Wedding Cupcake Tower

Last week I had the pleasure (or stress.. depending on how you look at it ;) of doing my second wedding.  The couple wanted a cupcake tower with a small cake at the top for them.  I was super excited because I love cupcake towers and this was going to be my first.  The order was for 200 cupcakes (whoa!) with the couple's monogram, 'M', atop each one.  The bride also wanted the glass slipper that the groom gave her when he proposed, as well as a tiara she had, incorporated as the cake toppers.

The biggest task for this one (aside from baking 200 cupcakes), was to make the 200+ 'M' monograms (always need extras).  Since the bride wanted the 'M' to match the font on their wedding favors, I chose to make them out of Wilton candy melts (sort of like chocolate but these were vanilla flavored - and yum!).  I had never actually done this technique but have seen it done many times and was excited to try it out.  Basically I printed out a sheet full of the 'M's, in the requested font, then placed wax paper over them and traced with a pastry bag full of the melted candy.  Then let them set up for about 20 minutes and carefully peel them off the wax paper.. Voila!  It's a pretty easy technique but very tedious (especially when you've got 200 to make!)  Also, some will inevitably break while trying to remove them from the wax paper.. one reason to make lots of extras.  I bought the candy melts in red, but since the bride's color was more of a deep apple red, I had to add a bit of black candy coloring to get the right shade of red.  I think they came out very elegant looking.. and looked beautiful on top of the cupcakes!

Here is the completed tower at the wedding reception!  The Cake is sugar-free yellow with sugar-free icing.  The cupcakes are a mix of chocolate and yellow, topped with whipped cream icing and a candy monogram.  I love how it all turned out - so beautiful and fit right in with the couple's oh so elegant affair!

..and here is the sign I made for the Cake table ;)

 

May The Force Be With You

Last week I completed a Star Wars themed Cake and Cupcakes for a little guy who turned 4.  When his Mom said they wanted Star Wars I thought "cool.. don't get that one much.. actually at all, yet".  I was super excited because it's a classic, and something different from all the usual Marvel superhero requests.  So I went to work!

First I decided on a black and gold color scheme, since many of the logos I came across in my research were these colors.  The cake would go on a gold board wrapped in black ribbon, and the cupcakes would go in coordinating gold and black wraps.  I made the black wraps and added a 'starry' print to them with a gold that matched the other wraps...

The client wanted 2 dozen cupcakes with fondant Star Wars characters on them, and a small sheet cake with the logo on it.  I had some Star Wars cutters which I used to cut out the characters, then hand painted all the details onto the fondant (using edible icing colors mixed with vanilla).  The logo, I traced out of fondant as I've done with other cakes.  I loved how both turned out!  Here are the finished cake and cupcakes.  Both are chocolate cake iced with vanilla buttercream.

 

 

   

Retirement Cake (AKA the suitcase cake)

A few weeks ago my step-daughters asked me to make the cake for their mom's retirement party.  I said "of course! ..what do you want?"  I received a picture of a suitcase cake placed on top of a map (since she will be traveling).  In addition, one of the retirees' favorite books is Dr. Seuss's "Oh, The Places You'll Go!".. so the girls wanted that message incorporated as well.  {I thought that was a super cute idea}.. The other request - all chocolate!

I had fun with this one!  The cake is dark chocolate fudge, filled with chocolate mousse, and iced with chocolate buttercream.  The suitcase accents are all fondant/gumpaste.  I purchased a world map, had it laminated, then attached it to a large sheet-cake board.  The letters for the message are fondant as well.  Everyone at the party loved it.. in fact, it brought one of my step-daughters to tears when she saw it. {Yay! Mission accomplished!}

Here are the pics :)