up Shop

2011-10-12T15:29:00.001-04:00

It's back....the Brides Magazine White Hot Style Shop! Open tomorrow on 477 Broome Street in SoHo, the Style Shop is a free pop-up shop were you can meet Brides editors, view the latest bridal fashions, get free hair/makeup trials, sip on cocktails and most importantly... taste cake! We will be handing out mini cupcakes at the shop on Sunday Oct. 16th @ 2pm so be sure to stop by and say hello! We also designed a special cake for the gallery so check that out too.

Thursday Oct. 13-Sunday Oct.16

Check out their website for the daily schedule of events.

NYC Wine and Food Festival 2011

2011-10-06T23:10:00.004-04:00

Last Friday I had the opportunity to assist the talented Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes at the 2011 Food Network NYC Wine and Food Festival. It was such a fun experience filled with lots of tasty desserts and it was great to work with Elisa again! Here are some photos from the night.

We made over 600 of these adorable cake push pops. How cute!

Confetti Cakes table.

With Bobby Flay

Candace Nelson of Sprinkles Cupcakes

Ron Ben Israel aka Sweet Genius

Chef Anne Burrell

Dorie Greenspan, she's so cute :)

Overall it was such a fabulous and fun event to be a part of. Proceeds supported two wonderful causes, Food Bank for NYC and Share our Strength. Check their websites out for more information. Also check out the Confetti Cake blog for more photos!

I (heart) you.

2011-09-21T00:02:00.002-04:00

A small, simple cake can truly remind someone that they are loved.

I made this cake for a friend to give to her husband on his birthday. It was their first time celebrating his birthday together as a married couple. Even if it isn't for a birthday, this would be a cute cake to give to a special person in your life any day of the year. Share your love for someone with a small cake this week :)

A Lot, A Little :: The Knot Fall 2011

2011-09-10T17:59:00.000-04:00

In the current color issue of the Knot, we made two cakes to show how you can incorporate a lot or a little bit of color into your wedding cake. I thought it was a such great concept for a cake story and here's how it turned out. Check out the other "a lot/a little" cakes in the Fall 2011 issue.

America's Most Beautiful Cakes :: Brides September 2011

2011-08-24T11:12:00.029-04:00

Back in January, hundreds of bakers across the country were invited to participate in the Brides Magazine annual search for America's Most Beautiful Cakes. It started with a couple sketches and finally the September issue with the top 24 cakes has hit stands. We are so honored to be selected among the winners. If you have a chance, definately take a look at all the other cakes on Brides.com or buy a copy of the issue, because they are truly beautiful and innovative. Additionally, if you have the Brides Mag iPad app there is an excellent behind the scenes video by wedding style director, Maria McBride, that documents the entire process of the contest.

"A white dress with a black floral overlay gave Liz Shim food for thought. The result? A stylized showpiece featuring flowers painted with lustrous black dust."

(Above photos by Anna Williams for Brides Magazine)
Here are some behind the scenes photos upon delivery at the photo studio.

We originally sent in 3 sample tiles of our design in orange, green, and black. Then we were asked to create the actual cake in both green and black. Finally, the editors narrowed it down to the black one!

For more behind-the-scenes info, check out Aisle Say, which is the blog from the editors of Brides.

Eiffel Tower Cake

2011-08-02T18:39:00.003-04:00

Bonjour! This Eiffel Tower cake was sculpted for a young lady that was celebrating her 16th birthday. Although the cake was served here in NY beforehand, I was told that on the actual day of her birthday she would have the delight of eating a meal at the restaurant inside the Eiffel Tower in France. How fancy and awesome is that?

Here's a view from the top...

The Knot: Summer 2011 Cake Feature

2011-07-14T23:23:00.003-04:00

When I was asked to create a fun cake for the Summer 2011 issue of The Knot, I jumped at the chance to use a pattern that I've been eyeing. I was browsing online for clutches one day and I came across this yellow pattern that I loved and knew had to be on a cake. For this seemingly simple pattern I ended up spending a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to go about getting a sharp look. Stenciling, hand painting, using cutters, making a stamp, etc.... In the end I was reminded of the morsel of truth I was taught while working at Confetti Cakes. Elisa would always say, "the more difficult and time consuming way was usually the right way"...which in this case meant I had to free-hand cut all the light and dark pink pieces with my x-acto. This is how it came out:

Keith Haring

2011-07-05T23:10:00.027-04:00

Ever come across Keith Haring's art work? Maybe on a poster, maybe on a t-shirt, maybe on a mouse pad, but how about on a cake? Unique outlines of people dancing and celebrating were a perfect fit for this couple who wanted to express themselves through the design of their wedding cake.

This Keith Haring inspired cake was covered in black fondant, the dancing figures were piped on with royal, then hand painted gold with edible dust. The J & J logo, created by the couple themselves, was a perfect design for the center. Topping it all off were two dancing dogs, which is another iconic image of Keith Haring.

NYC skyline

2011-05-30T21:37:00.003-04:00

If you love NYC + shopping, this is the cake for you! Well, it was actually for a bride who flew in from Ireland to have her wedding in NYC. Regardless, it definitely will please any urban fashionista.

This is another cake we created with an evening version of the NYC skyline, but for a 40th birthday.

I think of all the skylines I've ever seen, NYC is the most beautiful!`

Baby Shower Cookies

2011-05-08T22:16:00.003-04:00

Blue and Yellow! These onesie and duck cookies were made for a boy's baby shower. Each cookie was individually packaged in clear bags and tied with matching ribbons to make for a wonderful favor for guests to take home and enjoy!

The Knot :: New Jersey

2011-04-06T16:28:00.003-04:00

Last summer I made a cake for my friend Brittany's wedding that had a hand-painted gold damask pattern around it. See our blog post from July 12 for more pics. You can find it now in the Spring/Summer edition of The Knot New Jersey, bonus footage section.

