Working with marsipan for a change

Ok so it is rare for us to do what we affectionately call a 'domed cake'. Traditionally, decorated cakes were traditional fruit cake layered with marsipan and then finished with fondant. Last week we went traditional and made four beautiful cakes for four 80th birthdays - a client who knew how to entertain put on one impressive birthday event!

This cake is adorned with deep red roses and natural looking green leaves.
This cake was a cake to be shared and cut at the event. As it was two men and one lady it was important to find the balance between not too masculine or feminine.
This lovely cake uses a combination of handpainting and piping.

as does this ...

Marsipan tends to be something people either love or hate. Unfortunately, for those who love it, it is very hard to purchase good quality marsipan in Australia. Thankfully our pastry chef is German and as we all know marsipan is pretty much synonymise with German. Nick imports this from Germany and whilst very pricey it is definitely quality!

We had a bit of fun trying to pronounce ...

Here is the actual marsipan. It can be quite tacky and very different from the imitation marsipans that are made in Australia. Nick was a gem and gave me fabulous advice. I had once heard not to use cornflour to roll marsipan but that is apparently not true which was good as we mostly use cornflour for rolling. This marsipan can be quite sticky and would be terrible to use with icing sugar.

Whilst it's good to embrace difference I am delighted to be back with ganache!

Til next time,

Belinda

http://www.ediblecreations.com.au/

Air Brushing

Air brushing is a great skill that adds a new level to decorating cakes. Last week we added a great funky look to a skateboard cake using the airbrush - see facebook for photo) this week we are airbrushing roses for a couple of cakes.

Now I am not going to pretend that we are airbrushing experts. If you would like to learn this fabulous skill from the best we highly recommend Wayne from Advanced Airbrush who runs fabulous courses. Ali attended a course last year and found it brilliant and learnt so much.

Here is a quick snap shot of Ali who dropped in for a couple of hours today to give a couple of light coats to the roses.
One thing you can be sure of when airbrushing is that it gets airborne and everywhere. Definitely don't do with other cakes near by. Ali sprayed into a box but still that doesn't contain the colour and very thorough cleans are required after spraying.

Below is a photo showing the correct technique for holding the airbrush. Interestingly I can't hold an airbrush properly. It's a bit of a joke around Edible Creations. But I can't hold a pen correctly either. It's the end result that matters I say :)

Here is one of the roses after a couple of light coats. Tomorrow afternoon we will put a deeper red over.

Things we are learning when it comes to airbrushing.

* Always spray light layers and add more layers rather than being heavy handed with the spray.

* We actually found that for some colours you get a better result with cheap liquid food colouring as bought from the supermarket as opposed to the specifically made air brushing food colouring.

As I said do check out Advanced Airbrush for courses. Despite not being specific to cake Wayne is more than capable of catering to these needs in a general class.

Til next time,
Belinda

http://www.ediblecreations.com.au/

Colour Inspiration - Brown and Green

Today I went for a walk (something I have not been doing near enough lately) and despite the very wet weather it was just what I needed. Whilst walking I was pondering my business and in particular my blog. I was inspired to reevaluate the purpose of my blog and I think you will be seeing a lot more posts from now on.

One thing I want to do regularly is share colour schemes. Today my focus is on brown and green. I do adore this colour scheme. Green has been a fairly popular wedding colour over the past few years and I love when brides choose to team it with brown.

Can't you just imagine this beautiful detail on a cake .. lovely change from black and white which is being done very often at the moment.

I know I'm not showing you a single cake in any of these pictures but I think sometimes we become limited by what others do. I find the best cakes I make are the ones where I trust myself and my ideas and go with my instincts.

This photo below throws out some fun ideas that could be used when making a christening cake and would be just perfect for a little boy.Til next time,

Belinda

http://www.ediblecreations.com.au/

Paper Orchid

A long time lover of stationary I thought I'd share this beautiful website I just stumbled across. They have so many beautiful products and if for no other reason than they have a pretty website I highly recommend dropping by.

