How do I Order a Custom Cake?

THE PROCESS....

Ordering a custom design cake should be quite easy, however, it can seem quite daunting to someone who has never done it before. Unlike walking into a grocery store where they have ready made cakes in a show case and all you have to do is get them a pipe on a message or even a retail specialty bakery that may have cakes for same day pickup, all our cakes are strictly custom, and made to order.

So how does it work? It really isn't that complicated.

1) RESEARCH

Before giving us a call do a little research first to see what kind of cake you would like. What kind of style are you looking for, elegant, vintage, retro, etc?  Do you want flowers, modeled figurines, stripes, polka dots, etc? Check out our GALLERY or look on the Internet for some pictures of cakes you might like.

2) CONTACT US, CHECK AVAILABILITY AND PROVIDE DETAILS

The next thing you need to do is contact us. You can do that 3 ways 1) use the ORDER form on our website, 2) email us directly or 3) give us call. We do not accept text messages or messages via Facebook.

You need to establish whether there is availability for your cake. Here, at Just Like Gram's, everything is made to order and decorated by hand. Plus, I am the only staff member at Just Like Gram's so I do EVERYTHING from shopping for ingredients, baking, decorating, washing the dishes, paperwork and delivery.  There are limited places per week for cakes and we do book up regularly. We typically require two - three weeks notice for a custom cake. All our cakes are baked fresh the week they are ordered for, so often last minute cakes are hard to squeeze in. Especially during wedding season, when wedding season is in full swing, wedding cakes are often booked 9 months in advance. To avoid disappointment, it's best to book well in advance. For example, we are usually booked up by April for the months of June - August.

Some of the details I will need in order to provide you with a quote are:

• the date of your event
• the occasion/nature of your event (i.e. wedding, birthday, baby shower)
• delivery or pickup
• how many people you will need to feed
• a phone number in which we can contact you
• what flavour of cake you would like
• an idea of what kind of design you are looking for

3) QUOTES, RETAINER FEES, AND PAYMENTS 

Once we have established availability and know the design and number of servings, we can then provide you with a quote.  To book your cake and reserve your date with us , we require a 50% non-refundable retainer fee via cash, cheque, credit card or email transfer. This again confirms your order and holds the date for you. Without the retainer fee, your order is not confirmed and the date is still available for other clients. The remaining balance is due at the time of pickup. Wedding cake order balances are due two weeks prior to the event. 

4) SHORT NOTICE ORDERS

A lot of planning, organization and time goes into creating a custom cake. Quotes and designs need to be arranged, plus special materials and equipment may need to be ordered in. Also, we need to factor in the time for communication between us and client in planning a cake, plus there might be changes made to the design due to budgets and payments need to be cleared before ANY work can begin on any cake. AND then there's the actual cake making!!! For this reason, any cake ordered  within two weeks of an event is regarded as a short notice order and may incur a rush order fee. 

"I wanna start a cake business...."

When I was at the CKNL trade show last month, someone came up to me and said they knew someone who wanted started to their own cake/cupcake business and what kind of advice I could give them.  I have been in business for 8 years now as of this month (we opened our doors May 2007) and I am CONSTANTLY learning the business. I can give some pointers though...

1) RESEARCH... 
Do your research first. Go to your local city hall and health officials and find out what you need to do to start your own business. From start to finish, it took me about a year to open up for business, I had to get the necessary licensing, permits, and insurance. PLUS, I had to submit a menu to the health unit to get the okay. I also had to submit building plans to the city and the health unit before I started construction on my second kitchen. Once construction was completed, I then went through a final inspection. Another thing,... I have to get water inspections too. Even though we are on city water, I have my water trucked in, so I have to get my water inspected.
Now is also the time to set your policies.. in regards to delivery, pickup, forms of payment, deposits, hours of operation, discounts (if any or to who), etc.