Pipe

2011-04-03T15:02:00.001-04:00

I was contacted by a mom who wanted a sheet cake for her son's 1st birthday. She sent me a copy of her invitation and asked for the design on it to match the cake. After lots of piping and painting here's how it came out :)

Spicy Hues

2011-02-23T19:32:00.001-05:00

February issue of Brides includes one our our cakes in a reception set-up designed with colors like spicy red, tangerine, and magenta.

Happy Valentines Day!!!

2011-02-14T21:47:00.000-05:00

Hope you have a fabulous Valentine's day!
Today I made some some mini red velvet cupcakes simply decorated with the iconic boxed "Sweetheart" candies. Luv Me, Too Cool, Kiss Me, You Rock!

May your special Valentine always be in your heart!

Atlanta Wedding Book

2011-01-30T21:03:00.004-05:00

A while back, wedding planners/stylists Gail Johnson and Hester Parks of Wedding Soiree contacted me and said they were working on a new book. Well, it finally came out this month and we got to contribute some sweets for it! Atlanta Weddings for the Modern, Stylish, and Chic Bride is filled with eye candy for a bride-to-be. You can purchase the book on Amazon or find it at a local bookstore.

We made the cake toppers for this adorably fun cake...the groom has a moustache! Also included are some moustache cookies we made to go along with the whole theme.

Get Married Features

2011-01-30T20:34:00.002-05:00

Get Married Magazine featured our cakes in both their Winter and Spring issues!

The Spring issue included our white pleated cake for an article that Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes wrote. He pairs different bride's personalities with their cake style. Our bride was Khloe, who is trendy, sassy, and fashion conscious.

In the Winter issue, our yellow flower cake is part of a beautiful aqua and yellow inspiration page.

10 Best Wedding Cakes of 2010

2010-12-31T18:25:00.000-05:00

Today is the last day of 2010 and what a great way to close the year......one of our cakes has been chosen to be part of the "10 Best Wedding Cakes of 2010" by Brides.com!

Photo: Steven Torres

Here is the blub that went along with it.

"We continued to be impressed by cake designers and their innovative sources of inspiration: This cake was inspired by Bottega Veneta's Spring 2010 ready-to-wear collection. We love its sharply angled top tier, bold, asymmetrical stripes, and unexpected color scheme. Cake byEatCakeBeMerry"

Happy New Year Everyone! We hope you are as excited for 2011 as we are.

:: Merry Christmas ::

2010-12-25T22:37:00.002-05:00

Christmas cookies we made this year !

Merry Christmas !!!

May your holidays be filled with sweet treats and...joy!

Check out this Pastry Chef nutcracker I found.

2011 : Honeysuckle

2010-12-09T23:32:00.001-05:00

2010 was the year for Turquoise but 2011 is the year for.....Honeysuckle! Pantone (the authority on color) announced honeysuckle to be the color for the upcoming year. It's such a beautiful hue and I'm excited to see this color being used in plenty of weddings and cake designs :) Check out Pantone to read more about the characteristics of Honeysuckle.

Leaves, leaves, leaves!

2010-12-09T23:17:00.001-05:00

The Fall/Winter issue of The Knot Magazine features a cake of ours that is simply decorated with mod leaf outlines. Two tones of green are all you need for this contemporary and eco-designed cake.

The cake made it on the Editor's Letter page too :)

Here's a close up!

Brides: Haute and Spicy

2010-11-08T20:07:00.000-05:00

Haute and Spicyyy. The November issue of Brides Magazine takes you through the story of a couple, Annika and Derek, who take an exotic two week trip to the other side of the world and come back with a handful of inspiration for their upcoming wedding. Their set-up is complete with Balinese linens, Thai street food on sticks, a white Indian sari,...and a cardamom-cinnamon cake with apricot filling, which we made! The flavors, colors, and patterns of this 5-tier cake are reminiscent of Moroccan patterns.

Grey and Lime

2010-10-25T23:21:00.003-04:00

For some reason, I love working with variations of grey. When this brooklyn bride told me she was looking for a cake decorated in grey and lime green I was so thrilled! I covered this two tier cake with individually painted and scored fluted-round circles. Then I added a small tier in between that was wrapped in lime green to give it a pop of color. Finally, sitting on top was a bouquet of purple centered calla lilies. It's the first time I've seen such an amazing variation of this flower. The bride sent us this nice photo of the cake before it was cut and devoured :)

While I was setting up the cake and adding flowers to the top, the flower girl came up to me and asked me if she could have some :)

Bridal Guide

2010-10-24T23:01:00.000-04:00

The current issue of Bridal Guide features our textured pinwheel cake in hues of white, cream, and ivory in a story called "Whiten Up."

"Textured gumpaste pinwheels add a playful yet posh punch to this three-tiered vanilla confection, filled with delicious mocha buttercream."

Moustache

2010-10-05T15:17:00.000-04:00

Moustaches have recently become such a popular prop for fabulously silly wedding photos. They are everywhere! So naturally someone asked us to make moustache cookies for their wedding...how cute!

I saw this picture of a bride and her bridesmaids on Wedding Bee if you are curious about the craze I'm talking about :)

Brides: Cost saving tips

2010-09-28T13:42:00.009-04:00

The current edition of local Brides Magazine features our cakes in a very interesting cost story. We made two cakes with the same colors and same shape, but for different budgets. The price per slice really depends on the techniques used and the amount of labor involved. Hand-made sugar flowers, intricate cut-outs, and poured sugar details are among the highlighted factors that will increase the costs.

Check out the story to find out ways to save money when ordering your wedding cake. Ours are the purple and lavender cakes :)

Here's a close-up of the details on the embossed sugar ribbon cake:

Brides: Style Inspiration

2010-08-15T15:22:00.001-04:00

This month's issue of Brides local magazine is out! We made a two-tier angular cake for a wedding inspiration board based off of Bottega Veneta's Spring 2010 collection. The sharp shape of the top tier mimics the one shoulder pieces that are prevalent in the collection.

Tune In!

