Where Designs Come From

Sometimes customers will have the exact cake design in mind when they place an order right down to the ribbon on the board and the color of the of the inscription. Nothing is better than knowing what you want! (although I always have the caveat that I can't simply duplicate a design from a picture--every customer deserves to have a cake custom designed for them!) 

More often though customers have a theme or an color palette they want to work with--and this is when designing gets fun! If it is available, one of the best articles to work from is the invitation to the party!  The invitation gives me an idea of colors, theme, and the personality of the party.  

 

 This was an adorable baby shower cake that was designed based on the invitation.  The party originally started out as a Very Hungry Caterpillar theme, but as the idea grew the planners wanted to include more vintage toys and books into the decorating.  The table centerpieces had all sorts of old bears, etch-a-sketch, pull telephones, and wooden blocks.  The cake did a great job pulling together the original invitation and the expanded theme.

This First Birthday cake was an amalgamation of a few different cake elements pulled together to create one frilly and festive cake for the birthday girl. The party theme was pulled together by the invitation with blue, rose, yellow and pink colors with polka dots and the requested frills of the rosettes. The striped "1" topper is echoed in the striped candle on the graphic.

This little boy had a high-flying first birthday with an entire airplane theme party!  Custom graphic had the invitation as a boarding pass, so naturally I wanted to make sure the cake and cupcakes soared with style.  The cake featured a sculpted, fondant-covered Rice Krispy Treat airplane topper on a buttercream cake with clouds on the sides.  The coordinating cupcakes were also finished with a stand up cloud topper. 

The great thing about working with a custom cake designer is that you aren't limited to choosing a cake out of a book.  Each cake is designed especially for you: from the decadent cake flavors and style of buttercream right down to the pearls on the crown. And if you don't want to make ALL those decisions, just provide a little inspiration and let the designer work some sugar magic. 

It's been a while...

Hello out there in bloggerland!  Thank you for stopping by and I apologize for leaving this blog hanging for the past few months.  While I love the intimacy of the blog format for sharing cakes and stories of how they have come to be, the gravitational pull of Facebook has conquered the weekly show and tell of Sugar Song Cake. 

 It has been a busy winter season for me, and I have had the opportunity to make many beautiful cakes for so many lovely customers!  I think that most anyone who is reading this blog now is also following me on Facebook, but if not I invite you to stop by and see what is happening!  You can find Sugar Song at:

 www.facebook.com/SugarSongCakes

or on my new website:

www.sugarsongcakes.com


This blog is going dormant for a while, (unless there is some great outcry for mildly witty cake prose to go with some kick ass cakes.) In the meantime check me out above and keep it sweet! Hope to see you soon.

A Home Run Wedding

When a boy proposes to his true love on opening day at Fenway, its no surprise that they would want to incorporate a love for their favorite sport into the day they celebrate their love for each other. The bride was very involved with the design of the cake, which shows the perfect balance of bridal elegance and whimsey.

This cake is done in 12", 9", and 6" rounds covered in white fondant. The bottom tier had tone on tone baseball bat cut outs. Small polka dot baseballs in the wedding colors of burgundy and gold decorate the middle tier. The top tier is completed with baseball stitching. Bringing the theme together is the porcelain keepsake at bat bride and pitching groom topper. To complete the display there is a stadium display of red velvet cupcakes with fondant baseball toppers.

Special thank you to Damon Zirkler Photography for photography.

A Day in the Park

Happy Birthday to my own little boy, who really just wanted a party in the park where he can finally ride the 'big boy slide.'  This is a half 8" cake over a 10", covered in fondant with sugar paste for the hardened decorations like the slide and the red jungle gym elements.  

To make sure that Carter could have his cake and eat it too, this is a vegan cake (especially with the range of allergies at school, vegan is becoming a much more inclusive choice). The bottom tier is dark chocolate with All American buttercream and the top layer is cherry vanilla with cherry vanilla buttercream.  It's always fun to see the brief flash of disappointment flash across someone's face when I say that the cake is 'vegan,' only later to hear raves about how good the cake is--and not just good for vegan, but actually really great! 

