Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Disney Wedding Cakes - Mickey Mouse Cakes

I've been collecting Walt Disney wedding cakes for a couple weeks now. Right now I have more Mickey and Minnie mouse cakes than any other kind so a thread dedicated to the little patriarch and matriarch is in order.



I love Mickey's little top hat to go with...

...his spiffy white suit.
Bolt Of Blue (flickr.com)



Awwww...

...so in love.
Alix's Cakes Website



Hey look at that!

Another Mickey and Minnie mouse cake. Wasn't expecting that.
milky.way (flickr.com)



I admire their devotion to each other but...

...I'm starting to wonder why the little critters feel the need to renew their vows so many times.
MPR529 (flickr.com)



More Disney wedding cakes to come!!


Thursday, January 21, 2010

Groom's Cake - A Southern Tradition

Ahh, groom's cake. It's a little something for the groom so that he knows he does have a say for some things in the wedding. Sort of like throwing a bone to a dog; a meatless, hollowed out bone.

In case you are sitting there in some little cottage village in Austria asking, "Was ist das cake?", a groom's cake is a southern American tradition where the groom (along with the bride) would have a wedding cake as well. Many of these cakes represent some stereotypical male quality (like pissing in the kitchen sink while drunk) or can just be a way to introduce a different type of flavored cake (like fruitcake). It all started with the armadillo cake so that is how I am going to start this thread.



You know those singing fishes that your husband/boyfriend think are just so hilarious but we think are just plain lame?

The cake armadillo has the same overall effect.
Sherlly (Chattanooga, TN)



If I was the bride...

...I would stick my finger around the whole edge of the cake and lick off the frosting. &$%# the guest.
gregkendallball (flickr.com)



I dare say, I dare say...

...ther'd be some good ole' cotton picking going on!
I also dare say that you must love your tractor a whole bunch to make it the centerpiece of your wedding cake.
vacekrae (flickr.com)



That's all for now. What's that? You want to hear more about the tradition surrounding the groom's cake?
Well, the grooms cake is typically placed beside the main wedding cake. However, many women may wish it to be on a separate table so that the meticulous presentation for the bridal cake may not be disturbed. While a piece of the bride's cake is given to everyone to enjoy on site, the groom's cake is usually served in small boxes as a party favor to take home and enjoy later.
Ok, that's it for now, y'all hear? Now y'all skedaddle!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Don't forget about my cake of the day thread!!!

Hello there you HolidayTree lovers! I was asked recently why I'm putting up two posts a week as opposed to my usual five posts a week. My answer is: I'm still posting EVERY DAY!!! I may only make two NEW posts two times a week but every day I add a new cake (with some witty or unwitty commentary) on my wedding cake of the day (WCOTD) section. Unfortunately blogspot doesn't recognize the new material since i don't make another thread for it. I just keep on adding to the old thread.

Simply look to the left of your screen. Yeah, there ya go. See that picture of that purdy cake? Well if you click on said picture, you will be forwarded to my WCOTD thread which holds a buttload of photos.

So, in conclusion, even though my blog doesn't say "new post" technically, I can assure you that the cake of the day thread is being added to every day of the work week. Now, this doesn't mean I don't have a crapload of new thread ideas working away in my brain. In fact, you can rest assured that this website will have new cake categories regularly every couple days. In the next day you are going to see some awesome groom cakes. So don't be a stranger now, ya hear!!

T

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Steampunk Wedding Cake - Clankity-Clank

Quite possibly one of the oddest wedding cakes I've ever seen, the so-called Steampunk Wedding Cake (designed by Mike of Mike's Amazing Cakes in Redmond, Washington) looks more like a medieval time traveling device than a pastry delight.

The photographer, Claw Kelsay, says, "Truly a work of art created by the mentor and teacher of Duff Goldman at Charm City Cakes in Baltimore (Ace of Cakes on Food Network) for the Renaissance themed wedding ['says I, then it's a good thing it looks like it's from medieval times.']. The gears don't move, but each one was individually crafted and painstakingly attached. The doors do open and close, though."

He goes on to say, "The outer, smooth covering was either gum paste or marzipan and as you can see each tier was a different flavor."

I wish I had my own clankity-clank cake ;-)


Monday, January 11, 2010

Pink Wedding Cakes

Alright, time to come clean. I love the color pink. Valentine's Day is just a lame excuse to wallow in pinkalish joys. So I'm having a thread on wedding cakes that are mostly pink. Much like my "Pink Christmas Tree Thread", I will start it off the same way:



It's...

