tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70625759665068867652024-03-12T21:47:08.857-05:00Gateaux's cake logFollow the Twin Cities most creative wedding cake business through their weekly cake adventures.Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-85933474720072939622015-01-05T15:50:00.001-06:002015-01-08T17:58:46.582-06:00The KeysTaryn is from the Keys. More specifically, Key West. Yep, Palm trees, tiny little limes, sand, sun. When she came to Minneapolis, she met Charlie and that was that. So long flip flops, hello Parka. Turns out, Taryn found her own "keys" right up here in the tundra.<br />
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The First Key: Have fun</h4>
The Evil Cake Genius has been in the wedding business for a long time. Her key advice to couples who are planning a wedding..."have fun". If you have fun, your guests will have fun. This doesn't mean you have to go goofy-over-the-top with your wedding, but don't be afraid to show your personality.<br />
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Exhibit one: Taryn and Charlie's Save the Date cards. Interactive Save the Dates!!! The guests literally helped them "tie the knot" by opening them. FUN.<br />
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Exhibit two: Taryn and Charlie's Programs. Taryn works in Mental Health, so she thought it would be funny to write the program as a self-help pamphlet. Why? Because, it's FUN.<br />
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And this Evil Stationery Genius has never seen guests more entertained by a program in her life. Many thanks to the incredible <a href="http://www.studio306.com/" target="_blank">Studio 306</a> for artfully catching the action on film!<br />
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The Second Key: To thine own self be true</h4>
Planning a wedding can be input overload!! The internet is loaded with ideas to make your day perfect in every way. Want it to be perfect? Don't worry about your wedding's "theme", its "color story" or whether it will get published. Just express your own style and be yourself.<br />
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Turns out, Taryn has amazing and unique style. We designed invitations based off of her beautiful linen selections. Clean, modern, edgy. Menu Cards with a graphic flair, and matching favour box place cards.<br />
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And at the end of the evening, the late night snacks lived up to this Second Key in spades. His and Her favorite treats...S'mores and Nachos (complete with "gas station cheese") Nope, not going to find that on Pinterest, but you know damn well that at around 11:30 at a wedding, you would KILL for some Nachos with that liquid-gold....foodies...don't kid yourselves...you know you love it.<br />
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The Third Key: Surround yourself with those you love</h4>
This is a no-brainer. And a wedding is an easy place to do just that. Family comes in from all over the country, sometimes the world. And you're surrounded by everyone you love. Well, almost everyone. Unfortunately, our canine family members aren't always allowed to hang out at the reception. So, Taryn surprised Charlie with a teeny little frosting "Roxy" on top of their cake. Their beloved Boxer not only got to attend (in frosting form) but the full price of the little pup was donated to the ASPCA. Good Karma...that's a whole other Key.<br />
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The (Car) Key: Stay with me people</h4>
We all know that the wedding itself is largely about girly things: flowers, colors named Aubergine, and Persimmon, jewelry, pretty dresses, shoes, oh, the shoes...<br />
Recognizing this, Taryn wanted to have something at the wedding that was entirely for Charlie. So we designed a groom's cake. Charlie, likes, well, guy things: his cabin, his dog Roxy, and his Corvette...not just any Corvette, the ultimate "guy" car, the Corvette that needs work, lots of hours in the garage, playing with tools, work. So his groom's cake was a no-brainer. We replicated his beat up tool box, added some white chocolate tools, an edible Corvette repair manual, and a few other things to make his cake the "least woman-y" thing at the wedding.<br />
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Another great group of shots by <a href="http://www.studio306.com/" target="_blank">Studio 306</a></div>
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The Key to the Minivan: How incredibly far behind the Evil Cake Genius is in her blogging.</h4>
That's it! I need to get my act together. Turns out, I'm so behind in my blogging, that I have a third cake to include in this post. How about a Baby Shower Cake! No, it wasn't a honeymoon baby, I'm really just that far behind with my posts! A few weeks ago, Taryn had a shower to welcome baby Easton to the family. And, Taryn's fabulous taste is now spilling over into Nursery Decor, leading us to yet another graphic, modern, beautiful cake.<br />
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The Key to Life: </h4>
What do I look like people? I'm the Evil Cake Genius, not the Dalai Lama. I'd love to tie this blog post up with some life-altering wisdom for the ages, but if I were capable of that, I'd be over-employed. So for now, I'll stick to making cake. <br />
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Necessary credits:<br />
Venue: Calhoun Beach Club<br />
Wedding Dress: L'Atelier Couture Bridal<br />
Photographer: Studio 306<br />
Floral: Martha's Gardens<br />
Coordintaor: Style Architects <br />
Linens: Apres Party Rental<br />
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<span style="color: #fff2cc;">Decorator's Notes:</span></h2>
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Taryn's wedding cake was done by cutting out, and attaching individual frame shapes. We couldn't find the exact cutter that we needed, so we had one "printed" by the awesome guy over at </div>
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Plastics in Print</div>
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He's on Etsy, check him out!!!</div>
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The wedding itself was done in fondant "panels". We rolled out the fondant into sheets and let them air dry for a couple of days. we frosted the cakes in buttercream, then attached the panels to the sides and top of the cake with more buttercream. It creates a perfect crisp edge!</div>
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Easton's shower cake was decorated with our <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/mod-diamond-grid-mesh-stencil.html" target="_blank">Mod Diamond Mesh Stencil</a>. It is incredibly simple, just use it like any other stencil (we did this one by rolling out a piece of fondant, and stenciling it while it was laying flat on the table, then wrapping it around the fondant covered cake). </div>
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Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-2220672406822647242014-12-21T12:26:00.001-06:002014-12-22T11:18:25.611-06:00Journeyman Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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jour·ney·man</h2>
<span class="snd" data-snd="J0067100"></span><span class="pron">(jur′nē-mən)</span><br />
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A <b>journeyman</b> is an individual who has completed an apprenticeship<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apprenticeship" title="Apprenticeship"></a> and is fully educated in a trade or craft but not yet a master. Sometimes, a journeyman is required to accomplish a several-year working trip, which may be called the journeyman years.<br />
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Andrew and Brendan are getting married!<br />
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And this Evil Cake Genius can't think of a more fitting setting for their chic, metropolitan affair, than New Year's Eve in Downtown Minneapolis.<br />
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New Year's Eve weddings are wonderful in many ways. Your guests are more apt dress to the nines for the holiday. Nobody is leaving before midnight, and it's as if the whole world is celebrating with you. There are, however, some pitfalls to a New Year's Eve Wedding. Things can get pretty cheesy and themey pretty fast. Thankfully, Andrew and Brendan and their wedding planners- Style Architects, had this firmly in mind when hashing out the details of the evening.<br />
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When they came to meet with me to discuss the Wedding Cake and Invitations, there was a beautiful design to the event. Great color scheme, clean, modern look, with a little bit of glam (after all, it is New Year's Eve). But there was nothing that screamed of Auld Lang Syne or the beginning of a new year.<br />
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That all changed with the cake. No, we didn't pollute their plans with a six foot tall Champagne Bottle cake with a ticking clock, edible clock springs, confetti, and pyrotechnics at midnight. But we did talk about the significance of <i>time</i>.<br />
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Andrew and Brendan had been together for 11 years. That's a long time...and in those years, they had experienced a Journey. They started out as two single guys (life-apprentices, if you will). And what followed were 11 Journeymen Years. In those years, they grew together. They experienced loss, love, the birth of their two daughters, the evolution of their careers, a cross-country move, and the transformation into a family. Each year brought something new, something joyous, something heartbreaking, something comforting, something scary, something easy something difficult, but always something that they would face together. So what better time to share this Journey with their closest family and friends than on the dawn of a new year.<br />
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So we sketched a cake. A modern, clean structure with a timeline running down the center. The guys would get me a paragraph about each year's significant events. And we'd create a sweet story. We'd borrow fonts and formatting from their invitations, which we had already designed.<br />
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We topped it with a sugar monogram in the style of their invitations, and a title of sugar letters to draw their guests in. They even added their daughter's monograms, and let them choose the style and color of their letters...after all, it was their journey too.<br />
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There was a temporary wall between the ceremony and reception area at the venue (the beautiful Guthrie Theater) so we not only got to see our guys just before they walked down the aisle, but we got to eavesdrop on the ceremony. A rare treat for the Evil Cake Genius. As we stacked layer upon layer of cake, we could here readings, music, and the exchange of vows. We added the last details, and listened to the guests erupt in applause as the couple walked back down the aisle...and into the next of many journeys, together.<br />
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<br /><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Decorator's Notes:</span></h3>
<span style="color: white;">Andrew and Brendan's cake was paneled in fondant for a crisp look. The cakes were frosted in buttercream, then topped with fondant. The side pieces of fondant were rolled out a day in advance and allowed to dry. Then, they were cut to size, and attached to the cake using buttercream.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">The lettering was all done using a custom Mesh Stencil. Rather than hand-painting one letter at a time, which is slow and imprecise, we laid out stencils to allow us to do all of the wording on each panel in one swipe of Royal Icing. Thank God for Evil Cake Genius! Want to see one of the mesh stencils in action, click <a href="https://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/mesh-stencils-info" target="_blank">HERE</a> to see a monarch butterfly stenciled in no time! Evil Cake Genius does custom Mesh Stencils too, so go ahead and contact them. Here's the web site <a href="https://evilcakegenius.com/" target="_blank">link</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="color: white;">We used mesh stencils to create the pattern on the monogram as well as the Zebra Print on the girls' initials. Super precise, super fast!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="color: white;"> </span> </span>Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-60355134473687585292014-11-09T20:07:00.000-06:002014-11-09T20:07:10.500-06:00Edible Painting, my latest obsession<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"Ancora Imparo"<br />
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The Evil Cake Genius never went to culinary school. Nope, not one lick of formal training in this noggin. It makes me a tiny bit self-conscience at times because nobody ever handed me a diploma or certificate saying "you're done", "you've got this", or even "you're ready to go".<br />
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To some, this may seem like a handicap. But as it happens, it makes me better at what I do. You see, nobody ever told me that I was done learning. Because, in fact none of us are ever done learning. And in this way, having no formal training means that I am still in training...so I'm currently in my 18th year of my Evil Cake Genius "degree".<br />
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Enter Michelangelo, yup, the big "uomo" himself.<br />
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Several years ago, my husband "The Captain" and I took a trip to Italy. In preparation for the trip, we studied up on our Renaissance artists, and one particular book, "Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling" ended up being one of the most influential books I've ever read. The Captain read the book before we saw the Sistine Chapel and while I and the 30 or so other tourists in the room stared blankly at that magnificent work of art, he was actually seeing it. He whispered to me some points of interest about the ceiling and the process of creating it that he'd learned from the book so I could appreciate some of the finer points, but once we got home, I felt the need to read it myself. And what I got was an understanding of the human behind the work. I always assumed that Michelangelo was one of those few who were given a "gift". But in fact, the man had to struggle, and work, and rework his craft. And at the age of 87, he is recorded as saying "Ancora Imparo"- "Yet, still, I learn."<br />
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Now what does this have to do with the Evil Cake Genius, and decorating cakes? Trust me, I am not comparing myself to the big Mich, or any Master artists for that matter. But I find great comfort in knowing that, that when the frosting falls off the side of one of my cakes overnight in the fridge, I'm walking in the footsteps of Michelangelo, discovering an entire section of his completed fresco ceiling on the floor of the chapel when he came to work the following morning (and I'm sure that we shared the same choice words, after all, %@#! translates perfectly between English and Italian).<br />
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Now onto Ong and Brandon...<br />
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Ong has an eye for style. From her amazing wedding dress, to the incredible floral decor of her reception. She created one of the most timeless and romantic weddings that I've ever had the pleasure to be involved with. We designed her cake with an ombre of pink ruffles leading into two tiers of hand-painted floral patterns. It would be exquisite. I also had no idea how I was going to do it.<br />
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The one thing I did know was that I'm not one of those "gifted" folks who can just freehand an amazing design on a cake. So I researched, and found a beautiful floral pattern. Then, I traced the outline and created a mesh stencil so that I could transfer the pattern to the cake. That was the easy part.<br />
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Now I had to learn to paint. So I looked to the best cake and cupcake painter I know, Nina Evans Williams, of Mon Cottage Cupcakes. I emailed her for a few tips and bought her tutorial. And I tried it. And I sucked. Her technique was fabulous, but I was too slow and too inexperienced with painting to get my flowers to look as beautiful as hers.<br />
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I couldn't get the colors to blend. By the time I painted one section, the color next to it was dry, and my roses looked like cubist representations of flowers, not the beautiful classic roses I wanted. So I did what came naturally... I whined. You see, what Michelangelo didn't know, was that if you bitch and moan long enough, people get sick of it, and try to solve the problem for you. I was bitching to Jenna, that my edible "paint" (a mixture of petal dust and vodka) was acting like acrylic or watercolor paint, when what I really needed was oil paint. Oil paint doesn't dry for a while, so if you're meticulous and slow like me, you can still blend the colors. "Well, why not mix the petal dust with cooking oil?" And with those words out of Jenna's mouth, the heavens opened, and this old genius learned a new trick. And painting those roses went from stress-fest to an absolute joy. No, not exaggerating. This cake became a relaxing, enjoyable, and highly rewarding process.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ig5nv_kQabc/VF-zppCMVuI/AAAAAAAACRg/mr7qRAsdC7s/s1600/ClassicRose2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ig5nv_kQabc/VF-zppCMVuI/AAAAAAAACRg/mr7qRAsdC7s/s1600/ClassicRose2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2PUz5v0ARLk/VF-zp18Db7I/AAAAAAAACRs/-FNSkDkhTdo/s1600/ClassicRose3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2PUz5v0ARLk/VF-zp18Db7I/AAAAAAAACRs/-FNSkDkhTdo/s1600/ClassicRose3.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ff8GDQXn1yU/VF-zp0bEpgI/AAAAAAAACRk/fz913qSeKtI/s1600/ClassicRose4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ff8GDQXn1yU/VF-zp0bEpgI/AAAAAAAACRk/fz913qSeKtI/s1600/ClassicRose4.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tra94BWBHuA/VF-zqBPCl9I/AAAAAAAACRo/fsOkXxsxgGA/s1600/ClassicRose5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tra94BWBHuA/VF-zqBPCl9I/AAAAAAAACRo/fsOkXxsxgGA/s1600/ClassicRose5.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Once we finished the painted tiers, I looked over to my baking racks, where a little frosting version of Ong's beloved St. Bernard, Lincoln was waiting for his big debut. For any of you who don't already know, The Evil Cake Genius makes these little pooches for lots of her dog-crazy clients. We stash them somewhere on the wedding cake, and the full price of the pooch gets donated to the ASPCA. Well, Lincoln had some color issues. Where I had painted his markings, was streaked, and brush stroked. I have always struggled with this on my multicolored pooches, but had no real solution...until now. I mixed up some petal dust with oil, and went over all of his painted areas, and they blended beautifully.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hs4BlLc9zO0/VF-0euO7MoI/AAAAAAAACSM/MVVYxWSKQMA/s1600/OngLincolnForWebLogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hs4BlLc9zO0/VF-0euO7MoI/AAAAAAAACSM/MVVYxWSKQMA/s1600/OngLincolnForWebLogo.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a></div>
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Ahh, applied knowledge.<br />
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But, after we delivered Ong's cake, I was deflated. I wanted more, more I tell you! So, I decided to transfer my newfound technique into other designs. How about using my edible oil paint with one of my acrylic stencils? We thickened it up a bit, and used it on this watercolor Southwestern Chevron pattern. (Can't show the whole cake until it's published, but damn, it's cool!)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o6G_haVZk8o/VF-1cL4oUfI/AAAAAAAACSk/vUfLNdtuiK4/s1600/SouthwesternChev.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o6G_haVZk8o/VF-1cL4oUfI/AAAAAAAACSk/vUfLNdtuiK4/s1600/SouthwesternChev.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Or how about for Christmas cookies? I've always loved those little pieces of art, so I traced some vintage Holly and Mistletoe patterns and created a set of Cookie Mesh Stencils. I put on a little Nat King Cole, mixed up some Petal Dust "oil paint" and had some holiday "me time". As easy as those "paint by number" sets I used to do as a kid, only instead of a portrait of a horse that, once completed, ends up in a shoebox full of artistic achievements that no one actually wants to display, these little babies can dress up your Christmas Cookie Platters, and then be chomped down by some clueless uncle at your Caroling party. Not a much better fate for fine art, but it's all about the process anyway...?<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6X1bRZzjYE0/VF-28u35dtI/AAAAAAAACTI/6-IFntthuCY/s1600/Mistletoe3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6X1bRZzjYE0/VF-28u35dtI/AAAAAAAACTI/6-IFntthuCY/s1600/Mistletoe3.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-blG2zjHJupE/VF-282gkweI/AAAAAAAACTQ/JYKL5O6Lkmk/s1600/Mistletoe5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-blG2zjHJupE/VF-282gkweI/AAAAAAAACTQ/JYKL5O6Lkmk/s1600/Mistletoe5.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Who knows where my new favorite technique will show up next? And now that I've put it out there to other cake decorators, I can't wait to see what all of you Evil Geniuses do with it.<br />
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As for "still learning" at age 87? This Evil Cake Genius will be happy just to be "still breathing" at that age. But, one thing I can say for sure is that as long as I'm learning new things, I'll be sharing them here.<br />
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Decorator's Notes: </span></h4>
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Ong's cake had that beautiful Ombre of ruffles that went from deep lipstick pink to Ivory. The Evil Cake Genius has always struggled to get a vibrant pink color in fondant. Until one day, I whined about it on Facebook, and someone suggested that I use Pink oil-based Candy Color in my fondant. Once again, oil seems to be my friend. The oil based colors don't dull in the least once added to fondant. So I added these colors to the Evil Cake Genius site. Click the photo below for a link.</div>
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<a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/equipment-supplies/food-colors-lusters/oil-based-candy-colors.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/equipment-supplies/food-colors-lusters/oil-based-candy-colors.html" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cbnMOFcu2mg/VF-4PppCTiI/AAAAAAAACTg/pDjQIC9Nznc/s1600/CandyColorPink2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Classic Rose Pattern that we used on Ong's cake has been a fabulous seller on Evil Cake Genius. We include a full tutorial for using the Mesh Stencil on a cake as well as a tutorial for painting the pattern. We've had many decorators send us photos of their Rosy Successes, and we know you'll love the process too. To shop bot the Classic Rose Mesh Stencil and the new Shortened version for standard-height cakes, click <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/stencils/stencils-for-cakes/nature.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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<a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/stencils/stencils-for-cakes/nature.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/stencils/stencils-for-cakes/nature.html" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fbHoedgSmr4/VGANt117VoI/AAAAAAAACTw/JGa_9z1jgfg/s1600/GateauxClassicRoseDetaillog.jpg" height="320" width="203" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/equipment-supplies/food-colors-lusters/lusters/classic-rose-petal-dust-set.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/equipment-supplies/food-colors-lusters/lusters/classic-rose-petal-dust-set.html" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8K5ZJxNGxtY/VGAZgzieBHI/AAAAAAAACUk/WabSEYfUBVY/s1600/ClassicRosePetalDustSet.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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We even put together a <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/equipment-supplies/food-colors-lusters/lusters/classic-rose-petal-dust-set.html" target="_blank">Petal Dust set </a>of the colors that we used to paint Ong's flowers, so there's no guesswork for matching our color scheme.</div>
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Our Southwestern Chevron Acrylic stencil is available <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/catalogsearch/result/?q=southwestern" target="_blank">HERE </a></div>
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<a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/southwestern-chevron-stencil-shortened.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/southwestern-chevron-stencil-shortened.html" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I9Om4_iQj_w/VGAW7A4JyfI/AAAAAAAACUA/hwR-CdcidvY/s1600/SouthwesternChevShortened.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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we've sized it for double-barrel cakes as well as standard height tiers<a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/southwestern-chevron-stencil.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/southwestern-chevron-stencil.html" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FQ7F2iJiL1o/VGAW7e4hbCI/AAAAAAAACUE/TfjLghVrCXs/s1600/SouthwesternChevronStencil.jpg" height="320" width="320" /> </a></div>
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And our Mistletoe and Holly Mesh Stencils with complete photo tutorial are available <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/mistletoe-and-holly-outline-mesh-stencil-set.html" target="_blank">HERE </a></div>
