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
Friday, 21 December 2007
Tuesday, 11 December 2007
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
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
Friday, 30 November 2007
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
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
Thursday, 22 November 2007
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.
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.
Saturday, 17 November 2007
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.
Friday, 16 November 2007
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.
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)
Thursday, 15 November 2007
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
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
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