Happy Sunday! Today was a Baby Shower for a long time client and friend, Tammy! We have worked a few events for her and her family so it was wonderful to see everyone today and treat them to a fun party and a cute cake.


This is their second baby and while having a boy would be nice, since they already have an adorable daughter, they chose not to find out if it is a boy or a girl. This means coming up with a theme that fits either and, of course, is totally cute! We ended up with a Rubber Ducky theme and it did, indeed, turn out to be very cute!
You will be able to see more photos on our Cherry Blog tomorrow afternoon: http://thecherryontopevents.blogspot.com .


So we decided to make the cake be a laundry basket filled with baby blankets and decorated with Rubber Duckies. The ducks and the handles were the only parts that were non-edibles. The cake was Lemon Chiffon cake with vanilla buttercream filling and then covered with more vanilla buttercream. The blankets were fondant. 


The real challenge for this cake was it's height. At almost 6 inches from top to bottom and with it carved smaller at the base than top, it wasn't the most sturdy of cakes. I had dowels inserted in 6 places to help it make the journey to the venue but, even so, we held our breath all the way there till it was set on the cake table!  Even with the construction of the basket weave, which tends to use more frosting which helps hold the structure together after it crusts, it was still wobbly. Made me really nervous but it made it!


We chose a serving tray so it wouldn't appear to be your "average" cake and I love the way it helps make it look like the basket is set onto grass. And I have to say that the "grass tip" is probably my favorite tip in the world. It's just so much fun to pipe with that I always save that detail for last. That way, even if the rest of the cake was a real challenge to pipe, the grass is just so much fun that it ends everything on a happy note!


Cutting this cake was a challenge as well. We ended up with tall slivers of cake, each about a half inch wide. I started working on a corner and worked my way around the cake which turned out to be a fairly good strategy. With carved cakes, or unusual sized cakes, you have to really think outside the usual cake box when it comes to cutting. 


In the end, the client and her guests were delighted with the cake and the party and I heard several compliments during and after the party which is an extra payment for any caker!


This upcoming week brings Dinner Party Cupcakes! See you next Sunday!

Cat