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<a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/mistletoe-and-holly-outline-mesh-stencil-set.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/mistletoe-and-holly-outline-mesh-stencil-set.html" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CLrZi7qEROY/VGAYZ6enRlI/AAAAAAAACUU/dPIq030oz8M/s1600/MistletoeHollyCookies.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/mistletoe-and-holly-petal-dust-set.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/mistletoe-and-holly-petal-dust-set.html" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZleyXsaGzzA/VGAYaO7DPII/AAAAAAAACUY/Gsgo7wqE8W0/s1600/MistletoeHollyPetalDustSet.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Along with our <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/mistletoe-and-holly-petal-dust-set.html" target="_blank">Petal Dust set</a> with the colors you need to replicate our color palette for the painting.</div>
Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-72876382807870762532014-08-10T00:26:00.002-05:002014-08-10T00:34:59.127-05:00Paper Trail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-APsA6wSrIIU/U-cCTEjAjKI/AAAAAAAACPQ/I8_gOx_odPU/s1600/J&S-217WEb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-APsA6wSrIIU/U-cCTEjAjKI/AAAAAAAACPQ/I8_gOx_odPU/s1600/J&S-217WEb.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
The Evil Cake Genius has been decorating wedding cakes for a long time. A very long time. Allow me to take a moment to rant like an old lady about "in my day" for a second.<br />
When Gateaux Inc. opened in 1996, things were simpler...and harder. There was no Pinterest, no Ipads, and cellular phones were just that, phones. Simple. Brides and Grooms would come in for their appointment with a ring binder (insert young, techie howling laughter here) filled with torn-out pages of wedding magazines, photos, (yes, printed photos) of the bride's wedding dress, and a few swatches of linens, etc. Any additional inspiration collateral would have to be mailed (snail, that is) to us.<br />
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Likewise, when we made an awesome cake, we printed an 8x10 glossy...at the photo shop (not <i>on</i> Photoshop) and put it in our adorable little photo album for other potential clients to see. Nothing went <i>viral</i> except the occasional head-cold.<br />
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That didn't stop The Evil Cake Genius from creating some pretty bad-ass cakes.<br />
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One in particular was designed for a couple who were living in San Francisco, but marrying in Minneapolis. They loved good wine, their Golden Retriever, and their new "home" City by the Bay. So, we decided to make a cake that would bring a little San Francisco to their Minnesota guests by way of a three tier cake topped with a frosting sugar Trolley and adorned with little candy striped awnings, under which would be frosting vignettes of store fronts. We had Lombard Street Wines, a wedding cake shop, a wedding dress shop, and of course, a pet shop, with their sweet little dog silhouetted out of golden fondant.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W_y512iDncE/U-b-vKQkPGI/AAAAAAAACOI/SjTFm1vWDRk/s1600/shamia06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W_y512iDncE/U-b-vKQkPGI/AAAAAAAACOI/SjTFm1vWDRk/s1600/shamia06.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="http://www.studio306.com/" target="_blank">Studio 306</a></td></tr>
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It was a delightful cake. The couple loved it, their guests loved it, and we loved it...despite the fact that hand-cutting every tiny detail out of fondant with an Exacto blade took us a record-breaking 54 hours of decorating time. A night that will live in Gateaux infamy as the "holy crap, we may not get this cake done in time for the reception tomorrow" night.<br />
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Needless to say, we made it "to the church(reception) on time, but when we received pictures of this adorable cake from the couple's photographer, we admired them, and promptly filed them deep in the bowels of the cake shop, never to be shown to any potential client for fear of a repeat performance. Simple.<br />
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If that cake had happened today, those photos would have been plastered on the Internet via Facebook, Pinterest, Weddingwire, Reddit, Diddit, Haddit, UptoMyEyballsInit! Thank God for a simpler time.<br />
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Enter Sarah and Joe...last year.<br />
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Sarah knew exactly what she wanted in a wedding cake. It was simple...she'd known since the moment she saw it...years ago...while working part time at the Calhoun Beach Club as a server. How cool is that? Long before she had the ring, or even the guy, she fell in love with her future wedding cake. The Evil Cake Genius is pleased with such flattery. Now, which of the many little gems that we've delivered to CBC was it? The beautiful lacy cake with the big bow? The Architectural square tiers with little fondant lemons? Not quite. Imagine the Evil One's panic when she pulled out of her bag of cake tricks...THE cake. We had that sucker buried deeper than the Ark of the Covenant in that government warehouse at the end of "Indiana Jones" (don't get the reference? stop reading this...right now...go sit your ass down and watch one of the most entertaining movies ever...what's wrong with you?)<br />
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Anyway, after reviving myself, I realized that while we didn't have the Internet barrage that we have today, we weren't living in the stone age when we made that cake. Sarah didn't have to ride her dinosaur home and paint a picture of that cake on the wall of her cave to remember it, she just had to snap a quick photo with an ancient device known as a <i>camera.</i> Which she did, and now that photo-paper-trail has led her directly to my lair. I wanted to hate her for it. I wanted to zap her with that deneuralyzer thingy from "Men in Black" (don't get the reference, see above note after "Indiana Jones" for your dose of shame). I wanted to...kiss her. After meeting her, I discovered that she was an absolute joy to work with. We customized the idea of the cake from storefronts, to the fronts of the three little boutique hotels that they'd be staying at on their honeymoon...a whirlwind trip to London, Lisbon, and Amsterdam. With our advanced technology this time around, Sarah provided me with pictures of the three hotels right from her phone, and we were off!<br />
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We added Sarah's beloved pup-Jobie (interestingly enough, another Golden Retriever) but this time sculpted him in 3-D out of chocolate paste for our usual donation to the ASPCA.<br />
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Best of all, we surrounded the cake with the bride and groom's favorite sweets. From cake pops and Petit fours adorned with the Portuguese word for "love" to little frosting Big Ben cookies, S'mores tartlets and hand-made peanut butter cups, we made a dessert spread that would make you consider skipping the honeymoon and just camping out in your hotel room with a big box of leftovers.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eXYugToROcg/U-cAneoO0YI/AAAAAAAACO0/FLe9cRtyV4M/s1600/BigBenForWeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eXYugToROcg/U-cAneoO0YI/AAAAAAAACO0/FLe9cRtyV4M/s1600/BigBenForWeb.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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The day of the wedding, we had the privilege of seeing the couple enter the cocktail hour to see their cake. It is always a little unnerving to do so, especially when a bride has been anticipating her cake since she was in high school. Sarah quickly put any doubt to rest, with a resounding hoot and a few choice words that the Evil Cake Genius cannot repeat in proper company. God, I love it when we make brides use expletives of joy!!<br />
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In hindsight, the second version of the "San Francisco cake" took pretty much the same amount of time as the first. Happily, there are two things that make that kind of work day okay. First, both couples were absolutely fabulous people, who were so appreciative of the care that went into making their dream cakes. Second, these little miniature cakes are very much like playing dollhouse with sugar, making the time spent on them a series of delighted squeals, cooing, and laughing like a kid in a candy (cake) shop. So go ahead, cruel internet...share, pin, and dig away. We'll be waiting for the next couple to be inspired...in about another ten years.<br />
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Many thanks to <a href="http://www.ben-colvin.com/index2.php#/home/" target="_blank">Ben Colvin Photography</a> for the beautiful pictures of Sarah and Joe's wedding.<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Decorator's Notes: </h3>
We still had to hand craft the details from each hotel using our trusty Exacto Blades, but The Evil Cake Genius has gained a little street cred in the technology department since that first awning cake.<br />
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We created a custom Mesh Stencil for the Wrought Iron and the hotel signage and got them onto the cake in one swipe of a palette knife...Hallelujah! We've even added our Wrought Iron Mesh Stencil to our Evil cake Genius Site <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/wrought-iron-fence-mesh-stencil.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> to save some of you other Evil Cake Geniuses a load of time!<br />
We created the little moldings around the windows using an Artway Clay extruder and some of their incredible moulding discs. They are Available <a href="http://www.polymerclayexpress.com/extruders.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> and they are awesome beyond belief.<br />
<br />Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-44579587093784402022014-06-01T19:14:00.001-05:002014-06-01T19:14:32.507-05:00Hello Gatsby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When the Evil Cake Genius was but a wee Cake Minion, her family would trek back to the East Coast to visit the grandparents once a year. And a trek, it was. 18 hours in a car in the time before personal DVD Players (who am I kidding, even before VCR's) hand-held video games, iPods, iPads, iAnything...with three other siblings and two stressed out parents. There are only so many times you can play eye spy, and midway through Ohio, you realize that you aren't going to get those last 35 US state license plates to check off your License Plate List game (apparently most Hawaiians and Californians are smart enough to keep out of the midwest). Overall, it was a study in patience that I wouldn't wish on any kid, or parent for that matter. There were two things that made this ride bearable to Mini ECG. First, there would be Dunny's Pizza when we arrived in Reading, PA...pizza unlike any you could find in the limited Pizza desert that was Wisconsin in the early 1970's and Second, a walk over to see my Grandpa at work. My Grandpa was a Pharmacist. Those of you who didn't grow up in the '70's may not understand this. But those of us who did can still smell the sweet mix of plastic prescription bottles, greeting card paper and candy that was a Pharmacy in the 1970's. Before big box stores, the corner Pharmacy was a spot to pick up your prescription, along with a few necessities and impulse buys. It was where greeting cards were king, and little trinkets and tchotchkes made up the Royal Court. I would often score a new coloring book and a handful of Penny Candy when visiting my Grandpa, but the real score was in the corner display. That's where SHE lived. <br />
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Hello Kitty. The cat herself, poised on a four sided rotating Point of Purchase display full of miniature toys, notepads, lip balms, stickers and other items completely foreign in value to anyone but a seven year old girl. Fortunately, The Evil Cake Genius was just that.<br />
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As the years passed, so did my voracity for those little treasures. But the lure of the Kitty never fully left me. Even as an adult, I'd find myself drawn to the Sanrio displays when shopping for a birthday present for any of my nieces or nephews, just to revisit the glory of tiny little diaries and mini pencils to write in them that only a very coordinated elf could functionally use.<br />
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I'm not entirely sure when, but at some point in my adult life, word got out about my obsession with The Kitty. Simultaneously, or so it seemed, Miss Kitty sold out. She moved from her corner in the drug store to the mainstream. And the market was flooded with Hello Kitty....well...everything. I have since been showered with gifts ranging from fuzzy slippers to gym bags, cell phone cases, blankets, t-shirts, even my nightstand lamp dons that cat. You can get a Hello Kitty Microwave, bathroom and bedroom decor, bicycle, and even things that I can't mention here, but let's just say you'd have to be over 18 and a little...a lot...weird in your amorous tastes to buy.<br />
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Now, truly....what the hell does any of this have to do with wedding cakes? Patience, grasshoppers.<br />
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There is a certain feeling that I got when my special little white cat became the media slut that she now is. A mixed bag of elation that I can go to the gym with a Hello Kitty water bottle, and disdain for all of the Hello Kitty Posers that have emerged. After all, "she was MINE FIRST". I liked her before you could find her little white face on everything from Fruit Snacks to Steering wheel covers. And now all of these people have jumped on my Kitty Bandwagon.<br />
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Enter Connie and Kelly. A sophisticated, established couple getting married at one of my favorite venues in Minneapolis. Not only my favorite venue, but my favorite room of that venue. The Calhoun Beach Club's Solarium. The first time I saw this room, I was transported back to 1925 and east about 1800 miles. It was straight out of The Great Gatsby. That Perfect white trimmed room with french doors leading onto a stone balcony, and palm trees...as decor. Real Palm Trees...inside. It was Opulent without a stitch of pretense. I have always felt like Daisy looking around that room for...him...the moment I cross its thresh-hold.<br />
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I met with Connie and the Coordinators from Style Architects to discuss the cake and stationery for the event. We all agreed that the room had to be considered in the design, and I couldn't help but bring up my Gatsby take on the room. Connie agreed, and before I knew it, we were designing the cake and stationery around the most beautiful Art Deco Chandelier Pattern that I had found a few months prior. I had been waiting for the right client, the right venue, and the right time...and this was it! <br />
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We laid out the invitations with the pattern across the top edge. Letterpressed and backed in a Gunmetal Grey liner. The programs, menu cards, place cards, etc. would follow suit...as would the cake. We split the pattern up over three of the tiers and tied in the fourth with details from Connie's incredible Monique L'huillier gown which, by the way, also incorporated the diamond drop patterns in the stationery art. And all was aligning perfectly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos by <a href="http://www.lauraivanova.com/" target="_blank">Laura Ivanova</a> Photography</td></tr>
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And then it happened. A couple of months before the wedding, I started to see a surge in Art Deco design. Everywhere. From print to fashion, the 1920's was making a comeback. And one night, while snuggled up with a bowl of popcorn watching The Amazing Race with The Captain, I found out why. There he was in all his movie star glory...Leonardo Di Caprio...cast as the man himself...The Great Gatsby. And I felt that same pang of resentment. My hand dropped down into my Hello Kitty Popcorn Bowl with disgust. Hollywood. Hollywood would corrupt my perfect Art Deco dream wedding. Within two months, you'd be able to buy Kleenex designer boxes with Art Deco geometric patterns. And I would look like a lemming. No Fair! Total BS!! Didn't they know that Gatsby was mine?<br />
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I kept my disgust to myself, and stayed the course. The wedding day came, and the cake was one of the most striking cakes I have made to this date.<br />
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The room looked stunning, the bride, sophisticated and beautiful...and the groom...when he looked at her, you knew she was his "Daisy". And suddenly, I didn't care. I didn't care that Hollywood had claimed my inspiration. That more weddings to follow would have an Art Deco inspiration, or that "it was MINE FIRST". I realized that maybe when the rest of the world catches onto something you've loved for a long time, you should be happy. Happy to share something wonderful with everyone else for a while. And when the fad passes, and everyone moves onto Art Nouveau and My Little Pony instead of Art Deco and Hello Kitty, I'll love them just the same.<br />
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Decorator's Notes:</h2>
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Connie and Kelly's cake was truly one of the most elegant cakes I've ever made. Just like any great cake, it had its challenges. Being the perfectionist that I am, I couldn't bear the thought of free-hand piping what was meant to be a precise, geometric pattern. So, the Evil Cake Genius decided to lay out custom stencils for three of the tiers. </div>
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The top and bottom tiers were 6" tall, and we wanted the wrap around chandelier pattern to stand out, so we made that tier a "Supertorte"...our term for what others may call a "double barrel" tier. Basically, two standard-height tiers, stacked with dowels and a separator plate, but then frosted and fondanted as one tier. We love the elongated look.</div>
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You can find the Wrap Around Stencil <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/stencils/stencils-for-cakes/art-deco/art-deco-chandelier-wrap-around-stencil.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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You can find the Top Tier Stencil <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/stencils/stencils-for-cakes/art-deco/art-deco-chandelier-stencil-small.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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You can Find the Bottom Tier Stencil <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/stencils/stencils-for-cakes/art-deco/art-deco-chandelier-stencil-large.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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The stencils kept the precision of the design, and allowed us to embellish between diamond patterns with edible pearls and some hand-piping. The flower topper was meant to be sculptural rather than organic, so we used the flower template that we designed for our Evil Cake Genius "Vow Flower" and actually had the pleasure of following one of our own Tutorials while making it (happy to report...it's a great tutorial).</div>
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The Vow Flower Mesh Stencil Set and Tutorial are available <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/vintage-vows-flower-tutorial-and-mesh-stencil-set.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-90250481272044128882014-04-05T13:09:00.000-05:002014-04-05T13:09:16.919-05:00Having it allCompromise...Life is full of compromises...and marriage is a minefield of them. After all, when you marry, you're committing to sharing your life, your home, your finances, and your bathroom sink with another person...forever.<br />
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When the Evil Cake Genius married The Captain, there were compromises even before the wedding. I would take his last name (only after losing a fateful round of Rock, Paper, Scissors just before filling out the marriage license) and he would stop sleeping with a box fan (circa 1970) on high, aimed directly at his head. <br />
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But sometimes, compromising to please your partner isn't a compromise at all. The Evil Cake Genius is thrilled to admit that she and The Captain have attended both "La Traviata" at the Vienna Opera House, and the Premiere of Jackass the movie. Yeah, I said it. And both experiences expanded our horizons. If you ask me, being open to your partner's tastes and wants leads less to compromise and more to "having it all".<br />
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That's where Carly and Ryan come in.<br />
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Carly and Ryan met in a soccer league. They both love soccer. Do they love soccer enough to have a soccer themed wedding? No. So when Carly brought in a magazine shot of her dream wedding cake, we needed to figure out just how to incorporate their love of the sport and its significance in their relationship into this pristinely preppy design. Add to it, Ryan's love of airplanes. He even works in the airline industry. <br />
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Now, this is where we might need to take a detour into designing a groom's cake. After all, the navy blue pleated cake that Carly loved really didn't lend itself to airplanes and soccer balls. Or maybe it did? The cake had a lovely trail of fondant ribbon flowers running down the front side, but the back was, well, the back. Why not let this cake have it all? Carly came up with the brilliant idea of having a soccer ball busting out the back side of the cake. Ryan loved it, and the Evil Cake Genius silently reeled with questions about how to make it happen out of frosting (usually a mild panic means a great cake) so we added a little chocolate airplane in orbit around the ball, and it was a done deal.<br />
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We set up the cake in an area that the guests would all approach it from the front. While stacking the tiers and putting on the finishing touches, we got to "test drive" it with the caterers and other wedding vendors wandering in and out of the room. And it was a blast. Nothing beats that look of puzzlement that quickly turns into delight when someone discovers a secret. And this cake had a great one. <br />
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So my advice to the happy couple. Stay the course. Keep embracing everything that you love about each other and you will surely have it all.<br />
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Decorators Notes:</h4>
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Carly and Ryan's cake was a beautiful deep blue fondant. As many of you decorators know deep fondant colors are a nightmare to work with. So for this cake, we tinted the fondant a medium blue, and airbrushed the tiers with a beautiful Navy Blue Luster Dust mixed with vodka to form a paint. The luster gave the cake a mild satin sheen, keeping it from the dreaded "Play Doh" look that colored fondant tends to have. </div>
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The Soccer ball was a trouble spot. We worried that the weight of the ball would cause it to tear away from the side of the cake during transport or worse, while it was on display. So we molded a hollow chocolate soccer ball to keep it light. </div>
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The little silver airplane was also molded out of chocolate and airbrushed with a mixture of our Evil Cake Genius Silver powder and Vodka. The same mixture paints like a dream for those of you who don't have an airbrush. The silver powder is available <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/equipment-supplies/food-colors-lusters/lusters.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-39499936564838410022014-01-26T11:55:00.000-06:002014-01-26T12:06:00.033-06:00Where it's at<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">There's a destination a little up the road<br />From the habitations and the towns we know<br />A place we saw the lights turn low<br />Jig-saw jazz and the get-fresh flow<br />Pulling out jives and jamboree handouts<br />Two turntables and a microphone<br />Bottles and cans and just clap your hands and just clap your hands<br /><br />Where it's at<br />I got two turntables and a microphone<br />Where it's at<br />I got two turntables and a microphone</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">That's it. That's all I ever wanted to be..."Where it's at"...</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">But I wasn't. I'm not saying I was a total outcast, a geek, nerd, or member of any other socially shunned clique. But I wasn't the trend-setting cook kid either. I just always kept my head low and let the other guys take the social risks. When Jessie Springer showed up wearing her new "Olivia Newton John" style head band in 6th grade, I was green with envy. I wanted to "get physical" too. But I didn't have the fashion or the social chops that Jessie had. Apparently, neither did Jessie, because when she came back to school after lunch hour, that headband had mysteriously disappeared.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">It's the oldest story in the book. Kids are cruel. Society is dog-eat-dog, and being cool can get you in places that all the money, smarts, and skills in the world can't. But that's okay. As I got older, I learned that it didn't matter as much as I thought all those years. I'm good with "where I'm at" and can walk through life confident and happy.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Now let's talk about Matt.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Matt is by all definitions "Where it's at." He's a trainer with the Minnesota Vikings, so he's literally "where it's at" every game of the season...on the field. In his younger days in Boston, he was a DJ...another completely "where it's at" profession. Matt's mom and dad, Linda and Paul, also "where it's at" decided to contact me to make him a groom's cake for the rehearsal dinner for his upcoming wedding. So we met. Let's just get this out of the way now. I have a serious bias toward East Coast people. My own family was from eastern Pennsylvania, and every time I hear someone with any variety of East Coast accent, I am immediately drawn to them. I've had my share of backfires, but typically, this attraction has proven beneficial. Linda and Paul are no exception. They are true Bostonians...straightforward, and without pretense...outgoing, hilarious to chat with, and oh, that accent...what I wouldn't give to have that accent. In talking with them, my little bits of East Coast (like things being "harrible" instead of "horrible" and how I just love my "dawg") crept back into my voice, just as it does every time I visit New York. And I was home.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Together, we designed a Two Turntable masterpiece for Matt. We had each LP label represent the two teams he's been a trainer for, and found a laundry list of inside jokes and references to stash here and there on the cake. We had so much fun, that Linda scheduled an appointment for Matt's bride to come in with them on their next trip to town so that we could convince her that she absolutely needed that wedding cake that she had no interest in.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">A few weeks later, we did just that. Jamie actually had a beautiful little two tier cake hidden away on her Pinterest page that was labelled "Almost makes me want a cake". Once she shared that, it was all down hill. We created a beautiful two tier cake and surrounded it with all the desserts she had dreamed of.</span> </div>
