Cake That!

June Wonders :)

2011-12-11T08:56:00.000+10:00

How Fast has this year flown by??

I hope that you are all enjoying the Xmas season- I am :)

Even despite the rapid growth in numbers at the shops- I still find this time of the year to be such a fantastic time for celebrating!

Back when the weather was a tad cooler, and the sun reared it's head for a few less hours per day- I was blessed to make the following cakes for some magnificent clients!

I want to start though with a cake that was ordered by a Fantastic Husband for his Wife's 40th Birthday. This cake was a surprise for her- organised solely by her husband, and right up until I delivered it- she had no idea!

Whilst I was panicking driving down the almost 90deg slope road (OK this is an exaggeration but it was mighty steep) that was the last 100 odd meters of the journey- the cakes recipient sat unaware at home that a cake she had always wanted was about to arrive.

I arrived with the cake all boxed and ready to present at the front door- greeted by the super organised hubby- and was shown upstairs to where the birthday girl was getting the house ready for that nights celebrations (Yes she knew she was having a party- just not a cake :)- well a cool cake anyway ;-P)

So when I presented the cake to her- she was all smiles and thanks, along with total shock and surprise......... it wasn't until I got to the base of the driveway I could hear her squeals of excitement- somewhat similar to what my 5 year old niece emits when she gets what she wants! LOL! It was brilliant! Her joyous squeals really made my day! After a little giggle to myself- my day was complete! I loved how composed she was when I delivered the cake- only to break out once I was out the door!

So why was the cake so exciting???- Firstly it was all in her favourite colours- and secondly I replicated one of her favorite shoes in sugar- especially at her Husband's request! I'd be blown away if my husband knew what my favourite shoe was.... but then again I'd rather he not take too much notice of the ever expanding collection hehehhehe!

The wicked cakes in June did not stop there!

I admire couples who take a chance when it comes to changing up from the "norm" and really putting their own touch to their wedding.

Annalise and Simon were EXACTLY this kind of couple.

They chose a very BOLD cake design that complimented everything about their wedding day.

Don't get me wrong- it was still elegant- but most of all it was was them!

The three tier Tilted Black and white cake- with Blood Red Roses was visually stunning and really drew you to it's vibrancy!

It was only last week that Annalise contacted me to let me know that she and Simon's wedding was being featured on Polka Dot Bride.

Check it out- simply Stunning- and the Bridesmaids- WOW!

All the sugar decorations on my cakes are handmade, so it was a change when the next Bride asked to use some Heirloom roses for her cake.

Not a problem- I totally understand the sentimentality behind using sugar flowers that have been used for generations- as well as being originally crafted by a family member too.

I added the flowers to a simply iced two tier Ivory classic style. Just delightful.

Sadly I don't always get to see cakes completed. Whilst I love to coordinate the cakes delivery with the fresh flowers (when they are supplied by the clients) it isn't always possible.

This three tier Twisted Square cake was eventually finished with complimenting fresh flowers.

In a whole other lifetime I use to work with Kirsten- at QANTAS........... yes oodles ago- back in the mid 90's - when we we cool, much younger- and frivolous in every way :-P

Luckily over the years we have kept in touch- and despite no longer living in the same city- the magic of the Internet and social networking means we can keep in touch regularly!

So to cut a long story short- it was my absolute pleasure to create Kirsten (and Shane's) Wedding cake!

Yet another Wedding that was all about them. Stylish and Elegant Mid winters wedding- held on Mid Winter's day- A day very special to the couple who met in Antarctica- Yes the icy land mass at the bottom of the world- where every image taken looks like it has just bee cropped from a National Geographic shoot!

Kirsten and Shane held their wedding at Maleny Manor- with Ms Toni Snell shooting the entire day!

You can see some of Kirsten and Shane's images on Toni's Blog

Kirsten and Shane chose a Four tier Angled cake- in the Wedding colours of Black White and touches of pink.

Blousey blooms over the cake and a cut out of the emblem from the invitations tied the entire design together.

Best Wishes to Kirsten and Shane- and Thank you for having me make your fantastic cake!

I have a handful of florists that I work with on a regular basis who ALWAYS exceed expectations and provide simply jaw dropping blooms.

One of which is Karen from Bliss Floral.

I am lucky to live a stones throw away from where she is at Stafford- so it is wonderful to have so many clients in common with her.

A few years back I made this very butter iced design- and Karen topped it with her gorgeous fresh flowers- fast forward a few years and it is still popular amongst clients!

The champagne roses, White Lissies and Freesias are such a "fresh" combination.

The Next florist I had the privileged of working with was Julie from Julie Vine Flowers.

This cake was mighty big! Three different sized chocolate "boxes" which mimicked the table centrepiece set out.

Overflowing with fresh Green and White blooms- it was bordering on beyond Magnificent!

My photo's simply don't do justice to how awesome this really came out. And the cakes size- it was large enough to serve more than 160 guests as dessert- and then some!

Not only do I need to thank Julie for helping me complete this cake- but also the Bride and Groom (Letitia and Joss) who had faith in the contemporary design.

Congratulations Guys!

With some couples- the cartoon toppers are quite popular.

I make each set to mimic the Bridal couple and their likeness.

This three tier cake had an Army Groom and a petite Bride on top!

Too Cute!

The next cake was delivered to the venue where I myself was married over 7 years ago!

This two tier cake with a Purple and Silver theme- complete with sitting couple was sent off to Joseph Alexanders Restaurant at Milton. Sadly the restaurant no longer exists ;(

A cute cake none the less- now we will both have to find new places to hold anniversary dinners.

The next cake for June was for a wedding at Victoria Park- in the new Garden Marquee.

Three tiers with Client Supplied toppers- and purple stripes to match in with the wedding colours :)

A big Butter Cream beauty at Hotel Urban was a stand out in the month of wicked cakes!

Now for all to remember this style of cake works only in Winter in highly Air conditioned venues. There is no way a soft iced cake with Fresh flower pillars would work in any other season in any other condition- here in QLD.

The Cream Brulee roses sat beautifully in between the swirled soft iced layers!

The last featured cake for the month was one which was delivered to Customs house.

The increasingly popular twisted style tiers- with Quilting and Sugar roses on top

Classic style with a touch of now :)

Well if you got through all this in one sitting well done- you deserve a chocolate biscuit (or 5- I know I do :) )

As we near the end of the year it is time for me to begin my extended annual leave. I'll still be answering emails- and phone calls- when possible. Bookings through email will still be taken, and quotes provided, but for the most will be taking a break getting back into full swing in March 2012.

A huge Thank you to all my couples and clients who have chosen me to make their cake this year. It was truly my pleasure.

To my 2012 Clients- I have some awesome cakes designs ready for your events- which I look forward to creating!

To everyone who takes time to follow me on my Blog and through Facebook- Thank you! I really appreciate your support and comments- keep them coming.

Have a brilliant Xmas and a Magnificent 2012!

Thanks for Reading

P.S.- I plan to continue blogging- fingers crossed I can get up to date sometime soon ( this single post was over 3 hours in the making)

Brighter Days!

2011-10-26T09:37:00.001+10:00

The last week in May was certainly a hectic one here.

Not only did I have some great cakes to transport all over SEQ- I also was blessed to once again go to the RBCH Oncology Siblings day and make cupcakes....... plus a little extra this time too :)

Like we (Myself and one of my Fantastic Helper Sisters) normally do at the Siblings day- we piled the car high with cupcakes, icing and more sugar decorations than you could handle ;-P so that the Brother's and Sister's of the RBCH Turner and Banksia Ward patients could ice and decorate cupcakes to share to their hearts desire.

As well as this afternoon of fun- I was also asked if I would mind giving a one on one to a very special inpatient- who would love to become a baker :)

OF course I jumped at the chance. I felt so very special to be asked to work with such a worthy recipient. I don't normally offer lessons, purely because I feel like in many ways that I couldn't teach anything well, coupled with the fact that I am not sure I have much to offer either.

I only had limited time with Bridie- so choosing a cake design that was achievable in the time frame, and also suited her personality was not a super easy decision. I called upon my FB friends to help me concur the decision to go with a handbag/makeup bag cake!

So in an hour- Bridie had decorated a sensational bag cake. She learned how to make a bow and finished it all off with pearl luster!

She was meticulous in her attention to detail- a true natural!

It still makes me smile, and teary- thinking what courage and determination this young lady has. A true inspiration indeed!

Whilst Bridie and I were having fun with the cake decorating- My baby sister Alex was up on the wards with the inpatients and their parents icing and decorating cupcakes.

Many of these kids are in hospital for months, and it was an absolute honour to hear of one particular patient who hadn't left her room in the month she had been in hospital (bar for medical reasons) - who, along with her mum and dad, got out of bed and came in to where Alex was hosting the Cupcake making! Needless to say she had a ball! and for that short hour her mind was focused on all things sugar, and she was smiling- ahhh it is a true blessing to be able to share something as simple as sugar and make others happy.

After we had both worked separately- Alex and I joined forces and headed down to the Siblings day activities to do more cupcake decorating!

The Brothers and Sisters seem to really enjoy the icing and decorating of cupcakes.

Just like the photo that was circulating Facebook last week- Cupcakes make people happy!

And happiness need not mean intricately decorated cupcakes that are produced by the most credible and noted cake decorators around the globe- it means ones that are decorated with love and enthusiasm, by kids with an array of decorations at their disposal.

My eyes are truly opened with this style of decorating- when normally I opt for less is more- I think this shows definitively that more is obviously more :)

Not only was I proud of what all the Kids (and some parents and staff) created that day- I was also so very proud of my sister Alex. She is not well herself, and despite her struggles is an absolute champion. She cast aside her own concerns to be able to brighten someone elses day. Such a huge heart indeed!

So that was Friday afternoon...............we both slept well that night for sure :)

The weekend arrived and it was all about the cake deliveries once again.

It was an early delivery start- with one wedding beginning before lunch at The Landing at Dockside.

This three tier soft iced cake was decorated with gorgeous flowers by Jennine from Florabella Design.

The next cake was a simply decorated three tier design. Hand made pearl decorations and thin ribbons wrapped around each tier. Fresh flowers by Karen from Bliss Floral were placed over the tiers to complete the cake.

The image above was kindly taken by Karen :))

Then I scooted up to Toiparies @ Beaumont House for the next soft iced cake!

This pale green iced cake was finished with Fresh Poppies - supplied by Roberta from Green and Bloom flowers :)

That night I had a Special combined 18th and 16th Birthday party cake to make and deliver.

Black and Bling was the theme- and it was fun and funky too!

So a Very Happy Birthday Remi and Savannah!

Whilst I am on a roll with blogging - I'll also share my two faves from the first week in June.

The first was taken down to NSW (North Coast) for a wedding reception.

Stunning Black and white with a feature Magnolia Spray- sitting simply atop of the cake.

Classy- elegant and a tad contemporary with the chosen colour scheme. Once again proving that Simple almost certainly = Elegant

The next cake was another that I just kept returning to have a good stare at.

The bold colour- combined with the intricate side design detail was just magic!

The Big full blown blooms went from a deep fuchsia colour through to a bright orange on the outer petals.

Love Love Loved IT!!

Well I hope that you got through this mega post!

Thanks again for reading- and remember please feel free to leave your comments below :)- or on Facebook!

Take it easy

P.S. If you have read this and thought- How can I help the RBCH, donations can be made to the Working Wonders Foundation

Round about May

2011-10-23T07:35:00.001+10:00

Nearing the end of may - it was still a very busy wedding season indeed.

Like most weeks during theses hectic times- I had wedding across many days of the week, not just the weekend.

That weeks delivery run started on Friday to Victoria Park, where I delivered this three tier cake complete with cake topper family!

The Bride and groom Stood proudly on top of their cake with their pet dog too :)

Flowers to match in with the wedding were also supplied by the clients florist and placed over the cake.

The next to leave was this pretty lilac version of a popular stencil design.

Colour really works with this style of design- very pretty indeed!

My love of all things monochromatic was certainly accomplished with this next cake for Indooroopilly Golf club.

This Three tier White Classic design with sugar Roses and Orchids clustered across the tiers is a perfectly fitting timeless design.

I also had cupcakes at The Landing.

This Black and Ivory themed wedding was completed with this blinged cupcake tower.

The Bride and Groom had sourced the toppers and the little flags to go around the tower.

Personalised messages on the flags were very cute indeed!

I was modelling up a frenzy for this weeks cakes, with another set of toppers of this Tower of Cupcakes at Baguette Restaurant.

I really love this restaurant for receptions. It has beautiful atmosphere! The decor is warm and inviting- it really feels like the Couple are intimately entertaining their closest friends and family whenever I see it all set up.

Last but not least was a 1st Birthday Cupcake tower for Twins!

This Noah's Ark Cupcake tower- inspired by the beautiful Debbie Brown's Original Noah's Ark cake- complete with matching animal face cupcakes :)

Made for Twin Boys- Will and Sam, for a wonderful party organised by their parents, complete with a baby animal farm! Too cute!

As well as delivering all of these beautiful cakes above, I also had an Anniversary cake to make for one of my past clients. The ever decadent Chocolate fruit cake- the recipe is a family one that Celeste (Bride) used every year, and on her wedding day had me bake it for her cake! Then on her Wedding Anniversary I was asked once again to bake a tier for them to enjoy! Such a privileged to make :)

Well that's all folks- for today anyway!

With Just over a Month before I head off on leave- I look forward to the final Cakes I have to create! Wow how this year is flying by!

Thanks for reading

Inspiration from all!

2011-10-18T08:06:00.000+10:00

If you were a past frequent reader of my blog you may be sitting here thinking- "My Lordy- SJ has finally got her butt back into gear and is blogging again" and you would be right.... kind of. I never actually stopped blogging, sadly time just got in the way. But once again I am on the diligent path to bring the blog back up to date- sharing many of the wonderful cakes I get to create each week.

So now that I am up to almost the middle of may- albeit 6 months ago- I feel like I am moving in the right direction and getting this blog under control.

The first cake from the week in question is one that I have not done before. It is in fact a Julie Whitehead design. I don't routinely "copy" cakes, but this client was referred to me by Julie (as she was unavailable) and I was asked to recreate a version of one of her cakes.

This Two tier chocolate creation was for a christening.

Miles of chocolate lollipop hearts exploded from the top! This cake makes me wonder how tempting grabbing just one heart from the top would be for the guests! The smell of the white chocolate alone is enough to fill the room- so would be hard to resist I would think.

Other than the above Christening cake, all the other cakes are for Weddings :)

The first is a combo of a few cakes I have made before.

Vanessa and Heath chose to combine a cake I had done previously that had varied thickness black ribbons and a personalised couple, with a cake that I had done with Daisies trailing down one corner.

