Early November, I was graced with the chance to create a chic and trendy cake for a lovely lady named Victoria.  She had always wanted to throw a big production birthday party, and this was the year.  The cake had match her out-going personality, and represent what she loves.  As we went over the preliminary questions, I couldn't help to notice that the luxurious LV was thrown around a few times.  She did try to clarify that she wasn't obsessed with the celebrated brand..."Of course not," I replied.  Did I mention that she works for Louis Vuitton?  Okay okay, she's not obsessed, just a devoted employee :)

The lovely three levels were a series of 8 inch, 6 inch, and 4 inch round cakes stacked together for a modern appeal.  Victoria jumped on my Mexican Chocolate cake recipe filled with a sweet and spicy cinnamon buttercream.  Two layers were torted and filled to create a 4 inch high level, and then covered in the same yummy buttercream.  I covered the bottom and top layers in a light caramel color fondant, while the middle layer is smoothed in a blanket of pure white fondant.

With the three levels of canvas completed, it's time for the fun stuff! Each level represented one of the three coveted signature LV patterns.  The bottom modeled the timeless LV monogram that every girl loves.  Each individual piece was cut out of dark chocolate fondant, which taste like a Tootsie Roll, and attached on top of the light caramel constrast.  The middle level adorned the fun and young Multicolored LV monogram, giving the cake a bit of splash of color.  The top level was then decorated in the fashionably unisex Damier checker pattern that everyone loves.  This lovely cake could not be complete without the finishing details of stitching along the ribbons of leather, and the shine of gold dragees.  A mini purse adorned with Victoria's initials finish of the top of this birthday cake.  What a fab birthday!

A few weeks ago, a long time friend of mine left me a message about a cake for her niece's Sweet 16th birthday.  She wanted to give her a pretty cake that was custom made for her and her alone.  Cecilia and I went over ideas and details, from cake flavor to the shade of blue.  Most of the cakes I make are my interpretation and designs based on themes or personality traits of the recipient.  This cake was entirely designed by Cecilia, and I had to make her vision a reality.

Raphaella was a pepped up cheerleader with an appreciation for music.  Hence, the theme of this sweet 16 cake came naturally.  The part that took a little pondering about was the cake itself.  This cake would be the introduction of fondant to a group of whipped icing devotees.  Did I mention that they were used to having fresh fruit in their cakes?  That is a no-no when it comes to an icing that prefers the tabletop in an air-conditioned room over a fridge.  Exposing fondant to extra moisture would created a collapsed catastrophe.  Not to mention that refrigeration would make the fondant rock hard.  Coming from a similar background, I completely understood.

This cake consisted of two stacked layers of coffee flavored cake sandwiched around velvety layers of mocha whipped icing... hint: Wilton's!  I used their mix and added cocoa and instant coffee for a rich mocha flavor.  This recipe can withstand being at room temp up to three days so don't assemble the cake too ahead of serving.  Each 4" stacked cake then received a thin blanket of buttercream and it was time to decorate!  The bottom level was a canvas of that "Tiffany" blue that all girls love, while dark silvery musical notes danced whimsically around its sides.  The top level was covered in Raphaella's fave pink and surrounded by black and white piano keys that I wanted to play "Hot Cross Buns" on... sorry, that's all the piano I could remember.  The other key elements to this cake was the pink guitar and the message plaque.  These were made a day ahead out of gumpaste and left to dry prior to assembly.   The top level was finished off with petite strings of pearls, and the bottom was circled by alternating blue and silver fondant balls.  Now that's a sweet 16!

Late last month, a charming lady by the name, Grace, contacted me about a cake for her friend's bridal shower.  You have to understand, Grace was one of my lil sis' roomies back in college.  I remembered that she once baked a cake that looked like Winnie the Pooh, and I suddenly got intimidated.  In the back of my mind, I thought that she was going to judge my every detail.  My nerves really got the best of me, and I didn't know why.  To top it off, this would be the first time that I would balance two cakes at once.  The Retro Stove cake I posted earlier was also due that very weekend!

The next morning, as I called Grace, my heart started to steady as she spoke in a calming voice and said, "I trust you and your designs".  That was all I needed to hear, and to know that I had complete artistic control over this cake.  I was full of spunk again.  After some careful planning, the cake was completed before I knew it.

