Finished for the year!

Phew! That's it... I'm done. I'm exhausted. I have never been so stressed. But I did it! :oD

I've just finished my dad's cake. It's really simple, but looks sooooo cool! http://patacake-parties.blogspot.com/ (you can click on any photo on the blog to make it bigger) I think he'll get a real laugh from it. I hope so.

So, the #1 Winnie cake was all done on time. The mum was really really happy with it. Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo of it, so it's not on my blog. Otherwise, I could post the email she sent me

"Hi Suzanne

We just wanted to say a big ‘thank you’ for Amber’s number one cake. The Winnie the Pooh characters looked exquisite and the cake was the talk of the party and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it!

Kind regards

Lara and Lawrence"

So that was lovely!

The fairies cupcakes were done and sent. I haven't heard any feedback from those, so I imagine they must have been ok. They are so labour-intensive!

Katie was THRILLED with the cookies. I managed to make all 360 in time (120 star shape, 120 christmas tree shape and 120 round cookies). I also made a tub of little Christmas trees that I cut out of modelling paste (there were probably 150 of them?) and also I did a load of little flowers that I cut out with a blossom cutter. There were teeny-weeny stars, teeny-weeny snowflakes, teeny-weeny bows/butterflies (hard to tell) and teeny-weeny gingerbread men, all cut from some sort of sugarpaste. These were sent to me by my Auntie in Canada. You just can't get that stuff here. And even if you could, it's so cheap out there. I also bought 2 large tubs of hundreds and thousands, 2 large packets of hundreds and thousands and a large tub of silver balls... And along with the 45 tubes of Supercook Designer Icing, this is what the children were going to decorate the cookies with. When I made the round cookies, I made a hole in each one so they could be used as decorations, if threaded with some sort of ribbon. Katie thought that was just fantastic!

So, now I'm all done. I have to do food shopping for Christmas! But 'work' is over for now. I have a cake for 4th January, and then 70 cupcakes for 6th. But I'm not thinking about that for now.

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, prosperous 2008.

Suzanne x

Catch Up

I have been so busy, I haven't had a chance to sit down and update.

I did the Teletubby cake last week. Let's leave it at that. TinkyWinky is an ugly thing!

Then, I made Daniel's birthday cake. It was his birthday on Thursday, but we went out to celebrate on the Friday and so I took his cake to the restaurant with us. He had a 3D football. I suggested it, as I'd wanted to try one out. It was OK, but I made a mistake, which fortunately I managed to hide. Basically, you bake two semi-spheres of cake and then sandwich them together to make the football. However, I torted each half of the cake and filled with buttercream, then sandwiched them together. It just wasn't stable enough and so it started to go... like the Leaning Tower of Pizza! From the front, it looked OK. But from the side... uh-oh! So I made a football scarf to go around it, and that helped to hide it. I know better for next time and I wouldn't object to making one as an order. When Daniel saw the cake he said "I know you worked very hard mummy, but I really wanted a man sitting on top. But I know you tried hard". Bless him. What could I say? So I made a footballer. Red top, white shorts and white socks, as per Daniel's instructions! Pic over on my blog, here: http://patacake-parties.blogspot.com/

I'm currently making Winnie & friends for a cake for Saturday morning.

I also have a cake for my mother-in-law's birthday party this weekend. And I'm making food for the party, too.

I have to finish the 28 fairies for the cupcakes for the beginning of next week. And I also need to make the stand (which I hideously under-quoted for!)

My dad's cake shouldn't be too taxing.

Then there's just Christmas!

Oh, and I've got an order for 4th and 6th January! More about that later.

Suzanne x

HOW busy?

The Spiderman for the 1st was cancelled.

The Teletubby for the 8th was confirmed.

I forgot another cake (a gift, from me, for a friend's 50th birthday) for the 9th December.

The cookie order has increased from 180 cookies to 360 cookies!! However, I've just found out that I can make the cookie dough, cut the cookies out, freeze them and then cook from frozen. So that's something I may start this weekend. That'll save some time when I'm busy later in the month.

I've just coloured some paste so I can start the fairies for the cupcakes, too.

- * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

A few days ago, our computer crashed. Died.

And we didn't have anything backed up. Oh my G-d! Can you imagine losing EVERYTHING? All documents - that's photos of my children, of holidays, OF MY CAKES! My website. All previous and future orders. All my order forms, stationery, correspondence.... you get the picture.

Somehow, my husband eventually managed to get everything back (but it was touch and go for a good while) except for our e-mails. We lost all of them. Including all my contacts. So if you're reading this and you know me, please email me so that I've got your email address again!

Suzanne x

Busy December

At the moment, December looks like this:

1st Spiderman Cake
7th Birthday cake for my younger son (at the moment, I think he's having a football)
8th I've a Teletubbies cake pencilled in (not confirmed yet)
15th Number 1 with Winnie the Pooh etc
16th Mother-in-Law's 70th birthday party, so a cake required for that!
18th 28 fairy cupcakes
20th 180 cookies
21st My dad's 65th birthday

So that's a possible 8 orders, although 3 of those are freebies for family members.

The Spiderman cake was an order I took over the telephone - the lady's son was desperate for a Spiderman cake and she did a Google search. My cake was on the first page :o) Very happy about that! Anyway, she obviously got my website through that.

Daniel's birthday is actually on the 6th, but we're going out for a meal on the 7th, so I'll take the cake with us to the restaurant.

The teletubbies cake is for the daughter of an acquaintance of my husband. They're not sure yet.

The number 1 Winnie cake is for a friend of a friend of my sister. Or something like that!

Mother-in-Law's birthday is actually 18th December, but we're making her a surprise party on 16th. I think I'm going to make her a cake that looks like a bottle of wine in a wooden crate. That's the plan, anyway.

I'm really pleased with the cookies order. Katie (the party planner) is doing a corporate Christmas party and as part of it, she wants to do cookie decorating with the children. So I'm providing her with: 180 cookies; cellophane bags; curling ribbon; 20 tubes of Supercook Designer Icing; and lots of decorations for the cookies, which will include glace angelica, gold and silver balls, and I'm going to cut lots of little snow flakes, christmas trees, flowers, etc out of modelling paste, so the children can stick them, with the icing, onto the cookies.

I would love to make my dad a black cab cake for his birthday, but I'm not confident enough in my ability to do one. And he's the critical type. So, what I thought I might do is a giant French Fancy... you know the ones - Mr Kipling does them. It's sponge with a good blob of buttercream on the top then it's covered in fondant and they're either yellow, pink or brown. What do you think? It's different! He does LOVE them, but his wife is very strict and doesn't let him have them, except for special occasions.

Number 1 Winnie Cake - Finished

My work here is done!

What saved so much time was that I didn't have to colour any paste... I had some already coloured from the last time I made the figures. Steve - my husband - is quite right when he says I should make a few of each figure to keep in stock. That way, when I get a cake order it will only take half the time to do.

Rocket Cake and Stuff

I've now uploaded a pic of the rocket cake on my other blog (http://patacake-parties.blogspot.com/) and also on my proper website in the children's gallery (http://www.patacake-parties.com/Gallery.htm). It does look good, actually.... if I say so myself. When Katie collected it this morning I gave her some off-cuts of cake. She said 'Oh... isn't it chocolate?' I said 'No... the order form did say vanilla'. She thinks it was supposed to be chocolate. But she definitely didn't order chocolate. I hope it doesn't matter too much.

The number 1 cake for Sunday is baked, covered and on the board. I've decorated the edges with balloons (even though my other number 1 doesn't have balloons around it - I hope that doesn't matter too much). I needed to put something around the sides, to hide a few cracks!!!!! It didn't cover as well as it usually does. Hey-ho... these things happen.

So I've got all day tomorrow to make the 4 characters and do the inscription. The cake is being delivered first thing on Sunday morning. Should be fine :o)

Rocket Cake

I managed to bake the cake yesterday. It came out really flat-looking (nothing to do with how my cake turned out... it's just not a deep tin!) so I baked a shallow-ish rectangular cake, put the rugby ball cake on top of it and cut around. Much better.

I thought I'd get the cake finished in no time whatsoever. However, true to form, it's just short of midnight and I've only just finished. And now I have to tidy my kitchen! It's a bomb-site! A disaster area!!

I'm happy enough with the cake, although the one I was copying is better. Katie told me that she's had space suits made for the party, so I've incorporated them in the model by giving the astronaught blue boots and a blue belt.

I'll take a photo of it in the morning.

Suzanne x

Oh No!

I just about to start making the cake mixture for the rocket cake, when the door bell rang. It was a chap from the electricity company... the workmen re-doing the pavement outside have hit a cable and therefore all electricity is going to go off very soon - for a couple of hours.

Oh no! I can't start baking the cake.

