New Feature: Cake of the Week

As of this week I shall be selecting a cake that I adore and share it with my readers every Monday. Hence:

(original, huh?)

I will choose a theme for the week/month and trawl through the most beautiful, interesting and creative sugar craft designs that the internet and magazines have to offer. I may even consider featuring readers cakes in the future.

So onto the first creation!

This week the choice of cake was inspired by one of my favourite people in the whole wide world, Delyn, as it is her birthday today! We went to school together and have been close friends since Sixth Form. She is such a generous person, very loyal, is absolutely hilarious and has the neatest hand writing you have ever seen! She has many obsessions including; lists, bags, stationary, stuffed animals and cats, especially black ones called Jess. Therefore this week I have chosen:


A wonderful Chococat cake by Mara over at imadedinner.net Isn't is just the cutest?! I know Delyn would just go crazy over this cake.

I just want to finish off by saying Happy Birthday Delyn! And remember; Birthdays are natures way of telling you to eat more cake.

Happy Birthday Ma!

This weekend I have been celebrating my mother's birthday; we went to a local Indian Restaurant last night with family and close friends and then for a drink. We all had a really good night, although I'm not exactly on top form today which in part is due to the consumption of wine (I don't do wine.)

Mother and I then spent today (her actual birthday) getting our hair done all fancy, having a lovely lunch in Abergavenny and doing a little window shopping.

This is the cake I decorated for her (I cheated a little, as I bought the cake.)

As you've probably already guessed my Mam's name is Marilyn and her favourite colour is blue.

I used a large and medium sized Blossom cutters and large Filler Flower cutters to make the Sugar Paste flowers. They are coloured using Baby Blue colouring and the darker centres were painted with the same shade. The centres are piped icing using Melon colouring , I also dusted the centre with Foliage Green Tint Dust and Hologram White Edible Glitter.

I just want to finish off by saying I love you Mam and I hope you have had a wonderful birthday! xxx

Check out these wonderfully creative cakes submitted to the 'Threadcakes' competition hosted by Threadless. Aren't they amazing?!

The idea is to produce a cake based on a Threadless T-shirt graphic design. The competition is closed but you can check out all the entrants and the winner here.

Birthday Blog (Parts 3 & 4)

Birthday celebrations 3 and 4 took place over the last two weekends. 3 consisted of a girlie night out in Cardiff where fun times were had by all and 4 took place in London over 3 days.

Day 1: We went to see Cemetery Junction and even though none of us are great fans of Ricky Gervais, we absolutely loved this film and were quoting lines all weekend.

Day 2: Portobello Market and the Hummingbird Bakery were our first ports of call, which is becoming a bit of a tradition and a bloody good one at that because I love cake, especially Hummingbird cake

Leah and Terri eating Black Bottom Cupcakes and Red Velvet Whoopie Cakes.

We then tried to purchase tickets for the Grace Kelly: Style Icon Exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum but to no avail. So we went to The Enchanted Palace (Kensington Palace) instead and had a wonderful time trying to find the hidden princesses.

The beautiful Kensington Palace Gardens.

Our evening consisted of eating a fabulous three course meal at Floridita, Soho and drinking the best Mojito's I've ever tasted and trying a 'Dark and Stormy' which, if I remember correctly, is a rum and ginger beer concoction.

Leah and Terri enjoying their Mojito's.

Day 3: Was meant to be a picnic in the park day, but the heavens opened so we decided to browse the boutiques and vintage shops of Northcote Road, Battersea. I then had to leg it to the station with what felt like a large child on my back. I am never attempting to travel home from London on a Sunday and a Marathon weekend ever again, as it is a completely horrendous experience, but at least I made my connection (unlike the last visit to the Big Smoke.)

I am still completely shattered from all the frivolity (it has been 4 days since I got back) but had a great time eating cake, drinking cocktails and running for the tube.

Day 9

Yesterday I finally finished my sugar posy! Here's the proof:


So there we have it, I am now going to cross it off the list and whilst I'm doing that I will also cross off: 'Actually go to my Sugar-Craft Classes,' as I have attended two classes in a row - massive achievement! ^_^

Lone Wolf.