The cake was designed as a two layer stacked cake, starting with my newest Lavender Vanilla cake recipe, and filled with a rich buttercream.  Each layer was then covered in snow white fondant and smoothed to perfection.  The bottom border received a simple pastel blue lace motif, while the top layer was covered with a free flowing filigree pattern in the same color.  A simple bow and a lovely letter "J" finish this lovely cake for a lovely bride-to-be.  Congrats to June!

Let me start by saying that this has got to be my craziest and funniest one yet!  When my co-worker Jen asked me to design a cake for her sister's beautiful age of 5-0, I did not hesitate to say yes.  I am glad that I took on this cake.  I asked Jen about her sister to get ideas for the design and it turns out that Jill loves to cook, and has a great sense of humor.  I first started sketching out cakes that were stacked for a more elegant approach, then I tried a 3D approach and sketched a cake that resembled a butcher block cutting board with diced veggies and an chef's best knife upon it.  Then as Jen reviewed these and saw one that had a mini stove place at the top layer, "How about just a stove?".  "How about a stove with her stuck in it?", says I.  "Love it!"

I searched through pages of images and came across the perfect pastel blue retro oven stove to put lovely Jill in.  The baking of the cake and the elements of the stove was the easy part.  It was the element of Jill's legs sticking out of the oven and the oven door slightly ajar that was baffling to me.  I had to come up with a way to keep gravity from pulling down the angled door and rip away from the cake.  Not only that, but to be able to support the weight of the torso and legs.  A cake falling part is a baker's worst nightmare!

After some careful planning, I modeled mini Jill's torso and legs out of a 50/50 mixture of fondant and gumpaste two days ahead for the proper amount of drying time.  I did the same for the oven door, but only used gumpaste tinted with a touch of blue fondant to match the color of the rest of the stove's pastel fondant.  Using a template that I cut out of cardboard, I shaped black gumpaste wedges to act as anchors to attach the door to the front of the cake.  The cake was baked a day ahead of time prior to assembly to allow for it to settle and cool.  The sheets of my spiced chocolate cake were cut in half and stacked and filled with cinnamon buttercream.  The 8" tall cake was then covered in the same and wrapped in a pastel blue blanket of fondant. The little details were cut out of fondant and gumpaste and attached on to bring the stove into reality.  Using two bamboo skewers and gum glue, the door was attached and propped in place to dry.  The torso was covered in pieces of clothing and slid into position.  The legs were modeled around bamboo skewers and I used these to attach the legs into the cake.  Rolling out a sheet of pink fondant super thin and ruffled with a veining tool, a realistic skirt was fashioned and drapped around the legs.  To exaggerate the situation of the cake, one slipper place on a foot with another on the black and white tiled floor.  An apron was draped on the oven door opposite from the legs for visual balance.  For the final touch, I brushed on silver fondant glaze for a weathered chrome look.  Don't you love it?  I do!

Yes.  I do love fondant, but not everyone likes fondant.  Some people just love or prefer buttercream, but I'm not a buttercream expert.  I started decorating cakes backwards.  I tried running before I could walk.  I started carving cakes before I could even bake one.  Recently, I decided to take some classes and freshen up my piping and buttercream techniques...time to put on some training wheels!!!

I took some local classes, and it was worth dragging myself out of bed every early Saturday morning :)  My fear of piping borders were subsided and my appreciation for the fluffy and sweet icing was renewed.  No more filling in spaces with a star tip for me!  You want a bouquet of roses?  I got roses!... You get what I mean, right?  Most of all, I can now ice a cake like it's super smooth plaster on a wall.  Except, it's edible and really good.  Yay for buttercream!

This adorable cake was made for Samson and Preston, father and son who share the same birthday.  How sweet is that!  The cake assembly part was rather easy compared to coming up with the concept and design.  What can I do to tie in their relationship and present a cake that was custom to them?  Samson like billiards, but what about Preston?  I hear he likes the cue ball?! Samson likes cars, and Preston likes Cars from Pixar.  They both like the beach and sea animals... sea animals... father and son sea animals!

