Despicable Me Cake Project – cake decorated with edible minions from the movie “Despicable Me.” Price available upon request.
of minions and men
My good friend and former classmate L._ commissioned me to do a cake and cupcakes for her daughter’s birthday with “The Hunger Games” as theme. I began crafting a mockingjay out of marzipan as cupcake topper but L._’s daughter changed her mind and decided to just serve pizzas to her friends on her birthday. Instead, L._ asked me to do a cake for her son who was graduating from high school. The theme this time was “Despicable Me.” Her son wanted the minions as decorations. Hmm, methinks this family is movie crazy; and I mean that in a good way!
I have spare marzipan from a project gone kaput so I was happy that this will be put to good use. Since the cake was a graduation gift, L._ suggested that the minion be garbed in graduation toga and cap while holding a diploma. I said yes to the cap and diploma, no to the toga because it will hide the minion’s distinct costume. L._ agreed.
L._ was with her entire brood when I met up with her as I delivered the cake. There was D. _, the man of the hour, looking all grown up. I once made his birthday cake when he was not yet a teenager and now he is heading to college! Harry Potter was new back then so naturally the cake I made for him had Harry riding his Nimbus 2000 and chasing the golden snitch. How time flies. Or as English poet and essayist Henry Austin Dobson said, “Alas, time stays, we go.” How true.
This was a fun and challenging project. Even my niece and nephews gave their stamp of approval upon seeing the finished cake. Congratulations D._ and good luck as you embark on this exciting chapter of your life!
And now on queue: a cake for L._’s daughter who is graduating from middle school this June. Her theme? A 9GAG meme. Challenge accepted!
Movie Night Cake and Cupcake Project – edible film reel cake, complete with clapperboard and mini popcorn bucket while accompanying cupcakes have an assortment of movie-themed toppers: movie ticket, star and popcorn. Price available upon request
a night in hollywood
I admit—I am a certified movie buff. But the weird thing is I now seldom go to the cinemas. Most of the movies I have seen were the ones I watched from the comfort of our home and in this age of modern technology, the internet.
When I was a young child, my parents used to bring me and my siblings to the movie theater. They are big fans of Dolphy. We also watched big Hollywood productions like King Kong and MacArthur but the movies that certainly made an impact on my young mind were these two classics: Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon by Eddie Romero (though I was too young to understand its social relevance, I was mesmerized by the film’s setting and the ensemble of fine actors of Philippine cinema—Leopoldo Salcedo, Eddie Garcia, Gloria Diaz, a youngish Christopher de Leon and a much-younger Dranreb) and The Omen starring Gregory Peck (because the frightening images are still embedded in my mind until now. Really).
I could go on discussing my favorite movies but this isn’t a blog on movies. So on to the cake and cupcake project! More on movies later!
When E._ sent me photos of cakes with old Hollywood as theme, I immediately wanted to make a film reel cake. The first challenge for me was how to make an edible film strip. I thought of using edible wafer paper but having the film strip printed by a third party wasn’t cost effective. Chocolate to the rescue! I used the chocolate method as described in one of the books I own, The Whimsical Bakehouse: Fun-to-Make Cakes That Taste as Good as They Look.
It was a tedious project that I fully embraced. Masochist, I am. Tell me a baker who isn’t!
I had to work quickly because the chocolate film strip would harden quickly as soon as it came in contact with the cold ganache coating of the cake. If it hardened while still not in its proper position, I have to remove it and recoat the cake. Fortunately no mishaps like that happened, thank goodness.
Next challenge was the clapperboard. It was still made of chocolate but to reinforce it I sandwiched a cracker biscuit in between the chocolate. Writing the text sure wasn’t a cakewalk and to my consternation our microwave oven broke down! I melt my chocolates in the microwave because it is faster than the double boiler method. But with the setback, I had no choice but to bring out the double boiler. Doing the clapperboard became a long, arduous process. I was able to get things right on my second attempt. A delicious reward: I ended up eating the failed clapperboard.
Good thing I was able to make the cupcake toppers before the microwave conked out. The chocolate stars were brushed with edible gold dust and the silver balls are dragees. The movie ticket was made of chocolate of course. The popcorn were marshmallows, pinched and cut and painted with yellow food color.
The cake was devil’s food chocolate filled and covered with dark chocolate ganache. The cupcakes were of the same flavor and frosting.
Just a few hours before pick up, I took the cake out for some photos. Horror of horrors, the perfectly made clapperboard cracked, with a massive fissure right in the center! I only had an hour to fix the situation and start anew but with the microwave not working, I thought I would not be able to finish the new clapperboard on time. So, was I able to pull it off?