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<span style="color: white;">Linda and Paul went back to Boston, and I had my typical moment of "What the hell did I just agree to?) It was time to figure out how to actually create not one, but two edible turntables (thank God, no microphone, at least). </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">So began my education...in more than one way.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">I found a place in Uptown that rents Turntables and other audio equipment. Not the kind of AV Geek equipment I was hoping for, but a full on DJ emporium. A place that a 42 year old cake decorator had no business visiting. I'm pretty sure that they agreed. I walked in the front door to some house hip-hop mix I didn't recognize, and the distinct whiff of some herb that had no business in a bakery (at least not in Minnesota yet). The guy behind the counter looked at me as though I must be here for directions to the nearest Scrapbooking Supply Store, when I told him I was there to pick up my rental. He pulled the paperwork, and began writing up the order, and just when I realized that I was Jessie Springer at home for lunch, sadly removing my awesome headband, and re-feathering my defeated hair, he asked me what I was doing renting this thing. My mind raced. Maybe I'd bluff him. Maybe I was gonna "go down to Eight Mile with my usual DJ setup, a Traktor Scratch Pro with a Mac Book Pro and an
Allen & Heath Mixer Xone 3D through a BBE Sonic Maximizer with a
Mackie Blackjack audio interface through my computer to the Web. Control vinyl with Traktor and a Pioneer CDJ 1000 and a mic. But I thought it might be dope to dubstep some Electro old school with this turntable."</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">But what really came out was "cake." </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Defeat.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">But much to my surprise, he was intrigued. I believe the actual word that came out of his mouth was "cool." So we discussed my plans, he had a schematic for one of their turntable wraps that had the layout and dimensions of all the whatz-its and thingys (technical terms) on the turntables that he emailed me. Now I had a perfectly sized template for the decks (yeah, I said it, that's what us cool people call turntables). Not understanding that the truly cool have their own needles, I was left without that particular piece to model my frosting needle from. But now that I was "where it's at" he happily lent me one of his. I loaded the turntable into my car and drove off, a newly baptized "cool" broad.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">For the next day, we measured, molded, and photographed every part of that turntable (ahem, deck) from every possible angle, and began recreating it in sugar. Meanwhile, Linda got me the details on all the other elements that would make this cake truly special, and even invited me to the wedding reception. </span><br />
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<span style="color: white;">We set up the Groom's cake at the rehearsal dinner, and saw Linda and Paul as they entered the room. Still dressed in my chef coat, I tried to sneak out quietly, but I was spotted, and promptly introduced to the family and treated like a guest. That's just the kind of people these are...the truly "cool" who don't care if you're wearing no makeup and look like you've spent the last 48 hours straight in a bakery with no daylight (and certainly no mirrors). They embrace you as family. They're not "Minnesota Nice", they're East Coast Fabulous...and they can make a girl feel like she is always "where it's at".</span><br />
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<span style="color: white;"> The next night, we set up the wedding desserts and cake and actually changed into something less "cheffy" to have a drink at the cocktail hour. We got to meet the whole family, perfected a few words in "proper" Boston dialect, learned what a "Southie" is, and got to bask in the perfect energy that surrounds a couple who has just proclaimed their love and commitment to each other for all to witness. I left the reception just before dinner was served to go home to my own husband, realizing that cool or not cool, when you're surrounded by those who you love and respect, you're always "where it's at".</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red;">Decorator's Notes:</span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="color: white;"> Matt's groom's cake was one of those cakes that was structurally simple, but would hinge on the fine details. I always recommend getting your hands on the "real thing" if you can. We've had brides bring in Fender guitars, Navy officer's hats, and all sorts of other objects to model cakes after. Anything you can measure, trace, mold, and see three-dimensionally will help make the cake that much more accurate. The detailing on the turntables was molded out of mexican paste (a mixture of fondant and gum paste) allowed to dry for 5-7 days, and airbrushed in Silver Powder mixed with Vodka. The silver powder that we used is available on our <a href="http://www.evilcakegenius.com/" target="_blank">Evil Cake Genius</a> site.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">The Records on the turntables were also Mexican paste, and the grooves in them were made in the simplest of ways...We wet a large paintbrush with Pam nonstick spray and held it on the records as we spun them on a turntable (bakery, not DJ). The grooves stay shiny and raised.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"> The fine details on the record labels, Tequila bottle, and DVD case were custom Mesh Stencils that we created and stenciled onto the fondant in Royal Icing. Many similar stencils are available on our Evil Cake Genius site as well, but we make custom ones for other bakeries all the time, just contact us at support@evilcakegenius.com if you're looking for something specific.</span></div>
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<br />Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-49509807775643925462013-12-01T19:44:00.004-06:002014-01-23T11:26:18.533-06:00Men. The mystery unravelled...Those of you who have read this blog for awhile know that The Evil Cake Genius is married to Captain Leisure. I have to say that when it comes to husbandly types, I truly hit the jackpot. That being said, he is still...a man....so there are certain elements of his make up that I will never fully understand.<br />
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For years, The Captain, and around 10 of his buddies would go up to Myles' cabin for an annual golf weekend. Each year, I questioned why they never brought the wives along, and each year, The Captain would skirt around the issue with answers like "it wouldn't be the same"or "it's not that kind of trip".<br />
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In 2002, I had a momentary lapse of reason, and agreed to go to "Jackass: The Movie" with the Captain. The movie's opening is set to Carl Orff's <i>Oh Fortuna</i> and features the entire cast riding down a steep hill in a giant shopping cart, the entire time, beating the crap out of each other. For those unfortunates who have not had the pleasure of viewing this, here you go:<br />
<a href="http://www.reelz.com/trailer-clips/51197/jackass-the-movie-clip/" target="_blank">http://www.reelz.com/trailer-clips/51197/jackass-the-movie-clip/</a><br />
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As I settled in for the next hour and a half of testosterone-filled humor, I had no idea that this movie would be the single most important tool I would ever encounter for demystifying that bizarre beast that is called Man. The movie is replete with horrible bathroom humor and shots to the groin. At any given time a cast member would either deliver a blow to the crotch of another cast member, or sneak up behind him with an electric razor and shave a patch of hair off of his head. All received with a big laugh by the recipient of the abuse and a "you got me" smile.<br />
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And all of a sudden I got it...the essence, the very base difference between the male and female of the species. If Jenna walked up behind me, kicked me in the crotch, and shaved off a patch of my hair, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't find it funny. At least not until after the charges had been filed. I've seen women end friendships over far less. But these guys relished it. By the end of the movie, they all looked as if they had been through a war...and Chemo therapy...and they were all patting each other on the backs and laughing.<br />
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And I never asked to go to the cabin again.<br />
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Enter Monique and Carl.<br />
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I met with Monique and her sister to design the wedding cake. They were in from Tampa for the week planning the wedding that would be held in Minneapolis. We designed a beautiful four tier cake with Swarovski crystals and over 900 frosting hydrangeas that would ombre from pink (Monique's favorite color) to blue (Carl's favorite). It would be a stunner. But that wouldn't be the only cake.<br />
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Monique wanted to surprise Carl with a groom's cake. She explained that, like most weddings, the decor, the floral, etc. was all about her. So she wanted one thing to be all about Carl. Carl is a guard for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so I immediately thought we'd be putting together a football themed cake...but I was wrong. Monique wanted a "Man Cave" cake. You see, some guys are smart enough to not have to wait for one weekend a year to do whatever it is that they do when the women aren't around (see above movie clip). Some guys, like Carl, have their own space, their Manctuary, where they can smoke cigars, drink Mickey's, eat jelly doughnuts, listen to their music, and scratch themselves where ever and whenever they want. This was Carl's Man Cave.<br />
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It started as a room in their first house, but when they moved into their current residence, Carl and his buddies took over the pool house as their Cave. It has all the essential ingredients of a Man Cave...great sound system, huge TV, beer fridge, and couches fit for a Man King and his court to lounge away any womaniness they may have encountered in the outside world. The only thing that Carl claims is missing in his new lair, is a padlock to keep out the women.<br />
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And we have a cake.<br />
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On the wedding day, we set up the beautiful wedding cake in the cocktail area. Then, once we received the all-clear, we snuck into the ballroom and set up the Man Cave cake behind a curtain. No one was the wiser. Monique waited until guests were seated for dinner, and had the cake rolled out to surprise Carl during the toasts. She took the microphone and toasted her groom, sharing the inspiration behind his all-man cake.<br />
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So, what is the appropriate man-reaction to such a thing? If I referred to my Johnny Knoxville school of man-havior, I would have to guess he would thank his bride by kneeing her in the groin, but thankfully, those bonding mechanisms are only used between the male of the species, not to be carried over to the fairer sex. What he did do, surprised me. He listened to her story, looked at his cake, and cried. You heard me, 6'5", 349lbs. of pure NFL man-power...cried. Moved by the fact that she would take the time and care to do something completely for him, he was overwhelmed. Or maybe it was that he was so happy that she finally got him the padlock and chain for the Man Cave that he'd been requesting...we'll never know for sure, but I prefer the former theory.<br />
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So there it is. Just when I thought I had men figured out, something like this proves me entirely wrong. So much for my Social Sciences side career. But that's okay, I think I'll stick to cake decorating as long as I have clients who are as awesome as Monique and Carl. Here she is taking a bite out of the cake to prove that it's a cake...did I mention how much I love this woman?<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: magenta;">Decorator's Notes:</span> </span></h2>
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Hot Pink!!! Anyone who decorates cakes can tell you that this color is torture to achieve. While making the hot pink hydrangeas for Monique and Carl's cake, we struggled, as we always have. In a bizarre, desperate moment while trying to tint Royal Icing this evil color, I grabbed a bottle of pink airbrush color instead of my usual gel colors. The Royal Icing came out that perfect shade of Barbie hot pink. No gnashing of teeth, no agonizing struggle.</div>
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We posted our victory on our Facebook Page and quickly tried the same coloring in our Mexican Paste (1/2 fondant, 1/2 gum paste) to make the flowers. Alas, it was a dismal failure. But by the time we could post a warning, another decorator, Jennifer Whitmer Spaulding, had replied to our initial post. She told us to try Candy Colors in the fondant. We grabbed a bottle of pink Candy Color, and it was absolutely vibrant, beautiful pink!! To get to the more magenta tone for these flowers, we added a tiny bit of Candy Color Purple as well. After 17 years of epic Hot Pink struggle, I was so happy, that I immediately added the Pink Airbrush color and Pink and Purple Candy Colors to our shopping site <a href="http://www.evilcakegenius.com/" target="_blank">Evil Cake Genius</a><a href="http://www.evilcakegenius.com/" target="_blank">.</a></div>
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You will also find the Gold and silver powders that we used on the groom's cake on our shop.<br />
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Bob Marley was the big challenge for this cake. It was the first thing that Monique requested be included on the Man Cave Cake. We started by creating a custom mesh stencil of the black portions of the One Love poster. Then, we printed out the image on Paper, and cut masks to block off the areas of the fondant that would be later airbrushed yellow, red, or remain white.<br />
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Once the fondant was fully airbrushed, we let it dry, and then stenciled the detail in black Royal Icing over the airbrushed fondant. It's much faster and more accurate than hand painting the fondant. Mon!<br />
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<br />Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-70994230040221470142013-09-02T19:40:00.001-05:002014-01-23T11:45:37.511-06:00Rule Followers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm a rule follower.<br />
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From my first day in Kindergarten, my mom knew she had it made. My parent teacher conferences were a "break" for my teachers. They'd invite me in with my mom and just have a nice 20 minute break to chat and relax before the next parent showed up to have to reckon with their certainly "unruly" child's behavior. I liked it that way. I liked boundaries, order, and instruction. When I got to college, I went to my classes, studied, turned in assignments on time, and when I got my first semester's grades, I was thrilled to see that I got straight A's. And all was right with the universe. You follow the rules...you are rewarded.<br />
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Then I met my future husband.<br />
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Brian was smart. Maybe a little too smart.<br />
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While I was toiling over my studies every Sunday night, he was drinking beer and watching The Simpsons with his roommates. My neurotic sense of inflexible deadline was completely rocked when I saw him get an extension on his final project for his painting class for not one, but TWO full semesters. He rarely studied, never did homework, and still got good grades (all A's and B's). He frequently calmed my overworked nerves around finals with the words of wisdom "nobody cares what your GPA was once you graduate" and he introduced me to the motto "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission". And it worked for him just as well (if not better) than my rule following worked for me. He got busted selling unlicensed U of MN Basketball t-shirts outside of Williams Arena. He ended up parlaying it into a meeting with the University that resulted in them selling his t-shirts inside the Arena, and at their Hockey venue as well. That Art Professor not only let him extend one painting across two semesters, but gave him an "A" and went out for drinks with him. I couldn't decide if all of this made me hate him, or made me overwhelmed with attraction for him. So I married him.<br />
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Just after we were married, I was miserable. Not in our marriage...that was the best decision I ever made, seriously. It was my job that was eating me up. I was working as a photographer, and doing quite well. I had won some awards, I had been promoted to head photographer between two studios, and was doing what I had always wanted to do. But it was a nightmare. As a small business owner myself, I can tell you that as a group, we are the most difficult, megalo-maniacal group of humans on this planet. We rule like unchecked dictators, and frequently bash our employees for just being in the line of fire of a bad day. And a rule follower like me, working for a typical small business owner, is not a good thing. I took every criticism as a personal attack. The slightest confrontation made me lose my nerve, and I just couldn't handle it anymore. That's when Yin to my Yang, my husband (The Goo, The Captain) said to me one night. "You should just quit."<br />
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Just like that. No grand presentation, no parting of the skies and thunderbolts, just a simple idea. And with that, I realized that I had never considered that as an option. Rule followers don't quit jobs. But once he suggested it, it was all I could think about. It was like an open invitation to the Dark Side...the Rule Breakers.<br />
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So I gave one month's notice, trained in my replacement, and with absolutely no culinary training, opened Gateaux Inc. Nothing that I would have ever considered without being married to Lord Vader himself. Second best decision I ever made.<br />
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But what does this have to do with this beautiful lacey cake? Plenty, my cakey friend, plenty.<br />
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Meet Catie and Chris. Two rule followers to the highest degree. Both graduated Magna Cum Laude from law school. He works in Labor and Employment Law, she works in Merger and Acquisition Law (both fields simplified for my cakey brain). Translation: they show their clients how to follow the rules...the law...and their both quite good at their jobs.<br />
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We had a lovely meeting to design a cake for their beautiful fall wedding. We would incorporate Gunmetal grey, Persimmon, and Orange into the Gum Paste leaf medallion on the middle tier, and copy the incredible Alencon Lace from Catie's wedding dress on the other two tiers.<br />
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We made sure that they would have enough servings for all of their guests, and added a little sheet cake for the kitchen to start in on while the wedding cake could still be on display, and had a nice conversation. I'm always flattered when someone who is in such a challenging career takes an interest in my work, so I was thrilled to field some questions from Chris. He asked some of the usual questions like: How long does it take you to decorate a cake like this? How do you get the veining pattern on the frosting leaves? How is a cake like this cut? and What makes the Gunmetal fondant sparkle?<br />
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I fielded these questions with ease: About 60 hours. We have veining mats that are cast off of real leaves. The cakes are unstacked before they are cut. Ground Mica blended with Vodka to create an edible sparkly "paint".<br />
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And so, we parted ways until the wedding.<br />
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The wedding was on a perfect fall day. They had the reception and ceremony at the Van Dusen Mansion in Minneapolis, a perfect location for an intimate classic wedding. We stacked the cake with the aid of the couple's niece, who was waiting around between pictures and the ceremony, and sent her off with a hand full of extra frosting leaves to delight the other guests. The couple was thrilled with their cake, and sent a gracious email to thank us for our hard work.<br />
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Several months passed, and I sent out an email to some of my clients asking for cake cutting photos. Valentine's day was approaching, and I thought it would be fun to do an album of all of our couples from the previous year with their cakes on our Facebook Page. When I got the email back from Catie, it had more than one photo, and this note:<br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;">Hi, wonderful Gateaux crew!</span></div>
<span style="color: #e69138;">
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<span style="color: #e69138;">I'm sending two of my favorite cake-related photos from our wedding
at the Van Dusen on October 20, 2012. In photo #1, I have a horrified
expression on my face because my husband thought we were supposed to
take the cake apart before we cut it, so he had just picked up the top
tier right off the cake! Photo #2 is shortly thereafter when we were
still laughing about it... and actually cutting the cake.</span></div>
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Oh. My. God.</div>
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My mind raced. What on earth would possess a groom to do such a thing to an innocent cake? Then it hit me. He's a Rule Follower. I thought back to our little Q&A session, and there it was. He wasn't asking How a cake like this is cut. He was asking "How do WE cut a cake like this?" And I, thinking he was simply taking a pleasant interest in the nuances of cake structure and catering practices, rather than asking for literal instruction, inadvertently COMMANDED him to UNSTACK THE CAKE!!! And that is just what he, God Bless his little Rule Following heart, did.</div>
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I think the most impressive part of this is that he re-stacked it so expertly, that you can't even tell in the next photo that anything happened. Well, besides the raucous laughter.</div>
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Many thanks to Catie for sending me what is my all-time favorite cake cutting photo. And special thanks to the couple's quick thinking Photographer Ben Garvin for catching this on film. <br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;">Decorator's Notes: </span></h2>
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The cake for Catie and Chris was a great project for trying out some new techniques.</div>
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The gum paste leaves were made using leaf cutters and mixtures of fall colored luster dusts. I've found that there aren't readily available leaf veiners for a larger-sized maple leaf, so I channeled my inner Rule Breaker and plucked a Maple leaf off of one of the trees around the shop. We washed the leaf in soapy water and soaked it in our sanitizer sink. Once it was dry, we used it to imprint the larger leaves. It worked fabulously!</div>
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The Ribbon detail was airbrushed with Moonstone Luster Dust, available at most any cake decorator supply house.</div>
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For Catie's lace, we created two custom Alencon Lace stencils. One that captured the unusual cartouche pattern on the back of her dress, and another that replicated the Floral pattern. Both of these are now for sale on our Evil Cake Genius site<a href="http://www.evilcakegenius.com/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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Once we stenciled the pattern in royal icing, we overpiped the edges and added some of the lattice pattern piping in the center of the cartouche. It is truly the most beautiful lace I've ever replicated on a cake.</div>
