Opulent Gold

All that glitters is not gold, but it should be when it's cake!  I had the pleasure of designing a very dramatic cake with gilded details and deep red roses.  I loved making this cake not only for the uniqueness of it, but because I got to do a lot of painting in the form of gilding.  It isn't the usual thing I do, although I often add lustre, this gold detail is a beast of it's own.  Very temperamental and required a very stead hand.  But in the late late hours of the night and early early morning I found it very soothing.  A tip to help keep the gold more "glittery" would be to use glaze instead of alcohol or lemon extract mixed in with your highlighting colour.  Glaze gives the gold more lasting shine.  I meant to use it on the blue gem details but time just ran out.  On a side though, make sure you have the cleaner that goes along with it as this medium will ruin your brushes.  I used a very fine nail art brush on the edges of my gold details and a small natural hair brush for everything else.  The deep red of the roses was achieved using an airbrush.  The blue gems and monogram used various shades of blue with silver to get a lustre. 

Buyer beware!

 

I saw this funny inspirational quote, but it really spoke to me in a very non funny kind of way.  In this world of making the dollar go as far as it can there will always be short cuts.  I worry sometimes when a customer comes to me and says so and so is charging less.  This always concerns me since I do believe my prices are a fair reflection of what I produce.  My delicious cakes are baked from scratch with high quality ingredients, not a single short cut is made.  I believe this is why when at a cake sampling session, most of my customers faces light up with glee as they taste a really good piece of cake.  But more to the point, my cakes are beautiful because of many many years of practice and study.  If I say I can do something I almost always have the back up image of my work to prove it.  

To my valued customers I urge you to always dig deep into a cake designer's portfolio.  Confirm first and foremost that the images you see are indeed the work of the artist.  Look closely at technique, especially if you are asking for something that requires a high skill set.   Wedding cakes are expensive for a reason, and sometimes getting the cake of your dreams at a rock bottom price maybe something that quickly turns into a cake nightmare!

 

 

 

2013 Wedding Season In Review

Now that the wedding season is just about wrapping up I finally have a moment to write about it. 

As I review my portfolio of new designs, I'm thrilled to see how elegant and sophisticated my clients selections have been.  Beautiful details can be found on all the cakes from delecate hand painted embroidery to lush sparkle adorned fantasy flowers.  Clients are getting more and more creative in their selections opting for beautiful large sugar roses and bold statement bows.  Well done everyone!

My celebration cakes have also seen a shift to the more specifically creative.  Sugar dolls were seen throughout the year.  Little edible duplicates of a loved one.  Very fun to do!  The soccer ball was quite popular this year as well.  With the addition of cake pops and cookies this year the product line has also expanded to include Sweets Table fair.  Many little pieces of matching sugar delights creates a lovely feast.  In 2014 I look forward to expanding the cookie line in particular.  I will be adding these wonderful buttery morsels of sugar art to it's very own page on my website in the coming months.  Cookies can be customize beautifully and can range from simple decor to beautifully detailed and delicate sugar art.  A perfect addition to a sweets table or a lovely favour for a baby shower or wedding shower.

In 2014 I will begin mapping out the creative process in a way that my clients can see how their cakes evolve.  These behind the scene sugar tid bits are fun to read and often will divulge trade secrets!  The teacher in me is happy to share how it's done so I hope these tutorials are enjoyed by all.


Sweet dreams,

Grand Opening!

It has been quite some time since I've written about the going ons of Cake Glam.  The most important new information is that after many years of wishing and dreaming I've finally opened my own Cake Gallery conviniently located in a wonderful Bridal Plaza in Vaughan.  This location is unique in the sense that unlike a typical bakery, I'm in a boutique with other wonderful wedding professionals.  This makes the whole wedding experience that much more pleasant as you're able to browse other professionals, as you sample my delicious cake!  The gallery cakes are still being made and little by little  my space will be filled with gorgeous sugar creations.  This experience has allowed me to really explore current wedding trends and offer my brides something modern and just a shy shade away from the extra ordinary.  After many long years, I can finally unleash all my sugar dreams into my gallery.  Stay tuned for pictures of these new designer cakes!

Graduatin 101

I had the pleasure of working with a very proud mother of two on a surprise graduation cake for her son and daughter.  The youngest boy is a drum enthusiast and the eldest daughter a brand new teacher.  The concept for this cake was a delight to come up with and the final masterpiece a definite sum of many detailed parts. 
When faced with making the miniature graduation hats I searched high and low and found that my 1 cup measuring cups were the perfect shape to mold the sugar medium on.  Sure enough as the hats were drying I actually needed to measure out a cup! I've realized over the years that part of being a sugar artist is always seeing the potential in anything and everything as how it relates to sugarcraft.

Twenty Years Later

Twenty years ago my dear friend entrusted me to make her themed wedding cake.  This darling friend is a sea shell fanatic and her cake consisted four giant sea shell shaped cakes, with a fountain tower in the middle.  A bride and groom stood proudly in a open sea shell at the very top.  Adorning this cake were oodles of flowers done in her coral colours.  I learned today that at her 20th Anniversary she unveiled a handful of flowers that she'd kept from her very memorable day.  Though the flowers are a little worse for wear, it's amazing when you consider that these delicate sugar creation are not meant to last!  Perhaps she's sprinkled a little magic on them...

Cake Stuff

Over the last 25 years I've amassed a huge collection of cake tools.  Today I am opening the box on a brand new Airbrush system.  I'm so excited!  Thank you Fernanda's in Mississauga for all your help today!