Edible Creations

Working with shimmer dusts

2011-02-23T02:25:00.000-08:00

Adding a shimmer finish to a specialty cake can really add a new dimension to the finish of the cake.

In this post I wanted to describe the two ways that we apply shimmer to our cakes. They are so simple.

1. Dust the shimmer onto cake straight from container. To do this you need a very good quality fat brush. Simply brush the shimmer all over. In my opinion this is ideal for white shimmer on white icing.

2. Mix shimmer with rose water and apply. To do this you need to mix shimmer (usually white) with decorator's rose water (also known as rose spirit). You may need to experiment with the amounts. Using a very good quality and wide artist brush brush onto cake in long strokes. You will need to do multiple coats to get the best effect so don't let the mix become too gluggy or thick. In my opinion this option is ideal for applying over coloured fondant.

I used technique 2 on the wedding cake above. The fondant was a mixture of dusty pink and rose pink and then multiple layers of shimmer/rose water.

Have fun playing with shimmer.

Til next time,

Belinda

www.ediblecreations.com.au

cake decorating tips

Sweet Handbag for girls

2011-01-31T18:06:00.000-08:00

I whipped up this cake quickly last week for my niece who was turning 8. The idea for the design came from the cute woolen bag (made by Pashom) that was sent to my daughter as a gift at christmas. As soon as I saw the bag I thought it would make the cutest little cake. Yes truly.. that is how my mind works!
I love pink and red together. Such a sweet combination for girls. Here is the bag made by Pashom. Be sure to check out their fabulous website.

Black and White with a splash of Bright!

2011-01-18T01:12:00.000-08:00

Whilst I am definitely still a fan of the sophistication of a black and white cake there is a trend at the moment that I just love! Brides are adding a great splash of colour to their wedding. Bright is definitely in and makes for a great statement with the cake and decorating of a function.
Here is a beautiful photo of Daphne and Jared cutting their fun cake.
This cake below was made for Vicki and Dean in early January. The bright green was an exact match to the bridesmaids and the handpainted design was requested by Vicki after falling in love with another cake we had made. Originally this couple had planned a very differently styled wedding but a change of venue led to an overhaul and the creation of this beautiful cake. I designed this cake to take to a bridal expo last June and yep Daphne and Jared fell in love with it and added there own twist. It certainly is a cake that will have your guests talking!

I just love the lime green in this cake. Meredith and Brendan were just blown away by the finished product. We had had the honour of making Meredith's sisters cake the year before so it was a true compliment that they as a family love our cakes enough to return.

I love this Amy Atlas desert table. The bright yellow is definitely what makes the display.

I found this cute table photo on google and just loved the splash of pink.

So what are your thoughts on black, white and bright?

Til next time,

Belinda

www.ediblecreations.com.au

Working with marsipan for a change

2010-10-19T03:25:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-11T02:07:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-04T03:07:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-13T03:47:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-12T03:23:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-08-09T04:55:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

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 ...

2010-06-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-16T03:54:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-14T02:59:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-11T20:26:00.001-07:00

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

2010-05-07T02:59:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-21T03:22:00.000-07:00

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 ...

2010-04-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-02T03:11:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-01-29T20:29:00.000-08:00

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

Updates at last!

2009-12-28T01:54:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I've had a chance to update photos on my blog and keep in touch. So here we go.....
A simply stunning 4 tier black and white wedding cake.
Pretty in pink - gorgeous cake and cupcakes for a 21st.

Anyone that has spent any time with me lately would know that chocolate brown and green is my favourier colour combination at the moment. I think these cupcakes are just stunning!

Last year I had the pleasure of making a wedding cake for Sonia and Allan. Allan apparently loved the cake so much that Sonia decided to surprise him with this comical cake for his 40th birthday.

What 5 year old boy wouldn't love this cake?

More gorgeous black and white themed weddings.The artwork on this cake was a replica of the gorgeous etching on the wedding invitations.

A fun engagement cake.

A stylish engagement cake - complete with my favourite colour combo at the moment.

This pretty wedding cake was designed around these cute love birds that had been a gift for the bride and groom on their engagement.

On a personal note it has been wonderful and a true privilge to make all of the gorgeous cakes, cupcakes and gingerbread orders over the past 12 months. I have been blessed with a fabulous team and would like to say a huge thank you to Alison for your incredible talent and creative inspiration. To Rebecca for being patient and an absolute wiz in the office. And to Olivia, Petra and Liesel for all of your fabulous work with "all of that gingerbread".

