Sneak Peak - Wine Bottle cake!

Here is a sneak preview of the Wine Bottle cake I made today for a very special birthday! Vintage 1929 <3

- B xx

Madagascar cake!

I was recently lucky enough to make the CUTEST cake for a very special gorgeous 1 year old! And since then - have become lucky enough to start working with her grandmother in a kitchen and cake shop! Funny how these things work out.

I think despite how simple the overall design is, this is easily one of my most fiddly cakes yet. I LOVE fondant characters, so cute and edible, but gees they take some time and attention. I just love how these ones turned out! with their own little personalities.

The photos speak for themselves in this one - enjoy! <3

Love the giraffes quirky smile! Should have given him a bandaid like Melman in the movie.

The penguin was definitely my favourite - and actually an afterthought! Had a little space left on top of the cake, and what better to fill extra space with than a penguin...?

My favourite shot - animal bums all lined up in the jungle! Too cute.

Love that I have a hobby and job where I get to make these kinds of things - does anyone else have a job they just couldn't love more?

My happiest birthday wishes to Arabella!

- B xx

Cupcake class!

It's now coming up on a year since I made my very first cake - though it seems like much longer! Now I'm facing a huge cakes-and-catering project for a wedding, some fun new cake orders, the possibility of travelling for some real caking study, and some classes of my own!

A lot of people say the best way to learn about cakes and decorating is trial and error, and I can certainly vouch that that's true! but there's no overlooking how much FUN it is to take classes, and get caught up in conversation with like-minded people about fondant and plungers and holographic edible dust. As only cake nerds can!

Over the last few weeks I've had the pleasure of attending cupcake classes by Tamara at Tempt Cupcakes, and cake basics classes by a Wilton teacher brought in by Trends. Both started with things I already knew, but it's still always really good to see how someone else does things! Some photos of the final results from the Tempt class are below.

We learnt how to use silicone moulds - something I've always overlooked because they're so expensive, but are so easy and effective. (I have of course now gone out and bought lots :P such is the life of a cake decorator!)

We also made chocolate details - something else that's really very easy, and so effective on cupcakes, but certainly takes a bit of practice! I took my flat mate along on the last night, and we came home with a whole container of broken chocolate decorations! No point putting these things to waste... we took one for the team.

All the details on these cupcakes were handmade over the three weeks, and many of them are still around! I took my cupcakes up to the parentals place as we were flying out to Melbourne the following morning, and they still have flower paste shoes and flowers and letters on the kitchen bench that they couldn't bear to throw away!

This one was my particular favourite - too cute what a simple bow can do on a cupcake!

On which note, the trip to Melbourne was for my 25th birthday, and we discovered The Cupcake Bakery - is anyone else out there the kind of person who just HAPPENS to stumble on all the cake and cupcake and sweets shops wherever they go!

Look at that glorious window! how could we possibly have walked past

And this little wall display was inside - Cupcakes, Cupcake cakes, butterflies and ribbons - I should really have one of these on MY wall!

My flatmate and I enjoyed a Rockyroad Cupcake and a Peanut Butter cupcake - but I can assure you they were not the last for our trip! I'm tempted to go back and open a shop of my own...

Has anyone else done any cake or cupcake classes they recommend? I'd love to head over to Sydney and do one of the Planet Cake courses! Divine <3

For this week though - a cake that looks like a wine bottle! Wish me luck...!!

- B xx