Lisa, my new BFF at work (who befriended me and showed me everything I needed to know when I was a newbie at my recently new day job) is having a baby and her hubby Herb asked me to make the cake for her shower.  This was a huge honour for me because Herb fancies himself a pastry chef too (though, he does have far more industry experience then I do) and it's been a running joke between Lisa and myself that when they finally have their wedding, that *I* am going to make the cake.  She always said Herb wouldn't have it because he wanted to make their wedding cake.  So I told her that at least I would get to make the baby shower cake, and even that she shot me down on saying Herb would probably want to do it.  I win!  The baby's room is painted blue with an underwater theme.  We suspect it's a girl, but we can't seem to find anyone in the medical profession who will confirm it for us.  Congrats Lisa!!!

My nephew turned eight this year and had originally asked for a hockey cake since he started playing hockey this year (and he's good too!!), but then he changed his mind and asked for a Club Penguin cake.  Yes people over the age of twelve, Club Penguin is a thing.  Its some kind of on-line game for kids.  I've tried to explore it - so that I could share something with my nephew, but I think I'm just too old...

This year my niece Jamie turned the big One-Ohh - 10!  She was having another sleep over party and asked for a variation on last year's cake, but this time with six girls in sleeping bags.   I was lucky enough to be invited to the party again this year, but since it was on a Friday, I was a little late getting up to the house.  I had dropped off the cake earlier in the week since I knew I was going to be late and I didn't want the girls to wait for me.  When I walked in, I guess they had just finished cutting the cake.  The girls all poured to the front door in screams of "Wow!" "That was awesome!" "I ate her nose!" "I pulled her arm off!"  Probably the best reaction EVER!  I don't think I'll ever get a bride to react like that....

One of the nicest surprises in this job is meeting a new client through a referral.  It's always heartwarming to hear that people that I've made cakes for in the past, even though we may not be in contact, are still pointing their friends in my direction.  It's nice to know old friends still think of you.  This cake was made for a new client's grandmother, who liked to quilt and knit (the gumpaste knitting needs were still drying at the time of this picture).  I just love the colours!  I really wish I could have seen Wand's face when she saw her cake.

Early December I was contacted by a customer who wanted a cake for his son's third birthday.  They loved the soccer cake I had made for Abir's second birthday and wanted to have the same filling/flavours, but this time in a Diego themed cake.  I hunted high and low to find some Diego toys to use on the cake (I love using actual toys on a cake, at least that way the little person has something to remember the cake by - after it's all destroyed and eaten) but I couldn't find any!  I guess Diego isn't as popular as he used to be.  Luckily my nine year old nephew came to the rescue.  I raided his old toys and found a Diego!  My nephew asked if the Diego was going to be on the cake for the kid to keep and play with later.  I said yup and asked if that was ok with him.  He replied "Sure Auntie, no problem!".  What a great kid.

It was also Abir's Grandfather's birthday, so my client requested a special cake for him as well.  Instead of chocolate ganash filling for this one, we went with a mango buttercream with vanilla cake - Yum!

Back in November, I was invited to give a cake decorating demonstration for some 15-17 year old "Rangers".  These girls are the next step up from Girl Guides and meet regularly to do all kinds of fin things.  I prepared by marking loot bags for the girls filled with an 8 piece decorating kit, disposable piping bags, a pallet knife, a cake tester and a couple of gel colours.  I pre-baked 6 cupcakes for each girl and brought a bucket of buttercream icing, along with heaps of sprinkles and coloured sugar for decorating.  After showing the girls how to make a paper piping bag, properly colour their icing and use each of the tips, I let the girls run wild!  I wish I had taken more pictures, but we just ran out of time.  The below cupcakes were made by my friend Amie, who is one of the leaders and helped arrange the awesome night.  Nice basket weave Amie!

It was my niece's third birthday and she decided to have a tea party!  My favourite cakes to make are always the cakes for the kids....from hot tubs to sleep over parties, to swimming pools, the cakes are always fun and I get to let my creativity flow!  Plus, no one could have bigger fans that I have in my family.  It's nice to enjoy the Ooohhhs and the Aaahhhh during the party, not just at the door when I drop the cake off.  The cake and cupcakes are devil's food chocolate with vanilla icing.  All of the little treats are made out of fondant (though in retrospect it would have been easier to just buy the mini cookies) and everything is 100% edible.

I already had a lot on my plate with Anna Maria and Sean's wedding, but when I got an email from my first bride asking for a baby shower cake, I couldn't resist!  Not only was it a chance to catch up and say hello, but also to welcome a new life with many birthdays to come!  I love that this job lets me start and build relationships with people so that I get to enjoy all the happy milestones in their lives.  From weddings, to baby showers, then birthdays and who knows, maybe one day a second generation of weddings!  That has to be my new favourite part of this job.  For the cake, my client raved about how everyone loved the wedding cake so she asked for cupcakes with the same flavour combinations as her wedding cake - chocolate and mocha.  The cake is a vanilla cake with yellow buttercream (we don't know what the baby is yet).  This particular client isn't a fan of fondant, so this cake (like her wedding cake) had to be decorated in buttercream (which I find more challenging).  The baby bottle accents are fondant, and were made by my assistant.

I was beyond honoured when I was asked to make the wedding cake for Anna Maria and Sean.  As mentioned, I first worked with them on their engagement cake, which I had a blast making and then again the week before their wedding for Anna Maria's bridal shower.  They're a very sweet couple and a pleasure to work with.  They knew what they wanted and they were still willing to let me put my touch on things. When we met for the tasting, they said they wanted to go with a coffee theme for the flavours.  So I ended up comping up with a variety of buttercreams for them to try: Espresso, Vanilla Cappuccino, Mocha, and Vanilla bean - they were all a hit, and we figure out how to incorporate them into their cake. They wanted a simple three tiered cake, covered in white fondant accents with a pink ribbon and pink flowers.  The flower in the example photo they showed me were silk, but I decided to make my by hand from gum paste.

During the tasting, I found out that not only was it going to be their wedding night, but it was also Anna Maria's brother's wedding anniversary!  My couple asked if I would make an anniversary cake within the same theme as the wedding cake for her brother.

And, since this family values tradition so highly, that next night was actually Anna Maria's parents wedding anniversary, and of course the kids wanted to honour and celebrate that with a cake for her parents.  This one - heart shaped!

I had a big wedding coming up... I mean a *BIG* wedding, but more on that later.  I usually book the week before a wedding off from other projects so that I can get all my planning, shopping and organizing done.  However, when I saw an email from my bride asking me to make the cake & cupcakes for her bridal shower/traditional Greek bedding ceremony, I couldn't say no!  She said that everyone enjoyed the engagement cake I made for them so much, that she would really love for me to make the cake for her bridal shower.  She sent me a picture of a yellow cake with colourful flowers (below) and asked for cupcakes to go with it.

Here's my version, with the pretty cupcakes to go with it.  The cake is vanilla with a raspberry buttercream filling and the cupcakes are devil's food chocolate with French vanilla buttercream.  And for anyone else who was wondering...

"The Wednesday before the wedding is the day the bride invites her relatives to get the dowry ready. For those of you who do not know about dowries, basically they are made up of the linen for the new couple’s home, which the bride’s mother has collected over the years, while waiting for her daughter to marry. The bride’s sisters, friends and cousins separate the linen and tie it up in small parcels with colourful ribbons and again people arrive to gaze upon the beautiful bedding, the handmade tablecloths, the colourful towels, the expensive carpets that are all set up in one room for all to see."