I love the effect of the ribbon going from a Thick band at the base then by the time it is at the top there is 3 varied sized ribbons banding the cake.

The groom looked very snazzy in his grey suit and glasses too!

I had a second cake with personalised toppers that week too!

The couples florist added flowers to this cake at the venue.

This time it wasn't all about the Bride and Groom- there was also the couples two little dogs too!

How cute is it that one has really big ears too!

But wait...... There's more!

A final cupcake tower complete with another set of cartoon cake toppers!

It is weeks like these that I am kept on my toes with which Bride belongs to which groom :)

This cupcake tower was finished with a Bold Red ribbon trailing down the tiers

I had Two cakes for the River room that weekend.

The first was this pretty variation of the Pearl lines design.

I opted for a double board and a larger silver stand with this one.

I think it certainly gave an added touch of grandeur for sure!

The last cake for the week was definitely something very special.

The side design on the tiers of the cake was hand drawn by the Bride, and was used in the wedding stationary.

I reproduced the design in a Black Brush embroidery and applique technique on the walls of the cake.

A Hummingbird and big bloom design was a striking yet elegant statement on the cake.

Whilst still maintaining an elegant feel this cake was certainly unique to the wedding.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the cakes on this blog!

Thanks for reading

Mothers Day Weekend

2011-10-17T15:18:00.000+10:00

The Mother's Day weekend is one which is always highly popular with Weddings. The second weekend in May, where the weather is still lovely, the bout of public holidays is over and also a lovely way to incorporate how much you love your mum :)

The first cake that left Cake That! was a two tier Fishing/shopping themed cake! Headed up to Bagara for a wedding- it was fun and light hearted ,capturing what both the Bride and groom were renowned for.

The next cake was also a Novelty Wedding Cake.

A variation of the Bride in Waiting design, which made it's way to Woodford for a wedding held at a Private Property there.

This design seems quite popular, I'm guessing the groom passed out on the floor resonates for many couples alike LOL!

OHHHHHHHHH So very pretty is the next cake, which was for a Wedding at Lurleen's Restaurant- Sirromet.

Sugar brooch and Brush embroidery, along with sugar ribbon banding the tiers made this one elegant cake.

Once at Sirromet the wonderful Julie form Julie Vine Flowers had some gorgeous roses to place on top.

The Next stop on the list was Brett's Wharf.

This three tier cake with Quilted centre tier and monogram initial toppers always looks classy indeed.

After the load of Traditionally iced cakes it was time for come luscious soft iced creations.

The First had some pretty purple Orchids delicately placed across the tiers.

This cake was delivered out to Topiaries @ Beaumont house.

The Next cake was a three extended height tier cake, which included layers of the couples favourite Orange cake- all topped off with a set of wooden personalised toppers.

The above cake was apart of possibly one of the most themed wedding set ups I have seen this year. Dressed by Amini Concepts- you can see the entire wedding of Fiona and Troy on the Amini Concepts blog!

Last but not least for the weekend was a gorgeous soft iced creation for the Tattersalls Club.

The Clients supplied both the fresh flowers and the Gold Monogram toppers for this cake.

So once again I was delighted to produce a vast array of cakes for a variety of tastes and themes.

What one was your favourite??

Thanks for reading

Rounding off April and Moving into May!

2011-10-12T08:38:00.000+10:00

Easter is a very popular time to get married. I gather with the long weekend it is the best time to get all your interstate guests "available" to come to the wedding.

This Easter was a little different though, as Anzac day also coincided with the Easter long Weekend- making it a double whammy for Public Holidays.

I had weddings on Both Good Friday and Easter Saturday this year, and reserved Easter Sunday for family time. It was straight back to work on the Monday for me though- with Weddings Fri/Sat/Sun the following weekend. No rest for the wicked LOL!

Good Friday saw me head to Bretts Wharf to deliver this three tier butter iced cake with fresh antique roses.

Soft Pretty and understated.

Just lovely!

Saturday morning was a busy day of consultations before headed over to Walkabout Creek to deliver this bold Beauty.

A three tier Hexagonal cake, with an extended height base tier and Bright yellow rolled roses across the cake! I Loved it!

The pop of colour really looked super classy.

After my one days rest on Easter Sunday- I was back on board to get ready for another huge wedding season week.

Luckily I had enabled myself to consume copious amounts of chocolate over Easter- so that I had plenty of energy reserves to get on with the job at hand!

The first cake was Delivered down to Southport- to a magnificent Private home- decked out gloriously to host a truly elegant wedding reception.

This cake featured extended height base and mid tiers and sugar ribbons draping down from the top.

The ribbons were finished with a pearl coat too.

Back in Brisbane I had This Classic Elegant three tier cake to deliver to the Summit.

Sugar roses clustered across the tiers and sugar ribbon and satin ribbon banding the base.

I love the simplistic elegance of this design. Undoubtedly timeless.

I had a true pretty that weekend too.

A cake with a piping detail design that was replicated from the invitation transparency.

The monochromatic design was just beautiful. It is cakes like these that really impress me once they are complete. It may not be grand in size- but the detailing certainly makes a statement.

Right down to the fine piped icing pearls around the base of the sugar ribbon. Each and every decoration on the cake was edible.

I had two identical cakes that weekend- so I will just share one image- as not to make you do a double take LOL!

This three tier chocolate creation was ordered for both a Wedding at Victoria Park and The River room- Southbank.

Karen from Bliss Floral Added fresh flowers to the River Room version.

This is one of those cakes where people feel compelled to touch it- just grab a tiny little scroll of chocolate from the channels- it is all too tempting hehehhe!

I was certainly all over the place with Deliveries!

I had this next cake to deliver out to Glengariff at Dayboro.

The Purple colour was matched in with the Bridesmaids fabric. I finished it with a purple pearl lustre that looked really fun too!

The Clients chose this design from a display cake that I had in my studio. With changes to the size and height of the tiers- as well as the colour combo- they made it their own.

After Glengariff I headed over to the Bardon Centre to deliver a three tier cake with client supplied toppers.

The cake was piped all over the tiers with sugar roses and draping across the entire design.

The centres of the roses were dusted with a pale lilac colour to match in with the wedding colour theme.

I am unsure as to who made the Polymer Clay toppers for the couple- but they were certainly cute!

I then headed back across town to Customs House.

I love going to Customs house. It is such a gorgeous venue :)

This cake was a three tier butter iced cake with Fresh flowers in between the layers.

This cake was Whimsical and Pretty- Light and Fresh! A Delicate wedding center piece indeed!

It is not my usual practice to have client supplied blooms for this style of design (especially from a florist with whom I have never worked with)- as it is imperative to have them prepared, and also plentiful to complete and create the support structure of the design.

I do provide directions on how the blooms need to be supplied and also a suggested amount in order to have the final product finish seamlessly.

Without going into the sordid details- I soldiered on and remarkably finished the cake (soundly) with what I was given to use.

Overall I was delighted to be able to create a stunning cake for my clients despite being let down by a co vendor. I feel really proud to have been able to get on with the design and have all flow smoothly for the Bride and Groom (and the Venue).

I LOVE my job so much and respect my clients special day, and in the end delivering a show stopping stunning cake is what matters most :)

The last cake for the weekend was at the Glen Hotel.

A cupcake tower with a Blue and Lemon theme.

The smell of the cupcakes always fills the room a deliciously moorish scent for the venue staff to breath in whilst setting up the room :)

Well it was a big couple of weeks- but I made it though with a smile :)

I hope you enjoyed the flashback to April LOL

Thanks for Reading

Ecclectic! Just the way I like it :)

2011-10-05T18:29:00.000+10:00

I can tell you right now that I am sitting here- slapping myself silly for letting myself get so behind on the blogging. I have made some pretty wicked cakes this year - if I do say so myself- and the only benefit of the stories behind these being unpublished until now is in that I get to reflect on the wonderful choices my clients have made!

This weekend in April was definitely a great one for cake variety.

The first cake I'll introduce you to is a cool one indeed- A London Bus cake!

The Bride and Groom had a close affiliation with London, so having a Double Decker Bus cake, complete with the couples favourite West End Musical posters, bus route and Just Married signs- certainly sealed the personalisation on this Wedding Cake.

I also couldn't have the cartoon couple standing simply on top, so my artistic license took over and I had the couple proudly waving on top instead.

I travelled allot that weekend with deliveries, so after the bus drop off at Walkabout Creek - I headed to North Lakes Golf Club to set up this pretty cupcake tower.

With a Pink and Green Theme- it was just lovely!

I vividly remember the table center pieces - as they had beautiful Vases with a Lace/Ribbon and Diamante Buckle wrapped around, which looked really elegant with the floral arrangements.

The Next cake is one which may be familiar to those of you who subscribe to my Facebook page. It is a variation of the profile picture cake- a design I absolutely adore :)

The lace overlay coupled with the large sugar blooms is a stunning classic design with an elegant vintage twist.

Having the lace detailing in white on the soft ivory icing is a beautiful compliment to the final design.

I delivered this lace beauty to an equally elegant reception in Sunnybank.

It was back across town to the Pavilion at Albion to deliver this next Wedding cake.

A three tier Gluten Free Traditional Design, complete with Deep red and Ivory roses and Sugar Draping.

I always find it really hard to photograph the deep red roses. I am no where near qualified enough to capture the real life colours with my limited camera skills LOL- anyway I hope you can imagine the true deep colour that the sugar roses were.

The last but by no means the least of feature cakes for this weeks blog is a cheeky variation of my Chocolate Mountain design.

This cake was commissioned by Mel and Dan- Chocolate Freaks ;-P

Mel and Dan came to me through my cousin- who was Mel's Bridesmaid. The brief for the cake was Chocolate- Chocolate, and a bit more Chocolate (no wonder Mel and My cousin Jess are friends LOL!)! The cakes design was also top secret to everyone bar the couple (and me) right up until the wedding day!

Choosing such a novel design- Mel and Dan wanted their guests to be awestruck by their choices on the wedding day, rather than sharing every detail before hand.

The Design was finished in Chocolate scrolls, with White Chocolate tipped scrolls atop of this Chocolate "Mountain"!

Not only were the cartoon bridal couple sitting right in amongst the chocolate- the Bride also requested that her caricature be just about to sneak a piece of cake, while the groom had face full of cake covered in choccie remnants heheheheh!

To top the toppers off- I had the broom looking all coy twiddling his thumbs "Who Me?" hahahha! Loved it to bits!

So from my end it has been worth the wait writing this blog and getting to relive the joyous designs that I made that week.

Now I had better head back to making the stunner I have on order this week- Hadn't I?

Thanks for reading

Just Divine!

2011-08-14T08:56:00.000+10:00

It's no secret that I send cakes far and wide. If my clients are happy to transport the cakes (or have them transported), and also weigh up any risks involved, then I am most willing to box them up and ship them onto their destination.

This week in April saw a gorgeous variation of the Four Mummy Design head off to Agnes Waters.

Pretty Pink sugar rose petals dotted across the cake- with the wrapped icing finish looking soft and feminine.

Every time I make one of these "Mummy" cakes it reminds me of how far I have come. This design was originally inspired over 6 years ago when I was invited to display cakes at a season launch for Bridal Couture. Roz La Klein had a gown in her collection that had all these layers of Fabric- which I thought could be a bit different and a bit contemporary in a cake- I honestly thought that it would never be chosen- admired yes- but having a couple brave enough to choose something this was well outside my greatest expectations.

To my surprise This cake has been admired and chosen on many occasions- with many couples adding their own twist on the design to truly make it their own.

The Next cake is yet again a slight variation on one I have had the pleasure of creating a few times now. I am not sure who to credit this original design to, as TBH it was in many cake magazines by various designers- but this one was my handy work- with pretty piped detail following the line of the draping down and around the cake.

The sugar roses had soft lilac centers to match in with the wedding colour theme.

Using Invitation patterns or Bridal fabric is a fabulous was to incorporate your cakes detail into your theme.

This next cake was for Hillstone- and whilst it has a contemporary twist- it is a design that should last the test of time.

The detailed pipe work on the walls of the tiers was inspired by the Bride's Gowns lace and embroidery patterning.

Once at the venue Karen from Bliss Floral topped the cake with a sensation poesy of Roses Tulips and Freesias! Pretty Elegant and Classy all rolled into one :)

The YUM factor cake of the week would most definitely have to go to this Three tier chocolate ganache cake.

Please excuse my mediocre photography with this one- in real life it looked totally Lickable! The combination of the smell of the Whipped dark chocolate ganache and the Sweet avalanche roses would have sent anyone in viewing distance into sensory overload!

Quite often when I meet with my clients they ask "What do other couples choose?" There is no straight answer for this. Each couple chooses a design that fits their event, and because the clients before you may have chosen an all White traditional design- doesn't mean that your wicked chocolate creation or novelty cake design isn't right for you :)

I love it when clients go out on a limb and incorporate their personalities into a cake, and IF they like I can help them design a cake that keeps the individuality either subtle or bold!

The next couple chose a Mad Hatter design- with an elegant edge!

Having the black and white theme made keeping this fun cake all about class allot easier.

The simple line designs and names across the top tier worked beautifully!

A Cute cartoon couple stood proudly on top :)

I must sound like a broken record when I harp on about how much I value my repeat clients- I really honestly do!

I have been blessed to make a few cakes for Pat and her girls and Grandchildren now. She is such a pleasure to deal with- that it was a no brainer to say YES YES YES- when she asked if I could make Emma's Baby shower cupcakes!

It was way back in 2007 when I made Emma's wedding cake- so it was my utmost pleasure to create some cute baby cupcakes for her!

Please excuse the side on piccie- my bad LOL!

The next cake is a gorgeous fresh flowers stack cake for Parliament house.

Deep red Colombian roses filled in between the layers.

Once again- with my limited photography skills- I was unable to pick up the lace stencil detail on the tiers. It was pretty though- trust me :)

The next cake has been my phones wallpaper since I delivered it, because I Love it so much!

The cake was beautiful- the Bride was Beautiful inside and out- what more could you want from your job??

Pretty cut blossom. crystal and piping detail rained down from the top tier to the base- just like the bodice work on Caroline's Bridal gown.

The Wedding flowers were created by Sandee from Always Fabulous Flowers, and like Always they were simply fabulous!

Held in the Rosewood room at Hillstone- the entire room was the epitome of a Classic Elegant wedding. You could stare and admire the set up all day long.

The cake sat on one of my Silver ornate cake stands- which gave the four tier cake that extra edge of Grandeur.

A week of absolutely Fabulous cakes that made me smile! I hope you enjoyed them too!

