Cakes by Erin

Valentine's Open House!!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:24:00 +0000

You are invited to:

A Valentines Bake Sale

One Day Only!

Saturday, February 11

81 John St. Stirling

9am – 4pm

Mini-cakes and cupcakes,

Valentine butter cookies

and more…

All products are peanut-free!

Free draw, discounted prices, and delicious flavours!

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Custom orders are still being taken – call to order!

A Ferrari Cake and a Bridal Show 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:26:00 +0000

What could a sixteen year old boy want more than a fancy car? Maybe one he can eat? Here are a few photos since I couldn't decide which was the best. The cake was dark chocolate, and was covered with light blue fondant, hand-painted with blue glitter and airbrushed blue in the creases.

Also, don't forget to stop by Travelodge in Belleville this Sunday (formerly known as the Ramada) for their annual bridal show. Julie and I will be handing out mini-cupcakes in the Park Ballroom! Come by and say hi!

A Doctor's Bag Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:32:00 +0000

A few weeks ago one of our local doctors had a surprise birthday party in his office. His family had me make a chocolate doctor's bag and a green thermos (to represent the one he uses each day). A gum paste stethoscope completes the piece.

Checkerboard Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:02:00 +0000

Last week I made a chess set out of gum paste to put on a birthday cake, and I thought it might be a good time for a small tutorial. I've had phone calls and emails asking how to make many of my toppers, so hopefully I will have more tutorials to come!

There may seem like a lot of complicated steps, but I may have over-explained it. I apologize also for the quality of the photos, but I am certain you will understand!

How to Make a Gum Paste Checkerboard/Chess Board:

You will need:

gum paste (around 10-16oz)

brown colour (dry or gel)

one paint brush

one exacto knife

painters/masking tape

shortening

lemon extract or alcohol for painting

rolling pin

1. Four days ahead: I planned on a 10"X10" cake. Therefore the board will be 10"X10" also. Dye enough gumpaste beige (or whatever the lighter colour of your board is), and roll out 10"X10", with a thickness of 1/8". Use at least 16 oz. Let dry for a couple of days, turn it over, and let dry one more day. Shortening is a wonderful product. Just rub some onto the surface you are placing your board onto, and it should come off easily, when dry.

2. One day ahead: Find some 1" masking or painter's tape. Make sure you cannot see through it. Painter's tape is great because it peels off very easily. There are 16 squares on the checkerboard, so each will measure 1"X1", with margins of 1" all around the outside. I do not like to mark with pencil on edible materials, so I use the tape to measure. Starting at one side of the board, run a 10" strip along one side, to represent the margin. Measure 1" over, and place the next 10" strip down, and continue with three others. You should have five strips going each way.

3. Here is the hard part: taking an exacto knife, cut out the unwanted parts of the tape; the squares that are supposed to be the darker colour. Some of them are already done for you automatically. They will be in a diagonal pattern when you are done. You will also have to take off the two strips of tape covering the margins so they will be darker also.

Note: you may find the tape comes up at the corners, so quickly press it down with your fingers. Keep your cuts straight, take your time and change the blade of your knife if needed. Don't fret if you cut into the board a little. The difference in the two colours will cover that.

4. Usually at this point I would get out my airbrush, but since the tape came up at the corners, the air pressure would lift them up further, preventing clean lines. So I took some chocolate brown petal dust (gel colour works, but takes a lot longer to dry) mixed with vodka. With my favourite medium sized paint brush, I quickly coloured the board, working square by square. As I worked across the board, I lifted the remaining tape squares off.

Since the board I am making was to look a bit wooden, the strokes from the paint brush were actually a better solution than airbrushing. Paint the margins all in one direction, and let dry overnight.

5. Finally roll out any remaining beige gum paste, 1/16" thick, and cut 8"X1/16" strips. All you need is four. Carefully wet them and place them, damp side down as a border around the 16 squares.

6. Spread royal icing on the top of the cake in order to secure the board down. Make sure your cake is good and level!!

7. Place your checker or chess pieces on with some royal icing, and voila! These pieces were based on a metallic chess set owned by the birthday boy.

2nd Birthday Excavator Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:50:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I made this fantastic excavator for a little boy turning 2. His dad drove all the way from Ajax to pick it up. It was chocolate, it was fun, and it was a hit!

Also, their pet cat made it on the cake, chasing a blue ball of yarn.

The client emailed later to say,

"Thank you so much, the cake was AMAZING!! Everyone loved it, and wow was it incredibly delicious!!

You are a unbelieveable artist and really made the party unforgettable.

We showed Tyler the cake on Saturday just so he could enjoy it. He studied it...and found his favourite part. During the party on Sunday, just as we all sang happy birthday and I put the cake in front of him, he immediately snatched the blue yarn ball, then the pylon...and ate them whole!"