So, I'm going to cover the cake boards and then start making the Winnie characters.

:o(

Stella Artois Cake Update

I just wanted to make a little diary entry to say that the cake got there in one piece! Phew! I was so worried. To give it some added stability, I loosely wrapped some cellophane around the cake and then gently stuffed some bubblewrap into the box. That way, if the cake did start to topple, it had the bubble wrap to 'lean' against to stop it falling.

The customer was thrilled with it. She sent me an email to say:

"Hi Suzanne

It was nice to meet you to and i'm over the moon with the cake! - also made it into work with no problems at all - phew!!!

I will certainly get a picture of Alex with cake and will email it to you on Monday.

Thank you once again

Best Wishes

Lynsey"

And she did indeed email me some photos. One of them is on my 'proper' website (www.patacake-parties.com) and it's on the 'Comments' page.


Sunday 11th, I was in Birmingham for a big cake/sugarcraft exhibition at the NEC. It was great - the first time I'd been. I got to meet quite a few people that I've only ever known via email and websites previously: Hannah - who I met through Babyworld; Sylvia and Bob - who I met through ebay and subsequent apron orders; and lots of members of the British Sugarcraft Guild website. It was so nice to meet people and put faces to names. I was fairly restrained in my purchases ;o) Hannah - I'm still in two minds as to whether I should have treated myself to those large rolling pins that do the embossing!! I'm still in love with them!

Anyway, two cakes for this coming weekend - a rocket and a number 1 with Winnie etc on.

That's it for now.

Suzanne x

Stella Artois Cake - Finished!

I've finished!!! I'm happy with it.

IF I was better at piping onto the side of a cake. And IF I hadn't slightly undercharged (but primarily if I was better at piping onto the side of a cake!) then I might have had a go at piping around the label. On the can of lager I bought this afternoon I've seen that there is a sort of gold scroll which incorporates wheat (or hops, I imagine, seeing as it's lager). But I'm not going to attempt it!

Better?

I know the picture's a little on the blurry side. But is it looking better? Be honest with me! ;o) I think it is. So, OK, it may not be perfectly, exactly straight. But that's because you've got the very straight lines of my kitchen tiles behind it. If you're not looking for it, you probably wouldn't notice (that's what I'm telling myself, anyway!).

However, I'm still concerned about the customer getting it there without it toppling!

Disaster In The Making

I don't have a good feeling about this. I did last night. But now I don't. It's so flippin' big that it's a bit unstable. I have put two dowels the entire way through the cake, but I'm still apprehensive. And the customer is taking the cake to the restaurant in London by tube train. OMG! She's taking it on the tube! Agghhhhh!

I'm sure that putting the marzipan and then icing on it will give it some more stability. When you make things so much taller than they are wide, it makes them unstable. Something to do with the centre of gravity.

But please, please keep everything crossed for me.

What you're looking at is a picture of 4 x 5" cakes, stacked. Each cake has been cut through and filled with jam and buttercream, then the cakes were buttercreamed to each other! (I certainly didn't plan on making quite so much cake when I gave her the price for this! But - and it's entirely my fault - the edible print of the label is bigger than I thought. So I needed to make more cake so it was a little more in proportion.

Phew!

Sorry it's taken me a few days to get around to updating the diary.

Well, eventually, I did manage to cover the cake with sugarpaste. It did help leaving the sugarpaste thicker, although it did still rip a bit. However, I decided that what I'd do is instead of just marking out the front doors, I would cut out the sugarpaste and put a new panel in. This way, I was able to cut out the torn bit of sugarpaste! Clever, eh? ;o)

Once the cake was sugarpasted, I stuck it onto the wooden plinth on the board. Again, I used the 'no more nails' type adhesive that I used to stick the plinth onto the board (I could do this, because the cake was on a board and there was no way the two were going to come into contact with each other). Because of the size and weight of the cake, I needed to make sure it wasn't going to fall!!!!

Before going to bed, I made the panels that had the words 'Mystery Machine' on them. I coloured the sugarpaste, cut them to shape and then left them to set a little over night. The next morning, I traced the Mystery Machine logo onto them and outlined the writing in black, then filled it in with orange colouring gel, watered down slightly. Then, I put them onto the van. In hindsight, they could have been ever so slightly bigger... but that's just me being overly picky.

It didn't look like I had much left to do on the cake, but it still took me all day and all evening (going to bed at about 1am) until I finished.

But I'm really pleased with it. And, most importantly, so was the customer.

Oh, during the day, I also baked a cake in a tiffin tin ready for decorating the next day (Friday). It was going to be a Barbie cake and was being delivered Friday evening.

I'm pleased to say I did get the cake done in time. My brother delivered it all the way to Tunbridge Wells for me (he's a licenced cab driver, so it was a proper paid transaction). The customer was absolutely thrilled with it. In fact, she phoned me this morning 1) to tell me how much everyone adored the cake and 2) to ask how long the cake would be OK for? I told her it was baked on Thursday afternoon and I would say a maximum of 5 days, so therefore she should eat it by tomorrow.

Snag

I knew it was too good to be true. Things were going really well. The carving of the cake (which I hate doing) went well. I covered it in marzipan OK. Despite forgetting to cover the wooden blocks of the plinth in black sugarpaste before sticking it to the cake board, I managed to cover them.

I wasn't worried that I needed to take time out of my working day to go and watch my youngest in one of his lessons at school (there were only 4 mums in total who came, so he was so proud).

But can I covered the flippin' thing with sugarpaste? No. I've tried 3 times. I'm worried that I'm going to overwork the sugarpaste and each time I roll it out I use so much icing sugar that it's going to get really dry! I'm now contemplating doing it in sections. I'd rather not. But if I have to, I will.

I put a message on the British Sugarcraft Guild website on one of their forums, asking for some advice.

Ooooh.... I've just checked and there's a reply:

"This is very similar to the VW Campervans I have done recently. I also find it very difficult to cover this shape in one go. I do it by leaving the paste slightly thicker than I normally would and as I work it into place it thins slightly. I am sure you are finding that it is tearing as you put it in place and try to shape it. The extra thickness allows for this. It makes it a heavier piece of paste to lift into place but it is well worth doing. Good luck!! "

Thank you, Mark. I'll colour up some more paste and give it another go!

OK... I'm off to colour sugarpaste.

Suzanne x

Whoops!

Oh bugger!!!!!!

I've just glued the plinth on to the cake board. But I forgot to cover the bottom bits of wood in black sugarpaste. Oh poo, poo, poo!!!!! I can't get it off now. That's going to be a right pain to cover now. I'll do it next, before I put the cake on it, so at least I can turn it upside down or whatever I'll need to do.

Also, it would have been much better if I'd have somehow put some little indents in the wooden plinth, where the wheels are going to go... I don't think I describe what I mean. But I know what I mean! :op

Also, my next job will be to make the wheels, so that they can dry before I put them in place. Otherwise, they'll sort of sink a bit... look like flat tyres!

I'm also in the process of deciding whether to cover the cake once it's on the plinth, or whether I should cover it, then move it? Hmmmmm. Not sure.

Right. Gotta get on!

Stuff

It was really strange last night... from the centre of the cake being completely gooey and covering the knife with a thick coating of cake mixture, it went to being cooked in just half an hour more.

Already today I've got as far as carving the cake. I'm just beating the buttercream to cover the cake and then I'm going to marzipan it.

It's a heavy beastie!

Baking

It's now ten to midnight.

I've had the 13" square chocolate cake (for the Mystery Machine cake) in the oven since 9pm. I checked it a little while ago and it was still completely raw in the middle.

It's going to take forever. I'm going to be up until stupid o'clock and I haven't even started decorating yet. :o(

Both boards are covered and I've made the raised plinth for the van cake to sit on.

November

Yay! Looks like another good month. I have to say, though, it would be a lot more helpful if people could have their parties mid-week, instead of all at the weekend, LOL!

November now looks like this:

Friday 2nd - Mystery Machine
Friday 2nd - Barbie Doll
Friday 9th - Can of beer
Saturday 17th - Rocket ship
Sunday 18th - Number 1 with Winnie & friends picnic (what's the betting they'll want this for the Saturday, too?!?! But, with a bit of luck, the rocket ship cake will be wanted on the Friday!)

:o)

Suzanne x

www.patacake-parties.com

I've updated the Children's Parties page. Up until now, it just said 'under construction'.

What do you think?

http://www.patacake-parties.com/Children%27s%20Parties.htm

My husband walked in and saw me doing it and very helpfully said 'Why are you bothering? It's not like you do any parties any more'.

Erm... no, maybe not. But if I update my website, then I increase the chance of me getting some orders. Thanks for nothing.

Panic setting in

I'm starting to really worry about the cakes for next weekend. (Have you noticed this is probably a continual theme in my diary?)