2010-08-05T14:12:00.009-04:00

This coming Monday @ 10/9c, TLC's 4-episode special called Fabulous Cakes comes to a close. The show features a number of bakeries in Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and finally New York! A couple wonderful ladies and I had the chance to help out the uber talented Kate Sullivan of Cake Power as one of the featured bakeries in NYC. Tune in to watch as we help her create a huge springer spaniel and a fairytale mushroom cake!

All hands on deck for the dog cake:

Fairytale mushroom cake:

BinkyV, Kate, me, Daphnie

The Knot : Color Issue

2010-07-28T12:07:00.002-04:00

The Fall color issue of the Knot is out! We had the pleasure to make a colorful confection for their cake spread. Ours is the white cake with the yellow and orange dots!

This thick issue is filled with pages and pages of colorful cakes, bouquets, real weddings, dresses, etc. Take a look at what the hottest color trends of this year are and learn how to use them when planning your own wedding. For example, grey is the new black and neon is in!

Here is a peak at some of the gorgeous cakes: Go grab a copy!

(Ours is the dotted one on the left)

Threadcakes competition

2010-07-14T20:35:00.002-04:00

Threadless is a graphic t-shirt company, with lots of witty, creative, and interesting designs. If you haven't heard already, they host this competition called Threadcakes, which is awesome. The premise is that you pick one of their gazillion t-shirt designs and translate it into a cake! The competition ends Aug. 16th. Can't wait to see what people come up with this year :)

Here's a glimpse of the winners from last year!
3D category: Noah Express by Jennifer Flynn

2D category: Impostor in the Bird Hotel by Alex Waite

If you are not into creating a cake, you can also create a t-shirt design and submit it to Threadles.com and they may put it into print. They have an ongoing, open call for design submissions. Who knows, maybe the following year someone will make a cake based off your t-shirt design!

Gold Damask

2010-07-12T13:24:00.004-04:00

A very close friend of mine got married on 4th of July down at Battery Gardens and I had the pleasure of making a cake for her intimate event. I stenciled a damask pattern then hand painted it gold. Time consuming, but definitely worth it. To it, I added a simple flower with gold lining. The flavors were red velvet with cream cheese frosting (our most popular combo!)

We also made 5 cupcakes with a ring hidden in one of them. Instead of a bouquet toss, the single ladies were told to grab one and who ever finds the ring in theirs will get married next! (except the funny thing was, the girl who got it was in middle school :) hehe)

Icing Smiles :)

2010-07-08T22:50:00.005-04:00

When I first heard of Icing Smiles, I just thought, wow, what an amazing organization. Icing smiles is a non-profit that provides cakes to children that are affected by a critical illness. Every birthday is a victory for these kids and can there be anything better than putting a smile on their faces? You can sponsor a cake for a child, or better yet, you can bake a cake yourself and donate it to them. There are so many ways to get involved and use your talents to help brighten a child's day. Check out their website to learn more about Icing Smiles and read the inspirational story about how they started. Please spread the word!

This is a recent cake made by Kate of Lovin Sullivan Cakes for a 9yr old boy named Ben. :)

People Magazine Laptop Cake

2010-06-24T16:30:00.005-04:00

At the beginning of the month I got a phone call from People Magazine saying they were doing a story on online dating. Apparently 1 in 5 couples met on the web! So they requested a laptop cake, but it still had to look like a traditional white wedding cake with a topper too. Here's the cake and story.

At the delivery I met Lori and her fiancee Jeff who shared with me their crazy story. Ten years ago they were set-up and went on a date. She blew him off. Then three years later, they were set up again. No chemistry. The THIRD time, they were matched up on match.com and.....now they are getting married :) Check out the issue to read about 4 other couples and their online dating stories.

Scrambled Letters Cake

2010-06-24T09:59:00.001-04:00

All you need is ...

Where fate greets the sun...

2010-06-22T12:22:00.001-04:00

One of our clients wrote a short poem for her fiancee and wanted to incorporate that into her cake. How meaningful :) It goes like this : By the ocean I gave my heart, where fate greets the sun. Where tides rise to kiss the surf, where love rides and hope floats.

Setting up at Manhattan Penthouse

With all the extra flowers we made....

First Birthday!

2010-06-21T12:20:00.002-04:00

This past weekend we made a birthday cake for a cute little girl turning one. It was an orange and yellow version of our classic birthday banner cake with the addition of bumble bees and various animals.

Hap-BEE birthday Soleil! Flavors were red velvet with cream cheese frosting AND vanilla cake with peanut-butter buttercream and rasp preserves.

(201) Bride

2010-06-21T12:15:00.000-04:00

The latest issue of (201) Bride features a collection of six cakes designed after fairy tales. We created a cake for the story of Show White.

"...this cake captures the wholesome innocence of this classic story. Three tiers, white as snow, topped with a bounty of fresh-picked apples makes this cake the fairest of them all. Fondant ribbon wraps each tier in the colors of a forest. The perfect centerpiece for a fall wedding, this apple flavored cake is tastefully complemented with a brown sugar buttercream filling."

Baby Tigger

2010-06-13T00:28:00.001-04:00

A couple months ago I had a consultation with a friend for a baby shower and she handed me an image of Disney Cuties baby tigger. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to use it because it was way too cute! Apparently 2010 is the year of the tiger...hence Tiger Man and theme.
Here is the progression of tigger:

The finished cake:

Kitchen Wedding

2010-06-08T22:51:00.001-04:00

Serious foodies will swoon over the concept of a chef's table reception in the current issue of Brides Magazine! The space: Hudson Yards Catering, owned by famed restauranteur Danny Meyer. The food: Upscale comfort fare. The cake: Chocolate cake with banana buttercream by...us!

Our cake was covered in chocolate fondant and decorated with colored bands to match the ribbons used in the decor. Instead of sitting on a traditional cake stand, it was set on top of eco-chic cardboard forms that you can buy at CardBoardDesign.

If you are having a small intimate wedding, definitely consider this chef's table idea! As said in the article, " After all, the best bashes are the ones where everyone ends up in the kitchen".

