Kitty Cakelettes

Moments in Cake is all about assisting the community you live in. After all, if it weren’t for our customers we would not be here.

The most recent fundraiser we did allowed us to raise money for a wonderful cause. A cat rescue and adoption center, called MeowPrints. This last weekend I created over 300 cat themed treats and all the proceeds went to help this wonderful cause.

Moments in Cake offers exclusive discounts for fundraisers with cakelettes starting at $1.00 a cake and even more specials for large orders and bake sales.

Lots of Kitties

Contact us today and let us assist you in raising money for your fundraiser.

If you would like further information on how you can support MeowPrints, please visit www.meowprints.com. Or become a fan of theirs on Facebook.

I attended an Italy theme potluck and created this cake to make the atmosphere.

This cake is a two layer French Vanilla cake with raspberry preserves and cream cheese frosting.

The bottle, grapes and cloth were created out of fondant and the flag and banner were created out of gum paste.

The cheese wedge is a two layer French vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting and covered in fondant.

Travel Suitcase Cake

Ever since I was a child, I have always been in or around the kitchen. I used to sit on our kitchen counter and watch my mother cook. She used recipes, but rarely, often amending something to her own tastes or creating what she called an “ooba dooba”, or a made-up recipe. She liked to create, and from this, I learned how to create.

My favorite part of being in the kitchen with my mother was watching her decorate cakes. We had a book full of cake designs (this was pre-internet, mind you) and my mom worked her way through the book, making my sister and I a variety of “fun cakes” for our birthdays. There was a clown cake, a t-shirt cake, and a caterpillar cake amongst many, many others. When we got AOL, my mom started browsing cake ideas and learned how to take a bunch of pictures of differently themed cakes, and then create her own version (including a graveyard cake for a halloween party and a sleepover cake for my 13th birthday.)

Each cake decorating experience created a bond between my mother and I, brainstorming ideas to make our cakes crazier and better (or, to quote Duff Goldman, to make them “bigger and badder”.) In the year since we’ve had cable, my mom and I have been intrigued, nay, obsessed, nay, addicted to all shows cake decorating. I am the type of person who loves a challenge, and loves creating a wild task for myself which I then try to complete. My mom, being the teacher of the family, likes to think things out and make a plan first. Armed with our tv knowledge of cake decorating, we set out to make a bunch of themed cakes. It started with the LOST cake for my sister’s birthday (also our first attempt at fondant), and then continued until we could cover a cake with fondant to look like a travel suitcase (much easier said than done).

Last month, my mom and I decided it was time to learn to decorate cakes….the right way. So we googled Wilton, the mecca for baking products, and found a local class every Saturday for four weeks. Neither my mom nor I wanted to even be tempted to eat a regular cake, so we turned to our favorite new cookbook (Easy Gluten-Free Baking) and made two chocolate cakes (abso-lutely delish, btw!) We learned how to cut our cakes in half and fill them with jam (Tip: Use a piping bag with white icing to pipe around the perimeter of the cake where you will be putting your jam. This will prevent jam from seeping out of your layer cake). Finally, after icing our cakes with white icing (posts to explain how to do this forthcoming), we were able to decorate! The basic course moved quickly, but by the end we were making flowers, creating borders and writing in both print and script. Since our class ended we have been practicing, and I have attempted cupcake decorating. It’s definitely a learning process, and it’s not something you’ll learn overnight, but with practice it gets so much better. So grab your tips and piping bags and start icing! (Just don’t eat all of the icing in the process!)

(Use Tip 16 to make stars)

Dense Brownie-Cake on the Inside, Bright Pink Fondant on the Outside

I loved the way my zippers came out. No silicone mold used!

Some Side Details

Ta-Da!

Fondant Covered Half Sheet Cake, Painted Design w/ 3D Emblem

… Our Power went out Friday night. Which is always an inconvenience, but it’s more of an inconvenience when you have a cake order that needs to be filled. This power outage struck a panic in me. I had a detailed cake that needed to be finished and how can you bake a cake without power?…. It was tough. The power kept coming in an out, but never with enough time for me to get the cake rolling.

I ended up having to go to another location to bake and decorate the cake. Talk about frustration and a definite need for faith.

I finished the cake and delivered it with time to spare. That was nothing but a gift from God. Not only did the cake turn out good, I believe that I can say that this is one of the best cakes I’ve ever done. It looked great and the batter came out great as well!

Ephesians 3:20-21a says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more that all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory.”