I know, in theory, what I'm going to do. There are just a couple of things I'm not sure about. Like, I'm going to raise the Mystery Machine cake slightly to give it a better appearance. You do that by putting some wood underneath it (making sure the cake is on a piece of food grade card!) and then cover the wood in black sugarpaste. Well, I MUST make sure it's going to be stable, so I'm not sure what size bit of wood to use. The cake is going to be very approximately 12" long and 6" wide, by 6" tall. So I thought if I use a bit of wood that's 10" long by 4" wide and about 1" high. Or should it be taller? It's hard to get an idea of the scale/perspective of it, until it's in front of you. But I don't have a saw, so I'm going to have to go and get some wood cut! Also, when I cut the 12" square cake in half and then stack it, will I need to dowel the bottom of the cake, or will it be OK without? It's these things that can make the difference between success and failure.

Plus, delivery has changed on the Barbie doll cake. The order form said the cake was for Saturday 3rd. So, I thought that I'd have the Scooby van cake finished on Thursday night (again, probably at stupid o'clock) and then I'd decorate the Barbie cake all day and all evening Friday, ready for delivery on Saturday.

Well, the party planner e-mailed me and said 'the cake is going to be delivered on the Friday, isn't it?' And I had to reply and say that, no, it wasn't! It was going to be delivered on Saturday morning, as per the order form! I'm already doing a cake order for their company for the Friday. She replied 'ok'. Then she replied again and said the customer is having a complete panic and if there is any chance whatsoever that it could be with them on the Friday..... So I said that I will do my very best, but can't guarantee. And if so, it won't be until about 8pm or so. It's being delivered to Tunbridge Wells, Kent. I'm not doing it. My brother works for a car service, so I asked him for a quote. As it happens, it was the cheapest of the quotes I had. And he is going to deliver it himself - not get one of the other drivers to do it.

So, in theory, I should be able to do it. As long as the cake is baked on Thursday, ready to start decorating first thing on Friday, then I should be OK. It's just my procrastinating!!!!! I'm going to cover both of the cake boards on Monday or Tuesday so they're nice and set for when I start to do the cakes.

Wish me luck. ;o)

Pic

OK. I lied. Or, rather, should I say that I changed my mind. It's a lady's prerogative, don'tcha know! ;o)

I just couldn't let it go without taking a photo of it. I'm proud of it. I'm not big headed. I know full well that I'm not the best cake maker. I'm OK. I've seen plenty of amazing cakes on some cake forums that I go on.

But what I do, I do to the very best of my ability. I put a lot of me into my cakes. They're almost like my babies - so, yes, I am proud of them.

So here's the latest one.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HZtk9YeHrTI/Rxm7Vavu90I/AAAAAAAAAKo/qxDqWGDxD8Q/s1600-h/Winnie+Pooh+hexagon.jpg

(I don't know why the picture is such a poor quality... it's very grainy!)


Suzanne x

Winnie Cake - Finished!

Well, it's gone 2am and I'm shattered.

Cake is done, but kitchen is a bomb-site! I haven't photographed it 'properly' because I already have a cake like this on my site.

Modelling, again!

Oh blimey! Eeyore is somewhat bigger than the others!

Ooops!

Modelling Pooh & Friends

Why do I feel like I've been making these models for the last week and a half? It's only been today.

They look really nice. Because I've got the luxury of them going onto a 12" cake, instead of squeezing them onto a number 1, I've been able to make them ever so slightly larger - which makes it easier.

They're all finished now.

I've still got quite a bit to do... I still have to make the picnic blanket and picnic food to put on it; pipe the inscription; put balloons around the side of the cake; pipe around the base of the cake; photograph the cake.

It's ten to eleven now... I don't reckon I'll see bed before 1am. Let's see.

Better get on.

Suzanne x

D'oh!

When I make edible models, I use a piece of dried spaghetti. It goes right through their body (often right down into the cake for extra stability) and up into the head.

I have to make Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet. But I used the last of the spaghetti for dinner tonight! D'oh! Anyway, all is not lost. I've filled and covered the cake, so tomorrow I only need to do the modelling and inscription. "Only"? Ha!!

I baked the cake this morning and it was still ever-so-very slightly warm in the middle this evening! I levelled the top, then cut it through twice and let each layer air for a few minutes to finish cooling down. It should be lovely for the party on Saturday.

That reminds me... When I went to the cake supply shop a little while ago, someone came in asking about them making a cake for an 18th birthday party the following Saturday (it was a Friday that I was there... the cake wasn't for the next day, it was for the following Saturday). The customer was told they could only have a fruit cake, as they'd just finished baking the cakes for next week. That's an entire week. I don't know if they freeze them? But for a Saturday, I bake on a Wednesday or Thursday, depending on the cake. If it was something like a wedding cake with a lot of decoration, I'd probably bake Wednesday morning, possibly make a start on covering the cakes on Wednesday night, so that I have all day Thursday and all day Friday to decorate. Personally, I never freeze cakes, either. But different strokes for different folks.

Right, I'm going to clear the kitchen then go to bed!

Suzanne x

Forthcoming Orders

So, the 12" cake with Winnie & friends picnic has been confirmed for this weekend.

November 2nd I have the large Mystery Machine cake. November 3rd I hav a Barbie doll cake. November 18th I have a large number 1 with Winnie & friends cake. I did also have an enquiry for a rocket ship cake for the 17th November, but haven't heard back yet.

I have to learn to be more disciplined - not to stop half way through a cake and browse on Babyworld or Cake Central or the British Sugarcraft Guild website. I could easily save a couple of hours that way! And going to bed at 11pm instead of 1am would make a big difference!

I tried a couple of new cake recipes today. I made a chocolate torte cake, from Mich Turner's Spectacular Cakes book. I haven't tasted it yet. It smells divine. But it's a completely different texture to what I'm used to - more like a brownie. It's not really suitable for the cakes I do, but it does smell gooooood. I'm going to slice it through and fill it with chocolate ganache tomorrow. I also tried a carrot cake recipe (Jamie Oliver). Not sure about that, yet. There's an overpowering smell of orange at the moment (it's just been taken out of the oven). I'm going to make some cream cheese frosting for it tomorrow, so will save judgement until then. Cara (a friend I met through Babyworld) is coming over as my guniea pig. I hope she isn't disappointed!!!!!!!

Talking of friends from Babyworld, Hannah e-mailed me to say she's going to try and come to the Sugarcraft show at the NEC, Birmingham next month! Hannah - you HAVE to come!!!!!!!!! It'll be so nice to meet.

OK - I'm going to turn the carrot cake (or, if the smell is anythin to go by, orange cake!) out of the tin, then go to bed.

Underground Tube Train Cake - Finished!

I'm really pleased with how the cake turned out. http://www.patacake-parties.blogspot.com/

I e-mailed Katie a pic of it and said 'I think you'll agree that it's a good copy of the original?' to which she replied 'I think yours looks better'.

:o)

So I hope the customer is pleased with it. I certainly don't feel I could have done any more.

I'm just waiting for an order form to come back to me... I had an enquiry for a 12" cake with a Winnie-the-Pooh picnic on top, for next week.

Plus, Katie has confirmed the Mystery Machine cake. Yay!!!!! I've had another enquiry from her for a rocket cake for 17th November. Yes, things are going OK at the moment.

:oD

Suzanne x

Tube Train in progress, update

Shhhhhhh! Don't say anything, but it's going really well.

I don't have too much more to do. Which is good, because I don't have tomorrow afternoon to work on it, so it has to be completely finished tomorrow evening. I dare say that means I'll be going to bed at stupid o'clock! Tomorrow, I have to take Daniel for an ENT check-up, but it's a good hour's drive each way. I'm picking him up from school at 12 o'clock (his appt. is at 1.30pm).

For the driver's window, I actually managed to just push the icing in to make a small indent. It looks fine.

Tube Train Cake in progress

I'm currently working on the tube train cake.

I baked 3 x 5" round cakes, then cut a little off. I stood them onto the flat, cut edge, then sandwiched them all together. I marzipanned them then covered them in white sugarpaste, except the two ends, which I covered in red.

I've inserted the windscreens into each end of the train. And I've just done the doors. Now, I have to put the windows in the side of the train. Not looking forward to that.

I'm a bit nervous, because Katie sent me an email... the customer wanted to know 'will it be exactly like the picture?' I replied "Obviously I didn't make the original cake, but I will certainly do my utmost to replicate it as exactly as I can." I can't really say more than that, can I?

Right... better get on with it.

Oh bugger! One thing I didn't do is to make a little indent for the driver to be leaning out of. Hmmmmmm...... What am I going to do?

October & November Forthcoming Work

I just thought I'd post a quick update.

