My First Wedding Cake

Recently, a friend from work contacted me about making a cake. When she first asked, she mentioned that it was a cake for her "celebration." When I agreed to make the cake, I thought it might be a birthday celebration. Then, during one of our emails, she informed me that it was the cake for her celebration of her recent marriage. OMG. A wedding cake.

Fortunately for me, it was a small celebration with only about 30 people. Isabel is also relatively low-maintenance, and left the cake design entirely up to me. Her only requirement was that it be a strawberry cake with buttercream frosting. She also mentioned that her colors were red, silver, & white.

Normally, I'm not a huge fan of strawberry cake, so I decided to try a new recipe. I found a recipe online that got lots of good reviews and tweaked it just a bit. Luckily, I leveled the cakes, so I had bits to sample. I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out great! The pureed strawberries gave the cake a great flavor while it wasn't too overly sweet. The strawberries also made the cake nice and red which worked perfectly with Isabel's colors. I was thrilled. 

I decided to make the cake two layers, one 12 inches and the other 8. Then, after a quick crumb coat, I covered the cake in white roses. My hero over at iambaker.net has a recipe for a "crusting buttercream." I used her suggestion of half shortening and half butter to get the good flavor of buttercream that would actually hold its shape nicely.

One of the best parts of decorating the cake was my new turntable. I had a 50% off coupon, so I picked one up for only $11 at the local craft store. How is it possible that I have been decorating cakes for so long without this? (Where has this thing been all my life??) It made the cake so unbelievably easy to decorate. It was done in a snap!

The only downside of the whole project was that we have been having a MAJOR heatwave here in Boston this week. And my kitchen does NOT have air conditioning. Baking in this heat is not for the faint of heart!

Here's the finished product:

One red rose to go with the bride's color scheme

Here you can see the silver sugar I added to match the bride's colors.

What do you think? Feel free to comment below!

**Don't forget that if you're in the Boston area and need some cake you can:

1.) send me an email (thecakebeast@gmail.com) 

or 

2.) use the contact form on the right sidebar to tell me what you need!

By the way, did you remember to stop by and "like" my Facebook page?

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter!

Fourth of July

We held our annual 4th of July cookout this year. I decided to make two cakes. I went with the patriotic rose cake (although, mine doesn't look nearly as nice as the one at iambaker) and my coconut cream cake.

The rose cake was fun because I colored the layers inside, too. The only problem was that I made it the night before and couldn't wait until the next day to cut into it and take a picture. So, I cut a slice and carefully put it back when I was done. I figured my guests wouldn't really mind that much.

My attempt at the Patriotic Rose cake

Red, white, & blue layers for the occasion

The last day of school, I made a coconut cream cake for my assistant principal, Zaida. It was a recipe I had never tried and I was a little worried about how it might taste. I always get nervous giving someone a cake that I haven't tried myself. She texted me later that evening to tell me the cake was "SUPER" and that she wanted it named after her. I figured with praise like that, my guests might like it at my cookout, too. Luckily, it was a big hit! This time around, I made stabilized whipped cream frosting because I was worried about it falling apart in the heat we had. It held up great!

Coconut Cream Cake a.k.a. Zaida's Cake

The cakes were a hit for the Fourth of July and I had fun trying a few new things. I've got a few orders coming up, but I'd love to add some recipes and techniques to my repertoire. If you've got ideas or orders for me, send them along!

**Don't forget that if you're in the Boston area and need some cake you can:

1.) send me an email (thecakebeast@gmail.com) 

or 

2.) use the contact form on the right sidebar to tell me what you need!

By the way, did you remember to stop by and "like" my Facebook page?

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter!

The Rose Cake

Last summer, I was looking for cake inspiration for my sister-in-law's bridal shower cake. The other bridesmaids were decorating with hydrangeas, so I thought I should find something to match. While searching for images of hydrangea cakes, I came across the tutorial from 'i am baker'. I followed along, using the colors from my sister-in-law's theme and came up with my own version of hydrangea cakes.

Every year, my friend, Erika, orders a cake for her trip to Martha's Vineyard. Last year, I made her a Lilly Pulitzer cake because her favorite colors are pink and green. This year, I thought I'd try something new. I'm lucky because Erika loves my cake. I figured that even if I screwed it up, she'd still eat it.

I was looking for something different and stumbled upon the Rose Cake tutorial from 'i am baker'. She is really my new cake hero. (If you get the chance, check out her Patriotic Rose Cake on YouTube - she's awesome and the cake looks like so much fun.)

So, I decided to make Erika a pink and green rose cake for her annual trip to Martha's Vineyard. It's fun, summery, and in her favorite colors. I only made one large layer, but this cake technique is really versatile and easy. I can't wait to try it on a multi-layer cake and play with the colors.

