... Everything Nice!

We've been blogged! - Twice!

2010-07-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

I got two delightful emails yesterday saying that we'd been blogged! The first was from Memory Journalists (they are SO GOOD to me!). They did a little profile "run down" interview. Thanks gang... we love you too!

The next was from the always fabulous Beth Baugher of True Love Photo. Yes, she was MY wedding photographer, and yes, it was upon her urging that we officially started Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts. So, of course we love her! This was an amazing home wedding that Lora Ward, with A Day To Remember coordinated. Ahhh, such beauty and SO MANY amazing details. I've already shared this cake with you, but Bethy got some lovely up close and personal shots too, plus I HAD to share a picture of this darling couple!

Real Weddings Magazine - Featured Wedding

2010-07-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

We just LOVE it when our couples are featured in the local wedding magazines! Real Weddings is such an amazing and unique magazine because they really do focus on REAL couples... not just gorgeous models or photo shoots with no budget (which are fun, but not always an accurate reflection of real wedding budgets.) If you read the article in Our Weddings magazine about Your Wedding, Your Menu, Laura and Gary were the couple who were honeymooning in Hawaii and had the chocolate cake with macadamia nuts and coconut pastry cream (and the unmentioned coconut buttercream). Laura and Gary were a great couple to work with and I couldn't be happier to see their wedding featured!

A special thanks goes out to The Memory Journalists for taking amazing pictures and for doing all the work to track down the article and do the post.

Carla and Trevor - Our Weddings Magazine featured wedding

2010-07-12T16:43:00.001-07:00

Quote-worthy!

2010-07-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

I'm always nervous about being interviewed. There is always the concern of mis-speaking or being too strong, or too critical, or too something, and after reading this I was afraid it was one of those times, but the only thing I would change is that I would clarify the last sentence... Although I encourage my clients to be creative and to have fun with their flavors I will NEVER let them walk out the door with some combination that I think is gross... or worse, that I think their guests will think is gross. I do, firmly, stick by the fact that it doesn't matter what I like, that it is all about my clients, that being said, my limited dislikes in the pastry world are a shadow to my dislikes in the savory world! I love pushing the envelope and I adore my clients for being game and for being adventurous.

Check out this great article in Our Weddings Fall/Winter issue.

By the way... we've been working with Christine and Aldo since just after they hired their darling wedding planner... in addition to being the sweetest couple ever, they are a joy to work with and as we're rapidly nearing their wedding date I am getting increasingly excited!!!

Kathy and Jason - ParaVi Vineyards

2010-07-08T11:41:00.001-07:00

Kathy and Jason came to me about six weeks ago with their wedding on the very near horizon. As Kathy's sister said on wedding day, "You are perfect for Kathy and Jason, they LOVE dessert and Kathy loves little desserts." To which I responded, "Everything big is better small." Kathy was all about the pies, Jason, being from the East Coast, was all about canolis and pasticiotti (more on this in a minute). They had no interest in cake and loved the idea of feeding each other canolis. Who says you can't take the parts of the traditions you like and leave the rest behind? Pies I can handle, but I'd never made canolis even though I knew about them and had a rough, general idea of how they were supposed to taste and look. The pasticiotti however were a total new experience! I ordered specific pans for them and wound up getting the recipe from the Jason's aunt. Pasticiotti is a cakey/cookie like crusted tart baked in a fluted pan and filled with a vanilla or lemon scented custard. (In this case we went with vanilla.)The wedding was at the amazing ParaVi Vineyards. The venue is basically divided into three tiers. The upper grassy tier was where the ceremony took place. The next tier down was a large grassy lawn where a long kings table was set up. The bottom tier was where the barrel room (in this case, the dance floor and desserts), the tasting room (aka, the bar) and a lovely outside deck area that is perfect for cocktail hour. If you are having a smaller wedding you HAVE to check it out!

I don't have a ton of pictures because we've got all sorts of fun plans for it to be published, but I did want to share a little bit with everyone! A HUGE thanks to Chris Shepard for being the dedicated machine that he is... I still can't believe that he got these sneak peek pictures turned around so amazingly fast! Of course I also can't wait to see MORE! This wedding has also been blogged about (don't you just love the enthusiasm for beautiful weddings!) on our buddy Shannon's Fancy Pants Weddings blog.

I almost forgot! A special thank you to Ellie my new intern, she took care of doing the set up and all of the dessert tags. Simple, Clean, Perfect. I also wanted to thank Sunny and his team with Exquisite Events and Entertainment for going with the flow and adding lighting to the dessert. (Nobody puts Baby in the corner!) Without it the desserts would have been entirely dark, with it the plates just shone! And last, but not least, a HUGE thanks to Francie of Bocca Catering, without her I never would have met Kathy and Jason!

Christina and Mickey - River Highlands Ranch

2010-07-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

I met Christina and Mickey through Kendra Pfeiffer of Pfeiffer Event Planning. What a darling, sweet couple. They were married last month at River Highlands Ranch near Grass Valley. What an amazing venue! Yes, it was country, no, it was not rustic. It was just beautiful.

Special thanks to Bruce Robinson for these pictures.

The Bride was recently diagnosed with Celiac (gluten intolerant), so we made smaller versions of the large chocolate mousse cups for the guests for her darling Groom to feed her.Don't you just adore the wheat grass base for the cake?
Lastly, a brief note on the cake, the Bride and Groom described the buttercream technique as "ceiling spackle", I call it "homestyle", but either way, it is a soft, relaxed, romantic look and when paired with the flowers and the wheat grass base it was perfect for their reception. Special note, if you have a smaller cake, place the cake on a bar height cocktail table, it'll give you additional height and the smaller surface area will make the diminutive size of the cake feel a little more in proportion!

Style Magazines - Summerpalooza!

2010-07-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

Last week Style Media Group held their Summerpalooza party out at Bass Lake Golf Course. WHAT FUN! It was a benefit for Play for All, a wonderful charity that creates fully accessable playgrounds. What a great organization to be a part of!

As part of the festivities they had a hole-in-one contest, my darling husband took a swing, and, well, lets just say it didn't quite go as planned, but at least he had fun!

Additionally there were more raffles that I can list, but here is one of the cakes that Darcie of A Dazzeling Day won. YEA Darcy!
(Strawberry Covered Chocolate: Chocolate Fudge Cake with Strawberry Buttercream and Fresh Strawberries)

Of couse, we did our part and had a scrumptious dessert bar. A special thanks goes out to Siegel's Portrait Design for the pictures!

I also want to thank Lara Kiniris of Calligraphy Girl for the lovely dessert tags!

Good Old Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookeis
Creamsicle Panna Cotta (Vanilla Panna Cotta layered with Orange Gelee)
Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes (Vanilla Cupcakes filled with Lemon Sabayon and topped with Raspberry Buttercream) Honey Bee Cupcakes (Chocolate Cake topped with Wildflower Honey Buttercream)
Flower Butter Cookie Lollipops
The Always Popular Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies!
Mini Dark Chocolate Mousse Cups

Last, but not least, nothing says summer quite like S'mores... so we went with S'Mores Tarts!

Stanford Home and AT&T

2010-07-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Sacramento I was always aware of the existance of the Stanford Home and when a wedding industry friend changed industries to work with them I was very excited for her. When I was asked to participate in one of their events I was even more excited. This was a Thank You and Ribbon Cutting party for AT&T who had just granted the Stanford Home a grant to pay for an art therapy room. How wonderful!

We created a pretty little dessert table for the party and Jackson Catering took care of the yummy food. It's always nice to work with vendors you know! A special thanks to Bruce Robinson Photography for the following pictures!

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes and Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes and Creme Brulee

The whole shootin' match, including Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake and the ever popular Peanut Butter Sandwiches.

Last, but not least, Dark Chocolate Mousse with Farm Fresh Strawberries

The Croquembouche and You Tube!

2010-07-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

I got the following email from one of my couples earlier today and I just HAD to share it with you all.

"Carissa,

You were awesome! That cake looked like it belonged in a magazine! You wouldn't believe (or maybe you would, lol) how hard it was for those poor catering servers to cut that thing apart. I remember watching as many minutes passed and people offered her a chisel, a hammer, a blow dryer, etc, lol.

Scott held up his side of the deal and the cake was indeed ceremoniously broken apart with a sword. He posted a clip of it on youtube.

It's funny because we all thought it was going to break into pieces or all end up on the floor but the top popped straight off like he planned it :)

The cake was simply amazing and I can't imagine there's a single guest there that won't remember that for years to come. It was so unique and it tasted so great and unlike anything I've ever had before.

I will post a review on the website below when I get home tonight.

Thank you again Carissa!

Lisa & Scott

I laughed out loud when I read this email and then viewed the video. Lisa and Scott were VERY certain about what they wanted when they came to me. Scott was very excited about the prospect of using a sword, so we went over (several times) how to do this without showering their guests with shards of caramel and cream puffs. I was so happy to be part of their wedding day and I loved the challenge and the opportunity to help make their wedding day vision come to life.

Read All About It!

2010-06-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

It's official folks, we're Wedding Wire Rated!

We are so honored (and really really LUCKY!) to have such amazing clients to work with. Without them we wouldn't have the fun creative challenges that keep us busy and having fun!

A little bit of blog love!

2010-06-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Brandon and Kami over at Sound Image Entertainment for thier oh so sweet blog post. We love working with other professionals, it always makes the evening so much smoother!

"We have “known” about Carissa with Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts and briefly met her once but haven’t had a chance to work a wedding with her. Well she did not disappoint. The spread was BEAUTIFUL, almost to pretty to eat… almost. She even stayed when it was open to guests and tended to it, it really made a difference!"

I know, I've been a total slacker!

2010-06-21T12:32:00.001-07:00

But really Mom, I have a great excuse! Not only has it been wedding season, but I'm working on a photo shoot with Tinywater Photography, launching a new logo and everything that goes with that (new chef coats, business cards, stickers), and working on advertising (print and web).

So, without further ado... I have an announcement!

We've been asked to join Style Me Pretty!!!!

If you haven't seen this drool worthy website you HAVE TO CHECK IT OUT!!! I'm already coordinating with photographers from weddings already completed this season and for weddings coming up so we can submit a bunch to SMP. Featured Wedding = Good Publicity! I'm still working on uploading pictures and setting up my profile, but there is a little there!

Here is our new logo. A very special thanks goes out to Stephanie J Designs for creating it, I'm totally in love! (You should see what we have planned for phase two of the logo!)

OK, now comes the really fun part! Pictures of what I've been working on! I still have some outstanding pictures from some weddings, but this will at least get you going!

This was a dessert table that we did for a 30th birthday party. Boy, I wish I had friends like this when I was turning 30! (I was in cooking school, so it all turned out just fine!) Thank you Jen, of The Memory Journalists, for the pictures. As always, I'm in your debt!

This purple and black wonder was for a high school graduation party. The school colors were burgundy and gold, but the graduate gal's favorite colors are purple and black, so we went with that! The kids and adults all went ape, it was VERY FUN! For once I got to be a guest and a vendor. Thank you Brandy, of Brandy Sommer Photography, for the pictures and congratulations on getting your first born graduated!

This next pictures is one where I FINALLY got the professional photo from a wedding back in November. Thanks to Amber of Shoops Shutter for the picture.

This next one has already been published! Woo Hoo! The cake was inspired by the invitation (too funny, second cake inspired by the same invitation!). Thanks to Amber with Platinum Planning for orchestrating such a lovely wedding and Jeff of Unique Photography for the picture.

