Single Best Reaction to a Cake EVER!

It is not often that I am asked to do a 50th wedding anniversary cake. When it happens I want to make sure the cake is extra special. This cake however offered some special challenges and opportunities. You see this couple was going to have a surprise anniversary party so they knew nothing about the cake or anything which made it impossible for me or anyone else to interview them on their likes and dislikes. As I interviewed one of their sons I got that they wanted it to look like a wedding cake, stacked construction not separated, they wanted a big cake even though they were only planning a party for about 50-60 guests, they wanted a classic wedding cake but not too formal because the couple is not a traditional/formal couple. Okay so my first thought is I am supposed to make a formal wedding cake not look formal. As their son poured over the books and photos I had he kept picking intricate and more formal cakes with sprays of flowers and roping and wanted it all in white. So then I came up with an idea for a photo cake. No not a sheet cake with edible photos but separators between the layers of the cake that could have photos and words on the cakes. However after consulting with the family there were no photos to get their hands on for the cake and the words were a little too modern for them. So we went back and forth and up and down and after realizing that 50 was the golden anniversary the son agreed to a cake that was slightly off white (which would give it a less formal look) and gold ribbon separators instead of photos. As a matter of fact after seeing the 50 for the top of the cake he was inspired to go get the gold ribbon for me, which was a plain gold and he felt suited his parents style to add to the cake.

So I baked three butter cakes. Although we had discussed doing different flavors for different cakes when they realized there would be more cake than people they decided to go with one flavor. So I bakes a 14 inch, 10 inch and 6 inch cakes each two layered about 4 inch cakes when I got done. I set up the separators with the ribbon and had my dowel rods ready and in place. Getting the cake to where it needed to go was another issue.

The party was held in the Woodmen of the World building about 15 miles from my house. So I loaded up and headed down. Now remember this is a surprise party so everything must be set up well in advance and the cake is going to have to last several hours in one spot. Usually this is not a problem however this building was quaint, useful, and very old. Every time someone took a step in the building the entire floor would shake which made tables and chair shake so I figured out rather quickly we had a vibrating cake table which is not always good for stability. My other issue was the temperature. Although there was air in the building, it was a hot day outside and we were in and out a lot. Cake stability is best in a climate that is not changing and that is fairly cool. However you work with what you have and often pray for the best and that is what I did.

I quickly went to the task of getting the cake together and putting the finishing touches on it. The off white icing made the cake less formal than a wedding cake and the decorations on the side added a little whimsy to the cake giving it a great design and allowing it to be more of an anniversary cake. The finishing touches are the gold ribbon separators and the 50 in the top of the cake. Once it was together I hoped for the best and prayed we would not have much slippage.

The cake was up and I cleaned up, hiding all of my cake stuff until it was time to cut the cake. I waited as guests arrived and did my best to help out with other things. Now mind you, the family was in on the surprise, the guests were asked not to say anything (and didn't) but the husband had to be let in on it all to make it work. So instead of playing golf that morning he went to the building to help clean up and set up for his own anniversary party. As cooking was going on he left and went back home. His wife was under the impression that she was headed to an event in Lumberton and needed to be there by noon and if he was not ready in time she was prepared to leave him behind because this was very important to her to be at this event on time. To add to the story her son even had her make bannana pudding for the event (which he planned as one of the dishes for the party). So, as the story was related to all of us at the party, she is getting ready to leave her husband behind because it is taking him too long to get ready and she does not want to be late. She has already loaded the pudding in the car and he makes it out of the house in the nick of time and is complaining that he does not want to go to this event. As they get ready to turn the corner to head to Lumberton he looks the other way and pretends to notice all the cars at the Woodmen of the World building. He claims to be upset because no one is supposed to be there and turns the corner to further investigate. His wife on the other hand is very upset because she will be late for this very important event and is doing her best to convince him to leave this investigation alone and turn the car around. She is so busy she does not notice the people in the crowd at the building or the cars as they rush the car and yell surprise the look of shock and amazement on her face is priceless.

It takes several minutes for it all to sink in and realize that the event was a rouse to get her here and this party is for the happy couple. After hugging everyone and getting some family photos with sons, daughter in law and grandson she heads inside to a room full of friends and family. She makes the rounds in the room two other three times each time noticing someone else.

Still getting over the shock and letting it all sink in she turns to make another round and speak to everyone again and notices the cake. She stands frozen looking at it and tears well up in her eyes. I asked her if it was okay, did I do something wrong and she asked if I made the cake. I admitted I had and she just hugged me. She held her husbands hand and pointed to the cake and he admitted he knew about it, and she just quietly said,"I never had a wedding cake." That did it. Tears welled up in my eyes and I knew this cake was something more special than any other cake I had made.

As the party went on you could feel the love of this family and friends as they came together to celebrate over a fantastic meal. When it came time to cut the cake the happy couple got up together to cut it as if it were their wedding day. They opened gifts and shared in more laughter and love before sending everyone home. What a fantastic day and fantastic party!