At the moment, I only have 1 cake for this month. But I don't mind, to be honest. Yes, we need the money, but sometimes it's just nice to have a wee bit of time and space for yourself. This cake is for 12th October. I'm a bit gutted about how much I quoted for it, to be honest. I got an e-mail from Katie, the party planner, with the following picture attached, asking if I can make the same cake and how much?

I quoted £60 for 25 portions and £85 for 40 portions. They've gone with the smaller cake. Fine. I thought I recognised the cake, so I went on-line and sure enough I found it. I'm a bit sneeky, 'cause I asked my sister to phone them and give them a line about how her husband/brother/uncle/friend is retiring from London Underground soon and she's interested in the cake for a retirement party. Guess how much? Go on... guess. Nope, more than that. Go higher... It's more than that. 25 portion cake is £205. No, you didn't read that incorrectly. TWO HUNDRED AND FIVE POUNDS for a 25 portion cake. And a 40 portion cake is £240. I mean... come on!?! Please! Even as a cake maker I can't see how she can charge that much. Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely cake, nicely done. Last time Katie collected a cake from me, she told me to put my prices up. She wasn't kidding. But not to that sort of stupid amount.

Anyway. November is going to be an exciting month for me.

So far, I've got:

3rd - Barbie doll cake - which is being delivered by minicab to Tunbridge Wells. The delivery is only a few quid less than the cake itself! Go figure!?!

3rd - LARGE Mystery Machine Van (Scooby Doo van!) - that's for the same family who ordered the Harry Potter Hogwarts cake that I helped to salvage! :o)

10th - cake that looks like a can of Stella Artois lager

10th - I'm staying overnight in Birmingham because I'm going to the NEC on the 11th to see the Sugarcraft and Cake Decoration Show.

Imagine... all that space dedicated to trying to sell me stuff! :oD In fairness, it's not just selling stuff. There are workshops and demonstrations. But I'm so excited. I was supposed to go last year, but ended up in hospital the night before we were due to go. So I am determined to go this year.

And that's it from me, for now.

Pooh Sticks Cake Collected

She loved it. She really, really loved it. She actually gave me a hug!

I might have another order from her at the end of the year, or early next year, as they're planning on having all the children christened, so will be wanting a cake!

:o)

Winnie 'Pooh Sticks' Cake

It's finished. I love it.

Everything on it is edible - even the bridge. However, for extra stability, the base of the bridge is has been placed on some card. The little 'Pooh sticks' are tiny pieces of spaghetti that I painted brown with colouring gel.

This is one of those cakes that, if you had the time, you could really 'play' with. For example, my 8½ year old son said the bridge should have been arched. I was thinking of putting a picket fence all around the cakes, and you could have had a sign that said "Mr Sanderz" over a doorway - which is the entrance to Winnie-the-Pooh's house. My husband said an oak tree would have looked good! Yeah, I'm sure it would... but I wouldn't know how to start! But you know what I mean? You could really have such fun 'playing' with a cake like this.

It's a good job I had three heads already made from last time I did a Winnie cake, because it takes me so long to do modelling. They're just sugar, so they keep almost indefinitely.

Here's a quick picture I took, but I'll probably take a few more tomorrow and then decide which is the best.

Right - it's gone 1.30am so I'm off to bed. The cake is being collected at 9am tomorrow!

Just a quickie...

She loved it!!!

In fact, it's mum's turn to have "the girls' night" at her place next Wednesday, so she's saving it for then. Good job it's a fruit cake! ;o)

I finished my mum's cake yesterday.

I'm so pleased with it. It looks lovely. And it didn't really take too long, either. I haven't put it on my website or blog yet. Once we're back from dinner tonight, then I'll do it. But I want it to be a surprise. I must admit, Mum isn't really "into" handbags, but I did this cake because I knew it wouldn't take too long; I've had so many other commitments this week that I knew I wouldn't have a lot of time.

Last night I baked one of the cakes for Saturday. This morning, I baked the other one. I've covered the cake board. I'm going to have a bit of a tidy up and then see what time it is. I need to have a shower and do my hair, because we're out for dinner tonight. I should be able to make the pastillage this afternoon. Then this evening I think I'll cover the cakes. The buttercream is already made.

It doesn't matter what time I go to bed on Friday - the cake has to be finished by then, as it's being collected at 9am on Saturday!

Cookies - Finished!

I've done them! I've done them!!

:O)

I've got to put them into a cab and send them to the charity's head office in Shoreditch tomorrow. Mother-in-law is going to give me the cost of the cab back.

So... tomorrow....

Decorate my mum's birthday cake.
Bake 2 x 7" sponge cakes.
Cover the cake board for the 2 x 7" cakes.
Make some pastillage to use in the models that are going onto the 2 x 7" cakes.

I thought I'd just add that today's customer was really pleased with the cake. I really do feel honoured to have made a 70th wedding anniversary cake. I asked her if she didn't mind me asking how old her grandparents were? Her grandmother is 92 and her grandfather is 93. Isn't that wonderful, to have been married for that long? She also told me their family had been in touch with Buckingham Palace a while ago, and that her grandparents got a letter from The Queen. I really do think it's so special.

Right.... I need to go to bed!

Night-night!

The cake is done. Customer will be collecting it any minute.

I've just had a phone call from my mother-in-law to see if I'll be delivering the cookies today. Erm... no. Sorry! She said that if I can't get them to her by tomorrow (when her friend - a patron of the charity - has a meeting at the charity's office), then she'll pay for a cab to take them to CWAC's office in SW4. I'm not very happy about that. When I spoke to the friend on Saturday, she did say that her grandson was helping at the ball and so if necessary, he could take them with him on Saturday. But now, my mother-in-law said that that won't be possible. "It's complicated" she said. No, I'm not very happy at all.

Cookies and Cake

I've never had such a busy week as this one.

This morning I had to go to the cake supplies shop. Traffic was dreadful and it took me over twice as long to get there and back as it usually does.

I've now decorated all the cookies. I have actually decorated 226 (I was asked for 210) and I've got 10 spare (as yet, undecorated. I intend to decorate them and give them to the printer of the little cards on the bags, as a 'thank you').

They're all bagged up.

108 have the ribbons and little card tags on them.

118 still need that part doing. I actually think that that bit takes longer than decorating them!

*sigh*

Last night I baked the anniversary cake which is being collected tomorrow. I've spent today decorating it. All I have to do is the inscription. I might see if I can do it tonight (I need the sugarpaste to set a bit first). Otherwise, I'll have to do it first thing tomorrow morning.... it's being collected at 10.30am.

Yesterday, I also covered my mum's birthday cake in marzipan. I had to cut a bit off of it, to shape it. Oh My Goodness... it's goooooooooooood (if I say so myself!). I do love rich fruit cake. And this one is delicious.

Oh, I got a phone call yesterday from the lady for whom I made the 50th wedding anniversary cake. She kept saying what an absolutely delicious cake it is – and that, in fact, when they have visitors over, if they offer their guests any, her husband glares at her because he wants to keep it all for themselves! LOL! A 5 and a 0 is a heck of a lot of cake for 2 people! But she was so thrilled with it. Her words were 'it's as good on the inside as it is on the outside'. Which is lovely to hear.

Tomorrow, I plan to pipe the inscription on the cake, first thing. Once that's gone, I'll do quite a lot of the cookie bags. Then, I want to work on my mum's cake. That's needed for Thursday. Wednesday I hope to do the last of the cookie bags by the afternoon, so that I can deliver them to my mother-in-law, where they're being collected from. I also need to start work on the Winnie-the-Pooh characters for the cakes which I'm doing for collection on Saturday. Thursday, I want to bake the two cakes for Saturday.

I think that's it.

On paper, it sounds like I'm quite organised. But I'm easily distracted!!!

The modelling of the 4 figures will take me an entire day, probably. I'm a slow worker with a limited concentration span!

Hogwarts Castle - Finished!

It's done. At the end of the day, had it been a cake I'd had a lot more time with, I would have done things differently. But I think that it's better than it was. I think the tall towers and turrets give it more height, more presence. Unfortunately, there's no getting around the fact that I've used ice-cream cones for the turrets and wafers for the roofs (actually, they don't look bad... the teeny-tiny square pattern on them looks like roof tiles!). But I did what I could in the time available.

Katie was so, so grateful. She said that not many people would have done what I did. I'm not sure many cake decorators would have taken on someone else's cake. But I did it for Katie. She said to invoice her and she'll pay me ASAP. But I'm still not sure what to charge. Yes, I had a very late night. And yes, I have a lot of other work I should have been doing. But I don't want to take advantage of her. Oh, and also, she said that when it's my son's birthday next, she also wants to provide an entertainer - free of charge - as a thank you. That's so sweet of her. But, again, I don't want to take advantage.

