Super Mario Cake

This was my son's second birthday cake this year. Yesterday, we celebrated with a small party at his favorite movie theater. Though I had about ten times more cake than I actually needed, the look on his face was worth all the time, effort ... and research!

I closely studied the characters and features of the game so that I could make the game come to life in cake; I tried to immerse myself in all things Mario! Because my brother is quite the video game aficionado, he became my official "consultant" for this one. ... I drove him crazy! 

The cake was actually three separate cakes: The top of the mushroom was vanilla sponge cake baked in a ball pan; the bottom of the mushroom was a sponge cake carved into the shape of the mushroom base; and the three-layer 9-inch base cake was my signature dark chocolate cake filled with Italian meringue buttercream. Mario and all the other characters were made out of fondant and the grass was created by piping royal icing. I am thankful that I got good pictures of the cake prior to the kids seeing it, because it was demolished in about two minutes flat!

Candy Cake

Can you ever have too much candy? Probably not! I made this colorful cake for my son's family birthday celebration. His absolute favorite candies are M&M's, but this cake could easily be done with many different kinds of candy. The back of the cake was decorated in a colorful pattern of M&Ms with a blue smiley lollipop on top so that either side of the cake would work as the front. The sugar bow and number "8" are completely edible!

Roses & Dots Cake

This white butter cake with lemon buttercream filling was created for a special birthday celebration. The fondant ribbon roses and leaves, combined with buttercream dots, borders and ribbons, helped to give this cake a an elegant look. A few days after delivery of the cake, my client that hosted the birthday luncheon called me to say it was the best cake she ever had!

Checkerboard Daisy cake

This white butter cake with lemon curd and lemon buttercream filling was done for a small bridal luncheon. Sugar paste daisies adorned the top of the cake, while a checkerboard border finished off the bottom. A few days later, I received an email from my client with a great photo of the smiling bride-to-be with her cake.

Black and White cake

Paying tribute to the Italian black and white cookie, this cake was black and white on the outside as well as on the inside. Alternating layers of dark chocolate and classic white butter cake were filled with a creamy Italian meringue buttercream. A chocolate rope border and edible pearls highlighted the dark chocolate and marshmallow fondant exterior.

Star birthday cake

In designing this cake for a man's birthday, I tried to keep the design more masculine by using blues, purples, and bold decorations. The sugar star showcased the recipient's name and allowed for a little visual interest on the top of the cake. Inside was three layers of dark chocolate cake separated by creamy Italian meringue buttercream.

Streamer cake

Sugar paste streamers and letters adorn the top of this birthday cake. Inside, the classic white butter cake was filled with Italian meringue buttercream. Outside, smooth blue buttercream was the perfect canvas for the argyle/dot pattern made of marshmallow fondant.