This picture was taken by a friend of the bride... God love her, she did an amazing job. This is my new gold standard to illustrate two points: 1) Buttercream is beautiful. That nice crisp edge is exactly what I aim for with every cake. 2) Anytime there are dots on a cake they should look like little pearls, not little Hershey's Kisses!

I just got these photos from Ely Roberts, of Ely Roberts Photography, and I'm over the moon! I just love how this illustrates the beauty of sugar flowers and how we can get pretty dang close to the wedding colors when we do the matching.

LAST MINUTE ADDITION!!!

Thanks to the LOVELY Beth Baugher of True Love Photo I have a picture from Saturday's Wedding!!! Sweet Mama!

My darling husband just emailed me this picture that I took with his iPhone. MUCH better pictures will be coming from Carmen Salazar, but this will tide me over until then. This was an American croquembouche. The cake on the bottom has the wedding rings quilting pattern on it and the croquembouche (traditional French wedding dessert... vanilla cream puffs coated in hard caramel and stacked to create a tower) on top. And, yes, that is spun sugar all around. I absolutely can't wait to see pictures of the couple trying to break into this bad boy! :)

Give a Girl (or two) a HAND!

2010-04-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

The wonderfully talented CakeGirls in Chicago had a devastating fire destroy their cake shop. Our hearts go out to them.

They are selling t-shirts to help raise money for their out-of-work employees as they try to rebuild. Purchase your t-shirt here.

Black and White Bridal Shower

2010-03-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

Jackie ordered this beautiful carrot cake for her friend's bridal shower. I just love how the black lace dressed up the cake. Very elegant... and probably the most dressy carrot cake EVER! Based on everything I read on Facebook, I take it the bride really liked the surprise!

Photos are thanks to Jackie of Jacqueline Photography.

Food and Drink Trends

2010-03-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Of course food and drink trends are MY FAVORITE!!!

- His and Her Stations (each having their respective favorite foods!)

Photo by: The Memory Journalists
- Sample Stations - for example, pairing wine and cheese. Not only fun, but educational!
Photo by: The Memory Journalists

- Small Plates - I love the pairing of comfort foods along with something a bit more on trend and decadent!

Photo by: Brandy Sommer Photography

- Familiar/Identifiable Foods - jazzing them up a bit. For example, Abigail Kirsch in NY does Portobello sirloin burgers with truffle potato chips instead of basic sliders.

Photo by: Brandy Sommer Photography

- Ethnic Food Stations - for example, stations based on the Pacific Rim. Caterers are also telling me they predict that Greek, Middle Eastern, North African and Lebanese cuisines will grow in popularity.

- Seeing fabulous family-style platters and the trend of using fabulous and unique serving pieces for a combination of beef, fish and all types of sides.

- Late Night Snack - becoming even more popular, whether it's a traditional egg offering, or pizza and sliders. I have seen gourmet popcorn stations served in little brown cups.

- Seeing lots of tray passed sweets, lollipop-style and mini ice cream sandwiches are very popular

Photo by: Brandy Sommer Photography

- A special treat while guests are waiting in their cars, such as warm chocolate chip cookies, mini milk shots or root beer floats.

Photo by: Artistic Imagery

- Wine - becoming more popular served in fabulous decanters and paired with food.

- Also seeing dark drinks come back; whiskey and scotch are becoming increasingly popular! Seeing lots of scotch bars.

- Specialty Drink Bars - once I saw a six flavor Bellini bar that was amazing. Fun champagne bars with mixers (Chambord, Midori, cranberry or pineapple juice).

- Seeing lots of stylish items to dress up your drinks such as lavender or rose petals.

Top 10 Event Trends for 2010 - Helping you to be On-Trend vs. Trendy (Part 2)

2010-03-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is the second in a two part series. These top ten trends are provided by NACE - the National Association of Catering Executives. Enjoy!

6) Floral More organic arrangements that are loose and lush, using the natural shape of a vine or branch to guide the arrangement. More fruit will be used in the floral arrangements...the look of a still life painting!
Photo by: Unknown Flowers: Blooms Venue: La Provence Restaurant

7) Going even more Green! Organic flowers, recycled paper for invitations, biodegradable plates and utensils, reusing materials, and scrapping unnecessary and wasteful flourishes will become standard.

Graphic by: Laura Hooper Calligraphy

8) Photography/Videography There is a trend toward more high-concept, fashion editorial-style photos with an edge that are shot very much in a photo journalistic manner.

AI FILMS Promo Video from artistic imagery films on Vimeo.

Video by: Artistic Imagery Films

9) Entertainment Jazz, photo booths, Wii games, dance lessons on vinyl covered dance floors, DJs and mixing various forms of entertainment (jazz with dinner, band for dancing and a DJ for an after-party) will be all the rage in „10!
Photo by: Profinish Design

10) Check back tomorrow... number 10 is all about Food and Drink Trends!

Special Little Project...

2010-03-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to pique your interest, but a little project we've been working on with some amazing vendors is getting close to being published. ahhh, I'm biting my nails over here... just can't wait to be able to share it. (For those of you that really know me... I'm horrible at keeping a secret!)

Just a little teaser!

It's a Boy's Life: Motorcross Birthday!

2010-03-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

This just goes to show that regardless of age or sex... EVERYONE loves a dessert bar!

Jennifer is the fabulous gal that embroiders all of my chef coats and she wanted to do something special for her boyfriend Sam's birthday.

We stuck with all his favorites and since the two of them are totally into motorcross I stenciled a motorcycle onto some cookies (trust me, it took a little creative thinking to get that one figured out!).

Desserts included: Pecan pie, lemon meringue pie, hummingbird cupcakes, palmiers and butter cookies.

I just love how the pecan pies look like gears when they are off-set like this! (Really, I get excited about the silliest things!)

I love my wellies!

2010-03-23T08:00:00.001-07:00

This is a slightly off kilter look that I just love. I was getting ready for a photoshoot out in the middle of no where... so I thought a pair of wellies was in order. Thank you Target... they've got quite the assortment right now for only $25.00! Of course, MINE are hot pink with white polka dots!

Photo by: Twin Lens Images Special thanks to: Style Me Pretty

Dynamite Weddings Bridal Mixer

2010-03-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Dessert descriptions: Salted Caramel Oreos, Caramel Cream Puffs, Chocolate Mendiant Lollipops, White chocolate Cranberry Bread Pudding (not pictured),Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee not pictured)

HUGE Thanks go out to Celebrations Party Rentals for hosting our second Dynamite Weddings Bridal Mixer.

Everyone got to experience the feeling of a tent (a heated tent at that!) and all of the lounge furniture was great!

This was another intimate event, but Bocca Catering hit a home run with the savories (of course I'd say this... Francie is wonderful, plus there was a HUGE cheese display! I'm such a sucker for cheese!)

Top 10 Event Trends for 2010 - Helping you to be On-Trend vs. Trendy (Part 1)

2010-03-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned before, I am a member of NACE (National Association of Catering Executives). I received an email this morning with the annual report on trends. I LOVE hearing what industry groups consider trends. Sometimes I agree wholeheartedly, other times I just don't see it. I'm going to share these with you in a couple of parts, so check back for more!

1) The Overall Atmosphere A more architectural, modern and environmental look will be prevalent, versus a frilly and fussy atmos-phere!

Photo by: True Love Photo, Location: Citizen Hotel, Cake: Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts

2) Alternative Spaces People will continue to love the com-forts of being able to produce their event or wedding in a hotel, but will want to use alternative spaces in the hotel for their function(s).
Photo by: Tinywayter Event Planner: Amber Novey of Platinum Planning Venue: The Flower Farm Inn

3) The Lounge Look Furniture of all shapes and sizes will take center stage! Groupings much like you would see in a hotel lobby will be wildly popular! Photo by: Chenin Boutwell Special Thanks to Style Me Pretty

4) Table Design Long share tables remain popular and on trend! Additionally square and rectangular shapes will be requested even more in 2010. People want texture; they want delights both to the touch and eye!
Photo by: Scott Andrew Venue: Mulvaney's Building and Loan Planner: Alison Ulshoffer Events

5) Lighting Whether it is gobos, dimming, gelling the existing lights in the ballroom or contracting with a lighting designer and company to wash the ballroom in color, lighting will be at it most popular height ever! Photo by: Rachelle Photography Lighting by: Extreme Productions

Dynamite Weddings Bridal Mixer

2010-03-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you Citizen Hotel for sponsoring our first Dynamite Weddings Bridal Mixer. It was so much fun, very intimate and, I think, very helpful for those brides who attended.

Yes, that's me in the first collage on the bottom.

Dessert Descriptions...

Gingersnap cookie lollipops
Cream puffs with chocolate caps
Decorated sugar cookies
Pink Vanilla frosted chocolate cupcakes

There were also white chocolate heart truffles and salted caramel truffles. YUM!

Thanks to The Memory Journalists for taking the pictures and to Dynamite Weddings for bringing it all together.

Updating the Website...

2010-03-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Good Morning All!

So I've been adding new pictures to the website and darling Amber of Artistic Imagery took this one after our first meeting (funny, we'd worked two weddings together, but we'd never actually MET! That's pretty much how it works on wedding day!).

Had to share... I love how you can almost TASTE the buttercream oozing out of these cookies!

Enjoy!

Dynamite Weddings Workshop

2010-03-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

The first person to send a response to this post gets TWO FREE TICKETS!!!

Brides are still raving about our Spring 2009 Dynamite Weddings Workshop! In order to maintain an intimate setting, we will limit the number of attendees to 60 brides and their guests. You will have an opportunity to sip champagne, nibble delicious treats, gain insider information and speak candidly with those qualified to help you facilitate your wedding day goals and help you create your own personal wedding day style. We guarantee that you will have loads of fun and you'll walk away with a better sense of your wedding style, along with a few other surprises and great door prizes!

When: March 28, 2010 at 11am to 3pm.

Where: Granite Bay Golf Club

Sign up here before space runs out! Upon confirmation of your subscription, you will be given your choice of locations and payment will be required to hold your seat. Cost is $25/couple (2 people - you can bring your groom, your mom, or your matron of honor!) Payable by Credit Card or Paypal. Adults only. Tickets are non-refundable.

Can't wait to see you!

One of our darling couples has been featured!

2010-03-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Style Unveiled is just the most gorgeous online magazine ever! I'm not quite to stalking regularity, but the weddings they feature really are outstanding! Yesterday I got a Facebook message from Martha that John and Nicole's beautiful Capitola wedding was featured. YEA! I'm thrilled to share a little snippet with you all, but to read the entire article (some good advice in addition to some amazing Memory Journalists photography!)take a look at their site!

I feel so used... but in a good way!

2010-03-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Thank you Wedding Wire!

If you've followed this blog over the past year (or stalk the Wedding Wire blog) you'll recognize our little creation in the lower left corner. YEA!!! To me, the real irony of their selection is that this cake was supposed to have pink flowers on it... whoops!

Bella Donna 2010 Spring Launch Party

2010-02-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

I LOVE SHANNON!

Shannon of Flourish brought her camera and took the following amazing pictures of the desserts that were served at the Bella Donna launch party. Lots of fun, pretty dessert options, perfect for January!

As a pastry chef I've always found it difficult to sell panna cotta. Anytime you mention "milk jello" people wig. It's an excellent dessert, but after years of playing around with different ways of describing it, I've come up with the following... just call it cream! Peaches and Cream, Strawberries and Cream, Creamsicle... you get the idea! In addition to being striking, it's yummy too (everyone who at this version gobbled it up and had nothing but good things to say!).
(Vanilla Panna Cotta with Pink Grapefruit Gelee and Candied Grapefruit & Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee with Fresh Raspberries)

In addition to getting the attendees to venture out of their comfort zone, I provided the ubiquitous creme brulee. An amazing custard is a must for any decent pastry chef, and I have to confess, even though I've made over 10,000 of these puppies, they are pretty dang good!

