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

 

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

SJ

All the Fives...

 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.