Valentine's Day 2011

Today I delivered the first Jillicious Desserts Wedding Cake of 2011 and also the first Valentine's Wedding Cake that I've ever created.  The clients planned a small, intimate, low-key wedding in their home and since it was on Valentine's Day, the bride said to incorporate the Valentine theme with the Chocolate Raspberry Wedding Cake she had seen on my website.

As appropriate as hearts are for this holiday, I find that there is a fine line that is often crossed from festive to tacky.  I try to stay away from the latter of the two.  I was really pleased with how this cake turned out. 

I created a double chocolate heart topper to display within the chocolate curls and raspberries.  Thanks to the pouring rain we had today here in Oregon and the lovely overcast skies, it was difficult to really show the topper in the dozens of pictures that I took.  The next picture was the first one I took and forgot to take off the flash--ironically, it shows the double chocolate hearts with the gold dust best in what was probably the worst photo I took today.

It almost has a sepia look to it, minus the washed out middle part of the cake.  But at least you get the idea of what it looked like.  I have to say, it looked better in person.

When I finished setting up the cake and decorating it, the bride exclaimed, "It is exactly how I envisioned it to look!"  That is always my favorite thing to hear, especially considering this cake was discussed through several emails and a phone call.  It's always good to be on the same page as the bride.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

Valentine Chocolate & Raspberry Wedding Cake Details:

• Both tiers ~ Dark Chocolate Cake w/Raspberry Filling & Vanilla Buttercream Icing
• Top tier = 6-inch  cake / bottom tier = 8-inch cake
• Dark chocolate curls & fresh raspberries
• Dark chocolate fondant heart details & decorations, w/sugar pearl accents

Catching Up & Cherry Blossom Flowers...

I can sum up my life over the past six months since my last post in one word...

WORK.

I finished up August, September, October & November with weddings--only to realize that Thanksgiving came quickly, then Christmas and now it's 2011.  Of course there are always more things going on in my life other than work, but I would have to say that the majority of my focus, time and energy has been spent on my passion and trying to figure out what the next step is for Jillicious Desserts. 

It's time to expand my business and I spent the greater part of last year (starting in March 2010) looking for the right space to open a Jillicious Desserts Bakeshop.  This has been a very long journey, and I'm still in the midst of this idea of creating a retail store front.  I'm a planner and if I had my way, I would have had my Bakeshop open last May or June, but alas, I have discovered that I don't have total control of these things.  So now that the holiday season is completed, I'm reviewing my ideas and options of what I want to do and where this should take place. 

Remember this post?  Just scroll down to the previous one in case you haven't visited my blog in the last six months (and I don't blame you, because I've totally slacked on my posts).  I find it interesting how one cake can inspire clients to use a common detail in other cakes for different occasions (you'll notice that five of these desserts have the cherry blossom flower incorporated into the design of the cake).

These are some of my favorite cakes & cupcakes that I really enjoyed creating for my clients.  And sometimes there is a story behind the cake; either my experience or a from the client.  I'll share a couple of them with you.

August 2010

Twin Boy & Girl Baby Shower Cake

Side note:  I was so excited to create this cake, but on the morning that I was decorating it, my website had been taken down without my permission by Microsoft and they also deleted my email account that had over three years of correspondence with clients.  It was so devastating to discover this horrible mishap and while decorating this cake, I just stood there and cried out of sheer frustration.  So, when I see this cake, that is the memory that comes to mind and how it was the longest two weeks till it got fixed.

Outdoor Wedding Cupcakes & Sugar Cookies
Location: Corvallis/Albany, Oregon

Outdoor Wedding Citrus Cupcakes

Location: Eugene, Oregon

Side note:  It always amazes me what a small world it is.  The client for this wedding was a sister of a friend that I knew when I lived in Palo Alto a few years ago.  I met the bride when she came out to Oregon for her wedding consultation and we made all the plans at that time.  She flew in from Washington D.C.--word of mouth is truly a great advertising tool.

September 2010

Yin-Yang Birthday Cake

1st Year Camouflage Anniversary Cake

Side note:  This anniversary cake was for a couple who's wedding cake I had made the previous year.  The client wanted to surprise her husband for their 1st year anniversary with this camouflage cake that she was bringing on a hunting trip that he was looking forward to.  I hadn't ever thought to make a cake like this before and I'm glad that she had suggested it--because I think it turned out better than I had imagined.

October 2010

8-year old girl's Flower Birthday Cake

Side note:  This little girl was so sweet and wanted a cake that was wedding-like.  When I delivered it to her home, she answered the door and her eyes lighted up when she saw her birthday cake.  I love it when I get to see a genuinely happy reaction like that.

