cherries for the golden girl...

one of my best friends...cynthia...has been on my case for years because i have yet to ever make her a birthday cake. i love her to death...but unfortunately her birthday usually falls right around...and this year...on thanksgiving. with all of the festivities going on with family and church...it's tough to set aside some time when the oven isn't already in use to make her a decent cake.

this year...she very politely...demanded that i make her a cake for her golden birthday. turning 25 on the 25th is very special! so for this very special occasion...i wanted to put together a cake that was different from all others i had made.

this is a red velvet cake filled with cream cheese frosting...wrapped in lady fingers drizzled with chocolate...topped with as many cherries as i could fit!

november 2010

november 2010

november 2010

this cake finished off my crazy marathon of 8 days...4 cakes...3 birthdays...and 1 wedding! 

argyle it is...

i first met emily years ago during college through a mutual friend. over the years we kept in touch here and there by the magic that is facebook. i was thrilled to hear the news of her engagement...and was even more thrilled when she asked me to make her wedding cake.

as we started discussing the details of the cake...it became clear that this would be no ordinary cake. the exact words used by the blushing bride-to-be were "dummy cake". this cake was meant to be a display cake...but was also needed for the cake cutting ceremony at the reception. it took some planning...but all worked out in the end.

this cake is 95% styrofoam. 

there is a small wedge of real lemon cake in the bottom layer for the cake cutting. everything was covered in white fondant. the ribbon on the top and bottom tiers were actual fabric ribbon, whereas the argyle was made from peach fondant diamonds with navy blue royal icing piping. it was tricky getting the wedge of real cake in the layers of styrofoam...but it fit!

november 2010

inhar actually took these photos the same time as the castle ones. much love!!

every girl wants a castle...

i met christy and john many years ago and had a lot of fun times with their amazing two boys. a few years ago...they were blessed with a beautiful daughter claire...who turned 3 this past weekend. i ran into christy a couple months ago and was honored when she asked me to bake a cake for claire's birthday party.

they wanted a princess theme...and to switch things up a bit...i decided to go for a castle. of course keeping it super girly. i must say that this is a great improvement from the very first castle cake i made...sorry min =\ ...but there is def still room for improvement. i'm not sure if it was due to my sheer exhaustion...or my lack of piping skills...(probably both)...but the piping wasn't the greatest. i definitely need major practice!

although i wasn't able to stay for the party...it is my hope that claire loved having her very own castle...even if only for a little while! =]

the cake is a vanilla cake filled with fresh strawberries and a vanilla butter cream. it is covered in fondant and decorated with fondant and butter cream. the princess' dress is all edible as well. the towers contain the only inedible elements.

november 2010

i was so thankful for inhar who came over to take some pictures of the cake before it went out for delivery.

sixty and one...

this cake is for the man who has been taking care of me all my life since before i was born...my father. i cannot begin to describe the amazing person he is. yes it is true...we haven't always seen eye to eye...but as i grow older...i am realizing that we are more alike than i had ever imagined.

today my dad turns 61 years old...and in celebration of my traditional father...i have stepped away from what's modern...and gone back to something a little more traditional.

this cake is a new blend i'd like to call 

"strawberry lemonade"

it is a lemon cake with big chunks of fresh strawberries with some vanilla buttercream. now as for decor...i forgot how unforgiving buttercream is. i def need to get back to practicing my piping because my hand was the furthest thing from steady. 

november 2010

november 2010

unfortunately i wasn't able to get professional pictures from inhar this time...but hoping i will get some with the next few.

ribbons & tiaras...

madelynn is such a cutie! i know that jason and amanda are so proud to have such a bright and beautiful daughter. together with family and friends on a sunday evening...we celebrated maddy's first birthday.  it was filled with the traditional korean first birthday rituals. stuffing the guests with food...lots of mochi...and making baby maddy sit infront of a few items that would help determine her future.  thanks to uncle thomas...maddy is gonna be a big shopper running up daddy's credit card debt!

cake was a simple vanilla with vanilla buttercream.  decked out in fondant.  tried out some new designs and even fumbled around with a bow.

september 2010

got a great shot again...thanks to inhar.

a little birdie is turning one...

elyse is a sweet little girl who got the nickname "birdie" because of a face she makes with her lips. she is the daughter of a friend...of a friend who was about to celebrate her very first birthday. i was honored that inhar was gracious enough to refer me to her friend.

i gladly accepted the job...but had great hesitation because i had yet to make a full out fondant decor cake. the task at hand was a challenge...but i tried to break it down to simple things i knew i'd be able to accomplish.

since inhar was the photographer at the party...she got some great shots of the cake. you should def check her out inhar photography.

the cake itself was just vanilla with vanilla buttercream...but this was more for display than edibility. 

august 2010

it took some time to get used to the fondant. i definitely enjoyed using my brand new fondant tools. the bird was a tad difficult...since i'm not sculptor...but thankfully this one turned out cute.

i promise to love you...

jayne and chris have got to be two of my favorite people! they have always been such great friends who have been so supportive of my baking experiments. they are two people who love life and really love each other. when they got engaged...the last thing i expected was for them to ask me to bake their wedding cake.

at first i was certain they were joking...but months later...surely enough...gmail said i had 1 message in the inbox from jayne.  she officially asked to hire me for the job. when i said yes...i asked her if she knew what she was asking for...she asked if i knew what i was signing up for.  either way...we both knew that this was an extremely important day.

we met face to face at bonchon and sat for hours catching up...and of course getting down to business.  we talked in detail about the cake she wanted...and i probed to see if i could picture what she was picturing in her head.  after a MANY emails, texts, and phone conversations...we finally nailed down the details and made it happen.

after 13.5 hours of baking...their cake was ready.  the ceremony and reception was set to be outside...and when the big day came...it was 101 degrees outside.  but we adjusted and made it work!

four alternating tiers chocolate oreo and strawberry shortcake covered in vanilla buttercream with a decorative touch of lavender and baby's breath.

july 2010

the wedding was absolutely beautiful!  congrats to the happy couple! =]