Hello Birthday

Everyone's favorite Kitty knows how to wish her fans the happiest of birthdays. This is small celebration cake: 8" round finished in cream cheese buttercream--a perfect choice for three luscious layers of red velvet cake. Kitty is a sugar paste plaque and while (technically) edible, would be best removed before cutting and serving the cake. 

A Grown Up Birthday Cake with Just Enough Sparkle

Not too young and not too stuffy, pink, black and white have a youthful sophistication when used in classic harlequin diamonds and fancy scrolls. And to make sure there is just enough pizazz for the party, disco dust dipped oversized pearls and a lush pearl dust finish complete the cake.  The topper and bow are made from sugar paste.  This design here is done with a 6" over an 8", but can be interpreted in a larger cake as well. 

The Anniversary Cake

To save or not to save? That is a serious wedding cake question. I'm a sucker for tradition, but I also love the idea of a fresh tier baked and decorated on the first anniversary. Which is exactly what this cake is: an anniversary cake for a beautiful couple who were wed last summer in Sedona, AZ. I did the bride's favorite flavor from their wedding cake: red chile chocolate with whipped red chile chocolate ganache filling. 

Their original cake was done in chocolate fondant with baby blue accents, and so this anniversary cake is a rift on that original design. Because the anniversary cake would be handled less (no stacking or traveling 4+ hours!), I kept it in a delectable ganache finish with sugar paste flowers and a fondant ribbon. 

Of course my favorite part of this cake was sharing in an anniversary celebration with the Povios when they made a trip down to Tucson.  There is very little more rewarding than making cakes for my dear friends and being rewarded with their generosity of love and friendship in return.  

Signature and Classic Cupcake Sizes

Sugar Song is pleased to offer two sizes of cupcakes on our menu. Pictured above is the Classic cupcake on the left in the paisley paper, and the Signature cupcake on the right in the white paper.

The Classic cupcake is the size of what most of us grew up with and have lovingly purchased at bake sales through the years. It is perfect for a child's birthday party or as a component on a dessert table.  If cupcakes are the singular dessert and classic size is served, plan on an average of 2-3 cakes per person. Their modest size makes it easy to have more than one--especially if a variety of flavors are presented.

Signature cupcakes are larger and taller, baked in an elegant pleated liner or in the dramatic pointed parchment cups.  The larger size of the Signature makes it the perfect starting point for fillings and special toppings and ingredients. Some of the more intricate flavor profiles need this extra space for all the elements to be incorporated. When Signature cupcakes are served, you can order one cake per guest, but don't be surprised if someone wants to take one for the road!

How to Train A Birthday Cake

Soaring into the party to wish the birthday boy a happy birthday is Toothless (a.k.a the elusive Night Fury from the movie How to Train Your Dragon).  The cake depicts a scene from the movie where the dragons fly and dodge through craggy mountains jutting out of the treacherous ocean (notice the white caps as the waves break upon the shore?). This is a 1/4 sheet cake of  fudge chocolate with lots of blue buttercream--at the birthday boy's request.

The dragon was made from shaped crispy rice treats covered in fondant. Wings were made from sugar paste and attached with wires. To keep it authentic to the movie, half of his tail was done to look like brown leather. The mountains were chunks of cake covered with ganache and fondant.

Toothless in process. 

Let's Hear it for Small Celebrations That are Oh So Big!

Cakes can celebrate the big things: birthdays, baby showers, weddings – but why not have a small cake for other sweet celebrations throughout the year?  This was the first day of kindergarten for my first baby, giving me just enough time to put together a quick little love note to show him how proud we are of him! 

Baking at home gives me a great opportunity to test new recipes and play around with new ideas.  This cake is an allergy-friendly, eggless banana cake (almost vegan if I switched out the dairy milk for soy or rice milk) with a caramel buttercream and fondant cut outs. The great thing about this cake is the fine texture (thanks to the puréed bananas) and a less sugary taste. 

Between the 8" layers is a swipe of caramel buttercream and fresh banana slices. I sprinkled a bit of brown sugar on the bananas before closing it up.  Small side note: while delicious, the brown sugar created a syrup that has migrated down into (yeah) and out (boo!) of the cut cake after a few hours.

It's not fancy, it's not perfect. But for our little celebration, it was the sweetest cake ever.

