Saturday, December 11, 2010

Corset Cake

My latest order was for a corset cake for a bachelorette party. Since I have been inundated with tiered cakes lately, it was super cool to do something new and different. I searched all over the internet looking at real corsets, corset cakes, pictures and patterns of lace, etc. looking for inspiration. We settled on a pale pink (that ended up drying a little darker than I wanted, but still looked great) with cream and gold accents. Although they make pans specifically for this type of cake, I decided to take a different approach.

I baked three heart-shaped cakes--two for the base and general shape of the body, and the third to use to elevate the boobies and add some shape to the body. The two hearts used as the base were cut at the bottom and fitted together to create an hourglass figure, and the third was placed on top and cut and trimmed to resemble a woman's bust and body. The picture shows the cakes assembled with the raspberry filling added:


After the cake was assembled I froze it long enough to stiffen up the filling, and then added a base coat of buttercream icing to trap and cover crumbs, and chilled the cake again to set the base coat before adding color. Using Wilton Ivory and Pink icing dyes I colored my buttercream flesh tone for the skin and pink for the corset. 

Base coat

Color added, and ivory ruffles added













Once the color coats were added I cleaned up the lines by using a ruffle tip to pipe ivory icing around the shape of the corset.






From this point on, everything was, well, cake. I used a small pinhole tip to add some detail work around the ruffles, and a wider writing tip and pink icing to add texture to the corset. Once all of the piping work was complete Wilton Gold Pearl Dust was brushed on to the ivory ruffles as well as the pink piped swirly hearts to add a bit of glam and some contrast to the design.

For my first corset cake I have to say that I was thrilled with the final result, and I can't wait to make another one!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Halloween cakes: Zombie Edition

I just completed, delivered and assembled what ended up being the most fun cake I have ever had the pleasure of working on. My college friend, Sheryl, got married this weekend at Wolf Mountain Vineyards in Dahlonega, Georgia. It was an absolutely gorgeous ceremony, complete with a deliciously beautiful cupcake tower. Since everything for the wedding was so formal, Sheryl asked me to make a surprise "grooms cake" for her new hubby, and the three-tier zombie cake is what spawned from our creative energies.

Each layer was made with chocolate cake with chocolate chips, and the filling between the layers was a rich and delicious chocolate ganache. Topped with murky green/brown butter cream to portray a muddy graveyard, the cake came complete with zombie-green appendages sticking from the graveyard and zombie-hunting bride and groom posed up top with their chainsaw and machete.

I used the Wilton line tip to pipe metal fencing on the bottom tier and added fondant gravestones to each tier. I completed the effect by using crumbled up cake tops mixed with a little ganache to emulate the loose dirt of a freshly-dug grave.

Again, let me say: MOST FUN CAKE EVER.

Here is a preview of the cake, and there are more pictures under the pictures tab!



Covered in cake,

Ashlee

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Cupcakes galore!

In addition to the grooms cake and birthday cake for this weekend I had to complete an order for a dozen fall-themed cupcakes and 2 dozen Halloween/birthday cupcakes. I had a lot of fun making cupcakes instead of a full scale cake! Be sure to check out pictures to see the purple and green Halloween cupcakes on the picture tab!

Covered in ICING,

Ashlee

Monday, October 25, 2010

Giant Cupcake Pan

The Dimensions Giant Cupcake Pan is a really cute, really simply tool to use when you need a great looking cake for a small amount of people. I couldn't find baking instructions for it anywhere, though, and so it was a little bit of trial and error the first time I used it.

What I found easiest was to actually remove the cake momentarily during the baking process and take the top portion of the cupcake out of the pan before allowing the remaining portion to cook. This helped to keep the top from cooking quicker, and also helped to keep it from burning.

If you are lucky enough to use Wilton Cake Release for your baking needs, then popping the top portion of the cake out will be no sweat. If you're not using Cake Release, please do. It is the best $4.00 I have ever spent on any baking supply.

Once my cake was successfully baked and cooled, I smeared chocolate buttercream around the base to adhere aluminum foil to it easily. This gave it the impression of a traditional cupcake, only giant sized! After the foil was in place I put another thin layer of chocolate buttercream in between the top and bottom layers, and piped on chocolate buttercream around the top with large tip. No cupcake is complete without sprinkles, and since I have been on a chocolate kick lately I decided to use semi-sweet chocolate chips as sprinkles for this cupcake!

It was a huge hit at the dinner party I went to, and it was a lot of fun to make, too! Be sure to visit the pictures tab at the top of the page to see my latest cakery-creation!

Covered in Cake,

Ashlee

Friday, October 22, 2010

Death, by chocolate

I recently completed a grooms cake for one of my good friend's step-brother and his fiance. Erin and Kristafur were looking for something classy and cute to mirror her wedding cake, and a two-tier, square, chocolate cake with chocolate covered strawberries was just the thing. Taking some inspiration from chocolate grooms cakes online, I was able to deliver a 100% homemade chocolate cake, chocolate butter cream icing, mocha butter cream accents, and two-tone chocolate covered strawberries that both bride and groom adore! Take a look at this cake and more under the pictures tab!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Halloween Cupcakes

The breezy days and crisp nights means two things for certain: Fall is finally here to stay, and Halloween is just around the corner! To celebrate the season I made Halloween cupcakes today using decorating inspiration from the Wilton website. For any amateur cakers out there, I highly recommend Wilton as a great place for tips, recipes, discussion boards and general inspiration for your caking endeavors. They have a huge catalog filled with everything you could possibly need for baking and caking.

Today I used modified Wilton recipes for both yellow cake and chocolate cake, a classic butter cream icing recipe, several Wilton dyes and various designs to make mummy cupcakes, pumpkin cupcakes, spider cupcakes and worm cupcakes. I used several tips and techniques to create different textures, shapes and designs. The worm cupcakes were a great way to let kids get involved: two of my favorite girls, Sammy and Jess, had a blast using crushed Oreos and Gummy worm candies to decorate these cupcakes.

Pumpkins, Mummies, Earthworms and Spiders!

For more pictures of today's treats, visit the pictures tab at the top of the page!

Covered in Cake,

Ashlee

Friday, October 15, 2010

The Cakery Bakery

Hello, and welcome! My name is Ashlee, and this is your go-to place for all information on Ashlee's Cakery Bakery. The goal of Ashlee's Cakery Bakery is to provide clients with unique custom cakes, perfect for every occasion. From birthday cupcakes to multi-tiered wedding cakes, I promise you will never walk away disappointed. Check out the tabs at the top of the page to explore flavor options, pictures, pricing, and more!

Not all portions of the site are complete yet, but bear with me as Ashlee's Cakery Bakery continues to grow!


Covered in Cake,

Ashlee