Starting with a 8" round pan and a 6" round pan, I poured in my fave vanilla butter pound recipe.  These bake up light, moist, but still dense enough for carving.  The layers were first filled with some sweet and cream buttercream and then each one was freehand carved into the distinct shape of a turtle.  A thin blanket of buttercream was smoothed on and a green blanket of fondant was laid over each one.  Using a gumpaste veining tool, I etched in the recognizable pattern of a turtle shell.  The head of the daddy turtle was shaped out of some gooey cereal treat and received a layer of a slightly brighter green.  More of the same fondant was hand sculpted into the remaining parts and to finish off the baby turtle.  I shaped some black fondant for the eyes and lovely smiles.  The little one was stacked above the big one and Voila!  Aren't they cute?!

Happy to Samson and Preston again!

I know that the season had come and gone, but the name says it all when it comes to the simple elegant design of this lovely and delicious cake.  From the refreshing lemon filling, to the bright colored primroses, there's a wonderful notion of one of my favorite seasons.  This season brings new growth, a splash of color to the world around us, and love is really in the air.  This cake just breathes that idea when I look at it.

Believe it or not, this is my first wedding cake, my first try at royal icing, and my first attempt at string work.  Sounds scary huh?  Turns out that it wasn't so bad after all.  It just took a little patience and planning.  The 4 layers of moist yellow cake nestle a smooth tart lemon filling.  The stacked style gives this cake a modern appeal, but the classic accents keeps it elegant.  A smooth layer of vanilla fondant envelop a thin blanket of sweet buttercream.  Hand embossed harlequin diamonds give each layer a textural element, as royal icing primroses add a splash of spring color.  The delicate string work adds a timeless detail that any bride would appreciate.

I know that it's still the end of August, but I can't help and think ahead when orange hues surround us and a certain scent of spice fills the air.  Here's a birthday cake that sings autumn inside and out.  I started with a basic chocolate cake recipe and added a touch of heat... cayenne pepper that is.  It gave the moist sweet cake enough heat to just tickle the back of the throat in the finishing.  Three 2 in. high layers nestled between fluffy clouds of cinnamon buttercream...can't you just smell that spice in the air!  More of the yummy buttercream thinly covered the assembled cake before I laid down a smooth blanket of dark chocolate fondant...this stuff taste like tootsie rolls.

The covered cake was then gently placed on top of a covered cake board, and bordered by alternating leaf cut outs, overlapping for a wonderful affect.  An array of gum paste mums that I had made a day in advance were then positioned on the cake for a lovely autumn touch.  Enjoy!

Earlier this month, a special man by the name of Edgar Baca turned a wonderful big 3-0 and my inner cake addict just wanted to make something that spoke to him.  My main inspiration was a podcast called Sonorama Chicago that he ran with a good friend.  The main image on this cake is a reproduction of an illustration that they use on their promotional media.  I sketched up several designs and decided on one that complimented the colors and the personality of the birthday boy.


I decided on a 4 layered 9" round cake covered in a tritone design of simple and whimsical lines.  A dark chocolate cake nestled between clouds of nutella and chopped hazelnuts.  The layers of cake then received a thin blanket of buttercream before a smooth finish of fondant.  A template was used to cut out a 2.5 in. hole out of the cake centeer to fit the motor...yes, one that rotated the printed plastic disc that I designed.  The cake looked like a whimsical, cartoonish record player...just like the fun birthday man himself!  Oh, did I mention the flashing LED lights?!

13 months ago, I was blessed with the birth of my first son, Mateo.  He has been my pride and joy, and nothing was more exciting than planning his first birthday... okay, it was mostly about his cake!  How could I just make a normal birthday cake?  Being who I am, I had to go a bit 3D.  I have to admit that I was inspired by Duff and his cake creation for a couple that collected designer toys.  What would be more perfect than a "M" Dunny for my lil Mateo.  He was going to be a lucha libre, sporting a cool mask with a "M" on his forehead.  It was going to be awesome.  Also an artist, my husband worked on sketches of the "M" Dunny, and I sketched up the size, shape, and the structure of the cake.

The Dunny was built from the bottom up, each layer supported by cake board and dowel rods.  The bottom part of the legs was carved out of cereal treats, and seamlessly attached to the torso carved out of pound cake. The Dunny's head was baked in a sport ball pan and then carved into it's distinct shape using a template I made out of board.  Each section was lightly iced with buttercream, and received a smooth layer of white fondant.  Arms and ears were shaped out of cereal treats were also covered with white fondant.  My husband then painted each part, closely reproducing his sketch onto the 3D shape.  Colors were created by mixing gel colors and a touch of water.  A shimmering metallic silver was achieved by using a silver Cake Graffiti by Duff...yes, I do love that man!

