Sweet Marvels... a Custom Cakery

Martha Stewart 2010 Cutest Cupcakes Contest...Sweet Marvel's a Winner!

2011-02-10T13:56:00.002-06:00

I am proud to announce that Sweet Marvel’s was a grand prize winner (one of 20) in Martha Stewart’s 2010 Cutest Cupcakes Contest!

It was my butterfly beauties that won the prize… so cute and adorable! I so love the detail.

You can access my original post about these cupcakes by clicking here.

The winners are not yet announced on the site, but soon will be. Until then, you can view my winning submission.

What’s the prize you ask… well, I am soon to be the owner of a copy of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. A great book for any baker’s book shelf. I am hoping this book will allow me to take my cupcake game to a whole new level.

Thanks to Martha Stewart.com and thanks to everyone who loves my cupcakes as much as I do!

Yum!

Princess Tiana and Naveen- Double Hearts Cake

2010-08-08T23:51:00.002-05:00

The other week, I promised a special cake project using a double hearts cake pan and Cuisipro decorating pen, courtesy of CSN stores. I decided to create a male/female duo, using each heart as the bust of the figure. I originally wanted to do a bride and a groom, then later thought a princess and a prince was a little more original. When thinking of a princess and prince duo, it just had to be Disney Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. Who doesn't love a Princess Tiana cake?

The cake was a simple yellow cake with vanilla buttercream. I decided to make a double layer cake, for height. "Tiana" is covered in chocolate buttercream. All accents are made of marshmallow fondant.

I used the Cuisipro pen to pipe the cornelli lace on Tiana's dress. A little departure from her dress, but I wanted to try the pen out on a flat surface. It only took a second to get used to it, and it was a lot easier than the piping bag I usually use. I also tried piping some letters on the side. The Cuisipro pen will definitely be a tool that I use in my future projects. It's just like writing with a ballpoint pen.

I was really happy with how the cake turned out, I thought it was too cute. When it was complete, I put it on display on my dining room table for my family to enjoy and I think they liked it just as much as I did. I am looking forward to using the pan again and maybe next time I'll just make a simple heart.

Jumbo Cupcake Cake- Sweet Chocolate

2010-07-28T21:48:00.000-05:00

I made this cake in late June, but still wanted to share. I really LOVE the jumbo cupcake so I was very excited to make another one.

This cake is chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream filling, chocolate buttercream icing and milk chocolate cupcake liner. I sprinkled jumbo pink sprinkles and mini chocolate chips on top.

I thought this cupcake was cute and super yummy-looking. Hope it made for a happy birthday celebration!

Double Hearts Cake Coming!

2010-07-18T10:05:00.001-05:00

Rarely do I get to announce a project in advance, but there is something exciting on the horizon.

The great folks at CSN have given me the chance to review some of their products and I have selected a Frieling Double Heart Shaped Pan and a Cuisipro decorating pen. I have not used many shaped pans to date, so this is a new area for me, but one I am sure to enjoy. I have challenged myself to create a cake that doesn’t look extra corny and romantic (like most heart cakes) and has fabulous buttercream writing (something I do struggle with time to time). Something sure to look impressive, and tasty, in any dining room. I can’t wait!

Remember to check back to see how this Sweet Marvel will turn out.

Jumbo Cupcake Cake- 1st Birthday Celebration

2010-06-20T08:27:00.002-05:00

For my daughter's first birthday I could not skimp... full-time job and all. I had to do something fabulous and cute... but most of all, extra special. The theme of the birthday party was simply a cupcake. And while having cupcakes at the party was a given, we needed something special.... a jumbo cupcake.

The bottom cake as a 10" vanilla cake with Italian meringue buttercream. The jumbo cupcake was chocolate chocolate chip cake with Italian meringue buttercream. The letters and cherry were fondant. The cupcake liner was tinted white chocolate (I LOVED how it turned out) and the jumbo sprinkles were store-bought. The jumbo cupcake is SO my favorite thing to make right now.

Here is the inside of that fabulous giant jumbo cupcake. Lots of chocolate cake and icing!

I also made a 4" vanilla smash cake, also iced in Italian meringue buttercream. It had a half cupcake on top that also had a tinted chocolate liner and it's own real cherry. All ready for little fingers to dig in!

And lastly, we had 18 vanilla cupcakes iced in buttercream with sprinkles and cherries. Yum!

