A dad turns 60!

Back in the day, this dad worked for a record company. Just try to guess one of the rock bands he promoted! His daughters' greatest memories are of the concerts they went to courtesy of Dad, so they chose this logo for his cake. He's also a big UT Longhorn fan, thus the tongue tattoo. You can't really tell what that is on the upper right, but it's a pair of "60" sunglasses. I figured he could lick the icing off and wear the glasses during the party.

Pyramid

The 7-year-old birthday girl is a bit more sophisticated in her tastes than many of her peers. She is currently enthralled with all things Ancient Egyptian and requested either a pyramid or sarcophagus for her birthday cake. I thought this golden pyramid would be a bit more dramatic than a sarcophagus, not to mention a new challenge for the cake baker. The palm trees are molded from gum paste. The desert sand is a mixture of graham cracker crumbs, yellow sanding sugar and chocolate sprinkles.

Her name in Heiroglyphics

There's a really cool tool on the web where you can type in your name and have it translated into Hieroglyphics. So I looked up the birthday girl's name and drew it out on a piece of parchment paper (covered with sealing tape) to add to the front of the cake.

R2 D2

Or as the birthday boy said as he raced through the door to pick up his cake today, "Where's my R2 cake!?" I didn't know R2 D2 had a nickname. Silly me. He was over the moon when he saw it, which delights me no end.

White Princess Sour Creme cake with all buttercream. I've done R2's before with fondant for all the little doo-dads on top of his head and down his front, but decided to go with all buttercream this time. It's kind of a tricky cake to cut to begin with (four layers of cake!), so I thought I'd try this version to make it a little easier on the mom in the cut and serve department.

When I told the little guy that R2's legs were made of Rice Krispie treats he made a "yuck" face. First time ever to meet a child who doesn't love RKT's! His older sister promptly claimed them for her own and birthday boy put dibs on the entire top half of the cake for himself. Works for me.

Spiderman lives ...

... to save another day! I did my 3-D stand-up Spiderman cake (see the March 21 entry below) for this sweet little boy turning 5, then mom needed a few more servings, so we did this Spiderman cupcake-cake, captured in a web. Also did 10 cupcakes surrounding Spidey himself, spelling out the birthday boy's name. A combination of Chocolate and White Princess Sour Creme cakes with buttercream icing. I love making these little boys' eyes light up!

Urban Harvest

Hubby is a long-time member of Urban Harvest. Check out their wikipedia entry at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_Harvest Today is their Spring Fling potluck. Sadly, the weather is forcing them to celebrate inside rather than outside in the garden. I donated this cake to the potluck and just HAD to put their awesome logo on top. I'm not sure who created that logo but he/she is my HERO! That logo is perfect.

Cookies for an art opening

Four young women are having their senior show today in the art gallery at our High School for Performing and Visual Arts. They requested these cookies for the reception afterward. All pastels, with stripes, polka dots and checks. Sugar cookies with royal icing.

Pink Bow

A cake and cookie favors for 3 young women celebrating their birthdays together in a restaurant tonight. Chocolate cake. Pink fondant bow. Pink and white cookies decorated with royal icing.

Cowboy Hat

I forgot to post this the other day! Forgive the background -- I only got a picture of it as it was going out the door inside its cake box. This was a chocolate-chocolate chip/white princess sour creme marble cake. The brim is gumpaste. The hat band is brown grosgrain ribbon. I dusted the whole thing with cocoa powder to give it that "aged cowboy hat" look.

New House Cake

A realtor friend of ours orders a celebratory cake every time a client closes on a new house. These are very fun to do, as I get to take elements from the new house and yard to incorporate into cake-and-frosting form. Those pebbles embedded into the front entryway are candy pebbles. I LOVE those things.

In this particular case, the new homeowner proposed to his girlfriend just weeks before he closed on the new house, so this is a double celebration cake. Thus, the mailbox at the front door with both their names on it.

Happy Easter!

A White Princess Sour Creme cake with buttercream icing, jelly beans, M&Ms and malted milk bird eggs. Decorated gumpaste easter eggs standing tall in the grass.

