New display work

Sneak preview of some amazing shots the talented Mark Davidson took of my new display cakes!!! Close-up of a sugar ranunculus and a cascade of sweet ruffles :)

Seacoast Weddings 2012: Part 1

The newest issue of Seacoast Weddings (formerly known as Seacoast Bride) just hit newsstands and WOW! The magazine is looking beautiful and can you believe it, I have 9 cakes (or parts of them) in this issue. Ummm, excuse me???!?!? NINE??!?? I swear I am not related to anyone on staff...Seriously!

Such an overwhelming honor to be featured so many times. So, I wanted to share a little bit more on each of the cakes! This first post I'll focus on the story "Creating In Cake", which starts on page 74.

This first cake is a design that I personally love. I created this for a shoot done by Kate at Beautiful Days. The top part is a croquembouche, which is a tower constructed of cream filled pate choux puffs bound together with caramel and wrapped with spun sugar. Croquembouche is often times served at weddings in France, so using the tower as the cake topper brought together both French and American design. The bottom square cakes are covered in black fondant and wrapped with thin strands of pulled sugar.

On this next page are 2 cakes of mine photographed by Jay Drinker of Drinker Images. The top row, left, is a pretty black, white & pink cake. Very classic design, but a touch whimsical with the black fiddle head detail towards the top. Bottom row, right, is my Marimekko inspired cake. The bright graphic Marimekko blossoms were hand cut out of fondant and applied running up the sides of the cake. I love bright colors, so this one has always been dear to my heart. 

I have to say, Seacoast Weddings did a really great job of picking some of my personal favorite cakes! On this page, bottom right, is a cake that travelled all the way up to the Newagen Seaside Inn this past summer. All of the shells were hand made of gum paste, and tinted with luster dust for a shimmery glow. One of my favorite details was the ruffled bottom tier, which isn't visible in the magazine shot.  

Oh and I spied this little cutie towards the end of the magazine in the "Delightful Details" section. Middle row, far right, is a close up of the topper from one of my cakes this past summer. 

Here's a full shot of Meghan & Chris' cake at The Seacoast Science Center. Meghan provided the topper & orchids. I loved the simplicity of the waves - both modern and fun at the same time! 

Part 2 will be all about the cakes I did for the color themed photo shoots. Sooo many beautiful images to share!

Ciao, Ciao 2011!

It's been one wild ride this year! 

2011 brought so many wonderful things into my life. But there were definitely some ups and downs. In a lot of ways I feel like 2011 was a "prep" year. Making never ending lists, running around, going and going and going! (and if I'm being honest, I am a wee bit tired - a vacation would be nice)

I feel like I've been working like crazy, laying the ground work for what's to come. Some of it I already know about, and seriously can't wait to share! The rest I can't wait to watch unfold :)

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy & prosperous new year!

Oh, Faux No.

Every professional has something that irks them. Florists may have strong feelings about certain flowers, DJ's about certain songs, stationers about a certain font - and so on and so on.

For cake people, or this cake person, it's fake cake. 

Recently a very well known wedding publication published the advice to have a fake presentation cake with real cake in the back to serve to your guests. It's a suggestion I've seen in other publications in the past, but seeing it in this one...it really stung. 

Would you:

- Present a fake side of beef and serve your guests steak-ums? 

- Get married in front of a green screen and have the photographer photo-shop you into exotic locations?

- Have large cardboard cut-outs of your family & friends on either side of you, instead of the expense of a bridal party? (ok, this I might do)

I could go on with the ridiculous examples, but at the heart of this is a real dilemma. What do I do if I have champagne cake tastes and a little debbie budget? I know that everyone wants their wedding to be beautiful and perfect. The goal should be to figure out how to achieve the best look for your budget & guest total, without trying to pull a fast one on your guests.

A few tasty, and very real, suggestions:

- If you've fallen in love with a pricey per-serving cake design, but can't stomach the bottom line, talk to your cake designer about the elements of the cake you can't live without. Start with the most important item and work backwards. Often times a good designer can steer you in a direction you haven't thought of, just because you were so focused on that original design. Many times a cake can look even more modern & chic if you pair down a design to it's most fabulous element.

A simple cluster of sugar blooms makes a statement, while not carrying the same price tag as a full cascade down the front of your cake. 

- Think about having a small 2-3 tier couple's cake and cupcakes or cookies, or a combo of both, for your guests. The petit cake serves it's purpose for the cake cutting ceremony and can then be served to just the families or the wedding party. Or you box it up to take home and enjoy some cupcakes & cookies with your guests.

Talk with your cake designer about finish as well. This rustic butter cream finish is very popular, and also very budget friendly compared to more elaborate piped or fondant designs.

- Consider a cake buffet of single tier and 2 tier cakes. In my opinion, this presents the best option for couples working on a budget who want to make an impact. Many bakery's single tier cakes are priced well below what the same cake would cost with another one stacked on top of it. Stacked cakes take more skill and time to complete, which equals higher cost. A series of 6", 8" and 10" rounds on different stands and platters would both fill up a dessert table quite nicely, as well as give you the ability to have multiple cake flavors at your wedding.

Bottom line, be honest with your cake designer and yourself about your budget.

A good designer will help you create the best dessert for your event, or steer you in the direction of someone who can. Cutting into your wedding cake is the first sweet task you take on as newly-weds. So shouldn't you have a cake that's as real, and fabulous, as you are?

For The 12th Sweet Til' Christmas...

The Christmas Tree Cake!

Thank you to everyone who's been following this blog series! It's been a fun way to introduce people to the kind of custom work that we do. Plus it's always great to spread a little Christmas cheer!

Blogging will definitely become more of a regular thing, so stay tuned for shop updates, info on our latest cakes, class schedules & more.

From our family to yours, we wish you a very happy, healthy & Merry Christmas!

For The 11th Sweet Til' Christmas...

A birch buche de noel!

Complete with happy little birds, holly leaves & berries...

and a cheeky little gnome peeking out to say hello!

For The 10th Sweet Til' Christmas...

A sweet wintery snow globe

Filled with glistening sugary snow covered trees on an 8" round layered cake

Today is the last day to order for pick up on Saturday, so give a call or email today!