Summer is here, and that means congratulations are in order to this year's high school seniors!

The client provided a few inspirational pictures for this black and grey graduation cake, and after a little tweaking, this ombre rosette and swirl cake was designed. 

Both tiers of this cake were our Chocolate Fudge recipe filled with Strawberry buttercream, The graduation cap was made from Rice Krispy Treats and covered in fondant. and for the non-chocolate lovers at the party, there were also two dozen Vanilla cupcakes with coordinating black, grey, and white sprinkles. 

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The other day, Daphne, one of our Facebook followers asked, "What is the most unique cake you have ever made?" I thought about it for a moment and realized there is no short answer to that question! Several came to mind for different reasons - unique flavors, unique design, unique structure...

So here is the not-so-short answer to  the question.

Most unique "off the menu" flavor

A few years ago, I was asked to provide cupcakes for a going away reception for a family going on a mission trip to India. We came up with a yummy Vanilla Chai recipe and topped it with Cream Cheese icing. 

Most unique combination of flavors

Last summer we made the most flavorful wedding cake to date. It contained alternating layers of Lemon and Strawberry cakes, and it was filled with Lavender Blackberry buttercream. 

In addition to the refreshing, flavor packed wedding cake, there was also a Strawberry groom's cake, again filled with Lavender Blackberry buttercream. AND... there were 5 flavors of cupcakes too! Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Buttercream, Lemon with Cream Cheese Buttercream, Lemon with Lavender Blackberry Buttercream, Strawberry with Lavender Blackberry Buttercream, and Chocolate with Chocolate Buttercream. Yes, I would have been the guest with 5 cupcakes on her plate so I could have them all!

Most unique structure

Ok, so I couldn't pick just one here! First, I would have to go with the gray damask wedding cake we made for an open house a couple of years ago. The smaller separator tiers really gave the silhouette of this cake a modern feel, even with the very classic damask decoration.  

Then there is the first carved cake we ever made. The client ordered this cake for her dad's birthday, and he was restoring two Triumph motorcycles. My engineering husband made cutting guides for me so we could get the finished cake to be to scale.

Finally there is the heart shaped 25th Anniversary cake I made last summer. Why is this one a unique structure? Well, I don't have any heart shaped pans! The hearts were made by cutting away parts of round cake tiers to make the point of the heart and then moving and molding those pieces into the bumps at the top of the shape.  

​Most unique design

It was really hard to narrow this one down, but I would have to say the most unique design I have made so far is the Shoe and Purse birthday cake. Not only is each fondant shoe and purse different, but each side of the cake features a landmark in Paris and London where the couple had traveled. The birthday girl's boyfriend made that suggestion - I originally sketched out sky scrapers in the background for this one. I love that he wanted to make the cake more personal and unique to their experiences!

Here is a better shot of those tiny shoes!

​Most unique client

All our clients are special, but I would have to say that the most unique client that has contacted us so far is Make-A-Wish® North Texas. The organization was granting the wish of a girl who wanted a trip to Hawaii, and they were throwing her a wish reveal party to celebrate! We provided this cake complete with fondant waves, a tropical sunset, tiki carving, and gumpaste hibiscus flowers. So fun!

We have definitely had some unique orders over the last 8 years, and I can't wait to see comes next!

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Grey and blue and an elephant too! 

This super cute cake was made for a baby shower last summer (I'm a bit behind because of the move). It featured ombre rosettes in blue on the bottom tier and a grey chevron pattern on the top. It was accented by a grey and blue bow...

...and this little guy!

Here he is drying before being moved to his permanent home as star on the top of the cake.

This cake was sweet on the inside too. The bottom tier was our White Chocolate Wedding Cake with Vanilla Buttercream filling, and the top tier was Cookies & Cream Cake with Cookies & Cream filling. Yum!

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Why hello there, Beautiful!

Tonight I delivered and set up this gorgeous naked cake at a wedding taking place at 1899 Farmhouse in Princeton. I love their stone walls - what a perfect backdrop!

The top three tiers were Lemon cake with Strawberry Buttercream filling. Perfect for the start of summer!

The bottom tier was alternating layers of Chocolate and Vanilla cakes filled with Chocolate and Vanilla Buttercreams. I would be the guest coming back for seconds!

Oh, did you happen to notice the new backsplash? We finally moved to our new kitchen, and I love it! I have so much more room to spread out when I'm baking... and making the occasional dinner for my family. =) 

Ok, one more look at the dreamy flowers on this lovely!

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Love that has lasted 25 years deserves to be celebrated!