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Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-40904103900078282932013-08-25T21:04:00.001-05:002014-01-23T11:50:10.068-06:00West (St. Paul) side story.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">When you're a Jet, <br />
You're a Jet all the way <br />
From your first cigarette <br />
To your last dyin' day. </span></span></b></span></div>
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Or a Vulcan.</div>
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All love stories are grand. But The Evil Cake Genius particularly enjoys those grand, "you and me against the world" love against all odds, love stories. You know, the Romeo and Juliet, the Maria and Tony, the "...a place for us" kind of forbidden love. Aaaaah...that's the stuff.<br />
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So imagine my joy, when I spoke to James for the first time. James is a member of the Order of Fire and Brimstone. No, he's not a Wizard, sorry. He is, however, a former member of the Vulcan Krewe and therefore a loyal member of the Order for life!<br />
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Those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, certainly haven't had the pleasure of enduring a Minnesota winter in their lifetime, so I'll give you a little back story.<br />
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In 1885, a New York reporter wrote that Saint Paul was, "another Siberia, unfit for human habitation" in winter. Offended by this attack on their
city, the Saint Paul Chamber of Commerce decided to prove not only that
Saint Paul was habitable but that its citizens were very much alive
during winter, their most dominant season. Thus was born the<b> </b>Saint Paul Winter Carnival. The Carnival wraps around the story of King Boreas, the King of the Winds, complete with his Royal court of guards, princes and princesses of the four directional winds, a brassy tart named Klondike Kate, and a whole host of other players that the Evil Cake Genius is pretty much unfamiliar with because she agrees with that New York reporter and has never actually attended the winter carnival (Sorry James).<br />
Then there is the Vulcan Krewe. An all male squad with the sole purpose of overthrowing King Boreas and taking control of the Carnival, therefore symbolically ending Winter. Now, if these blokes could actually end winter in January in Minnesota, I'd marry one myself, but that is another story.<br />
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So, there you have them...the Royal Family and the Vulcan Krewe. Sworn enemies...Hatfields and McCoys, Capulets and Montagues, Sharks and Jets.<br />
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So imagine the uproar, when James, in his red polar fleece suit, ski goggles and finned hat, saw Emily...a West Wind Princess...across a blustery, frostbitten crowd of faces...and fell in love.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: red;">Emily...Say it loud and there's music playing, <br />
Say it soft and it's almost like praying.</span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: red;">Emily, I just met a girl named Emily</span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: red;">and suddenly that name </span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: red;">will never be the same to me! </span></span></b></span></div>
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So I began grilling James over this. "There had to have been a rumble at the Carnival, then? Did you have a knife fight with the Prince of the West Wind? Did King Boreas forbid her to see you, then you were secretly married, and... "<br />
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Sadly, no. I get no drama, no knife fights, no forbidden love...actually, their Winter Carnival friends think that it's pretty neat that a Vulcan and a Princess would fall in love and get married. Many of the guests at the wedding would be former Royalty and Vulcan Krewe, and they all get along just swimmingly.<br />
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Boooo. Hissss.<br />
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Despite my disgust, I agreed to meet with them to design a cake.<br />
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The idea of the cake was to incorporate the theme of Fire and Ice. The couple would be married in December at the Landmark Center in St. Paul. Right on Rice Park, a key site in the Winter Carnival festivities. Their colors, crimson red, gold and white.<br />
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This was easy. Well, not easy....the concept would be easy to design from. The execution...probably not so much. We decided to create a winter wonderland of a cake with flickering fire-glowing separators. Fire...Ice...<br />
but to keep the Vulcans from feeling slighted and possibly causing a riot, we added a bold hand-painted red and metallic gold piece climbing up from the bottom tiers. A cake that is worthy of the House of Boreus and Vulcanus. But still, there would be no rumble. Pooh.<br />
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Of course, the combination of fire and ice would lead to icicles, so we hung them from the bottoms of the tiers. And we topped it all with a swirling topper of West Wind fondant.<br />
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The wedding came and went and I heard no reports of a violent brawl in St. Paul that night. Ho hum.<br />
Emily and James were even kind enough to share some of their wedding photos with us. And then I got it. I got my moment of romance...of undying love....of, of....<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: red;">Make of our lives one life, <br />
Day after day, one life. <br />
Now it begins, now we start <br />
One hand, one heart, <br />
Even death won't part us now.</span></span></b></span></div>
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Just take one look at the pictures of Tony (sorry, James) seeing his Maria (sorry, Emily) for the first time and you'll realize that it doesn't take drama, gang rivalries, or even my favorite...knife fights...to make a grand romance. It just takes two people who love the living bejeesus out of each other. And a really good cake.<br />
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Thanks to <a href="http://www.jodiannphotography.com/index2.php#/home/" target="_blank">Jodi Ann Photography</a> for these beautiful photos!<br />
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<span style="color: #ea9999;"><span style="background-color: white;">Decorator's Notes:</span></span></h2>
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James and Emily's cake had a lot of fun elements to create.</div>
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The snowflakes were all hand cut out of Mexican Paste (a combination of Fondant and Gum Paste) and coated with edible glitter so that they sparkled in the candlelight. We use a number of different snowflake cutters, and then cut out the lacy patterns with all sorts of Micro-cutters to make each one unique.</div>
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The West Wind scrolls were hand molded in a chocolate filigree mold out of fondant, and then painted with Super Pearl. The same filigree mold was used to make the Metallic gold scrolls surrounding the red painting on the bottom two tiers. We hand-painted the red to give it a patina, rather than it be a solid red mass.</div>
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The separators are acrylic, lined with vellum, and we used battery operated "candles" inside the separators so that the light flickered like candlelight.</div>
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<br />Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-78205624810793467392013-08-11T18:35:00.001-05:002017-08-07T17:20:16.335-05:00Their Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are a lot of advantages to limiting the quantity of cakes we do per weekend at Gateaux Inc. Let's start with the obvious...we never have to freeze a cake. We only take as many orders as we can bake fresh and frost in a four day period, making our cakes the most fresh-moist-delicious-cakes you'll ever have the pleasure of eating. Add in the fact that we couldn't possibly design and execute such intricate cake designs if we had a docket of orders backing up on us. We take one full decorating day for each cake that we make...multiply that by 3 cake decorators on staff, that's on average 39 woman-hours of decorating going into one Gateaux Cake. Knowing this, allows me, The Evil Cake Genius, to design absolutely absurdly labor intensive cakes for my clients. People often ask me if I worked for another bakery before starting Gateaux Inc. The answer is simple. Any profitable bakery would have fired my ass after one week. I'm slow, completely type A, and will not compromise the quality of my cakes in either look or taste for anyone or anything, especially for an accountant. But my favorite part of limiting our orders is the fact that I still get to meet with every client myself. Call it selfish, but I want to be able to sit down with each client and get the full idea of the event they're planning. This gives me the unique opportunity to design a cake that is completely, utterly unique to them. So I rarely, if ever have to make the same cake twice!!<br />
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Often, during these sessions, we turn to more than simply the look of the event for inspiration. More than most elements party decor, the cake can actually tell a couple's story. So, I was particularly excited to meet with Sue about her 20th Wedding Anniversary cake.<br />
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Sue wanted a Vikings/Razorbacks themed cake to surprise her husband Mike. A very sweet gesture, but, as I pointed out to her, it takes two to be married for 20 years, so even by law, the anniversary cake is 50% yours...community property....I can't believe you haven't taken advantage of this concept in 20 years, learn from the master, Miss Sue...I can teach you so much...<br />
Sue followed with the fact that she wanted this cake to be his because he had given her so much, and she wanted to give him something that was all about him. She then proceeded to tell me why Mike deserved an all-football-all-man anniversary cake.<br />
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Turns out, these two have been through a lot together. Like most love stories, they met, they fell in love, got married, bought a house, and had an otherwise happy new life together. Until Christmas, 1999, when Sue's car was hit. Bad.<br />
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She was broken up, put back together, had surgery after surgery, and had enough metal pieces and parts put in her to have earned her new Gateaux code name "Bionic Sue". This spanned not months, but years of recovery (enough that Sue was actually embarking on writing a book about it) . And Mike was right there to pick up the pieces.<br />
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So we talked. She started selling me on why he deserved a football cake, and the more adorable, sweet, caring, loving stories she told me, the more I decided that Mikey wasn't gonna get a football cake. This guy deserved far more.<br />
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How about we make the cake a prequel to Sue's upcoming book. Why not use the anniversary to tell the couple's story in the best way possible...cake. So I set Sue to work...give me... in book title format...the events that made your marriage and you as a couple what you are today. She was up for the challenge. By the time we met for our design session, she had covered everything from how she asked him out, to how he proposed. Couple that with some touching stories, some tragic moments, and some touchingly tragically funny moments (like the day that she returned home from Physical Therapy to, not Mike, but "Miguel"...who had been to her hair dresser that afternoon for a lesson in how to style Sue's hair, as she was too broken up to hold her arms up long enough to do it for herself. Miguel, by the way, was fired after a 2nd degree burn to Sue's forehead, but Mike still earned husband of the decade for trying.)<br />
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Once we had our book titles (and a LOT of laughs) we worked on adding in the Vikings and Razorbacks. Turns out, that Sue gave Mike Season Tickets to the Vikings for their anniversary one year, so that was easy...one pair of frosting Vikings tickets. Mike became a Razorbacks fan once the couple moved to Arkansas, so we put a Fondant Razorback's pennant next to the Arkansas chapter of their cake.<br />
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Now onto the dirt. No man is as perfect as she is leading me to believe, so I had to do some digging. Turns out, Mike had some baggage. In the form of a Cat named Stinky, that came along with him in the deal, and a 1950 Chevy that lay dormant in their garage for more years than either of them would care to admit. Perfect. No good cakey homage is complete without a good ribbing!! Add in the fact that he was acting so nervous the night that he proposed, that at dinner, Sue asked him if he had gas. Gold!!! Pure Gold!!!<br />
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Sue also wanted their fur-babies represented on the cakes. These two have had so many rescue pups that to name them on the book titles would be a whole other library of a cake. So we made frosting dog tags for each of them and scattered them on the tiers. Now all that was left was to top this off. Literally. What do you put on top of such an epic cake? Twenty years is a long time, but it is really just the beginning...so how about a frosting pen and inkwell to represent the rest of their unwritten story.<br />
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I can honestly say that I hope to make them another cake in 20 years, and another after that. I love my job. I always say that us cake people have it easy. Florists get to work on weddings, but they have to work on funerals too. Cake is typically saved for happy occasions. We do mostly weddings here at Gateaux, Inc. I'm thrilled to always be meeting with people who are in love, and excited to start their lives together. But, it is the anniversary cakes that always get me. After the ease of youth, good health, and new love passes, it is these folks...my anniversary clients...who give me the most joy. After the rubber hits the road, and time has passed, for love to be as sweet as cake and sugary frosting...that is something to smile about.<br />
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Decorator's Notes:</h2>
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Mike and Sue's cake was a true labor of love. I had made book cakes before, but this was the most titles I've ever included in one design. In the past, I would have laid out each title and projected the art onto the side of the cake with a Kopykake-type projector and hand-painted each letter. For such volume, I decided that I had to utilize my favorite new method of Mesh Stenciling fondant with royal icing. I created custom mesh stencils for each book title. You can see other <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/catalogsearch/result/?q=mesh" target="_blank">Mesh Stencils</a> on our Evil Cake Genius site <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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<span class="userContent">Another of my favorite cake decorating toys was used quite a lot on this design. It took me a couple of years using a standard clay extruder before I finally bit the cakey bullet, and bought one of these bad boys. I wish I had done it earlier...hell, I wish I would have invented these, they are brilliant. </span></div>
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<span class="userContent">I used the <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/catalogsearch/result/?q=extruder" target="_blank">extruder</a> to make the book bindings, striped bands on the covers, and the gold ring around the inkwell. I couldn't live without a clay gun, it makes precision work so much easier.</span></div>
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<span class="userContent">The Black fondant on the bottom tier was chocolate fondant to start with. I always warn my clients, that if they want to have a black tier, that it is best to make that tier a chocolate cake. The dark chocolate fondant is so close to black to start, that it keeps the fondant from fully saturating with food color and becoming unworkable. We typically split our multi-tiered cakes between several flavors, so a chocolate tier is almost always somewhere in the mix, might as well use it strategically!</span></div>
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Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-79457036105175281692013-07-14T20:10:00.000-05:002013-07-15T17:24:32.262-05:00House and HomeWhat is it about that word "home"? Humor me...say it out loud...don't worry, I'll wait.<br />
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Now, doesn't that feel better?<br />
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It's very soothing, comforting, and well, just plain warm and fuzzy, isn't it?<br />
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"House"...Nothing. Just a word.<br />
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I remember the afternoon that we closed on our house. My husband (The Captain) and I signed paper after paper, and nodded and smiled like we knew what any of those forms meant, then we got in our car and drove to our house. We stopped at MacDonald's drive through, got two large fries, and sat on the bare floor of our empty living room sipping Champagne, eating French fries and dreaming out loud.<br />
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But it wasn't a home yet. And it wouldn't be, for a long time. We had the hard wood floors refinished, moved in our furniture, bought a dog, but it still wasn't a home. Home is a process. When we built our fence and The Captain carried our pup Speck, in one hand, nail gun in the other, to determine how close together the planks had to be by holding up her teeny little head to make sure it wouldn't fit between them...a little bit of home happened. When the dining room light fixture dropped from the ceiling in the middle of the night, and the three of us crept down the stairs behind a baseball bat to investigate the noise...a little bit more home happened. When we filled the house with friends for Pumpkin Carving Brunch on Halloween, Oscar Parties, Twin's Playoff Games...a little bit more. Every new trick that the Captain taught Speck for my birthdays, every holiday, every fit of laughter, every tear, crack in the wall, leak in the roof, waltz in the living room, spider in the bathroom, dinner party, takeout on the couch, late night, early morning, hug or fight, made our house a little bit more Home.<br />
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Now, what the Hell does any of this have to do with wedding cakes? Patience, people...I'm getting there.<br />
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Linda is one of my favorite clients. We did her daughter's wedding cakes and invitations in 2010. Her style is impeccable, she knows how to work with color, design, and even Hershey Kisses (see the blog). Now she was calling for daughter number two.<br />
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She described it as an "at home" wedding. <br />
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I've heard about Linda's house. I've never been there, but knew that it had been featured in magazines. And I wasn't surprised that her daughter would want to have her wedding there.<br />
We began to plan the cake, desserts, and invitations immediately. Not having seen the house, I went off of what I knew about it. It belonged to one of the most stylish women I knew, and it had been featured editorially in magazines. I pictured a live-in gallery. A place that you could host a swanky cocktail party, a place that was impeccably put together and thought out. Nothing like my little two bedroom Cape Cod. And I wasn't entirely right.<br />
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I met with Linda and Rachel, and began showing them the concepts that I had for the invitations, etc. There wasn't a set color scheme, or theme, so I was just listening to Rachel describe the wedding to get an idea of what we should design. Funny thing. She didn't describe colors, patterns, décor, or anything of the kind. She described the feeling of an at home wedding. Funny thing is, that by her description, I walked back into my office, and came back with a photo of a cake that I had found online (don't know how I did this job before the Internet, insert "old" joke here) that I loved. I never thought I'd have the right wedding for it, but it made me feel all the things that Rachel was describing. And even though none of the cakes in my portfolio quite grasped what she was looking for, as soon as I showed her this little unassuming cake, she confirmed, that it was exactly what she wanted.<br />
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We followed through with a beautiful pale grey invitation with just the tiniest calligraphed heart motif and red envelope liners.<br />
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The groom got involved, and mini pumpkin pies, cheesecakes and giant turtle clusters were added to the order. <br />
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The delivery was on a chilly October afternoon. I arrived at the house eager to set up one of my favorite cake and dessert combinations ever. My only concern was how this was going to hold up to a designer house. As soon as I pulled up the driveway, all of my concerns were quelled. The stone house with a big bay window had quaint shutters, beautiful shade trees, and a tent extending into the back yard. When I went inside I was floored. My expectations of some over-designed, "don't-sit-on-the-couch", "don't-touch that" house were completely off base. Linda's home, while incredibly beautiful, was warm and comfortable. Welcoming. The black-walled living room that I had heard of wasn't some overdone statement, it was actually so cozy that I wanted to pull down one of the books on the wall of bookshelves, send my assistant to set up the cake, unfold the fuzzy throw on the couch and read myself into a nice autumn nap. The bride's gown hung from the balcony over the lofted family room ceiling, and I could feel the energy and the joy of the day and the history of the home. The cake was set up on the dining room table on Linda's own cake stand, and surrounded by candy cinnamon hearts (Linda's idea). <br />
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The whole set up was exactly as Linda had originally said..."an at home wedding", which is very, very different from a wedding "at my house". I thought of how intimate and personal the whole idea was. How honored the guests must have been to be invited, not only to a wedding, but into the family's center. But the one thing I bet none of the guests knew is that they were taking part in something that would make this already warm, inviting house even more of a home. And they didn't even need a baseball bat or a nail gun to do it.<br />
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Many thanks to the incredible <a href="http://www.lizbanfield.com/" target="_blank">Liz Banfield</a> for the fabulous photos of the cake cutting!!<br />
<br />Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-68579783179769974392013-06-09T20:37:00.000-05:002013-06-09T20:37:54.926-05:00Taming the Cake Lady<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've always been the extravagant one. Some may say it's my southern Italian heritage, others may just say it's a youngest-child-vying-for-attention thing. Maybe it's a bit of a Napoleon complex, after all, I'm only five foot three and three quarters inches tall (and yes, the 3/4 inches counts when you're this short). Whatever you want to blame it on, it's just a fact. I always had a flair for drama. My stories are often embellished, exaggerated, and told to entertain. I went to prom in a wedding dress, bought a Venetian glass chandelier for my two bedroom cape cod, and can not throw a party without a themed menu, matching stationery, and enough food for ten times the number of guests that attend.<br />
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Let's just say that the phrase "Less is More" has <em>never </em>made sense to me.<br />
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Fortunately, I've found my niche in the wedding industry. What is a wedding if not the most extravagant party you'll ever host? And a cake by Gateaux always makes a statement. Whether it be Modern and Chic, or Dripping with Rococo embellishments, it is always a little over-the-top. And little Napoleon-me is happy about it.<br />
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Enter Joi.<br />
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Joi was using the fabulous Mimi Weddings for her wedding coordinating. And her cake was top priority. She was made for me. In getting ready for our appointment, I dug through my wish list of cake ideas that I'm constantly collecting on the internet, and was ready to wow her. She had an idea of her own, and brought me a photo of her "dream cake". The photo was from Martha Stewart Weddings magazine from several years back. It was a tower of knife-frosted buttercream with patches of fresh flowers here and there. In the photo, a flower girl was standing on a chair gazing at the cake like she was ready to have some serious dessert. "I was that little girl" Joi said. No, not literally, but she went on to explain that when she was little, she was that little girl at the wedding that was in complete awe of that tower of frosted heaven that we call a wedding cake. She could barely wait for them to cut into it. And that was the kind of cake she had always dreamed of. <br />
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Easy.<br />
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Nope, not easy. <br />
