Live from the East Coast

Lots of exciting things have been going on since we last chatted (which is why I've been MIA) and there are plenty more to follow in the coming weeks (can you say wedding fever??) so unfortunately I'll be flying under the radar again soon.

I did, however, want to take this time to keep you updated on a few significant life events:

1- My Dad and I made it to the east coast in one piece. Once we got out of Texas we hit rain almost the entire way forcing us to stop more than we would have liked, but it did allow us to go by each of our alma maters and pick up new sweatshirts (it's the little things that make road trips great). We chatted about everything under the sun, from military to politics, religion and family matters.. it was a great couple of days.

2- In the past couple of weeks I've managed to make not 1, but 2 wedding cakes.. check these little beauties out...

Danielle and Ricky wanted something simple with pearl accents and fresh flowers. They went with a small strawberry cake for display and cutting and served guests with a couple of large sheet cakes.. Shortly after dropping this off I picked my Dad up from the airport and we began our trek to VA.

I've been friends with Eric and Steph since high school so making their wedding cake was extra special. They went with alternating tiers of Chocolate Guinness Cake w/ Baileys Buttercream and Wedding White w/ Vanilla Buttercream. I literally started preparing this cake the day after our roadtrip and transporting their cake was quite an adventure, but I was so happy to be a part of their special day.

3- It's go time. The wedding countdown has begun and I have a lot to do in the next 13 days (insert stressful thoughts here) Thankfully I haven't started my new job yet, so I'll be running around all over the place getting things done...I can't wait!!

I'm going to try and get another post in before the wedding, but I can't make any promises.. I've got a "guest book" to make (can't wait to show you the finished project) and lots of other goodies to take care of so I may be MIA for another few weeks. 

Oh, and did I mention that I have to start baking MY wedding cake this weekend??

Happy Baking!

Traveling Wedding Cake- Take 2

I apologize for being a little flaky last week, but one of my best friends got married this past weekend.

That's a good excuse, right? Did I mention I also made the cake??

And not just any cake.. a traveling wedding cake.

Of course, as with all the weddings we've gone to thus far, we were required to travel quite a bit.

Not only did I travel with the pre-baked, un-frosted, cakes from Texas, decorate it in my mother's kitchen using the various tools and tubs of buttercream I managed to smuggle onto the plane, we then had to drive another 2 hours with the finished cake in tow.

 But it doesn't matter, because all that being said, I'll do anything for my wonderful girlfriends!

When Shannon asked me to make a little cake for her and her hubby's ceremonial cut, I was honored- it didn't matter how many airplanes and automobiles it had to travel on.

All of my friends have been so great about giving me artistic freedom with their cakes and Shannon was no exception. She gave me just a few things she wanted and sent me on my marry way: chocolate cake, yellow decorations, and a flower.

This was my first attempt at a large gumpaste flower, but I really wanted to recreate the flower that was on her dress..

You're not going to believe this, but with all the hustle and bustle surrounding the wedding and trying to set up the cake before meeting friends for lunch, I forgot to take a photo of the cake after I set it up originally. The best shot I got was during the reception when the lights were dimmed and things were all over the table (they had the small cake sitting on their table with them).

 

I'm really hoping the photographer got a good one before everyone got into the reception and the lights were dimmed. No matter the quality of the picture, Shannon loved it and the hubby couldn't believe the flower was edible.

Another successful wedding cake for the books! And many more to come!

Happy Baking!

*And if you would- I have a new facebook page for all my cake creations- I'd love for you to "like" me :) I'll be posting pictures of cakes and possibly some tutorials along the way!

A Marble Falls Wedding

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time can pass.

It seems like just yesterday Mountain Man came home and let me know he'd try to get me a wedding cake gig with a girl he met on his way home from a business trip.

Shortly after that, I was contacted by Diana and the wedding cake planning began. She went non-traditional, which I loved! She wanted just a small cake for the cutting, a cake for the groom and cupcakes for the guests.

We discussed flavors, fillings, frostings and numbers, the couple came for a tasting and just when we thought we had everything figured out a few last minute changes occurred.

For starters, we were originally going to use this delicious Mango Curd as a filling for the wedding cake, but about a month before the wedding the couple decided to switch it up and requested a Red Velvet Cake instead (no biggie). And as the number of guests increased, so did the number of cupcakes.

Red Velvet Wedding Cake

With 2 cakes, 90 cupcakes (3 flavors) and 30 mini banana creme pies to make, time management was key.

Needless to say, my kitchen became an assembly line of batters and frostings, but I got it all done.

Strawberry Cupcakes

 Va-Va Vanilla Cupcakes

Luscious Lemon Cupcakes

All packed up and ready to go!