These christmas cupcake wrappers would be a great addition to any christmas feast and because the actual papers are so detailed there is no need to highly decorate.
Anyways, check out Paper Orchid.

Til next time,
Belinda
www.ediblecreations.com.au

Cake decorating workshops at Edible Creations

I'm not sure how many out there know but before I followed my passion into cake decorating I was actually a school teacher. I really did love it - well mostly :) which is why it is really exciting to see my passion for educating others combine with my love of cake decorating.

I am delighted to be teaming up with Handi Mulyana who will be teaching with us at Edible Creations. Handi has designed these gorgeous cakes and our Cheeky Monkey class will first run on Sunday 10 October...
Our Little Fairy (or pirate) class will first run on Saturday 16 October ...

Email me at belinda@ediblecreations.com.au to find out more.

Til next time,

Belinda

http://www.ediblecreations.com.au/

cake decorating Blue Mountains

Snakes Alive!

At the end of July we celebrated my son's 6th birthday. After much thought Isaac decided a snake themed birthday would be just perfect. Thankfully my fairly newly acquired love for novelty cakes jumped at the challenge and between the sculpting and covering talents of yours truly and the handpainting talents of Alison we created this realistic looking snake for one very special little man.
I was really pleased in particular with the snake's face. For those interested in cake decorating this cake was started with two 10" square mudcakes that were cut and carved in portions to create the shape. Of course ganached and then covered with a thin layer of fondant and textured prior to painting.

The party featured snakes and reptiles (a huge thanks to Bushman Bob who teaches with my husband). I decided to brave my incredible fear of snakes and hold this very large Diamond Python. Thankfully for me it was long enough that I could insist that the head of the snake remain at a very safe distance (yes I know they are not dangerous but they still freak me out). In all honesty the fear was overwhelming but I must say I bravely held it just long enough to take a quick photo. The skin felt amazing and the actual feeling of the muscles moving was incredibly powerful.

Til next time,

Belinda

http://www.ediblecreations.com.au/

Blue Mountains children's birthday cakes

Cake architecture

I recently made this lovely display cake for expos and our display room. I just love it. It reminds me of romance. Alison took a few beautiful photos and decided to play and create a cool artwork/architectural piece with the design. Isn't she fun! I do just love her creative mind.
So here is the cake ....
Here is a detailed close up pic ...

And here is the architectural art work!

Til next time,

Belinda

www.ediblecreations.com.au

Blue mountains wedding cakes

And the winner is ...

Lisa Robertson from Penrith! Congratulations Lisa you have won a $500 Edible Creations Cake voucher. I am so looking forward to meeting with you and planning your gorgeous cake!

We were fortunate enough to meet so many lovely people and were overwhelmed with the postive feedback we had from both couples and other industry professionals. It is great to see how far Edible Creations has come in three years. I'm so proud of my team and would like to say a bravo to Alison, Nicole and Yvette. Their talent and skill they bring to Edible Creations means we are destined for a great future.
This cake below would had to have won the wow cake of the show!

Til next time,

Belinda

www.ediblecreations.com.au

wedding cake design

Novelty Cakes

There are many cakes we have made over the last few months that I just haven't gotten around to blogging. I have made it my goal to improve and keep up.

This cute balloon birthday cake is fun for any age. I think the airbrushed clouds make it a real winner.
This cricket bat cake really needs no explanation.

This weekend we are heading to the For Eternity Bridal Expo at Penrith Panthers pavillion. It's going to be a full on weekend but we are super excited to meeting great couple and sharing our passion for cakes.

Til next time,

Belinda

www.ediblecreations.com.au

Novelty birthday cakes Blue Mountains

Cakes for babies and mums expecting

At Edible Creations we always enjoy making cakes for the littlest of our clients. Yes true we enjoy making all our cakes but there is something lovely about being involved in the joy of a new baby.
Here are some of our recent christening cakes, baby shower cakes and congratulations you've had a baby cake!
This cake was made to replicate the gorgeous baby shower invitations.