Inspirations

2010-05-18T15:44:00.003-04:00

The sweet ladies of Lolliblog have these awesome "inspiration to creation" posts and a couple weeks back they asked me to create a visual way to show readers my thought process in creating various cake designs. Inspiration can come from anywhere as you can see here: a vase, a hand bag, birthday decor, and a valentine's day card. You can see these and the others (jcrew sweater, 3-ring binder) by visiting the posts over at Lolliblog: 4/12, 5/5, 5/6. Enjoy!

1,000 Ideas for Decorating Cupcakes, Cookies, & Cakes

2010-04-30T14:20:00.000-04:00

Rockport Publishers/Quarry Books has released a number of a "1,000 series" books such as 1,000 Jewelry Inspirations, 1,000 Ideas for Creative Re-use, 1,000 Artisan Textiles, etc and I'm pleased to share with you that their newest addition is 1,000 Ideas for Decorating Cupcakes, Cookies, & Cakes!

Seven of our portfolio cakes will be featured alongside 993 great sweets :) This is definitely a book you should get if you need design inspiration, want to see various techniques for all three mediums, or simply like looking at pretty desserts! It's also a great book to give as a gift to all the home bakers in your life.

The book will be out in November, but you can pre-order copies now at Amazon.

TLC's Ultimate Cake Off

2010-04-27T15:38:00.004-04:00

A couple months ago I went to California to assist Katie Robinson of The Painted Lily with a cake competition: TLC's Ultimate Cake Off. Well, it aired last night and if you missed it you can watch the entire episode on TLC's website! It was a fun experience and it was awesome to meet all the contestants, judges, crew, and the other girls on the team.

Left to Right: Alison, Katie, myself, Eva

The assistants

Damask

2010-04-27T13:53:00.002-04:00

Damask has been an increasingly popular pattern to apply on cakes and here is one version we did for a cake this past weekend.

Cymbidiums are so pretty :)

Cricut cake

2010-04-14T13:48:00.002-04:00

If you're an avid scrapbooker or crafter, you've probably have heard of the Cricut. It's a paper cutting machine and there are various cartridges with many designs you can choose from. Well....just last night Cricut Cake was launched for purchase on HSN. Although it was midnight and I rarely tune in to home shopping channels, I was curious and found myself watching the demo for Cricut Cake and I'll admit, it's pretty cool. You just have to load a thin sheet of gumpaste into the machine, choose your design, and press cut. What you are left with is a clean, fast, and easy applique for your cakes, cookies, and cupcakes. I think it's an innovative product for beginning/home bakers, but you've got to be making a lot of treats to make up for the price of this machine and the cartridges :) As for me, I think I'll be sticking to my own devices (aka my hands and an x-acto)

Here are some examples of cakes decorated with the Cricut Cake from their website.

Tables Galore

2010-04-12T15:43:00.003-04:00

The current issue of Brides Magazine features incredible dessert tables by Amy Atlas. We had the opportunity to work with her in creating a few different treats for the three setups. Fuchsia dahlia cupcakes, blossom motif cookies, raspberry and chocolate cupcakes, chevron patterned cookies and cupcakes! Also, look at the beautiful cakes created by Kate Sullivan :)

* Three images of tables + chevron cupcakes via AmyAtlas Blog.

Also, check out Lollipop Designs Blog for some "inspiration-to-creations" of our cakes. This one was inspired by the pinwheel appliques on a Jcrew cardigan :)

Cox&Cox

2010-04-02T13:39:00.002-04:00

Wow, my friend told me today to check out the website to a company in the UK called Cox & Cox. It's like a combination of the Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, Anthropologie, Kate's Paperie, Etsy....a mix of everything that is good. :) They have things for the home, toys, gardening, crafts, and wedding stuff. While browsing all the things they offer, I found some awesome baking stuff. (Yes, they ship internationally)

Cookie cutters with built in slits, so you can have milk and cookies (tea and biscuits) all in one hand. Genius.

Chronicle Books Cupcake Kit

2010-03-22T12:50:00.001-04:00

If you were curious as to where the polk-a-dot cupcake wrappers for the Brides shoot came from, they were a part of a cupcake kit produced by Chronicle Books. I initially bought it because I thought the packaging was done really well and who can resist buying something so cute? When I opened it, I discovered there was much more to it than I saw. Inside is an awesome book with various cupcake recipes, and on the top, there are piping bags, pastry tips, and couplers. Everything you need for basic decorating are in this kit!

Look familiar? We photographed some of these pretty wrappers for the EatCupcake background on our website :)

Brides April: Turquoise and Orange

2010-03-19T10:15:00.006-04:00

Recently, we had the pleasure of creating a mini cake and mini cupcakes for the April issue of Brides Magazine. The desserts were designed to complement the orange and turquoise cake stands that are made from repurposed candlesticks by a Seattle based company iacoli & mcallister.

*For the mini cake: The paillettes were made with an #806 tip and pressed in the center with a ball tool for a cupped shape. Then orange royal icing dots are pipped in the center.

*For the cupcakes: Orange disks were topped with A's (using FMM gumpaste letter cutters) and a turquoise dot border.

These would be a good addition to a wedding dessert table or even an intimate bridal shower.

Papergraphic Illustrations

2010-03-17T15:23:00.002-04:00

Last year I saw the work of artist Yulia Brodsyaka and I was in awe of what someone can do with paper. PAPER! As I was flipping through the pages of the latest issue of Martha Stewart mag yesterday, I saw that her work featured in it as well and it's beautiful. You must see more of Yulia's work on her site.

Also, Happy St. Patricks Day! If you are interested in learning about some Irish wedding customs/traditions, make your way over to the blog of Strictly Weddings. They are a premier wedding site helping brides with various vendors in Chicago and Dallas, but will soon launch a New York site as well. We look forward to being one of their cake vendors for NY.

Meri Meri!

2010-03-15T01:39:00.002-04:00

Recently, I went to scope out Chef Central in Paramus, NJ. The place is huge and they have an amazing selection of bakeware, cookware, books, equipment, and even classes. If you live anywhere near there, it's worth a visit. (Then you should swing by Bobby's Burger Palace in the same town, which is Bobby Flay's new burger venture. Delicious!)

