Win the Ultimate Dream Wedding!

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!

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

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

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

Bring on any Challenge :)

 

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

SJ

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