Green Purse

 

carved from a 9x13 chocolate cake
iced with buttercream
covered and decorated with fondant

Happy Birthday Mom!

3D Hello Kitty

 

made almost entirely of cake, fondant and icing
(with the exception of the whiskers - toothpicks covered in fondant)
body is made from 2 two-inch layers of 6 inch rounds
head is made from the ball pan

Happy Birthday Tita Nessli!

How to make a Shoe Cake

When I made the shoe cake, I wasn't intending on making a tutorial.  I was just taking progress photos to help me in case I need to make another shoe cake.  These are camera phone pictures so they're not the best quality but I hope they are still helpful.  Enjoy!

What's needed:
  * pictures of shoe from different angles, better if you have the actual shoe
  * footprint template
  * 9x13 and 4x4 two inch cakes
  * buttercream
  * fondant - white, black, light and dark gray, red
  * paper towel
  * serrated knife (for carving the cake)
  * X-acto knife (for cutting fondant)
  * cutter/embosser (for stitching details)
  * modeling sticks (for holes on sides of shoes)
  * ball tool (for pushing "holes" for the shoe lace)
  * brush (for water to apply fondant on fondant)
  * rolling pin
  * roll and cut mat

 

1.  Carve the cake.  I took my 9x13 cake and carved 2 footprints from it (bottom two layers of the pic) and stacked them.  The 3rd layer was cut from the 4x4 cake and the top layer is the piece cut from the 2nd layer.

2.  Crumb coat.

3. Cover with white fondant.

4.  Cover top of the back of the shoe with the color of the inside of the shoe.

5.  Cut fondant in the shape of the tongue of the shoe and prop it up with a rolled paper towel.

6.  Add more details (gray outlines in this pic).

7.  Add stitching details using the cutter/embosser.  Shoe lace was made by cutting thin strips of white fondant.  Start with the horizontal first strip close to the front of the shoe.  To do this, use the ball tool to indent a "hole" for the ends of the strip will go and put the ends of the strip in that hole.  Next, put two short strips crossed over inside the gray outline.  Indent holes where the crossed over laces ended and put the next cross of shoe laces.  Keep adding more until you end to where you want the lace to end.

8.  Roll out a rope of fondant in the same color as the inside of the shoe and put it on top of the back of shoe extending to the top of the shoe lace.

9.  Add more details.  In this pic, gray strips of fondant were placed on the back of the shoe for a puffy look.  A loop of black fondant was also added to the top of the back of shoe.

10.  Add more details.  Added white crossover detail and red buckles.

11.  Side view of previous step.

12.  Add more details.  Added stitchign detail, logo and #23.

13.  Add more details.  Added the sole of the shoe using red and dark gray as well as a black strip on the back of the shoe.

14.  View of the other side of the shoe after completing the previous step.

15. Finished cake!

Jordans!

 

 carved from 9x13 and 4x4 cakes

covered and decorated with fondant

Happy Birthday Benmark!

Thomas the Tank Engine

carved from a two inch 11x15 cake 

covered and decorated with fondant

Happy 4th Birthday Asher!

Globe and Missionary Cake

 

2 layers of 9x13 inch cakes 

6-inch globe cake and fondant missionary 

cakes covered and decorated with fondant

Happy Birthday Uncle Jojo!

Hello Kitty

 

carved chocolate cake

made from 2 layers of 9x13 inch chocolate cakes
iced and filled with chocolate buttercream
covered and decorated with fondant

Happy Birthday Abby!

Topo Gigio Soccer Player

 

 two layers of 9x13 chocolate cake
iced and filled with chocolate buttercream
covered and decorated with fondant
Topo Gigio made from rice krispy treats
covered and decorated with modeling chocolate

Happy Birthday Geovany!

Chanel Classic Flap Bag

 

I'm sure glad that I can now make custom cakes.  It made it easier to give a gift to a friend who already has it all :)

The birthday celebrant is very much stylish and as far as I know loves Chanel.  I've seen her with a black Chanel bag so I thought I'd make her a small white one.  As it turns out, she already has the white one as well!  Good thing this one's a cake and will be eaten anyway :)

The cake was made from a 9x13 cake cut into 4 and stacked then filled and iced with buttercream.  The cake was covered with fondant.  All the decorations are made from fondant as well.

Happy Birthday Tita Lani!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

 

9 inch round cake and 6 inch ball cake
iced and filled with chocolate buttercream
covered and decorated with fondant
ears are made of rice krispy treats

This cake was lots of fun to make.  For the base cake, I used a 9 inch round pan and a 9 inch contour pan.  For the head, I used the sports ball pan and the ears are made from rice krispy treats (RKT).  I wasn't too happy with the head and ears but it was my first time using the ball pan and the using RKT.  It wasn't as smooth as I'd hope it would be.  I'm looking forward to using RKT more in future designs.  It was easier to use when shaping instead of using fondant since fondant tends to lose its shape even when I add some tylose powder to it. 