Nothing says winter dessert to me more than poached pears. mmmmmm and the creamy champagne sabayon was bliss. Just a little bite, but just sweet enough and just boozie enough to be satisfying. Also, is there anything cuter than a Seckle pear? I don't think so, and when they are poached they are even more amazing!

Last, but not least were the peanut butter truffles (and in the distance you can see the salted caramel tartlets, which, if you've been following this blog, you've probably seen before!). I used a food spray to make them a shiny silver. How fun! I also placed them on a bed of Valrhona crunchy chocolate pearls. Fun, different and tasty!

I also wanted to point out the dessert tags... how cute are these little guys. I shamelessly stole the logo from Bella Donna and used it to personalize the tags. I just love their pretty French blue color!

Animal Print Sweet 16

2010-02-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

I just got pictures from an event planner I worked with on a Sweet 16 birthday party. The theme was wild animals and to work that into the cupcakes we used chocolate discs on top of the cupcakes that had the assorted animal prints on them. The birthday girl wanted chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, so we split the order into quarters and made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate and vanilla buttercream and vanilla cupcakes with chocolate and vanilla buttercream. I like to think this gave a little something for everyone!

I have to say that my favorite prints were the zebra and the giraffe, but the snake skin was pretty cool and the two color cheetah was great!

Collage love

2010-01-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I work with some amazing and generous photographers! Marj of Stellasweet sent me this collage and I'm totally in love with it. The clarity, the closeups... I'm totally going to take her up on her offer to add my own name and I'm getting this sucker blow up for bridal fairs and my office!

Sweet!

Enjoy!

My (not so) New Obsession... Religieuse

2010-01-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

Excuse the rant....

Why are Americans stuck on the same desserts? If I see another cheesecake, creme brulee or @#($*#$& chocolate lava cake I'm going to slit my wrists! COME ON PEOPLE!!! There is a whole flipping world of desserts out there!!! Venture out... I promise, it'll still be creamy or chocolate-y or whatever you love.

OK, now that that is out of my system...

(Photo by: Beth Baugher, Religieuse by: Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts)

I've been in love with these little guys for the longest time. A Religieuse is made of two filled and stacked cream puffs. mmmmm, cream puffs (insert Homer Simpson's voice here). They can be filled with everything from flavored pastry cream to mousse. All good stuff! The coolest (and prettiest... HEY, I'm a girl... pretty matters!) part is that the top of each puff is glazed to reflect the flavor inside. Sooo pretty, soooo yummy! I'm bent on making these the newest dessert craze, who says Sacramento, CA can't be the center of the dessert world?

(Photo from Laduree Paris website)

It's All About The Groom! - ABC Sacramento

2010-01-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

Last week we did a cake for the local chapter of ABC (Association of Bridal Consultants). The theme of the night was... It's All About The Groom and WHAT FUN! I love getting a chance to meet new wedding planners (new as in I haven't worked with them yet!) and photographers.

Lora Ward of a Day To Remember Wedding Consultants asked me to make a Groom's cake using the theme as inspiration. (Take a look at her blog for more pictures of the event - coming later this week.) I did a little research and found an inspiration cake (I love doing research!) and just ran from there. Working with the theme, the cake was my favorite chocolate cake with "chocolate chip cookie dough filling" (brown sugar buttercream with mini chocolate chips). Delightful!

A HUGE thanks goes out to Carmen Salazar for taking these pictures.

Another Thank You goes out to the gang over at Aitiquite Maison Privee for hosting the event. You have to see the space, it would be an amazing venue for a mid-sized, intimate wedding.

Another Dynamite Weddings Bridal Mixer!

2010-01-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

This is a series of intimate seminars that are low key and casual. Nibbles and drinks are served and all the brides get a chance to have time to chat with prospective vendors in addition to learning a little something. This session is entitled:

How to contract with wedding vendors....

Topic: Congratulations - you're engaged! But now what? Do you have any idea where to start? Or better yet, do you have any idea of what you should be considering when booking and contracting with your vendors? Come learn in a casual, intimate environment with our Dynamite Wedding experts on hand to answer all these pressing questions. This informal but educational evening will be something you won't want to miss.

When: February 25th, 2010
Time: 5:30pm to 8:00pm
Where: Celebrations Party Rentals
7501 Galilee Road
Roseville, CA 95678
How Much: FREE (with pre-registration!)

By pre-registering, your name will be on "The List" at the door of the Tent at Celebrations for our second Bridal Mixer of 2010. (cover charge of $10 at the door if not pre-registered.) Come win some exciting door prizes!

Don't miss out! Call or email today: 916.802.8004 or info@dynamiteweddings.com with any additional questions or participation commitment!

Real Weddings Magazine's Cover Model Contest!!!

2010-01-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

The deadline for Real Weddings Magazine's cover model contest is FAST approaching -- January 31st! We're getting so excited to review all of the submissions!

Any brides who are interested in entering, are encouraged to send in their submission materials asap.

Purple and Black - January 9

2010-01-20T09:32:00.000-08:00

Tiffany and Tanner had their very dramatic purple and black wedding at Sequoia Restaurant in Placerville. This really is an example of the little details making a big impact!

I'm forever telling my couples to be creative with their cake toppers. Tiffany received the Corpse Bride and Groom as a Christmas present... they are ornaments! Keep in mind that when you get creative with cake toppers you may need to take into account support. There is NO WAY that adorable little groom would have stood up without those flowers... as it is you can barely see his shoes!

The decoration for this cake was a quilted pattern with black dragees at every intersection point. Clean, simple, beautiful!

mmmmm Salted Caramel Tartlets (I do LOVE that pink Hawaiian sea salt!)

I love elevating the simple cream puff. These little guys had white chocolate "hats" that had the same pattern as the name cards and the "Sweet Treats" sign. I'm tellin' you, it really is those little details that show up in the pictures, and, although they might not be noticed at the time that everyone is eating them, really does contribute to a sense of continuity when you look at the entire display.

Fruit Tartlet... enough said!

This is only the second time I've make butterscotch pudding for a wedding, but how fun are these! I particularly like the rough shards of toffee sticking out of the glasses.

Strawberry Mousse, I just LOVED the tiny quanelles of whipped cream on top.

Lemon Mousse... I'm forever hearing that these look like high healed shoes. The cookie on the back is a ladyfinger, and nothing goes better with lemon than blueberries!

mmmmm, Chocolate...

2010-01-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

I just got in a new shipment of chocolate transfer sheets! These are patterns that can be transferred to truffles and chocolate decorations and are a great way to add a big impact to even the most straight forward dessert.

This first group is for cupcakes for a sweet 16 birthday party...

(Strangely, the giraffe print won't upload... but I'm sure you can imagine.)

These next images are more general purpose, but I have a feeling one of them is going to wind up on the groom's cake I'll be doing for the Sacramento chapter of the Association of Bridal Consultants. I also have a wedding next Friday in Capitola that I'll be using one of them on... so excited about that one!

I also have a couple of projects coming up, so you'll have to keep your eyes open. The first is the Bella Donna Bridal 2010 Preview Collection Event. We'll be providing small desserts for everyone and little take home presents for all the attendees. The next is a favor for the next meeting of the Sacramento chapter of NACE (the National Association of Catering Executives) to promote their annual conference in Austin, Texas... if it works out like I'm hoping it's going to be SMOKIN' HOT!

Dynamite Weddings Bridal Mixer

2010-01-15T11:02:00.000-08:00

I have been so enjoying this down time (December and part of January) that I've gotten complacent about writing the blog. Back to work SLACKER!

January has been shaping up to be surprisingly busy. I usually have one to two days of tasting appointments per month, January I had to add a third! YEA!

As some of you know I am a member of Dynamite Weddings. It's a great resource for brides, or soon to be brides. This past week we had our inaugural Bridal Mixer at the Citizen Hotel. I do love that place! So dramatic!

Here are a few pictures that Jennifer of Memory Journalists took... yes, that's me in the chef coat (boy do I need to get a tailored coat for these events!). I stuck with the general color and feel of the Dynamite Wedding website... just like I do with weddings.

Christmas Cookie Party!

2009-12-21T11:23:00.001-08:00

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

This is the time of year I like to take a little time off from tastings and events. Sometimes it happens, other times, well, not so much.

After going through cookbooks (hey, it's what gets me in the spirit!) I was inspired to have a Christmas cookie party. This was the first time I've incorporated all the different aspects of my life, but it was so nice to get friends, family and industry buddies together for food, drink and baking!

Thank you everyone who came! Fun was had by all!

Below are pictures so graciously taken by Shannon of Flourish! Thank you Shannon!

Butter Cookies and Puff Pastry Pinwheels (with Strawberry Jam)

Mi Mamma

Childhood friend Mindy (hadn't seen her in about 22 years!) and her hubby Chad.

Lora Ward of A Day to Remember makin' some nice Snickerdoodles for her daughter's b-friend. Yes, the totally inappropriate, but funny "Nice Balls!" comment was thrown around... along with the SNL references to Schwetty Balls. Too Too Funny!

The bridal bouquet pose... but with cookies!

Katie Baker of Adagio Events with dark and white chocolate dipped pretzels.

Part of the gang... Moi, Lynnette, Lora, Allison of Allison Stahl Photography, Marj of Stellasweet, with the beautiful peppermint pinwheel cookies that Mindy and Chad made.

Former intern, and new high school grad, Cearra (middle), and Brandy of Brandy Sommer Photography.

Don't you just LOVE Allison's shawl?

Guest Blogging... n' Misc. Other Stuff!

2009-12-15T11:31:00.000-08:00

I've been a bit absent lately, but I'm still here. I was asked by Real Weddings magazine to do some guest blogging and in addition the the Holidays I've had to put my own blog on the back burner.

Check out my guest blog entries:

Mini Indulgences

Invitation Inspiration

Hey There Cupcake!

In addition to that Nicole Jackson, formerly of Dynamite Weddings (check out the DW post on Couture Dessert Bars and The Memory Journalists, was kind enough to help me out at the Best of Sacramento party last month. Seriously, I don't think I could have done it without her! Not to mention, she took this ROCKIN' picture of the table! Brandy Capik was also a DOLL and came over the night before and decorated all the trays. It is one of the details that really pops in the picture. The signs were also made by Stephanie J Designs (read about her blog post on the tags!). It was her idea to use the glass with the sugar, and thankfully I had just received a shipment that included 8#s of hot pink sugar sprinkles! Talk about timing!

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season. I'm hopelessly behind schedule at home, so I'll be hitting the stores in the next couple of days to catch up!

Guest Blogging: Real Weddings Magazine

2009-12-07T12:59:00.000-08:00

We've been asked to be a guest blogger for the Real Weddings Magazine Blog! Take a look and enjoy!

Day After Thanksgiving Wedding

2009-11-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

This cake was for the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally not a wedding day, but perfect for my out of town bride and groom! I have a couple of funny (now... not then) stories to share in addition to the details of this cake.

The bride wanted this graphic to be incorporated into the cake... flowing from one tier to the next, which was a bit of a challenge considering its complexity and the curve of the image, but I was quite happy with the finished product.
This was a relatively small cake (5", 7" and 9"... for 60 guests) but with the proportions of a traditional wedding cake. The lovely silver cake stand under it added another 5 inches and really helped it have a sense of presence in the room.

