Cake Note 54: “For all the advances in medicine, there is still no cure for the common birthday.”

As if 50 is a 'common' birthday:)

Well I can tell you this cake aged me overnight...well, over a few nights and days. Could I make a number 50 cake please? The 5 in fruit, the 0 in chocolate cake? A bit of bling and feathers?

Yes I think I can.......Big head springs to mind, know your own limitations is another thought that crashed across my mind too. That number 5 singlehandedly floored me. It was the hardest cake I have ever covered in Marzipan and sugar paste - it was so difficult to get a smooth, clean finish and I didn't like that.

Still, after days of covering and smoothing and modelling, and nights of nightmares, I finished this blessed cake - the recipients were my friend's sister and her husband, both 50 in the same week. I think she liked it - I, for one, was glad to see the back of it!

Number cakes?? Never again!

Cake Note 53: 'Happy Birthday, Two Today'!

A birthday cake for a cute little girl called Sofia. It was a short notice cake (very!). I don't like doing short notice cakes as I don't feel I do justice to them under pressure, but it was for a friend of my daughter. Anyway, Mum wanted a small cake with a princess....I didn't have time time to make a Disney princess which is what I think was wanted, so I made a 'cute' one! Haven't had any feedback, so I hope they liked it:(

Cake Note 52: "Spread your wings and let the fairy in you fly! ~Author Unknown"

More birthday cakes for nieces! This is for my 9 year old greatniece, who once said to me..." No one makes ME a nice cake" (she was looking at my princess castle cake at the time).

Well, her Grandma asked me to make her a small cake for her birthday tea, nothing too big, just a small family tea. I had a problem with the small cake idea, because I remember my great niece's comment last year.  I knew she likes pink and lilac, and she also likes butterflies. So, I thought she might like faeries too....especially one she can keep after the cake was eaten......here it is, hope it meets my usual standard! And I hope the birthday girl feels she now has a special cake too:)

My pink and purple Fairy ( Thanks to Frances McNaughton who taught me how to make her)

8 inch rich chocolate cake layered with vanilla buttercream and raspberry jam

Cake Note 51: "In the jungle, the mighty jungle the lion sleeps tonight..." song:)

Not quite a feroxious lion but a cute one all the same! The customer asked me to make a cake for her son's first birthday, and sent me the serviette which she was basing the party theme on. This is what I came up with - did a bit of decoupage in sugarpaste, and replicated the serviette! It was fiddly bit I liked the end product...and so did the Mum, luckily!

The servietter

Cake Note 50:!....Oh My Goodness! My 50th post:)

Happy New Year to everyone who nips into my blog:) I haven't posted since before Christmas because I have had the greatest pleasure of all.....my two beautiful granddaughters (and their parents!) have been with me for Christmas and New Year...4 weeks they stayed and it's the first time my girls have been to England. It was a magical time for me and my family! I did do some baking, but not to my usual professional (I Hope!!) standard as GD1 helped with the decorating....not tooo bad though.

Anyway, my first cake for 2012 is a 30th for my niece's husband, Chris. Happy Birthday Chris:) He likes X-Box, so that's what I did, and 8 inch square lemon cake, lemon curd and butter cream filling, and a Rice Krispie Treat X-Box  controller. Surprisingly, the RKT was heavier than I expected when sugar pasted so as a precaution, I dowelled the bottom cake...I could fall in love with the trimmings from the RKT:)

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

To my two lovely followers and to everyone who has hit on my blog - thank you and I hope you have the best Christmas, and New Year brings you health and happiness (and wealth if it makes you happy!)

Cake Note 49: "“The best years of a woman's life - the ten years between 39 and 40” - anon

Getting later on parade unfortunately - I can only blame it on getting ready for my wonderful son, his wife and my beautiful granddaughters coming from Australia for Christmas. This is my final cake of 2011 -  except for a couple of personal cakes for Christmas. It is for my good friend and frequent buyer, Becki, who was 40 at the beginning of December - and now you understand why I'm saying I am late on parade! Sorry Becks......here's your cake, designed by your lovely daughter (with a little bit of tweeking from me) - I know you had a great birthday and I am pleased to have been asked to make your cake :)

The technical details - this is a 10 inch round Death by Chocolate cake, iced in white with blue accents - fantasy flowers made with flowerpaste, wired and fixed into the side with a posy pick - bead fountain, and rolled sugarpaste pearls around the base - oh and a card to represent Becki's skill and love of crafting!