2) RECIPES
In addition to research... take the time to get your recipes down pat. Once you are in business, it is NOT THE TIME to start looking for a vanilla cake recipes. Sorry, you should have done that BEFORE you got into business. How many times I hear people in the cake business requesting a recipe for a vanilla cake or a lemon cake. Now, it's still OKAY to try new recipes on the side and if you find one that happens to be better than the one you have, than OK ditch the old one and go with a new one.

3) PRICING, PRICING, PRICING.... 
Most importantly is your pricing... take the time to establish your pricing structure. Cost out  your INGREDIENTS, OVERHEAD (power/fuel/licenses/materials/water/marketing/permits/ office supplies etc), TIME (this includes not just baking, but shopping, cleaning up, delivery, design time and discussion time with the client) and PROFIT.
Part of your research includes checking out what your competitors prices are. This is very important... DO NOT UNDERCUT YOUR COMPETITION. Not only does it hurt you, it hurts your competition and hurts the industry. It will put your competition out of business too.  There`s not enough  work to go around. Any market can only bear so much competition before it is over saturated. When the competition is over saturating the market and charging ridiculously low prices just to get business, it devalues the market. So, for example if your competitors are selling cupcakes for $3.00-$4.00/ea, then you should price yourself somewhere  in that area too. If cakes are priced between $4.50 - $6.00/serving, then again price within that area. Bottom line... price accordingly!

4) MARKETING
Get your self a website. No... a FACEBOOK page is not a WEBSITE. A professionally built website gives yourself a professional appearance and level of credibility. Besides.. these days I  find most people head to the internet in their search for a baker.
For myself, I have a website, a FACEBOOK page, BLOG, newsletter, twitter, and Instagram. I use each one differently for different purposes.  The more you market yourself... the better.
Another thing about marketing... is deciding on what kind of image you want for your business and what kind of customer you want.  For me, I promote to those clients who want a high-end quality cake using the finest ingredients, up-to-date with the latest decorating techniques and attention to detail with supreme taste. I do not do grocery style sheet cakes or the Wilton style star tipped cakes.With that in mind, I do not advertise on local buy and sell Facebook pages. Those sites are for those clients looking for a deal and that`s not my market plus it cheapens my image. You don`t see Mercedes or Porsche  advertising on buy and sell Facebook Pages...need I say more.

5) Get the whole picture... 
Before you get in business, think about your life and how much you value your free time. Plan for long late nights with little sleep with few weekends off, especially from May until September. If you have kids or family, you won`t see them very much.   Trust me... I know. I see my kids more during the school year when I am ferrying them around to all their after school activities  then in the summer months during their vacation. The key is to be super organized. I break each cake project into a series of steps doing a little bit each day. Plus, I try to work during the day while they are in school leaving me the evenings free to be with my family. A lot of it is trial and error, working out a plan that works best for you.  Also, learn to plan your life and holiday time a year in advance. I already have brides looking to book for 2016 and we have just started the 2015 wedding season. After 8 years in business, I am starting to finally be a little bit selfish and take some time off for my family. I booked off at least one weekend a month so I could relax and do something with them.

So there.. just a little something to ponder. Now, you might say.. I only want to sell a cake here or there a make a few bucks, not to get into business. SORRY.. once you accept any form of payment for cake or cupcakes, YOU ARE IN BUSINESS.  Pretty simple...

So there you have it.. just a few tips.  Over the past 8 years, I have learned soo much (and a lot the hard way)  and I am still learning more and more every day.

The "IN BETWEEN" Stage...

I call the time  between Christmas and Wedding Season, the "IN BETWEEN" stage. This is typically the time (for most cake designers) when it is a bit slower in terms of cake and cupcake sales, but this is also a VERY BUSY time for me.  During this time,

1)  I hold all my wedding cake consultations, starting from October -November, and then once again from January to March. I really, really enjoy this part of my business. I enjoy meeting with couples and seeing their  ideas and drafting up designs for their wedding cake. Every cake I create, I try to bring a personal element of the client into the design.  Plus, the bridal couples enjoy eating cake.. that's the FUN part.