I hope all of those reading have had a fabulous Christmas and may 2010 be full of hope, blessings and love for both you and your families. I hope you have the chance to take a much needed break - I sure am!

Til next year,

Belinda

From the Heart

2009-11-22T21:47:00.000-08:00

One of the wonderful components of Edible Creations is our Gingerbread Fundraisers that have been a great success this year for many schools, preschools and organisations. I wanted to make a way to use these wonderful cookies to raise money for a cause that I felt passionately about.

The Penrith Valley Fund was the cause that I ended up choosing as it is a way for money raised in our area to go directly to charities working in this area.

I recently attended the launch of The Fund and was literally moved to tears as I learnt about the homeless that live in our city and the plans the Fund has in supporting and helping to restore people that are caught in this predicament. Sure there will always be people that choose to be homeless but many of those on the streets or living out of cars are not there by choice. Sadly many are single mums and children, the mentally ill, people that have fallen on extreme financial hardship with no family to help them out and of course there are those that have fled homes that were not as safe as the homes that we were fortunate enough to be rasied in.

The money raised from the sale of the Gingerbread Trees will go towards supporting the following charities this Christmas: The Penrith Soup Kitchen, Barnardos and Fusion (specifically families in crisis).

Gingerbread Cookies can be purchased in boxes of 20 cookies and each box costs a total of $40 (or $2 per cookie). 25% of all sales will go directly to the Fund. The cookies make fabulous gifts, christmas platters, tree decorations and would look gorgeous tied to each gift you place under the tree this year.

Of course we would also be more than happy to have others that are passionate about the cause on-sell the gingerbread to their freinds, relatives and colleagues.

Please email me on belinda@ediblecreations.com.au or call 02 4754 1044 for more details.

Til next time,

Belinda

Our latest Cake Creations

2009-11-01T02:59:00.000-08:00

We've had another full on, crazy busy week and I am a bit behind in keeping you updated with our latest cake designs. Last Wednesday, Rebecca and I had the great privilege of attending the launch of the Penrith Valley Fund. I will blog about this another day this week and show you the fantastic cake we made for the Fund then.
Here is a run of some of our cakes for the last two weeks.
I LOVE this Peter Rabbit cake. I just love cake design (another thing I'll get around to blogging about) and having Alison's fabulous painting skills as part of our team has meant that this delightful cake could be finished to perfection.

A beautiful colour combination for this cupcake design - ivory, caramel and chocolate with a hint of gold to the roses. When Kirsty had to change the date of her wedding due to a reception bungle she decided to fully embrace the Halloween theme.

Cupcake boards make a great birthday cake.

Alison was enjoying a holiday in Queensland the week I made this cake so I was left to do the handpainting myself! The initials were replicas of those used on the wedding invitations.

A beautiful engagement cake. Gorgeous toppers Ali! Unfortunately I had to use my phone for this photo as my batteries decided to die right before delivery :(

I was called a couple of days after this birthday party with rave reports of how much everyone loved the look and taste of this cake. The plaque is being kept as a momento (of course). All handpainted.

Til next time,

Belinda

Cake Artist Position Available

2009-10-21T04:59:00.000-07:00

Edible Creations is looking for a talented Cake Artist to join our team. Currently a home business in Winmalee NSW (Lower Blue Mountains) Edible Creations is well known for its designer cakes that are handcrafted with care and attention to detail. Applicants must have experience in setting up, covering and tiering cakes. Experience at setting up cakes with ganache is preferred but not essential (training provided). Please take a look at the work in our galleries and if you believe you have the skills to maintain our high standard of cake artistry we would love for you to apply.

The position is on a casual basis, with a view to either part time or permanent employment. If you would like to become a part of this creative and enthusiastic team please email your resumes along with photos of your work to belinda@ediblecreations.com.au . Applications close Wednesday 4 November 2009.

Busy busy busy

2009-10-14T19:22:00.000-07:00

Life at Edible Creations is the busiest it's been - which of course we love! Olivia and Liesel have come on board as casuals to help with piping gingerbread trees for charity this christmas - I'll give you more details soon. We have 5000 cookies to go out in just over a week. The delicious smell is too much!
Last week we made this gorgeous 5 tier wedding cake for Craig and Fabia's wedding. Craig and Fabe's are actually great friend's of ours which made it an extra special honour to design and make this special cake. Wishing you a lifetime of love Craig and Fabes.