In addition the all of the piping, we added occasional silver dragees. Because grey and black are difficult colors to make "wedding-y) I suggested adding a fondant ribbon band with the grey as a background color and the yellow in the foreground.

Lastly, after the cake was all assembled I sprayed it with a pearl glaze. I adore sparkles and even though I know it isn't right for every cake, I really do think the pearl really made this cake spectacular.

If you are wondering about the cake topper... the bride is in the Navy... so those are two interlocking anchors with frosted rope. A very nice touch... not what I'd expected, but lovely. This is another example of a surprise cake topper. It was surprisingly light, so it wasn't a problem, but since I had been anticipating florals on top of the cake I left a circular hole in fondant. Had I known there would be a topper I probably would have had a solid piece of fondant. That being said... it turned out just fine!

The cake flavors were pretty seasonal. The top and bottom were spice cake with two layers of cream cheese buttercream and one layer of sauteed apples. The middle was a lime butter cake with two layers of lemon sabayone with fresh strawberries and one layer of lime buttercream. (Can you say ZESTY!!!???)

So, here are the funny stories. As I was getting ready to pipe the middle tier, I sat down on my improvised stool (two milk crates stacked up) and some how, even now I'm not sure, I missed. The milk crates toppled and so did I... it really was one of those slow mo moments. The most important part... I SAVED THE CAKE! I was a little sore, but kept plugging away. I did notice yesterday that I have two HUGE bruises on my thighs (think the size of a man's palm!). Just call me grace!

Next, two weeks before every wedding the balance of the invoice is due, but at that time we also confirm the guest count and delivery time. I guess I'm going to have to confirm location too going forward. Yes, you guessed it, the worst happened. I went to deliver this cake up in Camino (about a 45-50 minute drive from my kitchen) and there was no one there! I'm sure you can imagine my panic! Apparently my darling couple never booked the location they gave me. (Of course at this point I started having heart palpitations and imagining that the reception was closer to Sac... which meant I would NEVER make it in time!) The gal at the "old" venue did have the couple's unsigned contract and offered to let me use the phone (THE DOLL!!!). I called and the auntie of the bride answered and passed off the phone to the father of the bride. What a surprise, but THANK GOD!!! Apparently they had moved to a venue right across the street from where I was... sigh... thank goodness! They were very apologetic, but boy was I happy it all worked out!

Of course these things tend to come in threes! Lastly, after I got the cake set up one of the servers (apparently the one who was designated to cut the cake) came up to me. She had never cut a cake before. YIKES!!! So I told her that this was a great size cake to learn on and proceeded to teach her the Chinese ring technique, where to find the hidden supports, how big the serving should be and what the flavors of each cake were. Sigh, once I headed home I was a wreck... thankfully the cake turned out very nicely and it was set up before the bride and groom arrived!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone... NEXT!

For those of you who don't already know...

2009-11-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

I'm a planner. Some call it being anal, other have other uncomplimentary terms for it, but I just like to look at it as being prepared. Surprisingly, I am an optimist, so that mixed with being a planner makes me an optimistic planner. Probably not the best combination!

That being said, I've been stressing out, no, more accurately, gearing up, for the Best of Sacramento party since I was asked by Our Weddings magazine to join them. I was thrilled at the opportunity, but also, always wanting to knock everyone's socks off, a little overwhelmed.

What started out as a little production (a display cake for the Our Weddings gals' table and 2500 desserts for the attendees) has, well, kind of grown. The cake is now six tiers and the 2500 desserts has grown too. Now the menu is: PB&J cake sandwiches, chocolate cupcakes with pink vanilla frosting, caramel cream puffs, haute chocolate mousse, spicy ginger lemon mousse, brown sugar marshmallows, decorated sugar cookies, coconut macaroons, vanilla and peppermint (separately) meringues. Everything is in hot pink and white.

I know, I've gone crazy. I know, it's too much... I KNOW!!! But I love baking... and baking as advertising and baking with a fun color scheme (even better, MY color scheme) how could I really resist????

It's going to be fabulous, so if you are in the area, feel free to stop by, say hi and get your daily dose of hot pink food coloring and sugar!

Blue and Gold!

2009-11-17T09:38:00.000-08:00

This is probably the most detailed cake I've done to date. Lots and lots and lots of gold dragees and gold decorations... all hand made. Yeash! The inspiration cake for this wedding was a Martha Steward cake, but we took some artistic liberty including the monogram. The cake had two tiers of white cake filled with chocolate buttercream and raspberry buttercream and two tiers of yellow cake filled with salted caramel sauce and salted caramel buttercream.
I guess it's a testament to my naivety about photography... but I was amazed at the color variation between these two pictures! This just goes to show you... never trust that the color of a cake in a magazine was ACTUALLY the color of the finished cake! (If my mind's eye remembers correctly, the top picture is the closest to the actual color.)

This darling couple wanted some little dessert bites to go along with their cake. So we made some chocolate raspberry tartlets, salted caramel truffles and cab reduction truffles (not pictured). These two trays were served along with the port and cigar station! How lovely!

Special thanks to Allison Stahl Photography for the beyond beautiful pictures and Laurie Schmalzel Events for referring me to her darling clients!

Birthday Shoe!

2009-11-13T08:07:00.000-08:00

I got a call a couple of weeks ago from my girlfriend NJ, she needed a cake for her shoe crazy aunt. I asked her to do a little research and give me a sample of what she was looking for...even I need a little guidance!

Here is what we wound up with...some of my favorite details... the buckle, the stitching, the woven fondant, the shiny look of the patent leather, and the marble board... yes, that was made with fondant! Sweet!

Normally I wouldn't post blurry pictures, but when NJ sent me the pictures she said that her aunt was laughing and this is the best she could do. Fine by me, best excuse EVER!

OK, shoe on the table? Ick... don't you just love the comparison between the shoe Auntie was wearing and the cake? I love it!

Last, but not least, the guts! There was so much black fondant... I really hope they pealed it off before they ate it... no one likes black teeth!
By the way, the cake was chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream and a layer of fresh raspberries. Yummy!

Checking in... Check it out!

2009-11-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

I did an interview a couple of months ago with Sacramento Chic, but hadn't heard anything in a while... after checking back in today... YEA, I found a wonderful article.

All I have to say is, Flattery... it really WILL get you everywhere!

Artistic License - The Flower Farm Inn

2009-11-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

This is the last of the pictures from my Artistic License series and I'm still holding out on getting some better, possibly more detailed shots, to share with you, but in the mean time... here we go!

This cake is a translation of a dress, or possibly just formal wear. The only guidance I was given on colors or theme was that the bridesmaids would be wearing lavender and they guys would be wearing charcoal. With that in mind I airbrushed the whole cake lavender (yes, it does look light blue in this picture, but I promise, it was in face a lovely shade of light purple). The hand made buttons (with the most darling floral detail) were painted silver. (I like using a metallic to contrast a dark color.) The little stitching and the ribbon were charcoal grey. The ribbon was actually a trick... I wasn't able to find a shade of ribbon that I liked, so I used two ribbons... a black satin and a shear grey. To secure them and add more stitching detail I did little beads of icing in the charcoal grey.

I also played around a little with the tiers. Yes, it was a big cake, that being said... I like how the shorter tiers support the standard tiers. I think this would be an amazing look even for a traditional wedding cake, particularly with the standard tiers being white or ivory and the supporting tiers being a bold color... imagine what that would look like from a distance!!! What a dramatic cake!

This was a great, simply elegant cake that not only worked with the space (very Craftsman), but the colors were a nice variation on a traditional wedding cake.

I have to say this Artistic License experiment has been a great success. I've been able to play and experiment and use some tools that I haven't been able to use in a long time. I also had the most darling, sweet and flexible brides out there... I don't care what anyone else says... most brides are not bride-zillas! I can't wait to do this again next year!

Hidden Mickey Wedding Cake

2009-11-10T08:38:00.000-08:00

This last weekend I worked on the most adorable wedding cake. The couple got engaged at Disneyland and although they didn't want a Disney themed wedding, they did want a subtle nod to Disney.

There are several details that I really liked and are great for brides to know about. I'm going to start from the top and work my way down.

The cake topper was a crystal slipper and quite heavy. I believe I've mentioned it before, but any time I know in advance that there is going to be a heavy cake topper I add structural support in the top tier and the frost in a Plexiglas plate. This added insurance doesn't show, but it does ensure that you can put a brick on top of the cake and it won't collapse!

Next, is the monogram... straight off of their invitation. A small detail, but it turned out perfect.

This cake is a perfect example of how three patterns can work very well together when you are working with a monochromatic color scheme.

The bottom tier had the little Mickey logo worked into the pattern, hence the hidden Mickey. Not totally obvious, but subtle and I think darling.

Lastly, all of the details on this cake (the piping, monogram, Mickey logo) were hand painted so they had a little extra glow to them.

This cake was two flavors: The top two tiers were chocolate cake with Morello cherry compote and cherry caramel and cream cheese buttercream while the bottom tier was white cake with salted caramel chocolate mousse with cream cheese buttercream. All I can say is YUM!

Another lovely cake for a very sweet couple!

I'm officially a dessert goddess...

2009-11-04T14:49:00.000-08:00

I was just popping around today and ran into San Francisco Style Unveiled's "Bride in the City" feature. I totally recognized Karen and Gabe (and Tinywater Photography's very distinctive style!)! What a delightful surprise. First I just ran through the pictures, but then I started reading... how nice... when I saw this question my curiosity really WAS piqued!

"Who are the wedding vendors you have already decided to hire?
We have hired the talented Alison Ulshoffer for our wedding planner, our fabulous florist is Martha Andrews of Blooms, our dessert goddess is Carissa Jones of Sugar and Spice and our photographer is the creative team of Tinywater Photography."

It's always nice to read good things about you... particularly when they are sooo glowing! Take a read through the article and consider submitting yourself!

Art Deco Cake - Citizen Hotel

2009-11-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

I have the most creative and amazing clients! Valerie and Alex came to me with their beautiful, dramatic wedding at the Citizen Hotel. I was already excited. This couple was absolutely charming, both Italian and both had a very clear picture of what they wanted. After we worked out the flavors of their cake (the most important part!) we took a little break while they picked out their invitations.

Here is their invite, beautiful, simple, and PERFECT for the Citizen!

Now it was my job to turn their invite into a sketch. They decided to make their colors black and cream, so it was pretty easy to translate the colors. Here is the sketch...

Finally, it was wedding day! I oh so carefully transferred the pattern to the cake, and then finished the little details on-site. This was a 3 chef coat day! Boy that black buttercream was sure a challenge, but the finished product... GET OUT OF TOWN! No cake topper, just the image, simple, classic, beautiful... and exactly what Valerie and Alex wanted.

Side note: I got the nicest call from Valerie a couple of days after the wedding. Poor kid only got her little piece of cake that Alex fed her... I've already got her on the books for the same cake for their First Anniversary!

Cake flavors... I almost forgot! Traditional carrot cake with two layers of cinnamon buttercream (YUM!) and one layer of traditional American cream cheese buttercream and Vanilla bean buttercake with two layers of espresso buttercream and one layer of marsala mascarpone mousse... YUM! Yum!
A HUGE thanks goes out to Beth Baugher of True Love Photo... she had several weddings to process ahead of this one, but she still dug out this picture for me... LOVE that woman!

Got Green? Boda de Verde!

2009-10-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

I am horribly addicted to reading everyone's blogs... florists, chefs, photographers, planners... addicted. With this little bit of downtime I've been catching up with my addiction and a recurring theme is GREEN. No, not necessarily eco-green... the actual color! All shades and textures, and boy, when paired with one of the oh-so-vibrant colors (pink, orange, purple) you do get very dramatic results.