Happy 1st Birthday Cayden!

Pink Bow

 

6 inch chocolate cake
iced and filled with chocolate buttercream
covered and decorated with fondant

To the world's best Mom and Grandmother:

Happy Birthday Lola Mama!

Domo-kun

 

made from 4 two-inch layers of 4x9 inch chocolate cakes
iced and filled with chocolate buttercream
covered and decorated with fondant
arms and legs are made of rice krispy treats

Happy Birthday Hanna!

Kung Fu Panda

 

Carved Chocolate Cake

made from 2 layers of 9x13 inch chocolate cakes
iced and filled with chocolate buttercream
covered and decorated with fondant

Happy Birthday Ellaine!

Hello Kitty Bass Guitar

Carved Chocolate Cake

made from 2 layers of 9x13 inch chocolate cakes
iced and filled with chocolate buttercream
covered and decorated with fondant

Happy Birthday Irene!

Twin Lightning McQueen Cake

 

  

Lightning McQueens are made with carved chocolate cake
base cake  made with 2 layers 9x13 inch chocolate cakes
iced and filled with chocolate buttercream
covered and decorated with fondant

Happy Birthday Kyle & Kevin!

Another Lightning McQueen Cake!

 

It seems that Lightning McQueen is a favorite at birthday parties nowadays.  This cake was made with 6 and 9 inch square chocolate cakes, each with two 2-inch layers.  Iced and filled with chocolate buttercream and then covered with fondant.  The decorations are all made from fondant.

The Lightning McQueen cake on top was carved from a 9-inch square cake, iced with chocolate buttercream and then decorated with fondant.

Happy 2nd Birthday Lorenzo!

Owl and Candy Cake

 

A friend showed me a picture of a cake she wanted for her baby's 1st birthday.  Hopefully I was able to do the original cake justice with this one.  It's made from 6 and 9 inch chocolate cakes, each with two 2-inch layers.  It was iced and filled with chocolate buttercream and then covered with fondant.  All the decorations with the exception of the pink and green ribbon on the bottom tier were made from fondant.

Happy 1st Birthday Jaedyn!

Lightning McQueen

 

A Lightning McQueen cake for the Cars lover.

I'm getting more and more confident in making carved cakes and I'm quite happy with how my Lightning McQueen turned out.  The cake was carved from a 9x13 and a 9-inch square cake on top, filled and iced with chocolate buttercream.  All details and decorations are made from fondant.

Happy 4th Birthday Carl!

Wii!

 

My husband loves playing video games so I made a Wii cake for his birthday.  The cake was made from a two-inch 9x13 chocolate cake, cut and stacked to size then filled and iced with chocolate buttercream.  The Wii should have been thinner but I wanted to make sure it doesn't fall over to its side.  The controllers are made from a single layer of chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream then covered with fondant.  Details and decorations made with fondant.

Happy Birthday Honey!

Chipette (Jeanette)

 

A girl who loves Alvin and the Chipmunks gets a birthday cake with her favorite chipette on it - Jeanette.  The cake was made with 2 two-inch layers of 9-inch round chocolate cakes. Iced and filled with chocolate buttercream.  The cake was covered and decorated with fondant.  All the decorations and topper are made out of fondant. 

Happy Birthday Caitlin!

Wheels on the Bus!

 

My dear baby boy is now 2!  Before turning 2, he fell in love with the Wheels on the Bus song.  He even knows all the actions to the song and I'm sure that if he can talk already, he'd know the words to it as well.  So for his birthday party, I decided to go with that theme and made him a bus cake.

The cake was made from 3 layers of 2-inch 9x13 chocolate cake.  It was filled and iced with chocolate buttercream.  It was covered and decorated with fondant.

Happy 2nd Birthday dear Matthew!

Chicago Cake

 

It was Sharon's birthday and her loving hubby wanted a special cake for her with things that she loves and some things that she wants.  This cake features the Chicago Skyline, a Jeep, Lomography Diana+ Aviator Camera, and the church she's a part of.

The cake was made with 9-inch and 6-inch round cakes.  Each tier made with 2 two-inch layers of chocolate cake with chocolate filling and icing.  Both tiers covered and decorated with fondant.  Everything on the cake is made out of fondant.

Happy Birthday Sharon!

Moose and Zee

It was a very good friend's baby's 1st birthday and he loves Moose and Zee.  The cake was made with 9-inch and 6-inch round cakes.  Each tier made with 2 two-inch layers of chocolate cake with chocolate filling and icing.  Both tiers covered and decorated with fondant.  Moose and Zee are made out of fondant.

Happy 1st Birthday Irah Geovany!