This simple and elegant two tier wedding cake is really stylish I think. Congratulations to Leigh and Ashleigh. It was lovely getting to know you guys and we wish you all the very best in your married lives.

Til next time,

Bel

An order from Switzerland!

2009-10-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

This elegant and romantic cake was a very special gift for an engagement. Dorothea's family liased with me from Europe to plan this surprise cake which was delivered mid engagement party. Andrew, my husband, had the honours of delivering the surprise and felt quite the centre of attention as all the guests 'ooohed and aahhed' over the cake.

Henna Wedding Cake

2009-10-04T03:27:00.000-07:00

Amrita and Ben's wedding ideas were just a cake designers dream. They wanted a modern style cake and were hoping to incorporate henna patterns. I was sooooo excited by the whole concept. Again another cake I am super proud of.

Huge Kudos go to Alison with this cake as she planned out and painted this most perfect henna design. Well done Ali! I am so proud to have you on the team.

Poker anyone?

2009-09-27T03:02:00.000-07:00

Last week Lauren decided to spoil her boyfriend with this Poker Birthday Cake. Isn't it fun! I'm told the guests were shocked that it was a cake - Love it! The fact that it tastes fabulous too is just the icing on the cake ;)
Happy Birthday PJ we hope you had a great day.

Alana's Beautiful Wedding Cake

2009-09-27T02:41:00.000-07:00

I just love this cake and am really proud of the design. The design brought together the beautiful elements of Alana and Aaron's wedding. The scalloped piping with handpainting was inspired by their invitations and the sugar flowers and pale pink tied in perfectly.
The pearl beading just finished the floral arrangement perfectly. I selected pearl beading in the palest of pinks and wired them with very fine cake decorating wire so that they would hold in place.

It is a little hard to see from my photos (I'm getting there with my photography skills) the gorgeous detail that Alison painted. A beautiful design of roses and flowers were painted in white over a beautiful pale pink.

Thank you Alana and Aaron for the opportunity to make this beautiful cake. We wish you all the very best for your lives together - Congratulations!

Half Chick, Half Bloke ...

2009-09-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

... that was the brief for the design of these cupcakes. My fabulous and very generous accountant ordered these cupcakes for a good friend's 30th birthday. After some email consulting on the things that Danni is into I came up with this fun cupcake design.

So how do you get girly cupcakes like this:

to co-ordinate with blokey cupcakes like this:

Well, just like this:

Lucky for me Danni was there when I made the delivery and I got to see her delight as she watched me take them in ... one of the best parts of my job!

Happy 30th Danni - I hope you had a fabulous day (oh and that your team won the backyard footy!)

Fantastic Tutorials

2009-09-15T03:32:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone
I recently was made aware of these great tutorials and just had to share the link. Definitely worth a look at whilst having your next cuppa!
http://www.rolledfondant.com/how.htm
Cheers
Belinda

Ben 10 Cake

2009-09-15T02:29:00.000-07:00

What 7 year old boy wouldn't be delighted with this Ben 10 cake? Nope, it isn't an edible image and it hasn't been printed. The gorgeous plaque on this cake was hand painted by Alison. I have preferred on some of the handpainted cakes such as this one (and previously Man U cake and 'pig cake) to opt for painting on a plaque. The main reason for this is that it allows me to use bright colours as the main colour for the cake which gives the cake the finish it needs. The same Ben 10 cake would have looked very boring in white.

Carousel Cake

2009-09-13T03:28:00.000-07:00

One of the cakes we made this week was this very gorgeous carousel cake (or as my kids preferred to call it The Merry Go Round cake). I met with Judy a few weeks ago to design little Sophie's Naming cake. I had been day dreaming about doing a carousel cake and as it turned out Sophie had been given a gorgeous carousel as a newborn. This design was based on the carousel that Judy brought in as well as another gorgeous book that featured a carousel.