Ashleigh and Matt had a beautiful outdoor wedding and reception at Sequoia Restaurant in Placerville. Their colors were green and pink. Very pretty. I really liked the combination of shapes in this cake, and they asked that I use the "branch" pattern that they'd seen on another one of my cakes, which is always a pleasure.

This cake was split between chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream, chocolate mousse and fresh raspberries and white cake with raspberry buttercream and fresh raspberries. mmmm Raspberries and Chocolate... always a lovely flavor combination.

Thank you to JR Photography for the picture, via Ashleigh, of course!

Professional Association - NACE

2009-10-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

Networking. It feels like Chinese water torture, over and over you hear about the importance of networking. There are few associations that I feel the need to join and trust me, there are so many out there that I could go to a meeting a week if I didn't judiciously pick and choose!

NACE (National Association of Catering Executives) is an association that I am proud to be a new member of... NACE, as I know it in Sacramento, is made of up all those professionals who make amazing events, well, AMAZING! It's not just the caterers and people like me, bakers, but it's the linen companies, the musicians, the event planners, and all those other professionals that know how to add that "something special" to an event that really makes every guest say WOW!

NACE has, roughly, monthly meetings, so you'll see posts from the meetings as I participate, but I'm really excited to see how this new networking and educational opportunity can help me grow my business. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to post them and I'll do what I can to help answer.

It's always nice to stumble upon your own work!

2009-10-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

I love the Internet! I've had a little bit of catch up time today and was looking at who was following my blog, kind of a reverse stalking situation, and I ran across Marj of Stellasweet. She was the second shooter at the wedding we did in August. I'm always amazed at how different photographers are. So many do truly lovely work, but they all have their own feel. (Hint to brides... look at the work of many photographers so you can find the best fit for you!)

Well, I have shamelessly grabbed pictures of my work from Marj's blog, and not so shamelessly linked to her. Check out the whole post if the food pics whet your appetite for more!

Read my original post to compare Marj and Diana's style... both lovely, both different.

Rehearsal Dinner - Dessert Bar

2009-10-26T09:19:00.001-07:00

It was another busy weekend. Thursday rehearsal dinner dessert bar at the Citizen Hotel downtown, sculpted shoe cake on Friday, and INSANE detail wedding cake at the Sutter Club.

Yesterday was also family picture day... Mom and Dad with the boys, Mike and I, and our goddaughter's three month pictures. Those pictures will come soon, but you'll just have to wait!

For now I only have pictures from Thursday, but I promise more to come from the other events!

Let me begin by saying that I like to think I play well with others, well, a girl has to draw a line SOMEWHERE... I do not EVER again want to share my dessert table with the coffee station. It looks, well, not to put too fine of a point on it... LIKE CRAP! Of course the desserts were still tasty and my couple did like them, it just wasn't the look I was going for. Dang.

Special thanks go out to Brandy Sommer Photography for coming at a moments notice to take pictures! I'll also be getting pictures from Allison Stahl Photography, but we'll have to be patient on those.

The close ups are so much more picturesque!

Chocolate Eclairs... with the cutsie white chocolate hearts!

Ubiquitous vanilla bean creme brulee... how can you argue when it's so good and sooo popular!??

Fresh fruit tart... all berries this time... Aren't those golden raspberries to DIE for???

If you haven't figured it out by this point, I ADORE gold... leaf, dust, flecks... all of it. I'm a glitter girl, I can't help it. Everything in my nature screams MORE, MORE, MORE! I have to intentionally put my instincts in check some times!

Last but not least are these yummy triffles. This one is similar to the ones I did last weekend for the bridal shower, except that they have raspberries inside! White Chocolate Mousse, Passionfruit Curd, Red Raspberries and White Chocolate shavings all layered together with vanilla bean butter cake. So many textures and flavors, and so so yummy!

L & D: It's all in the {French} details

2009-10-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

Elegant events are about the details, and this wedding had them in spades! The colors were sapphire blue and white, but there were fleur de lis details dotted throughout the wedding and reception.

As soon as the bride heard that there was a dessert bar option she got very excited. She was all about the chocolate.

The wedding cake was a clean lined and elegant chocolate cake with layers of vanilla bean buttercream and fresh strawberries. These beautiful tags were made by Stephanie J Designs... THIS is what I was saying about the details. So nice, elegant, and really appreciated.

I absolutely adored these chocolates. This is another example of the little details really shining! This is also a great example of how the extremely popular salted caramel tartlet was transformed into a salted caramel truffle.

Even the fruit tarts got special attention. The groom specifically chose the fruits to be used. I heard several comments from guests about how pretty these little guys were. All of the serving pieces were lined with cream paper that had gold fleur de lis' on them. So pretty.

A nice top down shot, that shows off the symmetry and the crème brûlée!

Thanks to Memory Journalists for the pictures and A Day to Remember for referring me. I really do like doing dessert bars, they are fun and challenging and really let me flex my creative muscles!

Old Sugar Mill, Fall Elegance

2009-10-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

In advance I need to thank my darling intern Cearra Cannon for taking this picture (didn't she do a LOVELY job?).

This cake was out at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, what a lovely location, and full of surprising little nooks and crannys, perfect for the bride who has eclectic tastes. This venue afford the traditional vineyard pictures and the rustic almost gritty look of old, partially demolished buildings. Lots of brick, wrought iron and light... lots of amazing light!

Laura and Chris went all out with the rustic Fall theme. I adore alstroemeria and was thrilled to have them on this cake... but the millet and summer corn (something... can't remember the name) and wheat were amazing textural touches that, although they didn't make it into the pictures, were VERY fall and looked great on the cake.

The pattern came from their invitations, but was slightly enlarged. I really liked the detail of occasional pearl dragees and the velvet ribbon... note to self and future brides... colored velvet ribbon only, the cream, although beautiful, just doesn't have the ideal look.

Congratulations Laura and Chris and Thank you for letting me be part of your day... side note, got the cake stand back... THANK YOU!

Briday Shower Saturday!

2009-10-20T10:54:00.001-07:00

Saturday was a super busy day... three events, two with dessert bars, two were weddings. YIKES! More pictures will follow, but in the mean time, here is something to ruin your lunch!Thanks to my darling intern, Cearra, for all her help, I couldn't have done it without her help! (I'd love to clone myself on days like this!)

Below are pictures of some of the desserts that Brandy of Brandy Sommer Photography took. Make sure you eat a little something before you look though these!

White Chocolate and Passion Fruit Trifle

The bride's favorite dessert is red velvet cake... so we made some lollipops. How fun!

More details of these will come from the pictures that Memory Journalists took because I made these truffles for two events (Can't wait for those pictures!). Salted Caramel Truffles... YUM! (This is a good example of how I can take our VERY popular salted caramel tartlet and translate it into a truffle... easy peasy!

Next up, and I think based on dirty dishes, the most popular, Lemon Raspberry Creme Brulee... the raspberry was a thick layer of tart coulis at the bottom with the lemon custard on top... so good and refreshing after a big lunch.

Last, but not least, we've got milk chocolate mousse. Anytime mousse is served with breakfast or lunch I like to lighten it up with layers of whipped cream, otherwise it's just too rich for most guests.

Sharing the LOVE...

2009-10-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

I swear, we're not in cahoots, we are just two of the founding members of our own mutual admiration society!

Memory Journalists did a wonderful blog post about us today. This was such a fun little project, cakes for little ones are always a hoot and when I actually get to see their little faces it's even better!

The flavors of this care are rapidly becoming one of our most popular... Chocolate Cake, Peanut Butter Buttercream and Fresh Raspberries. (Good for all ages!)

Artistic License - Take 3

2009-10-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

This is a continuation of the free wedding cake series... three of four.

The bride's colors were chocolate brown, pink and gold. She asked for something "princess-y" and all I can say is that my husband said she'd better have been happy with this cake! That being said this cake was a real phoenix from the ashes experiment. My original intention was for the stenciling to be done in pink... let just say that it didn't work like I had wanted and I had to break out a little pastry magic to get back to a clean, blank slate and try again for take two.

I was very happy with how this cake turned out. Nice detail. Nice composition and I think it fits the request for "princess-y" without being overly girly (I'm there for my grooms too!)

Enjoy the pictures... Brandy Sommer Photography (Brandy is working on building her website, so you'll have to wait to see more of her work until it's done.) did a great job, my favorite is the one with all the blue sky... and yes, we very much did a Where's Waldo with this cake and Sequoia... whenever I have a super stable cake and a beautiful venue I'm going to work it as much as possible to get the best possible pictures!

Couldn't Hold Back! - Another Happy Client!

2009-10-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

Carolyn over at Tinywater Photography ordered this cake for her hoobie Dan, I've also included the original sketch which changed a little based on discussion, but pretty much gets the point across. Too Fun!

Cake was White Vanilla Confetti with Lemon Buttercream... mmmmm.

Seriously Slacking!

2009-10-13T11:22:00.001-07:00

First, Apologies to everyone who is so great about following this blog! I've been in photographer limbo. I'm waiting for pictures from my last 5 cakes, so as soon as I get them I'll share! I really can't wait, there have been some spectacular additions to the portfolio. Lots of color, lots of shape, and lots of fun, creative cakes!

Next Saturday is another three event day, so this week is going to be a bit hectic, but after that the wedding season will be winding down. I have two weddings in November and then it'll be time to gear up for the Holidays! YEA!!! BRING IT ON!

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I believe I mentioned in my blog, or on Facebook that I would be going down to the Los Angeles area to deliver a cake over Labor Day weekend. Actually it was cake and a dessert bar. YIKES! It was a challenge to get everything packed up and then to get it through security on the plane, but it all worked out surprisingly well!

Mary Lou was turning 80 and her darling kids threw her a surprise party... kind of scary when the birthday girl has a pace maker! But she took it all in stride. The theme was tropical... not necessarily Hawaiian. So I make the cake pretty modern and then used these BEAUTIFUL protea and dahlias to add even more color and texture. There was to be NO MENTION of how old she was turning, so the family added Roman numerals and color coordinated candles to finish off the cake.

Too Fun!

Flavors were: Tropical Carrot Cake (with macadamia nuts and pineapple) with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream (YUM!)

Next up!

My dear friend Nicole of Dynamite Weddings fame asked me to make a cake for her friend's son Pierce. He is dressing up as Captain America for Halloween and loves his superhero! Using Captain America's shield as inspiration we made a Captain Pierce cake!

The little man was so cute about going and getting his Captain America shield to show off next to the cake!

Flavors were: Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Buttercream and fresh raspberries

Lastly, (for the pictures I do have), I was asked to make a cake for a celebration honoring the finalization of an adoption. Adoption is dear to my heart because three of my sisters were adopted from Korea.

Brooklynne's Dad wanted a very girly, pink-ish cake to be served at their breakfast party. I LOVE CAKE for BREAKFAST! But any time a client wants to serve cake at a breakfast party I recommend lighter, fruit-yer flavors.

This was vanilla bean butter cake with vanilla bean pastry cream and mixed berries finished off with vanilla bean buttercream!

The bow was made out of Sugar Veil a relatively new product that I've started using... sooo cool, it actually lets you create the most amazing, fabric like decorations, and it's so much lighter than fondant (doesn't taste any better, but is sure BEAUTIFUL!)

Side View - little flowers.

Artistic License - Texture, Texture, Texture

2009-10-02T10:25:00.001-07:00

I have four weddings this year where, in exchange for full artistic license, the couple is receiving a free wedding cake. This was a great opportunity for all concerned to get something wonderful.