All the glory for that cake has to go to Christ, I wouldn’t have to been able to accomplish it without his favor.

So, do you want to see the cake? I think it came out pretty well if you ask me.

What do you think? have any ideas for a cake? Let me know!

The Bride, the crown...

Why they all turn into “Bridezillas” is a topic all on its own and not one we will discuss here, I am still conducting some research…

What interests me is this: you can be sure that whenever you speak to a woman, who has an engagement ring on her finger and a “wedding date” that the result will include a few inevitable certainties. When you ask her: “So have you started with the wedding plans yet?” Her answer will almost always contain some version of the following: “yes, we have started the planning, I really want something different for my wedding? It’s going to be like nothing you’ve seen before, it will be different and special.” I am guessing that in the few thousand years that wedding ceremonies have been celebrated across the planet that there are few things you can still do that were never done before. That there is still something truly “different” and not just another regurgitated, reinvented idea.

Because a flower girl is just so "done", I want a flower dog...

These “different ideas” take place in many forms. The wedding dresses, the groom and groomsman outfits, the location, the music, the transportation, the speeches, the 1^st dances, the table settings, the guests, the music. Basically everything that is involved in a wedding day can be changed to create a “different wedding”.

I am sure you have also been the recipient of those e-mails that do the rounds with some of the most hideous wedding photo’s ever taken? I have and through this post will supply you with a few classics. This one is my favourite…

When orange organza explodes...

So what is a “different wedding”? Do you have to be tied up to a bungee cord and literally take the plunge? Do you dive in your wedding dress to the bottom of the ocean and take your vows there? These “extreme sports brides” definitely do it differently and they are the exception.

Oh I'm just "diving" to get married! (ba-dum-pshh)

What I am talking about are the masses of girls who do not resort to these extremes and still believe they can achieve a different wedding. I feel it necessary to mention that couple in America who had their wedding party dance down the aisle. They have gone down in the history books with many hits on YouTube and interviews on TV shows. To find so many people willing and ABLE to dance like that is a once in a lifetime occurrence. Now that they have done it, no other couple can copy it, without looking like fools.

There are only SO MANY ways you can drape organza material and arrange fairy lights. There are only so many kinds of flowers and colours that you can use. Tables are either round or square and people still sit on chairs. They need to eat, they need to dance and somewhere in there, you have to cut a cake, make a speech and hope everybody stays sober enough to keep it clean.

Brides try to be SO fresh, SO funky and SO different that they completely miss the point. This is the day on which you and your husband will be bound to each other forever, by law, by choice and in most cases by God. When this one day is over, the only thing that will remain are the wedding pictures and hopefully your marriage, so make sure that you at least get those two right. (It should not come as a surprise that there is something in pop psychology called “post-marital-depression” disorder…)

Yes, guests need to be entertained and every girl hopes that they will remember that day as the most memorable wedding they have ever been to, but do you think the trick lies in the organza or flower arrangements?

Let’s be honest, most guests (excluding your parents and closest family) when thinking about a wedding, are not really concerned about your relationship. They want to know just four things:

• Was the bride’s father generous enough to make all the alcohol free?
• Have arrangements been made to sleep over on location?
• Who is the MC and is he/she funny?
• For the boys: Does it coincide with any important sports events?   (I actually wondered about this during the 2010 World Cup)
• For the girls: What am I going to wear!!

Delicious burger om nom nom nom!

The food does not matter. Twenty years from now, no-one is going to say: Oh Claire, your wedding was so stunning, the chicken I had was cooked to perfection! Most people will remember the hangovers they had, but not your bacon and asparagus wrapped chicken breasts.  Because the average couple invites about 100+ people to their wedding, cooking for so many people really falls into the “bulk order catering” business and then everything tastes the same. Your food is not going to be memorable. Unless you take everbody to McDonalds.

Table settings are not going to be remembered after even 10 days. Once people have sat down, opened wine, champagne, moved their strategically placed napkins and cutlery to a more comfortable place, cluttered the tables with an array of different drinking glasses purses. cameras and car keys, no one notices the flowers anymore. No matter how hip and happening you think it is.

Even the most aesthetically pleasing trendy and “now” reception can be ruined by the tasteless jokes made in a speech by the uncle you seldom see or the MC who’s already had one too many. Your $5000 flower arrangements are not going to save you from the human factor and will leave the “tacky flowers, tacky speeches” impression.

