Posts filed under 'Cakes'
Alice in Wonderland Cake Project – cake and cupcakes featuring Alice in Wonderland characters. Price available upon request.
into the rabbit hole
Persistence is a quality that my good friend M._ knows too well. And it was that trait of hers that pushed me to try new things while working on this project.
Her adorable daughter A._ was turning seven and the theme she chose for her party was Alice in Wonderland. M._ emailed me some photos of sample cakes. They were pretty. They were tiered. They were made with fondant. I can do pretty, I can do tiered but I cannot do fondant. It’s not that I don’t know how to work with it; I just am not a fan of that medium.
When it seemed that M._ was leaning towards those types of cake, I told her that she might have to look for another baker as I’m really not fond of fondant. For a moment there, I thought I had been a fool for saying that. M._ certainly thought so. Miss Persistent wants my cakes and she will have them. Sir, yes sir! Into the rabbit hole I go!
I suggested to M._ my go-to celebration cake: devil’s food chocolate cake filled with bittersweet chocolate ganache and covered in chocolate glaze. I had planned on making chocolate images from the Disney movie. She also sent me photos of cupcakes with characters from the movie as toppers such as the Mad Hatter’s hat, the White Rabbit’s pocket watch, teapots, flowers and crown. And then it hit me—I can use marzipan to mold these toppers!
Marzipan is a mixture of almond meal and sugar. It is delicious to eat on its own and is also classified as a confection item. It is pliable, can be colored, rolled, cut and molded into different shapes and can be used to cover cakes just like fondant. You can make your own or buy it ready to use. I get mine at Santi’s Deli. When I took a short cake decorating course under Leni Reynoso, we were taught how to make marzipan using ground pili nuts. It was delicious—I love pili nuts!—but the nuts were not finely ground. So if you are planning to make your own, make sure that the nuts are ground to a very fine consistency. Learn how to make homemde marzipan here.
I decided to make the hat, pocket watch, mushroom, teapot and teacup and roses. Taking a cue from the cardmen’s song (“we’re painting the roses red”), I made half of one rose red and the other half, white. With toppers such as these, I don’t think I’ll hear any “off with her head!” screams. 
Also included in the mix were my Glittering Flowers and Bees in the Garden cupcakes.
After several studies (whew!), I picked the red queen, white rabbit, mad hatter, chesire cat and of course Alice as the chocolate cake decorations.
Usually, I just lay on chocolate images on top of a cake but I thought of making them stand this time. I had been slaving away with this project anyway so why not try something new. I attached a stick each on the backs of Alice and the name plaque with white chocolate. Fortunately, they stayed upright throughout the celebration.
I left the party early because I had another project due the following day. But according to my friends who were there, the cupcakes were a hit. Thanks M._ for your faith in me and for letting me be a part of your special celebration.
May 8th, 2011
Thriller Cake Project - cake and cupcakes inspired by the late great Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” MTV. Price available upon request.
cause this is thriller, thriller night ….
Happy new year everyone!
I am so behind my posts. I was away the whole month of December ’til the second week of January to celebrate a very important family reunion (my parents’ golden wedding anniversary). Though I sadly turned down several cupcake projects 
, the time I spent with my family was more than enough to compensate for my 39-day hiatus .
It was a good thing that when I returned, I was back to my mixer, baking pans, bowls, measuring cups and ingredients the second day after I arrived home. I was jetlagged still and woke up at 2 am. So I just started prepping for an order to be delivered that very same day. It is so good to be back in our kitchen and start the new year with a cake order! But I digress. Let me just move on to the story of how this Thriller cake project came about.
When I met up with some of my high school classmates last November, our class president and my sorta namesake R._ asked me if I can make her son’s birthday cake and cupcakes. Young M._ is turning seven and he had a specific theme in mind—Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Wow, R._, your kid has style!
I thought of making werewolf cupcakes since Michael Jackson turned into one in the music video. I found the instructions on how to make them here.
As for the cake, I thought of making a graveyard with headstones and zombie hands crawling out from the dirt.
The headstones are actually cookies and the hands are marzipan. The dirt is crushed Oreo cookies.
During delivery, I thought I would not make it in time as I was stuck in a ridiculously snarled traffic. I started to get worried but after I squeezed my way out of the jam, I felt that the “powers that be” were with me and that everything will turn out fine. And I was right.
M._’s delight and wonderment over his birthday cake and cupcakes were priceless. And that is all that matters.
Thanks, R._ for letting me be a part of your son’s special day.
January 18th, 2011
all’s well that ends well
Carlie is turning one and she wants cake and cupcakes on her special day. Or so her mother I._ told me.