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:20:00 +0000

Many people have asked if I am busy this season, and I am, but not with Christmas orders. I have wedding cakes, birthday cakes, and anniversary cookies (like the ones pictured) going out of the kitchen, just like any ordinary week.

For the cookies, though, instead of a gold accent (it is a 50th anniversary), they decided to go for a seasonal theme.

So with my little holly berries, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday, especially to my loyal and encouraging clients, who give me many an opportunity to try new and exciting creations each week :) Thank you!

Erin

Calla Lily Swag Cake 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:18:00 +0000

This was one of the first wedding cakes I ever made, and brides still order it. This time, the cake was completely red velvet with cream cheese filling, and edged with a navy ribbon.

Other cake decorators will understand that delivering a wedding cake means we may not see the bride's reaction when she sees it after the ceremony. So in having a cake picked up, we can see what they think. When this bride arrived, she didn't think it was her cake! I held my breath for a second, wondering what I'd done wrong, but then she said it was better than she imagined! Phew!

Sewing Machine Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 23:55:00 +0000

One of my favourite clients ordered a creative cake last week for her mother-in-law. The birthday girl was an excellent seamstress, making wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses for years. We decided to make a sewing machine, with a quilt being worked on.

The cake was carrot spice cake, and it fed 25-30 people. The inside design for the structure really stretched my brain! It took two tries, and between my husband and I, we came up with a pretty sound structure. I took pictures of the process and may blog about it at a later date.

My client sent me an email the night of the party to tell me how the cake went over. She said, "Linda thought we had bought her a new sewing machine for her birthday!" That's the best compliment ever!

Dinosaur and Harry Potter in Chocolate Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:34:00 +0000

Two simple slab cakes turned great with fondant and airbrushing! The dinosaur cake is based on the birthday boy's favourite toy...

...and the Potions textbook cake, for Jacob, was a small part of his Harry Potter-themed birthday party. Both cakes were dark chocolate with vanilla buttercream.

Fashionista Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:40:00 +0000

Dark Chocolate Cake, Bailey's infused Chocolate Ganache, and Bailey's Chocolate Buttercream!! A special request for an "Off the Hook" distributer! Everything is edible: the shoes and other accessories are made from gumpaste. I used my airbrush to get the leathery look on the handbag. Love it!

Mini Cakes and Nibblies

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 23:46:00 +0000

It was a crazy weekend between baking for the craft show, manning the booth for two days, being a mom, and filling cake orders at the shop! Here a few pics of my (and my kid's) creations!

Baby Shower Lamb Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 12:14:00 +0000

We are gearing up for the big craft show at Quinte Christian High School in Belleville next weekend! Come on over from 5-9pm on Friday, Nov.18, and 9am-3pm, Sat. Nov.19. Amongst the knitting, bookshops, wooden art, and jewelry, I'll be there with cupcakes and other goodies!

Above is a quick photo of some lamb cupcakes (vanilla-butter) that I made for a soon-to-be mother, Aly. Aly Barber is one of the first friends to encourage me to open my cake business, and is presently pusuing her acting career in Toronto, as well as writing her second book!

Noah's Ark Cake in Blue

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:27:00 +0000

It's been awhile since I posted a baby themed cake! This christening cake was based on another's design but I changed it up a bit to make it my own. The cake is vanilla butter with vanilla buttercream, and there are rice krispy treats inside the ark.

Severed Head Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 12:05:00 +0000

I am away from the shop this weekend, so I am not doing all of the regular halloween cupcakes and cookies I usually do. Instead I thought I'd show you a birthday cake I made back in April.

Creepy, eh?

Happy Halloween!

A Traveller's Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:26:00 +0000

I had the pleasure of making a suitcase cake for someone this week, with many of the things that they liked. In the suitcase there were two different passports, a hockey stick, and a ROOTS sweater. Beside it lies a guitar and a wine bottle, and on the top tips a bowl of pea soup.

Everything was edible, and the cake was red velvet (even the lid). I pulled out my airbrush for this endeavour and love the effect it had on the suitcase and guitar.

Buttercream Cake with Silk Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 01:57:00 +0000

Autumn has brought an onslaught of buttercream wedding cakes, and fall flowers! I have had many orders for sugarpaste fall leaves, and several wedding cakes have been decorated with beautiful flowers of orange and yellow. They may be real, sugarpaste, or artificial. Now I am generally not a fan of artificial flowers (except those you can eat, heh,heh) but I was extremely impressed by these silk flowers that were made by RoseHips in Trenton. Hopefully the picture above speaks for itself. Check out the link to Sheila's facebook account, and see pictures of her fresh flowers, too!