...attack of the pink wedding cakes!



I'll take some pink blossoms to go with my pink cake.

The maker (Denise Talbot) says, "3, 6, 9 and 12" single layer cake covered with soft pink fondant scored to look like silk. Dusted with luster dust so it shimmered. Cherry Blossoms dusted in the centers and luster dusted."
Very clever and very unique!
Cakes So Special




I'm not sure exactly how to describe this cake.

Maybe it's a little chic? Not MY kind of shabby chic with the flowers and almost Victorian style. But more like "fashionable" chic in a Parisian kind of way.
Jamie Anderson (Canada)



Another one of those...

..little "girl's room" or "girl's birthday party" style cakes. Or that's how I think of them. With those zany swirls it's hard to think of this as a wedding cake. But hey, the brides know what they want and it's the baker's job to deliver.
She Takes The Cake



"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion... "

"...then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
Being in the nature of god means that equality with god cannot be grasped."
Sifu Renka (flickr.com)



Oh, sorry. I was just reading. Let me continue,

"But instead, make oneself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
humble and obedient to death."

So romantic! I just love those old fashion Italian oaths for joining the mob.


Saturday, January 9, 2010

What's going on with the blog's color??!

I'll tell you what's going on! It ain't Christmas season anymore and I wanted my website to look more like weddings, Valentine's Day and love. You know, all that foofy stuff. This kind of foofy stuff:

katiescrapbooklady (flickr.com)
I thought the use of pink, white, red with a bit of purple was the best way to achieve this so that's what I did.
I'm mostly done with the major changes for the season. All that's really left is the title and even that is mostly finished. Rest assured though that all I will ever change is the colors. The navigation will more or less stay the same.
Personally, I'm excited about the colorful possibilities for the blog during Easter!

stitch (flickr.com)
It will be pastel heaven!


Feel free to comment about the blog's change below!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Question! A beautiful cake or a tasty cake?

It's a question brides have been asking since the dawn of time. Do I want a good looking Wedding Cake or a yummy cake?
Now some might say, I want both. Duh! Well buddy, it's a hypothetical question. So yeah, awkward moment for you huh?
Anywho, I thought of this question when I saw this picture posted:

It's not exactly the best looking or neatest wedding cake I've ever seen. Then, I saw the comment made by the baker of this cake (Secret Chocolatier - Charlotte, SC): "We have the best tasting wedding cakes. We build them more for deliciousness. "
Wow! First comment like that I've heard so far. I continued to read an article from them found here and saw another comment they made (about a little theory they have): "The better it looks, the less it's going to taste".
This is one of the reasons that they don't use fondant. They agree that the awesome airbrushed style of many fondant cakes is great looking but they refuse to take part. Instead, focusing on the actual "base" of the cake. Crazy huh?

So by their theory, this tastes great:

(Even if it does look a bit, um...slimy.)

And this, not so great:

That's right. Cakes are like people. They are all hollow inside no matter how badly you want to have sex with them.

As a blogger that is focusing on wedding cakes (until Valentine's Day) it's hard to say how much taste matters since all my pictures are obviously about show. Hard to taste a picture, know what I mean?
It started to make me wonder what I would pick come my wedding day. I know one thing, I'm going to try my best to avoid shortening. I can only hope [UPDATE: Read the comments below, they DO indeed use butter.] that the Secret Chocolatier only uses butter since they claim, "We make things with traditions and handmade qualities in mind".
Of course all too often companies call their chemical laden creations "homemade". I'm not saying it's the case here but there is a good chance. I also know that in bakery school they more often than not make Crisco the ingredient for choice when it comes to frosting and cakes.
Looks like (just like everything else in life) we can trace back the bland, tasteless, shelf stabilized, freakishly sturdy cakes (even on hot days) to schools. When will we learn!

What do you bloggers think? For your wedding day would you choose:

1. An airbrushed masterpiece that tastes ok.
OR
2. A homely wedding cake that tastes awesome!


Choose your pick and say why in comments!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Blue Wedding Cakes

Ah yes, sweet delicious blue. What candy do you always save for last? I know it's not boring green (lime) or simple yellow (lemon). Red (cherry) has it's perks but it's too obvious (plus sometimes it comes across as cough syrup). Yes, it's blue (blueberry) that is always the best choice. You don't care if it makes your mouth turn an unnatural color. In fact, you like it! You'll smear that blue butter cream all over your gums and teeth just to annoy your significant other. Or maybe that's just me.