I already blocked September 26 and three days before that in my calendar for this event. I._ booked her reservation with me first week of August which gave me plenty of time to prepare. I got everything planned out and with time to spare leading to the big project (one cake and 100 cupcakes), I got into talks with another client F._ who needs pink flower cupcakes for her daughter’s christening on September 11. Everything was going according to plan … the plans of mice and men! I got a call from I._ first week of September asking if the 12th is still open in my calendar as she was forced to re-schedule due to an unforeseen circumstance. At the same time, F._ confirmed her order of 60 cupcakes for September 11.
Fortunately, all’s well that ends well as I was able to work things out and that included baking 160 cupcakes in one day! But that’s another story.
There was actually a cake included in the package where the party was held but I._ told me she wanted something more. My cake—devil’s food chocolate filled with ganache and covered in shiny chocolate glaze— was to be for display purposes only as the family plan to bring it home; the party cake will be served to the guests. The similarly-flavored cupcakes were to be part of the party favors.
I had my camera at the event but I._ shared with me her and Carlie’s lovely mother-daughter portrait. How cute is Carlie in her birthday regalia? I._ also graciously invited me and my crew to partake of the kiddie feast. They really loved the cake and the cupcakes, she told me afterwards. The children even plucked the chocolate letters off the cake! Thanks, I._for choosing my cake and cupcakes to mark your precious daughter’s special day. It was a real treat working with you!
September 19th, 2010
Monogrammed Cupcakes – cupcakes glazed with shiny ganache with lettering on top. Cake base include devil’s food, banana, mocha, chocolate chip. Price available upon request.
Someone recently inquired if I make cupcakes with letters on top. They would be for her wedding, she said. I have never decorated cupcakes like that before so I though I might as well try.
Doing calligraphy on top of a perfectly glazed cake or cupcake is trickier than it seems — what if I ruin the cake with my awful writing? I am always in awe of the commercial cakes with beautiful writing on them—Happy Birthday, Congratulations, Merry Christmas. Are the staff assigned to this task hired for their penmanship skills or are they trained in the art of fancy lettering? I wonder. As for me, I need to have a cheat sheet of the letters. And I have to practice, practice, practice.
The darkness of the ganache sets off each letter very well. The decorated cupcake looks simple, clean and elegant which is perfect for a wedding favor. For less formal occasions, the lettering can also be whimsical. The icing I used for the letters is buttercream. I initially thought of using fondant and writing the letter on top but as I have said, I am not a fan of fondant. I think chocolate molded letters will also work well.
March 12th, 2010
a december wedding
I recently made cupcakes for a young couple’s wedding last December 30. The cupcakes were in two flavors as bride L._ likes coffee and groom C._ prefers chocolate. The motif was a combination of bronze and olive green so I incorporated the colors in the marshmallow petals that embellished the cupcakes. I personally do not like fondant and my frosting of choice is ganache. Aside from being delicious (who doesn’t love chocolate?) it is stable enough to stay at room temperature for hours. The small cake on top of the cupcake tree is devil’s food, filled and frosted with bittersweet chocolate ganache.
The cupcake tree I used is made of sturdy corrugated cardboard that I bought here. The beauty of this cupcake tree is that you can embellish it in any way you want to match the motif of an event. This can also hold up to 300 cupcakes and the top tier can accommodate an 8-inch cake.
Embarking on this project was a delight but still it did stress me out when I thought of the delivery. Even though I have safely transported countless cakes before, I still had these thoughts of the cake sliding and collapsing and the cupcakes tumbling out of their containers while in transit. I know it was silly of me to think about any delivery disaster because it can be prevented. Drive carefully preferably with a companion, allow plenty of lead time before the reception, carry necessary tools (piping bags, frosting, decorations) in case the cakes need repair, bring more than one set of directions to the site and have the proper containers for the cakes. I have special boxes that have cardboard inserts to keep the cupcakes in place but a box can only hold a dozen cupcakes so I got these cupcake couriers. Fortunately, no mishaps whatsoever happened on our way to the reception site. And boy did I sleep soundly that night!
Having cupcakes for a wedding is a unique way of celebrating an important milestone in a couple’s life. These miniature cakes are easier to serve and they can come in different flavors and even different decorations, adding a touch of whimsy to a memorable occasion. For those who want the traditional cake cutting ceremony, a small cake on the topmost tier can still serve that purpose, just like what L._ and C._ had in their wedding.
To L._ and C._, thank you. It was a pleasure working with you. All the best to you and may you have a happy life together!
January 10th, 2010
Next Posts
Previous Posts
