This cake has Joy the Baker written all over it.  Why?  It’s simple.  It’s chocolate all over.  It has natural elements that lend a hint of color, and quirky chocolate flowers that add a touch of light-hearted fun.  And the cake isn’t perfect- it has stroke marks and rough sides.  Wedding cakes these days are flawless.  Obviously that’s not my style.  I think this cake, even with all of it’s imperfections, is absolutely perfect.  I spent about two days putting this cake together, and by the time I was done, I was absolutely smitten with it.  Big time cake crush.

This cake (on day two I named him Sir Chocolate Monster) was requested for a ten year wedding anniversary and vow renewal.  Ten years!  Something about that struck me…

I think it all started with the engagement cake I made a few weeks ago, coupled with the fact that it’s wedding season, and I feel surrounded by old high school friends either planning their weddings or planning their baby showers.  But ten years!!!  I had to take a moment and let that sit with me.  Ten years!  

I realize that some of you who have been married twenty and thirty years are laughing at me.  I know… I’m to young too understand, or something.

What I’m trying to tell you, in all of this, is that I really enjoyed making this cake.  It feels special.  Special that two people stay together and love each other for ten years.  Special that after ten years they want to stop and tell each other again how they promise to love and cherish and take out the trash, blahblahblah.  It’s just special, and I’m so glad I could be a part of it in this small way.  

So you’ve found a swell girl, and bought a swell ring.  You want to pop the question?  Why not let a cake do all the heavy lifting in the question department?  Even if a cake asks the question though, bended knee is still essential.   Essential!

Pop the question with this Red Velvet Engagement Cake.  With this two-tiered, cream cheese frosted cake, I’m sure any lady would say yes- even if only to get at the cake faster.  I’m kidding… she loves you too.  

It all started when 4 layers of red velvet cake met loads of cream cheese frosting.  I baked off two 8-inch rounds and two 6-inch rounds, frosted them in cream cheese frosting, and layered the smaller on top of the larger cake with the help of two dowel supports.  

Recipes for the delicious cake and frosting are here on my blog.  And if you have any questions about batter amounts… well, email me!  Don’t be shy, say hi!

The outside of the cake is decorated with a simple pearl boarder, pink dots, fresh pink roses and greet gum paste leaves.  The fresh flowers are secured within the cake by tiny plastic vases that go into the cake with just a bit of water to keep the flowers from wilting.  So clever! 

Some wedding cakes are more flash than flavor.  This simple white wedding cake was definitely not one of those cakes.  It was all flavor, no flash.  Joe and Jen had a simple, but elegant wedding in a beautiful old hall in downtown Los Angeles.  They wanted to keep the look of their wedding cake simple and clean.  We settled on a white buttercream frosting with a buttercream pearl border.  The cake was decorated with  fresh roses, lillies,  red raspberries and bright mint leaves.

While outside was simple and elegant, the inside had a wallop of flavor.

 Inside this simple, white, three-tiered wedding cake was a moist dark chocolate and espresso cake, filled with a vanilla bean buttercream frosting and fresh raspberries.  Yes, the outside is rather unassuming, but the center is filled with vanilla bean and fresh raspberry goodness- a perfect compliment to the rich chocolate.  The bride and groom were insistent about only one thing:  they wanted a raspberry in every bite.  Done and done. 

One of the best parts about working on this cake was using my father as my set-up assistant.  The man know how to drive downtown Los Angeles with his eyes closed, so he was an obvious choice for assistant-  arriving at the venue with the cake in one piece is half the battle!  So mad props and many thanks to Cliff for being the rock star driver, and crooked table fixing master.  He even helped arrange the flowers.  Yea… he’s that good. 

You should also know that these picture were taken in the days before my blessed Canon SLR- so be kind.  

I think there is something so special and intimate about backyard weddings.  They’re my favorite kind of wedding to bake for.  The food, the family, the friends, and someone inevitably jumping (or falling) into the swimming pool.  I suppose that every wedding is full of laughs and love, but I find extra joy in the relaxed celebration of a warm and breezy backyard nuptial.

 This special cake was for Wendy and Durlin.  Durlin chose a moist chocolate cake with a burnt orange buttercream frosting.  Wendy had her heart set on  pale teal fondant with pink cherry blossom flowers.  The cake was embellished with a buttercream pearl border and fresh roses on top.  

Want to try your hand at a tiered fondant cake, but don’t know where to start?  I’ll post a step by step guide when I tackle my next cake project.  Stay tuned.