The wedding cake above was entirely made of dark chocolate cake filled with chocolate ganache and iced with oodles of vanilla buttercream. It was nicely finished with a thick brown ribbon and orange fall flowers.

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A final note: a special shout-out to Nicole, my buttercream expert!

Custom Toppers for Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 13:58:00 +0000

Now available: Custom sugarpaste wedding toppers! We make animals, people, and other objects! Placed on a 4" platform and boxed for easy travel (no, we do not ship), and completely edible! Call or email for pricing.

September 2011 Bridal Show

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 22:38:00 +0000

It was great to meet so many new faces at the bridal show last night! We handed out lots of red velvet cupcakes, and heard many different wedding cake ideas! From zombie bride and grooms to deer antlers, I think I've heard everything now! What fun!

We had our new cake pop stand on display, along with many different styles of modern cakes. Our slideshow reminded customers that if you want something fun or unusual, this is the place to go :) Fresh flowers from "Blooms" in Stirling, added to our display.

And finally, at the end of the evening I got to meet Heather from the TV show, "Cupcake Girls" which was a "treat" in itself!

A special thanks to my team: Nicole, Rosemary, Julie, and especially Bryan. I couldn't have done it without you :)

Cupcake Girls in Belleville!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:54:00 +0000

Tomorrow night is the Belleville Bridal Expo, where the Cupcake Girls, televised on the Women's Network, are joining in on the fun! Whether or not you are a bride, a want-to-be bride, or someone who loves the Cupcake Girls, you are very welcome to come and take a peek at the show! Tickets are $20. Some of my favourite vendors will be there: Milk and Cookie Greetings, Lily's Bridal Boutique, and many more.

Cakes by Erin will be there, handing out mini cupcakes, and possibly some cake pops! We are booking for 2012 now, so feel free to bring photos of any cake ideas you have, and book your interview! Last year 2011 was booked by the end of January!

See you there!

Erin

Wedding Cake with Vertical Chocolate Strips

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 23:58:00 +0000

This weekend I had the privilege of working on a beautiful wedding cake, with chocolate fondant strips vertically placed around each tier. It is popular now, I find, to have tiers at different heights and this is a prime example. It is not my design, and I did my best to decorate it as well as the original. Despite the fact that the cake is covered in chocolate, inside the flavour is entirely vanilla butter cake with vanilla buttercream. Flowers and leaves are handmade in gumpaste.

Rustic Buttercream Wedding Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 18:33:00 +0000

A barn wedding! Beautiful location, rustic decorations, wonderful flowers and a buttercream cake. Three tiers of carrot spice cake with cream cheese filling; this cake had a humid day to deal with, but a fridge handy in the back kept it safe from melting. Roses were from Judy at Trugs in Kingston, ON, and she was on hand to help me arrange them on the cake.

The father-of-the-bride was there, also, as he was putting last minute finishes to the inside of the barn; hanging sparkly lights, and double checking everything. He told me they put new boards on the barn walls, the floor was polished, and the entire inside was wired for sound.

Below are a couple of pics from on location. You can see how humid it was!

Leaf Green Wedding Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 21:59:00 +0000

This week I did a wedding cake for a couple who wanted something different from the norm. They chose two different shapes, and two different angles for their tiers, and then chose the whole thing in light green!

All three tiers are techniques I have done before: the quilted look, the brushed embroidery on the butterflies and leaves, and the ever popular vertical stripes.

The look was softened by a few calla lilies on the corners, and the comical bride and groom topper. The two flavours were red velvet cake with cream cheese filling, and dark chocolate cake with chocolate ganache.

Beer Case Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 02:26:00 +0000

I am so proud of this cake I made for a local BBQ this weekend! 1/2 vanilla, 1/2 chocolate; the dimensions were 9"x6"x9". The walls of the case and the bottle were made of gum paste. I was able to decorate the walls separately and attach them to the cake at the very end. The bottle was airbrushed and the labelled just before the client arrived! [Tip: lay the bottle in a bed of cornstarch so the back does not go flat from laying directly on a table/tray.]

Cheers!

Erin

Sweet Sixteen Ballet Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:12:00 +0000

This week I made a pair of ballet shoes for a regular client. Her daughter, the ballerina, is turning 16! She is not into pink, so we went for a grown up looking slipper, and she is also into vintage clothes, so I hand-painted it all to give it that worn out look.

The sweet shoes were placed on a large banana cake with cream cheese filling, and vanilla buttercream icing. Happy Birthday, Jenna!

Gold Bar Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 21:33:00 +0000

Pure Gold, Pure Chocolate Gold!

This cake was made for a local pawn shop owner for his birthday last week. Two layers of dark chocolate cake were carved, covered in fondant and air-brushed gold. The "engravings" are pressed into the fondant before colouring, and include his name, age, and a cake logo - I just had to do it :)