Thanks for Reading

Definitely no April Fool

2011-07-31T17:58:00.000+10:00

You know what the best part of catching up (majorly) on your blog is?????? The reminiscing that you get to do about all of the beautiful cakes you ave been commissioned to do in the times gone by ;)

The First weekend in April was a very Special one indeed. So many gorgeous cakes to make and deliver- it was one of the weeks that - although I was well and truly buggered by the end- I had a definite sense of job satisfaction and achievement too.

The First cake to leave for the weekend was a three tier cake with a set of personalised toppers. A Variation of my "Team Supporters" cake, this one had the Bride and Groom wearing their favourite AFL football teams' scarves.

It was a good mix of classic, contemporary and fun cakes for sure.
The next cake design mimicked the invitation layout- with a sheer black ribbon and diamante slider to finish around each tier.

I delivered this cake to the Landing- where the couple added fresh flowers to the top later on.

I headed over to where my own sister-in-law held her wedding reception last August, The Port Office Hotel's- Restaurant Fix.

This classic three tier cake with Sugar roses and leaves is a truly timeless design.

A quick trip around the corner and I was at The Royal on the Park to deliver this cake- which Together with Karen from Bliss Floral- we created a pretty two tier version of my Bridal rose design.

My Next couple were one of the ones displaced by the January Floods, due to their original venue not being able to accommodate a function- seeing as they were still yet to officially reopen. Sadly their original venue- The Stamford Plaza- was so heavily inundated by the floods - that sadly even the April Wedding bookings had to be shifted to new venues. Luckily The Marriott was able to provide the reception for the happy couple!!!
So without doubt at such a beautiful venue- was an equally stunning cake! I LOVE big blousey flowers!! This cake was soft and pretty and everything you would dream for your romantic wedding day :)

The cake walls were decorated with Brushed Embroidery, that resembled the Bridal gown lace.

The Big cakes for the week were at The Strand and Customs House.

First Stop was Customs House- where this three tier double height cake- which was finished pearl, stood proud in the Long room.

The Next Big cake was a four tier version of the pearl lines cake.

Fresh Antique and cream roses covered the top tier of this Grand Beauty.

Last but not least was a cupcake tower.
This cake was collected by the Bride- and she kindly sent me this image of it all set up :)

"Hi Sarah Jane
Just wanted to say how spectacular your cake was at our wedding. Not only was it the most beautiful cake ever but it was delicious. All of our guests raved and raved about the cake.
Thanks again,
Jasmine and Ashton "

Well that was the First week in April- as we are moving into the first week in August I had better get myself into gear and catch up... no more excuses :-P

Thanks for reading!!
SJ

People Power

2011-07-21T10:34:00.000+10:00

I am sure you all know it- but I really love my job! Not only is it allot of fun making cakes- and working with clients who are generally celebrating the happiest occasions in their lives, but it also gives me allot of joy being able to share in the excitement that sugar can bring.

I value what having this business means to me and my life- so much so that I love to share my passion to benefit others when I can.

I am blessed to have been invited to the RBCH Siblings Oncology days - to share cupcake making and decorating with the brothers and sisters and the patients of the Children's cancer wards. This small amount of time out of my schedule repays itself in so many rewarding ways that is so very hard to describe. While I see the excitement and joy that this brings- I still feel like I have contributed such an insignificant amount in comparison to what these folk go through.

So earlier this year when I received and email from the Wonderful Ben Clark of Ben Clark Photography asking if I would be interested in helping out to create a very Special 21st Birthday for a most deserving young lady I jumped at the chance.

Ben's email to me was short and sweet. He had received and email from the birthday girls' (Kristy) best friend (Tamara) asking about the possibility of getting a portrait shoot done- as a token of her 21st Milestone. What Tamara also explained was that Kristy was stricken with a terrible Cancer that may mean she would not get to enjoy another birthday after this.

Without hesitation Ben just knew he had to help and offered more than taking some simply stunning images of Kristy- he offered to see if he could rally his industry contacts to create a Dream 21st Party for such a deserving recipient!

While it still gives me goosebumps thinking about the generosity and willingness of all the people who made this happen- I cannot begin to Thank Ben , Tamara and Kristy enough for having me be a small part of this too.

Within a few short days- Ben had collected all the services necessary to give Kristy the kind of 21st she may have only dreamed before.

The venue was organised, with Victoria Park coming on board to look after both the venue location and a bit of fun for the night with Putt Putt for every guest too!

The Powder Room kindly donated their services giving both Kristy and Tamara Glamour Hair an Make up for the evening! Dressed in a Stunning Gown from Wardrobe Confidential- Kristy was destined to be the Belle of the Party!

The Stamford Plaza gave Kristy a room for the night- it was 5 Star all the way!
And seeing as you are leaving from Brisbane's premier 5 Star hotel you will need to be collected in none other than a Schmick Kenz Classic Limousine! Pure style..

The room was pumping with music from the Band Ben Jam- Gorgeous Flower arrangements from Jennine of Florabella too!

Working around a Purple, Black and White theme I was ecstatic to create a stunning Sweets table- complete with a drool worthy lolly bar!

After all the Fun at Vic Park- The Met nightclub supplied a private room where Kristy and her friends could continue to celebrate.

Ben's magnificent images have truly captured the emotion of the night- every time I look at them I cannot help but smile :)

I was so honored to be apart of this event, and would love to Thank first and foremost Tamara for being such a beautiful friend to Kristy and taking the initiative to get the ball rolling on such a fantastic idea. I would also like to not only Thank Ben, but to praise him for being a wonderful kind hearted soul- who truly epitomises what it means to Pay it Forward.
I also want to thank my Mum for coming and helping me out- she made this happen by helping me through one of my busiest wedding weeks and keeping me on track! And lastly to my wonderful Confectionery wholesalers ABF- who sold me all the lollies for the buffet at cost price. Purely out of their own kind heart after hearing why I was suddenly in need of all these sweets (not on my normal order) offered to forgo their own profit to help make this very special indeed!

So Congratulations Kristy! I am certain this was a Birthday you will never forget. The smiles on the faces of you and your guests will remain with me always!

Keep Smiling :) SJ

So that was my account of this fabulous display of people power, but I wanted both Kristy and Tamara to share in their own words a bit about themselves and how they enjoyed the night!

Ladies you both are true inspirations I wish you all the very best and every happiness you both deserve!

So over to Kristy and Tamara :)

Kristy:

When I was 13 years old, I was diagnosed with Carcinoid cancer on my appendix. I had the tumour removed and the operation was successful. I was living in a small country town at the time and was taken to Brisbane to undergo a range of tests, to make sure the cancer had not spread. I was given the all clear, but informed by my doctors that the cancer would likely return.

When I was 18, I was again diagnosed with caricnoid cancer. I soon found out that it had spread to my liver. I spent the next 2 years undergoing treatment after treatment and several operations. It was the amazing and continual support from my friends and family that helped me through these times.

In Februaray this year, I had recently come off treatment, when my amazing friend, Tamara, asked me what I was doing for my 21^st birthday. Emotionally and physically exhausted, I told her that I wouldn’t be doing anything. She asked me if she could do something for me, and I agreed.

Both Tamara and I were absolutely blown away at the amazing support that so many people gave as Tamara planned, what would be, the most amazing birthday ever. When I arrived on the night, I could barely breathe as I looked around at the amazing venue, band, cake, lolly bar and all my friends and family. What began as a dinner with friends, transformed into a fairytale, and I truly did feel like a princess.

I had the most amazing night, surrounded by so many beautiful people. It was just amazing to be able to let all the pain and worry go and just have fun. I would really like to thank all the amazingly beautiful people who helped to make the night as amazing as it was. I will never forget that night or the love and kindness I felt from so many people. Feeling that love and support, has made this ordeal that much easier, and it truly meant the world to me.

Tamara:

I met Kristy at uni where we are both studying to be teachers and now in our last year. We had worked on some assignments together and became quite close friends. After our first year of uni Kristy told me she had cancer. She explained she had cancer originally when she was younger but now it was back and the outlook was not great, maybe a year though no-one could ever really know.

Last year I spent what I thought was going to be her last birthday with my friend, we had a small party where there were lots of tears and people pretty much saying goodbye, was a very difficult and sad occasion. Kristy had cancer and my latest update was that she had a stage four tumour, and didn’t really think she had very long left to fight her cancer, well a year later after several surgeries and lots of chemotherapy she was still fighting and one day when we were hanging out she casually said to me “Wow, I’m turning 21, maybe you and I could go out for dinner to celebrate, I don’t think I will really do anything”.

“That’s huge I said to her, wow, you’ve made it to 21 you should be so, so proud that you are still here for this birthday, we need to have a party!!!” I knew Kristy didn’t really have the money for a party, but I also knew this was an opportunity that I couldn’t just ignore! I wanted something different to last year, a celebration! I blindly sent out emails to anyone I thought might be able to help out with a party, telling them about my friends Kristy who despite the odds is still here, still fighting and deserves the opportunity to celebrate that she is still here for her 21^st.

I didn’t know where to start or what to do and didn’t really hear back from anyone until I had an email from someone who I think is one of the most amazing people I have ever or will ever meet. Ben Clarke from Ben Clarke photography, Ben said he would help out in any way he could maybe taking some portraits of Kristy and then being there to capture her party. He asked me where the party was and when I told him I had no idea yet but it would happen, he came back with more and more amazing people who were helping out! I’ve never been so overwhelmed in my life!

Sarah-Jane from Cake That made the most amazing cake and lolly bar I have ever seen.

The boys from Benjam came to play and made the night sooo much fun, Ben and Lisa from Ben Clarke photography were there taking photos and did some amazing portraits of Kristy to remember this moment.

There were flowers from Florabella, Wardrobe Confidential helped out with a dress and the amazing girls at the Powder Room made her feel like a princess. A car from Kenz Classics picked Kristy up from the Stamford Plaza where Andy the events co-ordinator had organised a night for Kristy to stay after the party, we even were given a private room at the MET for an after party, which was incredible as Kristy had only been to a nightclub once before where she passed out quickly from the smoke and crowds, the room meant she was able to sit and enjoy what other 21 year olds can without getting too sick.

I still think back and cannot believe how incredibly generous and supportive all of these people have been! I am a foster carer for children with a disability and because of my kids I knew that really I wouldn’t have a lot of time to organise a party for Kristy but I desperately wanted to celebrate the fact that despite being told she wouldn’t be here, she was! Ben Clarke and Sarah-Jane organised so much of this party and it would never have happened at all without them and I will be forever grateful! It really was like a fairytale and something I know neither Kristy nor I will ever, ever forget!

Finally a very Special Thank you (Once again) to Ben Clark of Ben Clark Photography.

All images supplied are courtesy and copyright of Ben Clark Photography.

Win the Ultimate Dream Wedding!

2011-06-16T11:19:00.000+10:00

That is Correct- no need to re read the tittle.

The Sunday Mail- together with Riverlife, and a host of Brisbane vendors are giving you the chance to Win the Ultimate Dream Wedding.

This Prize is valued at over $43000 and includes everything from the Dress through to the Reception, a Honeymoon and of Course a Cake!!! Proudly sponsored by Cake That!

In order to Win your Dream Wedding Simply follow this link and Tell the Judges in 100 words or less why You deserve to Win the Ultimate Dream wedding!

Hurry Entries close This Sunday at 11.59pm!

The Winner will be drawn on Monday 20th June- with the prize taking place on Saturday 20th August 2011!

So if you think that you deserve to win this fantastic prize- get a move on and enter!!

You've got to be in it to win it :)

Sunny Days!

2011-06-12T08:08:00.008+10:00

A whole other season ago- way back in Autumn- when the days were warmer and much sunnier skies were seen- I made some pretty wicked cakes- for some equally wicked clients.

So to start this entry off- I will showcase the first Sun inspired design.
A three tier variation of my chocolate mountain cake.
Decorated with sugar Frangipanis - this cake looked the epitome of summer!

Then there was the next Gluten free two tier chocolate creation- with fresh ripe strawberries mmmmmmm delish!

I had some pretty big tall cakes to do that week. I actually think I love the look and finish of the three tier extended height cakes. Grand without being ostentatious.
The first one was headed for Sirromet. The poor Bride had been unwell earlier in the week- but pulled up trumps for her big day.

Simple and elegant this cake was too tall to capture in my photo tent neatly LOL!
So here is a picture of the cake with the top part cut off.

And now in all its glory!

My husband likes to call Tortured Willow "good sticks" and in this case "good wedding sticks" LOL! I must thank the lovely Karen from Bliss Floral for giving me the willow- she is always so very kind and lovely- Thank you Karen- you are a gem and all your kindness never goes forgotten :)

The Willow with sugar Singapore orchids mimicked the table centerpieces of willow with fresh orchids.

If you want to see more piccies form this wedding- head on over to the uber talented (and a personal favourite photog of mine) Toni Snell's Blog to see the pictorial blog of Aleasha and Matt's day!

The next big cake of the weekend was for one beautiful bride indeed. One of the loveliest brides I have met- and her mum was simply adorable. Both glowing with excitement about the wedding- it was certainly a highlight of my year so far!
The cake itself was finished in a pearl silver- with stencil detail and crystals.
So very pretty and elegant. The cake was topped with a Crystal topper- handmade by Ana and her mum. The reception was held at Topiaries at Samford. The room set up was just magical!

So from Elegant to a few cakes with a bit of fun :)
The first was a variation of my Fresh bride design- complete with a set of personalised toppers- perched on top of the second tier.

Sweet avalanche roses across the cake and covering the top looked so pretty!

The next cake was all about love!
Intertwining heart covered each tier of this cake.

The stylish black and white designs are certainly very fashionable at the moment.

The last cakes for the weekend had me headed to the Summit.
A three tier variation of my Amanda's Desire design- but this time with fresh roses.

A last minute request by the Bride for a tower of cupcakes to compliment her dessert table was added to the order only days out from the wedding. I love to help out when I can and in this instance it was possible indeed.

I put some tiny spray roses in amongst the tower to match in with the wedding cake.

Well that rounds off March.
I am super excited to get more blogs out- now that wedding season has calmed a bit- because after uploading my camera (after almost 3 months of not doing so) I was reminded of some magnificent cakes I was able to make and look forward to sharing with you all.

Have a Fabulous Long Weekend!
Thanks for Reading
SJ

Slowly but Surely

2011-05-10T07:54:00.009+10:00

Well it has certainly been a while..........and when I did get around to finding time to write this blog- the blogging dashboard was broken :(( But all seems to be working now- and I can get on with the job.

Well- way back in March I had a week that had me making some truly beautiful cakes. Challenging designs that were slightly different from my usual Wedding fare.

First up was a cake for a Thursday wedding. I have been blessed to have created Wedding cakes for each and every weekday- so an early start is no worries at all.

This cake was orgainised entirely over the phone/email.

An Elegant Black and white design with a touch of Bling.