This cake has a very unique look.

I love that blue! So vibrant. The use of leaves instead of flowers is a nice touch as well.
I sometimes wonder what the trick is to getting butter cream that smooth?
foodchronicles (flickr.com)



Not sure what pipe dream this came out of.

Maybe I'm just hoping it came from a pipe dream.
Tau Zero (flickr.com)



A little mellower blue.

And look, the cake brought the bride and groom a card. How sweet.
tackyspoons (flickr.com)



Beautiful baby blue.

With an adorable stand to match.
According to the maker it was "Inspired by Colette Peters' amazing brush embroidery work."
Jamie Anderson (Canada)


More magically colored cakes to come.


Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Black and White Wedding Cakes - Bipolar to the core

I like black and white wedding cakes. They are polar opposites all mashed into one delicious bakery masterpiece. They are a little like me, except I'm just bi-polar. There is no expressive poetry to describe me. Just a little pamphlet asking me to fill in bubbles if I ever felt like hugging someone and punching them at the same time.




Poor little bride and groom cake topper...

...the big old mean bow is taking up the whole top tier.
Cordele Photography



In case the last cake was too white for you...

... here's a little more splash of black on that prissy white wedding cake.
Josef Vienna Bakery (Reno, NV)

Wait a minute!

Is it just me or is this cake giving me the "I want to kill you" look?

*shudders*



This one is a rather elegant, dark and chic woman...er...I mean cake.

I think she's a little stuck up too. I mean look at that hat...er...I mean topper.
Alix's Cakes


Now this is truly bi.

This cake was titled, "The Hat Box Cake".
If it looked just a little bit more like boxes it would have made it in my hatbox section (coming soon!) but since not it's made it here in my lowly bipolar section.
CAKE Chester (Chester, Cheshire UK)



I'm starting to see a connection between these bipolar cakes...

...and crazy hats.
The hat is made of crystal drops and stylized black callas handmade by the baker.
She Takes The Cake (flickr.com)




Advice from CAKE Chester is:

"Be different on your wedding day - we think this is a very sharp but modern looking cake."
Couldn't agree more!
Plus, it's not all stuck up with the callas hats and whatnot.
CAKE Chester (Chester, Cheshire UK)



Just in case these cakes weren't dark enough for you don't worry! There will be solid black wedding cakes to come.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Shabby Chic Pink Wedding Cakes

If you've been here since this website was featuring Christmas Trees, then you know that I love anything shabby chic. As I have explained before, to be shabby chic is more than just frosting a white cake with pink sweetness. It's about the ratio of pink, white and green (to accent it) and the style in which it is done.

The following are the best examples of shabby chic I have. Which makes them some of my favorite cakes. Obviously this means there will be many more on this blog in the future.



I'm starting off with my favorite.

I love the different shapes used as opposed to just round. Also the sage green, so often used as just an accent, is used more than the pink!
Plus, I respect the use of butter cream since I know it's harder to work with.
Sherlly (Chattanooga, TN)



This the monster of all shabby chic cakes.

A whooping six tiers!
The baker explains how it was transported,
"We did it in two sections for ease of transporting and put it together at the venue - The Grosvenor Hotel in Chester."
CAKE Chester (Chester, Cheshire UK)


Here's a fun game. Try to figure out the difference (other than size) between the previous cake...

...and this cake.
Alix's Cakes



The top is gorgeous.


Darn, I just gave away one of the differences.
Anywho, the detail here (like so many cakes today) was designed based on the bride's dress.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Basket Cases - Wedding Cakes with Basket Weaves

Here are wedding cakes that are covered with what is called a "basket weave". I like to call them Basket Cases. That way I can relate to them.



A perfect example of a basket cake.

Although a bit plain.
The crab on top freaks me out a tad bit.




I love the soft colors in this one.

This cake has:
"-Italian meringue butter cream
-Chocolate genoise
-Belgian white chocolate ivy leaves and lattice hearts"
Hey, look at that!
It's got enough nationalities to join a mob, lose a war, and worship a statue that pees.
Mirabelle Catering (West Coast, USA)



It's a box full of roses, on top of a decked out scrapbook, on top of a square basket, on top of a pearled pillow.

At least that's what I see :-) Comment below and tell me what you see!
(if you say "a cake" I won't be pleased)
Mirabelle Catering (West Coast, USA)



May only be three tiers...

...but by golly they are some huge three tiers!