2) Inventory... this is when I go through my kitchen and all my wedding cake orders and see what I need to order for the upcoming busy wedding season. Sometimes, if I need a special cutter or mold, I need to order it at least 6-8 weeks in advance to make sure I get it on time. Sometimes a special piece of equipment comes as far as the UK.

3) This period is also the time when I typically attend bridal or trade shows. Right now, I am busy prepping for the upcoming CKNL trade show in April. It usually draws in around 16-20,000 people in a weekend. I sell on average around 600-800  cupcakes in one weekend. Last year, I had a smaller booth and I was tripping over stuff all the time. So this year, I rented a much larger booth, plus totally revamped my booth design. Sorry, no hints, I will post pics of my booth after the show.

4) VACATION... need I say more. With my husband working in the oil patch, the spring break up tends to be around April, which happens to land before wedding season. As a result, our family tends to take a family vacation at that time. Gives me time to recoup after standing on my feet for 3 long days at the trade show and relax just before the wedding season. Sleep and days off are not an option from May until September. Last year, we went to Punta Cana...

We're Only Halfway Through...

The month of July kept us hopping... it seemed this month was the month for cupcake orders.   The cake business is strange... it's like a pendulum. You never know how it will swing and how far. Some times I will go weeks without cupcake orders and think, "Hmmm... maybe the cupcake craze is over, then WHAM!!! I am hit with a rash of cupcake orders". Yep.. the cake business is certainly unpredictable.

Here are some of the orders we completed this month...

30th Birthday Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting... YUMMM!!!

 Smash Cupcake for a little girl turning ONE. Love the contrast between the colors. We also made coordinating cupcakes to match the cake. Her mom later wrote me, `` Jasper loved her cake and the cupcakes were a real hit. Thank you!!!!``

Pansy Cupcakes. These for a client whom I have made her birthday treats for the past 3 years.  She later emailed me saying, ``Thank you very much fo rthe beautiful Pansy cupcakes you had made for my birthday. They made my day very special. Thank you.``

AND, lastly, this was the HUGEST wedding cake I have made to date. This wedding cake was created for a very sweet bride. This 5 tier wedding cake was airbrushed in pearl dust and then scroll work and lace applique was applied to the cake which was then painted in champagne dust.  Unfortunately, I didn`t get a great pic of the cake, however, the bride has promised she would get me one.  The bride emailed me, the day after her wedding saying that the cake, ``It was absolutely incredible!``

"Don't send Flowers, Send Dessert!"

"Don't send flowers, send Dessert!" For years, flowers have been the traditional gift delivered for a special occasion, sympathy, thank you, or when you want to express a feeling.

Just Like Gram's is now offering an alternative. Instead of flowers, we bring dessert… always considered special, uplifting the spirits of the lucky recipient.

 Just Like Gram's offers freshly baked custom decorated cakes, cupcakes and cookies. We will even deliver them for you. Delivery is included in the price of all our baked goods within the Fort St John area.

Check out our Delivery Vehicle!

June...and We're only Half-Way Through....

One thing I have noticed over the years is that some years, June is quiet and some months June can be completely insane. You can never predict from year to year, what it's going to be like. In the past, I have had a ton of weddings in May with few in June, but this year.. the EXACT opposite. June seems to be THE month to get married. Let's also add in the fact that it is also graduation season and people don't stop having birthday's either. We are only half-way through June so I thought I would post some pics of the cakes we have completed so far.

Buttercream piped basket weave flower basket with all hand made sugar flowers.

The following three cakes were created for a client (and upcoming bride of mine) who planned a "ladybug" theme party for her little girl turning 1. We created a ladybug smash cake, ladybug birthday cake for the guests and additional ladybug cupcakes.

 














One week later, I created this wedding cake for the mom "the bride". She had a destination wedding and then came back to hold her reception. We chose a bold blue color her wedding cake with some simple white scroll work. Chocolate seashells and fresh orchids were added at the end to complete the overall look.