I actually bumped into the Bride and her Bridesmaids in the hotel Lobby when I came to deliver the cake. They were all just about to head off to the ceremony :)
It is such a wonderful feeling to see a Bride on her wedding day- makes me smile really BIG :)

The Friday was a jam packed day! First off I had the Team from Ben and Jerrys Australia coming to Cake That! Headquarters to deliver 50 pints of Ice cream!! What for you ask????- well I had won the ice cream through one of their Facebook promo's. So my humble office of 1 was filled with delicious Ice cream. I never win anything :)

Suffice to say I did NOT eat all 50 tubs- but shared the wealth with the family and friends who are always there to help out and support everything that is Cake That!

So with a freezer stacked to the brim with Ice cream- I headed off on Friday Afternoon to deliver a Very Special 21st birthday cake.

Purple and Black themed- with a White disco Glitter 21 on top- Sparkly as!

As far as Saturday's go- this one was pretty hectic.
First up I had one of my past grooms coming to collect a Surprise 30th Birthday cake for his wife.
Now this is one very cool cake- organised by one very awesome husband. It is no Urban myth that some husband's are just really well orgainised- I get to see the best of them when they do fabulous surprised like this!
For a very long time Kathleen had been saying how she would love an elephant cake for her 30th Birthday. Those subtle hints paid off when Peter organised a gorgeous (IMO) cake for his wife's intimate birthday celebration.

The party was a small gathering- so there was no need for a mammoth cake. Despite its size it certainly had impact. Peter was open to my ideas of working around a Bollywood colour theme- incorporating the henna-like patterning in the feature 30 on the front. I brushed the cake from a pink/purple through to a pearl orange! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Now the Elephant was one of those challenges you grab with both hands and simply go for it!
I had him standing on top with a mini Kathleen riding him- too cute for words :)

Riding in bare feet with painted toenails- I could have gone nuts with the details!
A very memorable start to the year for sure!

I had another Birthday cake also for that Saturday.
A Panda! Now this panda became one fat panda- but in a cute way.

Like he had munched a bit too much on delicious Bamboo- but he looked happy as!
This cake was also for a surprise for a birthday Lady who LOVED Panda's. Such a lovely job being able to make people smile with cake.

The cuteness didn't stop there- I had a Cupcake tower to set up and deliver to Brett's Wharf that afternoon.
So the wedding cake is meant to be all about the Newlyweds and a Symbolism of their love and commitment to one another.
However- on this cake a certain little family member may just have stolen the show.

As well as the gorgeous bride and groom perched on the top tier- was their two pet dogs!

So cute. One was a Kelpie?- the other was a Jack Russel- now his sugar mini me was adorable!

The couple let the cupcakes speak for themselves and had the top tier as the feature.

I received such lovely feedback from the couple- so wonderful to hear and such a pleasure to be apart of!

The last cake of the weekend was for a wedding at Custom's House.

This Three tier Chocolate creation with Fresh roses in the channels and top was elegant and irresistible all at the same time

Ordering roses that had the correct size heads was the make or beak of this design. With only a small channel around each tier meant that roses that were too large would mean that they wouldn't sit correctly- but once again my wholesaler came through and delivered me simply perfect blooms!

I recently received a lovely Thank You form Karly and Eugene in regards to their cake :

"Good afternoon Sarah-Jane, I just thought I'd send you a very belated thank you for creating the perfect cake for Eugene and I's wedding on 13th March 2011. It worked out exactly how I imagined it and it tasted sensational."

Thank you Karly! Hearing feedback form my clients is never to late :)

So that was was back when- it was still lovely and warm ;-P

Thanks for reading
SJ

Celebratory March

2011-04-11T15:26:00.001+10:00

The First weekend in March was a very special one - not because I had some stunning cakes to create- but it was my Wedding anniversary too!

I sent cakes all over that weekend.

The first to leave was a Two tier cake headed up to Mt Mee.

This cake had Sugar Grape and vine detail- with the addition of a Willow Tree 'Promise' topper once at the venue.

The weather in the week leading up to the weekend was pretty dismal- allot of rain about (once again) and getting sugar to dry was in the capable hands of my trusty Dry Air Con :)

I also sent another cake up to Glengariff that weekend.

This one was a Palette royal icing finish cake- with sugar roses and leaves covering the top and circling the base of the top tier.

The roses were eventually finished with lightly dusted lilac centres.

My Biased love of all things monochromatic meant that I forgot to get a good picture of the cake actually finished- whoops! But the very light dusting was pretty indeed!

Sometimes (well actually allot) I worry whether a cake design will work or not. When designing cakes I can visualise what I want them to look like- and then when it comes to the crunch of actually putting them together- often doubt likes to creep in- making me second guess my original idea.

This next cake gave me that exact pitted feeling. I had done this same design in all White before- and whilst I could visualise how striking having bold colour would be- I was dancing around like a scaredy cat when it came time to "actually" dust up the flowers LOL!

So I took a deep breath- and went for it!

And it turned out WICKED!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved this so very much that I think I may even like it "more" than the all white version :-O

I think that the colour actually made the "playfulness" of the rolled roses stand out- whilst still being stylish and elegant!

Yep I L.O.V.E it!

It seems that touches of colour were definitely on the agenda that weekend.

This classy two tier cake with to tier 1/2 turned too had its roses dusted a pinky purple colour.

I had a Chocolate Creation for an engagement that weekend too.

Strangely enough the first time I ever recreated this cake design was in march a few years back- and once again it pops up in the same month.

This cake is a double stacked cake inside- with fresh white flowers spilling over the top.

On the Sunday morning I headed over to the Landing to set up a pretty Rose Sparkle cupcake tower.

I also bumped into Linda from the Party Girls- who had chair sashes the EXACT same colour as the cake ribbon! What a match!

The final cake for Sunday was for Baby Tommy's Christening.

A cute Single tier White chocolate Bailey's cake complete with a Bunny figurine and name blocks- adorable!

This was a freestyle design- which is great to be able to do- but so nerve wracking too! Suffice to say it was very well received :)

This past month has been a beautiful blur of fantastic cakes! I cannot wait to share more with you......... but for those of you too impatient to wait- please feel free to check out my Facebook page and Twitter!

Have a fantastic Week ahead.. I once again have some uber cool cakes to create thanks to my awesome clients ordering them :)

Thanks for reading

Farewell February..............

2011-04-03T08:59:00.000+10:00

Seriously- it is April already- 2011 is 1/3 way through :)

The Last week in February was a fabulous eclectic mix of cakes once again.

I had the pleasure of Making Casey and Catherine's Engagement cake.I always relish the opportunity to make a couples engagement- as quite often I don't get the chance to help out. Usually engagement cakes have such short lead times that I am unable to fit a cake into my already full schedule :(

So when I do get the chance I LOVE it to pieces!

The Fabulous Sharon ( the couples Mum/MIL) came and organised the cake for the newly engaged couple. To say she was just lovely is an understatement. So happy, vibrant and enthusiastic to make the celebration as joyful as possible.

As Casey and Catherine had Cherry blossom invitations- we carried that theme through to the top tier of a cupcake tower.

Keeping the rest of the cupcakes simple and pretty!

I was lucky enough to have not one but Two engagement cakes for that weekend.

The next was a PINK Mad hatter!

It was all about Love with this colour scheme :)

The fun cakes didn't stop here though.

I had a three tier Luggage stack wedding cake.

Keeping the cake predominantly neutral- with a hint of the wedding colour in the tags.

Karen from Bliss Floral- provided a gorgeous topper of mini gerberas and roses to finish the cake off.

Just this week I received a beautiful thank you email from Collen and Dave:

"Hi Sarah-Jane

Somewhat late but just wanted to drop a note to say thank you very much for the cake you made for our wedding day - almost traditional in style but with a fun twist!. You did a great job and it reflected us perfectly. It has got lots of positive comments both on the day and when people see the photos.

Thanks again

Colleen & Dave"

So very lovely to hear back from my clients!

I also had another client in common with Karen.

Michelle and Damien were married on the last Friday in February.

They chose a three tier cake with a heart piping detail on the middle tier.

They had sourced a silver intertwining heart cake topper to match in with the piping detail.

After having ALL of my display cakes destroyed in the January rainy weather- I began replacing some of them.

Trying to replace 15 or so display cakes is a very time consuming process. With regular orders taking priority- it seems to be a LONG process getting to replacing them.

With a Photo shoot and open day at The Landing coming up- it never hurts to have a deadline to set things in motion :)

I took a twist on my popular Mummy cake- reinventing a three tier Extended height design that once graced the shelves.

Sadly though this cake was melted (again!!!) in the rain last week- seriously- if electricity wasn't so expensive I would air condition my consult room in a heart beat- and given that the space in my cake storage room is limited at the best of times- the display cakes take a back seat when it comes to keeping them temperature controlled.

I also redid the black and ivory spot cake- replacing the flat bow with a tied black bow.

This too has since succumbed to the damp weather- and is awaiting replacement.... bring on winter and the cool dry weather :)

Lastly I made a Cupcake tower for the Landing's open evening.

Latte is such a hot colour at the moment- so I made Vanilla Latte cupcakes with a gorgeous white blossom-

topped off with a Latte coloured fondant top tier- and personalised couple!

Too cute!

This cupcake tower held 30 cupcakes- put together with the top tier and you have a fabulous display for an intimate wedding!

Well- the next blog will be all about March- some sensational cakes to share with you all soon!

Thanks for reading

Bring on any Challenge :)

2011-03-28T19:25:00.000+10:00

Seriously- I cannot believe that it is going to be April in Friday! Where has this year gone??

Before I get to the cake that inspired the tittle- I have a little housekeeping.

I never mean to miss cakes- but when I get bad images, combined with choosing both from my phone and regular camera, and taking a gazillion shots of each cake- sometimes when scanning through I miss out on watermarking some.

So I thought I would catch you all up on a few that I had not included recently.

First of all was a Lego Cake for my Cousin.

He was up with my Aunt and Uncle and his Brother- in January- and his Birthday fell whilst he was up here.

We had a small family BBQ at my place to celebrate the occasion- complete with his favourite toy- Lego!

Being a last minute wonder the finish is not that of my regular standard- so please excuse the lack of attention to detail- but all in all- it was certainly cute :)

I had also sent some Cupcakes up for a wedding at Northlakes- which the Bride and Groom collected- and I only had this quick shot of a select few together!

A variation of the Divine Blue Cupcake tower

With immense gratitude I would like to thank the fabulous Ben Clark of Ben Clark Photography for Kindly providing a copy of the cake from Jacqui and Dylan's wedding day!

You can see more fabulous images from Jacqui and Dylan's wedding on Ben's Blog!

I have only had the pleasure of meeting Ben a few times in person- however he is so very lovely and down to earth- and ever so genuine and generous.......... but more on that in a blog to come ;-)

I had the pleasure of Making Deb and Josh's Wedding cake in Early February.

Deb was so gorgeous- inside and out! I know I always say how lovely my clients are- but really- they are!

Deb wanted something Cheeky and Fun- so she chose a variation of the Bride in Waiting design.

Matched in with her purple colour scheme- it looked pretty cute indeed!

I love playing with the little details in this cake- like the one bare foot- and a Little cut wedding cake down the back.

Not only did I receive a stunning selection of images form Deb and Josh's day I also received this gorgeous Thank you from the Newlyweds!

"Hi Sarah-Jane
I have been meaning to email you for ages.
We just wanted to thank you so much for your amazing cake.
Not only was it delicious but we had so many compliments - such as the best cake people had ever seen. Everyone absolutely loved it and couldn't stop talking about it.
Thanks again and all the best.
Deb and Josh"

The last cake I needed to catch up on was a Bright spark for sure.

Designed to match the couples invitations - this cake was Tangerine at the base- with a pearl ivory top with black invitation paper piping over the tier.

To be honest- I was a bit worried I had made this cake too orange- yes it did match the invites perfectly- but it still had me concerned that the Bride would turn up and decide it was too much colour- but nothing could be further from the truth! She loved it! Phew!

The Third week in February had me tripping from Bribie Island to Sirromet- Seriously!

After a few morning consultations- I was off to Bribie Island to deliver this pretty Cherry Blossom Design.

This design was inspired by an image sent to me by the bride- I am uncertain who the original artist was - but now it has a Cake That! twist on it.

I really like the soft green banding at the base- and the piped icing pearls- it adds a soft feminine texture to the finish.

After returning home from Bribie - it was time to pack up the car and set off to Sirromet.

My very great friend Natalie was celebrating her birthday in Lurleens that Lunch time- and due to my cake tripping- I didn't quite make it to the actual lunch- but did get a hour or so down time before having to set up the newest "Big Bertha"! of cakes.

This cake needed to be set up insitu. There was no moving his baby once it was together :)

With a reception set for over 170 guests - this couple had organised a dream wedding for sure.

The Restaurant was being filled with gorgeous flowers by Julie Vine.

Stunning arrangements everywhere the eye could see!

A fabulous band- with the most amazing singers rehearsed as we set up.

Personalised Fortune cookies and a Drool worthy Sweet table were being set and ready to go............ all the while my right hand man- Steve- and I set up the tallest cake I have done yet!

The cake itself was 4 double height tiers- set onto 14cm pillars- and filled with fresh Antique pale pink and cream roses between the layers and on top.

Whilst Steve can be the best of helpers- he is also still a man- questioning his own Brides abilities to create such a cake- pfft! Seriously sometimes boys should just learn to trust the designer- and not cast doubt!

Having created countless Fresh flower stacked cakes- this cake was just like any other in my mind (construction wise)- Having a level and sturdy base and great support will deliver a quality- jaw dropping end product! Guaranteed every time!

I always order extra blooms- just so I can pick through and choose which ones I want to use- this time was no different.

Forming the Base Structure of the cake.

In this design was over 170 fresh roses- enough for one for each guest ;-P

This is the sort of cake that your guests won't miss (or forget) in a hurry.

Standing over 2m Tall once complete! I even got my 197cm Tall Husband to stand next to it for Size comparison :) (mmm and I now notice that he isn't wearing his Cake that! shirt either......)

And for the regular height 163cm peeps out there- here is a shot captured that makes me seem a little taller than I actually am! (the key is to stand back a bit)

Finished in all her Glory!

I loved hearing the whispers of the Sirromet staff........" I am not touching that cake"............"How on earth are we going to move that???" LOL! The cake itself wasn't going anywhere- but I can certainly empathise with the staff having to dismantle the monster gracefully.

And before I end this blog- I have a few other images of the Cake set up- with some of the gorgeous room setting in the background.......... If only I could have captured the sounds of the band to.........

Whilst I absolutely adore this grand beauty- I can only imagine how stunning it would have looked with those sensational blue/green Hydrangeas in between the layers- delicious!

