Times are a Changin'

Looking back through images from this year so far- I am constantly delighted seeing the fabulous cakes my clients have chosen for me to make.

It is like seeing them finished for the first time all over again.

It has been a big year of changes here at Cake That!- After a long break over the end of last year and the beginning of this year- I slowly moved back into caking. Making some fantastic cakes for some truly wonderful people.

All the while readjusting this business to what it was born to be- a job that was here to keep me creatively excited- not one to make me a millionaire- but one to let me have a life and a lifestyle that I was proud of. Taking on a more relaxed tone- and having more fun, letting go of stress and just being me :D

I recently launched the new updated website- which features the style of cakes that inspire me. Hopefully you love the new sections as much as I do. Choosing which cakes to include was a very hard task- getting the right balance of my all time favourites, along with those that catch the ever savvy clients eye didn't happen overnight..........well it happened over around 100 nights- lets be honest hahhaha- it was a project that I wished could have been completed faster- but got there in the end (still getting there- Fingers crossed the Real weddings/Testimonials section will be completed by the end of the month)

The Facebook page is nearing 5000 "likers" which in itself blows my mind. Whilst this may be small numbers to some other well known companies- to me this is enormous- close to 5000 people have taken the time to click "like" on my page- so a HUGE Thank you to them. Not only does it seem that you like the page- I am also getting some great feedback through there too. Don't be shy in leaving a comment - or leaving a message- I appreciate it all.

So if you have been patient enough to sit through this blog intro- I had better not disappoint you with the cakes I am about to feature- Right?
So here we go :

After my long break The first cab off the rank was filled with fun!
In the Cake That! colours too! This three tier Mad Hatter for Emily and Jake was the confidence I needed to prove I could still do it (cake making that is) - I hadn't forgotten what to do- my Cake Brain still functioned- Yippee!

 This Hot Pink and Black Themed cake had "Helter Skelter" stripes on the top tier- which looked even more wicked on real life- Heart print over the middle and Varied stripes on the base. Instead of leaving the silver paper covered board- I iced it silver- to give it a clean finish.
A cake this bold definitely a talking point.

It was not long after the cake above- that I was contacted by an old (not in age but more of a Cherished way) client- who wanted a surprise birthday cake for her husband.
Now this couple are one that I will NEVER forget- they definitely hold a little piece of my Cake That! heart. The most genuine and appreciative couple- they ventured well outside the lines of tradition with thier "Super Mario" wedding cake. They trusted me way back then to make a cake  Uniquely them.

This time around it was another cake that held special meaning.

Athene wanted to surprise Wade with a Companion Cube- What is a Companion Cube you ask?? Actually I have virtually no idea- I know it is from a computer game- and it looks like fun- but I am sure those in "the know" will know and appreciate what it is/does- along with the suitably quirky message that was on the board.

From all reports it was very well received- mission accomplished :D

It seems that Hot pink and Black were in this year.
The next cupcake tower kept it simple and classy.

Black papers- alternating tiers of Hot pink and Black Hearts, all topped off with a cute couple.

 Making the little sugar dresses and cool hairdo's really are a big highlight to me once finished.

Obviously I was on a lean the day the next lot of shots were taken- geeeez!

Some New Display cakes were in order for the Studio (actually more new ones are on the agenda at the moment)- so I sat down and drew some out- then put them together.

I like to have a bit of fun with the displays- and it has certainly seemed to inspire clients- who get to see both the size and the decoration close up.

While most couples who opt for custom toppers have them sitting or standing nicely together- I felt this whimsical extended height three tier cake needed a bit of a twist. I put the spotlight on the bride here- having her sit daintily on the top edge- looking most bridal- all the while her groom is lying behind her- giving the "Thumbs up" and a wave! I also gave him red hair too- Cheeky monkey groom lol

 And whilst it may be hard to recognise- the "dots" on the cake are Ivory on a white cake. I did this not only to add a little depth- but also to be able to demonstrate to subtly between the two shades of fondant. Yes eh Ivory will seem a tad darker en mass- but essentially it is just offwhite.

Fluffyness is very "IN" at the moment. It seems I was ahead of my time with the Mummy cake from 2005 hahahhah- anywho- I had drawn up a Pale pink Ombre ruffle design- and as great minds think alike- even though we hadn't spoken at all about displays- my great friend and colleague Amanda from Deliberately Delicious- posted a picture of a brand new Purple Ombre Ruffle cake just as I was about to begin my original Pink one. Not one to cut someone else's grass- I mad a quick change to this pretty all white fluffy flower design instead.

 The simple drop scallop piping and pearl detail along the top edge adds to this delicate and lovely design.

The next cake is a twost on one that I do adore.

The Ivory version of this cake was my Facebook Profile pic for a while (It is now replaced)- but with teh ever growing trend in Pearl finishes and dusty hues- I chose to make a dusty pink pearl finish cake with Ivory lace overlay.
Bold Vintage is what I will call it.

It kind of looks brownish in this pic - but it is like a dark tea rose in real life.

Inspiration for display cakes is constantly popping into my head- if only I could just play making cakes all day- I would need a new studio to display them all.

Well that is all for now- if you haven't already done so- head on over to the new website and have a look! I hope you love it- and it is mobile too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No more only being able to view it on a PC YAY!

Thanks for reading

SJ xx

www.cakethat.com.au

Brighter Days!

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

SJ

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

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

SJ

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

Ecclectic! Just the way I like it :)

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

SJ