Coffee Bean Wedding Cake

Coffee Bean Wedding Cake
May 2009


Ebenezer's Coffeehouse is one of my favorite places to hang out in DC, so I always jump at the chance to do wedding confections there. This cake was especially fun because the reception carried the coffee theme through to the cake. Lindsey and Michael know how to party!

The top two layers feature a coffee-cream cheese custard surrounded by Scharffen Berger chocolate cake. The largest layer is vanilla bean wedding cake with coffee-spiked chocolate ganache (think mocha latte). The outside is entirely buttercream, with double rows of dark roast coffee beans.

Here is a detail of the top layer and the gorgeous hydrangea.

Cake Details:

Cake: Scharffen Berger Chocolate Cake
Filling: Coffee-Cream Cheese Custard
Icing: Vanilla Buttercream
Decorations: Dark roast coffee beans and a large hydrangea blossom

* Special thanks to Deb, my flower consultant for tips on caring for a hydrangea stem.

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UPDATE:

The wedding photographer, Stephen Elliott from Mud Productions sent me some fabulous pics of the cake cutting.

Stephen has amazing energy and all of that fun and creativity shows in his photography. Check out more of his great photography at his website.

9:30 Club Cupcakes

9:30 Club Cupcakes
May 2008

Posted today by Metrocurean , great cupcake news.

In a perfect world I could watch amazing live music in a crowded club with a fresh yummy cupcake. And now friends, that dream is a reality! Click here to read the story and see the new cupcake.

Buzz + 9:30 = Perfection

Flower and Butterfly Chocolate Lollipop Tree

Flower and Butterfly Chocolate Lollipop Tree

May 2009

Don't you just LOVE this picture-perfect display of chocolate lollipop flowers?! I made a bushel of in pink and white, with celedon green painted accents. This fabulous hostess used a craft cone and satin ribbon to build a lovely table display for her guests to enjoy. Genius!

Mini Cupcakes

Mini Cupcakes

May 2009

What is better than a tray of pink cupcakes? Three trays of pink cupcakes! When we first spoke about an afternoon bridal tea, we considered petit fours,traditional cupcakes, and sliced party cake. But minis seemed like the perfect way to play with the green and pink floral theme and give everyone the right amount of sweet.



With a small bite of cake it has to pack a punch. The batter is a rich egg and butter cake with a nice vanilla kick. Then they are topped with fluffy vanilla buttercream and flowers made from marshmallow fondant and candy-coated sunflower seeds. The flowers nestle into pillows of buttercream and are complimented by the really fun leaf-shaped paper liners that I found last month at Fran's Cake and Candy supply shop. I have been saving them for the perfect occasion and this turned out beautifully.



Cake Details:
Cake: Vanilla Party Cake
Icing: Vanilla Buttercream
Decorations: Punched flowers from tinted marshmallow fondant. The centers are candy coated sunflower seeds (this color scheme is from Trader Joes). Cupcake liners are green leaf shapes, but I don't know the manufacturer. I picked these up at Fran's Cake and Candy in Fairfax,VA.

Just for Fun - Pink Cake

Just for Fun - Pink Cake

May 2009

This cake was inspired by a tattoo I recently saw on someone's arm. So when I had a "for fun" cake, I wanted to give it a try. Tattoo guy would probably not be thrilled that I reinterpreted it in pink. But luckily he didn't stop by for dinner, or dessert.

This cake almost didn't get baked because the batter was just too yummy. Wanna see?

Cake Details:

Cake: (My favorite!) Vanilla bean party cake with Vietnamese cinnamon

Filling: Chocolate ganache

Icing: Buttercream

Decoration: Piped melted chocolate

Pink Chocolate Flowers

Pink Chocolate Flowers Lollipops

May 2009

One of my favorite new acquisitions is a mold to make flower and butterfly lollipops. A little hand painted (chocolate) detail and some luster dust (think glitter) and these are ready for spring.

Cake Pops

Cake Pops

May 2009

One of my favorite baking blogs is Bakerella. I love the creativity and that so many of the ideas are outside-the-box. One of her creations is the cake pop. The what? The cake pop. We are talking cake and frosting, smooshed together and covered in chocolate. Yes, chocolate!!!Basic instructions are here.

I had some cake and frosting around (shocking, huh?) so I decided to try my hand. I wasn't quite patient enough with the chocolate to get a thin smooth coat or decorate it like a bunny. But they were really yummy anyway.

Here are the ingredients:

• cake+frosting frozen into a ball
• lollipop stick
• melting chocolate
• sprinkles

When you put it all together you get yumminess.

I am looking forward to upping the fun factor, but enjoying the end product for sure!

Cake Details:

Cake: Chocolate Birthday Cake mushed with vanilla-lime buttercream

Icing: Enrobed in red melting chocolate

Decoration: Rainbow sprinkles