Parcel Christening Cake

Last weekend was baby Luke's Christening.  

 

Inspired by my profile photo, Luke's mum Carol asked if I could make a parcel cake appropriate for a little boy's Christening.

 

 

Blue and white were the obvious colours to choose.   I'm a sucker for teddy bears when it comes to babies cakes and felt the cake wouldn't be complete without one.   The little booties finished the look.

 

The final cake was very cute and Carol loved it when she called to collect it.

 



Parcel Christening Cake, 14th October 2012

 

Parcel Christening Cake, 14th October 2012

 

Rugby Ball Cake

When asked to make a rugby ball cake for Max, I was delighted with the opportunity to try something new. 

I initially thought about buying a special shaped cake tin, but decided that it would be better to try and carve the cake.   Shaping the ball was definitely the most difficult part of creating this cake.   My best friend called around for a chat as I was carving the cake and offered a very helpful second opinion.    

 

Max wanted a specific Canterbury rugby ball recreated in cake and his Mum sent me some photos to use as reference.   I was very pleased with the final cake and even more delighted by Max's reaction.

 

When I delivered the cake Max was thrilled with it and even said that it looked like I had taken a real ball and placed it on the board.   It's reactions like this that every baker wants when they make a cake.

 

The cake was a huge success with Max's friends.   I think it was a hit with the dads and uncles too!

 

Rugby Ball Cake, 30th September 2012

Rugby Ball Cake, 30th September 2012

Rugby Ball Cake, 30th September 2012

 

Michael Collins & GAA Cake

A few weeks ago I was asked to make a 50th Birthday Cake for Martin.  This was to be a surprise from Caroline, his wife.

Martin has a big love of Irish history, with a particular interest in all things Michael Collins. After discussing the various design possibilities with Caroline, I decided to take on the challenge of recreating, in sugarpaste, the armoured car synonymous with Michael Collins (Sliabh na mBan).  I suggested adding his army cap too.

The party was on the eve of the All Ireland football final, so Caroline asked if I could also incorporate this into the cake. Martin is from Cork and loves both football and hurling, so I decided the cake should reference the Cork jersey. The addition of a football, sliotar, and the flags of the finalists draped on the cake (Mayo & Donegal in the football, Galway & Kilkenny in the hurling) enhanced the GAA theme.

In order to help with the Sliabh na mBan car, I worked from a book of Martin's, which Caroline kindly dropped around, and a brass replica which my great friend Margaret (of the Dinnerladies) borrowed, on my behalf, from her work colleague. Both of these were very helpful.

This cake was most definitely a challenge but I really enjoyed working on it and loved how it turned out.

Caroline was delighted too when she saw it.  A few days after the party I got a lovely message from her thanking me for the cake, which she kindly said was delicious. Martin was thrilled with it and apparently the car has pride of place and will not be eaten.

Michael Collins & GAA Cake, 22nd September 2012

Michael Collins & GAA Cake, 22nd September 2012

Michael Collins & GAA Cake, 22nd September 2012

Spiderman Cake

The 30^th August 2012 marked a significant day for my adorable nephew, Alan.   Not only was it his 5^th Birthday but it was also his first day at school.  

For the past year there has been only one superhero which Alan has wanted to adorn his cake - Spiderman.   

When thinking about this cake and how it would look, the main thing I wanted to achieve was for it to shout Spiderman from a distance.   A spider’s web on the cake board and the use of vibrant colours helped achieve this.

I really loved how this cake turned out and think it was very fitting for Alan's big day.   He was thrilled with his cake. 



Spiderman Cake, 30th August 2012

 

Spiderman Cake, 30th August 2012

 

Obstacle Course Cake

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of making a cake for Robyn, a lovely girl who was due to celebrate her 10^th Birthday.

Robyn is very sporty and her party included having an Obstacle Course in their back garden.   So with this in mind the design direction was clear.

With the Olympics still very much at the front of everyone’s mind I wanted to include a running track and use a gold medal in the design.   A few tyres to jump through, a net to crawl under and a wall to scale and the obstacles were in place.  