More basket cakes to come!!!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Chocolate Wedding Cakes

Chocolate is the new vanilla! It used to be rare to see chocolate frosting on a wedding cake. Now seeing a total chocolate cake at a wedding isn't like seeing a pink unicorn at a balls game. As you will see here:



Can't go wrong with...

...giant chocolate bars accented with strawberries!
shetakesthecake.com


Yes mam, I'll take the cake that looks like...

...top hats with flowers on top.
CAKE Chester (Chester, Cheshire UK)



I know it's a little late for a fall cake...

...but by golly I love the way the leaves look like they were blown onto the cake.
Also, there is more than meets the eye.
Photo: Alix's Cakes



See?

Yup, the theme of the cake is "London in Autumn".
Or is it "Autumn in London"?
Whatever, interesting airbrushing eh?
Photo: Alix's Cakes



The chocolate ganache tower.

If you remember CAKE Chester's cake (the one shown a whole other picture ago) you will know her cakes are usually freakishly smooth. Here she decides to go for the rugged look to make it look like a real log.
CAKE Chester (Chester, Cheshire UK)



This cake is so vain...

...it's looking at itself in the mirror.
codefin on flickr.com



I know what you're thinking...

...this isn't all chocolate! Ok, I can do better:
CAKE Chester (Chester, Cheshire UK)


Happy?

Looks darker too. MMmmmm, dark chocolate.
Jamie Lang (Sheffield, England)


I hope your New Years resolution didn't have anything to do with staying away from chocolate ;-)

Friday, January 1, 2010

Winter Wedding Cakes

*In "Here Comes Santa Claus" tone* - Winter wedding cakes, Winter wedding cakes, coming here for you!! Dodododood All decked out in dooo!! Ok, enough of that...
I'm starting off this wedding cake celebration with Christmas and winter theme cakes. I want to eaassssee you into the transition from Christmas trees/New Years to wedding cakes. Make you feel comfortable. Wanna make you right at home with the good ole wedding cakes. Shall we begin my good sir and madam?




I would like to meet the people that wanted this for their wedding...

...cause they be my kind of people!
This cake was made for a December wedding. Marisa Hess, the creator of this creative creation (going to thesaurus.com is a pain sometimes) wants to give you some friendly advice: "If anybody ever wants to recreate this cake, make sure you do not put the candies on until THE DAY OF!" Apparently, the dye from the sweets will run off and the actual candy will cease to stick.
Thanks! I'll remember that next time I make a 30 lb brown wedding cake topped off with little ginger people.
Josef Vienna Bakery (Reno, NV)




I love the spiky snowflakes on top.

It's traditional white with three tiers, yet holds a quality that is nontraditional (yup, still no thesaurus).
cordelephotography.com


I love the texture of this one...

...looks like it would scrape those pesky taste buds right off your tongue!



Snowmen sure know how to party!

A few of them here can barely stay on the cake. I don't know what it is about snowmen but it always looks like they've had too much to drink (scroll down to the 3rd tree).
CAKE Chester (Chester, Cheshire UK)



Reminds me of those childhood winters...

...when I lived on top of that cake shaped mountain in the woods.
Oh wait, that was a nursery rhyme. Oh wait, no it wasn't.
Josef Vienna Bakery (Reno, NV)


Doesn't it look like these two are sulking over losing something?

Poor little guys :-(
CAKE Chester (Chester, Cheshire UK)


If this cake looks tiny for a wedding cake...

...it's cause it is. The creator says, " I thought I'd play around and make a mini version of what the bride wants. Not perfect, but it gives her an idea."
It may not be an official wedding cake but I love the snow looking white chocolate shavings too much to leave it off.
Want to see the real version?
Grace of Cakes from flickr.com



Okie dokie!

I had to include this just because it's the "real" version. I don't really think the fluff stuff (lost my dictionary too) looks like snow anymore and the color scheme doesn't yell out winter to me. Not that it was supposed to since the wedding was in July.
Grace of Cakes from flickr.com



What's the holiday season without presents?

I like this one as it doesn't go out of the way to look super realistic. This way you would still like to eat it.
I may dig it but the maker had a qualm with the design, "In hindsight I would have moved the bow up on this one."
I disagree. I think the bow looks fine where it is. I think you may have a touch of artist stale.
Def. artist stale [noun] - When you create something (picture, figure, etc) and after a while start imagining imperfections merely because you have been looking at it too long.
(No I didn't find my dictionary, I'm merely making up meanings to phrases that don't exist.)
A Sweet Success from flickr.com