Pretty in Pink

Last summer, my friend Jenni married the love of her life, Blake.  Our friend Kate threw Jenni a lovely bridal shower for all of her work friends.  I was super excited when Kate asked if I would like to bake the cake and cupcakes for Jenni's shower. 

The cake was a 2-layer vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream and topped with hydrangeas (one of my favorite flowers!).  I placed sugar pearls around the base and piped buttercream around the cake creating a scroll pattern.

I used the shades of pink from the bridal shower invitation to create the color scheme for the cupcakes and cake.  The cupcakes were also a vanilla cake topped with a swirl of vanilla buttercream. 

Half of the cupcakes were topped with white buttercream and a pink monogrammed fondant disc.

The other half of the cupcakes were topped with pink buttercream and small white flowers.

Cute as a Button

When my dear friend April was expecting her first baby last year, her best friends planned a baby shower for her husband and her.  This was the first baby shower I had attended where the attendance of men was welcomed and encouraged.  It was so lovely to see the enthusiasm of daddy-to-be, Alex, and his buddies. 

I was honored when her friend Whitney asked if I would be willing to help in the preparation of Alex and April's special day.  For the baby shower, I topped vanilla cupcakes with a fondant button in one of three theme colors chosen for the occasion.  Each button was embellished with small silver dragees. 

For this special event, onesie cookies, baked by yours truly, were also available for the taking.  I flooded sugar cookies with royal icing and finished them with silver dragee snaps and a fondant rubber duckie. 

Have Yourself a Merry Little Cupcake

Christmas dinner is sure to be merry and bright when you present your loved ones with these dark chocolate cupcakes topped with a blanket of snowy white vanilla buttercream.  So go on, have yourself a merry little cupcake now.  Ho Ho Ho.  



Birthday Luau

When my friend's baby girl turned 1, my friend and her husband hosted a Luau birthday party.  I was thrilled when she asked me to bake a small cake for the celebration.  I created an edible lei using fondant and shoestring candy to go around the base of the cake.  The top of the cake featured the Hawaiian birthday girl, McKenzie. 

Like the cake I baked for the first birthday of another friend's baby, this cake would be presented to the birthday girl when her adoring fans sang Happy Birthday to her.  Unlike my other friend's daughter, who as you may remember from my previous post face-planted in the cake, McKenzie was not a fan of sweets and refused to touch the cake.  What, you may be wondering, did the birthday girl reach for?  A pickle.  Priceless.

My First Tea Party

When my friend asked me if I'd like to bake a cake for her daughter's tea party-themed first birthday party, I didn't hesitate to accept the invitation.  The invitation, which served as my inspiration for the cake, featured a scene of two girls having a leisurely tea party.  The face seen on Avery's birthday cake is that of the little girl on the invitation. 

When it came time to sing Happy Birthday, the crowd gathered around the birthday girl as she was presented with her cake.  After the singing and the blowing out of the candle, she dug both hands into the cake and tried to grab handfuls to eat.  When this was unsuccessful, she face-planted into the cake.  Much more effective than her two tiny hands.  I think it's safe to say that she liked the cake.    

Tiny Dancer

This birthday cake holds a special place in my heart.  I made this cake last February for my dear friend Michelle, who was involved in ballet from a young age.  For this cake, I played with the idea of the ballet slippers and "satin" ribbon cascading off the top of the cake. 

Susan G. Komen 3-Day

Last spring, a friend and her mother completed the Susan G. Komen 3-Day.  I was honored when my friend asked if I might be able to make cupcakes to help the family celebrate the ladies' amazing accomplishment.  The pink breast cancer ribbons were made using fondant and the buttercream was tinted a pale pink.