Rounding off April and Moving into May!

 

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

SJ

Slowly but Surely

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

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

SJ

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

 

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

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.