Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The Borg Cube Ship

Every now and then a cake order comes along that can make me squeal very unprofessionally. This for me was THAT cake!!!
Contacted by the groom only, as a surprise wedding cake for the Trekkie bride. (I hear the Officiant also came as a Vulcan!)

I recently had the opportunity to take a class with Mike McCarey of Mike's Amazing Cakes to learn a little chocolate know how. This came in VERY handy doing this cake. The entire outer 'hull' is chocolate.
So I thought I would show a few process photos of this cake.

Here is a double stacked square cake. There is a centre board with doweling for supports. Two chocolate panels have been attached.

Here the cube is completely panelled ready for the outer attachments.

The first panel of chocolate shapes have been adhered. This I am finding out is VERY time consuming! It takes many many little trinkets to cover a panel.

The entire cube has now been decored. A depression was made where the 'Sphere Ship' docks. The Sphere is rice crispy treats on a dowel inserted deep into the centre of the depression.

Here is a close up of a panel that has been airbrushed. Blue & green shimmer colours had been added first in spots. Then the entire Borg Cube was airbrushed black. A final coat of shimmer was added last.

Some 'Noise Maker Cans' were hung from the back of the ship. They were made from rice crispy treats.




The "Just Married" sign was hung on the Sphere.





The final docking port of the Borg Cube wedding cake. (At the venue)
Congratulations Denny & Enjoli !!!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Julien's Wish

I recently had the opportunity to create a cake for a special person. It was a last minute squeeze that I couldn't refuse. Beverly Papousek of  Make A Wish in Ottawa called for a cake. Not just any cake but a "John Deere tm" cake for a young man named Julien. Ideas were discussed and agreed upon. But you know me I NEVER listen!!! It's a Wish Cake... I can't just make any cake....3D cake pops into my head. YES that's it!
So all night it was going to be... after I cancelled & rescheduled with some very understanding clients (Thanks Christine and Kevin!)
So here's the cake.

Bev and her husband Mark arrived to pick up the cake and WHOOT wouldn't you know it (Hmmm that voice is WAY too familiar), I have my first local celebrity in my cake kitchen... and it's a mess, and how I look like h*ll. Oh well it's all about the cake, not the kitchen or me LOL.

I just want to say a big THANK YOU to Make A Wish for allowing me to participate in Julien's wish. I hope it made his day just a little more fun. I know it made my week!!!

Julien and his cake:

Monday, July 5, 2010

Jen Dontz comes to Canada!

And right here in the Ottawa Valley!!! Yes it is unheard of for a TLC celebrity to visit our neck of the woods. But she came at the request of Lorrie Gauthier

Jennifer is owner of Sugar Delights in Manistee, Michigan, USA. Jen is an accomplished sugar artist that has been featured in many magazines and competed on TLC's Ultimate Cake Off among other things. Jen is an ICES approved teacher.

You might ask why am I taking classes after so many years in the cake business? Well because it is FUN! It is great to meet other sugar artists and interact. It is also good for the brain to stay on top of new techniques.

Seeing as Jen was a US citizen and we were so close to Canada Day up here, I treated Jen to a Canadian Care Package. There was so much to choose from this time of year with store shelves filled to the brim with Red & White. Her is Jen sporting here new hat & showing off some of her gifts:

We learned about new sugar tools on the market and the techniques Jen uses to produce her gorgeous sugar flowers. Here is Jen hard at work:
Here are some of the sugar flowers I created in class.
And lastly (But certainly not least) The class of really great people!!!
THANKS JEN for coming to our little neck of the woods!!!