This cake allowed me to try out a new "basket weave" texture tool and a "pleated" fondant technique. It's difficult to see, but there is also a small black boarder around each cake that was actually used to hide the support plates... kind of ingenious and really added to the design!

I can't wait to see more pictures, possibly more angles, of this cake, but I really was thrilled with how this cake turned out. Big, dramatic, and a surprisingly fun cake. I have to say that delivering to Social Night Club was, well, A BEAR... there are stairs... lots and lots of stairs, but the bride and the staff did such an amazing job pulling all the details together that this really was a BEAUTIFUL reception venue.

Thanks to Amber with Artistic Imagery for the beautiful pictures. I'm waiting with baited breath for more (and more, and more, and more!!!).

Artistic License - Black and White Cake

2009-10-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

This was my second artistic license cake. The bride gave me a little guidance, but was very open. Modern, but with some classic details and black and white.

Yes, those peonies are made out of sugar. Time consuming, but spectacularly beautiful. Each of the pearls are hand made, and thanks to a wonderful silicon mold I was able to crank them out... about 30 at a time, but it was still WONDERFUL. I also used a lace silicon mold for the first and third tiers, again, awesome new tool, and a spectacular end effect.

Note to self and brides out there... notice the cake topper. That sucker was seriously heavy! If advance notice is given, arrangements can be made to support a heavy topper, but in this case I placed it and then had it lean a bit into the flower for support. I warned all the men in tuxs that if the table was bumped the topper was going to go down. sigh... too scary, hard to eat dinner that night, kept thinking about that dang cake topper! :)

Thanks to Brandy Capik of Brandy Sommer Photography for the beautiful picture. I can't wait to see more! (Always a voracious consumer of pretty pictures!)

They Like Us, They Really Do!

2009-09-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how many times I've bragged on my clients. They really are wonderful! I got home last night, very late, and discovered flowers and the sweetest note from Laura and Gary. I did love how this cake turned out, even though it did turn into a labor of love. I have to confess, I would have done ANYTHING to make this cake turn out great... The first time I met Laura and Gary, Gary had just had several samples of cake that were being passed around at an event. He came up and told me it was the best cake he'd ever eaten. Talk about a way to a chef's heart! Flatter me! :)

There were several bits and pieces about this cake that were unique. First, and it's hard to tell in this picture, the first and third tiers of the cake are a slightly different color... that's because they had an entirely different flavored buttercream. First and Third tiers were chocolate cake with macadamia nut pieces filled with coconut pastry cream and coated in coconut buttercream (YUM!), while the Second and Fourth tiers were white cake with vanilla pastry cream and fresh berries coated in vanilla bean buttercream (also yum!). I'm sure it's happened to you in the past, and I want to assure you that it happens to us professionals too... things don't always turn out like you'd hope. The coconut buttercream just wasn't coconut-ty enough for me (you shouldn't have to guess at the flavor), so, being the creative gal that I am... I hit it with a couple of shots of Malibu coconut rum... that TOTALLY did the trick... who would have guessed!?? (I guess me in this case, but it was cool how it turned out!)

The next fun part of this cake was the decorations. We used thier invitation as inspiration and then changed the colors (invite was blue, but there was no blue in the wedding... mostly garnet and tangerine). I scanned their invitation and then enlarged certain pieces to create a cohesive, unique, but familiar pattern. Don't ask how I transfered the pattern from paper to the cake... because I'm not going to tell you. Brides who are reading this... it was a labor of love and I was happy for the experience, but in the future this sort of decoration will bump your cake from the standard $4 a serving up to $6.

Thank you to Laura and Gary for the lovely flowers and for your great sense of humor and adventure, I loved your cake and was really very happy with how it turned out!

Next, I've been working with Project Wedding to create a new profile on their website. It's full of pictures and reviews from clients and industry professionals. I am happy to announce that, at this point, we have 6 reviews and a 5-star rating. I almost cried when I read what a couple of my brides wrote... you guys are really the best and I can't express enough how satisfying it is to know that all my hard work and love is really appreciated! Thank you! (Feel free to add your own experiences or read the sweet words on the Project Wedding site.

Jamie and Chris

2009-09-23T16:54:00.000-07:00

Boy, Amber over at Artistic Imagery is a machine about pounding out the pictures! I can't tell you how happy I was to see these two pictures on Facebook (and I shamelessly snatched them... hey, I know I'm a pain, but this will get me off her back until I can bug her for something a bit more hi res when she has a bit more time! and I GIVE PHOTO CREDIT!). A HUGE thank you goes out to Amber Novey with Platinum Planning too, she was so organized that it was a breeze (as usual!). (Yes, Amber and Amber... thank goodness I just had to drop off the cake and then leave! I could have seen all sorts of confusion arising from that little coincidence.)

Jamie and Chris got married this past weekend at Newcastle Wedding Garden. It was a gorgeous day and I was thrilled to make their cake! (Such an easy couple to work with!)

Enjoy the pictures, and yes, I think I'll be working in that picture of me into some sort of marketing material! (I actually like the two side by side like they are on the Artistic Imagery blog...)

Vanilla Bean Butter Cake with lemon curd, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries (YUM!) covered in vanilla bean buttercream.

Tracy and Tim - September 5, 2009

2009-09-14T09:07:00.001-07:00

Thank you to Rebecca Ford for mentioning us on her blog, in addition to the beautiful picture!

I can't wait for more detail shots and possibly one big one, but this is just a taste.

I know I seem like a broken record at times, but I do work with some AMAZING photographers. They are always focusing in on the little details (like the darling hounds tooth cupcake liners - the bride's colors were black and white and yellow) that the bride chooses to make her wedding truly unique. It's amazing.

Thanks to Fancy Flours for overnighting the liners to us... they arrived just in time and were really a spectacular little detail!

I also wanted to thank Kendra Wershing of Pfeiffer Event Planning for introducing me to Tracy and Tim, what a darling and fun couple! Kendra really did pull off a beautiful event with lots and lots of lovely details!

Staffing Announcements!

2009-09-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Sigh, one of the downsides of this business is turnover. I love teaching my staff and I've worked with some wonderful ladies, but I have to confess, the pay is low and the hours, although filled with interesting conversation and motivating work, can be long.

As many of you know I share a kitchen with La Perla Bistro/Prestige Events. I had the unique opportunity of grabbing one of their servers and turning her into one of my newest assistants. Mary Ann is currently taking baking and pastry classes at American River College, and although she's worked in the restaurant industry, she is still quite green, enthusiastic, but inexperienced. I'm a firm believer that the best first project for any of my newbies is to focus on one task, but do it over and over and over. The order for Saturday is perfect for this 350 sour cream apple tarts! So Mary Ann has been busting out 4oz tarts like a machine. God Love Her!!!

I was also contacted by a local high school student with an interest in being an intern. Fabulous! Cearra's first night was last night and I got her going on some organization projects. (Side note: Why is it that whenever business is hopping my organization goes to @(#$*#$(& ????) The supply shelf and the glassware shelves were her babies last night. I also gave her the full tour of the kitchen and covered the mine vs. their stuff. It'll really be a learning process for both of us. I've worked with green staff before, but they always had some sort of restaurant experience. At this point, the biggest thing going for Cearra is her enthusiasm and willingness to learn. I'll slowly add more and more responsibility, but I also want to give her a good sense of the big picture of the business. It should be fun!

One of the most important things I've learned is that any good chef is close to 50% teacher. I shared this little tidbit with Mary Ann and told her that to experience this fact, I was going to have HER teach Cearra how to make the tarts! Perfect! We were all out in the dining room together and I was watching them work and do show and tell. I have to tell you, it was VERY satisfying!

Tonight I'll teach the two of them how to make Italian buttercream (one of my favorite things in the WORLD!) and have them make and scoop some cookies.

The business is growing, slowly but surely! October is still going to be a hectic month, but with a couple of extra hands it won't be quite so nerve wracking! (I might even enlist my hubby to do a delivery!)

Product Evaluation

2009-09-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

I'm forever getting new toys, I mean tools. It's one of the joys of this business. New silicon molds, new cutters, brushes and colors. I've been eyeing this puppy for quite a while and had a million uses for it, now I'm depressed.

I bought an extruder. What is that? It's a tool that you can put gum paste or fondant into and then squeeze through opening in the end to create a shape. Imagine all of the fun Play Dough town/people/kitchen toys, but for adults!

Nine times out of ten I love the tools I buy, even the more esoteric ones that I might only use once in a while. I'm a huge fan of re-purposing tools and tools that are simple, but effective. The extruder seemed to fit right in. Until I used it this past weekend! All I wound up with were little dogie poo looking bits of fondant. Not really all that attractive (or edible looking for that matter!). I did go with the less expensive model. Guess I'm going to have to suck it up and buy the other one. If that one doesn't work, then dang, maybe I'll have to admit I don't know what I'm doing!

Any words of advice?

Sean and Ashley - August 22, 2009 Part 1

2009-09-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hot August Nights!

Sean and Ashley have both been so much fun to work with while we were creating their wedding desserts. They were so excited about the prospect of doing little desserts with the cake. It was beautiful and the colors really let me go crazy with some fun techniques that I've been DYING to try.

Don't worry, yes, that is an ax in Sean's hand, yes, they did cut the cake with said ax, and yes, Sean IS a fireman! This was a sweet, very funny, surprise for his darling bride... I so wanted to say something, but it was hilarious and the pictures are priceless.This photo will need some retouching to make it magazine worthy (mostly the drapery) but I was thrilled with how this turned out. There are little things that bug me, but I'm not going to share them with everyone... it's just me. Enjoy the pictures!

In order from left to right: Dulce De Leche Creme Brulee, Pecan Pie, Black Forest Petit Fours, Raspberry Lemonade Marshmallows, Strawberry Chocolate Mousse, Lemon Berry Pavlovas, Salted Caramel Tartlets, Decorated Butter Cookies

Special thanks go out to: Lora Ward with A Day To Remember Wedding Consultants for recommending me to her clients. As always she was a force to recon with and was so great about staying on top of everything. Katie Edwards of Ambience Floral Design was wonderful. She made the floral balls that are shown in this picture and she created the backdrop. Thank goodness... if I'd had to do it I think I would have lost my mind! Jordan Zink of Jordan's Portraits took these and many more amazing pictures! Last but not least, Stephanie of Stephanie J Designs made the lovely name cards. I just pointed her in a direction and she went and the end product was LOVELY!

The Spotlight Is On... US!!!

2009-09-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

Dynamite Weddings did the nicest vendor profile on us on Wednesday. They are always great when it comes to gushing about us, all I can say is thank you and I have a suspicion I'm going to have to make you some more treats! (For a bunch of toothpick gals, they sure do like their sweets... goal for 2009, make them each gain 10 pounds!)

Here is a link to the entire expert spotlight. Thanks go out to the always fabulous Allison Stahl of Alison Stahl Photography and Memory Journalists for all the outstanding photographs of my work (PS: I LOVE the one at the bottom with my darling bride holding out the shot glass!).

TNT Wedding and Rehearsal Dinner

2009-09-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

I'm anxiously awaiting pictures from Tracy and Tim's rehearsal dinner and wedding this past Friday and Saturday.

For their rehearsal dinner I made two desserts and plated them together, here is the sketch, it'll be great to compare the finished product to the sketch. I'm just waiting for my photographer to get over some sort of nasty bug and then get me a picture!