As I was browsing the cake decorating isle at Chef Central, I saw these precious little cupcake kits. They are created by Meri Meri and come in various themes such as birthdays, bridal showers, and baby showers. (You can order them online too. They make matching napkins, invitations, and centerpieces.) Aren't they just fantastic?!?

Brides New York

2010-03-09T00:04:00.001-05:00

Catch us in the current issue of Brides New York:

Single Anemonie

2010-03-08T23:51:00.003-05:00

I just came back from sunny CA, which I will share more about next month. Before I left, I made a cake for a friend's 30th birthday. I made a pink and brown cake to match the colors of the balloons that filled the room and adorned it with a single oversized anemonie.

I love using these black stamens. Most cake stores carry them now, but I do have a friend who once couldn't find them so she individually dipped white ones in black food coloring and it turned out to be a messy disaster :)

Check out this great blog that my cousin's friend has. Cutest Food is a blog about..well ultra cute food! We are glad to have been part of an entry last week. Here's a glimpse of the site:

New Jersey Bride Spring 2010

2010-02-04T17:21:00.003-05:00

Our stitched flower cake is in the current issue of New Jersey Bride magazine :) It's on stands till April, so grab a copy if you're a NJ bride looking for inspiration, local vendors, and venues in the Garden State.

Message-In-A-Cookie

2010-01-29T15:58:00.001-05:00

When I saw these "message-in-a-cookie" cutters from Williams Sonoma I had the same expression on my face as when I see a really cute baby :) Making beautiful cookies CAN be easy! Just slide in the customized message you want, roll out some dough, press the shape out, and bake. The words will automatically imprint into the dough. These look great with a little bit of royal icing embellishment or just as is. Can't wait to try them out!

Best Wedding Cakes of 2009

2010-01-16T12:18:00.001-05:00

Brides.com has picked our purple cake with grey and black pinwheels as one of the "Best Wedding Cakes of 2009" Check out the gallery to see what other cakes made it on the list!

Also, if you are having a wedding within the next few weeks of winter and haven't decided on a cake yet, check out Brides.com selection of Winter Wedding Cakes. Our white shimmery cake with handmade flowers are among the selections.

Engagements

2010-01-14T12:55:00.002-05:00

I've been hearing that the most popular time of the year to get engaged is between Thanksgiving to New Years. Makes sense. Just enough time to plan for a summer wedding, a season surrounded by family, and what's a better Christmas gift than a diamond ring?!? :) To my friends who recently got engaged and all those who rang in the new year with a new fiancée, congratulations!!!

A couple months ago I made gumpaste cake toppers for a friend's wedding. Since then, there have been more orders for personalized brides/grooms. Here are some photos of recent couples :)

Holiday 2009

2010-01-01T10:42:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!!
I can't believe this year...and decade is already over!. 2009 was a fantastic beginning for EatCakeBeMerry and I have been so thankful for the various clients that have given us the opportunity to do what we love each day and make creative cakes. I am also thankful for the many bloggers and publications that have shared our cakes with their readers and helped us grow. I am so excited for what 2010 has in store for us and I hope this year is filled with many merry occasions for everyone!

Holiday cookies '09.

Hope you have a wonderful new year!!!!! 2010

Mets Cap

2009-12-22T00:26:00.003-05:00

For you Mets fans out there....

One tool I love to use when making gumpaste decorations is the stitching tool. I took this one from my mom's alteration kit :) It creates such a realistic pattern and dimension, which is perfect for the stitching on this hat!

Stay warm, it's almost Christmas!!

Blog Features

2009-12-09T23:21:00.003-05:00

Sweet madeline cake for my friend Nanette's 25th Birthday!
White cake with fresh strawberry buttercream :) Hand-cut gumpaste numbers painted with edible gold.

Brides.com (website for Brides Magazine) posted us in a Get to Know feature.

Head to the Hip Hostess blog to read what I see as the top 5 trends in wedding cakes! Vibrant colors, monograms, graphic motifs, eco-friendly....

Manolo for the Brides shares that our cakes can be cute and sophisticated at the same time :)

Cake with Kate

2009-12-02T15:53:00.009-05:00

During the craziness of Thanksgiving week, I had an opportunity to help Kate Sullivan from Lovin Sullivan Cakes on an extraordinary Bar Mitvah cake. The cake was themed after AND delivered to the new Yankee Stadium. Kate is a seasoned cake competitor (Food Network cake challenges, TLC cake off...) and this awesome cake might as well have been one of them!

Kate stacking the bottom tiers.

Here's me painting the Yankee's hat for the top

Kate was the first designer that I interned for when I moved to New York and since then, she has been a cake mentor to me. Not to mention, she and her family are absolutely the sweetest people in the city! Her cakes are stylized, elegant, modern, and colorful. Appropriately named a Modern Bride Trendsetter in 2008, her work never ceases to amaze me.

About a year ago, I was also able to help her with the seasonal collection of cakes from the Real Simple Weddings magazine that's currently still on stands!

Check out her website not only to see her cakes, but also her blog, videos, and cake challenge photos!

Cake Questions

2009-12-02T14:33:00.002-05:00

Merci New York and I collaborated to answer a few commonly asked caked questions that brides might have as they look for their wedding cake. Check out their wonderful site and here are some of the questions to help you:

What should a bride bring to her initial consultation?
At consultations, I always ask a bride to bring various inspirations such as photos, color palettes, themes, their invitation samples, patterns, or any other ideas ideas they've been dreaming of. If your fiancée cannot come with you, it's always a good idea to bring a friend or family member rather than coming alone. They can provided valuable feedback in moments of indecisiveness and act as creative support.

Which frosting is the best for wedding cakes?
We coat all our cakes in a layer of buttercream and then finish it off with a layer of fondant. I believe it produces the cleanest finish and is the best method of preservation because it seals in the cake from air. Everyone thinks fondant tastes so horrible, but there are international brands that are delicious and flavored fondant (such as white chocolate and milk chocolate) that taste like tootsie rolls. It's also very simple for your caterer to remove fondant from the cake before serving it to your guests, so don't automatically rule it out because of the myths.

