Finding Dory!

Every now and then? I get a request that allows me to go all out and soar.

I've been making birthday cakes for this particular family for so long, 

I think the kiddos think extra hard to come up with challenges for me.

The birthday girl requested a "Finding Dory" themed cake.

Her big brother made sure I knew to include Destiny the Whale Shark.

And she wanted chocolate cake. 

Okie dokie!

Six layers of chocolate cake, filled with chocolate buttercream, covered with vanilla buttercream.

The coral is hand painted fondant.

Destiny and Dory are fondant covered rice treats and hand painted.

Lots of modeling chocolate accents!

My son called the yellow coral the rare Swiss Cheese Coral. 

Even the back of the cake got lots of attention!

Found her! 

Happy 4th birthday, Miss Ellanor!

Thank you for letting me be a part of your day!

Kermit T. Frog!

The mom asked if I could do a Kermit cake.

I told her I've been waiting my entire cake creating LIFE to put Kermit on a cake!

It was going to be an afternoon/evening pool party. 

In central Virginia. In summer.

Royal icing won out over modeling chocolate.

Six layers of chocolate cake, filled and covered with vanilla buttercream.

Kermit himself is a royal icing transfer.

Hi ho!

The birthday boy even had a little single layer, six inch smash cake to match.

Happy 1st, Dawson!

Baby cow baby shower!

Sometimes? I giggle while I work.

Her sister-in-law is married to a farmer, 

but she didn't want to do a farm themed baby shower.

She had seen another baby shower cake I had done with a baby cow.

Could I do just the cow?

And black polka dots on the cake?

Of course!

Baby cow. On a polka dotted cake. 

Four layers of vanilla white cake. 

Filled and covered in vanilla buttercream.

The cow and the polka dots are all modeling chocolate.

Seriously...baby cow!

Elmo!

The cake brief started out as a much more involved cake. 

A sitting Elmo holding a beach ball.

But then the party was drastically downgraded.

A frantic text asking if I could change the date and possibly the size.

Ignoring the cakes that had just been wrapped and placed in the freezer in anticipation of carving a sitting Elmo, I replied that yes, I could make the changes.  Because the birthday girl has gone through enough in her short little life. She was still going to get an awesome cake. 

Four layers of vanilla white cake, covered in vanilla buttercream.

Elmo's eyes and nose are chocolate cake balls covered in modeling chocolate...so delicious!

Happy 2nd birthday, Pepper!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!

It was a very simple request...

a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse themed cake in the shape of the number 2.

And chocolate.

Got it!

A double batch of chocolate cake, cut into a 2, 

and covered with buttercream frosting.

I typically do my best to keep everything on the cake edible.

However, there wasn't really sufficient time to create the figures and do them justice. 

So a quick trip to the local toy store, a quick wash...instant cake figures!

But this way the birthday girl was able to have her cake and new toys as well!

But her name was all edible.

Big Red Truck!

When a friend's daughter's boyfriend graduates, she asks for a special cake.

His most prized possession is his truck. 

Our cake option was clear...

Big. Red. Lifted.

The truck is all edible! Red velvet, filled and covered with chocolate ganache. 

Hand painted fondant. Rice cereal wheels.

And working lights. 

Working. Lights.

Because my wiring expert husband is awesome!

Because of the lift, I really wanted air under the cake.

Building the platform to accommodate the life and wiring was a challenge. 

But it worked!

And then this. That grin right there. 

The whole reason I do what I do!

A massive bowl of Ramen. But cake!

With a risk of hurting feelings, this family is my favorite. The parents toss ideas back and forth and then come to me with a loose concept and let me run with it. And as an artist? I love it! 

All I got for this cake was, "Okay...so...what about a big bowl of Ramen noodles? 

And make the cake a rainbow?" 

Done. 

Six layers of vanilla cake, each colored and stacked up like a rainbow. Only six, because really...indigo is just silly. Sorry indigo lovers!

Filled and covered with vanilla buttercream.

Fondant "noodles", modeling chocolate peas and lettering. 

Which, I'm trusting the Google search that assured me this was "Happy Birthday" in Chinese.

And a modeling chocolate fortune cookie. Because cookie.

I couldn't leave the backside of the bowl unadorned. That would just be unseemly. 

I thinned out tinted buttercream and attempted a watercolor effect. 

The mom just sent me a picture of the cut cake. It's a rainbow! 

The birthday girl was not expecting it and was so surprised and excited! Hooray!

Certainly the most fun I've had designing and creating a cake in a long time! 

Happy Birthday, Miss V! Can't wait for next year's challenge!