Cakes for the recently retired...

Seems like I keep running off my bosses.  I'm sure they are taking on these life-changing events without any prompting from me, but it feels odd to see my former boss and current boss retire in the space of three months in a single year.  I can't but help feeling a touch abandoned.  I will miss them both.  They were very different people, but they were both very important to me.

The first retiree, Susan, is a garden enthusiast.  I took advantage of the fact that it was early spring and did pansies and violets on her cake.  The photos are blurry, sorry.

The little terracotta pots are actually fondant covered cupcakes.  The cake itself was a dark chocolate fudge.  I used a Duncan Hines chocolate fudge cake mix and added some extra dark chocolate cocoa powder.  In between the layers, I slathered on some seedless raspberry jam.  These flavors were well-received.

The second cake was Richard's.  Up until yesterday, he was my "current" boss.  I made his to look like one of the talking book machines that we distribute to our patrons.  The cake was a traditional yellow, but I wanted to simulate a strawberry shortcake, so I spooned strawberry jam between the layers.  I may be exaggerating, but I think Richard was thrilled.

Additionally, I made two dozen Braille cupcakes which spelled NLS.  One of the attendees happened to be blind, and experienced in reading Braille.  She got a cupcake and ran her fingers over it, she was actually able to read it, which was very cool.

Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake

At the state library, we are experiencing lots of bittersweet endings and new beginnings.  Recent layoffs have separated a lot of old friends.  Still, we find things to celebrate.  And one of the nicest pieces of news is that our colleague is having a baby.  I made this cake in honor of her new beginning and in honor of all she means to us.  Since this is their first child, it seems the librarians felt that a book theme was most appropriate (she received lots of books).  The Very Hungry Caterpillar holds a special place in many of our hearts and what could be more sweet and comforting at this time than a cake that emulates the beautiful artwork of Eric Carle?

To get the painterly collage look, I rolled out homemade marshmallow fondant, treated it like a canvas and loaded up my paintbrush with a rainbow of Wilton gel colors, thinned slightly with vanilla vodka.  The green canvas was huge and featured a gradient of green, blue-green, and yellow-green.  I then cut out strips and arranged them on my caterpillar.  The body of the caterpillar is made of lemon pound cake which I'd baked in a bundt pan.  I cut the ring of cake into segments and rearranged them to get this shape.  The segments were glued together and smoothed out with a generous amount of American butter cream frosting.  Since Carle uses collage in his work, so did I.  I think it did emulate the effect fairly well.  I did the same for all the little treats that the caterpillar snacked on through the week.

 

The cupcakes were a lemon yellow cake, frosted in the same butter cream and topped with the little fondant treats.  The little holes were created by pushing the end of a drinking straw through each shape.  I hand sculpted little feet out of brown-tinted fondant.

My former colleagues were surprised to learn that this was a homemade cake, so I suppose it speaks well of the job I did.  One gal brought her little boy and he was absolutely fascinated with the cake and the little cupcakes.  I was particularly pleased by his sense of wonder.  I think that is always what I hope for when I create a cake.  It's really the best feeling ever.

Bryce, household god of thunder

I was just looking through pictures from today's birthday party for Bryce and thinking what a handsome young man he's becoming before my very eyes.  I marvel every year at his entertaining selections of theme for his birthday cake.  This year's selection was no different and it seems particularly appropriate because it was the hammer of Thor.  As you know, only one who is worthy can pull the hammer from the stone.  Bryce, who has been thundering around our house all his little life, is our own Thor.  The moment we'd finished the birthday song and the candles all extinguished, he excitedly pulled the hammer from the cake and immediately took a big bite.  For certain, Bryce is a worthy young man.

Being a step-mom has some drawbacks.  You are always behind the scenes.  You are not wanted when there are boo-boos to be kissed.  You can't cook things quite the way they want them.  Your advice is rarely solicited.  You are never sure whether you should offer a hug or tuck them in at night, for fear of rejection.  You keep some distance.  You are not a substitute mommy.  You are something else.  But what?  I sometimes see the cake as the only thing I can do right.  Today, as I was snapping pictures of him opening his presents, Bryce looked up at me and smiled the most unguarded and warmest smile he's ever smiled.  He was looking straight at me.  It was like catching a shooting star.  Happy birthday, Bryce.

September: Painted Cakes

Well, I thought I was Miss Artiste, so I got all painterly on a couple of cakes this month.  Marshmallow fondant makes a really nice canvas, so that's what I used.  The first occasion was a 60th birthday party and the second was to celebrate the marriage of a good friend at work.

Honestly, I think my roses need work, but the colors on the 60th birthday cake were very nice. 

My pearls of fondant were a little gigantic, but I was running out of time and needed something big enough to cover a lot of ground fast.  I also wished I'd had time to pipe some greenery on top.  *sigh*  When the party guests cut into the cake, they were treated to three layers of a deep chocolate devil's food cake.

I was frankly shocked at how well my calligraphy turned out.  I thought I was going to faint I was so nervous before the first stroke.  So, I just did it.

I sort of liked this color combination, too.  And halfway through the painting, my technique actually improved.  I also felt bolder with my brush strokes.  It's amazing how just a little bit of confidence can improve your work.  The two types of piped flowers were new to me--sunflowers and mums.  Since I used an all butter frosting, the piping was tricky.  And I'll tell you right now, chrysanthemums are INSANELY hard to make out of frosting.  Don't do it unless you're just a nut job like me!  :-)

Bryce's Creeper Cake

Another year, another crazy cake for the boy.  He always has the most interesting ideas.  This year, we did a "Creeper" cake.  Creepers, if you aren't a big Minecraft fan, are these creatures that hang out in the game and come around to destroy the stuff you build.  At least, that's my understanding.  I really have no clue.  I just know what Bryce tells me.

This rendering is admittedly a bit more organic than the pixelated dudes that you see in the game.  He looks like a shiny Creeper plushy or something.  I somehow managed to give my Creeper a club foot, which Louis very much wanted to eat (and did).Still, I think it does capture the essence of Creeper-ness.  And the color palette isn't too far off either.

Happy Birthday, Bryce!

Creeper on Fire!

Club Foot Creeper