What is the biggest misconception brides have about their wedding cake?
I think the most popular misconception is that wedding cakes look great but taste bad. Wrong, your wedding cake can taste amazing! There are crucial points to consider to overcome this mistaken belief.
1. Make sure you choose a great baker that will use the freshest and finest ingredients. Lots of bakeries use shortening instead of real butter, low quality cocoa, and imitation extracts to cut their costs. It's okay to ask these questions and it's always better to pay a little more for a baker that will use quality ingredients. The final product can only be as good as the ingredients that go into it.
2. Make sure they will bake your cake the week of the event instead of using frozen stock.
3. Be sure to keep it simple and choose flavors that complement each other. If you don't know what kind of buttercream goes best with your pumping cake, don't choose pistachio just because it's good and it's your favorite. Certain flavors pair better with each other so ask your baker for recommendations. {I'd say cream cheese}! This is why the tasting consultation is such a crucial part of wedding planning.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T03:54:00.003-05:00

Regardless of how much turkey, casserole, and yams I eat, there's always room for dessert. I'm sure you can agree! My vote always go to pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, but if you are not into pie, celebrate with a seasonal pumpkin cake/cupcakes with cream cheese frosting!

Cut out maple leaves...

Lay them on a silicon leaf impression and press. (Stores sell ones specifically for maple impressions, but I used a general one that is good for a wide variety of leaves. Plus, these are pretty pricey so unless you are making a lot of them or really want to be botanically correct, this will do.)

Time for some dusting to liven up these leaves. Here is the color lineup:

Cupcakes!

Enjoy! Have a delicious and merry Thanksgiving with family/friends!

Blog Feature + Interview

2009-11-25T01:39:00.002-05:00

Kelly from Glamour This! posted a short interview about us this week. Check out her beautiful blog or read on to learn a little bit more about myself and how EatCakeBeMerry started!

How did you come up with your company name?
When I was trying to name my business, the phrase “Eat, drink, and be merry” came to mind because it encompassed such a great action (eat) and emotion (merry). So I wanted to adopt the vibe for my business because I think its pretty natural for everyone to be merry after eating some delicious and beautiful cake! Hence EatCakeBeMerry.

What made you start this business – the major turning point?
After I finished culinary school in San Francisco, I came to New York and had the opportunity to work with some renown cake designers. Then I got married and stepped away for a couple months, which is the period when I truly realized there is no other job I’d rather do. So I started making cakes again for family/friends and from there it organically blossomed into my own venture.

What inspires you?
I’m a very visual person so most of what I see in my day to day life inspires me. Stationary, department store displays, greeting cards, magazines, scrapbook/craft supplies, clothing, jewelry/accessories, buildings, product packaging,…you name it. I’ve made cakes adapted from designs on a 3-ring binder and even bed sheets from Anthropology.

What is the best part about your job?
The best part of of making cakes all day is getting to eat the scraps :) Really, it’s being able to translate a couple’s personality and interests into a meaningful and unique cake for their special day.

Whats the process?
The process starts off months before the event with a consultation, which is when I get to know the bride and groom. There we collaborate to create a great design and chose flavor combinations. Few days before the cake is due, we start making the decorations, baking/building the tiers, and the day before the event we assemble the final product, which is then ready to head over to the venue.

Tell us a little about yourself, to get to know you more
I’m a midwest girl at heart. I spent half my childhood in Ilinois and the other half in Michigan. I went to Univ. of Michigan and was studying to be either a dentist (always wanting to work with my hands) or a math teacher until I discovered cake design the summer of my sophomore year. As soon as I graduated, I headed to SanFran to learn more about baking/pastry then went to New York City because that’s were my finacee at the time was. After a year there, I got married and moved across the river to Jersey, which was a great decision because now I get to awe over the NYC skyline every day :)

Blog Features

2009-11-23T19:47:00.001-05:00

Jennifer of Destination I Do Magazine wrote up great feature about us and perfectly assigned some of our cakes to each of the four seasons! The pictures in their mag really makes me want to create a beach themed cake and makes me wish I had a destination wedding on some island rather than on the Hudson River :)

One White Dress is correct when they say our cakes don't take themselves too seriously. They are meant to be playful, fun, and colorful, yet graceful enough to be at your wedding. If you are planning your big day and looking for inspiration boards, go visit their site. They have a whole section dedicated to them in every color combination imaginable!

I stumbled upon...Mints Design blog. East meets West in floral design. They design stationary too. How cool is that? Check out our feature in the "inspiration" section.

Blog Features

2009-11-19T01:39:00.003-05:00

One Lovely Day is the blog for Project Wedding, which is a a national online resource/community for everything wedding related with a focus on vendor recommendations. Jeannie was so sweet enough to post two entries about eatcakebemerry so check both of them out :) A Merry Morning and Sweet Score.

What Junebug Loves is the blog for the amazing Junebug Weddings. If you are planning to have your wedding in Seattle, LA, or the OC you have to visit their site. They even have a Groombug section for men! As for us, we have been featured on their blog this week.

Three of our cakes have been added to the One Wed cake gallery, which is an extensive online resource/community for brides and grooms. They have checklists, forums, vendors, advice, and even a honeymoon planning section.

Amy Jean of Relentless Bride (who also wrote about us in a Weddzilla post last week) shares some photos of our sweets. I'm glad that in a moment of stress, she was able to relax by looking at our cakes!

Inc. Weddings calls our cakes "yummy gorgeousness" in their post of us this week. These passionate wedding producers create such personal, beautiful, and detailed events. Visit their site to see more.

I heard of Wedding Soiree when I was down in Georgia visiting my parents and today they blogged about us! If you are looking for wedding coordinators down there, check out their modern, stylish, and chic packages.

Beautiful Things to Share shared about us last friday. From its name it's pretty self explanatory, but it's a blog about all things beautiful :) Glad to see that bloggers beyond the wedding industry are taking interest in our cakes also!