For the wedding I made 350 cupcakes. To date, I think that's the biggest cupcake order I've received and although it did take a certain amount of planning, it wasn't too hectic. I think the best move was buying the prettiest little strawberries from the strawberry stand out in Granite Bay (on Sierra College Blvd.). The worst move was torching the S'mores cupcakes on site. Silly me, I just didn't put two and two together. I torched the cupcakes using my rockin' new butane torch and proceeded to light the majority of the cupcake papers on fire. Graceful, I know. Tracy's Dad was a fireman for the longest time, and I was totally envisioning setting off the smoke detector or getting the fire department rushing into the reception hall (I'm sure Arden Hills Country Club would have LOVED that!). Bad move, good cupcakes.

Here are two pictures that I shamelessly stole off of Tracy's Facebook. More to come!

UPDATE!!!! Tracy was really sharing the love this morning on her blog! I'm so glad she loved the cupcakes, as I mentioned above, it really was a fun project! Darling, THANK YOU!http://tracy-girl.blogspot.com/2009/09/cupcakes.html

Bachlorette Party Pictures are HERE!!!

2009-09-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

The entire display... You can really see the cupcake wrappers in this picture. I didn't want the focus to be on the wrappers, so I went with these little guys that were more scaled down, but would provide a nice blank slate with a little decoration with the scalloped top edge.

Love this image! You can really see the logo. My only frustration is that you can't see the words "Cowgirl Chic" at the bottom of the square cookies, but that's my fault for stacking up the button cookies. Speaking of which, I don't usually do black cookies, but I just couldn't resist with these guys. Interesting note, the black dots on the pink cookies are black dragees and the black cookies have pink frosting dots.

As I may have mentioned before, the cowgirl hats and boots were silicon molds, the fondant was pre-colored (Thank goodness!) and then after they had dried and firmed up a bit I took a black food color marker and did all the detail work. Can I just tell you that the food color pens are my new favorite tool! SWEET!

A HUGE thank you goes out to Jacqueline of Jacqueline Photography for the pictures. Keep your eyes open in the November issue of Real Weddings Magazine for the entire article!

Quick Post - Bachlorette Party!

2009-08-31T13:09:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I won't have OUTSTANDING pictures until the magazine is published, but here are a couple of pictures from one of the party gals from the bachlorette party this past weekend. What fun!
Chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel buttercream and butter cookies with the logo and button cookies. So Cute!
LOVE the hot pink disco dust on these guys and isn't it amazing what can be done with silicon molds and food coloring pens! Sweet!

Dynamite Weddings - Wedding Trend - Mixed Medium Wedding Cake

2009-08-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

Below is a tip we wrote for Dynamite Weddings!

There is a running trend of mixing up the shapes of wedding cakes between squares and rounds, but play with your cake designer and come up with something that is truly unique. In addition to an unusually shaped wedding cake, consider mixing fruit with flowers and adding fondant ribbons or boarders to a buttercream cake.

Bragging Rights...

2009-08-24T10:54:00.001-07:00

Since I sat down with Sean and Ashley and Sean described what he wanted for his Groom's Cake I've been bragging to everyone. What a character! What a sense of HUMOR!

Carrot Cake... in the shape of a CARROT! I took it a little further by adding the wheat grass. At first I was hoping the ribbon would cover the roots, but the more I thought about it, the more I LOVED the look. It just makes me giggle to think about it and I couldn't be more THRILLED at how it turned out!I found this in my In Box when I got home... do I have the BEST clients or what?!?!?!

HUGE thank you goes out to NJ with Memory Journalists for schlepping out to Fat's Restaurant in Roseville on a Friday night to take these pictures! What an amazing turn around time! LOVE YOU!!!! (Jen... she's definitely a keeper!)

Picture Day!

2009-08-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

I'm anxiously waiting for pics from NJ with Memory Journalists and Jordan of Jordan's Portraits of the Groom's Cake delivery on Friday night and the outstanding (and butt kicking) wedding on Saturday. I also shamlessly begged Brandy Capik of Brandy Sommers Photography to take some close up pictures. I'm really really anxious to see those. More to come later in the week!

When I met up with NJ Friday night to get pictures of the Groom's Cake and she brought me my vendor disc with lots and lots of pictures. Thank you everyone over at Memory Journalists!

It's Official.... We're DYNAMITE!

2009-08-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

Well, actually, we're the newest expert on Dynamite Weddings! I've written about them before and they have been kind enough to post about us in the past, but now we're actually part of the gang! I couldn't be happier!

Keep your eyes out for Tips and Trends on cake designs and desserts.

Family Birthday!

2009-08-18T09:05:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my nephew Joel's birthday. He's turning 9. Oh my goodness! How the time passes! Of course he wanted chocolate/chocolate cake (chocolate cake and chocolate frosting). Always happy to oblige, even though I did throw in some fresh raspberries.

What a Weekend!

2009-08-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a two wedding weekend and with the help of my lovely assistant, Lisa, it was smooth and everything went off without a hitch!

The first wedding was Laura and Gary out at Newcastle Wedding Garden. They had me take the pattern off of their invitations and switch the colors from blue to the oranges that they were using with their flowers. Georgia (the owner of Newcastle Wedding Garden) and I concluded that the end product wound up feeling like Alice In Wonderland goes to Morocco. I was delighted.

If you look closely you will notice that the background buttercream is two different shades. This was entirely on purpose. Two cakes were chocolate with macadamia nuts, filled with coconut pastry cream and covered in coconut buttercream (I used a combination of coconut milk, coco lopez and Malibu, yum!) The other two tiers were white cake with vanilla bean pastry cream and one layer each of strawberries, blackberries and raspberries and then covered in vanilla bean buttercream.

While I was out at Newcastle, Lisa delivered and set up event number two in Placerville at Silverthorn Meadows. What a gorgeous Sierra wedding location. I particularly liked how the meadow was surrounded by trees and mountain side and that there was the prettiest pond and fountain!

Toward the end of dinner Lisa and I put out the cake and the desserts. This is the first dessert table I've done in the round and I just loved the effect! Everyone was able to get to all the desserts and the overall look (with the beautiful nature background!) was exactly what I was hoping for!The pattern on the cake is a traditional quilting pattern called Wedding Rings. It seemed very appropriate! The desserts were vanilla bean creme brulee with strawberries and blackberries, salted caramel tartlets and lemon tartlets two ways (half with raspberries, half with meringue). (The awesome pictures are from Diana Kay Photography. Thank you for the amazing turn around time!)

Last, but not least, here is a picture of Lisa with one of the three sheet pans of creme brulee. Mmmmmmm. They were the hit of the night and she was my saving grace! Thank you LISA!

Tasting Appointment

2009-08-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

(Pictured above, and in detail below, from left to right: Maple Mascarpone Stuffed Figs with Butter Cookie, Raspberry Marsala Trifle, Blackberry Fool, Grand Marnier Mousse, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Fondue with Strawberries, Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee, Raspberry Mousse, Peaches and Cream, Chocolate Truffle Cookies)

I had another dessert tasting last night. I do love them! It's always fun to work with a bride who wants her wedding desserts to be something other than cake! (Although I love cake, I really LOVE everything else!)

Here are a few pictures. Her colors are going to be wine and chocolate and she wanted desserts that would go well with wine. We wound up going with some seasonal favorites (it'll be an October wedding) that will be served on trays to each table after dinner service. Very interactive, very fun, very different and there is sure to be something there for everyone.

I adore figs and use them whenever I can! This can be a crowd favorite if your guests are foodies or food adventurous! (Maple Mascarpone Stuffed Figs with Butter Cookie)

Two more personal favorites! Blackberry Financier (talk about comfort food!) and Citrus Goat Cheese Tarts with Blueberries and Currants (definitely more savory than sweet, but a great go-with-wine type of dessert!).

A Sweet for your Sweets!

2009-08-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

I got a call from one of my upcoming brides this past week. She needed a cake... nothing huge, just a tasty treat. It turns out that she and some of her bridal party were getting together on Saturday to assemble favors (a great recommendation!) and she wanted to have a little something sweet for them!

I brainstormed with her and we came up with Mocha Almond Fudge (yum!) (Chocolate Cake with Roasted Almonds, layers of Coffee Buttercream, covered with Coffee Buttercream and Glazed with Chocolate... more Roasted Almonds to Garnish). This worked out great because that is a flavor I'll be making for one of my darling brides in September. (Side note: I also had family in town, so I made two. I have to say I got 16 servings out of a 6" cake and I was barely able to finish my serving... soooo rich, but soooo good!)

I know it's only August...

2009-08-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

But it's never too early to start thinking about the holidays! I'm always amazed at how it jumps from the start of school to Halloween and the right into Turkey Day!

Take a little weight off yourself and place an order early. Feel free to email me for a PDF (much clearer!). This menu isn't broken up by holiday, so feel free to place orders as they appeal to you! Now is the perfect time to plan for that New Years you've always wanted too! (Intimate dinner for the two of you? Small (or large) dinner party? All out New Years Eve craziness?)

My dear friend down in LA wrote me and asked if I would ship any of these desserts. Good Question! I'm certainly willing to, with a few limitations. The following categories are shippable: Sweet Breads, Cookies, Marshmallows, Lollipops, and Rustic Cakes.

New Head Shot!

2009-08-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

Well, it was time and fortuitously, Carmen Salazar ran a fabulous special as a fundraiser (read post) for a couple of her favorite charities.

I don't publicize too many pictures of myself, but it's always good to have a great head shot picture! Thank you Carmen, I LOVE IT!!!

Jennifer and Joe - August 1, 2009

2009-08-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

Saturday my couple who emailed me from Egypt got married. It was a lovely home wedding in Sutter Creek that combined their families and backgrounds. (Jen is from Nevada and Joe is from Wales, UK) The backyard was so beautifully decorated and family and friends all pitched in to make the food. Joe's Mom was making salad when I walked in, but was so sweet and greeted me with a hug! What a dear!

As many of you may remember, Saturday was HOT! Outdoor weddings really scare me on hot days... especially when we're working with buttercream! (Imagine a cube of butter sitting on a table outside... for four hours! It's not pretty!) Our compromise was to freezer chill the cake for three hours (not enough to affect the quality of the cake, but enough to provide a small insurance policy!) and then keep in inside until it was time to cut the cake! I don't envy the person who had to move that sucker! (It was quite weighty and there were stairs involved.)

This was a very fun and flavorful cake! The bottom tier was a traditional yellow cake with two layers of lemon buttercream and one layer of lemon curd with fresh raspberries. The middle tier was chocolate cake with two layers of vanilla bean cheesecake and one layer of cherry cheesecake. The top tier was all American carrot cake with cream cheese buttercream!

Congratulations Jennifer and Joe!

Marketing Kits

2009-07-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember the marketing boxes I did back in January for some of my industry contacts. Well I'm making a pitch to a local restaurant/hotel and I've made up another series of boxes for them. Samples more than anything, but this would be a GREAT account.

I took a few pictures, but honestly I'm getting frustrated with my camera. Any photographers out there want a go? I'd happily give you a set!

Salted Caramel Tartlet

White Chocolate Dipped Brownies

Flower Sugar Cookies

We've been blogged!

2009-07-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

Thank you Real Weddings magazine! Wendy asked me about this trend a couple of weeks ago and I was happy to give her some ideas and quotes.

Enjoy the read!

http://realweddingsmag.blogspot.com/2009/07/cool-trend-dessert-bars.html

New Baby Pictures

2009-07-24T09:02:00.001-07:00

I know, I'm such a nag! Thank you Jen for bumping up your release of the sneak peek of Madison's first pictures... I thought I was going to burst with anticipation! (I just love those Memory Journalists gals!) I can't wait to see all of them... but these will certainly hold me over for a bit!