Modern Cake Study

Here's a cake challenge: to design a cake for a designer (not to mention a designer who doesn't especially like cake). But rule number one in this caker's house is that no birthday gets left behind, even if it means there is a blueberry pie in the near future as well. (though the birthday boy was gobbling up the scraps from this cake, so perhaps I found his favorite?)

This cake starts out with a buttery pound cake filled with vanilla bean Swiss meringue buttercream~ and how lovely it is to see those tiny brown flecks throughout the creamy richness that comes with a traditional European buttercream.  I then took knives big and small to sculpt the layers to create the offset tiers. The bottom cake is an eight inch and the top is five inches, each with varying heights. Another coat of buttercream and then a thin layer of fondant with applique design complete this modern cake study. 

And to celebrate on a smaller scale, a single cake can be sculpted into a dynamic and elegant centerpiece perfect for a birthday or anniversary. With this cake, the bottom went with the husband to his office, while we will enjoy the top tier at home with family. 

How Cakes are Like Vampires, Part 1

Some things just don't do well in the sun. Here, Bronwen Weber from Frosted Art Bakery in Dallas, shows what happens to a Wedding Cake left in the Texan Sun. www.frostedart.com  Southern Arizona has the same concerns with some frostings and fillings not being safe for outside display. 

I Went to Cake Camp, 2011

Every so often you find a great way to replenish the well of creativity and for me, I drank in the downpour that was California Cake Club's Cake Camp 2011. Now, telling a cake muggle that you are going to 'Cake Camp' gets you some funny looks, so in other words it is a weekend conference of classes and hands-on workshops taught by some of the best cake artists in the world. I feel fortunate that there was such a great opportunity relatively close in Las Vegas, so I took the opportunity to drive (and really have room to bring home goodies from the vendor room). 

I took several classes on such topics as fondant, whimsical wedding cakes (which the lead photo was the project from), the business of cake, couture cupcakes, and techniques such as stenciling and embroidery. Some of the classes resulted in a finished 'dummy' project (real cake isn't allowed at Cake Camp, oddly) or just your working technique pieces.  

Michelle Bommarito is an amazing instructor!  I will be seeking out her classes at the next camp. 

While some classes require you to bring your own supplies, some instructors have everything you need all laid out for you at your table. Plus assistants to fill your bags and clean up! It was heaven! 

The amazing Colette Peters teaching stenciling techniques.

Marina Sousa and James Rosselle teaching Couture Cupcakes

Some of my finished projects: 

'Embroidery' in the foreground, and a practice dummy with draping examples in the rear. 

I truly LOVE this technique of recreating the lace or embroidery patten of a wedding dress onto the cake.  Kathleen Lange was so excited about sharing this technique and it was great to learn from her. 

I can't not mention that the venue hotel, Green Valley Ranch was a great location and that I had a lot of fun meeting some great cake artists from around the country. Even found myself knocking them back with an impressive group of the 'Top Dogs' on the patio after the banquet.  Some of the cool kids even gave out some flair for stopping to say "Hi!"

Reva from Merci Beaucoup (as seen on TV's best cake-porn show: Amazing Wedding Cakes) was so sweet! 

Icing Smiles for an Amazing Little Princess

". . . and she was the fairest princess in the land, kept safe away in a castle of diamonds and pearls." Sounds like a lovely fairy tale sure to follow with a strong knight on white horseback and a happily ever after, right? Now, let me tell you that the little girl this cake was made for has indeed spent her first year kept in safety, but it's the safety of the PICU and Diamond Children's hospital. The little princess is getting stronger and healthier everyday, thanks to her medical team of strong knights and fairy godmothers, and most of all of her parents who have more love for her than the kingdom has ever seen. 

I was asked to make a special cake for this family on a referral from Icing Smiles, Inc, a non-profit network of bakers who provide custom celebration cakes and treats to families impacted by critical illness of a child. The family (in this case the hospital's Child Life Specialist took over as the mother had her hands full with the care of her daughter) contacts Icing Smiles and then a call to action is sent out to bakers in the area. Then a theme, colors and flavor are decided upon, and the cake designer takes it from there. Children in the hospital usually have their cakes delivered to make it a bit easier for the family. 

