Christmas Cupcakes! (Click photos to enlarge!)

We were busy little bees this weekend with two big cakes and several batches of cupcakes. Here are a few samples of what we did. ~ Peggy




 

Tyffani's Graduation Cuppies! (Click photos to enlarge.)

Whipped up a bunch of cupcakes this weekend in between 2 huge cakes, including a dozen cupcakes to celebrate a "regular" customer's college graduation.  This girl is such a doll.  I was really happy I had time to fit these in for her.  Congrats, Tyffani!

Alyssa's "Winter Wonderland Sweet 16" birthday cake. (Click photos to enlarge.)

I had two really big cakes and several batches of cupcakes all due this weekend... and the cakes were both "fondant heavy," so I feel like I've caked it non-stop for the last 2 weeks.  One of my big cakes was the circus-themed cake that's pictured and written about in my prior blog entry - and the second was this "winter wonderland" themed cake for a "sweet sixteen" birthday party for my niece.  This cake was double layers of 10", triple layers of 8", quadruple layers of 6", and triple layers of 4" in white almond sour cream with vanilla bean filling and icing.  The entire thing was covered in homemade MMF and over 100 hand-decorated fondant snowflakes.  (My 12 year old little girl spent more than 5 hours hand decorating each fondant snowflake with luster dust, crystalized colored sugar, and edible pearls).  When both of these cakes were finished, everyone in the house wanted to crash.  We are completely caked out this week!  Note to self:  do NOT overbook yourself next December, Peggy!

Libby Lane's Circus Cake! (Click photos to enlarge.)

My favorite cakes in the world are ones that I'm given free reign on.  The mother of the birthday girl gave me a list of things she wanted, and then let me go nuts.  I loved making this cake and had a blast with it for 55 wonderful (exhausting!) hours.  Thanks to all the wonderful cakers at www.cakecentral.com who so willingly offer to share their cake photos, their ideas, their advice, and their friendship.  This cake was inspired by many of them, including a puppy by my hero, Lorraine McKay, and a baby lion designed by a user named "dragonflydoces."  Cake is 10"/8"/6" white almond sour cream with Madagascar vanilla bean filling and icing and all fondant decorations.  Fondant work included Dumbo on top, Timothy Q Mouse with marching jacket and hat with feather holding up "Libby Lane" banner, 3 clowns, a seal, 2 tigers, a lion, a monkey, a doggy and his hoop of fire, 6 train cars, 5 balloons, 3 hats, 6 neck collars, 40 banners, 8 tassels, 40 stripes, and over 100 balls. Hmmmm, I think that's it. All fondant and all edible except 2 wires (1 holding the "Libby Lane" banner and 1 holding up the rogue balloon on the 2nd tier). This thing was so heavy!  When I got the call that it was safely displayed at the birthday party, I nearly melted with relief!

Princess and the Frog themed cake (click photos to see a BIGGER version).

Oh man, this cake was so much fun and made for such a great week.  I absolutely loved working on this thing.  It was a first birthday cake for the little daughter of a friend/co-worker who I (coincidentally) grew up and went to school with.  I really wanted to do something special for her and her precious little girl.  She told me the theme, showed me a party plate and the banner she had ordered, and told me to have my way with the design.  That rates her even higher in my book, since free reign is pretty much what I live for when it comes to cake.  We did a WASC with Madagascar vanilla butter cream, and then decorated it in fondant accents.  The crown, frogs, lily pads, and cattails are all hand-sculpted fondant.  The flowers were made with a daisy plunger.  Everything on the cake is edible except the wires holding up the cattails.  One of my favorite things about this cake was that my daughter (age 12) and my mom (who is soon to be 70) both were able to help with it.  Often they just sit around and visit while I work.  My mom made all the fondant cattails and my little girl helped out in a huge way with all the fantasy flowers and she made all the lily pads and lily pad flowers by herself.  I saw pictures of the baby eating her smash cake and they were so dang sweet.  Happy birthday, Princess Courtney.  You are loved!