Sculped Buttercream Wedding Cake by Leah

Simple elegance is what Leah's client wanted for her wedding. We were both suprised when she brought a photo of the cake she wanted and it had nothing on the sides! It would seem like a slam dunk,the easiest cake in the world, but it's really NOT. This cake is sculpted buttercream and not fondant. Meaning it is iced and smoothed until perfect, very very diffult and with no borders or flowers , no room for any errors. It turned out great, but was really nerve wracking.

Baby Elephant Baby Shower Cake

There is nothing sweeter than baby elephants for a baby shower cake. These are figure piped with a Wilton #10 figure piping tip with the palest of gray. A #104 Rose tip was used for the Cherry Blossoms and the skirt for the elephants. I love figure piping baby animals. There definitely is a formula for creating cute babies. They need to be nice and round (fat) the head needs to be about 1/3 of the over all size as well as wider than the body. Babies in nature always have over sized heads in comparison to the body. Large eyes with heavy lashes help to create a cute face.
To See how to make these little elephants check out this video:
http://youtu.be/iIQIBePTrec

Monster High Doll Cake

I got a lot of requests for a Monster High Cake. I wasn't familiar with it , so I asked Leah to Design the Dress. We filmed a video together of this Cake.

This is the back side of this awesome design. I love the way it turned out.

Leah designed this front panel to match the purse that came with the doll, music notes and spider webs. She free handed this design.

 The checker board design is actually made with a basket weave technique.

 Leah used the airbrush to lay down a layer of red under the first tow layers.

To see the full video version check out this you tube link:

http://youtu.be/T9qfYm2NI6s



Camouflage Wedding Cake by Leah

This was my first wedding cake for a close friend.  Of course the theme was Camouflage.  This cake was a little difficult.  After constructing the cake, I started airbrushing first, free-hand.  It took layers of color to get the intensity of the camo.  Before the flowers, it was kind of hideous, and I was a little worried.  The extra large white roses created the contrast and relief of the intense color.  I then piped the leaves around the roses.  It is hard to see in the picture, but there are also big oak leaves and some smaller ones made from pie dough that added some more dimension and brought the camo into the rose border.  The bride and groom were thrilled.  Its a great example of how a decorator has to put their own taste aside to please the customer.  I'm glad I had the chance to try it.

Chameleon, Monster Truck, and Bumble Bee Cupcake Cakes by Leah

Cute Chameleon Cupcake Cake
This was a cake order that fell to me at Albertsons Bakery.  While the head decorator definitely had the skills to do it, she knew that I enjoyed trying new things and challenging myself.  I started arranging the cupcakes to make the shape of the Chameleon.  Then I iced the cupcakes with Whipped Topping and figure piped the eyes and the legs and added the back leg on the board.  Then used the airbrush to create the rainbow effect.  It was a big hit :)



Monster Truck Cupcake Cake
This was another cake order from Albertsons Bakery.  I admit that the things I did at Albertsons were a little over the top, but I was new and enthusastic about my job.  Anyway, This cake started like the first.  I started with the shape (which took a while to get the right one) and the iced with Whip topping.  The customer had given me a napkin to match.  I figure piped the tread on the tires.  Then I airbrushed the red on the truck, the orange flames, and the black tires.  Then I did the undercarriage the inside of the wheels and the outline of the truck in red icing with a writitng tip.  Then figure piped the headlights and front of the truck with a writing tip also, and outlined the flames with yellow.  The customer loved it.

 

This Little bug was my creation, and turned out to be a big summer hit.  The sweet expression, big figure piped eyes, and airbrushed cheeks took this from simple to special.

Jolly Santa by Leah

Jolly Santa is made on a 12" Chocolate Chip cookies.  I found an Image on google and then I free-handed the shape in white Butter Cream icing and then figure piped his cheeks, nose, and mouth for a 3D effect.  I airbrushed the skin color and the rosey cheeks and hat.  Then I hand painted with food coloring and a paint brush the eyes, wrinkles, cheeks, and nose.  Lastly, I outlined the beard and mustache and hat with a writing tip and black icing, and added the misteltoe. Also added a little shine on the cheeks with a small amount of white icing. 