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You see, along with my flare for drama, comes a debilitating perfectionism. In my 18 years of cake decorating, I have done one, count it, one buttercream cake. It was the second cake I ever made. The client insisted that she did not want fondant on her wedding cake, and I folded like a cheap lawn chair. What followed was two solid days of frosting, smoothing, resmoothing, refrosting, a little crying, then some more frosting. It took my husband several hours of "it looks fine", "it looks great", "it's perfect", "you need to seek professional psychiatric help" to get me to finally box it up and agree to deliver it. I delivered the cake, stacked it, received numerous compliments on it, was thanked profusely by the bride, and left the reception site vowing to never again frost a wedding cake in buttercream. My husband, The Captain, fully supported me in my decision, as he was not going to sign up for years of soothing the obsessive compulsive cake lady.<br />
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Not that I claim my fondant cakes to be perfect...they are a far cry from it! But there is an inherent smooth, clean, tidy nature to fondant cakes, that preserve my sanity (sort of). That being said, I use carpenter's levels, drafting triangles, and a whole lot of scrutiny to make my cakes as close to perfect as possible.<br />
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I sketched up four options for Joi. Three of them were fondant cakes, one was a buttercream cake covered in rosettes, and I told her "of course, I could also do the one from the magazine". Now that I had distracted her with the glory of fondant, I was certain that she would go the more extravagant route. To ensure this, I priced all of the cakes the same, just in case that may be a tie breaker. <br />
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But there was no tie to break. When Joi called back to book, she chose original "dream cake" as the cake design. And I happily accepted. After all, it was her dream cake, and I really rather adore her. Surely, I could overcome my need for perfection...put away my levels, and fondant smoothers, and let go for a day...or could I?<br />
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The week of Joi's wedding came, and I worked up my plan for how I would frost her cakes to look like that delicious stucco buttercream, but maintain my sanity. The easy solution would have been to let Jenna and Julia frost the cakes. But then, they'd have to deal with a hovering boss critiquing their work as too perfect, not perfect enough, and then someone would find my body in the dumpster behind the shop. So I frosted Joi's cake perfectly imperfect. Boxed up the tiers and delivered it to her reception.<br />
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And that's where I learned the lesson in this blog. The art of not being "Too, too".<br />
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There was a man at the reception site during out set up. Well there were several men, but this one stood out as someone who everyone knew and respected. He was dressed sharply, and was clearly involved with the wedding in some way. I did what I always do during a wedding cake set up. I completely ignored him. I completely ignored everyone, and everything until the cake is stacked and I can breathe again (no, that part of the wedding cake delivery never goes away). Once the cake was stacked, he came across the room. Much to my chagrin, he stopped in front of the cake and studied it. With his hand on his chin he said "You know what that cake is?" I looked at him, much in the way that my dog Speck looks at me when I make a funny noise. "My wife and I have a saying," he continued. "Too, too." "You know...how some things are just Too....Too.?" <br />
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You mean like wearing a wedding dress to prom? Like buying a Murano glass chandelier for a little Cape Cod House? No, I have no idea what you're referring to, Mr., who exactly are you anyway?<br />
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Still having heard no response from the cake lady, he continued.<br />
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"Well, this cake isn't too, too."<br />
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And he was right. <br />
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And he was the father of the bride. And one of the wisest and at the same time, coolest human beings I have ever met. You know the type. The guy that can refer to another guy as a "cat" and nobody laughs at him. That chill, soft spoken, doesn't need to embellish his stories....cat.<br />
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After the wedding, Joi sent me a couple of photos of her and her groom with the "dream cake".<br />
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Photos that confirm that a wedding cake doesn't have to have the minutia of a bride's wedding dress lace, the couple's perfectly recreated monogram, or thousands of edible pearls and rhinestones to be a "dream cake". And that little girl got her tower of frosted bliss, just as she had always dreamed.Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-58030295930663114392013-04-28T17:34:00.000-05:002014-01-23T11:56:04.883-06:00The Secret Ingredient<span style="background-color: black; color: #a64d79; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">"Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough" -Mark Twain</span><br />
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I've been decorating wedding cakes for 18 years. I've seen trends in design and flavor come and go, some I wish would have stayed a little longer, others (like rosewater infused cakes, which give me a pounding headache when they're baking and in my opinion taste like you're eating some one's grandmother...just sayin') I'm glad have passed.<br />
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Every once in a while, completely independent of current trend, I have a string of cakes that have a uniting theme. This is what happened this late summer and fall at Gateaux.<br />
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Let's start with Cassie and Andrew.<br />
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They had a beautiful wedding planned, and their invitation had one of the most beautiful Damask patterns I'd ever seen. That invitation, coupled with their striking color scheme of white and charcoal with a punch of purple in the floral, made designing their cake a breeze.<br />
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Once the sketches were complete, I brought out my flavor list and handed it to them. Typically, the groom is all over this part of the appointment. He has done his duty of not squirming in his seat too much while the ladies in the room are discussing the finer points of Brocade fabrics, the difference between Charcoal and Gunmetal grey, their preference of Cymbidium over Cattaleya orchids, etc. and now he gets to talk in terms he can truly understand...dessert.<br />
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Andrew, however, handed the menu to Cassie and leaned back as though his part of the meeting was over. I was puzzled. After all, he was quite involved in the design of the cake. This was his chance to, well, eat!! I asked him why he wasn't as excited as <i>he should be </i>about choosing his cake flavor, and he answered those blasphemous four words that no cake decorator should ever hear... "I...don't...like...cake." <br />
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Once I regained consciousness, I investigated further. I've seen this syndrome before. Surely, he was a pie man. I've had those before. Actually, it was a guy who only liked Pumpkin Pie, who inspired our Pumpkin Walnut cake flavor, which is to this day my personal favorite of all of our cakes. <br />
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Alas, Andrew was<i> not </i>a pie man. He wasn't a sweets man at all. "Surely, there must be something you like?" I asked. And he replied, "Whiskey".<br />
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Game on Andrew, Game on.<br />
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I do samples once a month. Since we never freeze a cake, we bake up all the flavors that my potential clients have requested, and everyone comes in on sample day to pick up a box of cake slices to take home and share with their family. This gave me about three weeks to figure out how to put my cakey money where my mouth was, and create a "Whiskey Sour" wedding cake flavor. I didn't stop there, I also promised a purple velvet cake to compliment the frosting orchids on the tiers. Typical me.<br />
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We played around with a lot of options that next baking day. And recalling my headaches during the "great rosewater trend of 2010" I refrained from putting whiskey in the batter. Instead, we made a limoncello flavored batter with a kick of lemon zest, and filled it with a Mousse that was positively drunk with whiskey. To my surprise, it was not only acceptable, but delicious! As a matter of fact, Cassie and Andrew chose to split their wedding cake between the Whiskey Sour cake and the Purple Velvet cake filled with the Whiskey Mousse!<br />
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When we set up the cake, the bridal party was milling around between photos. It was such fun to see the reaction of the bridesmaids when they saw the cake, and the reaction of the groomsmen when Andrew told them that this otherwise beautiful, elegant cake had one badass secret ingredient....besides love.<br />
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I love the photo of Cassie hesitating to cut her cake, and the photo of "I don't like cake Andrew" (yep, that's your new code name around here) taking the matter into his own hands.<br />
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Now, we move forward a month to Erin. Erin wanted to surprise her groom with a wedding cake. Not a groom's cake, a wedding cake. Her planner, the lovely Sarah at Lasting Impressions, called us in for the task, because this was no ordinary wedding cake. Erin wanted it shaped like a giant bottle of Jameson Whiskey.<br />
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And we're off again...<br />
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When I met with Erin and her mom, I must admit, that I wasn't expecting a sweet little young thing to walk into my shop. I guess I have a misconception of what a girl who wants a whiskey bottle wedding cake should look like. I expected someone a little older, a lot tougher, and possibly covered with tattoos. Again...just sayin'.<br />
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So I interrogated her.<br />
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Turns out, the couple had been studying abroad and travelled quite a lot together. While in Australia, his parents paid them a visit, and brought with them bottles of Jameson Whiskey. Now we're onto something. The fact that the Whiskey reminding them of their travels together made a lot of sense. I quickly changed the design to a whiskey barrel. <br />
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We could create a life-size whiskey barrel with a life-size chocolate bottle of Jameson on top. The barrel would be branded with postmarks of the places they had travelled together (almost as if it had tagged along for the ride). Once we added this concept, the stories began. From how he fell asleep on an anthill while camping in Australia, to the earthquake they had survived in New Zealand. We added little touches to the cake to tell their story, and I was ready to talk flavors.</div>
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More ready than they knew....I had the Whiskey Sour cake up my sleeve! They sampled the cakes, and chose three flavors. The Almond cake, The Tuxedo cake with Fudge Filling, and my favorite, Pumpkin Walnut. The lesson, you can't tell a cake/book by it's cover/frosting.<br />
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We were setting up a S'mores buffet in another room when Erin and Mike entered their cocktail hour and she surprised him with the cake. I have never heard such a reaction. The guests roared and cheered like someone just hit a home run. I had no idea what was going on in that room until the photographer came into our staging area to let me know that that raucous cheering was during the cake reveal and cutting. And boy, did she ever capture it on film!<br />
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So there you have it...a tale of two Whiskey cakes. I don't think we'll be seeing an upswing in the trend, but do very much enjoy the two that I had the pleasure of working with this past year. So here's to you Cassie and Andrew, Erin and Mike<br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">"May the winds of fortune sail you, <br />May you sail a gentle sea. <br />May it always be the other guy <br />who says this drink's on me."</span></div>
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Cassie and Andrew's cake was one of my favorite, and at the same time most challenging Damask Cakes. Her invitations were quite intricate, and I didn't want to compromise on the cake. So, I brought in a graphic artist to help me sort through and turn the damask pattern into something that would stencil well. Fortunately for anyone who wants to reproduce this look, I have added the three stencils that we created for this cake to our <a href="http://www.evilcakegenius.com/" target="_blank">Evil Cake Genius</a> shopping site.<a href="https://apps.facebook.com/ecwid-shop/store/331154735494" target="_blank"></a></div>
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The separators for this cake were custom cut Styrofoam dummies, covered in Swarovski Crystals. While we refuse to do dummy cakes (what fun is it when people say "that isn't a cake" and you can't reply "you bet your sweet xxx it is!" we do use styro for separators when they are going to be covered entirely in crystal. Best not to tempt any busy caterer to serve a slice of Austrian Crystal to some unsuspecting guest.<br />
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The solid grey tier was imprinted with a quatrefoil pattern. I couldn't find the imprinter I was looking for anywhere, so I resorted to making my own cookie cutter and used it as an imprinter for that tier. You can buy sets to make your own cookie cutters here <a href="http://www.shopbakersnook.com/m5/9625--make-your-own-cookie-cutter-kit.html?gclid=CPGfuczI7rYCFSNqMgodaVAAqA">http://www.shopbakersnook.com/m5/9625--make-your-own-cookie-cutter-kit.html?gclid=CPGfuczI7rYCFSNqMgodaVAAqA</a></div>
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The chocolate Jameson Bottle was hand-molded, and the label was screen printed fondant. The barrel cake weighed 140 pounds, and is responsible for my first-ever Cake Injury! We were not prepared for quite how heavy it would be and needed to move it in and out of refrigeration to decorate it. Before the fondant was even placed on the cake, it took three of us to maneuver the beast in and out of the fridge. By the time the cake was covered in fondant, we had pulled down a rolling table from storage, and built ramps to wheel the table up to the refrigerator shelf height and then back down to the table height. Unfortunately, it was too late for the Evil Cake Genius. I pulled a Pectoral muscle somewhere in the pre-ramp stage of decorating. If you've ever pulled that particular muscle, you can attest to the fact that it is the slowest of all injuries to heal, and there's nothing to do but wait...and make up a better, more heroic story to tell everyone who asks why you're wincing every time you turn your head more than ten degrees. I prefer the "lifting a car off of a small child, or fought off a half dozen Ninjas story.</div>
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Many thanks to my friend Lindsay at "A Wish and a Whisk" cakes in California for helping me figure out how to structure the beast without it imploding under its own weight into a cakey black hole. Next time, you're coming to help me move the thing around Lindsay!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"><b></b></span><br />Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-22218598688352099822013-04-21T13:01:00.004-05:002014-01-23T11:57:06.282-06:00Telling TalesI love making cakes that tell a story. Sometimes, it's literal...you've seen our book cakes, if not, go to our Babies post just below this one to see a good example. (Coincidentally, Miss Charlotte was born yesterday! Welcome Miss Charlie, we're sorry there is a foot of snow on the ground to greet you on your April Birthday.) Other times we take a more subtle approach, and set up almost a "still life" in cake to share a couple's story (See <a href="http://gateaux-inc.blogspot.com/2011/04/samanthony-and-beach.html" target="_blank">Samanthony and the Beach</a> for a great example).<br />
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When I first heard about Marlene and Bobby's wedding, I knew nothing about them besides the fact that they had chic modern invitations designed by their coordinators Amy Zaroff Events, and that their wedding would be held at the fabulous Graves 601 Hotel. So, no ruffles and frills in store for this cake. I planned to work the honeycomb pattern from the invitations on their cake and create a graphic, unique design that would blend with their choice of venue, and their style, nothing more...Then I met them.<br />
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Marlene and Bobby are not your typical couple. They met at college, and that is where the "typical" ends. As a matter of fact, they admitted outright that when they met they didn't particularly like each other. To quote the cake (we'll get there, trust me) "Marlene thought Bobby was pompous and Bobby ignored Marlene, since she was just a Freshman".<br />
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First impressions aren't everything...as a matter of fact, I've heard from several of my clients that they really weren't fond of their eventual spouse when they first met. It was getting to know them, and learning that they had so much in common that changed the tune of their stubborn hearts.<br />
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That must be it! So, I delved further. Bobby is in politics. So that's my answer! They met in Student Government (according to the cake...Patience, people, we'll get to it!!) so they must be two politically driven passionate people! ...and they are!!! He is passionately Republican and She is an equally outspoken....rrrrrrrrtrtttttttttt....hold everything...Democrat.<br />
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Turns out, the differences were numerous. He was a small town boy, she was a city girl, he's Christian, she's Jewish. Not even geography was on their side. Bobby graduated shortly after they began dating and moved from New York to Minneapolis, while Marlene spent that Summer in Madrid, and then went back to New York to finish two more years of school followed by a year in London.<br />
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Sounds doomed.<br />
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Now, let the Evil Cake Genius interject for a moment. You see, when the Captain and I decided to tie the knot, we went through the pre marital counseling required by the church in which we were married. The Pastor, Harry, was excited to share a compatibility test that was created at the neighboring U of MN. He had administered this survey to other soon-to-be-wed couples and found it very useful in identifying the few inevitable personality/compatibility clashes that every couple must face. We took our tests separately, and the next week, he shared our highly scientific results. <br />
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Truth be told, he had "never seen a couple so incompatible". Seeing as we already put a deposit down on the reception venue, the three of us decided to ignore the esteemed University's opinion and rely on the possibility that the Captain, is simply the "Yin" to my "Yan". <br />
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Happily, seventeen years later, I can report that despite the warnings from our Alma Mater, the Captain and I are still not only married, but actually like each other. My East Coast abruptness somehow balances his California chill. My embellished stories are balanced by his quiet voice of reason, and I wouldn't have it any other way. And that whole "I married my best friend" bull, you can keep it. I have a best friend. Her name is Sherrie. And I have a husband, who I live with, fight with, laugh with, cry with, and love. Never trust a couple who "doesn't fight". They're either lying to you, or they have the most boring relationship on the planet. Yeah, I said it.<br />
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Back to our couple.<br />
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With my personal experience and passion for "opposites" attracting, I was thrilled when I saw that Marlene and Bobby had already shared their less-than-typical courtship with their guests. The designer over at Amy Zaroff Events, had cleverly put their story together, complete with campy 1950's graphics and created a save the date card that told all! Even better, they were fully on board with telling their tale again on the wedding cake. This time, we'd add the story of Bobby's elaborate and thoughtful proposal, as well as their very own happy ending.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GC-1jakQJ5M/UXQiPbXsehI/AAAAAAAABzw/Bp79VBHNHxU/s1600/MarleneBobbyProposalResized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GC-1jakQJ5M/UXQiPbXsehI/AAAAAAAABzw/Bp79VBHNHxU/s320/MarleneBobbyProposalResized.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eDmCP5nG4ec/UXQiNf3-IHI/AAAAAAAABzg/FMqMB_PK0BI/s1600/MarleneBobbyHappyEndingResized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eDmCP5nG4ec/UXQiNf3-IHI/AAAAAAAABzg/FMqMB_PK0BI/s320/MarleneBobbyHappyEndingResized.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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We took the graphics from the Save the Date, created the new graphics for the proposal and top tier panels, and ran with it. All that was left of my original design was a few fondant hexagons on the ledges, which seemed a little lackluster, until we added parts of the story to those as well.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t_VqD6UCMFk/UXQiNUYM0KI/AAAAAAAABzc/gCICV65DHGk/s1600/MarleneBobbyHexResized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t_VqD6UCMFk/UXQiNUYM0KI/AAAAAAAABzc/gCICV65DHGk/s320/MarleneBobbyHexResized.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ADLKaXEEi9I/UXQiQs3dGNI/AAAAAAAABz8/0ndiDRO8XAk/s1600/MarleneBobbyResized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ADLKaXEEi9I/UXQiQs3dGNI/AAAAAAAABz8/0ndiDRO8XAk/s640/MarleneBobbyResized.jpg" height="640" width="482" /></a></div>
What resulted, was one of my all time favorite cakes. Not only in look, but in spirit. It's the truth...the whole truth...presented in the best way possible. In Cake. Marlene and Bobby chose to embrace their differences as part of their story. They even had political booster buttons as their place cards, seating each guest at a table identified, not by a number, but by a political ticket from US election history. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XJgt1cEAu8I/UXQjhN7flnI/AAAAAAAAB0M/q2KGmfS8Mgs/s1600/MarleneBobbyErinResized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XJgt1cEAu8I/UXQjhN7flnI/AAAAAAAAB0M/q2KGmfS8Mgs/s320/MarleneBobbyErinResized.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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If this is enough reading for you, I fully understand. Feel free to cut bait now, and go grab a snack, or watch some television, maybe even read some actual literature. I won't be offended. But I must warn you, that the story doesn't end here.<br />
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Like all good political opponents, Marlene decided to uncover a secret part of Bobby's past and make it public at their reception (which, I might add, was a mere eight weeks before the 2012 election). And I was thrilled to see that she refrained from using one of the 24 hour news channels, a tabloid, or a newspaper to do the deed. She used...a cake.<br />
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Now, if you read the wedding cake, you know that Bobby moved to Minneapolis and set up house long before Marlene moved here. So, when Marlene returned from London to her new home with Bobby, she was a little shocked to see that he had decorated the bathroom of their place entirely in Spider Man accoutrements. He had it all, shower curtain, shower curtain rings, soap dispenser, tooth brush holder, and most importantly, when she asked "Is there a matching garbage can?" the answer was "Yes". With a sigh of relief, she did exactly what any future wife would do under the circumstances. She loaded that charming Spidey garbage can with the other Super Hero accessories, and escorted them to the neighborhood's Avengers Head Quarters, conveniently located inside the dumpster behind their building.<br />
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This story is a job for the second type of tale-telling cake that I mentioned (what seems like a year ago) in the opening paragraph of the blog. A picture is worth a thousand words. A cake sculpture is worth at least as many, plus it tastes better than any of the words I've had the pleasure of eating in my life (see above, I'm East Coast, aaaand Italian, I've eaten my share of words).<br />
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So, we whipped up this Super Hero expose, Gateaux style. With a little embellishment, and a lot of humor. Marlene was completely on board, loving the addition of crumpled frosting Kleenex and Q-tips. She emailed us links to the full array of Spiderman Bathroom Décor that she banished from the apartment, and like any good informant, kept the lid on the "scoop" until just the right moment(the reception).<br />
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We set up the wedding cake, watched the couple enter their ceremony, then rushed in for a stealthy Groom's Cake set up during the ceremony. We wondered what his reaction to his public Super Hero "outing" would be, but alas, we are cake ladies. We dissolve into a mere puff of powdered sugar by the time the reception is underway. Thankfully, their fabulous photographer Erin Johnson caught a few shots of the newlyweds with the cake. Marlene was also sure to let us know how well it was received once they returned from honeymoon. She even included a great shot of her with Bobby reenacting the Great Bathroom Scene for posterity. (Notice the finger prints on the cake from some anonymous/curious guest...yes, that's a cake!!)<br />