So a mammoth Thank you to Andrea and Anthony- Thank you for choosing me to create your Giant wedding cake!

I have made it most of the way through February now........... slowly but surely catching up.

Thanks for reading

P.S. Don't forget you can keep updated on all things Cake That! on both

Facebook and now on Twitter!

Rocking it!

2011-03-22T08:33:00.001+10:00

For those of you who have followed my blog over the years may have seen that over the years I have been blessed to make one special little boys birthday cake.

Before my blog began I made Jai's very first birthday cake- and his beautiful mum Bianca had contacted me wanting Cupcakes to celebrate his first birthday.

Bianca came and collected the cupcakes from me - 4 January's ago- and set them up at her home ready for the celebration!

The very next year Bianca organised another cake for Jai's brithday with me.

This year it was all about Shrek!

I had made a 3D Shrek Face, complete with Shrek Lettering on the board- and a Wood-like board (just like Shrek's Cabin) to complete the theme.

I vividly remember delivering the cake to Jai's house- and how excited he was to see the Shrek face- the kind of stuff that makes your day really!

I really appreciated and valued Bianca returning each year for Jai's birthday cakes. His third Birthday- unfortunately I was away on Holidays- but Bianca was ever so kind to comission me to make Jai's 4th Birthday cake this January just gone.

I hadn't shared this cake on my January blog post as I only had poor quality images- like this one taken on my phone.

A last minute switch to a Pirate theme- instead of the previous Toy Story theme- had me making a Pirate on an Island- complete with a Palm tree and treasure chest!

The cake was topped with a Mini "Capt'n Jai!!" A treasure chest overflowing with Gold n Silver treasures, and a Sugar palm tree. "Capt'n Jai" driftwood and Happy Birthday bunting in the "ocean".

I LOVE how kids are so into cakes- and the little decorations- it brings back memories of when I was a kid and going to parties- and everyone wanting a mock cream piped flower off the Coles slab cake heheheh- but we loved it so much and it was always so very special!

I had delivered the Pirate cake to the Pool where Jai and his friends were celebrating his 4th Birthday.

Bianca was kind enough to send me through a lovely Thank you :

Hi Sarah-Jane

I wanted to say a massive THANK YOU for the cake on Saturday. The cake was BEAUTIFUL inside and outside. I was so happy at how gorgeous the cake was and it tasted amazing - everything was fantastic. I've received many comments about how great the cake looked and tasted. It was certainly the talking point of the party. But more importantly the birthday boy loved his cake and I don't think he wanted to share it!

I have attached a photo for you. This is a photo of the kids discussing who was going to eat what off the top of the cake:) just before the candles.

Thank you so much for making another one of Jai's birthdays so very special.

Thanks again
Bianca

PS. Thank you for your great service and delivering the cake to us on the day!

So once again- Happy Birthday Jai! I hope your year ahead is super sensational!

I am sure if you all think back to your childhood you will remember fondly how very special your birthday cakes were- I even feel inspired to dig back through the photo albums to see if I can find my own from all the years past........... we'll see ;-)

Thanks for reading

Fast February..............

2011-03-15T12:29:00.000+10:00

Honestly- where did that month go?

Here are a few faves from the first couple of weeks in February:
First up was a cupcake tower- that had a single Sunflower petal on each cupcake- later the florist placed fresh sunflowers on top :)

Next up was a classic style- with a Twist- literally!

Each tier was slightly twisted from the base- quilted centre tier and sugar roses for the top!

Last year at the Brisbane High Tea Party I ran a competition for those who bought boxes of cupcakes across the weekend.

The lucky recipient won a tower of 30 cupcakes and matching top tier.

Themes to match in with her Birthday party- she chose a pale pink and green butterfly cupcake tower.

Pretty :)

Quite often I get asked if cakes can be made smaller/less tiers etc... Of course!

Below is a great example.

This cake is a two tier version of the Pure Glamour/four tier drape design

The last one for this blog was for a Birthday/Surprise Wedding!

Keeping in the Birthday theme- Disco Glitter hearts stars and numerals sprung from the top.

It was all about chocolate for this couple!
A chocolate Congratulatory plaque finished off the cake!

Congratulations Lyn and Craig! I hope that your guests were well and truly taken by surprise!

Thanks for reading
SJ

Cake That! on Twitter

2011-03-11T19:18:00.000+10:00

Hi All

I have taken the leap into the world of Twitter- not entirely sure why- perhaps a bit of boredom on a Friday night! LOL!

So if you are interested you can Follow Cake That! and see what is happening in my world of cake!

And of course if you have any hints/tips or even instructions on how to use it- leave a comment below!

Thanks :))

A real cake blog coming soon

Organised Chaos!

2011-02-28T14:40:00.003+10:00

Mother Nature certainly knew how to unleash her fury upon Queensland this year. With Mammoth rainfall over Christmas and the early weeks of January- localised flooding was already apparent. Emerald and Rockhampton were flooded out, and the state was banding together to help those who had lost everything rebuild.

Then on one dark Monday a freak flash flood hit much closer to home, through Toowoomba and the Downs district- leaving a path of destruction and taking many lives.

What we saw on the news footage was like a scene from a Movie- but unfortunately it was very real.

I had a Bride who was getting Married out in Roma- and had contacted her prior to the Toowoomba floods to see if she needed to cancel or suspend her order- as many roads out her way meant that Roma itself was potentially cut off.

The bride persevered and managed to have her Dream wedding- Flying in many guests to be there on the Special day.

A three tier Chocolate creation- with whimsical purple marbling through the chocolate was sent out by air (with the town Pharmacist)- to the wedding in Roma.

A big cake on a Dash-8 made the journey relatively unscathed.

I was delighted to be able to send the cake out amidst all the upheaval.

Back in Brisbane- we ourselves were bracing for our city to flood.

Within a day of the Darling Downs devastation- Ipswich and Brisbane were also consumed by the rising waters. It all seemed so very surreal to me. I felt very guilty that although living less than 6km CBD- we had no visual evidence of the chaos and destruction that was happening only minutes down the road.

With people loosing their homes and everything inside of them, entire suburbs flattened by the destruction- businesses ruined and livelihoods lost- what came of this tragedy was spirituous and inspiring.

As the flooding was happening- I was madly contacting my couples for that weekend to see how they were fairing and checking to see what they needed in regards to suspending or cancelling their orders.

A few weddings were placed on hold as their venues went under water. Some were lucky enough to be able to be moved to alternate venues. Such huge feats given the circumstances.

Once such couple were meant to hold their wedding reception at the Marriott- in Brisbane. With Water Damage to the basement, and no power throughout the CBD- the couple were lucky to secure the Gold Coast Marriott withing 2 days of their Wedding.

Their Stunning 3 extended tier cake with Sugar Phalaenopsis orchids trailing over the design was completed and taken down the Coast to the new reception venue.

The base two tiers were pale pink with damask icing stencilling over the tiers.

The next cake had me worried- as many flower farms had been destroyed and interstate trucks were not able to get through- but my flower wholesaler came through with some gorgeous blooms to complete this cake.

To put a cake like this together takes around 1.5hours at the venue. I was under the pump with the Groom and his family already waiting at the venue when I arrived to set up. Having someone watch me work is a little unnerving- despite my usual extroverted personality- having someone- or allot of people- watching over your shoulder is not as easy as working in your own bubble ;-P

The base tier was topped with a full layer of flowers in pinks and purples- the middle tier with greens and then the top with reds and deep pinks. A cute cartoon topper family- complete with the couples Shitzu dog sat on top. I had to take the picture shooting into the light (hahah- that sentence made me sound like I had some professional Photog lingo going on) so unfortunately my little pentax couldn't quite capture the cake in its true glory.

With fabulous Anne Campbell performing the ceremony - a glorious day and a gorgeous cake- Lisa and Ben were off to a cracking start to their marriage!

It seemed that one week flowed into the next in January. Our city was amidst of a natural disaster. Many of my suppliers had been impacted- not to mention friends and colleagues effected by the waters too.

A bright light during the floods was my Husbands Birthday!

I was flat chat running around organising new suppliers and reshuffling cake deliveries for those clients of mine who had to suddenly move venues.

Making my gorgeous husbands cake was certainly not a priority at that stage. My sister Kate took on the task with both hands- and with less than 3 hours from wo to go- she had created nothing short of a masterpiece!

To Bring a little bit of background into this story- My husband has a liking for powered model "toys"- currently he is liking Helicopters. Kate's quick wit had her brain and cake designing abilities working overtime. A google image search had inspired the cake design:

Kate could see all the components of the cake in the simplistic shapes of the stock image......

So she set off to Coles (whilst imagination and design may be her forte- baking unfortunately is not).

She loaded up her basket with all the essentials- cakes- biscuits- wafers- Betty Crocker frosting- food colouring.......and passion!

What eventuated was certainly MAGIC!

Kate's ingenuity had her cover a platter in foil- creating a lovely silver background, she even hand cut out the wafer propeller blades!

Awesome MUCH!!!!!!!!

Kate is proudly telling whoever will listen how great she is at round cakes- that she is! A magnificent job indeed- proving if you have the will and determination anyone can be fabulous at this cake decorating game!

Our four year old niece Scarlett was in awe of Kate's Talents- all she wanted was a piece of the tail with the Jaffa! I LOVE how much kids enjoy cakes- such an exciting time for them.

Kate and Scarlett pose proudly with the Helicopter Masterpiece.

It was time then for the candles to be lit and the cake to be revealed to the birthday boy!

I don't think we have seen a smile this big on his face since his 8th Birthday! Congratulations Steve!

To say he was mighty impressed is an understatement.Thanks to Kate for taking on the cake duty and exceeding everyone's expectations! You rock!

The weekend following Steve's birthday I had a very cool cake indeed!

The cake was for a couples joint birthday- an 18" replica of a shipping container- complete with logos representing meaningful places and interests of the couple.

Cool hey! This cake was far too big for my photo tent- so no pretty picture to show sorry.

I had a lovely local Alderley couples wedding that weekend too.

Held at Brett's Wharf- which was unscathed in the flood disaster- a funky little bridal couple sat tall on top of a simple- yet fun- wedding cake.

This cake had a slight design change- due to one of my suppliers not being able to supply edible image for the cake- but in the end the cake looked cute as!

The Red and purple roses together looked fantastic! So bold and awesome up against the black and white.

The next GIANT cake was originally scheduled for The Stamford Plaza- my old work- which is STILL unfortunately out of action.

A quick move to the Hyatt Sanctuary Cove- saw this grand beauty set up in style!

Three tier double height design- this cake had a wide top tier- which added to the cakes size look in real life.

I was able to use one of my gorgeous new stencils on this cake and finish the stencelling with some piped icing pearls- so pretty!

Roses and lissianthus fulled between the tiers- bold and soft colours blended together- just gorgeous!

This cake was for such a beautiful bride- I am so glad that in the end all worked out for her. In the midst of all the flood tragedy- she was calm and confident - and knew that all that mattered was that she and her husband were to be married, and no matter how big or small the celebration- what mattered was their love. Months of planning every last detail were shadowed by honest reality of what the meaning of a wedding is all about.

So very lovely- I wish Cleonie and Bruce a magnificent life together.

The last shining star of January was a Birthday cake for a long time family friend.

A pink themed 60th Birthday party cupcake tower.

Varied Pink icings- with a Happy birthday message discs - and a personalised topper- of course!

Happy Birthday Helen!

I hope that you had a great one.

Well that was January's wrap!

I did miss a couple of fabulous cakes- but I don't have some images. When I manage to get some I will certainly share them with you all!

I hope you had a comfy seat!

Thanks for reading

P.S.- A Very Special mention to My friends Deb and Lanson in Esk- they have been hit so many times in this recent month- and still managed to help others in need too.
My sister Kate and her friends- who also help clear homes and businesses in around their inner city homes- as well as kindly passing out cakes and biscuits as I was too shy to do so.... My sympathies to Julie Whitehead- of Julie Whitehead cakes - who had her own home devastated by the floods- but still managed to create her magnificent creations with a smile!
And to the Mud army- who dropped whatever they had going on to selflessly lend a hand to all those in need. The human spirit is amazing- it certainly makes you proud to be a Queenslander in these trying times.

To donate to the QLD Premiers Flood appeal Click Here!

Beginning 2011 with some Beauties........

2011-02-16T10:40:00.000+10:00

After a short Xmas New Year break- I was straight back into all things cake.

Having had a wet few weeks over the holidays- it seemed that the weather was here to stay :(

The First Friday in 2011 had me delivering a cake to the GOMA

The clients had requested a soft iced cake- in keeping with the whimsical elegant theme........but- being January and a venue which is not Air conditioned- I strongly advised against choosing a Soft iced cake- I wouldn't want to have the wedding cake be a melted puddle for their guests!

After taking my advice- I created a palette finish royal iced cake- so the textured soft look- without the worry of melting :)

Each Table had a few different vases on it- with different blooms in each vase- it was just beautiful! The florist (Grandiflora) provided some absolutely stunning fresh luscious blooms for me to adorn the cake with.

Delicate Hydrangeas mixed with large Chrysanthemums and water lilies- divine!

The Saturday had me scooting all over town- trying to dodge the down pours and keep dry in between.

My first stop was Walkabout Creek- where I set up this Invitation inspired cake.

Randomly winding over the tiers- I replicated the invitation pattern in the theme colour over the cake.

I REALLY Liked this cake. The different elements of the hand painting- the piping detail and applique detail really gave the cake an extra dimension.

The Brides Grandfather had made a stunning wooden stand as a wedding gift for the couple too- such a wonderful gift to cherish indeed.

The next cake was meant to have fresh Frangipanis on top- but with all the rotten weather- every yellow Frangipani tree around was stripped bare!

Having given the option on the Brides quote for Silk Frangipanis I opted to use these as an alternate. I was fretting- but needn't have- as I received a beautiful Thank you form the Bride the very next day :)

We can't help mother nature... and boy doesn't Queensland know that at the moment.

The next cake is one I have done before.

Ordered totally via email- as the couple reside interstate.

I really value the trust that my clients who order over the phone or Internet give me. Relying solely on images of previous cakes and possibly recommendations from others too.

The Arum Swirl design is classically elegant.

The times I have created this cake I always really love the way it looks.

The next cake was for a special Bride indeed.

Not satisfied with being unable to eat cake because of being a Coeliac- Jasmine contacted me to see if I could make her a classic Gluten free fruit cake- Why YES I Can!

In my opinion- Gluten free shouldn't be tasteless- nor stodgy.

All of my Gluten free recipes are made from scratch- and unless you were told otherwise- you would never guess the cake was a "dietary" cake.

When I say Dietary- I am not meaning Low calorie or Calorie free- because If I had a magical recipe that could create a divine rich cake without the fat and calories I would be a genius LOL!