Here's our birthday girl! She opted out of the smash and went for a big bite of the cake instead! Happy Birthday Keyah!

Sesame Street Birthday

2010-04-24T14:28:00.003-05:00

Kids love, love, love Sesame Street.. so this Sesame Street cake (with Elmo as hero) was perfect for a 2nd birthday party. There was a 10" and 8" cake, both vanilla butter with strawberry buttercream filling... so yummy.

The cake came with one single cupcake, complete with a huge Elmo topper. See.. while the party was on Saturday, the birthday girl's actual birthday was Sunday. So this cute cupcake was saved to enjoy on her actual birthday.

I really enjoyed making the cake and there is so much to love about it.

It looked jazzy from the front AND jazzy from the back. The "clouds" and "trees" were made from vanilla buttercream.

Here is a close-up of those lovely buttercream trees. I loved how they turned out.

Our hero Elmo!

Here's Elmo again, this time hanging out with the birthday girl's name

Cookie Monster! I love his bitten cookie and cookie bits in his mouth.

Big Bird! There is no Sesame Street without this friendly foul.

Out friend Bert...owner of the unibrow... Al B, sorry, he got you beat!

Ernie! Smiling and sunny, as usual.

And Dorothy...you can't have Elmo without Dororthy. She was dusted in gold and even had tiny scales.

It all made for a perfect Sesame Street birthday!

iCarly Rocks Birthday Style

2010-04-17T22:08:00.002-05:00

iCarly is all the rage and perfect for a sweet and fun birthday celebration. This 8" 2-layer vanilla cake with fresh strawberry filling helped celebrate a precious 8-year-old's birthday. All accents were made of fondant and everything was edible.

I loved the duo-toned frosting. My first attempt and I must admit....I LOVE how it turned out. I also loved the fun iCarly letters used for the birthday girl's name.

Here's our laptop and mouse, so you can just zoom on over to iCarly.com for more fun.

I hope our birthday girl loved her iCarly cake. She can just take a slice, switch on Nickelodeon, curl up and enjoy!

Baby, Are You Ready for Some Football?

2010-04-17T14:00:00.000-05:00

A football-themed baby shower needed the perfect game-time treats and cupcakes with matching topper cake fit the bill. The 3 and a half dozen cupcakes came in three flavors... chocolate with vanilla icing, vanilla with vanilla icing and lemon with lemon icing. Yum. The topper was a 5" 2 layer cookies and cream cake with cookies and cream filling topped with vanilla icing. Footballs, blanket and oh-so-adorable baby boy were all made of fondant and edible!

The football on top of the cake was actually a molded rice krispie treat covered in buttercream and fondant. Don't miss the blue football helmet on his blanket...you just gotta cover that baby's head.

Up close and personal with the cupcakes. I love the "grass" and our little pigskins even have dimpling.

The sweet little baby boy. There is so much to love about him... his cute diaper, his precious curls, his adorable belly button.

NFL... eat your heart out.

Abracadabra... It's Abby Cadabby!

2010-04-11T11:06:00.001-05:00

Sesame Street's Abby Cadabby brought birthday happiness. With the wave of a wand, this cake magically appeared for a 3rd birthday celebration. There were two layers of vanilla butter goodness with strawberry filling. One 10" and one 8" both covered in vanilla buttercream with fondant accents.

Magical stars and colorful flowers wrapped around the cake.

Here's our pecious Abby with her magic wand.

Up close on Abby's face. Too cute! I love her freckles and those tiny eye lashes.

Here's Abby from the back. Sweet little wings and I just loved how her hair turned out.

Another Sweet Marvel bringing birthday magic! Poof!

1st Birthday Princess

2010-04-10T10:35:00.006-05:00

Another first birthday celebration... this one for a precious princess! I love the sweet simplicity of this cake and smash cake combo. The "1" was a 10" x 15" 2-layer vanilla butter cake with 1/2 strawberry filling. The smash cake was a 5" single layer. Both cakes were covered in vanilla buttercream and all of the accents (tiaras, wands, flowers) were made of fondant and edible!

Up close with that fabulous tiara. Fit for any princess.

Here is the tiara and the wand on the smash cake. Identical to the main cake. A princess has got to smash her precious fingers into something fabulous.

Pink, purple, tiara and wands... perfect for a first birthday princess!