Hope you enjoy checking out these posts and I'll have a sneak peak at some cookies we've been working on at eatcakebemerry very soon!

Stitched Flower Cake and Blog Features

2009-11-13T15:50:00.003-05:00

Here are some great blog features for this week:

An InStyle Magazine blogger included us in a roundup of what's now in weddings on the web.

Weddzilla entry by Amy Jean (of Relentless Bride) highlights a few of our cakes and asks what your cake style is.

Merry Poet How about celebrating a birthday with one of our cakes?

Here are just a few snippets of the process when I made the stitched flower cake. I call it stitched because I took a stitching tool to draw lines in the petals/leaves so it would have the effect of felt flower appliques. Happy Friday!
Started with a sketch

Gathered some edible dusts to paint the petal cutouts with: watermelon, carnation pink, and white.

Blog Features

2009-11-05T23:52:00.004-05:00

EatCakeBeMerry has popped up on various blogs this week and I wanted to share the links so you can not only read what the bloggers have to say about us, but also visit THEIR awesome sites. Most are vendors so hopefully you can find these to be good resources as your plan your own wedding!

SwoonOverIt (TheBlissfulBride) A modern caligraphy studio in Florida. Shirts, signs, addressing, maps...she does it all!

Behind the Knot Passionate wedding blogger also from Florida. Erinn is so sweet and has a great collection of inspration boards you might want to see.

Amy Atlas Events NYC event planner who is well known for her signature dessert tables. You have to take a look at her gorgeous and extensive portfolio!

Maida Vale Invitations Modern Invitation Designs. Such clean, simple, and colorful designs! Check out her etsy shop also.

Wedding Bells Canadian Bridal magazine. Posted by Rosie's Ideas. I think I've seen this magazine in the States also.

Wedding Fresh Dani is a pro at tailored wedding planning. She offers a variety of packages to help ease the process of creating a couple's dream day.

Gwyneth Paige Couture letterpress and very eco-friendly too :) Can't wait for their main site to be launched!

The Cinderlla Project A great blog dedicated to wonderful wedding inspiration!

Blog Features and Halloween

2009-10-30T08:35:00.000-04:00

Some new blog features for this week:

From I will to I do is a blog written by the senior editor of Brides.com. Posted are a ways to get ideas for your wedding cake and links to great galleries.

JolieJolie is an awesome blog written by one of my friends, Lisa, out in Cali. The catch phrase for her blog is "all things prettiful," which is definitely what you can expect from her entries. Pretty ideas, products, and images!

Private Receptions is a talented wedding planning and design group in NYC. For the post, I recommended two important tips for creating a great wedding cake.

Halloween is this Saturday and I made some spooky decorated cookies for the occasion! Trick or Treat!

Sport Cakes Part2:Basketball

2009-10-27T02:21:00.010-04:00

On Sunday I watched the Yankees win their 40th ALCS and later this week they will play in the World Series! Tomorrow is also the start of the NBA basketball season. To celebrate these two things, I have put together a "sports cakes" feature. (see part 1 entry below for the baseball cake)

This life size basketball cake was made for my husband's 28th birthday! He loves anything basketball and was even a manager for the University of Michigan basketball team for 4 years. Go blue!

I started off by making a wood grain base to replicate the hardwood floors of a basketball court. Then I carved the cake to make a sphere. Half the cake was styrofoam simply because I only needed the cake to feed ~8-10 people.

I think it took roughly two hours to poke all these little holes. It's the details that matter!

This is a comparison of the real ball on the left and the cake on the right. I boosted the orange color for the fondat because I thought the real ball was too dark for a celebration cake.

Sports Cakes Part1:Baseball

2009-10-27T01:57:00.004-04:00

Making of the gumpaste logos...

Blog Feature

2009-10-25T00:14:00.000-04:00

Things Festive has featured us on their blog today. They sell pretty much anything you could possibly need for a wedding! So if you are looking for favors, guest books, cake toppers...check out their site :)

Blog Feature

2009-10-24T04:00:00.000-04:00

Eatcakebemerry is featured on Texas Wedding Guide. Check out what they have to say :) Glad the weekend is here!

D+J Cake

2009-10-23T09:10:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, I went to Seattle for a friend's wedding. The city was so quaint, and I especially loved the Queen Anne area. The views were great, market was fun, seafood was tasty, air was clean, but yes there was a lot of rain. The wedding itself was fun and it was really good to see another one of our friends tie the knot! This is the cake I made for them to match their green/brown color palette. The wedding had a very eco-friendly vibe and so did the new Hyatt Olive8.

For the character toppers, I started with basic shapes to make bodies and heads.

I dressed up the bodies first with a halter gown to match the bride's actual dress shape and a snazzy tux for the groom. I then decorated the heads, added hands, and a bouquet of flowers.

I just had to switch up the heads to have a laugh :)

Exchanging vows and saying I do's

Once I got there, I painted her dress shimmery white and added a veil to her head. Topped them on the cake and voila!

Congrats David and JiHye!

Blog Feature

2009-10-20T08:28:00.000-04:00

Eatcakebemerry is featured on With This Ring blog today! Check out this blog for great photos of real weddings and inspiration for the big day.

Blog Feature

2009-10-19T08:08:00.000-04:00

EatCakeBeMerry has been featured on Venessa Kaines Design blog, which celebrates all things design! I'm glad that cakes are no longer seen as just food for celebrations, but also as a unique medium for art and design.

Blog Features

2009-10-16T14:54:00.005-04:00

There are two more blog features for eatcakebemerry online!

eInvites is a blog for an invitation company that has an extensive array of cards, invitations, stationary, etc. that you can order online. They have great stuff!

I got an email a couple days ago from a new wedding planner in Canada. Canada! She also featured me on her blog at La Petite Blogger. She had such delightful things to say on her captions for each photo.