YES! I completed it in the nick of time. And the best thing was the text message I got from E._ after their celebration: “Thank you so much for the wonderful cake and cupcakes, you did great! We really love them. Two thumbs up!”
’nuff said!
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the movie(s) in my mind
I really love watching the classics that’s why I love the MGM channel. My all-time favorite is Some Like it Hot with Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. I’ve become a Jack Lemmon fan since and I was delighted to catch three more of his earlier movies: The Apartment, Irma la Douce, and Avanti. When I saw the t-shirt below being sold in SM, I grabbed it (after jumping for joy). It is now one of my wardrobe staples.
As I wrote earlier, I was scared out of my wits by The Omen when I watched it and I wasn’t even 10 years old at that time. However, there are several frightening movies that I was able to survive as I got older. After watching The Thing (starring Kurt Russell), I could not touch our dog for a week. I still remember the face peeling scene in The Poltergeist. I watched the original Japanese version of Ju-on: The Grudge and even if the movie was so scary, I was transfixed. Once when I was going up the stairs from my sister’s dark basement, I suddenly remembered a scene from that movie where the corporeal form of the ghost of the murdered wife was crawling down the stairs. I laughed a little because I thought that if that ghost were to follow me at that moment, she would have to do so in reverse! That thought sure eased my fear!
There are three horror movies that I so love because they are not hair-rising scary: (1) the original version of Let the Right One In, a story of friendship between two children who are social outcasts, one a vampire and the other a bullied boy; (2) Shaun of the Dead, about a zombie outbreak in London, and (3) The Lost Boys, a hip vampire flick starring Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric and the late Corey Haim. Memorable line: “Death by stereo!”
Just a warning, if you click on the links above, you will be taken to clips of the scenes I described. If you are one of the faint-hearted, you better ignore those link. But then again … *evil laugh*
On the local front, my favorites that I’ve watched are Lino Brocka’sKapit sa Patalim and Maynila; Mike de Leon’s Kisapmata, Manny Reyes’s Dreaming Filipinosand Doy del Mundo’sPepot Artista. I know I should watch more Pinoy films but as far as I’m concerned, they don’t make movies like they used to. *sigh*
ABC Blocks Cake and Cupcakes Project – cake decorated with edible alphabet blocks and chocolate booties and cupcakes topped with baby icons made of chocolate. Price available upon request.
welcome, naomi!
My cousin K._ and her husband E._ recently welcomed their beautiful baby Naomi. K._ asked me if I can make her cake and cupcakes for the baby’s christening.
Cupcakes? My Sweet Baby cupcakes, what else! As for the cake, I thought an edible standup teddy bear cake would be adorable. K._ was ok with it. It had been several years since I used my Wilton Stand-Up Cuddly Bear Pan so a test cake was in order. After assembling the pan, I slid it inside the oven to see how it will fit and to ensure that I will not be spilling anything during baking. What the hey, it didn’t fit! And then I remembered we used to have a different oven back then. Dang it! Fortunately, there was no cake batter to bake yet. Whew!
Times like these spur my creative juices. And so I came up with a new cake design—alphabet blocks spelling out Naomi’s name. The blocks were brownies that I covered and decorated with marzipan. The booties were made of chocolate. The cupcakes were meant to be giveaways so they were individually packed in boxes with ribbons and sticker labels.
K._ told me afterwards that her guests loved the cupcakes, even the packaging. And the cake that they took home? Yummy! Thanks, cousin! Hope to see you, Naomi, and the entire family again soon!
Chocolate Banana Cake Project – banana cake and cupcakes frosted with dark chocolate ganache and topped with white chocolate curls. Price available upon request.
birthday blessings
Mr. J._ was turning 50 and his wife P._ wanted cake and cupcakes as desserts for the special occasion. They readily chose banana flavor because the birthday boy loves banana cake. So it was settled. The cake was to be a large scale version of my Chocolate Banana cupcakes. P._ told me when the project was due. On. My. Birthday. Yes, Mr. J_ and I share the same birthday! I was hoping to make that day free (it was a Saturday) but what the hey, business is business.
There were to be 70 cupcakes in all so I had to make 210 white chocolate curls, three per cupcake. I lost count of how many were supposed to be on the cake but I just made a lot just in case.
As I was busy with the preparations weeks ahead, along came a call from former client MM who also wanted to order cupcakes for her birthday. Due date? On. My. Birthday. Great, more blessings! MM needed her cupcakes at noon and P._ needed hers late in the afternoon. Yes! *fist pumps* There was still time for a dinner celebration with my family.
Despite a heavy downpour on D-day, my deliveries went well and my family was able to enjoy a dinner buffet in Palms Country Club in Alabang. What a birthday!