Your music is only remembered if it is really bad and made people dance the funky chicken and the infamous “Macarena”. Your dress is only memorable if you lost 30kgs to fit into it in the first place and had too little material to cover your boobs properly and tastefully. After another 5 years people will say “I almost can’t believe she even fit into it back then, look at her now!!”

Dresses like this make you end up on the internet...

(Theories on why woman pick up weight after they get married will be another topic for another day)

Ladies, do yourself a favour. Less is really more (with the exception of your wedding dress) follow the “KISS” recipe of “Keep It Simple Stupid”.

• Find a decent Master of ceremonies, the best-man/best-friend combo is not always the best option, unless he/she is in PR. Make sure they know you well enough not to make jokes about how you lost your virginity or the early days of your dating relationship with your husband.
• Screen the DJ’s music selection – WELL.
• Steer clear of “wedding dress trends”. (shoulder pads are NEVER a good idea)
• Clothe your bridesmaids in stunning dresses, even if some of them  are skinnier and prettier than you. Your taste is directly reflected in their attire and everybody knows if a bride deliberately made her maids look dumb and ugly so they won’t upstage her.

When you page through your wedding album 30 years from now, you want to look at it and say: “What a beautiful day! Look at these beautiful people! Oh  how good everybody looked back then!”  You want to do this whilst sitting next to your first and only husband over a glass of wine, celebrating your good taste in wedding attire, haircuts and each other. A wedding needs to be classic, not a fad. Classic weddings, like classic traditional couples leave a memorable imprint on your brain.

"Taste" can be used in two ways here...

Chances are good that if you succumb to the latest trends, that your relationship revolves around the same values and will only last as long as your wedding dress is considered “in style”.

I really struggle to imagine a tacky wedding held by a stunning couple. Two people who are together for the right reasons. The quality of your relationship will show up in the quality of your wedding day. You can spot these types of weddings a mile away.

He should know your preferences by now...

• You smell it in the honesty when they talk about their new parents-in-law and  not the smell of the food to be served.
• You feel it in the hugs of congratulations, and not the feeling you get from drinking at an open bar.
• You hear it in the speeches of loved ones, not the music of the DJ.
• You see it in the faces of the guests, not in the attire of the wedding party.
• You  taste it in the tears of joy kissed from your partners lips, not the caviar starter.

Happy celebrations!

Lallie

Nice...

So now, I’m in that process. I’m trying to do THAT job. I can be creative, I can make my cakes, and I can enjoy every moment of it.

Here are a few of my more creative cakes from the past month. I’ve had the honor to really showcase my creativity and my passion for what I’m doing. I’m glad you all have given me the opportunity to do that.

Any new cake ideas? Let me know.

Creativity is part of who I am, and I’m glad I can share a little bit of me with the rest of the world!

Well He has a minimum cost of $1,000. Regardless of flavor, size, and design, all the cakes at Charm City cakes cost at least $1,000.

$1,000 is a lot of money. It’s especially a lot of money because within a couple days that cake will either be all gone, or stale. A cake is a piece of art, yes, but it’s still food.

No doubt the artist on Ace of Cakes are very talented, but I came across something very interesting.

Carm City Cakes - Purse Cake

This is a cake designed and created by the wonderful people at Charm City Cakes… It’s a purse cake. To think that someone paid at least $1,000 for this is mind boggling to me.

Yes it’s a great cake and yes, it was probably on TV for a couple minutes, but in the end, it’s still mostly flour, sugar, eggs and butter.

Below is a Cake Designed by me, Sweet by Lauren. I believe it’s equally as creative. But it cost around ten times less than the cake from Charm City Cakes.

Sweet By Lauren - Designer Purse

With that said, Is it worth it? $1,000 for a cake or about $150?

What are your thoughts?

[[stay sweet]]

- Lauren

I’ve heard of cakes that resemble the brides dress but really? This bride takes the phrase, “This is Your Day” to a whole new level.

And you thought your groom loved video games…

At first glance I think highly inappropriate however after reading the caption I found it was a James Bond themed cake. Call me traditional but if I have to explain the disaster theme of my cake, it’s probably not a good idea.

Apparently this couple loves fast food. And wants to celebrate that at their wedding. To each his own.

Apparently a love for Mario is more common than I thought. I do have to appreciate the detail here.

And you thought a Nintendo cake was nerdy… Actually I think this cake is awesome. What a fun way to blend the bride and the groom into the cake.

Well if a giant burger is appropriate why not a giant tower of Twinkies, at least they really are dessert.