A wrestling ring becomes the base for this cake and was made from my signature red velvet cake filled with coconut cream cheese...Yum!  I wrapped candy sticks in black fondant and wound Twizzler pull and peel candy strings around the ring as rope.  The whole cake is literally edible!

This was definitely one of my most challenging cakes, but it was all worth it to see him take his first bite of his birthday cake. :)

Summer is here, and it's a season for nuptials.  A few weeks ago, Stephanie and Charly exchanged vows and shared their commitment to each other with friends and family.  Being a graphic designer, I designed their wedding invites, and naturally, I was thrilled to take on their wedding favors.  I didn't want to just bake the run-of-a-mill favors like personalized cookies or candies, yes, I also dabble in the chocolate world.  I wanted to tie into the colors, theme, and location of the wedding.  I wanted to make something that would be enjoyed by them.  The end result were a hundred mini three tiered wedding cakes!

I started the production of these mini treats two days prior to delivery.  The first night was only for baking and glazing the cakes to seal in moisture.  The batter was a basic yellow cake recipe in which I added fresh lemon zest and creme bouquet.  I used three tiered cake pans I had purchased online, kinda cheated on this one..hehe! After the mini cakes were cooled and removed from the pans, I glazed each one with a apricot glaze.  For a simple apricot glaze, simply heat apricot jelly or marmalade in the microwave to liquefy, then strain to remove bits of fruit or rind.  Use a pastry brush and gently brush on a cake and let it set. Doing so will keep your cake moist.

Day two was the night to enlist volunteers for an assemble line... time to decorate!  I don't think I could've made it without the help of my husband, Adrian; my youngest sibling, Linda;  my friend, Eumi; and my unsuspecting lil cousin, Viviann.  THANK YOU GUYS!  Like a rusty train... it was a bit hard to get going at first, but once we got into a groove, we were cooking with gas...or delirium had set in and we thought we were.  I covered each cake with pastry fondant tinted with a light blue, and let them cool to an almost transparent finish.  The warm color of the cake peeked through just enough, so that it wouldn't look too much like soap and no one would eat them.  Sorry, that was one of my crazy worries.  Once cooled, my helpful volunteers (more like ones whom I've coaxed) attached thin ropes of white fondant, and attached yellow royal icing drop flowers that were made several week prior.  Once royal icing flowers are made, they can be stored for a long period of time.  These little cuties were then bagged and finished with a matching blue ribbon.

Once again, Congrats to Stephanie and Charly!  I hope your guests enjoyed these and were as happy as you two!

About a month ago, after spamming my entire company with this blog, I was asked to make a cake for a co worker's daughter.  Katy would be graduating from college, and Debbie wanted to surprise her with a motorcycle cake.  Katy loves riding with her boyfriend on his Harley.  I was a bit stumped at first on the execution and how to approach this.  I still agreed though!  To do a 3 dimensional bike or one flat on its side.  I definitely wanted to create something with more than just a motorcycle on the board.  Being an advertising design major, I thought about the reason for the cake.  Graduating from college is a huge achievement, and it leads to greater opportunities...to success!  That's it!

The cake went from just a motorcycle to a cake about her journey.  As cheesy as it may sound, it was about her road to success...on a bike :)  As fate turns out, while pitching the idea to Debbie, she tells me that her daughter had just purchased her own bike and new helmet.  How perfect is that?!  Debbie provides the photos that I would use as a reference, and let my creativity take over the rest.

Two days before delivery, I started work on creating the gum paste and fondant model work.  I started with the motorcycle and worked my way up to the miniature Katy.  Black gum paste was use to create the base shape of the bike, and then major elements were attached on to create the recognizable form.  Next were the two tires that were cut out of a thick sheet of gum paste with round cookie cutters.  Small toothpicks help hold them in place as I attached the front wheels shafts and handle bars.  Silver pearl glaze was painted on with a detail brush to mimic those on the actual bike.