Another wedding cake created last weekend was the this ruffled cake complete with yellow ruffled gumpaste flowers. The bride requested a design by Maisie Fantaisie. The original design had pink flowers which we changed to lemon yellow. I also added additional ruffles than the original design.

It's been a while...

I know I haven't posted in a while, so now that we are halfway through June, I sit back and look at the previous couple of months. After taking off most of April, my husband and I took our children to Disneyland and then after being home for a week, I headed back east to Kitchener, ON to attend a course taught by Karen Portaleo, of the Highland Bakery, hosted by Chrissie Boon of Icing Inspirations.  I was only there for one night and came down with the flu. Running a fever of 102, I wasn't about to quit. I gritted my teeth, filled up on meds,  and somehow got through the course. I spent lots of money just to attend with airfare, hotel costs, etc so I wanted to get my money's worth.  We learned a ton of stuff about modelling and working with chocolate. It was too bad being so sick with the flu that I didn't really have a the chance to thoroughly enjoy it. Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to take another course by Karen. Unfortunately, I never finished my cake (I WONDER WHY???), so ONE day when I have some spare time, I will finish it.

After my course was done, I headed to my sister's in Alberta for some R&R, shopping and visiting family.

May brought a whirlwind of cake orders.  Here are just a few of those completed...

I work closely with the wonderful Lana Hamilton of Lana Hamilton Photography. She specializes in family and children photography. She also does Smash Cake photography too. Her work is AMAZING, plus she is fun to work with.

Set of two Smash Cupcakes  for a set of twin girls.

Smash Cupcake for a little boy who was into Dr. Seuss  (who isn't... "Big A, Little a. A, A, A", yes I read that book to my son a ZILLION times)

Smash Cupcake featuring purple polka dots and matching bow.

Sculpted Martini Glass Cake for a young woman's birthday.

In addition, to the sculpted Martini Glass cake, we also created this pink cake with black zebra stripes. Matching fondant martini glass applique was applied to the top.

I received a lovely phone call from Mary Anne on Vancouver Island who wanted to order some cupcakes for a young lady's birthday (she had just moved up here). Isn't that sweet?  I created some Red Velvet cupcakes with Italian Meringue Buttercream sprinkled with silver dragees and purple gumpaste blossoms.

Let's talk about "DEPOSITS".

What do I have to pay a "DEPOSIT"?

An excellent question!

Yes, we require a 50% non-refundable deposit on all our orders payable at the time of ordering.

Why?

First, we are a custom design cake studio AND if the order is cancelled, we cannot sell the cake to someone else since it was made for a specific client. We are not a walk-in bakery or large scale grocery store where we have ready made cakes to sell. All our cakes are made-to-order to the customer's specifications.

Secondly, when we take a deposit, we book that day and commit ourselves to your order. Many times we turn down business because we are booked already. Should an order be cancelled, we have lost business since we have turned away clients in order to design a particular cake.The non-refundable deposit covers the lost opportunities and the costs incurred by the vendor based on your commitment. In the past, we have ordered specialty items or started production on specialty cakes, only to be called a few days prior to completion to have the order cancelled. For example, one time I had an order for an "adult oriented" cake, and after having the cake baked and started working on the decorations, I received a call needing to cancel. There is no way I could have resold the cake since 1) it was adult oriented 2) it had some very specific custom designs requested by the client. You know the saying, "...it only takes once".

So requesting a "deposit" does 2 things:

1) It protects the customer. When you place an order and pay the 50% non-refundable deposit,  you are guaranteed that your order is booked with us. The deposit  protects the client and assures the client that the vendor will be there. No worries! and
2) It protects us against cancelled orders and lost business.

Snoopy Revisited...