A Princess Party!

2010-03-30T14:32:00.001-05:00

Every little girl just loves a princess party and there is no better cake for a princess party than a Disney Princess castle cake! This cake was a 2 layer 8" and a 2 layer 6" cookies and cream cake with cookies and cream filling (yum) covered in vanilla buttercream. All accents are marshmallow fondant and everything is edible.

Cinderella

Belle

Aurora

And you can't have a princess cake, or party, without a tiara!

Organic 1st Birthday

2010-03-29T14:16:00.001-05:00

These cakes were for a sweet little guy's first birthday. And they weren't just any cakes... oh no, they were organic vanilla butter with vanilla buttercream icing, chocolate buttercream borders and chocolate fondant accents. The main cake was a 12" 2 layer and the smash cake was 6" single layer.

This cake was like a first birthday for me too... my first organic cake!

Roller Skating Fun!

2010-03-29T14:09:00.004-05:00

Roller skating must be all the rage now, because I recieved another request for a roller skating cake, but this time for a roller-skating little boy. This was a 12" vanilla butter cake with vanilla butter cream icing and filling.

The groovy skate was made of fondant and completely edible.

I got word from the mom after the party and she let me know that the cake was the hit of the party!

Twilight Book Cake

2010-03-22T15:04:00.003-05:00

Although I have not yet read one of the books, I have heard that Twilight is awesome. And for a fan of the series...a Twilight book design makes for the perfect cake. This 6" x 8" chocolate cake with chocolate filling was covered in vanilla buttercream and partially covered with fondant. 'Twilight" and "Arika" was piped in vanilla buttercream. The hands and apple were hand-painted fondant and everything was edible.

I was really happy with how the "pages" turned out. You almost want to reach out and lift a page.

Well, the birthday girl loved it. Part of her didn't want to cut it, but the part that really wanted chocolate cake won that battle.

Roller Boogie Birthday

2010-03-22T14:46:00.003-05:00

Roller birthday skating parties can be so cool. And a cool party deserves a cool cake. This 1/2 sheet cake was the perfect centerpiece for a sweet 9-year-old's birthday skating party. The cake was chocolate with vanilla buttercream and all accents, including the little roller skate girl, were fondant and edible.

I just love this little girl, modeled after the birthday girl. From her sweet smile to her jazzy jeans...so adorable! Looks like she took a tumble on the roller rink.

Let's hope that the birthday girl had a great 9th birthday and stayed on her feet while skating!

Monkey Business for a First Birthday

2010-03-20T11:45:00.005-05:00

First birthdays can be so fun and this one was no different. This cake and smash cake combo were made for our godson, well my husband's godson, but I'm claiming him too! The #1 cake was 5" wide by 8.5" tall, chocolate with chocolate filling and vanilla buttercream icing... all soy. The smash cake was 5" and chocolate as well. All accents were made of fondant and all edible.

Vines and leaves draped the sides... monkey heaven!

Here's a close-up of our cheeky monkey. He's having a ball just hanging around. I just love how his tail wraps around the vine at the top.

The birthday boy's name amidst the jungle vines and leaves.

Here's our smash cake. Another cute cheeky monkey. This looks just perfect for little hands to smash into!

Here's wishing Amir a happy first birthday... and there's no business about that!

The Fashionista Shopaholic

2010-03-16T21:09:00.001-05:00

Recession or not, we women love shopping... some of us more than others. So when I was asked to make a cake for my neighbor and friend, someone I knew loved to hit the stores on the regular, I knew just the theme... shopping!

The cake was an 8" vanilla butter cake with strawberry filling. All of the accents are made of home made marshmallow fondant and completely edible!

Here is the fashionista carrying her shopping bags... hey, is that Vicky Secrets? Don't you just love her outfit?

Shopping bags and dresses surrounded the sides of the cake.

Forget the little black dress.. everyone needs a little red dress!

Purple with black trim... classic and stylish.

Yellow is perfect for spring and the red belt and rose... so cute.

Let's hope our fashionista had a great birthday!

Princess Tiana Brings Birthday Goodness

2010-03-08T14:43:00.015-06:00

Today was my daughter's 4th birthday and I had to make a special cake... a Princess Tiana cake. This cake was small... only 6", but packed with goodness.... moist chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream filling and frosting. Tiana, my birthday girl's name and "4" were all made of fondant.