This cake was A Rich Gluten free fruit cake- with dated Figs- Raisins currants- nuts and so much more. Rum Soaked and baked to a supremely moist perfection.

I must admit- every time I make this Gluten free fruit cake I have to make a little extra- I love it that much. Bad I know - and I am hoping that my nutritionist isn't reading my blog too ;-P

Back to the cakes design....... A Two tier cake- with rounded edges (and can I tell you this is extra hard when you are so use to creating sharper ones) a 30mm Kelly Green ribbon around each tier- with a Diamante brooch- gorgeous!

The cake sat on my silver cake stand in the centre of a gorgeous dessert buffet!

It rained so hard this day that localised flooding had already started- but the father of the Bride told me that the couple managed to dodge the heavy downpours- thank goodness!

The last- but not least cake for the first weekend in January was for a very special birthday.

I was honored to be making Madeline's 40th Birthday cake as this birthday party was her first ever birthday party! How fantastic!

Her Family had decided that this year she was going to be celebrated monumentally- and together we designed a cake fit for such a wonderful occasion.

With Red Purple and Gold as the theme colours- Madeline wanted a cake that was Bright.

The fact that her guests mouths could become tainted by the rich colours was no cause for concern- in the end it was a birthday party- and parties are all about fun- right!

There were edible glitter numbers and butterflies across the cakes- shiny gold wrappers and a chocolate top tier to finish it all off!

I loved creating this cake- I hope that it made your first every birthday party that bit more special!

Well if the first weekend in January is any indication of the fantastic cakes I will get to make again this year- I believe I am off to a wonderful start!

Thanks for reading

2010 the year that was!

2011-02-15T18:50:00.002+10:00

The end of the year is always special to me- not because it means I get to take a short break and spend time with Friends and Family- and not because it is My birthday and Christmas all in the same week- but because it is when I get a chance to look back and see what awesome clients I have had over the year and what truly stunning cakes they have had me make!

Whilst for many December is a month where things slowly come to a close- in my world it is all go- then stop!

Jam packing every second into every day could easily be my mantra. This was certainly the case when I received a call on Friday in December asking if I had a few minutes spare to answer some questions about Cakes and Cake decorating trends.

Without being flippant about it- I have fielded these types of calls on may occasions- and whilst I heard the words "Brisbane News" I wasn't certain if this was indeed a serious piece or whether or not the journalist was just after some "fluff" for an article she was creating.

To my delight- and subsequent surprise- this little "chat" was for real- a story about cakes- Designer Cakes- and they were asking ME! But that was no where near the best bit either.......... after confirming details with editor I was told a Photographer would contact me in regards to an image for the piece. Well someone did contact me- and not for just some picture- but to ask if I could please submit two cakes (the very next morning) to be shot as.........................

THE COVER IMAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG- were they serious??? Little SJ form Cake That! getting one of her cakes on the cover of a stylish magazine! You bet :)

So after running around like a crazed cake lady- calling my cake bestie Karen from KVW cakes to run through ideas (and calm me down) I managed to pull off Two pretty smashing cakes- If I do say so myself.

There was a brief- a cake that I thought was the way cake fashion is trending and the photographer also requested a textured cake.

Low and Behold I managed to make both- and after spending a ridiculous amount of time on my Black and White beauty... the photographer flipped out for the Textured one. Don't get me wrong- that cake was awesome too- and most probably far more appealing to most- but I Loved the Black and white one too!

My Mum came with me to the cake shoot- I honestly thought it would be a 10 minute in and out kind of session- but perfection takes time- and after the lovely Courier Mail Photographer ooohed and Aaahed over the cakes and took a bucket load of shots- I was amazed that over 1.5 hours had passed by. Cake Models can be temperamental LOL!

The turn around was super fast! About days after the shoot- there she was.......

My Cover girl!!!!!! Pretty isn't she!

Although my mug didn't make it inside-two more of my recent cakes did- which was just the cream on top!

The Mag came out a few days before my birthday which was just lovely!

This year I had the most surprising birthday ever - and not just because of the magazine- but because one of my sisters organised a surprise birthday party for me!

For my friends and family that know me well know I never miss a trick- but somehow this time was a complete success......... I was shocked to turn up at a restaurant and see 30 of my closest family and friends shouting "SURPRISE"!! I was in a dream like state- I couldn't believe it!

And of course a birthday isn't complete without a cake- My mum had created a wicked ice cream cake- with Oreos Chocolate and even peanut butter mixed in (my fave ice cream is Baskins Choc peanut butter)- DELISH!!!!!!! I feel so very humbled by my magnificent family and friends. My family especially who help me week in week out without question nor want of reward- and then I get such a fantastic surprise- You are all the best!

So with my Birthday out of the way it was time for my second annual Cake That! Xmas Cracker!! I am blessed to know and work alongside some of the best in the Brisbane Wedding industry. Without them and their support My business would not be half the success it is today.

As a small token of my thanks I invited some colleagues to come over for an evening of Fabulous food and Drinks- to unwind and reflect on the year that was.

I know I had a great time- and I hope that that my guests did too!

With such a busy end to the year I had my great friend Natalie from Dux Gutz Catering make and theme the menu for the night... not a single crumb left.

Natalie Wowed my guests with deliciousness such as Duck Salads- Chermoula Spiced Lamb on braised lentils- Warm roast veg tartlets...... and so so much more.

Of course there was a Christmas Cocktail menu- and if I do say so myself- the Spicy Tart rocked- a gorgeous blend of Pear Absolut and Spiced Sugar Syrup- created a cocktail that tasted almost like a pear and apple pie mmmmmmmmm.

Being all about cake- of course there was something sweet!

I LOVE creating Lolly Buffets- since my sister Alex' 21st I have been hooked- and each one has to be different to the last.

This year my vision was for a White chocolate Rocky road Xmas tree cake center piece! After loaning a meter (plus) high Croquembouche cone from my friend Amanda from Deliberately Delicious- I set about the mammoth task!

To create the Rocky Road "tree" took over 5kg Marshmallows- 8KG white chocolate- Coconut, Jubes and Jellies- not to mention all the fondant used to decorate this monster- it weighed a tonne!

I modelled some cute little elves over the "tree" This one in particular has a special place in my heart!

I couldn't forget to make actual "Cake" so I had made Xmas themed cupcakes too!

Thank you to everyone who came and made the night extra special!

Nigel and Justina from NKN Photography Jennine Florabella Design Sandee Always Fabulous Flowers

It may have rained buckets and created a river in my backyard- but it was allot of fun.

The vivacious Anne Campbell from Anne Campbell Weddings Lisa Clark from Lisa Clark Photography Ben Clark Ben Clark Photography and Debbie Thomas from St Photography

Thank you to everyone who came and made it a fabulous night!

Well that was 2010!

So far 2011 has bee a ripper- and I look forward to sharing this with you soon!

Thanks for reading

December 2010..........

2011-01-31T16:32:00.000+10:00

I think I almost hit panic stations today when I realised that tomorrow will be February- and OMG I haven't even blogged about December 2010 yet!

Call me slack- as seriously I have no idea where January has gone LOL!

I had some super cool cakes in December.

Beginning with this cupcake tree fro an intimate wedding at Mt Mee.

Fitting in with the Black red and white theme- these little dome iced cupcakes complete with initials on each one were super cute indeed!

I loved the teeny tiny little heart that separated the couples initials too!

I had the first of Two Chocolate Mountain creations for December to deliver out to Dayboro.

When I got out to Glengariff the visitors enjoying the site inspection were quite impressed with the cake.

It is always nice to see peoples reactions to your creations.

Pretty was certainly the theme for December.

This next cake was iced in a very pale pink- with a baroque stencil design and sugar pearls.

The Client had sourced a ceramic stand to display the cake on. An added touch of beauty.

I had allot of Big cakes in December.

I absolutely Love big cakes- cakes that you can see from across the room- cakes that have presence.

This one had a wrap finish- which was later adorned with flowers from the wedding.

Having the rear side of the cake present as well as the front is very important- so keeping it tidy I ran a piece of fondant- complete with "buttons" down the back!

A big four tier draping cake with sugar roses was next on the agenda.

A Vintage theme- with crystals hanging from two of the tiers.

The Next Chocolate Mountain cake was for Customs house.

This time with Hot pink roses- it certainly looked wicked!

I set this cake up on my birthday- so it was a very special delivery indeed!

A friend who came along for the delivery took this cool shot looking down onto the cake.

I hadn't done one of "Martha's Magic" styles for a long while- but in December that all changed.

Delivered for a Wedding at Victoria Park- in the Newly renovated Marquee.

I an certain that I LOVE tall cakes- and lately I have had a stack of clients who also are in love with this style too!

This cake with white on white stencil design- and clustered sugar roses is simply elegant!

Ting silver cachous in amongst the stencil detail- and strung crystals around the base- added a tasteful amount of bling to finish off his elegant creation.

The last cake for December was a Tomliboos cake.

Before this order I had zero idea about what a Tomliboo was- but now I am well educated!

Well that was my December Favourites.

Almost finished The 2010 blogging

Thanks for Reading
SJ

Cute as and Cupcakes

2011-01-23T07:43:00.000+10:00

The Last weekend in November saw me do a mad dash around SEQ before heading west to Toowoomba for a 3 day workshop with John Qui Hoi- Cake Guru from Melbourne.

There were allot of cupcakes this particular weekend.

The first were delivered to the Holt St Ferry- for a short boat ride across to Tangalooma Island.

A bold Red and white theme- with heart and initial details.

The next cakes were collected and taken up to Mt Tambourine.

Deep blue white and silver was the theme colours.

I have made this design previously in a red white and chocolate theme.

Fondant iced cupcakes with a chocolate drizzle and teeny tiny silver hearts across each one.

As it was a case of here there and everywhere- I sent Steve off to Maroochydore to deliver this chocolate cupcake tower.

To combat the issue of fat soaked pretty cupcake wrappers- and to keep the papers the same colour (as often they change once baked) I baked all the cakes in white papers then once cooled- I slipped a decorative polka dot paper over the top- voila!

It wasn't all cupcakes that weekend.

I had a few "regular" cakes as well.

First stop was Victoria Park where I delivered this Three tier cake- with twisted tiers- Ivory ribbon wrapped around each of the tiers- and random piped icing pearl detail.

The couple had supplied their own silk flowers to complete the cakes design.

After Vic Park it was over to Coorparoo to deliver another twisted tier creation- this time with a blue theme.

It was a piping hot day- and I had only one cake left to personally deliver down to Hope Island- before heading to Toowoomba.

When I got to Hope Island- the room was set up like a Magical Enchanted hall.

Crystal chairs and elaborate table decorations.

So it was fitting that the couple chose a pretty Four tier cake.

Once at the venue the couple had left a Dancing Bride and Groom topper to be placed on top.

With such a variety of cake designs that week- I think my fave would have had to have been the First Birthday cake I made for Baby Hugo!

Hugo is the son of Sandy and Shannon- whose wedding cake I made in 2008.

I have been blessed to have been commissioned to make a few cakes for them since then.

Hugo's first birthday was a celebration to behold.

Styled beautifully- with a Magnificent Dessert table put together by Sandy herself.

Hugo's cake was a double barrel cake- iced in a soft blue- with varied size dots- and a cute as elephant topper- made to mimic the birthday invites!

A Very Happy Birthday to Hugo! What a brilliant first birthday party!

Do you want to impress your guests with a party set up as spectacular as this?

Check out Sharnel Dollar Designs- Sharnel can style a party for you- but she also has a huge range of items for sale and hire for those that want to DIY!

Well that rounds off my cakes for November.... only December to go- then I can start with the Fabbulous 2011 Creations!!

If you can't wait- check out my Cake that! Facebook page for the latest cakes from Cake That!

Thanks for Reading

Bronwyn and Josh 17th October 2010

2011-01-11T05:58:00.008+10:00

I am pleased to have yet another fantastic couple share their story and details from their wedding day with you.

Bronwyn and Josh had a wicked Mad Hatter for their wedding in October! I hope that you enjoyed the cake as much as I did making it!

All the images in this Blog were taken by the Divine Miranda Greer! Stunning!

So sit back relax and enjoy the Story of Bronwyn and Josh- as told by the beautiful Bride herself!!

Bronwyn and Josh

Sunday 17th October 2010

Josh and I met a few years ago, through mutual friends at the Chalk Hotel. He had a lip piercing at the time, a god awful spear thing, and I cheekily asked him how he kissed girls with it - needless to say, he showed me, and pretty much by the end of the night I knew Josh was someone special.

We've been together for over 3 years, lived together for almost 2, and travelled overseas to the UK last year. Once we got back, Josh started mumbling about "getting me that ring" and needing to talk to my parents. It took a few more months of waiting (much to my frustration!), but we were engaged in April and our amazing wedding day was October the 17th.

The wedding day was quite possibly one of the best days of my life. I was surrounded by friends and family, many of whom had traveled interstate for the event and I got to marry Josh. Everything went according to plan, due in part to my OCD planning of the day, and also the fact that our motto for the wedding had been "fun and relaxed" - just like us!

The big day dawned, and the sun was shining - believe me, in October this was no mean feat - only 48 hours prior had been torrential rain! My bridesmaids had stayed the night with me in the hotel suite, and before long my wonderful hairdresser Michelle, and makeup artist Kate had arrived. People had said to me, the day will fly by, and they were spot on! I had woken up at 7am, and it was almost midday!

I had spent hours scouring magazines and the Internet for special little touches, to put my stamp on the day. Personalised dress hangers, handmade jewellery and my amazingly wonderful stunning gorgeous button bouquets ( by Lilly Buds) were just a couple of the things that really made the day more special for me.

Before I knew it my hair was done, my makeup (by Kate Fide) was applied and I was preparing to get into "Lucy" the affectionate nickname I had given my gown. It then started to dawn on me, I was really getting married! My two wonderful bridesmaids Deb and Ali laced me up and it was time for photos. Miranda Greer had been recommended to me via Sarah-Jane's website and she didn't disappoint. Friendly, patient and professional, made all the more impressive by the fact she was 7 1/2 months pregnant at the time! Some shots of me on my own, my mum and dad and the girls, and then it was showtime! I did have enough time to sneak upstairs to the Panorama room, where the reception was being held. It was getting set up and I was so excited to see Sarah-Jane's exquisite creation, beautifully placed and ready to go!

The next while after this seemed to pass in a blur. Our gorgeous London taxi cabs arrived to take us to the Broadway Chapel, and as we pulled up I realised all the guests were still outside - the boys were having their shots in the chapel and were running overtime - posers! Everyone started to file in and i had a couple of minutes to compose myself - not that I was nervous about getting married, i had just had too many nightmares about tripping over while walking down the aisle!