Making these cupcakes got us all excited about our cupcake workshops we'll be running very soon!

I have some very cute cakes for baby designs buzzing around my head that I just can't wait to get making. Look forward to sharing them with you soon.

Belinda

http://www.ediblecreations.com.au/

christening cakes

baby shower cakes

Frangipani Cake

Melissa celebrated her 21st Birthday in Windsor NSW and we had the pleasure of making her 21st birthday cake. A fun colour scheme of fuscia pink, yellow and white. Melissa wanted frangipanis and sea shells on her cake without it looking too beachy.
How do you think we went?
Here is a close up of the arrangements on her cake.

Til next time,

Belinda

www.ediblecreations.com.au

21st Birthday Cake Windsor

Colour and Cake Design

Colour is a fundamental element of design and certainly something as a cake designer I always discuss with clients. Possibilities are almost endless and the colours we choose definitely go a long way in capturing the style and theme.
This cake for a Blue Mountains event is the perfect example of how even the most simple of designs is made stunning through colour.
Belinda
www.ediblecreations.com.au

Lilies and Monogram

Congratulations to the very lovely Ildiko and Adam who get married this week. They are having an intimate and romantic wedding in the gorgeous Hunter Valley. We wish them all the very best on their journey of life together.
Ildiko and Adam's cake was designed for them incorporating their sophisticated style and the beautiful colours and flowers they are using on the day.

www.ediblecreations.com.au
Hunter Valley Wedding Cake

There's nothing quite like ...

an elegant white wedding cake!
I really do love making all different styles and colours of cakes but for romance I think it is hard to beat a beautiful white wedding cake. I finished the above cake this morning for a lovely couple who are getting married through the week at Jenolan Caves. The two tiered cake is finished with a white lustre, piping base and starglazer lillies.
Congratulations Lee and Ami we wish you every happiness in your lives together.

www.ediblecreations.com.au

Jenolan Caves Wedding Cake

Zokoko

I recently stumbled across beautiful quality dark chocolate. Zokoko (named after the goddess of chocolate) is a pure indulgence for the lover of fine chocolate. With a beautiful range of Easter products available, including 80g bunnies for only $10 and a set of 3 chocolate chicks for $12, I highly recommend dropping into their Emu Planis store or visiting their stand at the SMH growers market Pyrmont.

Simply stunning wedding cake

So I am without a camera at the moment but one of the cakes we made this week was just too lovely to miss a photo op. A big thank you to Alison for dropping in especially to photograph this cake.

Black continues to be a popular wedding colour and the use of black ribbon on such a simple and elegant cake is striking and sophisticated. I love arranging flowers with a variety of styles and sizes as you can see in this photo below. It adds more depth and beauty to the arrangement.

Hopefully my camera will be back this week so that I can start uploading other recent cakes that I haven't gotten around to sharing.

If you are a reader of our blog and not yet a facebook fan please check out the competion we have running for the month of March ... Free cake anyone?

www.ediblecreations.com.au

Wedding Cake Manly

Back into it!

Hi Everyone
I hope your January has been fun and restful. Mine certainly has. I have come back to work revived and ready to rock 2010. It seems a lot of my clients agree and are booking in the most gorgeous cakes.
I have just met with the most lovely couple and am reminded again at how delightful my work is.
Just the one wedding cake this week. The bride requested some last minute changes that changed the cake quite a bit but it looks lovely and quite cheerful I think with all that red!
I have had a couple of gingerbread orders and if I repeat a design I don't ever worry about posting it here. Below are an incredibly cute bride and groom couple that went out last week to Adelaide. So cute!

I also wanted to say a big thank you to the lovely readers of my blog for both reading and to those that write to me. I thought I might bravely put out the option that if you would like a topic covered just to email me and let me know. It could be cake decorating based, design based or even events planning based - we'll see how we go :)

Have a wonderful week.

Til next time, Belinda