One thing I've learnt, though, is that I can definitely afford to increase what I charge her for cakes. Obviously her clients are prepared to pay that sort of money. And last time she came to collect a cake, she actually told me to put my prices up!

I now need to crack on with the cookies. However, I'm out tonight. I'm going to have to try to get some help, I think!

Hogwarts Update

It's going a lot, lot slower than I anticipated. I knew it wouldn't be a ten minute job, but it's gone midnight (Steve and I have been working on it since about 8pm) and it's nowhere near done.

In fact, we're only doing a small castle. Because of the time issue, I'm doing a castle on the left and on the right I'm going a quidditch pitch. It's not what she had in mind, I'm sure. But I hope it will be better than what was originally there. It's much, much bigger than what was originally there. It should be a bit more imposing. Obviously, it still needs roofs, etc. But I think it you compare it to the piddly castle that was originally there, it should look a bit better. I hope.

Cake Stops Play!

I got a phone call earlier this afternoon from the party planner from whom I get quite a bit of my work.

She sounded ashen! She said "Suzanne... can you help me out of a situation?"

I said "What's the matter?"

She said "I'll be honest with you. I sometimes use another cake maker. Well, she's delivered a £300 cake and it's crap! I've got a party for clients tomorrow in Kensington. They're spending £10,000 and I just can't take this cake to them." She went on to tell me it's a Harry Potter theme party at the Kensington Roof Gardens. She said the base of the cake is fine, but the Hogwarts castle is just terrible. She said "I'll pay you £200 if you can sort this out for me."

I told her to bring it over and I'd have a look, but that I'd be honest and if it wasn't something I could do, I would tell her.

She's just been. She wasn't joking! The base bit is fine. And there is A HELL OF A LOT of cake. However, the castle is a complete and utter joke. It's tiny. And not very good. So she's left the cake with me and I'll have to completely remove the sugarpaste 'castle' and make a new one from scratch.

This is going to put me back quite a bit, with the cookies. I managed to do 15 more today, from about 10am - 1pm [with only very occasional, short breaks! ;o) ]

Good News and Bad News

The good news is that my sister came over this evening . The good news is that we got all of these cookies decorated, bagged, tagged and ribboned (is 'ribboned' a word?)







The bad news is that I still have all of these cookies still left to do!!!!!!!!

OMG! These are going to take me forever to do. Debra was here for just under 2½ hours.... So I was decorating cookies for 2½ hours. Debra was bagging, tagging and ribboning (is 'ribboning' a word?) for 2½ hours and we got 40 done. 40?! I'm gonna be here forever :o(

225 Cookies Baked

I'm ridiculously, pathetically proud of these cookies. Well... I've never done so many before. Yet, at the same time, I'm also a little diappointed. I mean, I thought that it would just look.... more! Of course, this was the easy bit. I've got to start decorating and bagging them up tomorrow. Eeek! The decorating isn't hard. I mean, it's not like I'm going to royal ice them. Royal icing gives a gorgeous finish. But it's a heck of a lot more work. And seeing as a) there are so many of them and b) they're freebies..... But royal icing cookies does look beautiful. No, the way I'm doing it will just be fiddly!

This is Rita's website. Rita is the lovely lady who taught me about cake decorating. http://www.amatterot.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=Cookies-and-favours

See what a gorgeous finish her cookies have. Mine will be different, as I'm going to use a thin red strip of sugarpaste to decorate them with. But Rita would have used royal icing! ;o) When I grow up, I want to be Rita.

138 Down.... 72 to go!!!

Yay! I got 138 cookies out of the one batch of cookie dough. Some of them are slightly browner on the edges than I'd like, so I will make extra when I'm baking tomorrow, so that I can pick and choose the best. And I'll send some extras, in case of breakages en route.

And the printers who very kindly printed all the little card tag things completely free of charge for me... I'll send them some as a thank you, too.

40 Down..... 170 to Go!!

Actually, I'm steaming through these a lot quicker than I thought I would. I think that when I've finished this batch of dough, I won't bake any more until tomorrow. I have actually got almost 100 from one batch. And I've made three batches! I've only defrosted two batches so far, so I can leave the third batch in the freezer until I need it for something else.

The dough defrosted beautifully and it's lovely to work with.

I'm still undecided if I'll start decorating these tonight.

I bought the plastic storage box/crate thingy this morning. I thought it would be idea to store them in until I decorate them, and then once they're done I can put them back in there until they're bagged up. And then when they're bagged up, I might put them in there for delivery.

Cookies for Charity

I've just had a thought.

It's not enough that I've bought all the ingredients (I reckon it's around £30, give or take a bit) and that I've spent around £17 on bags and ribbon for these 210 cookies, but I'm going to have to buy a LARGE plastic box with a lid tomorrow, so that when I've baked the cookies, I have somewhere to store them until they're decorated and bagged up. And then, once they're decorated and bagged up I'll need somewhere to store them until they're delivered.

And, at the moment, it could be that the charity is going to pay for a minicab to deliver them. So that means I won't get my flippin' box back! (I had a look in the cheapy shop today, and they are around a fiver.)

Agghhhhhhhh!!

Humph!!

I know it only comes to around £50, but for me that's a lot of money right now. I wouldn't be doing this for any other charity. Good job it's CWAC! http://www.cwac.org/

50th Anniversary Cake... the full story.

It's taken me a full week to get myself together after the saga of the 50 cake. Never have I been so stressed, panicked and depressed as I have about this cake. If ever there was a time I thought I might give up this cake decorating lark, it was making this cake.

So, where did I get to? I put the pretty lace border around the bottom of the cake. Then, because I had to hide the join where I'd covered the top of the cake and then the sides, I put another lace border around the top. Then I decided - and G-d knows what made me do it - to paint them gold. To tie in with the golden anniversary, I guess. OMG! What a mess. It was awful! My husband is very supportive and encouraging. But he kept coming in, staring at it, then walking out. And I was getting more and more frantic. I didn't know what to do.

I've often said we're soul mates, because sometimes we do things, separately, but at the same time. In this instance, as I got up from typing a message on a cake decorating forum I use - asking how hard it would be just to recover the cake and start again - he came in and said to me ' Would it be too much to just recover the cake and start again?'. So I knew that this was obviously what I had to do.

He helped me to remove the cake from the cake board. This in itself wasn't easy, because it had been royal iced in place! I had to be careful not to break the cake (because it was a number 5, it was more delicate than, say, a round or square cake... easier to break!) With the cake, came a load of the icing from the board. So between us, we delicately removed the icing and marzipan from the cake and whilst I recovered the cake, he patched up the cake board. It wouldn't be seen, so it wasn't important that it was patched up. Thank G-d it was a rich fruit cake... I never would have been able to do it with a sponge.

HOWEVER, then another 'disaster'. When I put the cake back onto the board, because I'd re-covered it in an ever-so-slightly different way than how I did it the first time, it was one or two millimeters smaller than it had originally been. And this meant that where I'd painted the bottom lace border gold and there were flecks of gold on the board, you could see it. And you could see where it had been patched up.

I literally paced around with my head in my hands, chanting out loud 'What am I gong to do? What am I going to do?' Then it hit me. I mirrored the lace boarder that was on the bottom of the cake, onto the cake board.

I still didn't know what to do about hiding the join around the top of the 5 cake. I knew I couldn't put a lace border on it, because it would have been too much. So I just did a simple line of piping. I was in two minds about whether or not to pipe around the 0. It was so simple and elegant with such nice lines and a nice shape, that I worried about ruining it. But it had to match the 5. So I did. And it was fine.

So, finally, the end result was - I think - a very elegant, under-stated 50th wedding anniversary cake. There was a single white rose that I'd edged with gold, with a couple of gold leaves. The inscription was piped onto the cake and then painted gold. And the gold ribbon around the cake board also gave it a lift.

It was bloody hard work getting there, but I did get there in the end. I was finally happy with the cake. And, more importantly, the anniversary couple were thrilled with it!

50th Wedding Anniversary Cake

So far. I hate it. Really, really hate it. Instead of normal, boring piping painted gold, I thought I'd try a lace effect. Above is how it looked before I painted it gold. Wish I hadn't bothered now. I had to put something on the top to hide where the sugarpaste joins from the sides to the top. And because I'd done the bottom with the border, putting piping along the top wouldn't have looked right.

I'm invited to the function that it's for.... my mother-in-law's best friend's Golden Wedding Anniversary party.

Originally, they ordered it (and I would have earned well from it), but then I decided to tell them it would be my gift to them.