Ballerina Birthday

Gumpaste ballet shoes on top of a White Princess Sour Creme cake with buttercream icing and ruffles, and fondant roses.

XBox 360

Created for a certain son-in-law who is (you guessed it) an Xbox fanatic. That's his all-time favorite game on top of the box (in fondant form), and I thought adding the blood spatters to the cake would be a great complement to the electric green on the box itself. Chocolate cake with buttercream icing, then fondant on top. The controller is made entirely of fondant. It should give him enough sugar to snack on for at least a month.

The birthday boy pronounced it "Best. Cake. Ever." Pretty good for a mother-in-law, eh?

Blazer Cake

The birthday boy is well known for his extensive collection of signature blazers. This cake is fashioned after one of his favorites. White princess sour creme cake with fresh-strawberry filling. And where you have a blazer cake, you must have ...

Blazer Cookies

Imaginary, confectionary versions of the honoree's famous blazer collection. Favors for the party-goers.

Cupcakes!

Those of you who know me personally know that I don't typically "do" cupcakes, much less cupcake trees. Well ... I got sweet-talked into doing this one (no pun intended) and I'm really rather taken with it.

Colors/design were taken from the fairy-princess birthday party invitation. I hope little Emily loves it.

Spiderman!

His chest and shoulders are marble cake, his head is a Styrofoam wig head. Everything is slathered in red buttercream, then detailed with black buttercream. What a perfect birthday cake for any little boy who's into superheroes. And I LOVE making this cake. Looking for more little boys (or big ones) who want a Spidey cake for their birthday ...

Bridal Shower Cookie Favors

These will be bagged and tied with white satin ribbons ... a take-home treat for the shower guests.

Happy Anniversary

Remember that great husband from the "New Baby Boy" cake a few pictures below? Well, he did it again. He managed to secretly order a cake for their 6th wedding anniversary, and surprised his bride with it last night.

This is a chocolate cake with buttercream icing, and a red gumpaste bow painted with pearl luster dust. (I was going with the OU colors.)

Zoo Party

The Houston Zoo is a really cool place for kids' birthday parties. This two-year-old is celebrating his birthday there today. His favorite animals are monkeys and lions. I added a hippo, a turtle and an elephant. Chocolate cake!

Buttons and Bows

A topsy turvy cake for a first birthday celebration. The theme was "all things pink." And a tiny smash cake for the birthday girl to dig into all by herself.

A New Baby Boy

Just borned yesterday. I love those just-borned babies, I truly do! In this case Dad ordered the cake as a surprise to take to Mom (and big sister, and nurses) at the hospital. He even knew what he wanted for the design -- this is fashioned after the nursery bedding. Mom was very surprised and thrilled. Does Dad get major points for pulling this off successfully, or what?!

Baby Girl Shower Cake

I don't normally do sheet cakes, but this one was for an office baby shower, so it was most appropriate. White Princess Sour Creme cake with buttercream icing and fondant accents. The design was crafted after the nursery bedding. Those nursery bedding designer people are so awesome!

Happy Valentines Day!

Mass quantities for friends and family.

Rockets Fan

For a darling 10-year-old boy who is such a huge Houston Rockets fan that the Rockets' mascot, Clutch, was going to make an appearance and entertain the kids at his birthday party. Fun!

Jennifer

For our uber-eco-conscious friend who is celebrating her 40th birthday by planting 40 trees on the family farm just west of Houston. Marbled green and blue fondant covers the Northern Hemisphere-shaped cake and 20 trees (I couldn't fit 40) are piped around the sides. Top dome layer is chocolate-chocolate chip, bottom layer is White Almond Sour Creme. With plenty of buttercream in between.

Fischer Price Farm Animals

This was the 1-year birthday cake for a little girl who adores her vintage Fischer Price farm animals and carries them with her everywhere she goes. I just love that little white hen!