Darling Little Girl!

2009-07-21T10:53:00.000-07:00

I am officially a godmother! (not fairy, just godmother!)

I'm anxiously waiting for pictures of Madison Savannah from Memory Journalists (no pressure Jen!), but in the mean time here are two that my friend took while Teresa of MJ was doing her magic. The little outfit she is wearing was made for her mother 30 years ago by her grandmother... ironically it's just about the only thing that fits her right now!

Go Army!

2009-07-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Libby and Mike were married at Sequoia Restaurant in Placerville back in June. This was a lovely white chocolate covered cake! Their colors were navy blue and army green, so we used blueberries and fresh kiwi as a garnish... perfect for their colors!

I just love their cake topper... absolutely charming!

Kirsten and Dan - July 18, 2009

2009-07-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

"Embroidery" Technique!

Kirsten and Dan (the most darling couple... even though Dan is an Eagles fan... :) ) got married this past Saturday at Bella Piazza Winery in Plymouth. It was a scorcher (109 as I was driving up!) and I have to say, even though the ceremony was set to be outside, the reception room was nice and cool. (Yea for good air conditioning!) Kirsten showed me a couple of pictures of cakes she had seen that used this technique and that she really liked. The embroidery creates a lacy look. I was really happy with how this cake turned out. Cake flavors were Vanilla Bean Butter Cake filled and frosted with Lemon Buttercream and fresh raspberries and blackberries and Dark Chocolate Cake filled with cream cheese buttercream, Sour Cherry Caramel and Morello Cherry Compote. Yum!

Enjoy the pictures!

Cake Design

2009-07-02T12:02:00.001-07:00

Ever wonder about the design process?

Here is a picture of a cake I just designed and sent off to a client...

It may sound crazy, but I use PowerPoint to draw out cakes... not all the time, but certainly for a fair percentage.

The picture my bride sent me was just a little bigger than a postage stamp, so it was hard to see too many details, but after talking and creating several sketches this is what we came up with. I don't have the ability to draw a hexagon, but all three tiers are going to be hexagons (6", 8", 10"). Khaki (very light) buttercream, real ribbon border, tri dot (same color as the background, but I always draw them in slightly darker so you can see them!), and then the lovely monogram at the bottom.

This bride (not uncommonly) wasn't sure what color she wanted for the ribbon or the monogram, but I made them the same color. Alternatively, the flower color from the top of the cake can be brought down into the monogram.

Recipe Testing!!!

2009-06-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

July is turning out to be a relatively slow month, so in addition to gearing up for a CRAZY late August (lots and lots and lots of tartlets!) I'm going to be doing some serious recipe testing. Below is a list of some of the items I'll be testing. I'll try to take pictures of everything (good, bad and ugly) and share the results.

Sponge Candy
Peach and Almond Bread
Butterscotch Pudding
Devil Dog Cake
Far Breton (all stone fruits)
Whoopie Pies
Cook to order Doughnuts
Chocolate Merlot Cake (also with Cab and maybe Pinot)
Rugelach (I've been wanting to make this for YEARS and I can't believe I'm just getting around to it!)
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Fleur de Sel Caramels (to add to my Salted Caramel Tartlet option)
Peppermint Patties
Peanut butter cups (I'm going to see if I can't use my mini-pyramid flexipan molds... sure would be a nice look!)
Molasses Sponge Candy (variation on the sponge candy above)

I'll probably bust out a batch of grandma's burnt sugar candy just because I can. :)

More info over the next few weeks!

Headshots for Hotshots!

2009-06-25T15:07:00.001-07:00

I can't wait to see the pictures, but today Carmen Salazar was taking headshot pictures for a small donation to Generation Fate Foster Youth Services and Friends of Sac City Shelter Animal Rescue... and included hair and makeup touch ups by Christi Reynolds and Beth Anderson. I've been in desperate need of a new headshot... particularly since I got my hair cut (well over 6 inches). Well, I'm very excited to see what Carmen came up with... all I know is my glasses are on and there is a brick wall as a background.

More on this later!

Mini Abstract Chocolate Sculpture/ Dessert Pedistal

2009-06-25T14:38:00.000-07:00

Photo by: Siegel's Portraits

Pictured of some little place chocolate sculptures/dessert pedestals that I made for Wershing and Ward Eventeurs for their Chocolate Table that was entered into the tabletop design contest this past week at NACE's (National Association of Catering Executives) monthly meeting. This month was out at Wilson Vineyards and boy was it hot... so hot that the sculptures were starting to melt as soon as they were put out. This changed the look at bit... the little tartlet that is shown on the side was supposed to be on TOP of the sculpture... and the part that you don't see is that under the chocolate dome is another tartlet (kind of a hidden surprise). The tartlet was a salted caramel and chocolate tartlet with gold and silver leaf on top.

This is a great idea for an edible favor that can pull double duty as table decoration!

Enjoy!

Photos by: Jacqueline Photography

We've been blogged!

2009-06-23T13:32:00.001-07:00

Special thanks go out to Amber Novey of Platinum Planning for writing about us in her blog... she did TWO posts! Enjoy!

http://platinumplanning.blogspot.com/2009/06/tustin-klein-wedding-photos-by-brandy.html

and

http://platinumplanning.blogspot.com/2009/06/tustin-klein-wedding-at-la-provence.html

Kate and Paul - June 14, 2009

2009-06-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

Sunday (a beautiful California day!) was Kate and Paul's wedding at La Provence Restaurant. The first pictures here are from Brandy Novey-Capik (Brandy Sommers Photography), and the lower photos are from Monica Lunardi. This was a beautiful wedding with a food and wine theme and the evening's desserts were all about the chocolate! Amber Novey of Platinum Planning did a lovely job coordinating all the little details!

Kate and Paul were all about the chocolate, the cake was more of a formality, so we made it small, understated, and elegant, but elevated so that it was still the center of attention on the dessert table.
Chocolate Raspberry Mousse (with raspberries skewered with chocolate cigarettes and Dark Chocolate Tulip Cups (filled with white, dark and milk chocolate mousse and fresh fruit)

Yup, that's me! I didn't even see her take that picture!

Kate and Paul cutting the cake... look at all those lovely candles!

The dessert table all set up!

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse

Opera Cake with Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans and Gold Leaf

Wedding Kisses and Tying the Knot Truffles (Cabernet Reduction Truffles with Strawberry Dust and Grand Marnier Truffles with Candied Orange Zest Knots)

Tri Mousse (Dark, Milk and White Chocolate) Tulip cups with Fresh Fruit

Chocolate Eclairs with White Chocolate Hearts and Tying the Knot Truffles

Mike and Elizabeth - June 7, 2009

2009-06-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

Good Morning All!

I've been a little behind on blogging (busy weekend this past weekend - more on this later! - and the week before was a three wedding weekend! YIKES!)

Above is a picture, shamelessly stolen off of the Siegels Portraits blog. Elizabeth and Mike had their reception at Newcastle Wedding Garden with colors of green and hydrangea blue. Lovely!

This was a huge cake and is a good example of having enough cake for leftovers for out of town guests the following day. This one was composed of a 6", 9", 12", 15". The tiers alternated between Vanilla Bean Butter cake filled with cream cheese buttercream and fresh strawberries and raspberries and Chocolate Cake filled with salted caramel and chocolate mousse. (Yum!)

I'm hoping to get pics of yesterday's events today or tomorrow. Can't wait to show you all!

Crazy offer!!!

2009-06-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

(Thanks to the gals over at Dynamite Weddings for the collage!).

Free Wedding Cake!

You are having a wedding this summer or fall and are on a VERY tight budget!

I want to experiment!

Together we can both win!

I will make your wedding cake FOR FREE if you let me experiment. Cake will be vanilla bean butter cake with layers of flavored buttercream (your choice).

I have openings in July, early August, September and late October.

Reply to this post and we can talk!

Rehersal Dinner Desserts

2009-06-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

Last night I met with Tracy and Tim and Tim's Mom to discuss the rehearsal dinner. Boy what a fun event. They are having food stations at La Perla Bistro and a band. Instead of a traditional Groom's cake or petit fours I presented them with four plated desserts. (Unfortunately the Mocha dessert had two frozen components so with the last minute plating I didn't get a picture.)

Four very different styles and flavors, but basically two chocolate desserts and two fruit desserts. I'm already scheduled to make cupcakes for their wedding at Arden Hills Country Club, so I thought something a bit different would be nice for the day before. (Side note, I also know that the day before a large wedding is very heavy on production so I don't want to over-commit myself! Plated desserts are lovely, but also far less stressful than a Groom's cake or lots of little bites.

Below are pictures and descriptions:

Lemon "Meringue" Tart (Lemon tart with graham cracker crust, topped with whipped cream and meringue shards, candied blueberry compote and vanilla ice cream - not pictured, but sat on top of blueberries)Strawberries and Cream (Mascarpone mousse with strawberries hidden inside on a white cake base, tarragon caramel, roasted strawberries, super fresh/ripe strawberry, and strawberry sorbet - not pictured)Mocha (Dark chocolate pot de creme topped with a layer of Vietnamese coffee ice cream - sweetened condensed milk and espresso, coffee granita, whipped cream, gold leaf, chocolate cigar, coffee caramel on plate)

Chocolate orange (Dark chocolate mousse on a chocolate cake base, topped with salted caramel, orange confit, grand marnier ganache, salted caramel sauce) - this was also supposed to have a salted toffee chip garnish, but I flubbed and totally forgot! After much discussion they decided to go with two smaller versions of two desserts on one rectangular plate. I'll be doing the Lemon "Meringue" Tart and the Mocha... it will be LOVELY!!!!

A Poem to Share To Be of Use - Marge Piercy

2009-06-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.

They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half-submerged balls.
I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.
The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.

Greek amphoras for wine or oil, Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used. The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.

Jonnie and Ryan - May 29, 2009

2009-06-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

Friday was Jonnie and Ryan's wedding day at Vizcaya Pavilion. This was a small, intimate affair with just below 70 guests. To accommodate the bride's desire for a three tier cake we made each of the tiers smaller. 6", 8" and 10". My picture is sadly lacking in the color department... the ribbon was a pretty shade of lavender and the swiss dots were painted metallic silver.

To the best of my knowledge this was the final decoration...very clean, no flowers or topper, but I'm hoping to get a better picture from their photographer.

Each tier of this cake was filled with a different flavor, but the entire cake was vanilla bean butter cake. The bottom tier was vanilla bean buttercream with fresh raspberries, the middle was chocolate buttercream with strawberries and the top layer was just chocolate buttercream.

Michelle and Josh - May 22, 2009

2009-05-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

Michelle and Josh got married last Friday at Newcastle Wedding Garden. They looked so lovely (although I only saw them separately before the wedding!).

Their colors were eggplant and sage with a very rustic outdoor theme. During our cake design session we discussed several fun options to incorporate a tree and other natural elements into their wedding desserts. The grass at the bottom of the cake was painted onto the buttercream with food color and a paint brush. The tree was made out of chocolate modeling paste with three shades of purple fondant flowers with pearl dragee centers. I had such a good time making this cake, it stretched my creativity and reminded me why I love this business!

This wedding is a great example of mixing a small cake, cupcakes and little bites in one ensemble. I can't wait to get better pictures from Allison Stahl, but these definitely let you see some of the fun details!

Their cake and cupcakes were chocolate cake with creme brulee filling. The cake bites were vanilla bean butter cake with chocolate buttercream and fresh fruit.