Job Promotion

 

A good friend got a new job at work, a promotion.  Her coworkers (which includes my husband) wanted to celebrate with her.  The cake was made of two layers of 9-inch square cake. It was iced and filled with chocolate icing then covered and decorated with fondant.  I knew she loved purple so purple decorations it is!  This cake was decorated by my sister, Audrey.  Thanks sis!

Congratulations Rochelle!

Graduation Cap

 

 The graduate wanted a blue and gold graduation cap cake.  The cake was made of two layers of 9-inch round chocolate cake.  Iced and filled with chocolate icing then covered and decorated with fondant.

Congratulations Jean!

Happy Easter!

 

This cake was for the Easter celebration at our church.  The design is from Wilton.  The cake is a 9-inch, two layer chocolate cake with chocolate icing covered and decorated with fondant.  The eggs are sugar cookies which are also decorated with fondant.  Everything is edible except for the treat sticks holding up the cookies and the basket handle.

Happy Easter!

All Gone!

 

I rarely get to see the cakes I make being cut up and eaten so I just had to take a picture of this empty cake board :)

Bananas in Pyjamas

 

 A friend was showing her daughter childhood shows she grew up with and she liked Bananas in Pyjamas.  So for her 6th birthday, they had a pajama party!

The cake was made with 9-inch and 6-inch round cakes.  Each tier made with 2 two-inch layers of chocolate cake with chocolate filling and icing.  Both tiers covered and decorated with fondant.  B1 & B2 are made out of fondant.

Happy 6th Birthday Bekah!

Butterfly Baby Shower

 

This cake was for a butterfly themed baby shower.  Made with 9-inch and 6-inch round cakes.  Each tier made with 2 two-inch layers of chocolate cake.  For the chocolate lover, the filling and icing was also chocolate flavored.  Both tiers covered and decorated with fondant.  For the finishing touch, the base of the cakes was surrounded with sugar pearls.

Congratulations Margery!

Finally!

 

Even before I got into cake decorating, I've been WANTING to have a stand up mixer.   Now that I bake for every reason I can find, my want has somehow turned into a NEED :)

I just love this mixer.  It's not only very powerful, it also saves me time with it allowing me to do other things as it mixes.  Plus, no one can miss the fact that it's just so beautiful!

On to other flavors...

Since I got into baking, I've only made chocolate cakes with chocolate buttercream.  This is because of the following reasons: (1) I LOVE chocolate, (2) it's what's mostly requested, and (3) when there's no specific request, I figure, who doesn't love chocolate?

I felt safe with chocolate and wanted to concentrate more on making my cakes look pretty.  Now that I feel comfortable working with fondant, I feel that I want to go beyond just chocolate cake and icing recipes.  So starting today, I am in search of cake and icing recipes and excuses, i mean occasions, to try them out.

What's your favorite cake/icing recipe?

Cupcake Cake

A cupcake cake for a cupcake themed baby shower.  Well, at least a friend and I both brought cupcake themed presents for the party.

The base cake is made from 2 layers of 9-inch round chocolate cake and the cupcake is made from 2 layers of 6-inch round cake both covered and decorated with fondant.  Letters and cherry made out of fondant.  Cupcake is surrounded with edible pearls and the cake was brushed with pearl dust.

Congratulations Sheryll & Jose!

The Gift

 

 A gift for the birthday celebrant!  

This gift was made with 4 layers of 4x4 chocolate cake covered and decorated with fondant.  Brushed with pearl dust for shimmer and surrounded with edible pearls on the bottom.  All edible except for the cake board :)

Happy Birthday Greg!

Spongebob!

When I made the Hello Kitty cake for a dear friend last month, her nephew exclaimed "wow! I want a Spongebob cake!"  So for his birthday, I surprised him with this cake :)

A new discovery for me... for brown and black fondant, use chocolate fondant.  I use marshmallow fondant (MMF) in all my cakes so it's really hard to get a really dark color without messing up the mmf.  It turns out, all I need to do is add some cocoa powder to my mmf and viola! Dark brown fondant!

Because I loved the chocolate flavor on my mmf, I will be trying to make the mmf recipe with white chocolate and see how that works.  I just love love love chocolate!

Happy Birthday Jeremiah!

Speed Skate

 

The speed skate was made from a 9x13 chocolate cake, cut, stacked and carved.  All the decorations are made from fondant.  The block is also made of chocolate cake, covered and decorated with fondant.  The base cake is a two layer 9x13 chocolate cake.

Although I have made a shoe cake before, this one presented an extra challenge.  I was determined to have the skate stand on its blade.  At first, it seemed impossible.  Then after searching online on forums and blogs, one suggestion that stuck out was to use dowels.  One thing with that suggestion, I didn't think it would completely support the shoe.  I was afraid that the shoe will tilt to the side and fall over.  While chatting with a friend, we came up with a solution.  A block to put under the shoe to support its side! Genius! It totally worked.

I hope the birthday boy enjoyed this cake as much as I enjoyed making it :)

Happy Birthday William!