Saturday 11 December 2010

Cake Note 24: "In all of the wedding cake, Hope is the sweetest plum" -- Douglas Jarrold

Oh what a week! Six months ago, I agreed to do a wedding cake for my Great Nephew and his Fiance - originally the wedding was September, so all good stuff. Then they changed it to December 11th - four days before I leave for Australia to spend Christmas with my son and his family. No worries, I thought. Plan ahead, have a schedule, it'll work.

So the brief was a 3 tiered round cake - ivory paste, 10;8;6 inch tiers, with lilac sugar paste roses and silver ribbons. Plus, a 10 inch square cutting cake. I was very organised - each night from work, I had my schedule, I got a bit behind, but had Thursday and Friday off so wasn't too worried, though I WAS too stressed. Anyway, Thursday I was going great - all 4 cakes, filled, coated with white chocolate ganache and covered with sugar paste - and dowelled! All I had to do Friday was stack them and add the roses - SIMPLES (not).

I stacked the 8 on the 10  and left to settle whilst I put the roses on the 6 inch...and then I noticed a hairline crack in the FRONT off the 10 inch cake.....and another.......OOOHHHHH!!! So, don't panic, Jeannie, just a bit of damage limitation needed.

I carefully filled the cracks with royal icing and smoothed over. Left to settle while I went shopping - got home.......they looked like two awful, enormous stretch marks on the front...couldn't be on the back could they?

I spent the rest of Friday till 10 pm trying to disguise these cracks - the bride was specific about how simple she wanted her cake - no butterflies or anything else.......in the end, I settled for their initials and a few hearts!

WHAT a save! I was disappointed because I like perfection - but when she saw the cake, she was thrilled!...and so was I.....role on 16 December at 09.30 - Australia, here I come!




The cake at the venue - :)
 
The 'cover up' - luckily my bride was pleased with the cake! and the save, which I told her about

Saturday 4 December 2010

Cake Note 23: "You are only young once, but you can be immature for a lifetime" John P. Grier

...and that's a hint for a Happy Birthday wish to my friend Becki! My most loyal follower, customer and regular commentator on my cakes: Thank you and happy birthday from me to you!

So, today's cake blog is...Becki's Birthday cake! Some time ago (last year!) I made a two tier birthday cake for my daughter's friend and the remit was for ' Black and Bling'. Becki liked this and booked me for a smaller version for her birthday today. I've taken a bit of artist's license and it isn't exactly the same  -

Here we go:


This is a 'Death by Chocolate' eight inch cake, filled with vanilla buttercream, and raspberry conserve. The cake is 'crumb coated' with white chocolate ganache, which I find makes a better foundation for the fondant(sounds like a corset , eh?). The board is imprinted with little hearts which compliment the little hearts next to the 'MUM' salutation.

it is then top covered with white sugarpaste, sprayed with edible pearl spray. The ribbon is black organza with diamantes in it, as is the bow.

The topper....well, here's the bling bit folks!



The original design had all black feathers, but I liked the mix of black and white - the feathers have diamantes fixed in them and surround the lovely Swarovski diamante letter B!

I don't know how she does it, but Becki's photos of the cake look so much more 'BLINGY!'

Hope you like my creation! Night x