When it Rains, It pours

With every day, Brisbane becomes more and more like Melbourne - six seasons in one day. But it's not just the weather, all the cake seasons are becoming more and more mixed up as well.
  It used to be that you would have specific months where there would be an onslaught of birthday cakes and of course your wedding weekends... the weeks and weeks of never-ending matrimonies. Maybe it's just me and as I get older I start to generalise the specifics and it's more a 'feeling' than an actual occurence.
  Who knows?
As I look over my up coming orders, I realise that each week is a mix of occasions:
Traditional birthday cakes of cream, nuts and chocolate have now gone out the door...This particular cake was a gluten/nut/dairy free cake for my client to take to her daughters' playgroup centre.

 

  And for the Foodies Network lovers who will purchase anything that is shown on their latest program -
  It doesn't matter that in Brisbane the humidity will play havoc with your cake. Toffee will melt, sugar will disintegrate and chocolate soft. Food is food and we have to keep up with the trends.

Then the fancy all out iced cakes make a show. Whether it's a masquerade ball with people dressing up in their finest gear,

or a cheeky play at your loved ones' favourite things.

 That is a cow poking it's head out of the rose bush! And at the back of the cake there was a swinging tail.
  Childrens' novelty cakes for the ultimate little gamer

 
to the 'wicked' little theatre lover in all of us.

 For the young boy wanting to get out

and the music lover.

And then there's the lover's all 'round:
the purple themed nuptials

some roses of red:

to the purist:

Of course the best designs are the ones where the client lets me do what I want.
This last cake was a special delivery all the way down to Sydney. A close friend of mine was getting married and any excuse to get away - even if it was for more work. I'm sure Ede's and Rachaels' lovely day was an exquisite memory for all of the attendees.
  With a beautiful view of Sydney Harbour from the "Sergeants Mess" at Chowder Bay - the music in the background supplied by a passing P&O Cruise ship playing YMCA. Lol

  The couple said their vows and we were ushered inside to a superb menu for gastronomy lovers everywhere. Service was not to be out-done by the food. Generous pourings of wine to make sure no-one's glass was ever empty and laughter all around. We all caught up and when the groom got up to say his speech there wasn't many a dry eye left in the crowd.

  Being of Asian descent - my friends translated their names to English and used this as the theme for the union: "Plum Country". The invitation was a folded square of plum/eggplant and black colour with pointilist plum images on the front.

  What an inspiration! My only criteria was that they wanted individual cakes per guest...

  I created small cubes of chocolate cake with chinese plum wine and a layer of plum jam. Each cube was then iced either in white or a matching colour from the invitation. Then small plum tree blossoms were appliqued to the sides and finished with a piped border. All the cakes were boxed in clear acetate and then finished with another bowed ribbon.

  The stand was purchased especially with black perspex tiers to accent the cakes. On top of the mignon's was a larger version cutting cake to be shared with family at their convenience. A spray of plum blossoms decorating the top.
  I was extremely happy with the finished product and Ede and Rachael were too. I'm glad they made me a part of this moment in their lives and will never forget it.

Hi ho, hi ho - it's into the New Year we go!

I hope you all had a wonderful start to 2011 with family and friends. It was a quiet one for us on the home front - struggling to keep our eyes open for the New Year fireworks. Whatever happened to partying all night long?

  Mind you, it was probably because I had been up since 4am finishing off last orders for 2010. Xmas week flew by and cakes went out as quickly as the orders kept coming in.
  The thing is that most people don't think further ahead - the amount of clients calling for last minute orders because they hadn't considered that most cake deocrators would close for a Xnas break is amazing. Or that most of my suppliers close down for this period too so orders need to be well planned out and placed ahead of the normal time consideration.

  Between the gingerbread orders, fruit cakes and then the additional ordinary birthday orders, there was little time for sleeping. I'm sure I heard Santa's sleigh pass by in the middle of the night!

 With birthday cakes for those families who need to extend party invitations to the next level - celebrating not one, not two but three events at this time of year...and we thought the rest of us had lots to do!

  Kids cakes, teenagers' and parents. Even my partners' family has three late birthdays just prior to the Xmas festivities.

   

With Summer bringing on the butterfly cakes - birthdays and Christenings for the little girls....

 

teacups for high tea celebrating a young lady's kitchen tea...

and white chocolate slats for the weddings are always fashionable. They provide a happy compromise for the couple who believe the cake is less edible if it is covered in fondant.

  A Brazilian lady who works at Mundo (Bardon: http://www.mundochurrasco.com.au/) - a wonderful churrasco style restaurant ordered the one below on the right and the reports from guests on how wonderful the cake tasted and looked were fabulous.

 Then on the other side of town - the Manager of Chumley Warner's in Birkdale (http://www.chumleywarners.com.au/) came to see me with his fiance to order this lovely black and white creation. He was nice enough to take time out the day after the wedding to ring and let me know what a big hit the cake was. I always appreciate feedback.

   For my landlady - she ordered this cake to celebrate her mother's 80th birthday. A lady who seems to have done just about everything!

 Having seen the last Twilight movie and anxiously awaiting the last: reportedly not coming out until next November!) a client requested this cake for her friend who is also a bit of a 'twi-hard' like me!

Then last but not least...was the above cake. A take on a Julie Whitehead design. Unfortunately, she was not available to make the cake for Boxing Day and so I took on the job. The cake was delivered to Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast. With all the rain that came down during the drive, it was a cake to be prayed over to make sure it got there all in one piece...A single drop of rain on the hand-painted flowers would have streaked the cake design. The room looked extremely impressive with the cake to match.

So let's hope the New Year continues along this vein and we all remain healthy and happy. Think of all the towns that have been flooded out and keep our general safety and good luck with us.

Speak soon.

A.