​This 25th Anniversary cake was made from fondant covered cakes carved into heart shapes which were then adorned with fondant swags, bows, and roses. Inside was a decadent combination of chocolate cake with alternating fillings of raspberry and chocolate Nutella buttercreams. This cake was topped with a hand cut, fondant silhouette of a young boy and girl. So sweet! 

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Fall, and hopefully cooler temperatures, are almost here. So I took the opportunity to enter this fall foliage inspired cake in Rose Bakes Fall themed cake contest, and I'm a finalist! I love the rustic buttercream icing and how the feathers add a softness and movement to what otherwise cake.

​You can view all the finalists and vote for your favorite at http://rosebakes.com/takes-cake-contest-september-2016-voting-open/. You can only vote once on her website, but you can add a second vote by liking the picture on the Rose Bakes contest page on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RoseBakes/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1250885134978783. The winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card which, if I win, will be promptly spent on cake goodies, of course! =)

​Voting is open until September 26, so go vote now, be sure to share with your friends!

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Several weeks ago I received a call from a mom who was throwing a birthday party for her little girl. The theme? Princess of course! The birthday girl couldn't decide which princess was her favorite for the color scheme - it changed daily as it tends to do with 5 year olds - so we went with girly pink. The cake was White Chocolate Wedding Cake with pink ombre rosettes, and it was topped with an edible crown fit for a princess.

Accompanying the cake were 2 dozen Chocolate Fudge and Golden Vanilla Butter Cupcakes that were topped with hand made fondant crowns, swords, and shields. We couldn't leave the knights attending the party feeling left out!

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In June, I provided the cake table goodies for a couple who was married at River Road Chateau in Anna. Originally they were going to go with a small naked cake, cupcakes, and a surprise groom's cake, and the bride told me ahead of time about the Mickey Mouse cake topper and cupcake picks she was going to have ready for me to add. Just a couple of weeks before the wedding though, she found a picture of a cake design that tied in the Mickey theme, and it was just perfect for their subtly themed wedding!

The cake was alternating layers of Lemon and Strawberry cake, filled with Lavender Blackberry buttercream, and iced in Vanilla buttercream. The bottom tier was iced in a rustic design, and the top tier featured a Swiss Dot pattern.

There were 5 different flavor combinations of cupcake for the guests. Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Buttercream, Lemon with Cream Cheese Buttercream, Lemon with Lavender Blackberry Buttercream, Strawberry with Lavender Blackberry Buttercream, and Chocolate with Chocolate Buttercream. I don't think I could have picked just one!

My favorite part though had to be the surprise groom's cake. The bride secretly took some photos of the groom's Marine uniform so I could replicate the ribbons and awards. I ordered uniform buttons and the same awards online, and then made molds from the actual pieces so I could replicate the details in fondant.

There were so many fun details that this couple incorporated into their wedding, like his and hers mouse ears hanging from the back of their chairs instead of satin bows, and I am so happy that I was able to incorporate some of those details into their wedding cake too!

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Recently I was contacted by a man who wanted a birthday cake for his girlfriend who I used to work with years ago. I came up with a few sketches, but having knowledge of who the birthday girl actually was, I just knew this was the one! Shoes, purses, and travel!  

In the original sketch, I used silhouettes of skyscrapers, but the client asked if I could change them into landmarks from Paris and London, places they had traveled to recently. Absolutely! I love when the client gets involved in the design process. It makes the finished product so much more personal!

The flavor of the cake was lemon and it was filled with lavender blackberry buttercream. I used a thin layer of vanilla buttercream under the fondant covering the tiers instead of the lavender blackberry because the berries would have created a surface that would just be too bumpy to yield a nice fondant finish.

And then came the decorations. I printed out pictures of the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, and Pantheon for the Paris landmarks on the bottom tier and Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, and London Eye for the London landmarks on the top tier. I then cut them out and used them as a guide to cut out the fondant silhouettes.  

Then I let my inner fashion designer out and added the cutest 15 shoes and 11 purses. All unique. All edible. I NEED to find pairs of the white ruffled shoe and pink with black dots shoe in my real size!

Of course, world travel and a closet filled with these goodies wouldn't be complete without a little bubbly too. In addition to a shoe and purse, a fondant champagne bottle topped the cake as well. The birthday girl loved it, and posted some sweet comments on Facebook before I even had time to review the pictures I took.  

​Which of these shoes or purses would you like to have in your closet?

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I just found out it is World Chocolate Day! Like I really needed an excuse to eat some chocolate today!

If you aren't prepared, don't worry... there are still plenty of chocolate holidays to go this year. National Milk Chocolate Day is July 28, International Chocolate Day is September 13, National White Chocolate Day is September 22, and National Chocolate Day is October 28!

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