The music changed, my dad looked at me and i knew it was time to get going. I emerged from around the corner, and although i could sense everyone looking at me (and a whole lotta camera flashes going off!) all i could see was Josh - he looked so excited, and nervous and happy, all at once.

Our ceremony was short, sweet and very personal to us - our celebrant Elizabeth talked about our lives together so far, included our families (we had our ceremony streamed online to my family in the UK!) and involved a few nicknames and in jokes that got plenty of chuckles. Then with a word or two, a ring on the finger and a big smooch we were man and wife!

Off for some photos around Southbank, and then to the Urban for our reception. We forwent a DJ/Band for an ipod, and for entertainment hired a photobooth which kept the guests entertained and provided lots of amusing memories the next morning!

Speeches again, were short and sweet, as was our first dance together - Josh doesn't like to dance and i had been too busy all week to practice the steps! The thing I remember about our reception was how much fun it was - being surrounded by our loved ones and celebrating the first day of our lives together.

Phew - what a rundown! My find words are of advice to the soon-to-be-married couple

- Personalise the day to the two of you. Decide on what is important to you and what isn't - don't compare your wedding to other people's

- Being organised in advance makes for a relaxed wedding day

- Get recommendations from vendors about other services that you're not sure about - they only work with the best!

If you would like to have your wedding featured as a blog and or in the Real wedding Section of my website- please contact me for details.

Four tiers and more!

2011-01-10T07:52:00.000+10:00

There are definitely benefits of running behind with blogging. For one I get to reminisce about all the fabulous cakes and not to mention the equally lovely clients who received them.

I also am reminded- especially after a short break over Xmas and New Years- that I can do it (get all the cake orders done for the week) and that I need not stress as it will all happen. With the weather still being unkind and bucketing down- my perfectly dry Air con room is worth its weight in gold!

The third week in November was one with some impressive cakes indeed.

I find small things intriguing- such as the fact that I has Two four tier cakes and Two Cakes will L&A on top..... silly I know- but when you spend the entire week surrounded by all things cake you go a tad loopy LOL!

I actually did a double take to make sure that I had the L&A correct on both cakes!

The first L&A cake was held at Sirromet.

Organised entirely from The UK this cake was a pleasure to make for such a lovely couple.

A two tier version of the Silver Strings cake design.

The topper letters were sourced from the UK.

The next L&A cake was for Indooroopilly Golf Club.

A simple yet stylish three tier cake with Silver Monogram initials on top.

I didn't have far to go to deliver the next cake- just around the corner to Hillstone- St Lucia.

This Vintage inspired cake for Megan and Liam including dusty pink piping detail and sugar bows to complete the theme.

Megan and Liam's photos were taken by the Uber talented Toni Snell- check out their wedding on her Blog!

I had a trip out to Glengariff to deliver the first four tier cake of the weekend.

Crystals and Diamantes were scattered throughout the piping and also on the two ribbon sliders.

The couple topped off the cake with a cool set of toppers- which were realistic caricatures of the couple!

One of my favourite cakes over the years has been the Fresh Bride/Bridal Rose Design. With all the piped icing pearls it is just really pretty.

Finished off with fresh roses in varying pinks- it was just gorgeous!

This cake weighed a tonne- thank goodness for Steve's Muscles to carry the cake from the car to the table for me :)

The next cake took allot of time and effort- but every bit worth it!

A tower of cupcakes in a Peacock and White colour theme.

Pearl finish and embossing- Butterflies and Blossoms- every bit just gorgeous.

Inspired by an image sent to me by the bride- (unfortunately I have no idea who the original artist actually is) the cake themselves looked very much like that of the style of the Small Things Iced company in the UK.

The Wedding was held at a private home in Newmarket- and from the comments from the Bride it went down a treat!

I love the dome cupcakes- really pretty indeed!

Last but not least for the week was some cupcakes for a returning clients mum's birthday!

Sandy has been a great client- starting with her massive 7 tier tower of cupcakes for her wedding- then cupcakes for her baby shower last year and now Cupcakes for her mum!

How gorgeous are they both! Congrats- I hope that you had an amazing day!

Stay safe Keep Dry and thanks for Reading

Cakes Around SEQ

2011-01-09T08:38:00.000+10:00

Weeks like this one is what keeps me interested! Having a vast variety of styles and designs to create really makes the workload exciting.

The first cake for the week was for a returning client.

A few years back I had created her 21st cake- and now I was honored to make her engagement cake too!

A two tier version of the Dainty dots cake design was collected and taken to a private reception.

I had a mammoth delivery run on the Saturday.

Starting fairly early- we headed over to Edge Modern Dining at Ferny Hills to deliver a three tier chocolate fondant cake.

I also had a cake delivery for Cloudland. To be honest I have not been inside a night club in many years- and whilst I had heard fabulous things about Cloudland and had been keen to have dinner and a cocktail or two there- somehow I have just never gotten around to it.

So when I delivered this cake was the first time I had seen inside for myself.

There is allot of Themeing and Decoration inside- which certainly gives the venue real atmosphere. I would love to see inside when it is open- and the lighting all on and set to create the true ambiance it is set out to have.

One day- when I can stay awake past 9pm- I may just go back and check it out!

The cake delivered was a variation of the Skeleton Leaves design- minus the leaves- with thin black cord and with fresh flowers later added by the couples florist.

After Cloudland we shpt across to Customs house to set up the next cake.

A three tier cake with a trail of fresh Phalenopsis Orchids and Singapore Orchids.

What is really uncanny about this cake is that I set the exact same cake design at the same venue more than 2 years prior.

Whilst I often get asked to recreate some of my past designs - this was the first time I had recreated this one- and the fact that it was for the same venue was unique.

Next I zipped across to Sirromet to set up a cute Two tier Mad Hatter.

Complete with a bridal couple on top.

A Pale pink Ivory and Silver theme all tied together in a funky cake design.

The groom wore a silver grey suit and the Bride a flowing Ivory gown.

Next Stop was Coolibah Downs at Nerang.

I love this cake- the Four tiers of the Mummy design really adds that extra element of Wow factor.

This Ivory Four tier version had hand made sugar rose petals in the Bridesmaids colours scattered across the cake.

I was delighted to see an image of the couple on my Facebook Page the very next day thanking me! How Lovely!

Next Stop was Burleigh Heads.

I delivered this cake to a private home for a reception the following day at Oscars.

As I did not get to see the cake with the flowers from the florist- the Bride and groom were kind enough to send through an image of the completed cake!

Thank you so muck Mr and Mrs Leske!

It wasn't all over for the week until the Tuesday when I had another "Bride in Waiting" cake collected to be taken over to An Island Hideaway.

So that was my week- long and eclectic just how I like it!

Thanks for reading

Hello Beautiful ;)

2011-01-04T16:49:00.000+10:00

Helloooooooooooooooooooooo! Happy New Year and all that Jazz! No I haven't fallen off the planet- Just been flat out- and with only a very short break over the Xmas New Year period- unfortunately keeping up with the blog had fallen by the wayside- whoops!

I am VERY EXCITED to share the cakes from the first week in November with you all though.

I am sure you have listened to me babble on about how much I love the cakes my clients choose- but when you are well and truly in the thick of "Wedding season" all the gorgeous designs is what keeps you going.

It was a cracker weekend- the very first cake- whilst it was really a blank canvas on my end- the absolutely stunning Flowers by the brides florist turned what was something simple ( but ultimately divine tasting) into a stunning romantic cake.

I was also really impressed with the Florists preparation of the blooms.

So often - although I stipulate specific terms with fresh flowers- I arrive at venues to find unprepared flowers- which make placement onto the cake more than difficult.

These blooms were wired and taped gorgeously!

The next cake is the epitome of what I class as the ultimate classic timeless- so gorgeous you want to hug it- wedding cake!

Three Extended height tiers of rich Fruit cake (YUM!!) iced in Ivory fondant- with white fondant lace over the tiers- all topped off with Handmade large open sugar roses on top.

With all the fruit cake inside- this cake weighed a tonne- but well worth it for the beauty.

The passed out husband- or "Bride in Waiting" cake once again was a popular choice this week.

I only wished that I had have shot it on a white background so that you could see the gorgeous black bedhead.

It is very rarely that I get the opportunity to make Christening cakes. But this sweet baby's cake was a twist on a couple of past cakes I had made before.

I was also excited as I got to use a new Embosser on the baby's blanket too.

I certainly had allot of Big cakes this week- and the next Butter cream design was simply stunning!

White and cream roses and Singapore Orchids- trailing whimsically over the cake.

A single base- double mid tier and Single top tier- all iced with vertical palette markings- elongating the design even further.

So pretty I have it as my phone screen saver :-O

Nuts about Chocolate????

This next chocolate creation- with White chocolate chards inlaid with Dark chocolate swirls - and a heap of shavings in the channels....

Could a chocoholic ask for more???

I had some gorgeous cupcakes for the Powerhouse too!

I love this venue- and not because it is where my BIL and his wife got married a few years back- but because it is eclectic and still romantic.

As well as being commissioned to create the above cakes- I also was blessed to once again be part of the Brothers and Sisters Oncology Day- where I spent the afternoon watching the kids have a blast icing and decorating close to 200 cupcakes.

I have learned over the last few years that children are not professional decorators- and perfect butter cream swirls and complimentary colours don't mean squat when it is all about fun!

So now I am honored to supply a huge array of decorations and simply let them "go for it"

This year I had Pirates and Fairies- as well as Christmas decorations, a bucket load of sprinkles and lollies- and with 14 or so kids decorating cakes for themselves- the patients and hospital staff......

Here's what they came up with!!!

The Lovely Amanda from the RBCH

There wasn't much left at the end either...........

A Huge THANK YOU to the Turner and Banksia Wards for once again inviting me to be apart of your special day!

Looking forward to next time

Thanks for Reading and Happy 2011

Bob and Ash's Wedding September 11th 2010

2010-12-10T13:30:00.001+10:00

I am blessed to have so many brilliant clients who choose cakes that test my creativity and really ignite the passion I have for all things cake. Even more so than this- I get clients who are truly special people- who I will remember always.

Bob and Ash were all the above and more.

From the moment I met with them I felt really honored to be making their cake- they were so warm and friendly- like I had known them forever.

They were willing to trust in me to create a Kombi cake- my first Kombi cake! What fun!

So I had a little thought- after being snowed down earlier this year - and my blog subsequently falling buy the wayside- I had one of my sisters take over the reigns and write on my behalf- then it dawned on me- perhaps some of my super cool clients would also like to share their wedding day too!

Bob and Ash were the first ones I asked to do this for me- and almost without hesitation Ash jumped at the chance. I really appreciate the time and Effort that Ash has put into her story below and I hope you all enjoy reading it.

Congratulations Bob and Ash- you are two of a kind!

Here we go Anne ;P

Bob and i have always owned Volkswagens, and probably always will. We share a passion for these lovable hunks of metal that ooze personality, and that is what brought us together.

The theme of our wedding revolved around Volkswagens. We met at a rainy Valla Volkswagen Spectacular in 2006; a large VW event held every two years that attracts VW lovers and owners from all over Australia. I was living in Perth at the time, and my passion for Volkswagens brought me over east to meet all the VW people I had met on forums. We met on the Saturday night while having drinks around the bar as it was pouring with rain outside.

We kept in contact and did the whole long distance thing for a while until I bit the bullet and moved over here to Brisbane to be with him. Its great having someone you not only share a passion with but who is your soul mate.

We live in a wonderful area of Brisbane surrounded by rainforest, Mt Nebo. Our ceremony on the 11th September was at a gorgeous lookout near our house, Jollys Lookout, and then the reception was held in the "Fern Tree" room at Walkabout Creek, The Gap. VW's and the rainforest are what we love, and our wedding included all those aspects.

Our wedding was perfect. The weather could not have been better considering it was raining on the Friday and then on the Sunday afterwards. Some how we fluked a gorgeous day with not a cloud in the sky!!!

Our celebrant was very special to us, and we knew as soon as we met her the first time, she had to be ours. A few years ago two very special friends of ours from Perth came over to Queensland to get married on the Gold Coast. Their celebrant was a bubbly, fun loving lady by the name of Anne Campbell from Anne Campbell Weddings http://www.annecampbell.com.au/. She is everything you could ask for in a celebrant, and helped us make our ceremony everything we wanted it to be.

A photographer is something many couples stress about, and often finding the perfect photographer doesn’t come easy. This was an easy one for me, as on one of my “Google” adventures I stumbled across her website whilst on a search. Her work was just what we wanted, gorgeous candid moments that would tell the story of our day. The photo’s that looked back at me showed real emotion, not fake posing and awkward moments from people who hate their photo taken (which is both my Mum and Bob) .

Deborah Boots from Boots photography is extraordinary! Her work is so professional, but she really caters for her couples. She is such a fun, groovy person who knows its all about what her couples want, and will do anything to make that happen. I really can’t praise her enough. From the moment we did our engagement shoots which were incredible, we were so happy with the service Deb offers with Boots Photography http://www.bootsphotography.com.au/

I arrived in a very rare and sought after 1954 Splitscreen Kombi named “Dubbo" which is owned by good friends of ours who drove from Mullumbimby for us. Bob and the Groomsmen arrived in "El Concreto", our 1963 Single Cab Kombi Ute and another of our Groomsman drove his 1958 Beetle. The car park was filled with VW's and a gorgeous 356a Porsche also owned by a friend.

Whilst over in Perth from work and also visiting friends and family, my Bridesmaid Emily (my friend who was also married by Anne Campbell) took a trip to the Bridal Expo that was being held that weekend. This is where I found what was to be MY wedding dress. I knew what I wanted in my head, but I just needed to find it. At this stage I had hardly looked at any dresses, just in my mountain of wedding magazines I had accumulated. I couldn’t believe it when I sore it, and needless to say, it took a trip back to Brisbane with me.

My Bridesmaid dresses were purchased on eBay, and they were exactly what I wanted. The seller had sent out swatches of fabric at no charge to make sure I was happy with the colour. Shoes were lovely white Satin heels from from Zu Shoes. Hair and Makeup was done by Kayla Wilson courtesy of My Little Rockabilly http://mylittlerockabilly.com.au/

The boys were relatively easy to get together. They purchased white shirts with a light pinstripe from Myer, Trousers from Target and also very cool tan and white Dunlop Volleys which went perfectly with their outfits and fitted their personalities to a tee. Fun and casual was what we wanted the day to be about, I really think we succeeded in this. Many couples can lose sight with all the stress of planning a wedding on what the day is really about. It should be fun and about you!

