Chicago bound

For middle daughter's St. Valentine's Day.

GI Joe Tank cake

Bright and Happy Birthday!

L'il Man Sleeping

To match the nursery decor.

Baby Girl Baby Shower

This was a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting underneath the fondant. Baby Girl's nursery is all done up in pink and brown. Cute!

Cookies for a Cousin

A fun new technique. Shipped across country. Nothing broke!

Lizzie turns 12!

A leopard print cake with hot pink maribou, bows, pearls and a high-heeled sandal. What more could a young fashionista ask for?

Baby Girl Baby Shower

Is this the most beautiful tablescape EVER? I didn't get a picture of this cake before it went out the door, but the the grandmother-to-be managed to snap this one. Love it.

My apologies ...

Yes, I know. You are all getting pretty sick of looking at Snoopy. I've posted a few new pictures below so your eyes will no longer get tired and your spirit won't sink when you check out my blog.

I had such a busy first half of December that I hardly had time to take photos of the cakes before they went out the door. Then, I intentionally took the rest of December off in order to focus on friends, family and frivolity during Christmas.

Then, we found out we're going to be grandparents for the first time this coming August! So the frivolity continued for a while.

But I'm back in the cake saddle again, so pictures will be forthcoming. I made a beautiful purple butterfly cake yesterday, but didn't get a picture of it before it fluttered out the door. The birthday girl took a picture with her cell phone so I'll try to figure out how to get that uploaded here.

One more cake today and one tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Cake for a Fashion Diva

"I just want it to be pink," was what the birthday girl said when she ordered this cake for herself. Through my paid informants (haha!) I learn that she's totally into shoes, makeup and jewelry. So she got a sophisticated pink and black color scheme, with some pink pearls, glossy pink lipstick and a hot high heel. I hear her friends were totally envious of her cake.

Beach-themed wedding shower

A simple white cake, covered in fondant. The shells are molded of white chocolate, and the pearls are tiny fondant balls covered in pearl shimmer dust. The sand is brown sugar and the ribbon around the bottom of the cake is the color of the bridesmaids' dresses.

Pies!

Just as proof that I can bake something other than cakes, these are the pies that Kate and I made for Thanksgiving. Pumpkin, Apple, Peanut Butter icebox, Pumpkin Cream Cheese and Pecan. I am definitely not a master pie maker, but since Emily The Pie Baker was in Chicago this year for Turkey Day, Kate and I had to do our best to pinch hit.

Snoopy!

The doghouse is chocolate cake with buttercream icing and fondant roof and walls; Snoopy and Woodstock are sugarpaste. This was a lot of fun. The doghouse door with "Snoopy" over the top are on the end of the doghouse that you can't see in this picture.

Monkey Business

Design taken from the 7-yr-old girl's party invitations. Very much fun!

A cowgirl turns 21

All she wanted was a new pair of cowgirl boots and a "plaid" theme for her party. Yee-haw!

Purse and Shoe

For a birthday girl who loves both. Sugar paste shoe. White princess sour creme cake with buttercream and fondant. Painted with gold and black food colorings.

Baby Shower

I never tire of these sweet little babies cuddled up under their blankies, blissfully sleeping with the help of their soothing 'passies' in place.

Ringo Starr, The Cat

A birthday cake for a husband who is allergic to cats, but adores them. This one happens to traipse about their neighborhood and make regular visits to their front yard. Ringo wears a dog-bone shaped collar with his full name on it, thus they know what to call him. Another white princess sour creme cake, with buttercream, then fondant on top. And a totally-fondant tail. And yes, Ringo has blue eyes.

Haunted House

Bottom tier chocolate, top tier white. Iced in buttercream, covered in fondant. Cake for 40 pre-schoolers!

Gucci purse

White princess sour creme cake with buttercream and fondant.

Hello Kitty

'Nuff said!

Noah's Ark

A giant cake (to serve 100) for a baby boy's baptism. My ever-popular White Princess Sour Creme cake slathered with wavy pale blue buttercream. The Ark is crafted from Rice Krispie treats, then covered in fondant and decorated with buttercream waves. The animals are sculpted from fondant and the straw roof is royal icing applied with a "grass" tip. The other side of the Ark features a pair of pink piggies and a pair of pandas.

Ice Skate Cake

This ice skating birthday girl was receiving a pair of ice-blue skates for her birthday present, so of course I had to do an ice skate cake! This turned out to be one GIANT ice skate. Fondant-covered White Princess Sour Creme. It brings back memories of my childhood living on a lake in Michigan. We all had ice skates strapped to our feet the first winter after we could walk!

Kate made this cake!

For her boyfriend's birthday. He requested strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream, walnut brownies and fresh strawberries. She baked a pan of brownies, cut them out with heart and star-shaped cookie cutters, then crumbled the leftovers into some buttercream and used that for the filling in the cake. She punched up the strawberry flavor in the cake and icing by adding a half package of strawberry jello to each. The brownie hearts and stars are marching around the sides of the cake and the sliced strawberries on top are doing their best imitation of the June Taylor Dancers. He loved it.

Polka Dot Birthday

This two-tiered, fondant-covered White Princess Sour Creme cake was fashioned after the adorable birthday party invitations.

Giant Spiderman Cupcake Cake

50 cupcakes (half chocolate, half vanilla) volunteered themselves in the creation of this giant Spiderman face. The birthday boy's party was being held at a Bounce House, so a cupcake cake seemed like the easiest, least messy way to serve 50 little bouncy ones. This cake was so large, it was dramatic-looking almost to the point of breathtaking.