Mets Cap

For you Mets fans out there....

One tool I love to use when making gumpaste decorations is the stitching tool.  I took this one from my mom's alteration kit :)  It creates such a realistic pattern and dimension, which is perfect for the stitching on this hat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stay warm, it's almost Christmas!!

Blog Features

Sweet madeline cake for my friend Nanette's 25th Birthday!
White cake with fresh strawberry buttercream :)  Hand-cut gumpaste numbers painted with edible gold.

Brides.com (website for Brides Magazine) posted us in a Get to Know feature.

Head to the Hip Hostess blog to read what I see as the top 5 trends in wedding cakes!  Vibrant colors, monograms, graphic motifs, eco-friendly....

Manolo for the Brides shares that our cakes can be cute and sophisticated at the same time :)

Cake with Kate

During the craziness of Thanksgiving week, I had an opportunity to help Kate Sullivan from Lovin Sullivan Cakes on an extraordinary Bar Mitvah cake.  The cake was themed after AND delivered to the new Yankee Stadium.  Kate is a seasoned cake competitor (Food Network cake challenges, TLC cake off...) and this awesome cake might as well have been one of them!

Kate stacking the bottom tiers.

 

Here's me painting the Yankee's hat for the top

 

Kate was the first designer that I interned for when I moved to New York and since then, she has been a cake mentor to me.  Not to mention, she and her family are absolutely the sweetest people in the city!  Her cakes are stylized, elegant, modern, and colorful.  Appropriately named a Modern Bride Trendsetter in 2008, her work never ceases to amaze me.

About a year ago,  I was also able to help her with the seasonal collection of cakes from the Real Simple Weddings magazine that's currently still on stands!


Check out her website not only to see her cakes, but also her blog, videos, and cake challenge photos!

Cake Questions

Merci New York and I collaborated to answer a few commonly asked caked questions that brides might have as they look for their wedding cake.  Check out their wonderful site and here are some of the questions to help you:

What should a bride bring to her initial consultation?
At consultations, I always ask a bride to bring various inspirations such as photos, color palettes, themes, their invitation samples, patterns, or any other ideas ideas they've been dreaming of. If your fiancée cannot come with you, it's always a good idea to bring a friend or family member rather than coming alone. They can provided valuable feedback in moments of indecisiveness and act as creative support.

Which frosting is the best for wedding cakes?
We coat all our cakes in a layer of buttercream and then finish it off with a layer of fondant. I believe it produces the cleanest finish and is the best method of preservation because it seals in the cake from air. Everyone thinks fondant tastes so horrible, but there are international brands that are delicious and flavored fondant (such as white chocolate and milk chocolate) that taste like tootsie rolls. It's also very simple for your caterer to remove fondant from the cake before serving it to your guests, so don't automatically rule it out because of the myths.

What is the biggest misconception brides have about their wedding cake?
I think the most popular misconception is that wedding cakes look great but taste bad. Wrong, your wedding cake can taste amazing! There are crucial points to consider to overcome this mistaken belief.
1. Make sure you choose a great baker that will use the freshest and finest ingredients. Lots of bakeries use shortening instead of real butter, low quality cocoa, and imitation extracts to cut their costs. It's okay to ask these questions and it's always better to pay a little more for a baker that will use quality ingredients. The final product can only be as good as the ingredients that go into it.
2. Make sure they will bake your cake the week of the event instead of using frozen stock.
3. Be sure to keep it simple and choose flavors that complement each other. If you don't know what kind of buttercream goes best with your pumping cake, don't choose pistachio just because it's good and it's your favorite. Certain flavors pair better with each other so ask your baker for recommendations. {I'd say cream cheese}! This is why the tasting consultation is such a crucial part of wedding planning.