 Katy was molded out of fondant mixed with tylose, a powder that helps fondant dry just as gum paste would.  She was made in two halves and then attached together.  Again, I started from bottom up, I positioned her lower body over the bike and attached her into position.  Her torso was next.  A single toothpick was inserted into the lower half and bike seat to hold up her torso.  Like a paper doll, I cut out a tank for her to sport over her blue jeans.  It's like a pattern for making clothes, two side seams that I would close up with a dab of water.  Her head was made with a mold, and I hand painted the details of her red lips and blue eyes.  I couldn't leave out her platinum blond hair blowing in the wind, even if it is covered by her new helmet.  Using a small rounded rolling pin, I shape a ball of fondant over it's end and attached a small visor.  The flames were painted on using the same silver pearl glaze... looks much like the real one!  Her arms were attached on last after the graduation cap had securely dried on, and a small rolled up piece of paper was inserted into the other as her diploma.  This was all left to dry in a safe place... no knocking into it!

Now, it's time for some cake!  Starting with a 13" square pan, I fill it with my Nutella inspired cake batter and set it to bake.   This was such a huge pan that I had to monitor it carefully and not to let it over flow, or to open the oven to check on it too early.  Even bake strips are good to have for something this size.  Once the cake had completely cooled,  I torted it and filled each layer with some yummy, gooey chocolate bavarian cream... adding to the Nutella flavor.  Yum!  The crown of the cake was carved to create hills on opposite corners, creating a flat center for the road.  Once assembled, a crumb coat of buttercream was smeared over everything, making sure to not mash the hills... no flat plains here!  Once the buttercream was allowed to crust, a lovely layer of green grass, or fondant, was laid over the top.  This gave the cake a nice smooth finish.  A curvy road was cut out of black fondant and was set weaving between the hills.  Katy and her bike was then set on the cake with a dowel rod for support.  The cake was not complete without the finishing touches of lane markings and greenery.  Let's not forget the road sign made from gum paste that says it best... a ROAD TO SUCCESS!

Congratulations to Katy and I hope she enjoys it!

This weekend brought forth a new challenge when Eumi asked me to make a special cake for her mom's 50th birthday.  Of course I would! How could I ever turn her down?  The details entailed bright colors, flowers, and fruit.  I spent most of the day combing over different ideas, and the idea of making a normal round cake with flowers piped or attached to it just seemed boring.  Naturally, the concept of gum paste flowers popped into my head.  I got very excited, and then I got scared very quickly.  I have never made gum paste flowers before, nor any that looked realistic.  Boy, this was going to be interesting.

Have you ever wondered how bakeries can make that fluffy cloud-like, and silky smooth whip cream?  Would you like to cover your cakes and desserts in whipped cream that wouldn't run and hold up for a couple days?  One solutions would be to use whipped topping stabilizer, or gelatine, that is dissolved in cold water and heated over a stove and cooled slightly before added into whipping cream.  However, I sometimes felt that the heating and cooling of the stabilizer was a bit difficult for me.  I always got distracted and would let it congeal and that just sucks.  After a little time and research, I found this recipe and it's been perfect!  I hope you enjoy this and will add it to your arsenal :)

Ingredients:
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tablespoon Confectioners' Sugar
2 Tablespoon Piping Gel
1/2 Teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract

Combine heavy whipping cream and sugar in mixing bowl.  Whip until soft peaks develop.  Add gel and vanilla, then continue to whip until stiff peaks.
Remember to not over whip or you'll get something like butter.

This whipped cream is perfect for topping off your desserts, smoothed over your cakes, or piped on as borders!

As a former barista, no work day was complete without  packs of these yummy cake-like cookies.  It didn't take me long to realize that these little babies were going to run my paycheck dry.  I always admired how lovely they look, just meant to be sold in boutique bakeries, and too sophisticated for my home oven.  Boy, was I wrong!  Like destiny, I received a book for my birthday that magically fell open to the very page of this very special recipe.  Oh sweet Madelienes!  The recipe couldn't be easier.  I instantly jumped online and found madeliene pans and awaited their arrival.  The moment the box arrived at my door I was in the kitchen baking.  Such simple ingredients came together and warmed the senses with a room full of these petite French cookies.  Bon Appetit!

I guess you can call me a design-a-holic with a love for cooking, crafts, and baking! I recently started making custom and specialty cakes for friends and family. It's become an addiction actually. I spend my free moments dreaming up new flavors, and researching online for new techniques. My kitchen becomes my classroom where I'm self-taught. Some days I'm exhausted from the lack of sleep, but the smile I get when they see the cake is all worth it.