Icing Smiles - Jazmyn

I have been working at the deli in the grocery store by my house for about 5 months now.  I really enjoy it, but there is not much scope for the imagination, as I have to stick to certain designs and colors, and everything is either a 9" round or a sheet cake.  Bright side is I've gotten incredibly fast (60 cakes in 8 hours anyone?) and I've reached the expert level on piping buttercream borders.
There's just a few things I've done since the last post.  The one I want to talk about in this post is the last cake I did for Icing Smiles.

When I was contacted for this cake, Jazmyn wanted an Elsa/Frozen cake.  I was so excited and I started making her this bust for the top.  I had it all worked out and I made up many different types of snowflakes, bought some mystical snow sparkle dust, you name it, I got it.  I haven't made a Frozen cake before (other than at the bakery where I was working off someone else's vision) so I was super excited.

The party was postponed because Jazmyn needed to travel to another state to get medical care.  Poor baby.  When they returned, she had decided that Monster High was much more her speed, so I ditched Elsa (alright, she sat in my closet for about a month afterward, waiting for some little kid to want her, THEN I threw her out).

I got started on Jazmyn's cake with four days to go.  It was a three tier cake, Almond, Mocha Chocolate, and Strawberry flavors.

I was so humbled delivering this cake the day before the party.  Let me tell you folks - I have a kid, and he's rough and tumble, he's hale and healthy.  Nothing makes you hold your baby tighter than coming face to face with another parent's worst nightmare.

Jazmyn loved her cake.

I emailed my contact for the family about a week later for more pictures and was informed that she had passed during her party.  She didn't get to taste the cake, but I was told she was so excited and happy, taking all her guests directly to her cake and proudly showing it off.

Her funeral was packed with people mourning and the family requested that everyone wear something hot pink in her honor.

Fly high, Jazmyn.

Cakes of Winter so far!

Since I have been posting mostly to my new Facebook page, I suppose it is fitting that I am slacking here.  Just to make sure I keep things current, here are some pictures of the cakes I've been doing since last I posted!

This cake I made for an awesome boy named Eshan who is battling Neuroblastoma.  He was so grateful and sweet and his family was amazing.  I was connected to them by Icing Smiles, an amazing organization that puts volunteer bakers and families facing major health crisis together.

This Dinosaur and Crayons cake was designed to match the invitations.  Everything is edible, including the 60 crayons I hand rolled and painted!

These next three photos are gross, but they tasted amazing!  The cake was tie dyed inside, yellow cake with vanilla buttercream, airbrushed.  The flies and corn and toilet paper are fondant.  

The cupcakes are gluten free chocolate cake (this recipe called for coconut flour and tasted OMG wonderful!), soaked in syrup, topped with ganache and melted double chocolate buttercream.  The maggots are airbrushed marshmallow fondant.  I am loving my airbrush!

The next cake is just a little smash cake I made up this morning.  I broke my tooth yesterday and I've been a little out of sorts with the pain, but somehow managed to pull this off anyway.

This is my first time trying to do flames on a cake.  I cut out a stencil from parchment paper with a razor blade.  It was pretty easy, but I am glad I tried it today because I learned a lot.  The cake itself is vegan chocolate with double chocolate buttercream, covered in ganache, with marshmallow fondant around the sides and vanilla buttercream for the "grass".

Well, I think that's all for this year so far!  I have a few cakes coming up so check back in and I'll try to have everything updated on time!

Yet Another Catch Up Post

Here are a few cakes I've done and haven't blogged about.  The Barbie Doll cake is actually a Bratz Doll Cake.  I made it for my niece MPie.  I love my airbrush kit.  The whole dress is covered in pearl and was so pretty.

She looks like she's dancing in a garden of little flowers!

The cupcakes were simple and classy.

Batman and Robin cake for a birthday party!

Pocoyo and Terminator cake for a Daddy and Daughter combo party.  If you haven't seen this show, you totally have to.  The episode I used for inspiration was a dance-off.

The back was "torn" looking to look like the cake is a robot inside.

A nautical Steampunk Octopus cake.  This was really fun to do and I used my airbrush on the whole thing.  The octopus and gears are gumpaste and the cake is wrapped in a mixture of modeling chocolate and fondant.

The gold was very shiny and the silver was standout, the copper was my favorite though.  I bought a wood grain impression mat for the sides and I didn't really like how it turned out.  I had to airbrush the "seams" of the wood to make the lines visible.

I love the gears on the side!  I made them using the daisy cutter and a round cutter.  First, cut a daisy, then use the appropriately sized round cutter to cut the tips off.

I made these cupcakes for Icing Smiles, this great organization that gathers volunteers from all over the place to make cakes for gravely ill children and their siblings.  These cupcakes went to the Ronald McDonald house and I just happened to have a Cat in the Hat movie that I was able to give them for a fun themed movie night.  I really look forward to my next cake with Icing Smiles. The staff there is awesome and I love giving a little of myself to bring a smile.