Last weekend I created this adorable Snoopy Doghouse cake complete with Snoopy and Woodstock molded from sugarpaste. I had created this cake design, complete with cupcakes, a couple of years ago for a baby shower.  When I first received the request a few weeks ago, I asked the client if she wanted the EXACT same cake or should we add something to the cake to make it more "individualized". The client requested the same design. Now, I really don't like replicating the same cake design.  I like making each cake customized and a little different for each client.  You know... make it "yours". So with this particular cake I made the roof have some texture by using a brick-like impression mat and we also put a large "5" on the back of the doghouse for the birthday boy. 

To complete the cake order, she requested additional cupcakes topped with little Snoopy's and Woodstock's. These toppers were created out of chocolate.

"What's in my cake?"

When I discuss a cake order with prospective clients and the topic of "when do you bake the cake" comes up, the first thing a lot of people bring up is "using a mix". It seems that the general perception out there is that one does not bake from scratch anymore, and a using a mix is the just the norm. So, I thought it would a good idea to discuss "what's in your cake".

• First of all, I DO NOT USE MIXES! I personally find the taste unappealing. I taste one, I taste them all. They all seem to have the same "chemical" taste. It's like going to a "certain" popular coffee shop here in town, all their muffins taste the same, and I know they use a mix. I like the fact that I KNOW what goes into my cakes not having to decipher all the weird "lingo" on the back of the box. Another reason I don't use mixes is that they are too soft and fluffy. I find a cake, made from scratch is more sturdier and less likely to fall apart when it comes to decorating, whether it be carving a cake or stacking it for a wedding cake. The majority of my recipes have been handed down from my grandmother who was a pastry chef in the Canadian navy during World War II.

• Secondly, I use 100% butter, flour, sugar, fresh eggs, Dutch cocoa, buttermilk, no artificial flavorings ( I use Madagascar Bourbon vanilla bean paste for my cakes).  All my fillings are made fresh from scratch. We do not use sleeve fillings. These are pre-cooked fillings are found in a sleeve that you just squeeze out. Any cooked filling that is found packaged and sitting on a store shelf has got to be filled with preservatives to be prevent it from going bad. While we are on the topic of fillings, did you know that all the raspberries we use are locally grown. By that I mean, they come straight from MY GARDEN! During the summer months, I go out and hand-pick the raspberries myself to make all my raspberry fillings. Then at the end of summer, I freeze my bountiful supply and continue to use them during the winter months so I can continue to use fruit that is local and hasn't been sprayed by pesticides. I had a strawberry patch too, but the squirrels always beat me to it leaving me with no fruit, so I have resorted to getting my strawberries from local supplier. 

• To answer those who wonder when we bake our cakes, we bake them fresh just for your event.  We do not pre-bake, ice and freeze our cakes in advance. I remember attending a friend's wedding some years ago and one of his cousin's heard I did cakes. He also worked for a local grocery store chain. I won't name "names", but he told me he worked in the "cake plant". He told me all the cakes were baked in this huge warehouse, iced, frozen and then shipped to all parts of the province. Yummm... sounds appealing.  All our cakes are made to order for each individual client.

So there you have it! So if you have ANY questions regarding your cake, please do not hesitate to ask!

I'M ON A BUDGET!!!

"I'M ON A BUDGET!"   I hear those words quite frequently when a bride comes to me to discuss her wedding cake. I do understand the whole budget issue, especially nowadays with the economy the way it is. Personally, I don't want to spend anymore than I have to either.  I cringe everytime I fill up on gas or buy groceries at the store. 

Remembering the time when I was getting married (has it been 13 years already?), I was one of those frugal, budget-conscious, do-it-yourself brides. I was a teacher-on-call and my husband-to-be was a student - IN FACT, he wrote his final exams the day before we got married. We paid about $5000 for our wedding (yes, I know that was 13 years ago, but there are ways to keep it simple and affordable). In fact, our move to Fort St John, was MORE expensive than our wedding once we added up all the moving expenses. To help trim costs, here are some of the things I did for my wedding

