Party at the Natural Science Museum

For a little girl who loves butterflies and ladybugs. Fashioned after the invitations and party plates. The butterflies are printed on rice paper with edible inks ... so everything on this cake is eminently edible. Chocolate cake, buttercream icing, covered in/decorated with fondant.

After we loaded this cake into Dad's car for transport to the party, I wished I could go to the party, too. They had the BEST looking juice pouches from Whole Foods and that cake looked SO glorious ... yum!

Night Blooming Cactus

No-it's-not-a-cake. Just our glorious cactus that bursts forth with these amazing blooms maybe 3-4 nights a year during July and August. Last night was a huge bloomarama. Tonight promises maybe 9-10 more. (If you look closely you can see the little green closed-up buds on the sides of the cacti.)

They bloom after midnight and are closed up again by 8-10 am. Fortunately I was up working on a cake last night, and actually remembered to take the camera out at 1 am to record this magnificence.

Interestingly enough, our neighbor's cactus bloomed last night, also. Such truly magnificent plants.

A couple of matching sheetcakes for the annual bowl-a-thon fund raiser for a local school that serves autistic kids. The design was taken from their darling invitation. Total white princess sour creme cake with total buttercream. The bowling pins are gumpaste, the bowling ball is fondant.

A fabulous mom turns 50

Her cute daughter (and son in law) drove all the way down here from Dallas to pick up this cake today for the mom's birthday party tonight in Houston. How's that for a fabulous daughter!!!

Hope they have fun with it all, and Happy Birthday, Mom!

Erin turns 26

(Don't ask how old that makes me!)

She loves her long-haired chihuahua, Bailey. She also loves pink and purses, and plenty of each. But she was so terribly forlorn the day she realized that little Bailey was growing too tall and big to fit in her purse any more.

So I made her a pink purse cake with a rice-krispie-treat Bailey (head) sticking out of it for her birthday this year.

In retrospect, I made Bailey's eyes too big ... but it's still a pretty good likeness.

Texas Family Reunion

I can hardly take any credit for this one. All I did was bake the layers, ice them, cover them in fondant, and make a fondant license plate to sit atop it all. The customer came up with the (very) clever design, then even came over to pipe all the writing on it -- freehand!

I may have to hire her to do all my piping. She says she'll work for cake. And frosting. And fondant.

Sounds good to me.

Turning a sparkly 12

One of my favorite cakes so far. Small and simple. But I adore it.

This is what happens ...

... when your plan ahead/organizing skills trump your lower brain functions such as remembering what day it is or where you left your car keys.

This cake isn't due 'til 8/16, and here it is -- finished, adorable and ready to go, on 8/2. Oy vey.

I have boatloads of cakes due on the weekend of the 16th, including eldest daughter's birthday cake and party. So I figured I was being SO smart and together and organized to shop for all ingredients last week and start baking ahead for the busy weekend. (I typically bake the cakes a few days ahead of when they're due, wrap them in plastic wrap while still warm and steaming, then send them to the freezer for at least overnight. The trip to the freezer helps keep the cake very moist, and gives it more body to hold up to the stacking and carving process.)

Well, I guess I was just having so much fun baking, icing and decorating that I forgot to put this one in the freezer after baking it, and just started decorating away!

Anyone need a buttercream-iced, fondant covered, chocolate stout topsy turvy cake to serve 30?

Bridal Shower

This one was designed after the shower invitation, which was an adorable multi-layered square invite in black, white and hot pink. White princess sour creme cake with tons of buttercream atop.

A study in pinks

Yes, the birthday girl loves ruffles and flowers and hearts and stars ... and everything pink. Hope she's having a fabulous 21st birthday celebration.