To say that Judy was delighted would be an understatement. Here is the email Judy sent through:
Belinda,
OH MY GOD!!!
I know I was a 'guinea pig' for this beautiful cake you designed but a happier 'guniea pig' there never was.
The cake was absolutely amazing - you are a wizard with icing.
Everyone at Sophie's Naming were equally impressed and awed by your creation.
I know you tooke heaps of photo's but thought I would send you a couple as well.
Thank you again for your amazing creation I was devastated to have to cut it and all of our guests were equally upset to have to cut it up - however, after serving it up we were all then amazed again at the taste from within. YUM! YUM! YUM!
Thank you so much again.
Did I mention YUM!!!!!
Love Jude

Here are some close ups of the beautiful painting detail done by Alison. She really did outdo herself here don't you think.

Welcome Spring

2009-09-06T19:57:00.000-07:00

Well it is Spring at last and the season was kicked off with this beautiful four tier Wedding Cake for Sarah Jade and Michael. Sarah fell in love with the 4 tier cake on my home page and it was a delight to make again. It is always nice to know that the cakes we design and make are loved!

Congratulations to Sarah Jade and Micheal and all the best for a beautiful future together. I also made beautiful cupcake bombonieres for Ann this weekend but unfortunately the photo of them was not so wonderful. I hope your day was fabulous though Ann :)

This 60th Birthday Cake is simple but effective. The picture is an edible image of Mick's car. I really love the yellow - what do you think?

Til next week.

Belinda

An Interview with Fran from Cakes by Francesca

2009-08-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

I recently interviewed Fran from Cakes by Francesca. Fran's passion for cake decorating is infectious and she is an absolute credit to the industry.

How did your passion for cake decorating get started?
When my daughter was born I decided I wanted to make her fabulous birthday cakes every year.It took until her 5th birthday for me to try fondant, and my introduction was a 5 tier mermaid cake design by Debbie Brown. It was awful, but I was fascinated by the medium and bought every cake book I could get my hands on and made birthday cake after birthday cake.

What do you most like doing and why?
Whilst I started with birthday cakes, my real passion is wedding cakes, I just love the ceremony and romance of weddings and creating a couple's reception centrepiece is a real buzz for me.

Who inspires you in your work? What do you love about them?
My biggest influences are Natalia Leelavetchabutr of Nati's Cakes and Planet Cake. I'm very fortunate to have close personal relationships with both. The perfection Planet Cake produces each and every day has always amazed me and I can pick one of their designs out of a magazine any day.
Nati encouraged me to go forward and make cake my career, without her friendship and encouragement I would still be making kids cakes for free. It's brilliant having a best friend who is as insanely addicted to something as you are, it continually gives me someone to chat with, complain to and seek advice from.

Do you have any advice for others that wish to persue a similar path?
Start with your council if you are beginning at home, like so many of us do.
Make sure you charge a reasonable amount from the start, trying to up your prices later on is difficult. Never be embarressed to tell someone your price, they are under no obligation to buy from you, you are under no obligation to sell to them.

How do you approach each new cake you make?
I usually chat with the client, get an idea of any designs they may like and then try to come up with something that will reflect their style and ideas for their function.
I will often sketch up something quickly for them, and then draw up a better design later.
I like to make sure the design is something achievable and stylish, and most importantly, something my clients will be thrilled with.

Is there any particular technique that you are known for? How do you achieve this?
I guess most people would know me for my madhatters and the sharp edges, both of these are achieved by attending classes at Planet Cake with the Madhatter Queen Anna Marie Roche and being fortunate enough to now be a part of their team, which allows me great access to the brilliant skills of Handi Mulyana and Margie Carter as well.

Where do you wish to go in the future with you cake work?
I hope to continue teaching with Planet Cake in Melbourne and also expand my business.
I would also like to educate the public on how a fantastic looking cake can also taste amazing.

Barbie Birthday Cake

2009-08-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

Last week was very special in the Hutchinson home as we celebrated Erin's 3rd birthday. Here is a photo of her Barbie cake. I chose to carve the cake as opposed to using a dolly varden tin as I think this gives a much better shape.
Here are Isaac and Erin just before we sang Happy Birthday.

Amazing Male Birthday Cakes

2009-08-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

Today I want to quite simply show off! I'm so impressed with Alison's beautiful handpainting - bravo Ali you clever thing! This first cake was made for an avid Manchester United fan (obviously). The plaque is handpainted and completely edible.

The young man receiving this cake is going to be completely blown away by this cake I think. Jake is into ... you guessed it! Pig shooting! Isn't it perfect!I really love this cake.

It has a hand painted plaque and the cake has also been finished with hand painting to complete the look.