November 2010

Under-the-Sea Theme Birthday Cupcakes

Side note:  This client had sent me a picture of her idea of what she wanted for the cupcake decorations.  While making these fondant animals, the time just flew by--this type of thing is so relaxing and I was pleased at how they turned out; especially this little guy--the blue octopus.

January 2011

80th Birthday Cherry Blossom Cake

Side note:  January is typically a slow month for a dessert business, as everyone has had their fill of holiday treats and all the diets have begun.  So, it's always nice to design a birthday cake with all the features the client asked for; down to the colors, the simplicity of design and the cherry blossom theme.  I hope the lady that was celebrating her 80th birthday enjoyed it too.

I know that many blogs have shared their new year's resolutions at this time of year, and though I too, have jotted down a few things I'd like to accomplish, I think I will keep the future possibilities wide open for now and share with you as things happen in my life and business.  I'm off to California this week and I'll see you again soon, fellow bloggers and readers. 

It's good to be back.  I've missed you.

Surprise Birthday Gift Cake (And Yes, A Little More Purple...)

I LOVE creating cakes that will be a BIG surprise for the recipient.

Yesterday I made this cake for a client, who lives out-of-state and she wanted to surprise her twin daughters, one of whom I'm friends with and she lives in this area (her sister was in town visiting).  She told me what kind of cake she wanted and that she wanted it to have a fondant bow on it.  The rest she left up to me to decide how to decorate it. 

Since it was a White-Lemon Sunshine Cake, I thought that the purple would be a great contrasting color to the yellow.  And since we know from this post, that purple is the trend for fancy cakes, it just seemed like the right choice to make.  I really wanted this cake to have some elegant and special details for the decorations, so fondant flowers was the perfect way to decorate this surprise gift cake.

I was really happy with the end result! I also realized that I may need to do more cakes with fondant flowers, because they add a touch of elegance and I really enjoy making them--it's so relaxing (let me clarify, relaxing when you've planned ahead, not so much when you have hundreds to make the night before an event), but in this case, it really was relaxing to sit and be creative for a little while. 

It was so exciting to deliver this cake and see the looks of surprise and joy on both of their faces when I explained that this was a gift from their mother.  It was a good GREAT day.

Happy (early) Birthday Jakobi & Korbi!!

Surprise Gift Cake Details:

created by Jillicious Desserts

• White-Lemon Sunshine Cake w/Lemon Filling & Lemon-Vanilla Buttercream Icing
• 6-inch square
• Dark purple fondant bow & ribbon w/three shades of yellow fondant flowers

Three Purple Wedding Cakes

This past weekend, I created my third purple-themed wedding cake in a row.  I always find it interesting when brides who don't know each other pick a couple of features that on paper sound the same, but when the wedding cake is created, how different they all can be.  Purple was one of the common threads of each wedding cake and also, each bride wanted sugar pearls in the shape of flowers on each of their cakes, using the main color of purple with their respective other color choices. 

Since this was the most recent wedding cake, I'll start with this one and work back to June with the other purple wedding cakes.

Wedding Cake #3

Silver & Purple Wedding Cake

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

Outdoor Wedding in Nashville/Summit, Oregon

The cake topper was the bride and grooms first name initials.  I love the simplicity of the topper and by having the flowers on the bottom tier, it allowed the topper to have the focus on the top tier.

A few close-up shots of the cake details with the silver and purple sugar pearls and flowers...(I just love how smooth the fondant looks on this cake!)

Silver & Purple Wedding Cake Details:

Top tier [8-inch round]:  Coconut-Macadamia Nut Hawaiian Cake w/Coconut Buttercream Filling

Bottom tier [12-inch round]:  Classic White-Vanilla Cake w/Raspberry Filling

Decorations:  White Fondant Icing w/sugar pearl details, royal icing piping and fresh flowers.

*Serves = 80 guests

Wedding Cake #2

This next wedding cake was also a two-tiered, purple themed cake.  Of the three wedding cakes, this was the only buttercream frosted cake.  Both types of icing (fondant & buttercream) create different looks, even though both have a smooth texture on the cake. 

Romantic Purple Floral Wedding Cake

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

Beazell Memorial Forest - Kings Valley, Oregon

The two main colors of this wedding was dark purple and forest green--the accent colors on the cake.  There were several varieties of flowers that were used for the decorations on this cake, and the varying shades of purple, give this wedding cake a more romantic look.

