Jessicas Cakes

A Dolphin and a Beach

What could be more appropriate than a dolphin cake made for a boy with the last name of Beach? Nathan turned 11 this past weekend and he loves dolphins. His mom Jenny sent some images of cakes she liked, I made some adjustments to make transport easier and less precarious and a wave-riding dolphin emerged!

She sent some photos of the birthday boy and his cake. It was a hit.

Year of the (Gold) Dragon

It is the year of the dragon and originally this cake was going to be the design for a client a few weeks ago. Plans changed and a cake was no longer  required. What to do? I still had the idea in my head and it seemed to need an outlet. Well, I was already entering two cakes in the UMBA Deco Challenge, I had two more that were slotted for a photo shoot, I hadn’t gotten too far into any of those designs yet, so why not just switch out one? Done. I started last week getting layers wrapped, fondant and gumpaste tinted, found some additional images of dragon heads for kites and puppets for inspiration and by Friday morning of this week, I had a cake. I was particularly pleased with my Dragon’s head! Now, I am fairly critical of my work, can always find something that could have been better(there were a couple of spots with some dust blow-outs just to name one such flaw), so though I wasn’t expecting NOT to have anything to show for the cake, I was not anticipating not only a Gold Medal, but also Best In Show, Advanced. WOW! It was very nice day.

Happy Little Panda

I created this cake for a baby shower several weeks ago. Sweet pinks for the baby girl soon to be welcomed, cherry blossoms and a darling panda for an eastern sensibility. The panda looks soft enough to squeeze in a big plush hug.

It Needs No Introduction

I really don’t think I need to explain this cake, it introduces itself just fine without anything added from me.

It was ordered by her dad which was very cute since it’s usually the moms that handle party details except for the pick up. This event was Dad start to finish. The final word is was that the cake was the hit of the party. They were adding a wand and a pair of glasses from their own Harry Potter collection so I am sure there were other props to be found that day.

Lost Then Found

I created this bottle of Heineken cake back before the holidays. Prior to transferring/loading photos to my computer I had neglected to double check that everything had been saved and when prompted to Keep or Delete all photos on the camera I deleted as always. I released a horrified gasp as my finger left the button: realization had hit, I hadn’t saved the last photo.

Jump forward to last week, transferring photos again and what do I see on the back screen of my camera? My beer bottle cake!! Everyone will agree that I am not a technology wizard but I refused to allow this photo to disappear again. A little trial and error, some coaxing words and Ta Da! the photo is mine. No gasp this time, just a sigh of satisfaction and relief.

FENI Summit at The Allegro Hotel in Chicago

This weekend I am attending the 2012 FENI Summit in Chicago. Over 100 chefs and chef educators are gathering at a lovely historic hotel right in the middle of the Loop. Yesterday began with a pre-conference session about how Social Media can be used in the classroom. This morning the Summit continues with a variety of sessions, presentations and discussions before we head out to our chosen Master Classes in Culinary or Bakery Tracks. Here are just a few photos of the luxury I’ve had to deal with during my stay. My bed was so comfortable I nearly missed Friday’s afternoon session due to an impromptu nap.

Really, a robe like this? I think I should bring it home.