We chose to put our rings in cute Velvet VW Beetle Ring boxes i had found whilst on one of my many online shopping adventures, eBay was my biggest friend while planning our wedding. Volkswagen/VW probably had the most searches ever on eBay and Google while preparing our wedding :)

My beautiful Flowers were created by Winnie Kwon from feelsogood flowers http://www.feelsogoodflower.com.au/. I absolutely love Orchids and chose a flowing bouquet of Pink Orchids and Fresh green leaves. My bridesmaid had White Orchid wrist corsages, my flower girl had a lovely pink and white orchid display woven in the basket, and the boys all received Orchid buttons holes in white with Bobs matching my pink flower. Her creativity with flowers is just amazing.

To say our cake was just perfect is an understatement, a big caramel mud cake in the shape of a kombi hand crafter by the gorgeous Sarah Jane at Cake That. It was the highlight and centrepiece that everyone commented on. Accompanying our perfect Cake was Custom made Bobble heads created by Wowminime in Hong Kong. These things are seriously cool. All created from full body and face photo’s, front and side. They looked just like us and we had them wearing the clothes we wore when we met at Valla = )

Gifts for the guests were gorgeous kombi candle holders which I had also sourced off eBay from a lovely guy in Thailand who I had bought funky VW things from before. He was even kind enough to send us a Wedding gift of Pink Beetle Salt and Pepper shakers as he knew our colours were green and pink. We filled these with lollies and a lovely smelling tea light candle. Ryan Warb from esigns http://www.esigns.com.au created the wedding date stickers for the side of our kombi’s which came up a treat.

The reception at Walkabout Creek was just what we wanted, casual and fun. We opted for a Cocktail option rather than a sit down buffet. Everyone loved this, the food was fantastic, and it gave everyone that chance to mingle. As we had friend and family coming from as far as Perth, everyone got the chance to meet and spend some time enjoying the night. We had so many comments from our guest on how fun, lovely and relaxing the night was and that the food was delicious, everyone loved the Fish and Chip Cones!

Deb from Boots Photography set up a photo booth with props in the corner of our reception room. As the night went on, and everyone started to let their hair down, they had the chance to get in front of the camera all dressed up and give us some hilarious photos. She went above and beyond to make our day what we wanted, and her hard work has given us what we wanted.

A few years ago at a VW show up the Sunshine Coast, Bob had bought the front face clip of a Splitscreen Kombi with the intentions of doing “something” with it one day. Instead of the standard guest book, we used that front clip of the Splitscreen kombi and everyone signed it, Bob had even set it up so the headlights lit up and flashed. We will now clear coat it and hang it on our wall in our home.

I found some awesome metallic kombi confetti off a store called Dubmonkeys World in the UK that has some very cool Merchandise for VW lovers. We sprinkled those on the tables, but with many of the guests being VW enthusiasts also, I have my suspicions that some confetti may have made it into handbags, pockets, and even washing machines at home.

Everything was VW related, right down to our choice of Wine called "The Farm" which has a kombi on the label, both the red and white are a lovely drop.

A special mention has to go out to our wonderful friend Raquel Taylor, who without her creative mind those special touches wouldn’t have been there. She made a fantastic wedding planner, created our “oh so cool” rustic Bob & Ash wedding signs, our “Morrow” sign for the Bridal Table, other flower arrangements, helped put together the wedding gifts, the ceremony and the list goes on…

What better way to spend the next day after partying hard at your own wedding than attending VW Action Day at Wynnum, we couldn’t keep away from the shows!

It took me a while to write this blog as Bob and I have finally come back from our U.S Honeymoon. We flew into L.A and picked up our fully self contained R.V which we affectionately called “haRVey”. It is our tradition to name everything! We headed up to Vegas. While in Vegas we experienced two VW shows. After Vegas we headed over to San Francisco and down the Coast line back to L.A for the Pomona Swap meet which has a huge amount of gorgeous cars and parts for sale, we were in heaven!!! We picked up many VW related souvenirs on our journey! We met at a VW show, so what better way to spend a honeymoon than at a VW show ; )

Our day reflected everything that makes us who we are, and what we share a passion about. Never lose sight of what it is you want, never lose sight of what your wedding day is about, and overall, ensure you can enjoy every moment of your special day. You don’t have to spend a crazy amount to have the perfect day, and more often than not, unless you tell them, your guests don’t know. Have fun, get creative, and enjoy!

Bob n Ash Morrow x

All the Fives...

2010-12-06T07:14:00.001+10:00

The last weekend in October had me delivering cakes on the Friday. Saturday and Sunday once again.

My first stop on the Friday was to Hillstone- to deliver, what evolved to be, a delicate pretty and whimsical cupcake tower.

This particular cake was a family affair. With the Bride and Groom residing in London- It was up to the Bride's sister and parents to organise the cake ( and the wedding too)

With emails between all of us checking back and forth with the design- the final design was decided!

There was two finishes/designs for the cupcakes.

One Butter iced with a small sugar blossom- the other Fondant iced with a piping and applique detail to match in with the top tier.

The whole cake was finished with fresh blooms (from the beautiful Jennine from Florabella). Jennine had sourced some stunning David Austin Roses as well as the prettiest Sweet peas too!

With Jennine's helpful eye- I placed the flowers in amongst the cakes to create this soft romantic tower of cupcakes.

The first image is one from my camera- then next two- well what can I say- just WOW! Kindly sent through from the Bride and Groom! Images like these describe how badly I need a new camera.

Thank you to Leigh for sending in not only a very kind message of Thanks- but some gorgeous images too!

After leaving Hillstone- it was over to Rydges to deliver the Legal Aid QLD (LAQ) 30th Anniversary cake.

Iced in the colours of the LAQ Logo- this cake was allot bigger than it seems.

With over 200 mouths to serve it needed to be enough to both see in the room and cut into enough pieces.

A kitchen cake to cover the additional numbers was also ordered- meaning 4 different flavours to go around.

A little boutonniere with the LAQ logo sat in the middle of the sugar bow. The bow etc..... was a last minute design addition- a nod to the event- rather than the stock standard writing on the board.

With Friday done and dusted- it was all systems go on the Saturday.

I think this was one of the first Saturdays without rain for October- which was not only fabulous for my couples- but made my long distance deliveries that much easier.

I headed north to Sails on Suttons to deliver a two tier Luggage stack design.

This cake was wholly ordered over the net- with the Bride and groom based overseas.

Incorporating the deep red theme with tiny petals and thin ribbon- this cake was fun with wedding elegance all rolled into one.

When I arrived a the venue the Bride had organised some toppers for the cake- too cute. A Bride and Groom on a Motorbike!

I deal allot with clients via email- so it is always very special to recive such winderful Thank you's after the big day.

I recently recieved this Thanks from Adam and Lorraine

"Dear Sarah-Jane

We have now returned to London from our wedding and honeymoon and wanted to say a big thank you!
We were so happy with the luggage cake you did for us it was everything and more than we expected.
Everyone commented on the design and how wonderful the cake tasted, there was very little left to take home at end of the night :)
Thank you again for a wonderful cake and all your assistance by email.

Lorraine and Adam"

The pleasure was all mine.

After Suttons beach- it was off to Willow vale- for the second time in a month- to the glorious Ruffle Lodge.

This time the weather was divine- clear skies looking out over the Hinterland and the Gold Coast.

Three tiers of soft iced cake- finished with fresh white seasonal blooms.

Sunday had me out delivering again- but this time a short trip to the Polo Club to deliver a white chocolate design.

The cake was originally decided to be a simple traditional design- but after seeing a cake in a magazine when the bride was collecting her wedding gown- the bride approached me with the possibility of recreating the magazine cake. A far more intricate and detailed design than before- but the one that the Bride had her heart set on. With only a few short weeks to the wedding day- it was switched!

I don't often get asked to replicate cakes- generally brides are inspired by elements of designs they see- but never really whole cakes being mimicked. But this time the Bride and groom liked the cake as it was in the picture- and that was that.

Replicating someone elses design isn't something I take lightly. I am a big believer in ordering from the original designer- and not just finding someone to do it. Whatever the reason- albeit " finding someone to do it cheaper" or the designer is simply not available to you- it still will never be as satisfying as finishing your own design. Although I make cakes week in week out, and can mostly pick the dimensions etc.. from a photo - no matter how talented you are in decorating recreating someone elses design is like trying to copy their handwriting.You want to do the design justice- but no matter what the cake still is not yours.

Please don't be reading this wrong- I am flattered when I see fellow decorators creating my cakes- but when I get asked (and so close to the wedding date) to recreate another local designers cake, the sense of achievement in the finished product can feel marred by the fact that this wasn't my cake.

Had the couple approached me to make this cake in the beginning- I would have suggested contacting the original designer (Julie Whitehead)- after all it was all her effort in creating the design :)) But being merely a few weeks out from the wedding date- I took on the task of recreating a cake from a designer that I truly admire.

With a few sizing changes to suit the couples numbers- the cake itself presented well- but all in all was never the genuine article.

So that was the last week in October.

Holey Moley- I cannot believe it is already December.

I have some Xmas giveaways on my Facebook Page - so if you are on Facebook- become a fan and keep up to date with the latest Cake That! cakes.

Attention Past Clients- Who LOVE Xmas Cake!

2010-12-02T08:11:00.001+10:00

As a part of my Facebook Fan page I am running a series of Christmas giveaways- after all it is the season of Giving!

An exclusive giveaway for past Cake That! Clients is listed on my facebook page. You MUST be a member of Facebook, a Fan of the Cake That! page and a Previous client to be eligible.

This comp will run up until the 16th December- with a Full sized Decorated Christmas Fruit cake being the Prize!
Simply upload a picture of your cake (or you and your cake) to the Cake that! Facebook Page - and which ever cake in the "Photo's uploaded by others" gets the most "Likes" then that client is the winner!
Easy as! If you are no longer in Brisbane- but have a family member or friend who can collect your prize on your behalf- you too can be in it!
So get your friends and family to "like" your image- and you could be munching on a delicious Cake That! Xmas cake this Christmas!

The cake will need to be able to be Collected from my home studio on the Morning of the 18th December.

Good Luck- and Thank YOU! For choosing Cake That!

Jolly Season :))

2010-12-01T13:09:00.001+10:00

With Christmas Fast approaching I am excited to announce Cake That!'s Christmas Selection- available for Purchase and Collection this December.

Treat your Family and Friends to some gorgeous cakes this Christmas Season.

Whether you need Boxed cupcakes for corporate gifts, or just a box to share with your family- I can supply you with Modern Fun and Beautiful cakes for your Christmas Occasion

Mixed selection of Christmas Themed Cupcakes in festive flavours

Hazelnut Brandy

Ginger bread

Rum and Raisin

Chocolate Fruit cake

$80 per Dozen- boxed and ready to share.

Create a stunning cake centerpiece for your family this year with a Custom Christmas tree cupcake

30 cupcakes and top tier- including a disposable stand $330

Traditional and Novelty Christmas cakes also available- From $150.

Chocolate Fruitcakes and Traditional Fruit cakes available

Limited Numbers available

To order please call Sarah-Jane on

0404 388 219

Cakes and Cupcakes can be collected on selected dates in December up until 23rd December.

A cool Surprise

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The 4th Weekend in October bought me yet again an eclectic mix of cake designs- as well as cakes traveling all over SEQ.

It certainly was (as always) a mixed bunch this particular week. I often get asked by potential clients questions like:

"what is the craziest cake you have ever done?"

"What is your favourite cake"

or my all time favourite

"Did you make your own cake??- and would you choose the same again?"

The last question is the easiest to answer- Yes I made my own cake- and given my much further and greater experience since then- I would definitely have something much grander- however the cake I made was a very classic style (albeit pink) ;)

I have so many Favourites- being blessed with awesome clients who choose cakes that really ignite your creativity and design skills- choosing a dead set all time favourite is very hard.

And for Crazy- each to there own I say.

Having a novelty wedding cake is something very personal- and so often I have clients who choose these designs and it is "so" them. It makes the reception that bit more special- and all of the guests can relate to why it was chosen. I admire clients who go out of the norm and choose a really unique design that reflects themselves.

This week in October I had allot of cakes that had very personal touches- and for that every week I am grateful!

The first to leave the "cake room" was a three tier with Brush embroidered mid tier cake.

Classic and elegant. This cake headed north to Scarborough, where it was later topped with fresh flowers from the couples florist.

The next cake to go on it merry way was a three tier cake with a hand painted monogram plaque.

This cake was taken over to Stradbroke Island by the Brides Family.

I don't often get to make Birthday cakes- this Single tier cake was for a past bride. She loves pink and Pearls- so this sharply iced extended height pink cake- with strung pearls wrapped around the base- a variegated pink "30" and a white open blossom- complete with a disco pink centre!

Clean and simple = classy with a touch of fun!

The next cake went to Brett's Wharf.

A variation of the "Heidi's Dream" cake on my website- the flower centers were made yellow to match in with the Bright yellow Black and white theme.

This room had a gorgeous set up- including stunning table centerpieces by Karen @ Bliss Floral.

I love the natural feel of this next cake. A twist on the "normal" cherry blossom effect- incorporating white flowers and some forest green leaves.

With the Ivory iced cake- the green and chocolate brown really came together to give a warm earthy feel.

The next design is a version of the "All Class" cake on my site.

I first made this cake a few years back and it has been super popular ever since.

Just like its name- it is just simply classy.

Smooth finished icing- and a simple double flat bow around the base of each tier.

As I have mentioned in previous blogs- there was no Sunday rest for me during wedding season.

I headed to The beautiful Topairies at Beaumont House to set up this three tier cake- complete with a cartoon family on top!

I am a huge fan of the Navy and Ivory together.

It seems that lately there has been allot of family cake love. To be honest I swear my friend sand family are sick of my cake- we see it- smell it , and eat it ALL the time. So when my Cousin's birthday came around I thought- lets do something a bit different.

So Whilst doing my household shop in Woolies- I had a brainwave- about cool cake for my cousin! And before you go thinking I went down the "Betty Crocker" path- think again

What is more iconic in your childhood birthday memories than your actual birthday cake???????

If my sister had her way her answer would be Fairy Bread- and although I can see a cool layer "cake" with thin bread layered with 100's and 1000's- it wasn't to be.

Instead I created a giant Chocolate Crackle!

A double batch of chocolate crackle recipe- straight from the rice bubbles/copha pack- set into an 8" round tin- then turned out and iced in ganache and finished with chocolate chards and scrolls- to form the facade.

Whilst it was mega tasty- it was bloody hard to cut- I seemed to have compacted it too much in the tin that you kind of needed a circular saw to cut it- but it tasted amazing!

And BTW Chocolate crackles are gluten free- yeah!

So that was the 4th weekend in October- where is the year going??

I will have a small Xmas selection available for order soon- with Christmas cakes and Christmas themed treats for you to share with your friends and family. Details to come.

Don't forget you can see my latest cakes and what I get up to during the week on my Facebook page

Thanks for reading