Tiana sure looked cute and I loved the fondant "Saada."

And the birthday girl just loved it! Happy 4th birthday Saada boo, number 4 looks good on you!

More Fabulous Shoe Cupcakes

2010-03-07T14:12:00.001-06:00

A lady can not have too many pairs of shoes. Whether they are leather, suede or even fondant, the more the merrrier. So making a dozen pink and green fondant shoes for a dozen moist red velvet cupcakes was perfect for a shoe-loving birthday girl.

Who doesn't love a stylish pump?

Warm weather is coming... time to show those heels ladies!

A kitten heel is always a winner, especially one with a darling rose.

How cute... bows are not just for little girls, they are for big girls too!

The simple flip-flop with the delicate rose.

And the flat, simple yet lovely. Don't you just love the bow?

Well I simply loved these shoes and turns out the birthday girl did too. She refused to eat the shoe toppers, instead she froze them. Just too cute to eat!

Chocolate Heaven

2010-03-01T22:23:00.000-06:00

Men get decadent birthday cakes, like this chocolate wonder. And this cake is a chocolate lover's dream... moist chocolate cake, rich chocolate filling, creamy chocolate buttercream, smooth chocolate ganache, sweet chocolate covered strawberries and a milk chocolate "K" to top it off. Yum, yum, extra yum.

Here is a close-up of the strawberries and chocolate "K"... can't you just taste it?!

Some may think it is chocolate overboard, but I think the birthday boy was in chocolate heaven.

Beautiful Butterflies

2010-02-28T23:07:00.002-06:00

A dozen cupcakes help make birthday fun for a sweet and sassy 3-year-old. These white butter cupcakes were iced in vanilla buttercream and topped with fondant butterflies, lady bugs and bees made to match the invite.

"O' is for Olivia, our birthday girl.

Let's celebrate, she's turning 3!

Here is a close up of the butterfly with the friendly bee.

It all added up to a happy birthday girl!

Thomas the Train.. Toot toot!

2010-02-28T22:56:00.001-06:00

This cake was very special. It was the first real cake that a special 5-year-old ever had. Unfortunately, he suffered from a myraid of food allergies, gluten, eggs, milk... all adding up to no cake for him. But recently, his allergies has a change of course, making him able to eat cake. We just had to make it soy. No problem!

This was a small personal cake, just for the birthday boy. It was 7" long and 4" wide. While the outside was buttercream with fondant accents, the inside was chocolate cake with chocolate filling. A perfect first cake.

Batman to the Rescue

2010-02-21T17:59:00.001-06:00

Another super hero was needed, but this time Gotham City was the birthday scene. This 10" vanilla butter cake with fresh strawberry filling was covered in vanilla buttercream with fondant accents and it was the perfect cake for the Batman-loving birthday boy.

What birthday boy wouldn't just love to see his name in Batman's search light?

And you can not have Batman without Gotham City. The "buildings" wrapped around the entire cake.

There was no crime that day, but Batman still came to the rescue for a fun and sweet birthday celebration.

A Perfect Strike

2010-02-20T17:44:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you, but I am not the best bowler. I've seen quite a few gutter balls, very few spilts and even fewer strikes. But I still love bowling, and so does a special 6-year-old. She was having a bowling party to celebrate her birthday and needed a cake that could fit the theme.

This was a yummy 10" cookies and cream cake with cookies and cream filling (one of my favorite flavors) covered in vanilla buttercream. The "bowling ball" was also cake covered in fondant. The fondant bowling pins wrapped around the cake (10 in total), just waiting to be knocked down.

I loved how the marbling on the bowling ball turned out. Looked like you could just pick it up and throw it down the alley.

I didn't get to see the birthday girl's reaction, but I hope this cake was a perfect strike for her tummy!

Spider Man, Spider Man...Does Whatever a Cupcake Can?

2010-02-16T17:12:00.002-06:00

Cupcakes are not just for pretty flowers, fashionable shoes and romatically swirly letters and hearts. They are for super heros too! My little cousin was turning 6 and promptly requested blue Spiderman cupcakes to help celebrate. So off I went to create vanilla cupcakes frosted with blue-tinted buttercream and topped with fondant accents.

