Cake Note 48: "To a father growing old, nothing is dearer than a daughter" Euripides

And how often do those of us who have lost their Dads, wish we could turn back the clock. I loved my Dad but it wasn't till I was much older, that I realised just how much.

This cake is for a special Dad - someone who has a daughter who loves him enough to organise a special cake for his 80th birthday. Instructions were, fruit cake, big and he loves gardening - but vegetables not flowers!

To be honest, I do struggle with cakes for men, but wanted to make a decent job of this one so, it's a 10 inch square rich fruit cake - dowsed frequently in Brandy:) ....and iced with a gardening theme - well I hope my representation of the daughter's instructions make her Dad smile on his 80th birthday. Sir, I don't know you but I wish you MANY happy returns:)

The shed is made of chocolate paste which was a bit of a mistake, as it wouldn't firm up enough when left to dry, despite adding CMC powder - so I hit on the idea of making a rice crispie model of the shed and this enabled me to stick the pieces on without them bending! All the veggies are made of sugar paste:)

Cake Note 47: "How amazing you're already One - what a precious person you have become!"

You'll notice I've had a run of family cakes to make.....1 niece, 1 great niece and now 1 great nephew! This little lad is one year old, so I've had the pleasure of making a bright and cheerful cake for him....I wasn't able to do it exactly to spec, but overall. I like the end result! And so does Seth and his Mum which is more important:)

Cake Note 46: "There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage. ~Martin Luther"

A very special friend of mine got married today and I was lucky enough to be asked if I would make her wedding cake - absolutely! I always planned on making it, but never with such short notice:) Anyway, it all went well, the Bride looked beautiful, and my cake......well, what do you think?

Cake Note 45: Have to say, no Quote today!

But only because this is another cake for another niece - my little Kat who is 5 on 31 st October but had her party yesterday. She is CRAZY about Belle, the Disney princess in Beauty and the Beast, as been since she was 2. So, she needed a cake and her instructions were - 'Yellow, a castle, with Minnie Mouse and Belle'

And that's what she got! Minnie unfortunately, is plastic, but Belle I made from Sugar paste - helped by my ex Tutor, thanks Paula!

I'm happy to say, Kat was very happy with her cake :)

Cake Note 44."Nieces are the children that we borrow, intending not to raise, but merely love" Unknown

It seems an age since I last posted! Well, it's a couple of months at least and in between, I've been to Australia to visit my lovely granddaughters, been ill for a week or two and been really busy at work! I am also getting ready for my lovely family comiong home for Christmas - my two granddaughters on English soil at last - I am SO excited!

So, I have a cake or two to finish before they get here, and today's  cake is for my niece who is soon to be 40!  So that makes me....err, we'll leave that bit. This is one of two cakes I'm making this week for two neices...Katharine who is 40...and Katherine who is 5!

This is the first time I have tried my hand at making a shoe - not as easy as I expected and the next one I make will be better! Just hope my niece likes it:)

By the way - the colour looks coral - it's actually hot pink! Like the one of the shoe being made:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATHARINE!

Cake Note 43: "Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty - they merely move it from their faces into their hearts. ~Martin Buxbaum"

Not bad is it?  I think this is a really nice quote for an aging lady!Yes, this is the second cake this week for an 80 year old lady - it's for my friend Maggie's Mum. She loves freesias, so freesias she's got! Shame that I can't make the sugar flowers smell real:)

This is  a 10 inch rich fruit cake which weighs really heavy!! it took me all my strength to lift it - it must be the whisky in it - she likes whisky as well as freesias:)

So - the inlay is done by impressing Marion Frost Patchwork cutters 'blossoms' into the soft paste, then flooding the impression with white edible dust, mixed to a paint using alcohol.

I'm quite fond of this cake because I love making flowers best of all - hope Maggie's mother has a lovely 80th birthday and loves her cake and freesias NO MORE blogs for a few weeks - I'm off to see my lovely granddaughters, take care all and thank you for looking at my cakes xxx

Add caption

The impression was repeated on each corner of the cake and the oard

Cake Note 42: "Lying about your age is easier now you sometimes forget what it is!:)" Unknown

Eighty years old! What a wonderful age - and this cake is...for a lady who is 80 this weekend!

It's similar to one I did for my friend Becki's Mum, except this owner wanted sage green (Mum-in-Law's favourite colour) and a bead shower too. I wasn't too sure about the beads - it's quite a busy cake on its own, with the satin effect flowers, but to be honest, now it's done, I love it!

The original design is by Peggy Porschen, one of my favorite cake designers - her cakes are so feminine and pretty - just the kind I like to do!

It's an 8 inch rich fruit cake with sage green sugar paste, petal paste flowers, hand rolled (YES, HAND ROLLED) pearls, and a pearl and diamante bead shower with diamante 80. I hope the birthday girl loves it:)

It's cold, dull and wet here, so I do hope that my cake brightens the day of my watchers - YES! I have watchers who have viewed my blog from all over the world - a big thankyou and please, leave me a message if you'd like !