Sweet 16 chocolate cake with marshmallow fondant. Pink and purple polka dots with ribbon roses and pearl borders.
Pink and Purple Sweet 16
My youngest requested a dragon cake for their birthday. I had only one day to make it, but I finished!
At the end of each summer season there is a barbecue for figure skaters and their families. It has become expected that I bring the cupcakes. Given that August is always hot and we were outdoors I decided to go with a summer theme and make sno-cone cupcakes. I used the tutorial from Bakerella and they turned out beautifully. The sparkling sugar really gives them a look of shaved ice.
For the last day of skate camp this summer I put together a surprise for all the skaters. Each one received a figure skate sugar cookie. This was no small feat as I could not track down a skate cookie cutter in the time I needed, so I purchased a large round metal cookie cutter and using pliers and assorted objects for shaping I bent and curved it to the appropriate shape.
I even made black skates for the boys! They were a huge hit!
Half the fun is the baking, the other half is the reaction from the recipients!
Emily has developed an interest in cacti and succulents and has an extensive collection in her room that she takes care of. I’ve been dying to find an opportunity to practice my fondant skills and her 16th birthday was the perfect opportunity. All of these succulents are edible, made from marshmallow fondant. I wanted the fondant pieces to be the showcase, so I stuck with a square tired cake frosted with a simple texture.
She was thrilled with the result!
Succulent Cake
For as long as I can remember Becca’s favorite movie has been The Nightmare Before Christmas. We had been talking about making a cake with this theme and I finally did. The bottom layer was decorated to mimic Sally’s dress and the top layer hints at Jack’s pinstriped suit. She really likes the silhouette of Jack and Sally so that was the main design on top of the cake.
Nightmare Before Christmas Cake
She also wanted to bring cupcakes to her skating group so I made a batch that matched the cake.
As my kids get older they have more specific requests for their birthday cakes. For this one I had a request for sugar skulls. I researched different styles online and sketched out a few ideas for Em to look at and this is her choice. Around the bottom edge are actual mini sugar skulls I made with a silicone skull ice cube mold and decorated with buttercream. Around the eyes are purple pearl decorating candies by SweetWorks.
Dies de los Muertos Cake
A monster cake was requested and a monster cake was made! This was a really fun cake to make. I was happy to use the grass tip for once. There were cupcakes made in green, red, and blue with candy eyes but sadly I forgot to photograph them.
Monster Cake
My youngest daughter is a figure skater and has a winter birthday. I combined the two for this cake. It was a light lavender buttercream base with white buttercream details. The skater was a buttercream transfer with a gel dress added after.
Skater Birthday Cake
One of my first cakes I made was an anniversary cake for my parents. I had a lot of fun making and placing all the little royal icing flowers.
Anniversary Cake