While Spiderman faces would be exciting, I thought that chocolate fondant spiders just might be a little more special. I even dusted them lightly with silver. I also included red fondant "N"s (his initial) and "6"s, but I think the spiders spun the biggest web of excitement.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T14:09:00.003-06:00

This Valentine's Day kept me busy with... you guessed it.. cupcakes! Cupcakes for kids, cupcakes for preschoolers and cupcakes fit for a man.

Pink and white vanilla cupcakes with fondant pink and red open and closed hearts brought sweet Valentine's Day love to 24 preschoolers!

Could Valentine's Day pass without red velvet cupcakes?! I think not. Red sprinkles and fondant hearts and "S"s make these a special treat for a sweet little first grader.

Men need Valentine's Day sweet love too! Caramel cupcakes topped with fondant hearts and "C"s made for a delicious Valentine's Day surprise for a lucky man.

Boy, what a sweet Valentine's Day it was.

Cupcakes Fit to be FABULOUS!

2010-02-06T16:21:00.003-06:00

I am right in the middle of a cupcake frenzy and these just might be the most fabulous bunch. I made a dozen red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing. The birthday girl loved shoes and her favorite color is purple. So no better cupcakes toppers than purple shoes (each one unique), purple "35"s and "A"s (her fabulous age and her initial).

I really got into my 6 little shoes. Each was only slightly larger than a quarter. It was all about the details.

Here is our sandal. Simple, yet sophisticated. Note the "A," personalization is always in style.

The funky pointy-toe heel. I just love the pink and purple rope and the tiny button.

The high heel sandal. This felt very Carmen Jones to me and I loved the tiny rose.

The simple, yet stylish flat.

The square-toe pump. And patened leather too. Don't you just love that flower!?

Last, but not least, we have the funky wedge with the tiny white rose. And while it is just fabulous like this, I did add an ankle strap after this photo... to make it even more fabulous.

These cupcakes were a big hit upon pick-up and hopefully the birthday girl loved all the fashion and flair these fabulous cupcakes had.

Cupcakes Fit for a Man

2010-01-28T13:47:00.003-06:00

Everything comes in waves... and for me, my recent wave has been a wave of cupcakes. It started with the cupcakes I made for my daughter's preschool. And it is continuing with a request from a close friend to celebrate her husband's birthday... yep, she asked for cupcakes!

Now, you can have just any ole cupcakes for a man's birthday...no pink cupcakes with sparkles and sprinkles. Those won't do. These were caramel cupcakes. The cake was a moist vanilla butter cake with just a delicate hint of brown sugar and topped with rich, thick, buttery caramel frosting.

I did want to give them a little pazazz, so I made gold fondant initials and hearts toppers. Just enough to give them some personality.

So another cupcake batch down but... there is still yet another cupcake project waiting in the wings and these will be fabulous!

The Cupcake Surprise

2010-01-22T22:04:00.007-06:00

I wanted to share a treat with my daughter's preschool and I know from my experience with children, there is no better treat than a box of cupcakes. So... a dozen cupcakes were baked, iced and on their way to fill the tummies of a few preschoolers.

Half the cupcakes were chocolate and the other half vanilla tinted pink- because we had to make them fancy. Half were frosted in chocolate buttercream and the other half in vanilla buttercream tinited pink- still keeping it fancy. And all were topped with pink sparkles.

I dropped the cupcakes off in the morning and I returned at noon, just in time to see my daughter proudly passing out cupcakes to the class. Even though the cupcakes I sent to school didn't have the fancy fondant flowers (I added those to the extra ones that stayed at home), the kids still gobbled them up super fast anyway. I saw lots of faces smeared with pink and brown icing and huge 3-year-old smiles. All surfire proof that my daughter made an impression. Go'on girl!

Happy Kwanzaa!

2009-12-28T21:12:00.003-06:00

Christmas was a bit of a whirlwind of sweets... pies, cakes, cookies, puddings and a cobbler. As we were we celebrating Christmas, some started their celebration of Kwanzaa and this 3-layer German Chocolate cake was there to aid in the celebration. Inside was coconut pecan filling and it was covered in whipped chocolate buttercream. All of the accents were made of marshmallow fondant.

Fondant symbols of the seven Kwanzaa principles wrapped around the sides of the cake. They were actually gold and shimmery.

On the top, we have the kinara with the 7 red, black and green candles, each representing a Kwanzaa principle.

Happy Kwanzaa!

