This graduation cake was a lot of fun to make.  It was made for one of my favorite customers to celebrate her graduation from her occupational therapy program at Columbia University.  I made her and her fiance, now husband, this engagement cake.  I loved the cake at the time but I am definitely getting better at my gum paste figure modeling.  I am really proud of my improvements; I have come a long way!

Here is a closer look at the graduation girl modeled out gum paste.  I even styled her hair the same way she wore it at her graduation!  It’s hard to see here but her shoes have little red soles.  Cute.

It was really hard to photograph this cake because it has so many sides!  Here is a good view of the the top cake.  Dani, the graduate, thought it would be funny to have a “for dummies” book included on the cake.  I agree and I think it looks pretty good.

The bottom book had all hand painted details on the spine.  This was my first stacked book cake and I really love how it came together!  Congratulations on your graduation Dani!

All I can say about this cake is wow!  This is one of my tallest cakes to date and I am really proud of it!  When the caterer saw it, he even asked if it was a Cake Boss cake…what an amazing compliment!  This cake was made for Courtney, an aspiring ballerina.  She works really hard at ballet and loves it so much!  Her whole party had a ballerina theme so she wanted to keep the cake elegant and classy.  To still keep it young, we decided on a light and hot pink color scheme.

I have made a similar cake in the past using this ruffle technique and loved the results so I knew I had to use it again, in a grander scheme.  I rolled hot pink fondant out thin and cut out three 12 inch circles.  I placed the first circle on an empty upside down 10 inch cake pan dusted with a lot of cornstarch (so it wouldn’t stick).  Then I propped cotton balls dusted with a healthy amount of cornstarch under the fondant around the edge to prop it up.  I attached a second circle of fondant and repeated with the cotton balls.  I attached the third circle on top and repeated tucking the cotton balls inside.  I placed an empty 8 inch round cake pan down in the center to flatten out a spot for the tall 8 inch tier.  Then I allowed the ruffles to dry out for a few days.  Once the ruffles were pretty firm I was able to place the whole tutu on top of the 10 inch base cake.  The center of the tutu was still somewhat soft so I was able to insert support dowels straight through the ruffles and down into the cake.  I dusted off all the excess cornstarch with a dry pastry brush and then airbrushed the tutu with pearl shimmer color.

The corset was a new design for me.  I carved a 5 inch tall cake thinner in the center to form a sort of a waist.  I covered the cake in pale pink fondant and added the hot pink lacing.  The tier needed something more.  So I rolled out a long strip of pale pink fondant and embossed it with a silicone flower mat that I have had for years and had never used.  I finally found a use for it and I’m so glad I kept it in my closet all this time!  I wrapped the embossed fondant around the cake attaching it with water.  It gave the tier the perfect finishing touch, texture and pattern without too much fuss.

The top tier was kept simple with a quilted pattern and was topped off with a gum paste Torah Scroll.  Pink bows with ribbon rose centers finish off the cake with the perfect amount of girlishness.  Happy Bat Mitzvah Courtney!

I was asked by a fellow blogger and friend, Ronnie Fein, to make her a special birthday cake.  Ronnie has a lovely blog called Kitchen Vignettes where she shares her favorite dishes.  Her recipes often seem simple, but they are complex and perfect in flavor.  When she asked me to help her celebrate her special day I was so excited, especially since she left me in charge of the design.

I am really in love with modern patterns and love applying those simple clean lines to my cakes.  I recently took a Craftsy course (my new obsession) led by Jessica Harris and learned the techniques needed to make this cake.  I couldn’t wait to try it and I love the results.  The offset chevron is so modern yet elegant and I’m pleased with the color choices.

This hand cut fantasy flower was the perfect finishing touch to this simple cake.  I painted the edges with a little silver luster dust to give it a little extra glam.  If you were wondering, the inside of the cake is a white cake recipe that Ronnie shared with me.  It was delicious!  You can see her post about this cake here.  Happy birthday Ronnie, and many more!