Nine Finger Cake by Leah

This cake was made for the band "Nine Finger"
By me, Leah Larson.
The Lead singer of the band has only nine fingers, hence the name and the cake.  The cake is sculpted out of two 10" rounds.  However, if I did it again, I would have made it from a half sheet.  It is iced in Pastry Pride.  Pastry Pride is easier to make, but harder to smooth while sculpting than Butter Cream.  Though it's not an especially pretty cake, I was proud of my first sculpting endeavor.  And the band loved it!

Swirled Cake Pops

Swirled Cake Pop Video:

http://youtu.be/PjXvAjoioWY

I repeated this procedure with pink, yellow and blue. This photo is the Pops in the process of putting Roses on top.

Funny Bunny Cake

Bunny Cakes are an Easter essential. This little bunny is made from a 1/2 of a 6" round split and filled. Pink coconut created the fur with figure piped face, feet, ears, and tail. A grass tip and a couple of rose buds complete the sweet look of this cake.
This also makes a cute Babies First Birthday Cake

 



Pretty Poinsettia

Piped on Poinsettia's are one of my favorite holiday designs. These large variegated petals are perfect against a dark chocolate background. This is a 10" round cake and each blossom takes up 1/3 of the width of the cake. Silver dragees create a little holiday sparkle and add to the drama of this cake.

Dogwood Birthday Cake

Another example of excess! I loved the idea of a cake covered in Dogwood. I like the freshness of the green behind these delicate and yet large pink flowers. The challenge here was to figure out all the angles at which I needed to hold the pastry bag to get these flowers where I wanted them.

This was my daughter Leah's 21st Birthday Cake so I had the freedom to go wild. She's a cake decorator too and she loved it.
Check out the video link on how to do these flowers:

http://youtu.be/fQq5ltNV7K0

Pretty Princess Cake

Ruffles and Roses are the theme in this little girls Birthday Cake. With 5 layers of borders around the bottom it has a luxurious feel.

To get this look, just when you think your done....add one more layer of frills.

Mario Bros. Cake

My daughter Leah Larson created this masterpiece. This Mario Bros cake is completely figure piped by hand. Creating this kind of detail on the side of a cake is no easy job.

As you can see all of the characters are represented in this unusual cake. It's hard to tell from this angle , but the rounded top is represents the night sky with stars. I love that it's done with two rounds. It's a dramatic alternative to a 1/2 sheet cake.

Birthday Cake for an American Veteran

Color Flow Plaques make this a Unique Birthday Cake for a World War II Veteran. The Vets family looked up his military unit and gave me print outs of these images that were once patches. I recreated them with a thinned Royal Icing Technique called Color Flow. The Plaque on top is made of a white chocolate plaque with an Edible Image on the front. The square shape and clean lines add to the stately feel of this cake.

Great Cakes from Friends

 A nice submission from on of our Fabulous You Tube Subscribers,Great Job Anita!

You Tube Subscriber Kiko sent me this awesome photo! Great Job!Great use of varigation!

http://youtu.be/IUI7Sn0X_7k

Cake Pop Bouquet and Royal Icing Butterflies

Beautiful Cake Pop Bouquets  filled the tables for my nieces 4th Birthday Party. The cake pops were swirled with pink, blue , lavender and yellow and then topped with Royal Icing Butterflies, Daisies, and Buttercream Roses. The pops were places in pretty baskets filled with floral foam.

 

 

I love adding Royal Icing Butterflies where ever I can. They add something special to any feminine cake. These wings were for Mini Barbie Doll Fairies.

http://youtu.be/_T7dnXX5kmw

Sunflower Wedding Cake

This is one of my favorite designs and techniques. I love how fresh and delicate this looks even though the flowers are quite large. The large flowers coupled with the delicate lace is just the right contrast and balance.