R2D2

These were for the brother of the Hannah Montana birthday girl below. The siblings have birthdays very close together, so they share a big birthday party every year. R2D2 was chocolate, Hannah Montana was white sour creme.

Hannah Montana

Guitar cake and cookie party favors for a little one who LOVES Hannah Montana.

Babycakes

This baby girl floats amongst the clouds and stars, resting her head on a sliver of moon. Mom was having contractions at the shower today so maybe the babe will be here sooner rather than later! Love these babycakes!

Girls' Basketball

For a high school (senior) basketball star who loves the color pink. That's the number she's worn since she started her career. White princess sour creme cake with buttercream icing and pink, pink, pink fondant.

Rocket Man

A baby shower cake to match the little dude's nursery bedding theme of rocketships. Those are the rockets around the edge of the cake -- in the process of taking off. Great loads of buttercream "steam" forming the border. And he sleeps in the clouds with his pacifier and fondant blankie 'til it's time to be born.

Welcome, Matthias!

Off to Disneyland

A Minnie Mouse Ears Hat cake for the going-away party for a young woman leaving Houston for an internship at Disneyland. The internet tells me this is the typical Minnie Ears hat for sale at Disneyland ... let's hope so. The back says, "Good Luck! We will miss you!"

My standard white sour creme cake with buttercream icing and fondant. The ears are cardboard, painted with a black sharpie and trimmed out in black royal icing.

Bone Voyage

This is a going-away cake ordered by a family for their veterinary technician. The vet tech has seen them through many a family dog crisis, and he's now headed off to Veterinary School. Chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, white fondant. Woof!!!

Party at the Zoo!

Birthday girl's favorite color is purple, and her favorite animal is the tiger. We also have lion, hippo and monkey faces around the cake along with various vines, leaves, grasses and coconut trees. Even I was enchanted by this cake when it was done.

Pink Pink Girly Girl

These were the cookie party favors to be given to the guests at the birthday girl's surprise luncheon at a local restaurant. Totally the mom's idea, and what a great one!

And this ...

... was the cake to share with family the next day, on her "real" birthday.

Bridal Butterflies

A general bridal shower for a bride-to-be who loves butterflies, and whose wedding colors are pale blues and greens and yellows. I think perhaps this is the most enchanting bridal shower cake I've ever done. I loved it! Plus, the butterflies are edible.

And ... the cookie favors

Bridal gowns, wedding cakes and champagne glasses. Lousy picture. Great cookies. If I do say so myself.

Hippie Chick turns 11

Oh yeah. I love those 11-year-olds who are totally into the peace-and-love of the late 1960's. Cutest chick. Cutest party. Cutest everything. And a giant hot pink VW Bug cake for the festivities. What could be better?

Baby Cake

Designed after the adorable baby boy shower invitations, this cake features darling zoo animals with the very cool color combo of light blue, darker blue, lime green and a bit of brown.

Baby showers are certainly way more sophisticated than when I was having my babies 25+ years ago!

And to go with this great Baby Cake, the hostess had ...

Cookie Favors

Aren't they just too cute? I love the idea of sending everyone home from the shower with a cookie favor.

Bridal Shower

I think these bridal gown cakes are so romantic and perfect for a 'general' bridal shower. This one was based on the beautiful shower invitation. White Princess Sour Creme cake on top of a chocolate cake base. Something for everyone!

Barnyard pals

A sweet little cake based on the birthday girl's party invitations. The mom's friend crafted the poly animals on top that EXACTLY matched the invites. I just provided the grass and sky and fence and clouds and flowers ...

Bottom layer White Princess Sour Creme, top layer chocolate.

Tiny Little Gee-Tar

Created for a fella who got a new guitar for his birthday. This one had to be teeny-tiny because it had to ship to Chicago. Which made it entirely out of proportion. But I was rather proud of my airbrushing skills.

But as it turns out ... it didn't survive the trip to Chicago too well. It got pretty well smooshed and smashed. But the birthday boy shared his birthday with Election Day and got the election results he wanted, so he was too busy celebrating the bigger picture to mind a little smushed cake.