• made my own wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses. Both my sister and I CAN sew, and I made them a year in advance. It's a great incentive to keep your weight down.
• had a buffet dinner (it was a wild game meal so all our family chipped in with different types of meat)
• had our wedding/reception all at the same location
• was gifted the cost of the hall rental
• used to work with my caterer who is also a dear friend, so she prepared all our food FREE- I just had to give her the money for the ingredients
• purchased freeze dried flowers from a business going under, my sister did all the arrangements
• made my own invitations/decorations
• purchased my husband's wedding band from a business going under - which by the way, he doesn't wear anyway because of his job
• had a family friend be the DJ - I just gathered CD's from family members for him to play
• had a family friend who was a freelance photographer do our photography
• I did have a small wedding cake, plus desserts made by my grandmother

Being in the wedding industry, I am in constant contact with lots of vendors and have come to learn lots of budget-friendly tips.  So here's a few:

1) Guest List - Keep it under control!  The sure way to keep costs down is trim your guest list. For example, if dinner costs $15/person, just by cutting down 10 people from your list, you save yourself: 1 less table rental, 10 fewer chair covers, 10 less people to feed, 10 fewer party favors to make, 10 less alcoholic drinks to buy... you get the idea.  The rule of thumb I learned from a top wedding cake designer and caterer in Indianapolis is the 60% rule.  You plan for 60% of your invited guests.  Realistically, not EVERYONE is going to come.  When I got married my guest list was appx 180, but just under 100 showed up.

2) Plated Dinner vs Buffet Dinner - Overall, choose a buffet dinner where everyone can help themselves. For a plated dinner, you have to pay someone to put everything on your plate and serve it you and your guests individually.  Also, on the topic of buffet, think about your food. A simple buffet with one meat, one starch and 2 veggies is going to be cheaper than too many multiple choices.

3) DIY - Yes, I do believe there are some things that you can do your self and save money, i.e. organizing wedding favors, invitations. HOWEVER, I do firmly believe that there are some things that are better left to the professionals, such as your wedding dress, photographer, caterer and wedding cake.  I believe that you get what you pay for. If you want good quality stuff, then you should be prepared to pay for it.  I can't count how many brides have come to me at the last minute thinking that they could save money by having a sister, mom or auntie make the cake and then it didn't work out and had to have me do it for them.  So, yes, I do believe that you can honestly save money and do some stuff yourself, but be realistic and honest with yourself what you can and can not do.

4) THE CAKE - One important piece of advice - a fake cake is NOT cheaper! No matter what the wedding magazines say (by the way, those articles are not written by someone who actually makes cakes, but someone in an office).  A lot of people say, "well, you're not paying for the ingredients of the cake, so it should be cheaper."  Wanna know something?? Those Styrofoam pieces cost just as much as the ingredients do, plus I have to pay for shipping too, since I can't get them here in Fort St John.  Overall, you have the Styrofoam pieces (equal the price of the ingredients of the cake), plus the time for me to decorate them which would have been the same as if it was a real cake, plus sheet cakes you plan to serve sitting in the kitchen which is STILL cake that I have to bake and ice.  SO, to save money, go with a smaller cake (see the advice of guest list above) and forget the fake cake idea.

My overall advice (which is also what I hear from other vendors too): spend the money on what is most important to you and what you want to remember the most. What I remember the most from my wedding was my dress, the beautiful location (we saved money by having the ceremony, reception and pictures all taken at the same location), the pictures and the food (we had a wild game buffet dinner).  Save money on the little things that honestly no one will remember years from now (and neither will you....

A "Farming" We Will Go...

This post is going to short and sweet. Why??? I am in a just a little bit of pain. I received this cake request over a month ago and "no problem" was looking forward to designing it. Fast forward to yesterday, when I went to work on it. I went out first in the early morning to shovel the snow off our deck, and only got to the first shovel full, when my back instantly froze in pain due to a pinched nerve. I was literally left motionless because I couldn't move. After what seemed an eternity I finally managed to hobble into the house and get into the pain meds. Great huh??? Suddenly it dawned on me, that I still have to do the cake. UGH!!! In between repeated intervals of laying on the couch for 30 min and 15 min of cake work time, I finally managed to get it done. 

