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!

The Birthdays...

All of this cake nonsense started with my kids' birthdays. When Patrick was turning 2, he had an obsession with Bob the Builder. I found a Bob the Builder cake pan, bought the recommended pastry tips, and the rest is a whole lot of frosting...

More often than not, I end up making birthday cakes. Since I have five kids of my own, there's always a birthday happening for one of them. In addition to my own brood, a few of my friends are repeat customers for their children's birthdays, too.

Here are a handful of the birthday cakes I've worked on lately:

A turtle cake for our neighbor's grandson....

with turtle cupcakes to match!

My dad's 60th birthday cake...

...with cupcakes showing all the ways to celebrate him.

Good friends have a daughter who looks just like Merida from Brave.
People weren't sure if this cake was Merida or Mary. It was a toss-up.

Mary's brother, wanted a Pokemon cake

My oldest just turned 9. He's a huge Celtics fan!

My youngest just turned 2. I asked her what kind of cake she wanted. She said, "My favorite color {yellow}. With a dog. And hearts." It's always nice to have someone be very specific about their design! 

 We've passed most of the family and friend birthdays for the year, but the holidays are coming. I'm sure there'll be a cake or two involved there.


**In the Boston area and want to order? Contact me at thecakebeast@gmail.com

The Hydrangea Cake

This past weekend, my sister-in-law had her bridal shower. Over the last few weeks, the other bridesmaids and I had been making plans for how to decorate the shower. One of the girls made centerpieces of hydrangeas and I figured I could make some kind of cake to complement them.

So I turned to Google, just as I always do when I'm working on a new cake. I Googled "hydrangea cake" and came across a blog called I Am Baker. This blogger just happened to have a picture tutorial of a hydrangea cake that she had made. How perfect!

So - crossing my fingers that I wouldn't screw it up (& be forced to buy a grocery store sheet cake en route to the shower) - I set about making three hydrangea cakes. Each flower had four petals and each cake was covered with roughly 85 million flowers (I might be exaggerating slightly). In other words, it was painstaking work. My left hand was cramped in a really attractive claw when I was all done.

But, it was so worth it! The bride loved the cakes and the decorations the other bridesmaids put together coordinated perfectly!

The cake table

A close-up

A slice of cake

**In the Boston area and want to order? Contact me at thecakebeast@gmail.com. 

The July 4th Lilly Pulitzer Cake

I've already talked about making cakes for Erika. She's definitely my best (sometimes only) customer. Last year, she wanted a cake to take to Martha's Vineyard for the Fourth of July. So I made her this:

Happy 4th of July!

I thought that pretty much fit the bill for Independence Day.

Last month, Erika and I were discussing what she wanted for this year's Martha's Vineyard trip. Every time I showed her a picture of a cake or suggested some red, white, & blue theme, she turned it down. Knowing Erika like I do, I realized that, even though July 4th has its own color scheme, it really isn't her taste.

Jokingly, I said, "What do you want, some Lilly Pulitzer pink and green cake?" That's when her eyes lit up.

So, for the Fourth of July, Erika and her family will celebrate with a pink and green Lilly Pulitzer-inspired cake. Anyone who knows Erika knows it fits her to a T!

Happy 4th of July - Lilly Pulitzer style!

**In the Boston area and want to order? Contact me at thecakebeast@gmail.com

Erika's Cakes - Updated

I have a good friend at work who likes cake. I mean it - she really likes cake. She is single-handedly keeping me in the cake making business. There are some weeks when I find myself making two or three cakes for Erika. Here are just some of the orders she's placed in the last year:

This was her daughter's Minnie Mouse cake. This one started it all!

Erika's husband has a side job as a bartender. I made him a martini shaker and glass.

This baby rattle was for a friend's shower.

This was for Erika's Scrabble-enthusiast mom. I had a tough time with the board & peeled it all off to start over again. Note to self: don't try something new for someone else's cake.

This was for the Fourth of July. I used a napkin as inspiration. It was a ton of piping, but I loved how it came out.

This cake was for Erika's sister. It was actually pink, but my camera is crazy.

A friend needed a Superman cake for her son. Erika ordered it from me.

Anyone who knows Erika knows that she loves Hello Kitty. This was her birthday cake.

She also talked her daughter into having a Hello Kitty party this year!

...with cupcakes to match.

A little Easter cake

A birthday cake for Aunt Charlotte

Thanks to Erika, I'm always busy with cakes. I can count on her for at least one order a month. It's helping me to hone my skills!

**Updated: I added two more of Erika's recent cake orders. I'm sure there'll be more to come!

In the Boston area and want to order? Contact me at thecakebeast@gmail.com.