I always get so nervous when transporting cakes and cupcakes. I don't know how Duff and his gang do it on the streets of Baltimore! Every bump and turn make me cringe, praying that nothing is happening to the sweets carefully tucked away in their boxes.

Thankfully we all got to the venue in one piece and I was able to set up the goods on the fabulously sweet dessert table. Along with my cakes and cupcakes, guests had a plethora of goodies to feast on throughout the evening.

 

Another wedding down and hopefully many more to come!

Don't forget to check out my new cake site: sweetsbye.weebly.com 

...serving the Central Texas area one sweet at a time!

Have Wedding Cake, Will Travel

That's right folks, another traveling wedding cake!

Is it nerve racking you ask? A little bit..but it's also very exciting, especially when the bride and groom have no idea what is in store for them.

And how do I get myself into these things you ask? Well, it's quite easy when you like to make cakes and all of your good friends still live on the east coast.

Case in point, this little number I traveled to Savannah with this past weekend for two of our very good friends.

This cake was very special to me because the couple I made it for is also very special. Andrea and I were roommates for two years during grad school and upon meeting, immediately became fast friends. T.Ray and A.Way (as she used to be called) met around the same time Mountain Man and I did at a local gym that Taylor actually co-owned. As the roommate, I got to watch as her and Taylor's relationship grew and couldn't have been more excited when they asked me to make their wedding cake. In just a few short weeks after their first date, the two became inseparable- doing all sorts of things together, to include working out (Taylor is into the whole weight lifting thing if you can't tell), which is what inspired the custom cake topper I made for them out of clay.

I kept the decorations a secret from the bride and groom and I'm so glad I did.. they were absolutely ecstatic about the topper.. I think Taylor literally gave me 3 bear hugs after seeing it, laughing the entire time.

Perfect (ok semi-perfect) little clay replicas of the couple in all their wedding glory.. we even got them to try the pose out in real life too!

Andrea and Taylor couldn't have asked for better weather for an outdoor wedding. The ceremony took place in one of the many squares adorning the city and the reception was held in one of the most haunted homes in Savannah- the Kehoe House. We laughed, we cried, we ate cake and danced the afternoon away all in a perfect Savannah Fall day.

For those of you wondering how I made this travel happen here's a quick recap:
Fortunately (for me), their wedding was small, which meant we didn't need a large cake. I actually baked, decorated and covered the cakes in fondant in Texas and then did the rest once we arrived in Savannah. The night before we left I boxed up the cakes, covered them in saran wrap and then wrapped them in bubble wrap so that they couldn't move much. MM and I hand carried the cakes throughout the rest of the trip as our carry-ons and boy did we have to answer a lot of questions along the way. The flight attendants were awesome about it though and even let us keep the cakes on the plane during our layover (one of them actually hung out in our seats so the cakes weren't disturbed by the cleaning people). Saturday morning I set up the cake before the wedding, added the ribbon, the topper and the rest was history.

Oh and don't worry, I've got another one in September :)

My Very First Wedding Cake: A Success Story

I hope I didn't leave you all in too much suspense over the past weekend! Unfortunately I didn't have much time or access to a computer to be able to share my story along the way, but let it be known that it was a fantastic success! What do you think?? Not to shabby for my first time right?!

I have to admit, I'm like a proud mama when it comes to this cake. For spending hours baking cake, traveling many many miles, switching planes, making 6 batches of icing in one average sized mixer, getting to the church (cakes and icing in tow) sans air conditioning, constructing the cake and decorating cupcakes all before the rehearsal dinner, everything went smoothly...almost too smoothly.

On their way to the airport!

Thanks to MM's wonderfully constructed boxes, the cakes all made it to GA perfectly intact. Friday morning was spent making way too much icing and when I finally arrived to the church around noon I knew it was go time. I had until 5pm to get everything constructed and ready for the big day in order to have time to get back to the house, shower and make it to the rehearsal dinner on time.

As soon as I walked into the kitchen of the church I was in heaven.

..so...much...counter space!

Before she got all done up with fresh flowers.

Cupcakes ready to for display..

Red Velvet and Vanilla Butter Cake with Chocolate buttercream.

I couldn't be happier with the way everything turned out..all the stress I felt on the way to GA almost disappeared as once I finally got into the kitchen to start decorating. The wedding was beautiful, the bride and groom were soo happy, and everyone seemed to love the cake! I heard a little girl tell her mom the cake was 'sooo good' and the caterers couldn't believe I had traveled that far..

Making a wedding cake is a big responsibility and I feel so blessed to have friends like Trevor and Meagan who took a chance and let me make theirs. It made their special day even more special to me :) I wish them only the best in their new life together! 

Wedding cake decorator for hire... who's next?? ;)