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So, our foray into political journalism came to its well-deserved end. And back to the Lair of the Evil Cake Genius, we went. Thanks Marlene, and Spider-Bobby for the reminder that the best love stories are the weird ones. We wish you spirited election years, and love, and fights, and all that goes with a great marriage. Congratulations, Mazel Tov, and Tingling Spidey-Senses for years to come.<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">Decorator's Notes:</span></h2>
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Marlene and Bobby's wedding cake was made with custom screens so that an entire side of a tier could be screen printed in Royal Icing in one swipe. I can't imagine the amount of time it would have taken to hand letter those tiers...I'd still be working on it now. We sell many screens on our Shop Gateaux Store <a href="https://apps.facebook.com/ecwid-shop/store/331154735494" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://apps.facebook.com/ecwid-shop/store/331154735494</a> </div>
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The Spidey cake was such fun to make. We actually ordered a set of the Spiderman Shower Curtain Rings and cast a mold off of it to make ours out of chocolate. We use a ton of this stuff. I wish I had a wholesale source for it, but you can find it at <a href="http://amazingmoldputty.com/">http://amazingmoldputty.com</a></div>
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The hand towel was textured by stabbing it repeatedly with a small star tip. It's not easy on the hands, but makes a great terry cloth texture.</div>
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We molded the base of the soap dispenser out of colored white chocolate. Sometimes you just have to look around a bit to find the right mold. This one was molded in a quart carton from whipping cream. </div>
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Inspired? Check out our Evil Cake Genius site for great stencils, screens and cutters. We're adding new items weekly, so check back often!</div>
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Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-86759308185223229802013-03-10T21:19:00.000-05:002014-01-23T12:23:03.255-06:00BabiesDon't take this wrong, but babies freak me out. I'm the youngest of four, my husband, The Captain, is the youngest of four, so neither of us have ever lived in a house with one of these mysterious creatures. I have a darling niece/God Daughter, Kendra who has two adorable little girls of her own now, but she and I sadly, have never lived in the same city. On my husband's side, we have ten, count 'em ten nieces and nephews. Most of them do live in the same area as we do, but we were never asked to babysit (possibly due to the constant look of terror on both of our faces whenever we were in the vicinity of an infant). <br />
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Lots of people misinterpret this as us "not liking kids". That's not necessarily true. Despite their tendency to behave uncannily like drunk adults (think about it...they fall over easily, are overly emotional, and are prone to throwing up) and the fact that they are perpetually sticky, I don't dislike them. I'm just terrified of them. And I've been six feet away from a pride of lions while they killed and devoured an Impala in less than three minutes. Lions, Black Mambas, African Jumping Spiders...nothing. Eight members of a TV Crew following me around waiting for me to screw up for three weeks...I got this. Negotiating the Khan El-Khalili market in Cairo armed with only a dozen words of Egyptian Arabic...no problem. Swimming on a sand bar full of Stingrays who rub up against your legs like cats...I'll talk baby talk to them and pet their velvety bellies. Put me in a locked room with a crying kid, and I'll claw my way through the drywall to escape the horror.<br />
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Needless to say, I have a lot of respect for my wedding clients who return to me when they have decided to take the baby plunge. Some responsible, patient, loving folk have to raise the next generation of cake fans, and we know that it isn't going to be me that (Wo)man's up to the task.<br />
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This past weekend, we had a rare occurrence at the shop. No weddings...two baby showers. Let's start with Ann and Tyler. Since we made their fabulous "<a href="http://gateaux-inc.blogspot.com/2009/06/parrot-head.html" target="_blank">Parrot Head</a>" wedding cake, they have had a darling little girl. Now that they are expecting their second, they decided that it would be fun for us to make them a "Gender Reveal" shower cake. For those of you living under a Pinterest-free rock, a gender reveal cake is tinted either pink or blue so that when the parents cut the cake at their shower, the gender of the baby is revealed. Tyler and Ann dropped off the sealed ultra sound with us a few days before the party so we were the first to know. Very flattering...I thought, as I opened the sealed envelope, expecting to see that oddly sweet "alien-looking" profile that we've all seen before. Instead, I got a bottom up view with a little arrow that said "It's a boy!" I'm no ultra sound tech...but the way this kid was flashing me, I didn't need any clarification. Modesty, little Tyler!!!<br />
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Fortunately for my innocent little eyes, Erica and Josh already knew they were having a girl when they asked me to make baby Charlotte's shower cake. If you haven't followed the blog for long, check out their beautiful wedding cake etc. <a href="http://gateaux-inc.blogspot.com/2012/01/clyde-tino-san-and-answer-to-that.html" target="_blank">here</a>. As if my car crushing their prize gum paste Dahlia wedding cake topper wasn't enough, they chose a different way to stress me out with the shower cake. "We want you to surprise us!!"<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
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Nothing (shy of a crying child) stresses out the Evil Cake Genius more than surprises. Carte Blanche is, needless to say, not my color. Playing along, I agreed, but asked for a tiny bit of guidance, and here's what I got. Erica sent me a link to a baby shower that was duck-themed in a beautiful yellow and grey color scheme. She also mentioned that she loved the "Little Golden Books" and those beat up old vintage building blocks, and that while they loved our tiered cakes, it might be fun to make a trompe l'oeil cake for the shower. Josh, unbeknownst to Erica, had let us in on her love for her own baby blankie (at least what's left of it). He even provided us with these "Before and After" photos of the blankie for reference.<br />
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He also mentioned that it would be great to see big brother Wilson (their bulldog) represented on the cake. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5OJuXfv67ew/UT08-3MlTQI/AAAAAAAABwE/P6qZIIpnUB4/s1600/wilson14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5OJuXfv67ew/UT08-3MlTQI/AAAAAAAABwE/P6qZIIpnUB4/s200/wilson14.jpg" height="200" width="148" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7puSYglWbcg/UT0-F4WgbkI/AAAAAAAABws/jNEoSM4S9TY/s1600/WillyResized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7puSYglWbcg/UT0-F4WgbkI/AAAAAAAABws/jNEoSM4S9TY/s320/WillyResized.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, for over a month, I stressed out. Planned, changed plans, designed, redesigned, and finally came up with a design that would look like a stack of nursery rhyme books next to an open book. We could have one of the books be "The Pokey Little Puppy" and have a mini Wilson head sticking out from the pages of the book. The open book would be a classic, but nondescript fairy tale with a title page that read "Welcome Baby Charlotte". I had the perfect vintage Fairy Tale book at my house, and once I paged through it, and found that every illustration had something either disturbing, racially insensitive, or downright weird, I moved to "Plan B". That involved several trips to used book stores, where I found out that my vintage Fairy Tale book was no exception (check them out sometime, they are downright bizarre) and endless hours searching online for the perfect illustrations. <br />
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Finally, at around two o'clock in the morning, two weeks before the shower, I was searching online, when I realized that I could use one of my books. I had a stack of books that were favorites from my childhood, and figured that "Miss Susie" the squirrel who lives in a dollhouse, might have some great illustrations in it. I walked out of my office, through the living room on my way to the basement and stopped directly in front of two framed prints on my living room wall. They were a gift from The Captain, many years ago. Two beautifully illustrated pages from my favorite version of "The Velveteen Rabbit" just on the pages where he becomes REAL.<br />
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I had just read the passage about becoming real a few months earlier while we waited for the vet to bring back our Child, Speck, from the back room where they gave her her latest vaccinations. Speck is 14 years old. She is the joy of our lives...a feisty pain in the ass, naughty Westie, who we adore with all of our hearts. The vet had commented that her hair was thinning around her collar as it happens with older dogs. I told her that the hair had been "loved off" and as any techno-spoiled girl would, I found the passage to back my reference on my phone while The Captain and I waited for Speck to get her shots.<br />
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<span style="color: #ea9999;">“What is REAL?" asked the Velveteen Rabbit one day... "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"<br /><br />"Real isn't how you are made," said the Rocking Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."<br /><br />"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.<br /><br />"Sometimes," said the Rocking Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."<br /><br />"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"<br /><br />"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Rocking Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. <br /><br />"Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand... once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always.”</span><br />
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I ran back to my office, and sketched the fastest, most unreadable sketch of my career. We would swap the stack of books for a present with a Chocolate Paste Velveteen Rabbit coming out of the box. Instead of frosting tissue paper, we'd make a frosting version of Erica's blankie ("before" version") and, since we adore Erica and Josh, and planned on getting them a shower gift anyway, I ordered a copy of the original book and the plush bunny before sighing with relief and going up to bed. <br />
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The following weeks were filled with moments of doubt that my design was possibly "self serving" or that maybe for some reason, Erica and Josh were the two people on the planet who for some reason hate "The Velveteen Rabbit". You know, the usual, neurotic crap that The Evil Cake Genius puts her twisted mind through.<br />
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Happily, when we delivered the cake, Erica and Josh were delighted. Erica instantly recognized her blankie, and she seemed to have the same trouble that I did reminding herself that she couldn't cuddle the frosting bunny.<br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;">Decorator's Notes</span></h2>
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<b>Twinkle Twinkle Cake</b></div>
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We hand-carved the fat little star shape for Tyler and Ann's Baby Reveal cake. Blue cake turns a horrible green color when it bakes (on the outside of the cake only) so it was nice to carve all of that away. </div>
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The Striped bow was screen printed in blue royal icing using our Striped Ribbon and Message Medallion Screen Set available at our Evil Cake Genius site <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/stencils/stencils-for-cakes/babies-kids/striped-ribbon-message-medallion-mesh-stencil-set.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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The Letters for the song verse were cut out using a combination of upper and lower case letters from the cutter sets available at our Evil Cake Genius site <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/stencils/stencils-for-cakes/babies-kids/striped-ribbon-message-medallion-mesh-stencil-set.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> the question mark was created by warping the number 2 from this set.</div>
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<b>Charlotte's Cake</b></div>
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Charlotte's bunny was molded out of Chocolate paste. We were happy to have the real toy bunny at our side during the process for reference, and cuddles.</div>
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The bow on the box lid was screen printed with the same striped ribbon screen as the bow on the Twinkle cake. It is part of our Striped Ribbon and Message Medallion Screen Set available on our Evil Cake Genius site <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/stencils/stencils-for-cookies-cupcakes/babies-kids/striped-ribbon-message-medallion-mesh-stencil-set.html" target="_blank">HERE</a><a href="https://apps.facebook.com/ecwid-shop/store/331154735494"></a></div>
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The two pages of the book were painted with liqui-gel food colors diluted with vodka, then screen printed in black royal icing. We can't sell the Velveteen Rabbit screen because of Copyright, but the "Welcome Baby Charlotte' screen inspired the "Welcome Baby Plaque and Medallion/Cookie Screen" set on our Evil Cake Genius site <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/stencils/stencils-for-cookies-cupcakes/babies-kids/welcome-baby-plaque-and-medallion-mesh-stencil-set.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> </div>
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Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-11014727996603276172013-03-02T20:13:00.001-06:002014-07-08T13:53:10.970-05:00Repeat Business, Keeping Cake in the Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Making wedding cakes is a tough business. Aside from the long hours, Carpal Tunnel-ridden hands, Dish-Pan-hands, constant temptation to EAT EVERYTHING around you, and Chronic bouts of Catastrophic Cake-tastrophy nightmares keeping you from getting a good night's sleep from late April until November, and mopping...all that mopping, it is a tricky business model to boot. You see, we love our clients. Our clients love us. We have a fabulous working relationship and build customer loyalty that any Fortune 500 Company would kill for. Then, they get married, we make them an awesome cake, aaaaaand, we're done.<br />
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A lot of bakeries would see their clients again for birthday cakes, and baby shower cakes, etc. after the wedding, but we're a small bakery that does big cakes. So we can only take three cakes per weekend. So, unless you plan to have a small gathering of 100 or so guests every year at your birthday party, we're probably not going to be doing the cake. <br />
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When I started Gateaux, 17 years ago, I was aware of this little business glitch. And, while I wasn't rooting for the divorce rates to skyrocket to bring me back some of my favorite couples (I guess they'd be singles) as repeat clients, it did worry me a bit.<br />
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After the first couple of years in business, I learned that I was (don't tell my husband this) pleasantly wrong. While I didn't have repeat clients in the traditional sense, I did have repeat clients in an even better way. I discovered that if you do your job well and have fun with your clients in the process, they often drag their siblings, friends, even coworkers back to you as soon as they hear of another engagement. Repeat. Business.<br />
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Some of you may remember Marissa and Robb and their <a href="http://gateaux-inc.blogspot.com/2011/04/tale-of-three-cities-and-one-mexican.html" target="_blank">Tale of Three Cities Cake</a> from 2011. Turns out that Robb has a sister who planned to marry in 2012. I was thrilled when Jacey's wedding planners Amy Zaroff Events contacted me to let me know that Jacey wanted to use us for her wedding cake as well. Thrilled, and a little worried. You see, when you're wired for anxiety the way the Evil Cake Genius is, you can turn a flattering situation into a scary one really quickly. The problem...not sibling rivalry...in fact, Jacey and her brother and his new wife couldn't be further from the notion of it. But, Cake Rivalry...that is a very real thing. <br />
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I loved Marissa and Robb's cake. It is easily one of my top five in the past few years. So, all I could think about was how I was running the risk of disappointing Robb's sister. And while I'm at it, how about their entire side of the guest list, who saw her brother's awesome cake only a year earlier. Let's face it, I set the bar pretty high with that cake.<br />
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To compliment things more, when Jacey came in for her design session, her parents came along. Her dad mentioned that he would be contacting me for an 80th birthday cake for his mother. The party would be at his house mid summer. I thought nothing of it, and continued working with Jacey and her crew to design a wedding cake that unbeknownst to them, had to meet a specific level of awesomeness in the Cake Lady's warped mind. And thanks to a great design session...a bride with impeccable taste, good coordinators, and a Mother of the Bride who has incredible style (it was her suggestion that we make spherical tiers) we succeeded. The silhouette was exquisite, we added fondant "fabric rosettes" with an ombre effect to the separators, and even tied in the Sheet Music from the song that the Groom would perform at the ceremony. Beautiful, elegant, meaningful, and most important (to me), just as awesome as the cake we made for her brother! And all was right in the Evil Cake Geniuses twisted head.<br />
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Until...<br />
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Two weeks later, I had my meeting with the father of the Bride, Scott about his mother's 80th birthday party. I figured, something simple, a nice little gathering, maybe a lovely cake with some pretty flowers on it. But Scott had an idea. I good idea. An idea that he had no idea would send me right back down that Cake Rivalry road. <br />
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His mother loves Ice Cream. As a matter of fact, his parents owned a string of Ice Cream Parlor restaurants in the Twin Cities for a number of years. So Scott thought it fitting to make his mother's cake look like a giant Ice Cream Sundae. I'm in! I love the idea! I need to make this incredible...people are expecting great things, I can do this, I can outdo them all, I can make the cake of the century...I have to make the cake of the century, I can't let Jacey and Robb's Grandma down, she's seen Robb's cake, she's seen Jacey's sketches, I...must...make....the best cake ever created...win, win, win!! Weee are the championnns my friennnd....and weeee'llll keeee<br />
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Scary, isn't it?<br />
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So Scott and I sketched a cake that I honestly had no idea how to make. But I had a couple of months, so I'd figure it out. When he left, he returned about a half hour later with one of the old Ice Cream Sundae photos that hung on the wall of their restaurants...and, brace yourself for sweetness...a photo of his mom so I could see the wonderful woman who would be receiving this cake.<br />
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No pressure.<br />
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Fortunately, many of you know that I have a retired Engineer on my side. My father in law, Magic Phil, really earned his moniker on this one. He built me support structure that allowed me to create that perfect Sundae glass shape. We delivered the cake to the party (exquisitely executed party, might I add) and began our obsession with whether or not Jacey's wedding cake could stand up to such an awesome birthday cake. It's a truly vicious cycle, the workings of an Evil Cake Genius' brain.<br />
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And it did. Jacey's cake was beautiful. It lived up to its two predecessors without a doubt. It has joined the ranks of my favorite all-time cakes. Which is good, because these guys are one of my all time favorite families. Until, of course....they order another cake, and I descend right back into cake...madness.<br />
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Decorator's Notes</h2>
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The fondant of Jacey's cake matched the color of her incredible Vera Wang gown. It was created by mixing Gold Sparkle Luster dust with Nu Silver Luster dust. A color, we (for sheer lack of creativity) call "Gilver". </div>
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The rounded "topiary" shape of the cake tiers were hand carved. To the best of my knowledge, there isn't a cake pan that makes this unique shape.</div>
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The detailing on the tiers were custom cut stencils, and the sheet music pattern was a custom mesh stencil that we created based off of the actual sheet music from the song that the Groom (Aaron) sang to her during the ceremony (what an awesome guy!)<br />
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We've added the sheet music stencil to our Evil Cake Genius Site so other decorators can create this intricate look with Evil Speed too. Click <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/stencils/stencils-for-cakes/ornamental/treble-clef-medallion-mesh-stencil-337.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> to see. <br />
The flower topper on this cake was done using the Sheet Music Stencil and our <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/vintage-vows-flower-tutorial-and-mesh-stencil-set.html" target="_blank">Vintage Vow Flower Tutorial</a></div>
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We were thrilled to find their beautiful antique gold cake stand at <a href="http://www.hdaltd.com/c/23/cake-stands" target="_blank">Home Decorator's Accessories</a> They have some great stands!</div>
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Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-56092696879562334022013-02-15T15:10:00.000-06:002014-01-23T12:43:30.329-06:00How do people come up with this stuff?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When designing wedding cakes, my appointments usually have three phases. Phase one, "Show and Tell", is where I have my clients open up their folders of Magazine Pages, iPads, and Pinterest Pages to give me an idea of the overall look of their wedding. This is the most important part of the appointment. It's during this time, that whether or not the client knows it, I design their wedding cake. <br />
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Phase two, is what I like to consider the "put your money where your mouth is" part of the appointment. It's when I pull out my albums of Gateaux wedding cakes, to show the client that I can actually do some of the stuff that I'm about to pitch to them. I bet if you asked most people who met with me, they'd tell you that they thought this part of the appointment was where they got to pick their cake, but in all honesty, it's not. You see, the Evil Cake Genius has an incredibly short attention span. While I adore the cakes that we've made in the past, I have absolutely no desire to ever repeat a design. After all, I've already done that. Why would I want to do it again? <br />
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Nonetheless, I enjoy the chance to show off my cakes. <br />
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Gateaux's portfolio is split into four albums. One traditional album, one preppy album, a modern album, and one that I lovingly call "The Weirdo Book". Most brides and grooms don't have any reason to look through this book, aside from the fact that it's just damn fun to look through. Let's be honest, the majority of my wedding clients aren't going to end up with a cake topped with two frosting otters holding hands, or the "Fab Five" walking across their bottom tier. But even the most conservative of clients can appreciate these cakes for the creativity and artistry that goes into creating them.<br />
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When looking through this particular album with Cate, Adam, Cate's mom (recent client, responsible for <a href="http://www.gateaux-inc.com/cakes/?c=0000000004_something_you" target="_blank">this adorable cake</a>) Kimberly, and Adam's mom, Pam, Pam asked me a question that I hear a lot after people look through "The Weirdo Book"..."I'm just not that creative...How do people come up with this stuff?" <br />
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She was about to find out. First hand.<br />
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Kate and Adam were getting married at the beautiful Semple Mansion in Minneapolis. The look would be Old Hollywood - a nod to that golden age of Art Deco decor and Nouveau thinking in America...the Jazz Age. It made sense, they both worked in film, they even met on a set. That being said, they weren't about to go theme party with it.<br />