The talented Amy Atlas

2009-08-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

I subscribe to the blog Sweet Designs A blog by Amy Atlas because her work is quite simply beautiful. She is all the way over in New York so we are left to admire from afar!

What I love most about Amy Atlas desert tables:

* Her use of colour. Amy is totally commited to the colour theme and it really is eye candy!

* The simplicity and cleanliness of the overall design. She always has the perfect amount on each table. Don't misunderstand I am not saying that what she has done is easy, in fact, I think she is quite genius. Each piece on the table is crisp and clean and finished but not over powering. She has her wow pieces but she ensures that every piece is not fighting for attention - as a whole they make the most beautiful scene.

* The way in which she uses the one design element across a variety of foods. For example you may see the pattern of a place card used as the basis of the design for the main cake and then a simpler version of the pattern on the cupcakes or cookies.

* The balance of her designs

* Her attention to detail. Whilst each element blends beautifully with the next a close examination will show that every piece has been thoughtfully presented whether it be the choice of plate, the paper pattern or the little labels. Each piece is perfectly finished.

Inspired by Invites

2009-08-10T05:36:00.000-07:00

There are lots of things that inspire me in cake design and invitations are definitely high on the list. I came across the gorgeous website for Invite Me Scrumptious Stationary recently and it just delighted me to browse through.

Madhatter Wedding Cake

2009-08-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

I made this madhatter cake for Natalie and Zachary's wedding this week. They are getting married on Saturday but wanted to pick the cake up today(Thursday) which is a really great idea as it saves money on delivery and doesn't leave all the running around til the last minute.

Natalie's mum was still getting over the fact that they weren't having a traditional wedding cake but both agreed the cake looked great and just what the couple were after!

There are many different ways that people make madhatters (or wonky/whimsical cakes as some like to call them). I am a big believer that the art of cake making is a way for the cake artist to express their own style and ideas but this madhatter shape is by far my favourite. The sharp edges and the carving just give a great wow factor.

To learn this style I attended at cake demo last year at Planet Cake and found it so useful. I'm not sure if they are running this as a demo any more but it is well worth attending a workshop.

Birthday Cupcakes

2009-07-28T00:02:00.000-07:00

The cupcake order we made last week was so fun. It was made for a little boy turning 3 who loves diggers and the colour pink. I had fun planning this design and think it came together perfectly. The figurines and tools have been made from modelling paste and the gorgeous signs were handpainted. All of the cupcakes except the road cupcakes were made with our yummy white chocolate frosting. The road cupcakes are fondant with a thin layer of ganache underneath. The road has been painted on and the grass was made with royal icing and Wilton piping tip #233.
Here are some very yummy cupcakes to try at home. Bake cupcakes with your favourite chocolate cake/cupcake recipe. Then top with a swirl of dark chocolate ganace (left to set) and finish with shards of chocolate and chocolate dipped strawberries.

These soccer cupcakes were made for my son to take to Preschool on his birthday. The chocolate soccer balls were purchased from The Reject Shop. I had seen similar previously at Darrel Lea but unfortunately they had none in stock the week I needed them.

When frosting the cupcakes I first smoothed a small amount of the green frosting to cover the cupcake and then piped on the grass with more of the green frosting using wilton piping tip #233.

Superhero Birthday Cake

2009-07-27T23:48:00.000-07:00

My little man turned 5 yesterday and like most little boys his age is into Superman, Batman and Spiderman (the irony being that he has never watched any of these).
Here is his Superhero birthday cake:

Gingerbread Fundraisers

2009-07-21T20:09:00.001-07:00

My website is gradually getting updated with lots more information and photos. But I am so excited to announce that the Fundraisers page is now complete... YAY!

To celebrate I am offering a special to any group that orders before the end of August 2009. A gift voucher of $100 will be given for orders of 50 packs or more and a voucher of $200 will be given for orders of 100 packs or more.

There are so many ways that this vocher can be used:

* offer it as a prize to the person that sells the most carry packs

* Offer as a raffle - every time a person sells a carry pack they get one entry into the raffle

* Use towards a special school celebration cake ie Yr 6 farewell.

* Purchase extra carry packs to sell and make 100% profit from.

Check out the website for more details.

How to make chocolate ganache

2009-07-21T04:44:00.000-07:00

All of our cakes at Edible Creations are layered and covered in chocolate ganache prior to being iced in a thin layer of fondant. This gives the cake the best finish possible as well as tasting SO delicious!

