2014 Graduation Cake

It's June...which means lots of Graduations! Yay! Congratulations Grads on all the hard work!

I had the privilege of making a cake for a recent high school grad, named Cory. 

We wanted something unique and special for this wonderful Grad. They found a cake style they were interested in and then I customized it for them. 

I made a red velvet with a cream cheese frosting since the colors were white, black, and red. He was also heavily involved in basketball and football, so we highlighted that by making a simple outline with his jersey number inside. 

I used a star tip for the red border to help tie in the fondant stars on the top of each square. I also covered the middle star in black shimmer dust to help it stand out from the others. 

I was very happy with the final product. It was a very bold cake that looked very original. Such a fun project!!! Loved working with this wonderful family! <3 Congratulations on all your hard work Cory! 

Edible Cameo Brooches

Hello Everyone! <3 I am really excited to bring you this tutorial today. I looked everywhere online for a tutorial for chocolate cameos when I was making these and couldn't find anything. I hope this tutorial helps you, or inspires some new ideas for you, while working on your projects :) 

I found this wonderfully beautiful cameo brooch chocolate mold at my local decorating store. I am sure you can find them online as well if you do not have a cake/candy supply store near you. 

I melted some white chocolate and, using a small paint brush, applied it to the "face" of the cameo brooch. I let that set up in the freezer for a minute or two before I added the colored portion to the back. 

For this project I used pink candy melts and white chocolate to make a very soft pink color for the background of the cameos. 

I filled them up with a small amount of the

Pink chocolate mixture, tapped it down to help fill in all the gaps, bring all the bubbles to the surface, and smooth out the top. 

After returning them to the freezer for another minute or two so they could set up, I simply tapped the mold on the table and they popped out. IF you're having problems getting the chocolates out of the mold, pop it back in the freezer for a while longer...it might now be solidified enough to come out nicely. Chocolate that has been tempered properly will also have a nice shine when it comes out of the mold as well. 

Since the brooches were missing something, I decided to paint the rope border gold. I used a little shimmer dust and vodka to make a paint and simply brushed it on. I did have to do two layers to make sure it would stick. Next time, however, I am going to paint the rope border on with a corresponding chocolate color so I don't have to spend so much time painting the gold on. 

BUT with all that being said...THESE ARE MY FAVORITE TOPPERS EVER!!! Oh my! I am in love with these and want to make some in every color now! Obsessed doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about these. Lol! I know, I know...I am gushing! But like I said, with no tutorial I was really crossing my fingers and hoping they would turn out okay. And obviously I am beyond pleased with how they turned out!

Gorgeous! Gorgeous! Gorgeous! And yummy! Can't beat it!

And since these were going to a vintage tea party themed bridal shower, I wanted to make these blend in with the other fondant decorations so I added purple flowers to help frame the bottoms.

ADORABLE!!! Haha! I know I keep saying that but these are my new favorite thing! 

 

Just so pretty :) 

And these are all the other fondant details that will be on the cupcake toppers : 

Perfect for a summer vintage tea party bridal shower <3 <3 <3 

Rose Bridal Shower Cake

Summer has begun! Hooray for flip-flops, farmers markets, fresh berry lemonaid, and...the beginning of wedding season! :)

My first "summer" project was a simple/small bridal shower cake. I received a call the night before it was needed and was asked to make something "girly and fun" for a friends' surprise bridal shower.

I quickly baked up a simple 6in vanilla cake with a creme bokay frosting. 

I decided to tint the frosting a soft pink and do a simple rosette cake. I began piping buttercream roses along the side in two rows. There were small areas where the cake was showing through, so  I piped a little star shaped flower in the holes and added 3 pearls to the center of those star flowers. 

    (Ignore my ugly background. Lol!)

After the sides were completed I moved into the top. I didn't have enough frosting to make a bunch of little rosettes on the top so I made one large rose that covered the entire top of the cake. 

When I finished the rose on top I added marshmallow fondant pearls as a border to the top....

...as well as the bottom. 

I absolutely LOVE this cake!!! It was simple and since I didn't spend too much time planning it I didn't over think it and it was wonderful in its simplicity! 

Such a perfect little bridal shower cake! I love this so much! Can't wait to experiment with this rosette technique on other cakes/projects. The visual impact is really stunning!