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I'm a big fan of having a design scheme, rather than a theme to draw from. So this was an easy one for me. I had, on a recent trip to New York, finally gone to the top of the Empire State Building. Funny, I had been there nearly a dozen times, over a span of twenty years, but I had never taken that pilgrimage until that most recent trip. I shared that with Adam and Cate, and they agreed that that was the kind of graphic inspiration we should use for their cake.<br />
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Onto Phase Three - Free for All. It's like stream of consciousness with multiple players. There is no wrong answer, just throw out a bunch of ideas...we'll use some, we'll not use others, but together, we always end up with the perfect wedding cake. Together.<br />
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I ran back to my office and grabbed a few Art Deco patterns that I had been saving for...well, I guess for these two. We quickly sketched up the bottom and middle tiers of the cake using a Deco Fountain pattern and a great monogram panel, but when it came to the top tier, I drew a bit of a blank. Then Cate suggested that we use the silhouette of the Empire state building on the top tier. Adam agreed, and we added a stylized Deco Empire state to the top tier. I recommended that we have the spire of the building extend beyond the top of the cake as a cake topper - "and you can have King Kong and Faye Wray hanging off the spire". Great idea, Adam!...Cate...Kimberly...? Nope, that idea came leaping out of Pam's head. There was a brief pause. One of those awkward silences. She shifted in her chair and looked a little unsure. Had she taken it too far?<br />
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As the cake lady, I knew it was genius the second she said it. It tied in the Empire State design to the underlying Hollywood and film idea. After all, they met on a film set! But, it isn't my wedding cake. Cate and Adam stopped, looked at each other, we all paused for a moment, and...Nope, not too far...just far enough!! We would replace the traditional bride and groom with Kong (decked in a tuxedo jacket, of course) and his bride. Fortunately, Adam and Cate have a very talented friend who brought their vision of Kong and his bride to Art Deco perfection. <br />
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And that... Pam, is how people come up with that stuff. You are now an honorary Cake Lady.<br />
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We finished our sketch, and worked up an invitation design that would compliment the look and give their guests a little sneak preview of the wedding decor. The Bride and Groom even had a little fun with the RSVP options - another little touch of film and humor.<br />
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I'm not actually sure if Cate and Adam's cake ended up in our "Weirdo Book". After all, the cake is one of my favorite examples of a clean, elegant, graphic wedding cake. It's fun to see people do a double take when they recognize the cake topper. I think at heart, a lot of us are Weirdos. Love makes you happy, sometimes even a little goofy. I love when we can incorporate a little whimsy and humor into a wedding cake. It's not like you're rolling the thing down the aisle at the church. The reception is the party to celebrate that love that makes us a little goofy. So enjoy yourselves, share a little inside joke with your guests, and most importantly, have fun. Kong would want you to.<br />
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The Cake</h3>
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Cate and Adam's cake was frosted in buttercream and panelled in sheets of fondant to give it crisp perfect corners. The black and white Art Deco embellishments were all screen printed in royal icing onto sheets of fondant. We cut out the Deco patterns and attached them to the cake tiers. We weren't sure if the bottom tier's corner patterns would wrap around the corners of the cake without the royal icing cracking, so we planned to cut those in half vertically and attach them separately to each side of the cake. On Jenna's suggestion, we tried doing one corner with the pattern in tact to see if it were possible to bend the pattern over the corner without the royal cracking if we worked quickly enough. Fortunately, it worked!</div>
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We wanted Kong and the top spire of the Empire state building to be set back on the top tier so that it could be centered, like a cake topper. In advance, we screen printed the top portion of the Emprire State building onto Mexican Paste (1 Part Gum Paste, to 1 Part Fondant) cut it out, and allowed it to dry with a pick sticking out of the bottom of it. Once we decorated the cake with the fondant Empire State, we cut off the top of the pattern flush with the cake and replaced it with the set back Mexican Paste topper. </div>
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The screens for this cake design are now for sale on our Evil Cake Genius site <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/stencils/stencils-for-cakes/art-deco.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> - without King Kong, however...those were just for our Cate and Adam.</div>
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We'll even customize the Middle tier's in case your client's last name doesn't begin with an "H" ;)</div>
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The Cake Stand</h3>
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We wanted a cake stand that had an Art Deco feel to it without distracting from the cake. So we had our very own "Magic Phil" cut us three 1" thick squares of particle board. One 14", one 16" and one 18". He glued them together and painted them high gloss black. It has become a very useful stand in our collection, and is quite easy to DIY.<br />
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<br />Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-9000042185310879172013-02-03T22:14:00.000-06:002014-01-23T12:50:23.695-06:00Lions, Shepherds and 70 years of marriage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Some of you have read our Blog Post entitled "Style" last year. This one was certain to be titled "Grace" but I couldn't pass up the Lion and Shepherd thing. Sounds like the opening to a dirty joke "So this lion walks into a bar..." so I had to use it.<br />
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Webster defines Grace in many ways, <span class="ssens">and shy of the "saying Grace before dinner" definition, Jessica and Peter were a shining example of two people who (whether it be by nature or nurture) embodied this beautiful concept.</span><br />
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<i><b><span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: large;">Grace : the quality or state of being considerate or thoughtful</span></b></i> </div>
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It started with the groom's cake. The couple was having a champagne bar at the wedding (something for their guests to indulge in during the cocktail hour) so there was an underlying theme of champagne to the event. When Peter saw a champagne themed cake that we had done for a 40th birthday, he knew that would make the perfect groom's cake. Typically, I'd do the champagne bottles with important dates in the groom's life. But rather than have it be all about him, the couple decided it would be a great place to honor their parents. </div>
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Jessica and Peter went on to explain that between their parents, there was over 70 years of marriage. Who does that kind of math? Who thinks to give that kind of credit? Hmmm....Grace.</div>
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Now came the fun. We would come up with custom labels for the chocolate champagne bottles. His parent's with a Shepherd (his last name being Shepard) and her parents with a Lion (last name Lyon) We would make the vintage the year of their weddings, and have the top bottle represent the new Mr. and Mrs. Shepard (an inaugural vintage).</div>
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That being done, let's move onto another of Webster's definitions of Grace</div>
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<i><b><span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: large;">Grace: ease and suppleness of movement or bearing</span></b></i></div>
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This one was allllll Jessica. When we designed the wedding cake, we couldn't help but pull a bit of detail from her wedding dress. I drew two options, one that really imitated the gown, and one that just included the beautiful silver lace applique on her bodice. She had the good sense to choose the former. We incorporated the monogram from their invitations, the silver ribbon chair ties, and of all things, these little beaded-bobble napkin rings that added this perfect touch of effervescence (like champagne bubbles, but <i>not</i> champagne bubbles) to the table settings. That whole design scheme, rather than "theme" thing that I love to encourage. </div>
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For the dress detail, Jessica's planner (the awesome Sarah Trotter of Lasting Impressions) provided me with a photo of her dress (shown on a model). It was a beautiful dress... Very chic, very unusual. But when we returned to the reception on the wedding night and saw Jessica in the dress, it had transformed. She didn't walk in that dress, she levitated. I don't know what it was...probably the G-word, but to see Jessica in that dress made the shot from the magazine look flat and lifeless.</div>
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I have brides tell me all the time when I see the magazine photo of the dress "I don't look as good as the model in it". But to see my bride's in their gowns, it always amazes me how no model can capture what it is to be a bride. They glow, they beam, they are the embodiment of, you got it...Grace.</div>
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<i><b><span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: large;">Grace :disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency; i.e.a gracious host</span></b></i> </div>
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I do a lot of weddings. I have a lot of great clients. The best clients are always those who understand that a wedding is a chance to be a gracious host to your guests. The couples who plan their wedding as though they are planning an albeit brief, vacation for their friends and family. They use it as a chance to entertain.</div>
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Jessica and Peter got this.</div>
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So when I suggested that we try out a new concept that we had been wanting to try as a combination late-night-snack, reception entertainment, favour. They were the first couple to take the risk, and try it out. We decided to do a gourmet popcorn table during the dance. Everything from Habenero and S'mores (with mini graham crackers and marshmallows, baby!!!) to White Cheddar and Peanut Butter Cup, you name it, it was deliciously there. And, displayed in champagne buckets! </div>
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When we came back to set up the table during dinner, several guests came down to the bathroom and saw the table in process. The overwhelming reaction was "they did this for me". One after another, they all came out with that same idea...that the bride and groom must have known that they loved popcorn, and created the table in their honor. It was hilarious. My personal favorite was an uncle who could only say "Good Gravy" when he saw it. Best. Phrase. Ever.<br />
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<span id="goog_1953081043"></span><span id="goog_1953081044"></span> <b><i><span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: large;">Grace: Mercy, Pardon : a temporary exemption : reprieve</span></i></b></div>
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Like I mentioned earlier, we had a rare opportunity to come back to this reception to set up the popcorn table. It was an incredibly busy wedding day for us. And to get all of our wedding cakes and dessert tables, etc. delivered and rendez vous back at this reception to set up the popcorn was a relief. That is, until we walked in the door of the now empty reception area (dinner was served on the third floor) to the waving arms of the bartender. Who showed us....in slow motion (or at least that's how it happened in my mind) that one of the chocolate champagne bottles had taken a nose dive off the side of the cake...during the cocktail hour. Let's just say. I've been decorating cakes for 17 years, and never have I seen anything like this happen to one of our cakes. People always ask "have you ever dropped a cake?" The answer is no (knock on wood). But the way I felt when he showed me the blank space where the bottle was supposed to be, I can't imagine I could possibly feel worse if I had dropped the thing. I hope to never find out. I looked over at Jenna, who looked like someone had just punched her in the gut. The two of us were stunned, and devastated. This isn't melodrama (see the Decorator's notes below) this is that unmistakable feeling that you get when something went horribly wrong and you are powerless. Can't undo it...stuck.</div>
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We did the only thing we could do, set up the popcorn and tried to work out what we had done wrong. Did we position the dowels under the bottles wrong? Was the Coconut Creme cake flavor too light to hold the weight? Did we angle the bottles too sharply? While working in silence, the Bride and Groom appeared. They had come downstairs for a moment during dinner and saw us. I wanted to run. I wanted to hide. I wanted to..."Robin!!!" Too late....they saw me. I turned to begin profusely apologising, but before I could open my mouth, they were raving about how lovely both cakes were and how much people loved them....how much they loved them. I mentioned the champagne bottle that had lept to its death during cocktails, to which they replied "I'm sure one of the guests messed with it" and "Our parents had already seen it, we already had photos taken with it" and other reassuring sentiments. <i>And all the Who's down in Whoville sang...</i>and this Evil Cake Genius saw what she knew was there all along...<i>Grace.</i><br />
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<i>Many thanks to the Fabulous <a href="http://www.betsywall.com/portfolio/index2.php#/home/" target="_blank">Betsy Wall Photography</a> for these beautiful photos!</i></div>
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We realize that many of our readers are fellow cake decorators, so we've started a new section of our blog for all of you. This section will be used to share tips on certain designs, sources for products used in the posts, and other insights that only us Cakey Types would truly appreciate. </div>
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<span style="color: #d5a6bd;"> The wedding Cake:</span></h3>
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Jessica and Peter's wedding cake was a joy to decorate. We used lots of techniques that were new to us, and loved the results. The lace was one of our custom lace stencils. We copied the actual lace from Jessica's beautiful gown to create a stencil, stenciled it in grey royal icing, then air brushed it silver before removing the stencil. You can order her stencil in our Evil Cake Genius store <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/stencils/stencils-for-cakes/lace-stencils/lace-swag-stencil.html" target="_blank">HERE </a></div>
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<span style="color: #d5a6bd;">The Cake Stand:</span></h3>
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Found this at a local floral supply place. Actually, didn't find it...I walked in and one of the employees there said "Robin!! We've been waiting to show you this"...and it was mine. Fortunately for you other decorators out there, it is now available on this web site <a href="http://www.save-on-crafts.com/crystalcake.html">http://www.save-on-crafts.com/crystalcake.html</a> in square, and is soooooo much cheaper than I paid for mine. PS, if anyone at this site would like to thank me for the referrals, I'll gladly take one of everything on your site. Love, love, love it!!! Gimme, gimme.</div>
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<span style="color: #d5a6bd;">The Groom's Cake:</span></h3>
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This baby still haunts me. We actually did a birthday cake with the exact same layout and chocolate bottles about 6 months before this wedding, with no trouble at all... I always say that delivering each cake is like putting your kid on the school bus (to which my husband once pointed out "yeah, if the teacher cut them up and ate them". Anyway, it's always tempting to not share stories of failure, but I've always been one to fully disclose. I hope my sharing my trauma will help the next decorator to know that those bottles are heavy, and apparently doweling them might not suffice if they are angled too sharply. The labels on the Champagne bottles were Screen Printed in royal icing onto fondant. I haven't released these for sale yet, but we have just added several screens and a full screen printing tutorial to our <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/" target="_blank">Evil Cake Genius</a> site We are adding more and more of them as people get familiar with the process and realize how awesome they are to use (not so fun to make, but awesome to use, that's why we're making them for you!)</div>
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Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-3634050334027755102013-01-14T18:32:00.001-06:002013-01-14T18:32:50.961-06:00Maggie and Jake at Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I met with Maggie and Jake, they had most of their wedding plans completed. The dress, the invitations, the reception site, all in neat and tidy order. <br />
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Makes sense, these two met in the military. The Navy, to be exact. On a ship, even. I'm always surprised when one of my Navy clients was actually serving at sea. In my experience, it has been a lot like finding a lawyer who actually tries cases. The bulk of them don't. Much to my simplified view of the world's dismay.<br />
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For me, it's easy. I could explain my profession in one sentence to any 2 year old, and they'd get it. That's how I like it. I make cake. Lawyers try cases in front of riveted juries, and sailors, well, they sail. Don't burst my balloon and tell me that there probably isn't a sail on a modern Naval vessel, just leave me to my happy, simplified world view, thank you very much. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea of beautiful, soft spoken (although, she claims that she can literally "swear like a sailor" when need be) Maggie in a navy uniform, so be patient with me.<br />
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Maggie had a cake in her head. Typically, I design the cakes, and my clients and I work out each tier as I sketch it. I got the distinct impression that this girl knew what she wanted, and happily every time I'd sketch another detail, she would shake her head in approval, confirming that I was getting it right.<br />
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The inspiration was their invitations. Based on a Spanish tile pattern, the invitations were bold, and beautiful. I never would have put the color combination together myself, but, as many of you know, my color sense is definitely my Achilles heel. So, I trust my brides and so far, I've never been led astray. We matched the invitation pattern, the striking colors, and even added text from a verse that would be read at their wedding ceremony. Maggie had the topper already ordered, and even got me the glass beads to string the stand. It was an easy one.<br />
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A few weeks before the wedding, though, their reception venue fell through. I've seen this kind of thing happen before, and it can be traumatic and heart breaking. Maggie and Jake took it all in stride, and opted to have the reception at their home. <br />
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I arrived at their house on the day of the wedding after the ceremony, while the couple was still out with the photographer at the church. There were cousins and aunts abound, helping us with the doors, setting up the tables, putting out the hors d'oeuvres. And it brought me back. Seventeen years back. To my own wedding.<br />
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When the Captain and I got hitched, it was straight out of college. We didn't have a huge budget, but we did have great families and friends. His brother, Jim (also the best man) cooked for 125 guests. My Mom and Dad hand made topiary trees for the centerpieces. Two work friends tended bar, and my future mother in law laid out the programs. Magic Phil (my father in law) even worked out a trade for a limo to carry my new husband and me to our reception. We later found out that it was a funeral limo, typically used to carry grieving widows, which explained why the driver was so very happy to have us in his car. At the end of the night, we had forgotten one detail. The clean up!!! But before the issue even hit me, I watched in amazement, as my siblings and friends spontaneously picked up brooms and bused dishes at 1:00 in the morning. It was done without anyone asking. Without anyone thinking. Just out of love. And it is the best wedding gift that we could have asked for.<br />
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But I'm rambling again.<br />
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Maggie and Jake's at home reception had that same vibe. Everyone there because they loved them. Everyone contributing to the celebration. It was comforting. Joyous. Simple in all the glory of its definition.<br />
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We were there when Maggie and Jake came home from the church. He picked her up, and carried her across the thresh hold. And they were home. And I felt a little jealous. Because they get to live at their reception site. Every day they wake up and have coffee and cereal in fuzzy slippers in the kitchen where their family prepped their wedding feast. They eat dinner at the table that held their wedding cake, and they'll always have that echo (if you'll let me get philosophical) of the joy of that day right under their feet. <br />
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Added bonus...their puppy Gandalf could attend as well. Can you ask for anything more?Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-11234985418211392022012-12-29T16:49:00.000-06:002013-02-16T15:19:07.409-06:00Film History<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'd like to spend this blog recounting classic film history, from Citizen Kane to Raging Bull...Orson Welles to Alfred Hitchcock...but I'll spare you my limited Film History 101 knowledge of the topic.<br />
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You're welcome.<br />
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When I heard that Courtney and Josh had chosen the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown as their reception venue, I was immediately struck with visions of a cake that embodied the magic of old Hollywood. They had already begun their planning, and the save the dates, etc. had the perfect amount of Hollywood "feel" to them, without crossing over into a theme party.<br />
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So when it came time to design the wedding cake, it was obvious that this wouldn't turn into a film-reel-shaped cake with frosting popcorn bursting out from every seam. It would honor the less kitschy, side of the movies. <br />
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You don't have to study film history, to have your own film-history. The movies influence our lives. Whether it be something as profound and moving as "Schindler's List" or as ridiculous as "National Lampoon's Family Vacation" (bet that's the first time those two movies have been mentioned in the same sentence) the movies become part of our collective history. Every family has that one movie that they can recite start to finish. I remember bringing my, then boyfriend, "The Captain" home to meet my family, and the horror on my father's face that "the boy" had not yet seen "Young Frankenstein". I laughed, and shrugged it off, but must admit, that when we watched the movie together for the first time, I then studied his reaction to it. After all, you're not going to "get" my bizarre family if you don't roll around laughing at things like "<a href="http://youtu.be/yH97lImrr0Q" target="_blank">Abby-Normal</a>" and "Seda-give". Thankfully, he got it.<br />
I remember the shock I felt when I found out that my two Evil Cake Minions had never seen "The Shawshank Redemption" and the utter horror when discovering that they had no idea what "Trains, Planes, and Automobiles" was. With our lack of joint "Movie-history" I'm surprised they ever understood a single word I said. We have since made a list of Movies necessary to speak "Robin"...it's on the fridge at the shop.<br />
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Now, back to Courtney and Josh. Their venue was more than a renovated movie theater, it was a landmark. The Varsity started out as a Cabaret theater, featuring Vaudeville style acts. It's diminutive size earned its nickname "The Dinky" which then spilled over to the neighborhood "Dinkytown". In the late 1930's, it was renovated into a movie house, with its distinctive marquee and Art Deco design. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos courtesy of Placeography.org</td></tr>
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By the time I went to the U of MN, it had deteriorated into a venue for seedy bands (although, Greenday actually played there once). Finally, the Loring Pasta bar bought it and renovated it into its current form. <br />
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The one constant in all that time, being its impressive marquee. And that's exactly what Courtney and Josh chose to inspire their wedding cake. But first, they needed invitations. How about a modern twist on the marquee design in the invitations?<br />