I really, really wanted this to be a "Wow" cake. The caterer they're having also did my dad's wedding a couple of years ago. Well, when I asked him what he thought of the cake(http://patacake-parties.blogspot.com/2005/10/with-hand-made-arum-lilies-eucalyptus.html) he was so rude, he had me in tears. He said "It's Ok... but it's not up to a professional standard". My arse it wasn't. That cake was gorgeous. Absolutely nothing wrong with it whatsoever. It might not be to everyone's taste, but there was no reason why it wasn't of a professional standard. B****rd was probably just pi$$ed off because he didn't get his cake person to make it, and he didn't get to put a few quid on top for himself! I only asked because, at the time, I was so insecure about my work that I thought I might get a few words of encouragement.

*sigh*

I don't know what I'm going to do. I'll just have to finish it and then see how I feel then. But right now, I couldn't feel any more depressed.

Forthcoming Work

So, at the moment, my month looks like this:

9th - 50th wedding anniversary cake.
15th - Pirate ship cake.
25th - 70th wedding anniversary cake.
27th - my mummy's birthday.
29th - 2 cakes for 1 year old twins.
29th - well, a few days before, actually, 210 cookies.

So, no pressure then. Eeek!

Here's how I'm planning it.

The 50th wedding anniversary cake is rich fruit and so has already been baked. I've decided how I'm decorating it. The cake is a 5 and a 0. In the middle of the 0 I am getting a small edible print of the couple on their wedding day. I shall pipe around it and around the edge of the entire cake and then paint it with edible gold luster. I think I'll also put some lace (edible) around the bottom of the cake and I'll either paint it gold, or just edge it in gold. And I think two or three roses, too. It's for next Sunday, so I'll start the cake Wednesday or Thursday, I think.

I'm hoping the pirate ship cake will be collected on the Saturday and not the Friday. That means I will be able to bake it on Wednesday night (12th) , decorate Thursday and Friday, ready for collection on Saturday.

The 70th wedding anniversary cake I'll bake on Sunday 23rd, decorate on the Monday, reading for collection on the Tuesday.

My mum's birthday cake is already baked (it's a rich fruit cake). I have no idea how I'm going to decorate it, yet. But I'll do that all day Tuesday and Wednesday, ready for our meal in a nice local restaurant on the Thursday.

The cookies for the 29th (well, 28th at the latest, I suppose)... I made the cookie dough today and have frozen it. I suppose I will start making those on Thursday 20th. I can spend a couple of days solidly rolling out cookie dough, cutting out the cookies, then baking them. Then I'll spend a couple of days covering them. Then I need to bag them all up. Actually, once they're decorated, I'll need to bag them up - otherwise I have no hygienic storage for them. I think I'll enlist the help of my sister and my brother-in-law. I've mentioned it in passing to them! ;o)

The two cakes for the 29th... well, I don't know for sure what I'm doing yet. The mum has paid me a deposit. But we haven't properly discussed what she wants. All I know is that she wants two cakes on one cake board. At one point she mentioned Winnie-the-Pooh characters. I've seen some gorgeous designs which are two seperate cakes, but they're joined by a rainbow! I'd love to do that! I'll see if I can sell her on the idea?!

So, that's my month and how I plan it. Let's see if everything goes to plan.

Suzanne x

Last night was a long, long night. I got to bed at 3.15am.

But the cake looks great and the customer loved it! :o)

I was really, really struggling. I was starting to seriously panic about the pointy roof bits (what is the proper word for them?). My original plan was to cover ice-cream cornets in lots of small circles of sugarpaste, to look like tiles. Well, I started to do one of them. a) they weren't sticking particularly well, b) they didn't look good and c) it was taking forever. When hubby came to in to say goodnight I told him and he said 'why don't you paint them?' I thought that I'd show him what a silly idea that was and mixed some shimmery luster dust with a little confectioners glaze and painted one of the cones. IT LOOKED FANTASTIC! So I did them all like that and whilst the glaze was still tacky, I sprinkled over a little edible glitter. They really did look so pretty. Unfortunately, the picture doesn't do it justice. The pink cake was also dusted with a little shimmery luster dust.

Again, because it was the first time I've done this cake I've learnt a lot. I realy don't think it would take me quite as long next time.

I hope there is a next time, because I did enjoy doing this cake. However, I would like to find another way to do the pointy roof bits.

Fairy Princess Castle

So, what have I already learnt? That when you slice off the corners of a square cake so that the turrets can snuggly sit there - MAKE SURE YOU CUT THE RIGHT AMOUNT OFF AND THAT IT'S DEAD LEVEL.

Ho hum! I'm not worried. I can fill it and it will be fine. It's just annoying.

I bought a length of plastic tubing from B&Q that hubby was going to cut to size for me, but the cheap junior hacksaw I've got wasn't strong enough and they weren't straight! So it was on to Plan B.... the cardboard tube from inside kitchen roll that I've cut to size and covered with sugarpaste.

The customer asked for the cake to be pink and lilac and glittery and girly! It's pink alright! I'm going to do the pointy roof of the turrets in lilac and also the... the... oh what's the word? The bits that go around the top edge of the castle? Battlement? Oh, you'll see for yourself when it's done.

Better get on!

Suzanne x

Number 6 Cake with Figures - Finished!

I've finished the cake.

It's fine.

I'm unhappy with the modelling, in that they look 16, not 6. I hate, hate, hate doing hair. I've learnt how to do faces and , if I do say so myself, they're quite good now. But I feel the hair always lets them down. I mean, they don't look bad. It's just that the woman I learnt from does such amazing, fantastic models. I always want to be as good as someone else... whoever it is I admire at the time! You can see her work at http://www.lorraine-icingonthecake.co.uk/

Anyway, I'll upload the picture of my finished cake onto my other blog http://www.patacake-parties.blogspot.com/

Suzanne x

Number 6 with figures

I'm doing a number 6 cake with figures of a boy and a girl, which is being collected tomorrow.

Yesterday I baked a 12"x10" cake. Once it was cold, I levelled it, filled it with jam and buttercream, then cut it into the shape of a number 6. I also marzipanned and iced it and got the balloon decorations around the side done.

Today, I "just" have to make the figures of a girl and a boy to sit on the top, pipe around the top and bottom edges of the cake and do the inscription. Whilst I'm definitely improving, modelling doesn't come naturally to me and so it takes a while.

Oh, and this morning I've also baked 8" square and 5" round cakes, which are going to be a fairy castle, for collection on Friday! So the plan is to finish this cake late afternoon (ha!) and then this evening I want to fill, cover and stack the two cakes, ready for finishing tomorrow. Thinking about it, because of the time, I will probably just get as far as covering them with marzipan, because I want to use my stone wall impression mat on the cakes and I don't want to be too tired and ruin it. So I may just do that part tomorrow. But I also have to cover some plastic piping in sugarpaste, for the towers and then make the pointy roof things (turrets?).

It's Oh So Quiet....

I haven't had any new cake orders since the wedding cake. But I thought I'd add a sort of update.

I have two cake orders right after each other soon (literally - one's being picked up on the 23rd and the other is being picked up on the 24th August).

I'm going to have to plan carefully. The first one is being collected on a Thursday - and I think the party is on the Friday. So I can bake that late Tuesday evening, decorate all day Wednesday ready for collection on the Thursday. There are a couple of figures of a boy and a girl which I'll need to do a day or so in advance. The cake which is being collected on the Friday isn't needed until the Sunday, I think. But there's not much I can do... I will have to bake it on Wednesday and decorate all day Thursday and Thursday night, too. It's a 2 tier castle cake. Ideally, I'd bake a Sunday cake on a Friday, decorate Friday night and Saturday, ready for collection on Sunday morning. But customer has a 30 mile journey and 3 young children.....

After that, I've got a 50th wedding anniversary cake for early September. That's a fruit cake, which I've already baked. I 'feed' the cake weekly, by inserting a fine cake tester skewer and then generously brushing the cake with brandy! Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. I LOVE fruit cake. It's in the shape of a 50. They'll be fun to cover. I don't yet know exactly how they'll be decorated. The customer wants me to give them a couple of options and then they'll choose. I'm still thinking about it!

I've then got a 70th wedding anniversary cake - but that's quite a simple cake (simple, as in elegant!) for the 25th Sept. And on 27th Sept. it's my mummy's 65th birthday, so I've baked her a fruit cake and I'll decide how to decorate it nearer the time.

Then there's nothing until November when I have a Mr Happy cake to do.

So, that's my update.

Suzanne x

Wedding Cake - Finished!

Phew! It's done. They loved it!... couldn't get over how much like the groom the little model was! LOL!

As always, you can see it on my other blog: http://www.patacake-parties.blogspot.com/ or on my 'proper' website: http://www.patacake-parties.com/Wedding.htm

Oh, you might notice that there aren't any ribbons or bows on the cake. Well.... I should have put the ribbon on before I stacked the cakes. I just couldn't get it to stick. And despite the pulling ribbons making gorgeous bows, they just didn't look right stuck on the cake without the ribbon. So I left them off.