Lela Blog Feature

2009-10-15T14:59:00.000-04:00

Lela New York is couture invitation and stationary studio in NYC. They have amazing and fancy design! Check their stuff out at Lela New York

I was featured on their blog today and wanted to share the Q&A that was posted. Find it at Lela New York Blog

Alight, flying out to Seattle for a friend's wedding!

Blog Features

2009-10-15T13:11:00.000-04:00

Check out today's blog feature on both Brooklyn Bride and The Inspired Bride !

Blog feature

2009-10-10T01:57:00.000-04:00

My friend from college has an awesome wedding blog/website http://everthinemineours.com/2009/10/09/eat-cake-be-merry/ . Such a great resource for inspiration and ideas! Today she was kind enough to write an entry about eatcakebemerry! So exciting. Check it out!

Leaf Cake

2009-10-06T17:52:00.000-04:00

This past weekend marked the 6th year of RWC so I got to make a small cake for the celebration.

I blew up the image of their logo which was a leaf and cut out a template as well as a base. Filled it with raspberry preserves and vanilla buttercream.

Covered it in white fondant, then cut out a green gumpaste outline as well as letters in two different fonts.

Ok all done, ready to go get eaten!

The best part of this whole cake though?? I forgot that I left the fridge setting on HIGH max so the cake would chill faster and that evening....BOOOM there was an explosion in my fridge! The diet Pepsi's in the back couldn't handle the cold :) Lets just say I had to clean out every nook and cranny of the fridge that evening.

Green Tea Coca Cola?!?!

2009-10-06T17:00:00.000-04:00

I went to Mitsuwa (awesome japanese grocery store in Edgewater) yesterday to grab some lunch in their food court and I scanned the beverage isle to find something to quench my thirst and I saw the weirdest thing. Green Tea Coca Cola....

I wasn't brave enough to get it because when I imagined the flavor combination in my mouth, it didn't seem so tasty. Has anyone tried this? I might have to go back and get it because I'm just way to curious. Who knows I might be pleasantly surprised. It's a pretty advertisement though!

Finally!

2009-10-05T20:59:00.001-04:00

WAHOOOooOO! The website has officially been launched! Check it out : EatCakeBeMerry.com

Happy Birthday Banner

2009-10-03T22:41:00.004-04:00

I saw this image of a birthday banner ( I think Martha Stewart) and I thought the colors and string banner idea were cute, so I decided to translate this to a cake.

First, I made orange and pink disks and punched two holes on the top with piping tips. Def two holes, not one, so the disks can lay flat against the cake. Then I cut out letters using Tapp-its to spell out Happy Birthday.

I also made a larger disk for the top.

Once dry, I strung all the disks together with a ribbon.

Here its all connected

I glued the circles to the side of the cake with royal icing and put little bows on the corner. Finished it off with a big #5 on the top.

Done Done Done and photographed with a nicer camera :) Enjoy

Best Wife Ever

2009-10-03T22:14:00.001-04:00

I recently made a cake for someone I know who wanted to treat his wife with a special cake for her birthday this year. It was a simple and small cake that I made for their family, but it came back with so much gratitude. As a baker, it made me so happy to know that something as simple as a cake can make a person feel special and appreciated.

I made a bunch of blossoms, large and small. I dried them on a cookie rack so they they would maintain their cupped shape.

Then I dusted them with petal dust in various colors.

New Book and Sneak Peak

2009-10-02T03:28:00.000-04:00

I was at Barnes yesterday and I passed by this book. It immediately caught my eye so I sat on the floor below all the cooking books and started going through the pages. Omggg, this is a great book. They have really creative cakes and good techniques to know, esp the ganache trick. I think this is a great book to have and its like $9.98 which is SUCH a great price compared to some of the other cake decorating books out on the market. I've heard of Planet Cake awhile back and its this company Paris Cutler started in Australia. Check out their website www.planetcake.com.au

Speakkkkking of websites.....here's a sneak peak at what I'm working all day and all night on. It took forever to make the actual cakes so I'm really excited to finally be able to post them on a site and share them with people. It still has some more work to be done, but it will hopefully be launched in < 2 weeks!

Bubble Tea Station

2009-09-28T17:41:00.000-04:00

I went to a wedding this summer and I feel like the
themed stations have been gaining popularity. I've heard wedding with gelato stations, cigar stations, candy stations, but this wedding had a bubble tea station! The brought these guys in from Rutgers and of course they had the normal tapioca balls, but these also had these balls that were like a tart liquid encased in a bubble. Idk how they made them but when you bite down on them they pop and explode all over your mouth. It was kinda cool.

Wine Label and Grapes

2009-09-28T16:57:00.000-04:00

A friend of my in-law's just turned 60 and I had the opportunity to make a cake for his celebration. In collaboration with his daughter, we found it fitting to make a cake in the shape of a wine label because he manages a wine market in NJ. She actually drew up the label and I turned it into a cake. In the end, I realized if I didnt mention it was a wine label, it could be mistaken as a door mat. Hahha Here was some of the process...

It was a choclate cake with chocolate ganache and raspberry filling

Here is the cake covered in fondant, but yet to be dressed.

Here's me painting on the script and cutting something out. Notice I'm in a sweatshirt in the middle of summer because I had to turn on the air to 60-some degrees so the cake wouldn't melt. It was so cold!

Done! Looks like a doormat huh? hahah I guess the grapes help

Making grapes:

Roll little balls of purple gumpaste

Hook onto to floral wires

Mix together purple, blue, and red powders till you find a good color to dust on.

After dusted and dried, start building the shape by attaching the individual grapes to the stem.

Cut out leaves, press into a veining mold and let dry on mounds of plastic wrap to get natural waves.

My New Cake Blog

2008-10-08T18:25:00.000-04:00

The beginnings of a cake blog. Yay! My outlook on cakes is that it shouldn't just taste good, but it should also look good. Cakes have really come a long way and now days you see that anything is possible with this medium. Though people go all out with recreating objects and carving them into crazy shapes, my goal is to keep it clean, cute, simple and modern. My inspiration comes from greeting cards, textile patterns, graphic icons, etc. Hope you find them to make you hungry and smiling :) Enjoy!