The best wedding cake ever!

As a kid I loved to be in the kitchen with my Mom!  When I graduated from high school people used to ask me if I would grow up and put my culinary skills to work.  Quickly I would answer "no" but I think it was because I hated to do dishes.  The day after I graduated from K-State I looked into going back and getting a degree in baking science but didn't because it required too many science classes.  When I moved back to Kansas City after a year of voluntary service in Seattle, I helped my Mom with a few wedding cakes but thought it was way too much work for something that got destroyed and eaten so fast!  But, after helping my Mom so many times I thought it would be fun to make one myself.  So, in 2003 I made my first wedding cake!  With a few more wedding cakes under my belt since 2003, deciding to make my own wedding cake was the easiest decision I had to make when Scott proposed earlier this year.  I know everyone thought I was crazy, but there is no way I could trust that feat to anyone besides my Mom and she had enough on her plate!  So, I narrowed the design down to 3.  One Scott liked, one he disliked, and one I don't think I showed him.  I picked the one I never showed him!  Let's just say his vote didn't count on this decision.  So, this is the picture I based my design on.

And this is the final result!

Yeah, not sure why it looks a little crooked in this picture, but I happy with out it turned out!  Let me not forget to tell you that on Thursday when I was putting it all together, I looked at what was supposed to be the bottom layer and decided it was too small.  So, Mom and I baked 3-14" layers to replace the 12" layers that I had baked the weekend before.  That added a little stress to the job but it all worked out in the end!  The flavor of course was "wedding cake".  I think it's funny that a lot of people love "wedding cake" flavor.  I my book that's the same as white cake with buttercream frosting. 

Last week as I spent many hours working on the cake at my parent's house, Scott kept asking how the cake was coming along and I kept saying I had a little more to do.  I didn't put the finishing touches on the cake until Saturday morning!  However, there was a little secret I was keeping from him.  With much design help from my Mom and Dad, we constructed a John Deere tractor cake as a surprise for Scott!  So, as "Big Green Tractor" played on the speakers, out rolled Scott's cake with the wheels spinning!  Thanks Dad for rigging up that small motor!  My brother liked to point out that it kind of looked like it belonged on the movie "Cars" which was kind of true.  You can barely see the bride and groom figurine next to the cab, but that is the cake topper that was on my Grandma and Grandpa's cake many years ago!  The tractor cake was a new yummy chocolate cake recipe that I decided to try. 

So, the most important cakes I have ever made are in the history books and I barely tasted either of them!  In a few weeks I'll be baking again...another wedding cake for another happy bride.  I'm so glad I can use my talents to make others smile!

wedding thank you

Classic Collage 3x5 folded card

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A stitch in cake

Last weekend my Mom and I loaded up the van with all of our cake making tools and headed to Oklahoma for cousin Amber and Joel's wedding!  I'm lovin' all the family time this year!  My Mom was in charge of this cake so I'll give her the credit for the design.  Check out the beautiful iris and butterflies she made to decorate the cake! 

It sure looks like we sewed this cake together.  I love my white cake but I really love my Mom's whole egg (or yellow) cake with apricot filling!  Well, now it's time to focus on our wedding!  I can't wait for that day to be here and marry the man that makes me smile every day! 

One cousin wedding down, 1 more to go!

This past weekend my cousin Andrea married a wonderful man, Garrett.  I was happy play a part in the wedding as the co-cake maker.  My Mom and I worked together on this cake and it turned out great!  I love to be able to make edible art for those that I love to help them celebrate special occasions, especially weddings!  Up next, another cousin's wedding in October and then my wedding in December!

Back in business

After a about a six week hiatus, I got back in the cake mode this week.  I was happy to make the wedding cake for some good friends, Jim and Tracy.  The design was very much like the blue cake I did in May, but purple!  Jim and Tracy are K-State fans so I'm not sure if that's why purple was their color but I liked it as well.  I think this was the first cake that didn't give me a bit of frustration.  I was super worried about delivering the cake because of the heat, but I was able to deliver the cake early in the morning and all went smoothly.  With my Mom out of town on vacation, Scott stepped in and was my chauffeur.  Thanks, Scott!  I was happy to hear how much everyone liked the cake but the best compliment was from Jim's daughter.  During her toast she said the chocolate cake was one of the best things about the wedding.  How can that be topped?!?! 

2 weekends, 2 wedding cakes

The past two Saturdays I have woken up with cake on my mind.  Wedding cake that is.  On May 28th, I made a black and white themed cake for a couple I never met.  Talk about trust!  This cake was special because I bartered this cake in exchange for wedding photography at my wedding.  Thanks craigslist.com!  The Bride emailed pictures of a few cakes and I suggested my favorite which she agreed with and that's how the cake design was finalized.  The Bride chose lemon cake...yummy!  I don't have a great picture of the cake because I have since lost my camera, but you get the idea of what it looked like.  I tried to make edible jewels but they didn't turn out.  Sometimes it's just not necessary to make it all edible!

The black and white cake was to feed 60-70 people.  Last weekend I made a cake to feed over 200!  Yes, it was a bit stressful especially with the 95 degree heat.  It's a bit harder to deliver a cake when it's so hot.  Thanks to my Mom's help, we got it delivered and it was a success!  The wedding colors were Tiffany blue, orange, and off white.  The colors were great!  The cake might have been traditional white on the inside, but it was a pretty Tiffany blue on the outside.  It's fun to see all the different layers with different designs come together and look good.  Of course the most important thing is that it tastes good and the Bride's Mom tells me she continues to get compliments on how great the cake tasted.  That makes me smile!  No cake mix in this masterpiece!

This weekend there is no cake on my mind!

Martini Birthday

I made the cutest martini birthday cake for my friend Janel this weekend.  When her husband asked me to make the cake for her surprise 30th birthday party, I was happy to do so!  I found a picture online and had so much fun making it a reality in my kitchen.  The cake was chocolate with a fudge frosting filling and buttercream on the outside.  The martini glasses, fruit, and colorful shapes were all edible and made out of fondant.  It was time consuming to make all the martini glasses but it was well worth the time.  I was super happy with the results.  Enjoy!