But the bride and groom didn't say anything when I delivered it and set it up and they seemed really, really happy with it!

Suzanne x

Nearly!

The groom now has his wing collar and his cravat.

Good news: I went to the cake supplies shop this morning and bought some 'pulling bows'. They're great! It's ribbon which has a string that runs through the middle. You pull the string and it pulls the ribbon into a bow! Fantastic!!!

Bad news: I don't think they look right on the cake.

Righteo.... all I need to do is give the bride some hair, decide for once and for all what I'm going to do about the bows and then it's all done.

So Near and Yet So Far

12.25am

It's almost done.

The groom needs a shirt collar and a cravat. The bride needs hair!

I'm not 100% certain what I'm going to do about the bows yet. But I'm too tired to concentrate properly right now.

I'll decide tomorrow.

Bows

6.10pm - bottom tier is decorated. Apart from the bow. I can't do the damn bow.

And the middle tier is supposed to have one, too.

What am I going to do??????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Stacked

1.10pm - cakes dowelled and stacked.

Carry on Cake Making

The vanilla madeira cake is now filled and covered.

This cake presents another first for me, because this one needs to look like a box with a lid. I haven't done that before.

There's a tool I nearly bought - several times - but didn't. But I wish I had. It would have made things a lot easier when doing the 'lid'. But it was over £12.00 and I didn't think I could justify the expense. But it looks OK, I think.

I've found a pic of it on the web. It's the 4th one down... http://www.kitbox4sugarcraft.co.uk/shop/exec/shop.php?pid=2

Now I need to assemble the cake before I can put the decoration/finishing touches to it.

I need to find my junior hacksaw so I can dowel the cakes!

And the audience said.....

I went for c.

She's so lovely.

She said that she did want vanilla madeira, but if I'd made chocolate, she'd have chocolate as she didn't want to put me to any trouble.

What could I say?

"No, don't be silly. It's no trouble. There's time. If you want vanilla sponge, I'll make one for you". That's what I said.

So, I'm off to Tesco before I get the boys from after school club.

*sigh*

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.

Oh Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

I have baked all the cakes. I have filled and marzipanned all the cakes. All lovely rich, moist chocolate cakes.

Just checked the order form and the middle tier is supposed to be vanilla madeira.

Shit.

I know how this error occured. I've been reading through e-mails from the customer and in one of them she told me how she went to a wedding and the wedding cake was horrible and there was loads of maripzan on it.... so I e-mailed her back and said did she want to change to all vanilla madeira? And she said no, she only likes chocolate. So I've had only chocolate on my mind.

I've been going through the options.

a) say nothing and give her all chocolate and hope she doesn't say anything afterwards. Not very nice or very professional.
b) bake another cake tonight. Possible. Will entail a trip to Tesco, but do-able.
c) phone customer, tell her what's happened and ask her if she wants all chocolate or if she did indeed want the middle tier to be vanilla madeira. Could do. But do I want to worry/stress the customer a couple of days before her wedding??????

What would you do?

Modelling

I've spent the whole evening doing the groom for the cake. I did the bride yesterday (although, she's still bald - I think I'll do her hair once she's in place!)

OK, so I did punctuate the evening checking e-mails and looking in on Babyworld now and again. But it has taken ages, just to do the head and body.

I'm really tired. And peckish. I'm going to tidy up the kitchen (OMG - it looks like a bomb's gone off!!), have a slice of toast and then go to bed.

Steve is taking the boys to school tomorrow and I've booked the boys into the after school club, so I've the entire day - until about quarter to six when I have to leave to pick the boys up - to work.

Tomorrow I intend to get the cakes marzipanned and covered in sugarpaste. I'll also try and get it stacked tomorrow. Friday will be when I put the decoration on the cake. I'm delivering the cake for 6pm on Saturday, so I also have over half a day to finish off any last minute bits that crop up.

Suzanne x

Cornelli Lace

Seeing as the entire middle tier of the cake is covered in what's called Cornelli Lace, I thought I really ought to have a go - seeing as I've never done it before! This is just a cake dummy that's been covered with sugarpaste. Then I piped the 'lace'.

I e-mailed this pic to my friend and mentor for her comments. She said it's fine and I have the right idea, but - as I had pointed out - it might look better if I can make it smaller.

At least I'm on the right track!

Wedding Cake 'Hayley'

This is the cake I'm making for this weekend (picture provided by the bride). The colours are slightly different, but the basic design is the same.

I've started the box. It's not easy. I posted a message on a cake-making website I go on to see if anyone has any ideas. They suggested doing it the way I'd already started to do it (ie cut out 6 square panels, let them dry, then royal ice them together). However, someone else suggested doing a very small square cake and only doing the models of the bridge and groom to the waist. As I've said, I've started the box, but I may well end up making a 4" square cake and cutting it down a bit.

When I quoted for this cake, a year ago, I hadn't long started cake orders. I really underquoted for this one! :o( Still, we live and learn.

Bratz Cake - Finished

So, I finished the cake last night.

Customer came to collect it this morning, and she absolutely loved it!!

In fact, she's already e-mailed me to thank me again and tell me how much her daughter loves it. AND she's asked if I'm available to make a 1st birthday cake for her twin boys, in September.

Pic of the cake is on my blog: http://www.patacake-parties.blogspot.com/ and if you click on the word 'comments', under the photo, I'll copy the e-mail she sent me.

Suzanne x

Bratz Cake

I'm doing a cake.... customer asked for this:

http://www.patacake-parties.com/Bratz%205%20cake.jpg

I think that the cake on my website is bigger than an 8" square, which I'm doing for this customer. So the 3 dolls look a bit more 'cozy' on this cake.

I don't know why, but I don't like this cake. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it - I've done what the customer has asked for. But it's not one of my favourites.

And I've got edible bloody glitter everywhere! I've decided I don't like working with glitter. Not today, anyway! :op

She loved it!

Katie's just been to collect the cake.

She absolutely loved it - and she said Isabella will adore it (especially the bow and the way it's so shimmery).

She also said that Max's Spiderman cake was so delicious that they ate the whole thing within a few days and didn't give any out to family or friends, LOL!!!!!!


:o)

It's Taking Shape

As Rolph Harris would say..... "Can you tell what it is yet?"

Panic Over

AND BREATHE.........

There's obviously lots and lots more to do to the cake, but the bow's done. And it's not a bad first attempt, if I say so myself!

I've booked the boys into the After School Club today so that I can carry on working for a while longer.

Another Memorial Cookie Update

MIL's friend phoned me today.

She and the committee love the cookies. They want to put them in the going home goodie-bags. She also said that I shouldn't feel put out that they're going in the bags... by all accounts, they're going to be very up-market! Cool!

She's rather particular, though. She asked if I can make the ribbon an even deeper red. And can I make sure the ribbons all cross over the same way - and she's going to send me a leaflet which shows an AIDS awareness ribbon, so I can make sure it's done the right way!

More about the Bow!

I'm still procrastinating about this blessed bow. I suppose it's about half done.

The cake is marzipanned, covered with sugarpaste and is on the cake board, waiting to be finished off with the bow and other bits and bobs.

If the cake is only half-finished, why am I on the computer writing about it???? BECAUSE I'M PROCRASTINATING (looks like I've found my 'word of the day'. Procrastinating. Good word. Me, down to a tee!)

The Problem of The Bow

I've got another cake this weekend. It looks simple enough. But I just know that I'm going to have problems doing the bow.

I've found instructions:

http://www.cakecentral.com/article17-How-to-Make-a-Fondant-Loop-Bow.html

I've made the first 7 loops. But assembling it is going to be problematic. I just know it is. For a start, I'm drying the loops over my mini rolling pin and I can only get 7 on at a time. And the instructions say to leave them to dry for 24 hours. However, I think that might be for sugarpaste and I'm using pastillage. So they should be dry enough to keep their shape in a little while.

Why do I do this to myself? I've been putting off doing this all day, because I've been so worried about it. I'll try and put it together tomorrow. But I don't know what I'm going to do if it all goes horribly wrong.

Memorial Cookie Update

MIL phoned today to say her friend received the cookies in the post. She thinks they're gorgeous and will take them to the committee meeting on Monday.

Oh my! How am I going to make and decorate between 300 and 400 cookies?????

30 Cake with Me To You Teddies - Finished!

It's finished!!

It's on my 'proper' website and on my blog. I'm really pleased with it, actually. And the customer was really happy, too - which is the main thing.

The teddies came out quite well, although I didn't manage to texture them. I tried various things on the sugarpaste, but it just wouldn't take. It was a bit like a sponge or something.... as soon as I texturised it, it just went smooth again. That's because it wasn't just sugarpaste - it's half sugarpaste and half pastillage (which gives it a bit more 'body' and strength). And I decided piping wasn't the way to go with it (not when I'm tired, working late at night and don't have the energy to make another one if it all went horribly wrong!).