The Princess & The Frog.... A Love Story

2009-12-20T10:58:00.011-06:00

When I was asked to make a cake with the Princess & the Frog theme, I was excited. Our first African American Disney princess and here I was using that inspiration to make something delicious.

The cake was white butter cake with strawberry filling and vanilla buttercream. The accents (frogs, scrolls, lilly pads) were marshmallow fondant...everything was edible. The bottom was 10" and the top was 8," both 3-layer cakes. But it is the details of this cake that you just have to love...

Here is a close-up of the frogs, Tiana and Naveen, looking at each other lovingly. Oh, so cute!

Here is our birthday girl's name. Each letter was molded (with love) by hand from fondant.

One of my favoriate elements on the cake were the scrolls. Fun and whimsical, they followed the pattern from the partyware artwork. The scrolls reached all around the cake.

All is all, this was just a Princess & the Frog day for me. The day I finished the cake, my daughters and I went the Princess and the Frog birthday party (we were also invited guests and got to see everyone loving on the cake) and we went to see the movie! While it might be too totally Tiana for most, it was simply sweet and precious to me.

And the love story I am talking about is not with Naveen and Tiana, it's about me and this cake, because I simply LOVED it! One of my all-time favorites.

A Christening Celebration

2009-12-14T19:12:00.006-06:00

This cake helped celebrate the christening of a happy 6-year-old little boy. The cake was 16" high and 12" across. It was a delicious vanilla butter cake with fresh strawberry filling and french vanilla buttercream.

As with most of my cakes, I loved the glittery, loopy bow.

But the highlight of the cake was the milk chocolate little boy. Little Amir just couldn't wait to get at it!

Put on Your Karate Gi and... EAT!

2009-12-06T14:21:00.009-06:00

A close family friend wanted a special cake to celebrate her husband's birthday who was, among many things, a brown belt in karate. So no better way to celebrate than a karate gi cake. Master, I am ready for the challenge.

The cake was a 9" x 13" yellow butter cake with fresh strawberry filling and vanilla buttercream. The gi collar, belt, karate silhoeutte patch and letters were all made of marshmallow fondant.

The brown belt reached all the way around the sides of the cake. You have to keep your belt tight when you're about to battle.

"Happy Birthday" was hand cut in fancy karate-type letters... the next best thing to authenic Chinese lettering.

The kicking karate man was also hand-cut from fondant. He'll take first place in any karate tournament.

Now for the the name tag. This was the first one. At time of pick-up I learned that "Stephen" was spelled wrong... Master, I have failed. But no worries, after a quick "wax on, wax off," the change was made to "Steven."

I emerge victorious well on my way to a black belt in cake decorating!

A Lil Something Different for a Baby Shower... Rice Krispie Treats!

2009-12-06T13:30:00.006-06:00

I got a call for a baby shower and I was very excited... I love baby shower cakes. But it wasn't for a cake... it was for rice krispie treats. The mom-to-be didn't want cake, she wanted chocolate covered rice krispie treats. 50 of them, half covered in milk chocolate and half covered in white chocolate.

I hadn't decorated rice krispie treats before, but I was up for the challenge. Just because it's not cake, doesn't mean it can't be creative and fun. So I made chocolate covered rice krispie treats shaped like baby carriages, baby faces and onesies. The carriages and babies were milk chocolate and the onesies were tinted white chocolate. Fun!

The shower theme was Winnie the Poo, so some of the onesies had chocolate Pooh's on them.

Beautiful and smiling chocolate babies with colorful pacifiers made of marshmallow fondant.

Onesies that didn't get the chocolate Poohs got the babiy's initials... "OJ."

Even though it wasn't a cake, I still had fun with the rice krispie treats and I think they turned out pretty sweet and oh so cute. Can't wait for the next batch.

Touchdown!

2009-12-05T16:36:00.016-06:00

It was game time, again, for my line sister Ronda. Another duo birthday celebration, but this time for two little football stars- her son, Christian (Rice #35) and his team mate. The cake was a 13" x 9" half chocolate with whipped chocolate buttercream filling, the other half vanilla butter cake with vanilla buttercream filling. The cake was iced in vanilla buttercream with marshmallow fondant accents (jerseys, lines, letters, numbers). The football was rice krispie treats covered in chocolate marshmallow fondant.