A few days later, I got to talk to P._ and she told me that their guests loved the cupcakes. Some even went back for seconds! She said it was a good thing she had a cake because there would have been nothing left for the family to savor. Getting those orders and hearing those positive words from a satisfied client are among the best birthday gifts I have ever gotten. Thanks P._ and MM!
Angry Birds Cake Project – cake and cupcakes featuring Angry Birds characters. Price available upon request.
anger management
I got a text message from M._ asking if I can do an Angry Birds cake and cupcakes for the joint birthday celebration of her daughter who’s turning one and her son who’s turning seven. Now what the hail are Angry Birds? My nephew P._ told me he had been playing the game incessantly on his mom’s iPhone. Okay. So I googled “angry birds” to see how they looked like. After a brief Angry Birds 101 from P._, I realized that these birds are on a kamikaze mission!
Again, I turned to marzipan, my go-to medium when I want to create 3D decorations. My laptop was in front of me while I was molding the birds. My nephews saw the “creatures” I made and they were eager to pop some into their mouths. I was quick to quash their intentions—sorry!— but promised to make some for them as soon as I was done with this project.
Because everything on the cake must be edible, I thought hard about what to use to decorate the cake. The blocks were easy—I used chocolate covered wafer biscuits. The slingshot was a problem. But while I was walking in a mall in Makati, I passed by Auntie Anne’s pretzels. I did a double take and thought “there’s my slingshot!” Inspiration really comes in odd places.
Of course, the font for the birthday greeting must be the Angry Birds font. Must.
When I delivered the cake and cupcakes to the venue, the kids crowded around them and I swear I saw their eyes light up with wonder. I asked the birthday boy which is his favorite character and he said the King pig. Whew, ’twas a good thing I made that and put it in the cake! Special thanks to M._ of course for trusting me that I can do the birds and for sending me additional photos from their special celebration.
As soon as I got home, I got a phone call from L._ inquiring about Angry Birds cupcakes. Great, more of these birds! I thought the caller was present at M._’s party and saw the cupcakes there but she told me she wasn’t. So L._’s cupcakes became my second Angry Birds project. I frosted some of the cupcakes—they were banana by the way—with creme ivoire (white chocolate glaze) so the Black Bird will be seen against the white palette as opposed to a dark one if I use dark chocolate ganache.
Since then, I made two more similar cake projects. I think my molding skills are becoming better and better! The photo below is of A._ who celebrated her fifth birthday in school. Her mom J._ told me the children loved the cupcakes. She also brought the cake to school so her daughter can blow her birthday candle but the cake of course was headed back to their house. *wink* *wink*. Thanks, J._ for your trust as well and for the photos!
A friend of J._ also asked me if I can make her son’s cake and cupcakes but I was swamped that week. I had time though to make just the decorations so it became a DIY project for A._. I just hope everything turned out well. I also made some for my friend T._ who went home from the US to get married. He told me his young nieces and nephews weren’t fans of marzipan but liked the Atis Delight cupcakes very much that he also got from me. Hmm, I know almond flavor is something that you either hate or love. About the Atis cupcakes, well that is another story!
The cake below was for my beautiful niece G._. Her special request was that the cake should me mango-flavored so I used my Mango Overload recipe. Her mother J._ who is my cousin reported to me that the birthday girl loved the cake and was hesitant to cut it. Sweet! I was glad to hear though that the family was able to snap out of that trance and sampled the cake with gusto. Thanks again J._! It was sad that we weren’t able to see each another. Miss you much!
I know these birds are not going anywhere so I expect more inquiries and hopefully orders from Angry Birds enthusiasts.
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of irate birds and evil pigs…*
Have you ever wondered why those pigs are green instead of the usual pink hue? According to Rovio, the game was developed at the height of the swine flu pandemic so they made the pigs sickly green. The game started with just a screenshot of an angry bird character without feet and wings, trudging around the ground and everyone involved loved the idea. The birds needed an enemy, thus the pigs were born.
There are countless tips available on how to annihilate the pigs so you can move on to the next level. I am not a player myself so I cannot say which tips are new. But here’s one secret from the creators themselves: “Everybody knows that the yellow bird cuts through wood and the blue one breaks glass blocks easily. But did you know that the boomerang bird is equally effective against both?!”
Rovio also gets a lot of fan mails and one staff is assigned just to answer the mails. Yes, that’s all he does! Rovio encourages fan mails and finds it rewarding to interact with fans. They even incorporated a neat idea from a five-year old boy via a game update. How cool is that? So you might want to start sending those suggestions, that is, if you are not busy obliterating those pigs into kingdom come!
Made only with the finest ingredients, baked to perfection and artfully decorated to give you a dessert experience nonpareil. All cupcakes are tested and developed in my kitchen in Paranaque, Philippines.