SO... for you cake business wannabees, this is an issue that you have to think about. Yes, designing cakes is a lot of fun and I ABSOLUTELY love my job, BUT there is also the flip side (the not-so-nice part of the business).  In the rare case you get sick, injured or have to spend the evening in the hospital and then come home late at night and STILL have to work on cake, because there is no one else and JUST you (unless you have employees who can do the work for you).... just a ``little`` something to ponder on. 

Anyway, I got the cake done, and was pretty happy with the results despite my situation. The top tier was classic white with Italian Meringue butter cream filling while the bottom tier was chocolate filled with cookies `n cream butter cream. The cake was covered in fondant with fondant accents. The little toy tractor topper was purchased for the little birthday boy to play with. When the mom came to pick up her son's cake she was so happy with it, she proceeded to order 3 more cakes from me. So... A "happy" customer, makes it all worthwhile in the end. 

FSJ Bridal Show 2012

This weekend I attended the 15th Annual Bridal Show in Fort St John. I had an amazing time and met tons of  new brides and got a chance to rekindle friendships with other vendors whom I hadn't seen awhile. Part of the fun of attending a bridal show is getting the chance to network with other vendors. Another first for me this year, was that I was accompanied by my 8 yr old daughter Elizabeth. She spent the entire day with me at the bridal show and then participated in the fashion show as one of the models. She was a great help to me setting up and taking down my booth. We had such a fun time that she wants to do it again next year. 

Here is a pic of my booth

We created numerous cake designs for the bridal show. I like to try new techniques to display at the show. Here are just a few of them... For this cake, I covered the entire cake in fondant and then covered in sparkly sugar, tied with a sugarpaste bow complete with edible brooch.

Since August is a BIG month for weddings here in Fort St John, I get a lot of requests for autumn themed cakes. I created this cake in chocolate fondant complete with sugarpaste leaves with a bit of gold to add an elegant touch.

I wanted to experiment with different textures, so this cake was created with a stucco texture. I completed the overall design with sugarpaste dogwoods dusted with pink and green centers.

I actually created this cake last year for another show but I never felt completely happy with it. The design was inspired from a picture of a wedding dress I seen in a magazine. The cake originally had a dark blue ribbon with a star shaped sugarpaste brooch. Unhappy with the design, I ripped off the ribbon and brooch and created this sugarpaste bow with a softer shade of blue with a pearly white sugarpaste brooch to match the lacework applique on the cake. Needless to say, I loved the new look.

Going with an organic nature feel, this 3 tier cake was created using olive green and ivory shades with a branch going up the front. Two hand painted birds were added for a whimsical touch.

This pretty 5 tiered yellow cake was another design that underwent several changes during the design process. I originally was going to put yellow and green whimsical swirls going up the side of the cake with the addition of butterflies. BUT somehow I just couldn't get the feel of it. So, I ended up changing it midway the design process. I piped scroll work all over the cake and then added pearl dusted embossed fondant flowers and leaves. It looked so bright, summery and cheerful against the dreary winter weather we are having right now. If I had to change things, I would probably still add a few butterflies here or there, pink maybe???

SMASH Cakes

About a month ago, we were approached by Fort St John local photographer Lana Hamilton, of Lana Hamilton Photography. She explained that she offers her clients "smash cake" photo shoots. She said she was looking for an exclusive cake designer to make all her smash cakes and was wondering if we would be interested in working with her. Excited over the prospect, we eagerly embraced the idea, PLUS, Lana graciously offered to give us a professional photo of our cakes (which we don't get very often!!!). Lana is great to work with, making you feel comfortable and at ease, yet being professional at all times. If you get a chance, make sure you check out her website for all her latest work.

Here are a couple of SMASH cakes we have created for her so far.

"Naughty Cakes" - Yay or Nay?