Here's the finished product:

Rose Cake

What do you think?

I'm ready to try it again, so feel free to place an order!

**Don't forget that if you're in the Boston area and need some cake you can:

1.) send me an email (thecakebeast@gmail.com) 

or 

2.) use the contact form on the right sidebar to tell me what you need!

By the way, did you remember to stop by and "like" my Facebook page?

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter!

A Cast of Characters

A lot of my cakes are ordered for children's birthdays. Anyone who knows kids, knows that they usually have a favorite movie or TV character that they're into depending on their age. Here are some of my favorite "character cakes" that I've made. (If you're looking for princesses, you can find them here.)

This whole cake thing really started when I made my first cake for my oldest child's 2nd birthday. At the time, he was totally obsessed with Bob the Builder. I bought the pan, followed the instructions, and the rest is history...

A little inexperienced, but not too shabby

My son really wanted a Star Wars cake for one of his birthdays. When one of my friends saw it, she ordered a small one for her boyfriend, too!

This one was for my son

Matching light saber cupcakes

A "grown-up" Star Wars cake

Video games always seem to be popular. Here are a couple of cakes inspired by the Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario himself

"Mushroom" cupcakes to match

Mario wouldn't be complete without Luigi!

The character cakes I've done have really run the gamut. From cartoons, books, and video games there have been quite a few. Here's a random sample:

Mickey Mouse

Elmo 

Angelina Ballerina

Harry Potter

Batman

Spiderman

Spiderman cupcakes

Snoopy 

The Wild Kratts

Thomas the Tank Engine (complete with rock candy "smoke")

Ninjago

Lego Firetruck

Skylanders and the Portal of Power

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Daniel Tiger

Strawberry Shortcake

Hello Kitty

There's a cast of characters in cake. If you have a special request, send it along... I'd love to add a new character to my repertoire!

**Don't forget that if you're in the Boston area and need some cake you can send me an email (thecakebeast@gmail.com) or use the contact form on the right sidebar to tell me what you need!

By the way, did you remember to stop by and "like" my Facebook page?

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter!

The Three Cake Weekend

Last weekend was a 3 cake weekend. Friday, I volunteered to make a cake for the kids' end of the year potluck at school. Saturday, I was booked for a christening. And Sunday, I made a birthday cake.

Unfortunately, I got so wrapped up in those cakes, that I didn't think to make one for Father's Day. (I owe you one, dad. With extra frosting!)

Needless to say, my counters had lots of bowls going all weekend long. Chocolate batter, strawberry batter, and many colors of frosting. My apron got a real workout. 

This was the cake for the kids' potluck. The school logo got a little wobbly, but I figured kids will eat anything and decided not to fix it.

A friend at work was having her daughter, Grace's, christening. 

Somebody else ordered an Abby Cadabby cake for their daughter's birthday. They also wanted strawberry cake so that it would be pink inside. The whole kitchen smelled like strawberry while it baked!

And this is what the counter looks like when I start coloring all of the buttercream frosting. Abby Cadabby was a colorful character!

Other than the four dozen cupcakes I made for my son's class party (at 4am), I don't have any other cakes booked this weekend. So, if you're hungry for homemade cake, you know who to contact!

**Don't forget that if you're in the Boston area and need some cake you can send me an email (thecakebeast@gmail.com) or use the contact form on the right sidebar to tell me what you need!

By the way, did you remember to stop by and "like" my Facebook page?

Let's Make This Happen...

I never post much on this blog. Today, I'm making an announcement.

This cake baking thing has been a really fun little hobby for me. It started with me making cakes for the kids. Then, the occasional person would hire me to make a cake for them.

Now, I'd like to get serious. Summer vacation is fast-approaching and I realized that I am going to have a lot more time on my hands. What better to do with that extra time than to make more cakes? 

So come on, people. It's time to place some orders. Send me an email: thecakebeast@gmail.com or use the handy contact form on the blog's right sidebar. I'd like to start expanding my repertoire and I know you'd like some homemade cake, wouldn't you? 

If you're looking for a cake, or you know someone who is, feel free to send me an email and spread the word. I'm ready to do some serious baking!

Inspired by Lilly Pulitzer

Pirate cupcakes for a party on the Pirate Cruise

The (hand cramp-inducing) hydrangea cake

The "funky girl" birthday cake that Lucy requested

**In or around the Boston area and want to order? Contact me at thecakebeast@gmail.com (or use that handy contact form on the blog's sidebar)!

While you're at it, why don't you stop over and "like" my Facebook page? Thanks!