This is a Katamari cake. Yep, I have no idea what that means either. The caption stated that the couple were video game fanatics. Techies feel free to explain…

And one more bit of Lego Love.

All kidding aside, I love that all these cakes are unique and truly represent the couple. While I may find a giant bride cake frightening, it was perfect for her and that is all that matters. Send me your creative cake pictures!

For this cake, i used an 11″ by 11″ square cake tin. I baked two square cakes, and sliced them both down the middle, to make two thin 11″ rectangular shaped cakes. I then chopped about 6″ off one of the cakes…..as a 22″ cake was too long.

After i was happy with the overall size of the cake, i decided to cut into it to create the section where the keyboard ‘keys’ would be sitting.

(TIP: I find it helps to cut little and often when shaping a cake, as opposed to diving straight in and taking too much off)

I filled the cake with strawberry jam, and homemade buttercream - then used the remaining buttercream to crumb the outer side of the cake.

After the crumb layer had set (took about ten minutes) i covered the cake with a layer of black fondant, taking my time to make sure that it was properly placed in the sections i had previously cut out.

I used a smoother to go around the sides of the cake, but due to the shape of the top of this cake, i had to use my hands to smooth the detailed sections, as my smoother was to big to do this justice.

After the black layer was in place, all that was left to do, was the detail. I began by measuring out a white strip of fondant, for the keyboard keys. I used a knife to fill in the all the little details needed on this.

I used a dry piece of spaghetti to poke little holes on either end of the cake, to create a speaker effect, and added a power button, and a section for all the knobs and dials.

To give this cake a bit of an edge, i draped a white sash over one edge of the keyboard and printed the word YAMAHA on this, and covered with a purple wash – i feel it’s a good idea to personalise the cake to the customer or the person the cake is intended for.

Before we get onto the awesome cakes, take a look at this valiant effort. Bless it.

Now take a look at these beasts! I’ll take any one of them thanks!

Not long until New Moon folks! Hang on in there, and eat cake whilst you’re waiting!

Kate x

HAVE YOU ALWAYS WONDERED WHY PEOPLE WILL GO TO ALL EXTENDS TO HAVE THE BEST KIDS BIRTHDAY PARTY?

Well, we have the answer!

Can you remember when you were little, how exited you were about your birthday until today you can remember that Special Birthday Cake or something special that might have happened on that day, well they want their child/ren to feel the same as how they have felt.  If parents were not that fortunate to have a party, they normally want their child/ren to feel the excitement they have never felt. 

Doesn’t it excite you to think that you will make your child so very happy giving them a Birthday Party that will be the best talk of the town?

Questions many parents have when co-ordinating their child’s birthday party as well as mistakes they make! 

Do you need a Jumping Castle or is it just a waste of money?

Especially when it is the first time you have a Birthday party for your child you do not know if the kids will ‘use’ it.  The answer is YES get a Jumping Castle for the party!  Believe you me after the first half an hour that the party started you wish you had something to keep the kids busy especially if they start to run in and out your house wrecking your expensive and all time favourite lounge suit and make a jumping castle of it themselves.  Therefore, to save your lounge suite and not to raise your stress levels get a Jumping Castle!

A Large Cake, Cupcakes or Both?

Honestly, this is quite a difficult question believe it or not.  A Cake is the centre of attraction; it is the pride and joy of a child’s Birthday Party.  The cake is the most ‘real’ thing at a Birthday Party it makes the theme character feel ‘real’ especially with a 3D cake.

Cupcakes again are very easy to give to the kids and it looks very cute. However, it would be very nice if you can get someone to make the cupcakes fit the theme or with a character on because cupcakes can be very boring if it does not fit the theme and people will not even remember that there were cake at the party.

Advice is to use both at parties, as cupcakes are nice for the kids to eat and the big Birthday Cake are nice for the grown-ups.

Next week I will tell you more about decorations and give you some ideas.

WHY WE KNOW ALL ABOUT KIDS BIRTDAY PARTIES!

We specialise in Kids Party Planning as well as Adult Party Planning, Cakes, Party Packs, Room and Table Theming, Jumping Castles, Catering, Hiring of goods etc.

We let our imagination run wild so your loved ones can have the most memorable party every!

Remember your child deserve the very best and a party that is not as ordinary and boring as the rest.

We work in Pretoria, Bronkhorspruit, JHB and East Rand area.

Contact:

lollypopkidsparties@gmail.com or 082 573 3748