But I think you can tell what they're supposed to be. The patch on the head is a giveaway, LOL. And I like the bouquet and the balloon - it really finishes them off!

Suzanne x

30 Cake - work in progress

It isn't finished, but I'm so relieved to have got this far with it. Some numbers are really, really difficult to cover. I can do a number 1 without any problem. And I think I've done a number 2 and a number 6, too. But this number 3 - grrrrr!

Right. Off to have a tidy up and then I'll get on with the 'Me To You' teddies. I can do teddies, no problem. But the 'Me To You' teddies need to look especially fluffy. So I'm not yet sure if I'm going to just somehow texture the sugarpaste or whether I'll actually try piping onto the teddy. Hmmmmm. I'll have to give it some thought.

By the way, I tasted some of the off-cuts of this cake yesterday. Gorgeous, if I do say so myself! LOL!!

I've Done It Again

I've opened my big fat gob without really thinking about the words that pouring out.

There's a charity that is very close to my heart - CWAC (Children With AIDS Charity). It was co-founded by a family friend, Rebecca Handel. Please, do visit their website: http://www.cwac.org/

Anyway, in September, CWAC are hosting a ball. Very posh. Tickets are out of my price range. MIL is a trustee, so she's going. Her best friends are patrons, so they're going. Lots and lots of famous people are going. Anyway, without really thinking it through, I phoned my MIL today and offered to make a cookie for each place setting at the ball... I have a cookie cutter that is the shape of the AIDS awareness ribbon (or, if you decorate it in pink, it could be for breast cancer awareness... but you know the shape I mean).

Then I found out there will be between 350 and 400 place settings.

Eeeek. OMG!!!! What have I done?

MIL's friend was over the moon with the offer, but she has to put it to the committee and also get the OK from The Dorchester, where the ball is being held (they may object to 'outside food' being brought in). She asked if I can have a sample with her by Monday, when she'll be at the next meeting. Hubby is seeing his mum on Wednesday, so I'll have it ready by then.

If I do do them, because of time constraints, I will sugarpaste them. Royal icing looks SO, SO much nicer, but I don't think I'll be able to do that many. Shame.

Edible Football Photo Cake

I had a photo cake last week.

Easy-peasy. I thought.

They are easy... Usually. However, when the photo and the backing paper won't sperate then it's a complately nightmare. No matter how I tried, the edible print just kept disintergrating. I phoned Sharon - who did the print for me - and she said to put it in the fridge for at least half an hour. It still didn't work.

In the end, I had to apologise profousely to the customer and explain that although it is an edible print, it still has the plastic/paper backing on it! Luckily for me, she was fine about it.

I saw her the day after the party and she said her son was thrilled with the cake and everyone said how lovely it tasted.

All's well that ends well.

Ham Salad Sandwich Collection

The chap came to collect the cake and he said it was perfect! Just what he wanted.

I said to him 'I have to ask... why a sandwich for a birthday cake?'

He said 'My dad likes sandwiches and it's a bit of an on-going joke'.

So, now we know!

Sandwich Cake - Finished!

Yay! The sandwich cake is all done!! I'm really happy with it.

You can see it here: www.patacake-parties.blogspot.com

It was hard to photograph so that you saw the shape of the bread and the lettuce, tomato and cucumber... there is a slice of 'ham' in there, but you can't see it unless you're lower down.

It's something of a 'door step' - my cakes do tend to be quite deep - but there wasn't any point making a cake and then only using half of it....
Yesterday, I wrote that I was worried the filling would be hard to do, but it wasn't difficult at all.

I've added a pic of the cake from another angle, so that you can see the filling a little better.


Suzanne x
ps: went out with my friends for a long, leisurely breakfast this morning and had a lovely time. And shortly I'm off out for dinner with Steve and the boys! :o)

Sandwich Cake

I'm probably going to put the mockers on it by saying this, but the sandwich cake is going really well!

All I have to do is make the filling and do the inscription and it's done!

It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be, although I have to do the ham, lettuce and tomato tomorrow. That'll be the tricky bit, actually.

I made an 8" square cake. I cut it horizontally so that I had two slices (which wil represent the bread). I then cut each slice into two. I sandwiched the two halves of the bottom slice [of 'bread'] together with buttercream, and then sandwiched the two halves of the top slice [of 'bread'] with jam. Each of the two slices were then marzipanned. The top slice of 'bread' also has marzipan on the bottom, to keep the cake fresh. I didn't need to marzipan the bottom of the bottom slice of 'bread' because it's on an iced cake board.

I coloured up some icing and covered the top slice of 'bread'. I also put a strip of the icing around the side of the bottom slice. I didn't need to cover the top, because it's already marzipanned and you won't see it. It will have the 'sandwich filling' on it and then the other slice on the top of it.

I mixed a few colours to get a golden brown colour and then coloured the sides of the 'bread' to look like a crust.

So, I think I will go to lunch with my friends tomorrow (if they're still up for it - I saw one of them this morning and told her I was worried about finishing the cake and she said not to worry... if I need to work during the day she totally understands). Then, I can finish the cake tomorrow evening.

Happy, happy, happy!

:o)

One More Thing

I added a spider on his back. Although it's quite crap and looks more like a dung beetle! I couldn't be arsed to put up the photo tent again, which is why I've just taken a quick pic in the box.

OK, I really am finished now. If I don't stop, I'll keep fiddling until I completely ruin it. You have to know when to say 'step away from the cake!'

Spiderman - Finished!

The photo is on the other blog (www.patacake-parties.blogspot.com).

It's OK. It's fine. I've done better.... but I've seen worse.

It's actually really difficult to do the web. And it's really brittle, because it's just a thin piped line of royal icing.

Right.

Got to tidy up then start the cake for Saturday. I've mentioned to my friend that I might not make lunch tomorrow. She was absolutely fine about it. She's such a sweetie!

Engage Brain *BEFORE* Opening Mouth!!

Sometimes, I open my mouth and words just pour out. It's only afterwards my brain registers what's been said....

On the way out of school today, I said to a couple of my friends 'Are you free to do lunch on Friday? I thought we might go for a light bite somewhere?' They're both free and would love to. And why not... after all, it is my birthday! :o)

Erm... so when am I going to work on the cake?

Spiderman is being picked up on Thursday, so that only gives me Thursday night to do the ham sandwich cake. Nowhere near enough time. Maybe I can persuade Steve it will be nicer if we go out for dinner on Saturday night instead of Friday?? But we always go out for dinner on my birthday.

I don't know what I'm going to do. My friends will think I'm potty if I cancel straight away. After all, it's not like I didn't know I had the cake to do.

Oh pooh!

Spidey Again

Is this a bit better? I've altered the arms. It's all in the detail, you know. Sometimes, you think something is crap, but then as you put the last tiny little finishing detail on it, it all comes together. So let's see how this goes.

Spiderman Cake

So, it's Monday night and I'm preparing for two cakes this week.

For Thursday, I'm doing a cake with Spiderman on it and for Saturday I'm making a cake that looks like a ham salad sandwich.

Instead of just doing a Spiderman face on a web, I thought I'd try to model an actual Spiderman figure. I'm not much good at this modelling lark. It's not finished, but I've posted pictures of what I've doen so far. I'm quite sure the proportions are out but I'm not sure how or why or what to do about it. Obviously, it needs all the detail and finishing. And I'm not even sure if I'm going to use this or just resort back to a Spidey face.

Now I've previewed the pictures, I probably will just do a head. Bit crap, isn't it? It's not too bad when you view it head-on, but from the side..... hmmmmm. Oh, we'll see.

Suzanne x

The beginning

On my favourite website (www.babyworld.co.uk) one of my on-line friends suggested I keep a cake diary.

Fantastic idea!

I'm not exactly sure what form it will take or what I'll put in it.

But fantastic idea!

Warning. I type as I think/speak. So although I tend to punctuate correctly (with the exception of the over-use of exclamation marks), I will probably write in incomplete sentences.

I'll start off with a very brief intro. I'm Suzanne, I'm 36 (well, for the next 5 days, anyway!) and I live in Gtr London with my husband and our two sons. I'm a stay-at-home mum; a cake maker and decorator (my business name is Pat-a-Cake Parties); I help with cooking activities at a local youth centre and I also work there during school holidays making lunch for the children.

I have another blog with photos of my cakes - www.patacake-parties.blogspot.com

So, that's it for now.

I have two cakes coming up this week..... a spiderman cake and a ham salad sandwich cake! Wouldn't you just love to know the story behind some of the cake requests? Or maybe it's better not to ask?

I shall update as and when.

Suzanne x