Anyone in here decorate cakes?

[Disneynutbsv]

Ok, here's my pumpkin, I decided to go with the regular pumpkin:

 

[LJC1861]

Great job on the pumpkin! Mine turned out very lumpy bumpy but cute none the less. I will post pics tomorrow sometime.

Linda

 

[Disneynutbsv]

I actually kind of like the bumpy's it makes it look more "real"
Thanks!

 

[pollymn]

Great job, it makes me want to break out the carving tools

 

[MosMom]

Oh that is cute!

 

[Disneynutbsv]

Thanks, this was my first time using Satin Ice. I really like it, but dislike spending the money for it...but also do not like making mmf either, lol. I guess I'll just have to purchase when its on sale. I've been wanting to try the pumpkin out and was itching to make a cake. My son happens to be going to a Halloween party tonight so he is taking it with him

I'd love it if I got some more orders though!

 

[MosMom]

Mine have really slowed down. I think people aren't wanting to spend $$ on cakes. I know I wouldn't be spending $40 on a cake right now so I can't really blame them. I have booked weddings but no anniversary, birthday, shower on my calendar right now. I know often those things pop up about a week in advance but it is odd for me not to have anything coming up.

I just delivered a wedding cake today (total disaster) and that is it until the first weekend in December.

The disaster wedding cake today was a 3 tier square cake. Spice cake with cream cheese frosting. I used a crusting cream cheese frosting which doesn't really crust and stays pretty soft. Iced it and assembled it on site. The bride didn't want anything on it and wanted me to put a fall leaf garland that she purchased around the bottom. So I get there, assemble it and get out my kit to touch it up. The mom pulls out the leaf garland and it was the cheapest *** garland money could buy. It looked awful. It was all balled up in a sack and the leaves were all crinkly and had HAIR in them. Like cat hair. So I have Mo (DD) start removing all the leaves off the garland because I'm going to have to place them one at a time. I start PICKING DUST AND HAIR off the leaves and flattening them out. They won't stick to the cake and as I'm trying to place them the pointy parts are gouging into my icing.

Then we introduce Aunt Gertie. Aunt Gertie is the family cake baker and made her own sheet cake because a wedding isn't a wedding without white cake. Her cake was iced so thin cake was showing through and she had a big orange and black icing bow she drew on the top. She put it right next to mine and then started hovering. She gathered up a bunch of leaves and was about to stick them on top of my cake!!! I said "No, the bride didn't want anything on top of the cake. She specifically requested no topper." Aunt Gertie says it will look better and I replied that the bride didn't want it. Aunt Gertie wanders off.

The cake ended up looking awful. So of course the other people at the wedding will attribute the design and poor choice of tacky plastic leaves to me. I tried to instruct Aunt Gertie on cutting the cake and she insisted she needed no training.

My contract states that once I deliver and it is set up I am not responsible for what happens if I'm not cutting it.

At the bride's meeting I tried to convince her to let me do gumpaste leaves. I said they would look very realistic and they would be cut with the cake. Nope, plastic! I didn't take a picture but I should have to use as a deterrent for other brides! If you make poor wedding cake decisions, your cake could end up like THIS! *insert horrified scream here*

 

[stargrazer]

Aw Mo, if something didn't happen to you every now and again, you wouldn't be a cake decorator! It's great saves that sometimes make the cake!

Your HM is amazing, and an awesome idea for a Cake Challenge Theme- WDW Ride Cakes. Food Network, ARE YOU LISTENING? You've got me spending what little net time I have these days coming to disboards to see the next pic!

And that pumpkin is GREAT, Disnut. Polly has a point in cariving it, though. MUCH tastier than pumpkin guts!

~~~~
Diana

 

[Disneynutbsv]

Ewwwww, dust and hair??? That's just gross. Ack! But you did the best you could within the situation.....

I just had the most amazing thing happen! The local wedding place by where I live needs to have a cake decorator! Right now they get their cakes from a place that is either an hour away or two hours away! The wedding coordinator was so excited to find out that I'm in town. She looked at my cakes and was very excited over it!

I agree with you Star....the Haunted Mansion cake is awesome!

 

[LJC1861]

Here is my attempt at a pumpkin.

[/IMG]

 

[stargrazer]

Hey hey LJ, I like your punkin VERY much! Nice job with the background in the photo, too.

These pumpkin cakes are great. Seriously. they look so real! I want to do one but NO WAY do I have time right now. Running this bakery is CRAZY! But now I think I'll do a spice one for thanksgiving with some cream cheese frosting.

 

[LJC1861]

Thanks! The background in the photo is actually our dining room wall. It did make the perfect background and I didn't even realize it at the time.

The cinnamon cream cheese icing that I made tasted great when I made it. It was even better the next day after it had some time to let the flavors settle. The cake went over very well....and everyone wanted to take some home, which is quite the complement for a baker.

Linda

 

[pollymn]

Here is my attempt at a pumpkin.

[/IMG]

That is a great looking cake! We have the Circleville pumpkin show here in Ohio and many, many of the pumpkins look a little "squaty" so yours looked perfect. Great job.

 

[Disneynutbsv]

Nice Pumpkin! I really like the vines

I was asked after my pumpkin cake was seen to donate a pumpkin cake to our rec depts. bake sale. (Very good cause, my kids are always at the rec dept, lol). But they are going to raffle the cake I might add the vines like you do around the edges, I don't have any big leaf cutters though

How did you do your stem???

 

[MosMom]

Hey Disnut, I don't know if you have a JoAnn's but they have all their fall and halloween Wilton on sale and they had the large fall leaf set for 50% off. I can't remember the price but I bet it was around 2.00. You get 3 sizes of maple, oak, and acorn cutters.

I love the pumpkin cake too. Pumpkins are like snowflakes, no two are the same.

 

[LJC1861]

I did my leaves freehand. I went outside, grabbed a few leaves and copied them. My stem is molded from fondant and scratched with a knife. Again, it is very freeform like a real pumpkin stem and I used free hand smaller leaves around the base of the stem.

Thanks for the compliments on the cake. It means a lot coming from such great and more experienced bakers on this thread.

Linda

 

[Disneynutbsv]

Hey Disnut, I don't know if you have a JoAnn's but they have all their fall and halloween Wilton on sale and they had the large fall leaf set for 50% off. I can't remember the price but I bet it was around 2.00. You get 3 sizes of maple, oak, and acorn cutters.

I love the pumpkin cake too. Pumpkins are like snowflakes, no two are the same.

Oh wow, Joanns is about 45 minutes away and I have no time to go I'm so bummed! I'll just have to order one sometime

 

[LJC1861]

I just found out that I did in fact get accepted to the National Gingerbread House Competition held here in Asheville NC at the Grove Park Inn.

This means I have 3 weeks to get my act together and put something together!

I am SO unbelievably excited!!!!! (...and a bit nervous and scared as well)

Linda

 

[pollymn]

Congratulations and good luck in the contest

 

[Disneynutbsv]

Congratulations Linda!! Take lots of pictures!!!