I get asked quite frequently if I do cakes that would be considered "adult-only" or "naughty". The answer "IT DEPENDS". You see, I will only do certain types of naughty cakes. I WILL NOT do cakes that feature outright nudity or what I deem "disgusting and lewd". You see, I have kids who see my cakes ALL the time and I don't want them exposed to that type of material. Also, it's a matter of my reputation. I have over the years built up a reputation of offering a classy, high-quality product and I don't want to mar that image.

NOW, what I do offer is "suggestively, tasteful" naughty cakes. For example, I will do a bra, corset, bums, etc. you get the idea. But the bottom line, is I decide on the overall design of each and every cake. So, if I get a phone call for a cake showing certain graphic body parts, the answer is "SORRY".

Now that I got that out of the way... I did receive a call last week from a former groom asking me to make a naughty "boob" cake. I suggested a corset cake. I heard later that everyone LOVED the cake and all the "GUYS" were busy taking snapshots and emailing them to their buddies.

It's Trade Show Time Again!

Well it's that time of year again....the largest trade show in the Peace was held in Fort St. John this past weekend. We attended the show once more displaying our newest cake designs and handing out cupcake and cookie samples. Over 14,000 people attended the show this past weekend, so needless to say it was a LITTLE crazy. We prepared just over 1000 samples and ran out every day. A good thing, right? Our booth was kept hopping answering questions and handing out samples. In fact, it was so busy that I sometimes had to stand in the aisle to allow room for people to come inside my booth. WOW!!! In the past, I have largely run my booth by myself and had my sweet husband come and help me set up and take down, BUT this year, he unfortunately dislocated his knee snowmobiling a few day prior to the show, so I was out of help. So, I turned to my good friend Eleanor and she came to my rescue. She not only helped me load my vehicle and set up my booth, but she also came during the show to give me a break. Trust me, it's REALLY exhausting standing in your booth for 3 days with no breaks to go get something to eat and also having to rush to the bathroom after 8 hours. She also came to help me take down my booth and transport my stuff back home. I couldn't have done it without her. I would really like to thank everyone who attended the show and who came to visit our booth. I really loved meeting everyone and listening to their stories. All your thoughtful and kind comments were well-received. For those who were unable to attend the show, check out the pictures of our booth and a few of the cakes we designed. Here are a few of the latest cake designs we took to the trade show. Orange & Purple with Orange Gumpaste Peonies

5 tier white cake covered in lace applique and silver dragee balls. Silk roses divided each tier with tiny gumpaste butterflies inserted between the blossoms.

I saw an adorable knee-length wedding dress on-line and loved the design. I replicated the design in this cake. Cake was peach in color with lace applique complete with a "paper" flower I found in our local scrap-booking store.

A whimsical tilted Brown and Ivory Square Cake complete with vintage buttons, ruffles, quilting and gumpaste flowers.

This is another example of a wedding dress design I found recently. This 4 tier round cake is covered in lace applique complete with a blue ribbon and "bling-like" star-shaped brooch I created from gumpaste.

Let's Go to the Hospital and Eat Cake

This was DEFINITELY my biggest cake to date. I was asked a couple of weeks ago by Northern Health to create a cake to celebrate the construction process of the new hospital being built in Fort St John. I was really excited and honored to be asked to create this cake. After several meetings and looking at pictures and diagrams, I started to plan. I also sought the assistance of Kara of A Cake to Remember who constructed a large building cake recently. She gladly answered ALL my questions in regard to construction.

The cake was made from both chocolate and vanilla cake iced in Italian Meringue buttercream. I covered the walls, cut out small windows and and constructed the signs all from fondant. The trees were wired from floral wire and then dipped in chocolate. I then cut out over 1000 leaves and attached them to each tree with chocolate. Grey sugarpaste was laid out to resemble sidewalks and then green grass was piped all over the board. I have never done SO MUCH piping in my life before. My hand was so sore I couldn't even grip a pencil after that.

Overall, the cake took over 3 days to construct (if you added up all the hours), but I'm glad with the outcome.