The Sunflowers on this cake were a blast to create! They are made on large marshmallows mounted on straws. I wanted the flowers to float off the cake. I got exactly the effect I wanted by piping the Sunflowers on the cut tops of the marshmallows. The Sunflowers on top get their height from doubled giant marshmallows secured with straws. The extra large Roses are also piped on marshmallow wedges mounted on straws. The straws allowed me to position the flowers and to secure them. The flowers are made with Pastry Pride Whip Topping and combined with the Marshmallows  are quite light. Here are a few very short videos on the process.

 

One of our awesome You Tube viewers created this beautiful version of  my Sunflower Technique. Brava Anita! Great Job!
see the video that inspired Anita

http://youtu.be/IxSrBmx_e5I

Hey Anita, you did it! All of  Anita's practice and preparations paid off. She made this beautiful sunflower wedding cake and added an Australian lace double heart cake topper, made by hand with royal icing!

This lovely 1/2 sheet accompanied Anita's Beautiful Wedding Cake

You Tube Friend and Talented Cake Decorator Maha, sent me this photo of her version of the Sunflower Cake. I love it done on a square and the center design looks and fits perfectly. Great Job Maha

 To see the inspiration  and tutorial for these cakes click here:

http://youtu.be/kk6d2ISLmvA

Mini Barbie Doll Fairies

These little fairies came to life after I saw these little dolls on a clearance rack. I thought they would the perfect size for a Barbie Cake made from cupcakes. I also wanted them to be a beginner level project for a new video. I love the way they turned out. And the little girls who received them were thrilled!

This is the first test of the Mini Barbie Fairy. I just happened to have these Royal Icing wings lying around. I love it!http://youtu.be/rHiK8qigCuU

Dinosaur and Batman Cake

A local Dr. had been ordering
cakes from me for years. This
cake was for her three year old
son and his friend. They each
wanted something different.
One wanted Batman, one
wanted a Dinosaur. This was
my solution.
The buildings are made from
Rice Crispy Treats iced in Royal
Icing. The window detail is also in
Royal Icing. I cut the ends of the building to fit them to size and used The cut pieces for the bricks
and rubble around the sides. The
flames are also Royal Icing and glued to the buildings with Royal Icing. Batman is missing in these
photos because I had to place him after I delivered the cake.
This was done on a 14" square cake.


 

Delicious Meringue Cake

 I saw this in the cake case at a restaurant in Portland Oregon. I was having lunch with a friend and of course we had to try this delicious looking thing. They were calling it "Boccone Dolce" or Sweet Kiss. We loved it and I had to try to make it myself. I changed it up slightly from the dessert we tried, and now it's a favorite. I get requests for it for dinner parties as well as Birthdays.

The base of this "cake" isn't cake at all, it's Meringue. I use a chewy Meringue, which just means that its cooked for a shorter time so it's not completely dried out. The trick to a great Meringue is to be sure your tools are squeaky clean, no oil. I made two batches so I would have 4 layers. I put some melted chocolate on one of the layers, then layered some sweetened whip cream with a touch of almond flavor and fresh fruit. I've used strawberries and blueberries like in this photo, as well as peaches. Any fruit that you like would work. Then the obligatory drizzle of chocolate of course!

Mini Dinosaur Cake

http://youtu.be/zujorGk0ceY

This Adorable little Dino/ Dragon Cake is always so much fun to make. This is another one of those "go to" cakes in my Commercial Decorating Days. It's perfect for a Baby's first Birthday Cake, because it's so small. This photo is actually of a cake made from a 4" cake AND this is only 1/2 of a 4". When I needed to get my cake case full, these little cake were perfect. I could make 10 of them in a half hour. I could mix and match whichever colors I had available at the time. These also fit perfectly in a cake dome. This cake also doesn't require any tips. It can be done with a couple parchment decorating bags.