Say "I Do" to the Cake

We've all seen or at least heard of the show saying I Do to the Dress, but what about the cake? Each wedding is different and what a bride or groom concentrates on as being the most important part of the wedding. For this wedding they kept telling me how the cake was going to be the show piece of the reception and all I could think about was how everyone would be looking at them not the cake...at least not until they cut it.

Well when I got to the church (the reception was in the social hall for the church), I was greeted by covered but empty tables, and the bride, with hair done and veil on getting ready to slip into her dress for photos, and several people who just looked at me in my jeans, polo shirt and ball cap concerned that I was dressed for the wedding. As I looked around for the cake table it was hard to miss.
On the wall hung a large wooden cross with white sheer fabric draped to each side and a ball of the fabric in the center. I found out later that the ball of fabric was actually filled with small white lights that looked really incredible when lit. In front of the cross and under this fabric ball was a round table, the cake table. To either side against the wall were two tables, with photos draped with cloth so the groom could not see the bride in her dress before the wedding (by the way I did get to see her in her dress and she looked like she stepped out of a fairy tale...every girls dream of how she hopes to look on her wedding day.) Through the middle of the room was a Z shape of tables for all the food that smelled so good simmering in the kitchen.

I went to work constructing this cake. There are days when I feel like I am either an architect or construction worker as I build these rather large cakes. I started with an 18 inch plate and placed the fountain and greenery around it and then added 13 inch columns. On top of the 6 13 inch columns sat a 16 inch heart shaped butter cake with off white icing, rose colored roses and sage colored leaves, stems and seashell border. Three inches above that cake sat a 12 inch cake and a nine inch cake on top of that. The topper was the most beautiful Lucite heart with two intertwined hearts, their names, and wedding date etched in the center. By the time the cake was up and constructed it was an inch shy of being a three foot wedding cake.

The bride saw it dashing from one part of the church to the other (trying to avoid being seen by the groom), and commented that it was beautiful. The groom had the opportunity to see it on his way to change for the big event, and seemed pleased with how it turned out. I gave cutting instructions to a very nice lady who was in charge of cutting the cake after they cut it, and she seemed ready to divide it up quickly and efficiently for all.

Today, the day after the wedding I have received several reports on how much people enjoyed the wedding and how happy the couple looked. I also heard from one of the guests that the cake was really good, which makes me happy that it was up and tasted good (because that is the most important part to me..who wants to celebrate the happiest day of their lives with a bad cake?). I am looking forward to hearing from the happy couple when they return from their honeymoon...in the meantime I will work on their wedding cake photo album, and enjoy being able to take a part in this happiest of occasions in their lives.

You Decide

Sometimes when trying to give some one an idea of what you can do you can give too many choices. I was trying to do that with this cake.

The questions were easy to answer but it is a case of seeing it with your own eyes versus, looking at a picture. Instead of giving you the answers (because the photos do that) I will give you the questions instead and you can decide for yourself.
Is off white icing better than white? What about lots of flower clusters? What about a little color versus all one color? Can you match the colors of the event? What would it look like with lots of color versus a little color?
What do flowers look like going up the side of the cake? What about different sizes of flowers? Can the top design be a little off center?

This is an 8 inch two layer cake made of butter fudge because sometimes chocolate can make the most difficult decisions much easier to handle. Or at least things seem a little sweeter at the time, but you can decide.

The Ugliest Best Cake Ever

It is not uncommon when working on a wedding cake to do sample cakes. When the brides mother has a birthday, well sometimes cake can do double duty. So in reference to the title I would say this is the ugliest sample wedding cake ever made, but not an unattractive birthday cake.

The cake is a two layered butter cake. I used two 12 inch heart cake pans and imprinted vines and various flowers. Not exactly my favorite design but I did get an e-mail saying it tasted pretty darn good. Stay tuned to see the next creations.

Creating a Life Memory

It is a special treat to be part of someones special day. The cake will stay in their freezer for a year and in their hearts and photos forever. I work with brides and families (rarely ever the groom...but I think that is an entirely different topic) to create the cake that will represent them on this special day, and stay within their budget.

Heather and Caleb had dated and been engaged for as long as I can remember. I work with Heather's mother and it was a treat when she asked if I would create their wedding cake. There were very few strings to this one, they wanted a white stacked cake, but with color. Knowing the couple, a pure white cake would have been too boring for them. Heather's colors were rose and purple and needed to be incorporated into the cake. After searching books, photos, and online images they created a cake that appealed to them, by combining the details from three different cakes. The other thing to keep in mind is that the happy couple decided to have a small wedding with immediate family and friends (about 50 people) so when creating the cake they didn't want anything to huge because they didn't want to be eating cake for the first year of their marriage.

When all was said and done, and the cake, in different flavors, was cut and served, I think everyone was happy with the outcome. Heather and Caleb kept the cake off of each others faces and seemed to have a wonderful day. We wish them the best of luck in their future together.