Stephanie’s Cakes

Decorating a cake for an artist is a high-pressure job! After all, they’re definitely going to notice the proportion of the design, the symmetry of the lines, the small details. I started out thinking that a cake done in the style of Mondrian - the painter famous for his color-block works - would be relatively easy… until I started to realize that one shaky line or offset rectangle would ruin the entire illusion. Gulp! Thankfully, I made a carefully-measured paper pattern before I started, and with its trusty rectangles in hand, everything came out OK.

Why Mondrian? Gary, our departing art director, used Mondrian-style designs in several of his layouts. It was a natural choice!

The cake was white almond sour cream with raspberry filling; the colored squares are cut out of fondant, and the white background and black lines are buttercream. The “Artist Gary” figurine is made from fondant (the paintbrush, however, is real).

(click to enlarge)

An appropriate cake for the fall football season! This cake was made for a co-worker whose fiance (now husband) is a Dan Fouts fan - hence the Dan Fouts San Diego Chargers jersey. The jersey itself is fondant, as are the numbers and logos on the side of the cake; the mini football is chocolate cake covered in modelling chocolate, and the rest is buttercream.

The design is inspired by the jersey cakes made by the amazingly talented Jennifer Dontz and Janet Brown. Check out their websites for some absolutely amazing works of cake art.

Hi, my name is Stephanie, and I made my own wedding cake.

Hi, Stephanie!

Now that I’m back on the blogging wagon, as it were, I’m posting one of the cakes I’m most proud of: my wedding cake.

You made your own wedding cake? Are you insane? Even pro bakers don’t necessarily do that!

Yes, I know. I suppose I am a bit crazy… but in a good way, I swear!

As I started planning my Sept. 2004 wedding, making my own cake became a challenge I couldn’t ignore. It would be more personal, too, I told myself. After all, my favorite buttercream is my mom’s recipe, and I’d just discovered a great recipe for an almond sour-cream cake — not to mention the fact that I really love the look of tilted, Alice-In-Wonderland-style cakes. (more…)