Robyn lives in a small townland called Turnings so signage depicting the ‘Turnings Games’ was also added.

On the evening of the party I received a lovely message from Robyn’s mum thanking me for the cake which was a huge success at the party and most importantly Robyn loved it.

Obstacle Course Cake, 27th August 2012

Obstacle Course Cake, 27th August 2012

Ben 10 Birthday Cake

This week last year my Nephew, Alan, turned 4.   I had been dabbling in cake decoration for about 9 months by then, so this was my first opportunity to make a cake for him.   Since December 2010 Alan had firmly decided that he wanted a Buzz Cake for his birthday.  Over the months that followed I was gently reminded on a regular basis that ‘you’re making a Buzz Cake for me’.  

So with all this advance notice and the eagerness of an aunt not wanting to disappoint a very excited little boy, I did my Toy Story research and spent many a quite time day dreaming about potential design options.   This involved trying to balance the desire for the maximum WOW factor with the reality of my then skill levels.

2 weeks before the big birthday I dropped by to get final confirmation on the cake theme.   To my surprise I learned that Buzz had been relegated and Ben 10 was now the hero of the day!   Not knowing a thing about Ben 10, I rushed home, grabed the remote control to Sky + a few episodes and settle in for a crash course in all things Ben.

With my new found knowledge of the world of Ben 10, I decided the Ben character and his watch would be the main focus of the design, with other elements added to bring it all together.   This was a most enjoyable cake to work on and it also allowed me the opportunity to experiment a little.   It was my first attempt at adding sugarpaste on wire to a cake design.   I was very pleased with the extra dimension these added to the design.  

The finished product was a huge success and Alan was thrilled with his cake.   All things considered I don’t think any of my Buzz ideas could have had as good a reaction as this one did.

I’m currently in the middle of this year’s 5^th Birthday Cake so drop back over the coming days to see how it turns out. 

Ben 10 Birthday Cake, 30th August 2011

Ben 10 Birthday Cake, 30th August 2011

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Happy 70th Birthday Dad

Last Saturday my Dad turned 70.   Saying it out loud makes it seem like a rather large number, but look and talk to my Dad and you will realise that it is just that, only a number.   So let's just say turning 70 is more a statement of experience and achievement than a declaration of age.  

We decided that it would be nice to mark the day with a small family gathering at my parents’ house.   True to Irish tradition, our initial plan of a small gathering evolved over time, so much so that we were completely dependent on having a fine day to accommodate guests.   Thankfully we were in luck and were blessed with a beautiful day.   Garden furniture sets were rounded up and together with the delivery of a large bouncy castle everyone was comfortably entertained outside.  A total of 83 family members (including aunts, uncles, cousins and their children) who have been lucky to share all or part of the past 70 years with my Dad joined the celebrations.

Having no sisters, I’ve basked in the role of only daughter over the years and performed my duties of such by allowing my Dad to be wrapped around my little finger. However, despite my eldest niece being 7, it was only last weekend when making this cake and thinking of the wonderful things my Dad has done for me throughout my life that it dawned on me that no longer was my Dad solely wrapped around my little finger but now he has two other little girls with equally effective little fingers. I couldn’t wish anything better for my nieces who are so lucky to have such a fantastic Grandad.

When it came to the cake I decided to keep it simple, knowing that I would need to help with other party preparations, so wouldn’t have too much time for detailed decorating.   The theme pretty much picked itself as my Dad has kept and trained greyhounds for longer than I can remember.   My initial design was for dogs racing around a simple cake.   However, as the day got closer, this idea seemed incomplete.   The more I thought of it the more I felt that the cake should also represent my Dad’s strong sense of family and so decided his 3 adorable grandchildren needed to be included on the cake.

The party was a great success, the cake was admired by all and the children were delighted to eat the various models.   More importantly my Dad had a wonderful day and was thrilled with so many family members taking time out to join in the day.

Happy 70th Birthday Dad.

 

Happy 70th Birthday Dad, 11th August 2012

 

Happy 70th Birthday Dad, 11th August 2012