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Detailed princess castle in gumpaste and fondant
Chocolate bourbon cake with chocolate ganache
Octonaut "birthday party" space ship with characters from the cartoon show. Completely edible minus the curled ribbon and cake candles
The baby shower theme was the First Day of Spring, which served as the inspiration for this cake. The home was extremely formal so I fashioned the cake accordingly. The layers were dark chocolate rum with fresh berry filling and covered in a ganache using Valrhona Caribe bittersweet chocolate. Next, I used delicate chocolate "twigs" pressed against the sides and sashed each layer with pale pink and brown satin ribbon with a Jack and Jill toile print to mimic flowers being bundled. Each layer was topped with fresh seasonal blossoms, pale pink baby blocks and small gum paste baby bears with ruffled bibs and bonnets (I think this picture was taken before I placed them) nestled into the design. Nestled in small garden of blossoms, on the very top, was a baby girl with a pink knit cap and blanket, cradled in an open egg shell. This very delicate ceramic work of art was purchased just for this cake. It was sophisticated, elegant, feminine, and worked well with the magnificent home the party was hosted in. I also did individual baby animal cookies with petite alphabet lettering, floral touches, and baroque designs that I now wish I had taken better pictures of. Tell me what you think. [email protected]
I could not find a bakery in Los Angeles willing to attempt this cake for under $500.00; and that was without the handmade touches and a much, much smaller ellie made of gum paste for the top. So, I decided to do it myself. This was a first for piping flowers, but I am an artist/gourmet cook and decided to give it a whirl. The cake itself is 3, 12" tiers. It is a coconut cream cake from a recipe I improvised using cream of coconut and coconut milk and is delicious. The filling was fresh strawberries and white chocolate/whipped cream. I used a stabilizer figuring for extra time since I had never piped animals or done flowers before. I believe cakes should taste good and could have done the ellie in fondant, but taste-wise, I am just not a fan. The ellie was hand molded a week in advance from Rice Krispy treats, then carved to capture the gentle slope of the head and belly. Ears were made from royal icing on a heavy card stock and worked very well being fit into the head. I measured and created slits for that. The little foot pads were also made from royal icing. The outer cake icing was a Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Some of the flowers, as well as the balloons I had made ahead; always contemplating the worst timing scenario. The giraffes all have tiny little noise makers I made by hand, the monkies hold balloon bouquets with the number "1". There are butterflies made from royal icing, and Ellie has her hat I made also. On Flicker, you can see more detailed pictures at MagnificentCakes on Flicker. I have done other cakes and they have all turned out so beautifully, I thought maybe I'd try selling them. I must tell you, I am extremely artistic, patient and detail oriented, very particular about ingredients, a seasoned cook and baker....and this was not easy. I love the lettering on top (see on Flicker). I did do this from a sketch I made (that is how the bakeries quoted it) and the finished product looked just like the picture. I wanted a cake made for a baby girl; sweet, innocent, feminine, yet fun. I think this was spot on. Should I do a video for this? Let me know what you think!
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