Beach Pancakes

On holidays at the beach, with the early morning sun rising up over the ocean, pancakes were really the only option for breakfast. My friend watched on as I (in charge of cooking said pancakes) shook the mixture in its helpful shaker bottle and poured three perfect pancakes into the pan on the stove. While I kept an eye on the pancakes, we chatted away, catching up on the missed details of each others lives, as you can only really do when you have time on holidays.

After about ten minutes my friend questioned whether the pancakes were taking a while to cook or if I was perhaps slow cooking them (you know, so they were more tender) and we realised, (I think we both need to take the blame), that the stove was not even on. So, in fact, there were no pancakes cooking at all. And we couldn't get the stove on for another couple of minutes because we were laughing so hysterically (all giddy with holiday fever, footloose and fancy free).

The wonderful thing is......it didn't even matter, because on holidays you have all the time in the world to cook a gazillion pancakes, guzzle them down with maple syrup, wash them down with orange juice and head down to the beach to catch a few more rays.

Love + Cake

I downloaded this awesome new app (well I think it's awesome) on my mac that makes things (I've chosen soap bubbles) trail my cursor around my computer screen. It makes every computing experience more whimsical :)

I love new things, new ideas, taking an existing idea and giving it a new twist. And that is precisely what this gorgeous engagement cake was. The design of this engagement cake was a collaboration between the couple and myself and I think it turned out splendidly. It's the combination of an intertwined heart cake they found on flickr by Jenny at OzCake and the idea of roses curving down tiers of cake - this is the end product.

There is something so symbolic about intertwining hearts and what better time to display this symbol then when celebrating the start of a life long love! I was a little apprehensive when I started this cake, that it could look as good as did it in my head. That the design would hold together. But once the dark red borders were on, the cake came together. The handmade sugar roses added a beautiful feature and completed the design. I also loved the topper Celina and Rob found at Pink Frosting - who have oodles of gorgeous toppers made to order.

The cake formed the centre piece for this spectacular dessert buffet. I am just waiting for an event of mine that warrants a dessert buffet - it was all I could do not to dig into this one!!

Thanks for letting me make your cake guys, I'm honoured!

xC

Beautiful Blooms

There is just something about fresh flowers, they brighten up a room, make you feel special when you receive them and they turn cakes into stunning works of art.

This gorgeous cake was for a lovely Bride and Groom who organised their wedding from afar - the Bride sent me a computer generated sketch of the cake she wanted, which was just awesome! I need to learn how to do this kind of thing for other clients, to show them what is going on in my head!

The four tier square cake had the back corner of each tier lining up with each tier stepping down from the Bride and Groom topping the cake and providing the base for the cascading flowers.

I delivered the unadorned four tier cake to Customs House where I added the fresh blooms waiting for me and they absolutely completed this cake. I'll admit, I was a bit nervous about arranging the flowers having not done a lot of flower arranging before, but I think it worked out.

There are sooo many options with fresh flowers and they are often a cheaper alternative to sugar flowers (particularly if they are the feature of the cake) and they can be sourced to match the bridal party and venue flowers exactly. While I was setting up this cake yesterday, fresh flower combos were flying through my head - perhaps a topsy turvy with fresh tropical flowers spiralling down the tiers? Any other ideas???

In addition to the gorgeous exterior, the yummy flavours inside this cake included traditional fruitcake (yum!), cherry-ripe, and a relatively new flavour - caramel, white and choc splotch (similar to swirl but not).

At the end of the day one of my favourite parts of making and decorating a cake is loading all the photos I take through out the preparation onto my computer and watching the transition from naked cake to the finished product! And of course, sharing them with you guys!!

Have a spectacular week!
xC