The cake is a 6" atop a 10" made in dark chocolate and filled with whipped chocolate ganache buttercream. The frosting is All-American buttercream in soft pink, with pink and white swirled together for the luscious rosettes.  The castle that wraps all the way around the first layer and banner are made of fondant painted with luster dust and edible pearls. The crown is from gum paste and fondant, also painted with luster dust, and finished with pearls and a sprinkle of disco dust.

I hope this little princess and her family had a wonderful birthday up on the 6th floor, and soon she will leave her castle behind and take off to explore the magical kingdom that awaits her.

**Update: Follow this link to the Icing Smiles FaceBook Album that has photos of the birthday girl and of her proud parents at her birthday party. Best Wishes and prayers for a quick homecoming to this lovely family.

Oh Beautiful, in Cupcake Size

A cupcake is the perfect way to pursue your own bit of happiness, and these two patriotic treats hold that truth to be self-evident. Save the plastic picks and the foil streamers for aisle 2--these cupcakes stand proud in the colors of our flag: red, white and blue. 

Unbelievably moist (seriously, don't you just want to take a bite out of that picture?) Vegan Red Velvet with All-American buttercream piped high and finished with sparkling white drageés. I love this red velvet recipe: just a hint of cocoa rouge and a deep brick red hue compliment the moist, decadent crumb. 

It would be un-American not to take advantage of the summer's best crop: juicy fat blueberries and bright red raspberries bursting with sweetness.  This is a vegan golden vanilla cake studded with fresh blueberries and red raspberries, topped off cream cheese buttercream and two fresh berries.  

This is an example of our 'low-top' cupcake frosting: a pretty swirl of in a more modest portion. Most all of Sugar Song's cupcakes have a choice of regular or 'low-top' frosting, depending on how you define cupcake happiness. Likewise, many of your favorite recipes can be made all vegan, or to just accommodate an allergy such as to eggs, dairy, or nuts. That's the treat of working with a custom baker: you get exactly what you want! 

Take Me Out to the Wedding

No doubt about it, this groom is a Yankees man through and through. Showing off his love of New York and all things Yankees, this groom's cake took the vintage Yankees logo and popped it up in 3-D style.  The hat and bat are sculpted from crispy rice treats then covered in fondant. The cake itself is a 10" round by nearly 6" high German Chocolate with milk chocolate and buttercream flavored fondant.

Vintage Ruffle Flower Wedding Cake

When a friend came to me while planning their wedding reception in a historic hotel in downtown Flagstaff, Arizona, I knew there was a wonderful opportunity to incorporate a vintage aesthetic into their celebration. Plus, I've been eager to do a design with a sugar versions of those lovely vintage ribbon flowers. I couldn't be more pleased with the result in this fanciful and elegant cake.

White Almond Sour Cream with red raspberry jam make up the bottom 14" and the 8" tiers, and Red Chile Chocolate Molè with whipped red chile chocolate ganache were int he 10" and 5" layers. The cake was frosted with All-American buttercream that had a light almond flavor. The gumpaste and fondant flowers are dusted and painted in luster and disco dust and are accented on the cake with a deep purple ribbon that matched the bridesmaids' dresses.

All the best to my wonderful bride and groom, Melody and Michael. Thank you for the opportunity to make my new favorite cake!

Red Chile Chocolate Cupcakes

The name says it all, yet doesn't even begin to describe it. Dark Chocolate cake laced with New Mexican red chile and cinnamon, topped with an equally enhanced dark chocolate buttercream. Finished with a pinch of chile powder, just for fair warning.

Tasting Cakes

It's time come clean with a crush I've been harboring for a while now. While some girls swoon over the big, flashy show stoppers, I have a real soft spot for these cute little guys. Whether you call them "centerpiece cakes", "counter cakes", or a "bottle-of-wine-and-a-tearjerker-movie-and-a-fork" kinda cakes: with 4-8 servings, these are just enough cake to celebrate either a night with friends or the sweet side of life for a few days. And they are also the perfect size to bake up and sample flavors.

White Almond Sour Cream with Red Raspberry Jam and Cream Cheese Buttercream

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake with Whipped Red Chile Chocolate Ganache filling and frosting. A blanket of Cream Cheese Buttercream drop flowers cover the ganache finish for a slight peek-a-boo effect.