Kids really love this one, they can eat the whole thing themselves. If it's made with a 4" cake it's not really more cake than a cupcake. A 6" is perfect for sharing.

If you're a really ambitious party planner or supermom, you can even make one for each child at your childs Birthday Party:)

Check out the video for the tutorial for this little cake.

Precious Butterfly Cake

 

http://youtu.be/Ifj9EbZsE


This Butterfly Cake is one of my favorite designs for a little girls Birthday cake. It's made from a single layer heart cake. I used to love to do this cake when I stilled worked in a shop. As a Commercial Cake Decorator this cake worked in so many ways. It's actually a quick cake and fairly simple to do. It also uses just one layer of cake, split and filled. The way the heart is cut in half and placed as wings,  it fills the platter making a much larger looking cake. Even with the simplest of borders and flowers it still looks fancy. This would even be pretty with candy hearts in the place of the roses, and would make a sweet Valentines Cake as well. Even the little bug at the center is just a series of little icing balls, very simple to do. I absolutely love the little antennae. These are made with a little white chocolate, quick to make last minute, but even curly ribbon could be used here. Check out the video to see the construction and tutorial for this cute little cake.

Rum Kaluah Dessert Cake

 

This is my Favorite Dessert Cake. This Cake is great for dinner parties as well as a gorgeous Birthday Cake. It not only looks delicious but really IS delicious. This is a Chocolate Rum Kaluah Cake. I start with a dark chocolate 10" round. I split it twice or "torte" the cake. I then use a Kaluah simple syrup to lightly soak the spit layers.

 

Simple syrup is simply:) sugar with just enough water to wet, boiled lightly. Then flavors like liquor can be added as the syrup is removed from the burner.

 

I fill the layers with a Rum Custard blended with Pastry Pride Whip Topping or Whipping Cream. Also on one of the layers I add a layer of Ganache.

 

I  make a simple Ganache with dark chocolate chips (better quality)

and heavy whipping cream. In a glass bowl cover chocolate in whipping cream(liquid). Place in the mircrowave for one minute at a time on 1/2 power. Mix after each minute until chocolate is incorporated and shiny. It should be thin enough to pour off the end of the spatula. (make sure all tools are very dry, no water, so the chocolate doesn't seize).

 

I ice this cake in Pastry Pride Whip topping. I really like this product because it is so light. It's intended for pies and desserts, but I began using years ago as icing, because I could get the look I wanted while decorating, without a heavy icing taste.

 

 After the cake is iced or "blocked" and the Ganache is cool to the touch, I pour the Ganache carefully over the cake. I pour the Ganace in the center of the cake and then as I spin my turntable, I use a metal spatula to lightly push the Ganach to the edge of the cake. It should be thin enough to slide easily over the edge and create beautiful drips down the edge.

 

The cake in the photo also has sugared nuts on the side. This is made with slivered Almonds tossed in egg whites and sugar and then roasted.

 

This is the kind of cake the even people say they don't like cake, absolutely love. I have heard people say that this is the best cake they ever tasted. It's really just a combination of simple ingredients that create an awesome flavor.

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Barbie Doll Princess Cake Video

http://youtu.be/Xmppddt_NAg


This is my latest Barbie Doll Cake video. I had the idea to create a kind of woodland fairy, covered in flowers. I really got carried away. It was really fun and challenging. Piping these flowers on a flat surface is one thing, but on the slopes of this skirt is entirely another. I've learned to pipe these flowers on at almost any angle, which I love to do. It  allows me to  place flowers anywhere I decide. I love how the flowers interact on this cake, the sweep and flow. It was a great opportunity to combine many of the flowers I love the most. Dogwood, Wisteria, Sweet peas, Daisies, and Roses.

Barbie Doll Cakes are fun because the sky is the limit on what you can do with the dresses.