Michelle's 50th birthday

Michelle contacted me a few months ago with a cake design already in mind.  She was planning her 50th birthday party and wanted to acknowledge her family with her cake.  When she sent the sketch of where she wanted the names placed on her family tree she explained that her Malibu was her cat and that she teases her children by telling them that when she dies the cat gets everything.  She asked for Malibu to be near the top of the tree and above her children and grandchildren.
Michelle chose a vanilla with raspberry filling bottom tier and a chocolate top tier.

Of course as soon as I set up the cake someone commented on Malibu's place on the tree.  ♥  This was such a fun design to create for Michelle.

Happy Birthday Honda!

Honda (Alexandria) turned 18 this weekend.  Her mom asked for me recreate a cake from a design she found online.  One giant "18" made out of red velvet cake and garnished with cream cheese buttercream rosettes.

Pink or Blue- We love you!

I love all of my clients, but I'm especially thankful for my repeat clients.  It means so much to me when I get asked repeatedly to be such a big part of your celebrations.
Last year I had the privilege of making a wedding cake for Kayla and Ryan's wedding.  Kayla fell in love with my spice cake with spiced pear filling at her sister's birthday and requested the same for her wedding cake.
I was thrilled when Kayla asked me to help her announce the gender of their baby with a gender reveal cake.  She liked the phrase "pink or blue, we love you" and knew she wanted spice cake again. I created this 8" cake with colored layers of buttercream hidden inside.  The idea was that her family would know if the baby is a boy or girl based on the color of the buttercream inside (pink or blue).  The outside of the cake had a watercolor design and gold accents.

And in case you're wondering- it was blue.  ♥

April and Phillip's Wedding

There is something so beautiful about the imperfection of textured buttercream.  It looks so simple and effortless (but actually takes more work than a smooth buttercream surface- go figure).  April and Phillip chose vanilla cake with sweet vanilla buttercream.  This gorgeous three tiered cake was simple and elegant and the robin's egg ribbon added such a sweet touch.

I'm in love with this cake.

Baklava Orange Spice Cake

The "cousins" in my husband's family recently started a tradition of getting together every other Sunday.  We take turns hosting a casual dinner and inviting all of the cousins.  It's a time for food, stories, and most importantly- keeping those family connections in tact.  It's such a sweet tradition and we have a great time whenever we're able to go.  There are many cousins in my husband's family and even after almost six years together, I'm still not clear on how everybody is connected.  The dinner for the week was scheduled and our sweet host announced that she was planning a Greek/Mediterranean style meal.  I offered to bring something and she asked for dessert (to be fair gave her two options- dessert and Ouzo).  I immediately started doing some Pinterest "research" for Greek or  Mediterranean style party cakes.  There wasn't much inspiration to be found and I wondered about doing a baklava "cake".  There wasn't too much on that, either.  Apparently somebody had figured out how to make baklava cheesecake and baklava cupcakes, just not what I was looking for.  Finally I found a gorgeous image of cake that had a layer of baklava in the center.  There was no recipe or instructions, but I was up for the challenge.  I grew up eating Greek style baklava- this is baklava that is sliced and drizzled in honey and eaten with a spoon or fork.  I didn't know any other kind of baklava until my husband and I met and I tried the baklava that he grew up eating- which I suppose is more of a Lebanese style.  It seemed more like a cookie filled with nuts (very tasty... but different).  He didn't know there was any other kind of baklava until I introduced him to Greek style baklava at our favorite Greek restaurant- he sort of snickered behind the waiter's back after he'd asked us if we wanted two spoons, "a spoon for baklava?"  Sure enough he used that spoon.
Despite my love for the nutty and sweet dessert, I had never actually made baklava.  I turned to my gal, The Pioneer Woman for help.  I followed her easy recipe for baklava and added some additional twists (cinnamon mixed with the nuts and orange infused simple syrup as the base for the honey drizzle sauce).  I also baked mine in a round cake pan and skipped slicing into the layers before putting it in the oven.  It really was not at all intimidating!  
The final result is layers of delicious spice cake infused with orange, cream cheese filling, and pecan baklava (that has been drenched in an orange honey sauce) and topped candied orange peels and drizzled in more of that yummy orange honey sauce.  Opa!

Happy Graduation Joshua

Sweet little Joshua graduated from Kindergarten today.  His favorite color is green and he LOVES Link from Legend of Zelda. His mama wanted him to feel extra special at his graduation and ordered this cake to celebrate.

A 6" cake was the perfect size for Joshua and his family to share.

Jurassic World

Happy birthday Dewayne! This little dinosaur enthusiast chose a Jurassic World Cake to celebrate his birthday. He and Mom picked vanilla cake with strawberry filling (yum!) and sweet vanilla buttercream. Each tier is frosted in lime green buttercream and decorated with fondant leaves, vines, and grass. The Jurassic World logo and the gate were made out of fondant and are totally edible! Mom provided the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Indominus Rex for the top of the cake and I finished it off with chocolate rocks and a giant chocolate boulder.

I hope this cake is loved by Dewayne and all of his dinosaur enthusiast party guests.