Thursday, September 22, 2011

Sugar Cymbidium

It has been raining for the past few days but yesterday was dry so quickly took the opportunity to make my sugar paste cymbidum for the coming wedding.

Today the petals are dry as bone...might as well dust them up and assemble. 

Also made a sugarpaste box which looks like a cake for a hantaran in KL.  Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of it in all haste!

Depending on the weather again I might have to make peonies tomorrow.  Actually I am so tired of making the same flowers but when customers want that....I have to make.  Cannot convince the bride another type coz she said she fell in love with my sugar peonies.

Painted the throats

Dusted petals

Dusted buds

My cymbidiums - assembled and taped together

The completed stalk ready for the wedding cake.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Damask Wedding Cake

I just realized that I am suppose to have a blog about wedding cakes yet I have not posted up any wedding cakes.  Maybe I will post the latest first then move back.

This is my first Damask cake.  Funny....I just told Weenee 2 weeks ago that I have bought a few stencils from US but never use them before.  Then there is this Indian lady who called me up for an appointment to make a wedding cake for her son.  Yes...very rare these days to have children 'trusting' their parents to choose something for them especially one on  their big day.

We met a few days just before the family flies to India for the wedding and they will be back 5 days before the wedding in Penang.  I did submit a few original designs thro email to her....but in the end when she came back she decided a simple damask cake...a safer option.   What I understood from her daughter is that they have not seen any of my cakes on FB or anywhere.  I suppose its best to choose Damask then.

I have always wanted to try making sharp edges....and I guess I succeed with this cake. 

As for the stenciling it was not as difficult as I thought it would be.  I did not do a test run eventho I know that dark brown on pastel green is not that forgiving if I have to remove them if anything goes wrong.  I just pray.  Pray hard.  Maybe God was biting his fingers when I picked up my spatula and spread my first icing over the stencil....without tape or string to hold the stencil in place!!!!  Guess ignorance is bliss...or am I more of a gambler?

Ya....maybe the first spread bleeds slightly under the cuts but it was acceptable.  After that it was smooth sailing.  Next time I will choose something finer so that the icing would not be scrapped out that easily.  One time....2 times....done.  For those with a bigger space area maybe the curve of the cake makes the icing easier to be picked up by the spatula again and again....thinning it out eventually.

*drums rolling* ....my first Damask Wedding Cake!!!!


Damask Wedding Cake for Razeen & Shifa

At the wedding reception

After adding the rose topper - the rose were too dark

The beautiful couple cutting their cake

Monday, September 19, 2011

Baskin Robbins Cake / Ice Cream Cake

Made this for my daughter-in-law.  She loves ice-cream and I thought a 'tub' of ice-cream cake would make a cute birthday cake for her.  I baked 3 types of cake actually!  Strawberry, chocolate and mint flavored...shaped into 3" balls and covered with flavored fondant as well.  The tub 'contained' more chocolate cake.  The sprinkled 'nuts', 'maraschino cherries', 'whipped cream', ' BR pink spoons', ice-cream 'tub' and 'cloth' are all made from icing....including 'chocolate sauce'.


Baskin Robbins Ice-cream Cake

The 3 flavored ice-cream with toppings

The edible fondant spoons

Hand=painted graphics on the tub

Another view of the Baskin Robbins Ice Cream cake

Its a Jungle Cake for a One Year Old

A lady emailed me to order a Mickey cake for her 1 year old son.  Mickey cake....Mickey cake....Mickey cake....  Hmmm so common.  Eventho I have not make a Mickey cake before I was reluctant to take up this challenge coz there are just too many Mickey cakes in Penang,  Walk into any cake shop you will see at least one there in the fridge waiting to be collected.

Anyway after a few emails we decided on a Jungle Cake with a criteria...must have an owl and a pig!!  I dived into that idea.  It will be my first animal cake with or without owls and pigs.  I sent mum 3 cake designs about a month later - one below her budget, one on budget and another above.  Immediately she replied that her hubby and herself picked the 3rd without hesitation.

With the design confirmed ....animal kingdom here I come!

I searched the net for tutorials...managed to find some and the rest I tried to figure out.  Made my first tiger, my first giraffe, my first hippo, my first elephant.....in fact all my FIRST.  Sarah, the baby's mum later suggested that since I have a snake, tiger and a monkey in my design will I be able to add in an ox as the dad is an ox (Chinese zodiac).  Why not?  In fact I made a very cute ox for him.  And since we are at identification I further suggest a party hat each with their names on it.

I thoroughly enjoyed making those cuties.  Once dried and harden I painted them.  They are then ready to party!

The confirmed design - I made minor changes after adding more animals

jungle cake
The Making of Jungle Cake
Completed Jungle Cake - with all edible fondant animals

Second tier of Jungle Cake


Top tier of Jungle Cake

Rice cereal tree with Mama Snake and Sister Monkey and Ethan's favorite Mr Owl


Fondant monkey - representing Sister Ari

Playful elephant

Another fondant elephant

Baby piglet tagging along to the party

Ethan is the Tiger

Didn't I mention the Ox is cute?

One of my favorite - giraffe

The toothy hippo

The adorable zebra

Lion - King of the Jungle - hear me roar!!!

Cake set up in the restaurant