Thankfully, cake decorators are beginning to embrace this fabulous new technique. It does take more time and lots of practise to perfect but the benefits are definitely worthwhile.

Today I took some photos of me making ganache. I hope it helps those starting out with this technique:

Dark Chocolate Ganache

300ml fresh cream

600g dark coveture (around 50% - 55% cocoa butter is my preference)

Note: You can make double and triple batches of this recipe if required. Just make sure your pot when boiling cream is large enough to cope.

Method

1. Measure out the appropriate amount of dark chocolate (in this pic I am making a double batch).
2. Pour the appropriate amount of cream into a large saucepan.

3. Bring to boil. Cream is ready when it bubbles rapidly up towards the top of the saucepan (this can vary depending upon amount of cream and size of pot). Make sure you keep a close eye on this process as the cream can quickly boil over the sides.

4. Pour cream over chocolate.

5. Give the bowl a little shake so that the cream completely covers the chocolate. Leave for 5 - 10 minutes.

6. Use a handmixer to combine the ingredients. Whilst you can just use a spoon the hand mixer gives the most gorgeous and velvety finish.

7. Leave ganache to cool. Then cover and leave overnight ready to use when layering and covering your cake.

White Chocolate Ganache

300ml cream

900g white chocolate

Note: There is a 1:3 ratio of cream used for white chocolate ganache. I prefer not to make double batches of this ganache as the cream doesn't cover the chocolate well enough.

Follow the steps 1 - 5 above. You will probably find that the cream doesn't cover all of the chocolate. This makes the chocolate difficult to melt so I then place the ingredients into the microwave for 1 minute prior to mixing with hand mixer.

Welcome Onboard Alison

2009-07-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

My vision for Edible Creations is to have a talented group of creative people working together to make outstanding cakes, cupcakes and gingerbread.
Today, I'd like to introduce the lovely and very talented Alison Marcer. Alison is an artist in her own right and is an absolute pleasure to work with. I am loving the inspiration that she has already brought to me and the business.
Alison is specifically coming on board to assist with the finishing of cakes and in particulcar hand painting. Alison's skills as a painter will allow the beautiful hand painted cakes that leave our kitchen to be amongst the best in the world.
Of course that is not all she'll be doing and I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing more of her work.

Have a wonderful week.
Belinda

New Gingerbread Designs

2009-07-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

It is with great excitement that I share these gorgeous new gingerbread designs. I hope you love them as much as we do. Designs by Alison and Belinda. Gorgeous photos taken by Alison.

Aren't they just delicious!!! Keep an eye out for more to come...

Cheers

Belinda

A funky week of cakes

2009-07-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of meeting with an especially lovely couple on this very cold Winter's morning. I must say that I am itching to make their cake as it is going to be GORGEOUS!!! But we'll have to wait til October to see it complete (that is one very exciting part of this business - there is always something to look forward to).

The cakes for this week were both a little funky I think. The first one here is for a couple that were married over a year ago when OS and their family have thrown them a celebration wedding party on their return. Both musicians the brief was for a modern yet classic cake that incorporated their colour theme and their love of music.

This fun 21st cake was based on a design by American Cake Artist Kate Sullivan of Lovin Sullivan Cakes.

The cake is finished with fondant applique, hand painting and piping. I love the finish and so did Alex. Happy 21st Alex - hope you have a fabulous party!!!

The following week is busy with lots of client appointments getting organised for the Spring Wedding Season. Make sure that if your wedding is coming up that you don't leave your run too late...

Til next Time

Belinda

Black and White Weddings

2009-07-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

Black and White weddings are very fashionable at the moment and I just love them! There is something about black and white that adds an elemant of glamour and elegance. What do you think?

Here are some of my favourite black and white cakes from the last few months:

Of course black and white makes the perfect colour combination for any event. I just love this madhatter made recently for a clients birthday. Lucky duck!

Makes me want to plan a black and white party. Is it too soon to start planning my birthday party (it's late November!)?

Have a great day,

Belinda

Winter Wedding Cakes

2009-07-07T05:16:00.000-07:00

Being winter it is the quiet season in terms of weddings. Last week I had the privilidge of making two wedding cakes - it is always is a privildge to make a cake for such a special occassion. Funnily enough both were two tier squares with orchid sugar flowers .... yet with very different results.