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After that, the cake design was a snap. We'd make the cake replicate the marquee, complete with the movie title "From Mississippi With Love". The couple lives in Mississippi, and the wedding would be held in Minneapolis, so what better film title? <br />
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So, for this school principal and her pilot husband, they got their Hollywood ending. And the cake lady got hers too. This gracious note accompanied their photos. </div>
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"Our cake was absolutely perfect, and we can't thank you enough for our second-favorite moment, after saying "I do," of course!"</div>
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Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-45357453507478215232012-11-25T19:46:00.000-06:002012-11-25T20:01:37.896-06:00New York Sisters<em><span style="font-size: large;">I look out the window and I see the lights and the skyline and the people on the street rushing around looking for action, love, and the world’s greatest chocolate chip cookie, and my heart does a little dance. <strong>-Nora Ephron</strong></span></em><br />
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I've always been in love with New York. Before I'd even set foot on its concrete welcome mat - I was smitten. I was nineteen when I first visited. When all of our college friends headed south for Spring Break, my friend Gretchen and I schemed up a plan to spend the week at her Dad's loft apartment on the south street seaport, just above the Fulton Fish Market. By the time the plans all came together, the airfare sale had ended, and my hopes were dashed. A week later, with fortune (in the form of a tiny travel agency in South Minneapolis willing to backdate an airline ticket for the sale price) on my side, I was on my way. <br />
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We landed in New York on St. Patrick's Day. By that time, our group had grown to four - Gretchen, myself, and our friends Jen and Brian. I had a bit of a crush on Brian at the time, and blame the city for my now 17 year marriage to him. <br />
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You see, New York is Magic. It gets inside you. It is a symphony of lives, of rhythms, of traffic and noise, and eight million different souls coming together to form one living breathing entity. While you're there, you're part of it. It owns you. And when you leave, you become homesick for it, even though it's not where you live.<br />
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And anyone you encounter who has experienced the city in this same base-sense is now your kindred.<br />
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Enter Nina and Deanna.<br />
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I first met this unstoppable pair of twins three years ago, when they came in to plan their brother's Bar Mitzvah cake. They put me through the ringer. Incorporating every detail of his wide range of interests. By the time we were done, we had designed a cake that incorporated among other things, the broken sword of Narsil from the Lord of the Rings, a Brett Favre signed football, and a frosting bag of Doritos. <br />
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During our meeting, I was surprised to find myself engaged in conversation with two ten year olds. Not that I don't like kids, I just don't understand them. I typically find them to be on the level of drunk adults...overly emotional, short attention span, clingy, and irrational. These two weren't like that at all. During our conversation, we discovered that we had been to many of the same travel destinations. These two had been to the Vienna Opera House, as had I, and they had frequented, and adored, New York. They spoke of the city with the same familiarity and adoration that I spout when on the subject. Their eyes lit up and they filled with energy talking about their favorite places, foods, and sights in the city.<br />
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So, three years later, when time came to design their Bnot Mitzvah cake, I was thrilled to hear that they had chosen a New York theme to the party. My girls. <br />
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Their mom had an awesome event planned. The room would be divided into Burroughs and landmarks. There would be Coney Island, with carnival food, the Carnegie Deli, Russian Tea Room, Tiffany's, etc. The cake...try to stop us. Incorporating each of their favorite colors, red and blue, a nod to their love of music, their Russian heritage, and all things New York, we designed a cake that would take their guests from our Minneapple to the Big Apple in one glance.<br />
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We covered our basic landmarks, then added subway signs, street signs, and took a few liberties with some Broadway show titles.<br />
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Then, after adding the Brooklyn Bridge, the two decided that there most-certainly had to be an M&M "East River". </div>
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When we went to set up the cake, we were thrilled to see our guests of honor arrive early for family photos. We typically don't have the opportunity to see our clients, as the cakes are set up, and we are but a puff of powdered sugar in the air by the time guests arrive. I couldn't help feeling a bit nostalgic when I saw the two enter the ballroom in party dresses and lipstick. I've only known them for three years, but they've become my girls. Maybe it's that I've had a great time with their family on every event we've done. Maybe it's that I'm getting older and softer, or that their mom cracks me up every time we talk. But if you had to pin me down, I'd say it's because our hearts share the same home town. <br />
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<br />Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-73380651921345469632012-11-11T11:39:00.001-06:002014-02-25T21:28:26.601-06:00Showdown at the Chambers Corral<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you've followed this blog for any amount of time, you know a two things about Amy from Mimi Weddings. First, she and her cohort "Amy Blonde" are two of the most talented wedding designers on the planet. Second...She's trying to kill me.<br />
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I honestly can't put my finger on when it started, or just quite why, but make no mistake about it, this girl is dead set on putting me in an early grave.<br />
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Whether it be hiring a group of Irish Step Dancers stomping their pretty little curly heads within five feet of a cake that took me weeks to engineer, getting me to set up a cake in an un-air conditioned tent in record heat indexes, a beautiful cake display filled with floating candles and blossoms that made my cake stand hydroplane like an air-hockey puck, or talking me into letting her drive a four tier cake five hours away to a set up without me, I can always count on her to push the limits of my overly precautious cakey ways to the point of certain cardiac incident. If I had a dime for every time I heard those sweet words "don't freak out, but..." pass her lips, I could retire tomorrow. <br />
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So, when I heard that she, my mortal cake enemy, was engaged, I braced for the worst. What fresh hell could be awaiting me?<br />
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Imagine my relief when she announced that she didn't want a wedding cake...and subsequent terror when she clarified that she wanted FIVE wedding cakes. Trying to kill me. After calling my shrink to up my meds, I happily met with her to work up some options.<br />
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The wedding would be Urban Western in design.<br />
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Ah, a showdown, you say. My mind went to a dusty abandoned western street. Me with my rolling pin, Amy with her swatch-book, squinting into the desert sun. "They tell me you are a cake decorator with True Grit" she sneers, her trigger finger twitching toward her design book.<br />
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I can always count on the Mimis to come up with something unique. But once she started laying out her color swatches, decor inspiration and layouts of her fabulous invitations, I found myself in that familiar Mesmerized Mimi-fied state. That one in which I am so enamoured with their ideas, that I'll agree to anything.<br />
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Copy the invitations printed on wood veneer, I'm in, mimic the branding iron monogram that Chambers would be using on the Filets, no problem, copy the Palomino mural in their showroom, no problem. Just send me a picture of it...<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tLJ2oJ0e6c4/UJ7fGzEpqoI/AAAAAAAABZg/yq4-mnbsEuw/s1600/MimiMural.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tLJ2oJ0e6c4/UJ7fGzEpqoI/AAAAAAAABZg/yq4-mnbsEuw/s320/MimiMural.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Problem. <br />
She's trying to kill me again.<br />
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I get this all the time. People who think I am far more talented than I am. This mural was far beyond my range of cakey talent. Period. But I wouldn't let her get me so easily. So, I rifled through my bag of tricks. What if we played off of the wooden invitations and the look of the branded monogram? I pitched the concept to my tormentor, and she...loved it.<br />
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Here's the thing about Amy. Like any good Western villain, she lets me dig my own grave. She, like any truly creative person, knows the secret to getting the best work out of her vendors. Let them run with it. That's precisely why I love/hate what she does. She brings me a payload of fabulous design ideas and inspiration, then trusts me to push my own limits. Ooh, maybe she's trying to get me to kill myself?<br />
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The wedding day came, and I had the honor of actually attending her reception. Relieved to find that the set up was not in front of a shooting gallery or some other Western themed obstacle to my sanity, I changed out of my pink chef coat and into girl clothes to enjoy the evening. And what a fabulous event it was. The Urban Western design scheme was unique and exquisite, a perfect balance of horseshoes and boutique hotel. The food was a combination of haute cuisine and comfort food (passed hors d'oeuvres including paper cones filled with french fries) (cocktails along with trays of mini diet coke bottles with limes and straws to sip from). Not sure what to expect from a planner's own wedding, I was delighted to see that Amy did what she does best. She entertains. She shared her and Joe's favorite things with the people they love.<br />
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The look was elegant, the food divine, and when it came time for the party to start, they did not disappoint. We arrived upstairs to the dance and were greeted by a photo booth, pinball machine, and temporary tattoo station. I want a kitty tattoo. Who wouldn't? But just in case, you could get a cowboy tattoo if you'd rather. But wait. I'm allergic to cats. Could this be the final attempt on the cake lady's life? To survive every other evil Mimi plot, only to succomb to an allergic reaction to a temporary tattoo of an adorable kitty sitting on a couch. My mind reeled. My thoughts turned to a young Mattie Ross, pulling the trigger that avenged her father's murder only to be kicked back into a pit of rattlesnakes. To face her mortal enemy and emerge victorious, only to succomb to the bite of a lowly reptile...kitty...kittysnake. Say it isn't so, this most cruel of endings!!!! <br />
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It isn't so.<br />
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So, I will play some pinball, have my picture snapped with my tuxedo-clad husband...and I shall ride off into my Urban Western Sunset, slinging my rolling pin onto my back. And I will live to bake another day.<br />
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Many thanks to the unbelievably talented <a href="http://studio306.com/" target="_blank">Studio 306</a> for these beautiful photos! We loves us some Marc and Leda!!<br />
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Decorator's Notes: </span></h3>
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Amy and Joe's cakes featured one of my favorite decorating techniques....hand-painted wood grain fondant. We have finally decided to reveal how we do it in a photo tutorial (paired with an adorable mesh stencil set) available on our Evil Cake Genius site <a href="http://evilcakegenius.com/index.php/wood-grain-tutorial-and-rustic-monogram-mesh-stencil-set.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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It is an incredibly simple and effective technique!</div>
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The Chocolate Horseshoes were created using a mold that we found at Sugar Delites. It's a great mold. We used a little powder color to make them look a bit rusty. Mmmm....rusty. </div>
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The metallic gold accents on their cakes were painted with a mixture of our Gold Powder and Vodka. It is truly the most beautiful gold we've ever used. This is also available on our Evil Cake Genius Site. Click on the link below to shop.</div>
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Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-37115519326862454562012-11-04T20:19:00.000-06:002012-11-17T19:44:43.873-06:00Baroque Decor and my strange habit of paying Jenna with meat products.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Copy Cat.<br />
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My entire grade school career was spent diligently avoiding this label. Shy of line "Budger", "Geek", "Cootie" carrier, or the dreaded "Paste-Eater", being branded a "Copy Cat" was a social label that could seriously impair your playground social calendar.<br />
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Funny how thirty-some years change your perspective. While I still think that "Paste-Eaters" are a completely different class of humans, I now proudly brand myself a "Copy Cat". People ask me all the time how I come up with such vastly different cake designs from week to week. I'm not truly the Evil Cake Genius I claim to be. I'm simply a very accomplished Copy Cat. Let's be honest. No two couples are the same. And unless they hire a wedding coordinator who lumps them into a formulaic cookie cutter wedding, their wedding won't be the same as any other wedding. So, my job is easy. I take the most compelling and visually interesting elements from their wedding, their relationship, their culture or family history (check out the <a href="http://gateaux-inc.blogspot.com/2011/08/rubber-duckies.html" target="_blank">Rubber Ducky</a> post) and design a cake using "borrowed" elements. <br />
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The benefits are obvious. Our clients always get a unique design that is cohesive with their overall event, and even better, I never have to make the same wedding cake twice! <br />
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Now, on to Kerstin and Erik. Their wedding would be classic and romantic.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gSiJK9UsLz4/UJcX7Txb03I/AAAAAAAABXM/k_dTSkTNcTo/s1600/01_KerstinErik.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gSiJK9UsLz4/UJcX7Txb03I/AAAAAAAABXM/k_dTSkTNcTo/s320/01_KerstinErik.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
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An outdoor ceremony in Duluth, followed by a reception at the Historic Greysolon Ballroom.<br />
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This Baroque beauty of a room inspired their wedding invitations, their color scheme, and, you guessed it, their cake. From inset paneled walls, to gold Baroque garlands and molded chandelier medalions, this setting was a cake decorators dream.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f0hOL4zsr_0/UJcbXrJSUxI/AAAAAAAABX8/C_9qa9Oqz7s/s1600/41_KerstinErik.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f0hOL4zsr_0/UJcbXrJSUxI/AAAAAAAABX8/C_9qa9Oqz7s/s320/41_KerstinErik.JPG" width="234" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T4d5Jc01oCM/UJccoI_suNI/AAAAAAAABYU/jKC1eJ27O6E/s1600/Ballroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T4d5Jc01oCM/UJccoI_suNI/AAAAAAAABYU/jKC1eJ27O6E/s320/Ballroom.jpg" width="234" /></a><br />
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And Kersten and Erik let us run with it. The only hitch...the Greysolon Ballroom is three hours away from Gateaux Inc. So, shy of a 6 hour round trip drive, we weren't going to see the ballroom until we delivered the cake. This is where I marvel at how I ever did my job before digital photography and the internet. Yes, I'm that old, get a grip young'uns. But fortunately, this old broad has adapted. Kersten and Erik's coordinator, the fabulous Laura Mullen, provided us with photos of the space and color swatches, and I cyber-stalked the location to fill in any gaps. <br />
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So, imagine a three hour drive, with a five tier cake. In our multiple layers of long underwear, thermal shirts, mittens, and coats to keep the cakes icy cold, I couldn't help but wonder if we would meet the expectations that the Ballroom had laid out for us. <br />
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When we arrived, we were greeted by park benches of Seniors lining the sidewalk outside the Greysolon, whose upper floor hotel rooms have been transformed into senior condos. They watched, quietly murmuring, as two frozen figures emerged from a delivery vehicle, donned our hot-pink chef coats and began loading in box after box of precious mystery cargo. When the elevator opened to the ballroom, I couldn't help but feel as though I was meeting an old friend. It was just as I had hoped. Elegant, but welcoming. Classic and timeless. And a spot-on match to its Cake Counterpart. <br />
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Only two things left to do. Stack the cake, and do a little exploring in Duluth. Gotta' be a tourist when you can (plus, we needed a little time to defrost our limbs). Our Senior Citizen audience got a second show that day. When we returned to the car before our walking tour of Duluth's shoreline, we realized that it was a beautiful mid-eighty degree day. So, we started shedding layers. Much like clowns coming out of a tiny car, the layers of clothes kept coming off, only to reveal, more layers. Once we were dressed like normal humans, again, we embarked on our adventure. <br />
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A few weeks before the delivery, I heard a show on MPR about great food on the North Shore. One caller mentioned a place called North Water Smoke House. He sang its praises as a fabulous source for all things delicious and smokey. And the Cake Lady was sold. If you read our post about <a href="http://gateaux-inc.blogspot.com/search?q=two+harbors" target="_blank">Two Harbors</a> you know that I have a strange habit of paying Jenna her bonuses in Meat. I think it began when we delivered a birthday cake to a night spot that was next door to Kramarczuk's Sausage Shop in Northeast Minneapolis. Followed by our excursion to Lou's Fish house, Meat on Millacs (awesome jerky, by the way) and now North Water Smoke House. This time, the mission...Bison Pastrami. I've never had Bison before, but that's what they sell, and Charcuterie is their specialty. So, we loaded up on the goods, and headed back to the car. Not before planning what on earth we would do with several pounds of meat. So, stop number two...find a bakery to buy a Marble Rye, three, a cheese shop, and by the time we arrived back in Minneapolis, we had all the makings for Reubens (well, not so much Reubens as Robins, grilled pastrami and swiss on Marble Rye, with Parmesan Peppercorn dressing). So, off we split, to our separate residences to a Cake Decorator's Saturday Night. Dinner in pajamas, on the couch, with the men who put up with our ridiculous schedules and neurotic obsession with all things cakey. <br />
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Thanks to <a href="http://www.lauraivanova.com/" target="_blank">Laura Ivanova Photography</a> for sharing their beautiful photos of our lovely Bride and Groom. <br />
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Evil Cake Geniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05651389189316605328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062575966506886765.post-70320839235549901142012-10-21T20:12:00.000-05:002012-11-17T19:52:08.165-06:00GeocachersI wanna be a pirate.<br />
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I want to travel to uncharted seas, see exotic lands and discover lost treasures. I want to rock out an eye patch, have a parrot named Pete, and go where the trade winds carry me. Don't we all?<br />
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Much to my dismay, I get terribly sea sick, would shudder at the thought of sharing restroom facilities with a boat full of swarmy-unbathed men, and my coordination is such that if I wore an eye patch, I'd probably trip over something and break my leg...maybe that's why pirates often have peg legs? Either way, not really my cup of tea.<br />
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So I go about satisfying my need for discovery by travelling as often as I can. Discovering things that so many have discovered before me, but with fresh and awe-filled eyes. Between my trips, I go about my daily routine. I work, go to the gym, do laundry, walk the dog. But always, my inner Pirate lurks, waiting for the next adventure.<br />
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This is why I was so intrigued with Roxanne and Dan. I think they're Pirates. <br />
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Let's rewind a bit. They didn't meet on a sand-bar in the Caribbean. To the contrary, they met on a field trip to a Twins game in middle school. They don't sail the high seas, they Kayak, typically on lakes and rivers. Not an eye patch between the two of them. But what they do have is a keen sense of adventure and discovery. <br />
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They hike, bike, camp, and most interestingly, they Geocache. I'd never heard of Geocaching before I met them, so I needed a lesson. Turns out, there are Pirates all around us! They bury their treasure in old army ammunition cans, plastic film canisters, even Bison tubes. Then, they list them on geocaching sites for other Pirates to discover. Typically, there is a log book or sheet inside the cache to keep track of who has been there, and often there is a little treasure for the taking. But mostly, there is that incredible rush of discovery! Where are they? I wanted to know immediately. The answer was surprising. They're everywhere! Dan told me that there were several located in the very business area surrounding Gateaux Inc. Some are more rural and difficult to reach, others are urban and hiding in plain site. <br />
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So this begs the question...how does a pirate propose to another pirate? Of course, with a treasure hunt! With a trail of rose petals, Dan lead Roxanne to a Museum Adventure Pass (you can check these out at the Public Library for free admission to museums and sites all over the Twin Cities, who knew? Pirates.) and a note to meet him at the top of the Foshay Tower (one of the locations covered on the pass). When she got there, her Pirate was waiting with her with the ultimate treasure...and a ring. <br />
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Now onto their cake. We kicked around the idea of a hiking cake, a biking cake, even a kayaking cake. Maybe a Twin's theme? That's how they met, and they're still quite the fans, it's one of their favorite date spots. But we kept coming back to the geocaching. Easy, we make the cake look like a hollowed out tree trunk with caches of all sorts hidden around it. Then, we'd make a cake in the shape of an ammunition can sitting at the base of the trunk.<br />
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Now, let's treat this particular cache like one that tells their story. Imagine you found the ammo can, and unpacked it. What items would they put in this cache that would represent their adventure together? That was easy...we'd make frosting Twins tickets from the game that they met at. Like any smitten Twins fan, Dan could tell me the date, who they played that day and the final score.<br />
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They'd have to include some red rose petals and the Museum pass to tell the story of their engagement.<br />
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And let's not leave out their biking adventure in the Ragbrai 7 day ride across Iowa. A frosting route map and edible entrant bracelet would cover that tale.<br />
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A couple of ski passes, and a silhouette of them (he in a baseball cap, and she in a veil, of course) kayaking on the top of the cake, and we'd cover all of our bases.<br />
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But what does the future hold for our Pirates? One last addition to the cake would tell their guests that their adventure could continue. We created a map of their honeymoon geocaching road trip to finish off the tale.<br />
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So I learned a couple of things from my Pirate friends. You don't need to be in a far-off land to soothe your Inner Pirate. It's all about perspective. Keep your eyes open and discovery is right around the corner. And you don't even need to risk Scurvy to get it!<br />
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Thanks to <a href="http://www.capturedgloryphotography.com/index2.php#/gallery1/1/" target="_blank">Captured Glory</a> photography for sharing some of their fabulous images with us.<br />
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