An arial view helps to get the full effect. Imagine you're the Goodyear blimp flying over Soldier Field.

Here's a close up of the rice krispie football. Pig skin never tasted so good.

And the birthday boys, all ready to rush this field.

The day after the party, my line sister let me know that the birthday boys and their friends loved the cake. Touchdown!

Two ladies, two shoes...one birthday celebration!

2009-11-27T18:15:00.008-06:00

This Thanksgiving, in addition to a boat load of sweets for family, I made this birthday cake for my line sister, Ronda. It was a 10"x 5" three layer white butter cake (one of my favorites) and everything was edible. The "shoe box" was a 2 layer cake with strawberry buttercream filling and iced in vanilla buttercream. The box top was a seperate cake iced in strawberry buttercream then covered in chocolate marshmallow fondant. The shoes and tissue paper were vanilla marshmallow fondant.

The heel was for her mother-in-law, Lolita. A stylish, now, 60 year-old with a love of fashionable footwear. The shoe was modeled after the Kate Spade Loupe Sandal sans the ankle strap and with a few color tweaks.

And the flip flop for her cousin, Jennifer, a Mizzou college student.

Happy birthday ladies, there's no better way to celebrate anything than with new shoes!

Naeemah's Gift

2009-11-25T09:08:00.009-06:00

This cake was a very special gift for my goddaughter Naeemah. It's special because it is the first cake I have made for Naeemah, despite the fact that I have been making cakes for going on two years. I had made her sister two cakes, her mom a cake, but none for Naeemah. So when Naeemah's birthday rolled around again I knew that I had to make something spectacular to make up for the missed opportunity. This would have to be a very special cake.. a very special gift.

The bottom was 7.5" two layer vanilla cake with strawberry buttercream and french vanilla buttercream covering. The top was also cake. A single layer of vanilla cake iced in french vanilla buttercream and covered in vanilla fondant. All of the accents are in vanilla fondant.

I loved the tissue paper that stuck out of the box.

And I loved her big satiny bow and name tag. Happy birthday Naeemah. Hopefully I am now redeemed!

FAQ

2009-11-25T09:05:00.011-06:00

How did you learn to decorate cakes? I took three Wilton cake decorating courses at Cakewalk Chicago, but I learned lot from the internet as well... cake decorating sites and YouTube videos.

How long have you been decorating cakes? I started my first decorating class in March of 2008 and I have been hooked ever since!

Do you make anything besides cakes? Yes. I make cheesecakes (lots of flavors) and I LOVE to do cupcakes.

Where do you get your recipes? All over! I have a few from cookbooks and cake decorating books, even some from the backs of ingredient boxes, but I get the most recipes from the internet, it's a recipe goldmine!

Where do you get your cake ideas? I get a lot of inspiration from the internet on cake decorating sites and also some cake design books that I have. I like to see what others have done with a similar theme/challenge, find something I like, then put my own lil' twist on it.

What's your favorite cake flavor? White butter cake. The recipe I have is simply delicious. So sweet you can eat it without frosting. And my favorite frosting...buttercream, particularly Italian meringue buttercream. It is is sweet and rich, yet light and fluffy...perfect! And I have to add cookies & cream cake with cookies & cream filling- it is the BEST!

Ummm, what is fondant? Fondant is like an edible clay. It is moldable and versatile. It can be used to cover cakes (a lot of wedding cakes are covered in fondant) or to make cake accents... figures, bows, flowers, stripes, etc., etc. A lot of fondant isn't that tasty, unfortunately. I, however, make my own fondant out of marshmallows and powdered sugar, which tastes yummy and the kids love it!

Do you plan to open a bakery? No plans to open a bakery at the moment, but you never know what the future holds.

Do you have a dream cake that you want to make? I do. At the moment it's a carved Nike Air Force One (athletic shoe). Look out for the post!

A Zebra Striped 18th Birthday Surprise!

2009-11-20T17:37:00.004-06:00

No, not my birthday...just a sweet lady named Alyssa who's dad realized the day before her 18th birthday that he needed a cake. And it wasn't a surprise birthday party for Alyssa... no, the cake was a last minute surprise to me! I usually want at least a week advance notice on a decorated cake so I can make all the pieces and take my sweet time to get everything perfect. So you can imagine that getting the request a day before was a bit of madness.

