Tulip Cupcake Tower

Tulip Cupcake Tower
June 2009

Congratulations Danny and Elissa! This lovely couple enjoyed their wedding and reception so much that they decided to do it again so that their friends in the DC area could join in the celebration.

During this delicious dessert reception guests enjoyed chocolate fountains, cream filled strawberries, champagne and cupcakes! This cupcake tower is designed around the wedding colors of teal and hot pink with lovely summer tulips.

Each cupcake is topped with vanilla butter cream, chocolate curls and fondant flowers. The chocolate cupcakes are paired with pink ribbon tulips while the vanilla bean treats are topped with aqua forget-me-nots.



The plan was to place this top tier of cake at the crown of tower, but the stand was a little more wobbly than we wanted, so the tulip-topped cake added to the tablescape instead.

The cake is alternating layers of chocolate and vanilla cake with strawberry filling and iced in vanilla buttercream. A thin layer of white fondant on the top protects the gumpaste tulips painted hot pink.

Cake Details
Cake: Half chocolate, half vanilla bean
Icing: Vanilla buttercream
Decoration: Tinted chocolate curls, fondant ribbon flowers, handmade gumpaste tulips

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.

Engagement Party Cake

Engagement Party Cake

February 2008

This cake was designed for an engagement party. I love the raspberry color of the buttercream with the white decoration. I added a light raspberry essence to the buttercream which gave it a great flavor.

I'm always leery about adding fruit flavorings because I have this nightmare of serving a cake that tastes like Robitussin. No fear here because the flavor was great! I might even add it to the standard line up. One of the fun parts of having a customer-driven business is that people's request sometimes push me to try new things. Often it is a great thing that benefits other customers in the future. I love the give-and-take of the creative process.

Cake Details:
Cake: Chocolate

Filling: Chocolate ganache and pink buttercream

Icing: Vanilla buttercream with a light raspberry flavor

Decorations: Piped buttercream and fondant decorations with piped chocolate

Celtic Bridal Shower Cake

Celtic Bridal Shower Cake

May 2008

The theme for Mary and Ryan's wedding is the symbol for the celtic trinity, a simple and elegant trefoil.



This cake was for a wedding shower at an office. I love making cakes like this because it represents a break from the daily routine to celebrate someone's life and spend time in community. So I kicked it up by adding a layer of vanilla cake between the two chocolate ones. It was fun to assemble and hopefully retained its whimsy when cut.

Details:

Cake Details:

• Cake: Two layers of chocolate cake, with a layer of vanilla in the center
• Filling: Choclate bavarian cream
• Icing: Vanilla buttercream
• Decorations: Tinted vanilla buttercream and chocolate frosting

Lingerie Cake 2

Lingerie Cake 2

December 2007

This lingerie cake is so much fun! This one celebrated a wedding shower with a cranberry theme. I wasn't sure what color to use for accents, so I went "Jackie O" and matched it to the room where it was being served. ("Did you know?" fact of the day: Jackie Kennedy's advance team noted the color of the rooms she and the President would be photographed in so that her clothes would match appropriately and not clash.)

Cake Details:

• Cake: Triple layer (tall cake) in chocolate
• Filling: Raspberry preserves and vanilla buttercream
• Icing: Vanilla buttercream
• Decorations: Fondant, sugarpaste flower accents, and tinted buttercream
• New toys used: Ruffle tip 401
  

Since it was a triple layer cake I had a little more room on the side to add a pair of panties and complete the ensemble.

Congratulations Kathleen!

Wedding Cake: Juman & Sarah Byun

Wedding Cake: Juman & Sarah Byun
November 17, 2007

I have completed my first wedding cake. (I'll post more photos in the next week or so.)

This photo is a little crooked, but the cake was totally vertical- I promise!

Cake: Snow white vanilla cake
Moistening Syrup: Chambord and simple syrup
Icing: Vanilla-lemon buttercream
Filling: Raspberry
Decorations: Fondant ribbon with copper luster dust, Dots and borders in buttercream
Topper: Mini-pumpkin filled with mums and bittersweet (made by the talented Deb Haynes)

Adding the finishing touches:

Watermelon Cake

Watermelon Cake
(Groom’s Cake)

November 2007

Juman is the biggest fan that a watermelon ever had. This was confirmed with an unexpected amount of enthusiasm by his mother, his college roommate and several other family members. So here is his groom’s cake. (Plus I got to say, “I carried a watermelon” which makes me laugh EVERY time.)

Cake: Chocolate devil’s food cake with Grand Marnier moistening syrup
Icing: Tinted buttercream
Seeds: Mini-chocolate chips

Little Bee: Williams-Sonoma icing decoration

Lingerie Cake

Lingerie Cake

October 2007

(Sarah's Bridal Shower)

This was a really fun cake to make. Chocolate ganache filled genoise cake covered with white buttercream and a draped fondant chemise nightie. I love how fun and flirty the pink and black is!

Here is a detail of the bust. I really wanted to put cupcakes under it for a little "lift", but alas and alack, I was chatting it up in the kitchen and let the fondant dry. (But then we ate the cupcakes- no harm, no foul!)

The two tone pink is a watercolor effect using Cinderella Pink/Rose gel coloring brushed on the fondant with a little silver petal dust.

They say genius thrives in clutter. I was clearly drawing a lot of "smarts" from this counter top during the process!


Sarah, as your personal pastry chef, I wish you every happiness from these days of wedding planning- to the many celebrations you will share together in marriage! And don't forget to keep that fire extinguisher handy. Just in case.