Twice as Nice

Having two older twin brothers, you could say I have a soft spot for twins - not that I even like to entertain the idea of having twins myself - so when I was asked to make the first birthday cakes for two little girls, how could I resist!

The Techniques of a Caker - Watercolour Painting and Wafer Paper Flowers

Earlier this month after delivering a pair of 1st birthday cakes for two little girls and then headed off down the freeway to the Sydney Cake, Bake and Sweets Show to spend all my money catch up with lovely fellow cakers and learn some new skills. I learnt paneling techniques and figurine modeling with the fantastic Jacki of Blissfully Sweet and then made this beautiful watercolor cake with a stunning bouquet of water paper peonies and anemones under the guidance of Helena from Sweet Tiers

Sweet Peas and Sweet Pocky

I had wanted to make this cake for ages, ever since I saw the Sprinkle Bakes version a couple of years ago but time, and lack of Pocky sticks kept seeing it get pushed into the back of my caking mind. That was until I finally tracked down the illustrious pink Pocky sticks from an Asian grocer. 

The Techniques of a Caker - Piping

It’s been a while since I last busted out the piping bags (so much so that I only had one left – mental note: buy more piping bags) so I thought it was about time I brushed up on my skills. While I’m ok with buttercream, piping with a teeny tiny number 2 tip and royal icing was a bit of a different story, although I was pretty happy with the result. 

The Techniques of a Caker - Sugar Flowers

As any Caker knows, sugar flowers and rainy weather do not mix. What started out as a great week to reacquaint myself with my love of sugar flowers soon turned to a saggy mess with the arrival of the severe storms we have just experienced in Newcastle.  

This past week, my other fabulous workplace, Cactus, celebrated it’s 21st birthday and to celebrate I thought I would make a sugar flower succulent crown to top a cute little cake, complete with rainbow sprinkles (what party is complete without rainbow sprinkles?)! 

Pretty in Pink - Amelia's 1st Birthday

I just love being asked to play a part in special occasions! 

You may remember the adorable flower garland buttercream cake that I made for Alice’s 1st birthday a few posts ago? Well, Amelia and her mummy were guest’s at Alice’s first birthday and asked me to create this cute little ombre cake and sweets for Amelia’s first birthday.

The Techniques of a Caker – Macarons

Hot cross buns (and bunnies),
Hot cross buns (and bunnies),
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns.

Alice's 1st Birthday

I just loved this sweet little cake for a sweet little girl's 1st birthday!

The Techniques of a Caker – Airbrushing (Mikey’s 60th Birthday Cake)

Last week I had the pleasure of making a fun pirate themed cake that also let me brush up on my airbrushing skills. My lovely Cacti friend Lizzie asked if I could make a cake for her big brother’s surprise 60th birthday party – the pirate theme was absolutely perfect for Mikey, a mad sailor with a heart of gold, and perfect for this baker/decorator, who had been wanting to make a pirate cake for ages.

Happy World Nutella Day!

Happy World Nuttela Day! That's right, that delicious, chocolatey, hazelnutty spread that we all love has it's own special day where the world celebrates it's awesomeness. Tell celebrate I decided that the perfect recipe would be one from the chocolate-loving, over-indulgent Domestic Goddess herself - Nigella Lawson's Nutella cake. 

This simple, gooey, fudgy cake (complete with a whole jar of Nutella - yes it really is amazing) is just the thing for a nutella nut but isn't too rich for those not so chocolate obsessed.