The piping around the base gives a nice ruffled look, which goes so well with the overall romantic theme of this cake.

Romantic Purple Floral Wedding Cake Details:

Both the top tier [6-inch round] and the bottom tier [10-inch round] had the same flavors; Carrot Cake w/White Chocolate Cream Cheese Filling & Vanilla Buttercream Icing.

*Serves = 50 guests

Wedding Cake #1

Here is the first cake that started the purple wedding cake theme for the summer; the Royal Purple Flower Wedding Cake.

Royal Purple Flower Wedding Cake

Saturday, June 19th, 2010

Beazell Memorial Forest - Kings Valley, Oregon

The accent color to the royal purple was lime green and since it was used in small amounts, it didn't compete with the purple, but rather enhanced it as a bright accent color.

The cake was decorated with fresh-cut local flowers in varying hues of royal purple and tied all the decorations together.

Royal Purple Flower Wedding Cake Details:

Top tier [6-inch round]:  Dark Chocolate Cake w/Caramel Buttercream Filling

Middle tier [9-inch round]:  Classic White-Vanilla Cake w/Raspberry Filling

Bottom tier [12-inch round]:  Dark Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cake w/White Chocolate Cream Cheese Filling

*Serves = 100 guests

As you can see, although all three wedding cakes had the color purple in common, all three were very different and were created special for each bride on her wedding day. 

Congratulations to all three couples!

Mission Mill Wedding Cake

Over the Memorial Day weekend, I had a large wedding cake to create and this time it was for a client who was someone I've known since my junior high days.  I was excited to meet with her a few months ago and discuss the details of her wedding cake and to come up with a design. 

One of the advantages of making wedding cakes and delivering them, is I get to see many wedding venues that I wouldn't normally visit or even know about.  This was one of those venues.  The wedding was held at the Mission Mill Museum in Salem, Oregon, which is a historic woolen mill and other buildings on a 5-acre site.  The reception was held in the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill building on the third floor which was called the Spinning Room.  I was relieved to find out that there was an elevator--whew!

The bride's colors were red, white and black and this was incorporated in her cake, as well as the decorations in the reception room.

I really like how formal and elegant this cake was even though the square cake shape gives it a more modern or contemporary twist.

I loved how the sugar pearls looked like little jewels hanging between the piped swag details.

Since black is such a strong, dark color, and it can make an impact with a small amount--so I went with the "less is more" attitude and added black in the form of black sugar pearls, slightly pearlized.

Although this cake was only three tiers, don't let that fool you.  This cake was very large and VERY heavy. 

There are several reasons why I assemble wedding cakes on-site and one of them is that there is no way I could lift a stacked cake and carry it by myself from my vehicle into the venue.  This cake was no different.  The bottom tier alone was so heavy that I had to enlist some help from a young man that was in the wedding party.  Even he was surprised at how heavy it was!

Once the cakes are safely delivered to the table where it will be displayed, then I can stack them and finish the piping details.  At this point, I am able to relax and enjoy the rest of the decorating process.

The bride chose fresh red roses and calla lilies for her wedding cake, as well as the reception table bouquets.

I was really pleased with how this wedding cake turned out and I was even more happy to see the look of excitement on the bride's face when she saw it completed.

Congratulations Stacy & Kevin!

May 29th, 2010

Mission Mill Wedding Cake Details:

• Top tier = White-Vanilla Cake w/Vanilla Cream Buttercream Filling [8-inch square]
• Middle tier = Dark Chocolate Cake w/Raspberry Filling [12-inch square]
• Bottom tier = Dark Chocolate Cake w/Vanilla Cream Buttercream Filling [16-inch square]
• White Fondant Icing w/Vanilla Buttercream Frosting layer
• Sugar pearl details and royal icing piping details
• Fresh Roses & Calla Lily Flowers

Baby Shower Cake

One of the cake orders I had over this past weekend included this sweet baby shower cake for a baby boy who will be named Wyatt.  They requested that the cake be done in soft blues and yellows and have elephants and giraffes on it.

I think making fondant elephants are one of my favorites to make--they are just too darn cute!

But then I finished the giraffes and decided that they too are very cute.  Everything on the cake was edible, even the eyes, which were drawn on with a food marker.

The other details are fondant circles and pale blue and yellow sugar pearls.  I also added some ABC blocks that I thought added another special touch to this fun cake.  This cake will definitely be added to my portfolio on the Jillicious Desserts website.

Baby Shower Cake Details:

Dark Chocolate Cake w/Caramel Buttercream Filling & Vanilla Buttercream Icing [10-inch round cake]