Phew! What a weekend! I've been a busy little bee since I last posted; mainly working so I could make the most of the weekend.

Friday I celebrated The Boy's birthday by eating sushi (I had Seaweed salad for the first time. It was gooooood - No land based salads for me any more!) and drinking White Russians. I treated/tret him to an early birthday present:




Her name is Pandarosa and she now rules over the kingdom of Display Cabinet.

Saturday I spent 4 and a half hours on this cake (also for the boy. He REALLY likes wolves and who doesn't eh?!)



Not exactly what I envisaged but I'm pretty pleased with the result. Here are some pics so you can construct your own cake rock/mountain:



Bake yourself a cake. A square one is probably best as it has more pointy bits.



Cut a corner off the cake and place it on top of the other (larger) piece. Keep cutting off smaller pieces and positioning them until you are happy with the shape. Stick the bits together with jam or butter icing.



Cover with butter icing, just like I'm doing here, or use fondant instead. WARNING: This much butter icing may induce giddiness and may also be followed by a trip to the dentist.



Take a toothpick and dip it in black food colouring (paste is best as it doesn't run so much)then drag it down the cake following it's contours. For that extra authentic rocky goodness pipe royal icing into the nooks and crannies. It doesn't have to be perfect as it'll look like scraggly grass.

As for how to make the wolf...that was kind of hit and miss, plus I forgot to take photos because time was running out...as there were even more fun times to be had! Kimmi, Mexican, shopping and The Road to name but a few. Although you probably can't describe The Road as 'fun' - I spent most of the movie cowering behind my scarf. I guess the fun bit for me was the outing to the cinema.

Anyway, hope you all had awesome weekends too! ^_^

Update

Urrgh! This last few days/weeks have been very tiresome. Due to the snow I lost a few hours from my flexi time and I have to work them back by the end of the week. Hence why I've been working my butt off and was ready for bed by 7.30pm last night! So, seen as though I had a little me time this evening I thought it was high time I posted.

Even though worked sucked there were a few little glimmers of frivolity to be had this week. One being my friend (and other half of 'Team Glamour') Lisa's birthday. Lisa usually hates her birthday and mopes around her house all on her lonesome, so I endeavoured to change this and made a cake!


Lisa is never seen without her ipod, it may as well be surgically attached. She loved it, there were lots of Oooo's and Ahhh's and she was smiling the whole day. Mission accomplished! Although I think the extremely fit men wearing leather trousers and not much else also helped. No, we didn't have tickets to see the Chippendales, we actually had a cultural evening at the theatre...Chicago at the Wales Millennium Centre to be exact, which was amazing as ever and even though I had my reservations, I have to say Marti Pellow was a great Billy Flynn.

Anyway, less about all that jazz (heh, get it) and more about cake! I'm very excited about the prospect of making a very special one for 'The Boy's' birthday that is at the end of this week, it's top secret at he moment but I shall reveal all very soon. Here are some other cakes I have made recently:

The dog is modelled on my very own Finn, as it was a birthday cake for my Dad.

Happy Halloween! I'm actually in love with this cake, I didn't want anyone to cut it. I kept 'Lenny' the cat for a good month.

Roses. Lots of roses.

This was a birthday cake for my brother, it was supposed to be a red dragon as he is very proud of being Welsh. Although it kind of looks more like a dinosaurs...which also works I guess.

Christmas cake! It was my first time using patchwork cutters, I used the Jolly Snowmen and Father Christmas cutter which you can get from most good Sugar Craft shops. They were hard to use at first but I think I've got the technique now.

I had this amazing apron for Christmas which I do all my baking in now.

'The Boy' bought it for me. As a friend pointed out, a lot of girls may be offended by their boyfriends buying them an apron for Christmas, especially a 1950's style hostess apron, but not me. In fact it shows that he does actually listen to me sometimes; as I did complain about my previous apron and threatened to make myself a tabbard. Everyone's a winner! You can get your very own hostess apron from www.jessiesteele.com I really want to get myself another one so I can have it when the other is in the wash. The Cabbage Rose design is my fave!


I thought I had had way more to say, but not to worry if it comes back to me I shall do another post tomorrow. Toodles!