But, I hustled and ended up here- a 13" x 9" two layer chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream filling and covered in french vanilla buttercream with home made marshmallow accents. The black zebra stripes are chocolate marshmallow fondant and the pink and white pieces are vanilla.

I really loved the big loopy bow and the name tag. "Alyssa" is actually made of melted and tinted white chocolate.

I also loved the black and white zebra striped "18." Details, details, details!

It was a last minute mad dash to get this cake done, but I enjoyed making it and I am happy knowing that someone will have a yummy celebration for their 18th birthday with a sweet marvel.

The Bachelorette... a naughty treat

2009-11-14T16:08:00.002-06:00

This sexy bustier marks two firsts for me. #1- my first bachelorette cake (something my friend Anika noted as a need for my portfolio- thanks for the feedback) and #2- my first sculpted cake. When the order came in, I was more than excited to get started.

So... the naughty details. This is a 9" x 13" (hip to hip & ruffle to ruffle) two layer devil food's cake with chocolate buttercream filling covered in vanilla buttercream. The black ribbons and ruffles are homemade chocolate marshmallow fondant and the pink roses are homemade vanilla marshmallow fondant. All edible!

Like most of my cakes, this started as sketch. The idea was borrowed from a fellow baker on a cake decorating site with modifications here and there. I provided several options, but between you and me, this was actually my favorite. Who can resist edible underwear?

I am pretty pleased with the outcome. As you can see, this lady put on a few pounds between the sketch and the cake, but I am sure no one minded. It was just more of her to love... more cake that is. For once, a few inches on a woman's waist were welcome. Ahh... if only we all were cake.

Like a lot of us, she had to work to get her figure, thick waist and all. The cake started as a 9" x 13" sheet and a half loaf pan. After an hour or so of cosmetic cake surgery, the final form emerged in all her sensuous glory. The day after the party I got feedback that the cake was "sinfully delicious.".. I was hoping for orgasmic, but I'll take sinfully delicious any day.

Everyday Cakes... you don't need a birthday for yummy goodness!

2009-11-04T22:16:00.002-06:00

Everyday cakes can (and should) look just as good as birthday cakes and other special occasion cakes. So when as I went about preparing these cakes for BBQ's, picnics, get togethers, or just because, I still aimed to make them look fabulous!

Baby Cakes... what cuties!

2009-11-04T22:12:00.002-06:00

I've had the pleasure of only doing these few baby/baby shower cakes. Baby-themed cakes are just like kids cakes... they can be fun, colorful and playful too. The belly cake was particularly fun to do and delightful to all the shower attendees. I am looking forward to the next baby cake!

Adult Birthday Cakes...adults want to have fun too!

2009-11-04T21:43:00.003-06:00

Adult birthday cakes can be fun too! While some people like to keep it simple and plain, some like a little flair. Here are some adult birthday cakes that I made.

Kid Cakes...let the fun begin!

2009-11-04T21:20:00.002-06:00

Making cakes for kids is the absolute BEST. In fact, I would say it is my favorite thing to do. The cakes are fun, colorful and playful and they have the BEST flavors like chocolate chip, rainbow, cookies and cream and strawberry swirl. These are some photos from some of the cakes that I have done for family and friends. Each one of these cakes lit up the eyes and delighted the tummies of some happy little people!

Sweet Marvels... a custom cakery.. and so it begins

2009-11-04T20:50:00.000-06:00

Today, I sent this lovely german chocolate cake off with a happy young lady hoping to provide her honey (her fiance') with a sweet surprise. It was my very first german chocolate cake. I was so sad to see it leave. There were 3 layers of moist chocolate cake filled with coconut pecan filling, covered with whipped chocolate buttercream (one of my husband's favorite), drizzled with chocolate sauce and topped, yet again, with coconut pecan filling. I just wanted to know how it tasted. I had made a tiny sample cake out of scraps, but it just was not the same. Ah, another one out the door. I'd just have to wait on her feedback.

Earlier in the day, I texted a photo of the cake to the young lady, which she quickly shared with her friends and family. "Oohhh," she said when picking up the cake, "why don't you open up a bakery?" I had heard it before, every time someone saw my photos. They'd also ask "do you have a website?" I was always at a lost. But today I am doing something about that.... here it is Sweet Marvels... my blog. A place where I can share my creations and the story behind them. Not a bakery...but it is a start.