2011 NC State Fair Cake Decorating Competition

As a cake decorator, in almost all things really, I'm a perfectionist... even better... a competitive perfectionist.  So, needless to say the amount of stress that went into deciding what to do for this year's state fair cake entry was over whelming! 

After coming in first last year in the Non-Professional Novelty cake category with this little gem...

I knew this year had to be even better.  But I asked myself over and over, how in the world do I top that?!

This year also had the stipulation that I had to enter as a Professional since I have been teaching cake decorating classes.

The past couple of years I have watched what cake got the coveted "Best in Show" and tried to figure out what made it "Best" in show.

I narrowed that down to two things - a wedding cake and lots of flowers.

So I decided to enter the Wedding cake category.

After changing ideas and working mornings, evenings, & weekends I came up with...

40 red sugar roses

hand painted gold accents

sugar diamonds

scroll work around all four bottom tiers

 I am pleased to say for my first year in the Professional category, I came in 2nd place!

Mickey Mouse Birthday

A lovely young lady turned 14 and her wonderful mother got her some cupcakes with Micky Mouse hats!

 

There were vanilla cupcakes with chocolate buttercream and red velvet cupcakes with vanilla buttercream.

All the Mickey Mouse hats were made of fondant.

Dirt Bike Birthday!

A little boy named DJ turned 4!

The one thing on his mind was to have a dirt bike cake!

So his wonderful grandmother and I delivered...

The dirt bike and the little guy ridding it were all edible.

Happy Birthday DJ!

June Classes!

IT'S BACK!

My favorite class of all!

Gumpaste & Fondant!!!

Take what you've already learned about decorating to a whole new level!

Tuesdays 6:00-8:00 pm

June 7th, 14, 21, & 28th

And guess what!  It gets even better!

This month Wilton & Michaels are offering 50% off all student registration and all student kits!!!

Even the Ultimate Decorating Kit!

The sale on the student kits runs 5/21/11 – 6/11/11!

 You don't need a coupon either!

 So WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

Hurry down to the store & sign up.

Don't forget your kit too!

Fighting for a CURE with Cupcakes!

This post is about something that is near & dear to my heart.  

In March 2010 my older sister, Donelle who also has cerebral palsy, was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer.  I wanted to help her fight this in any way that I knew how and so, in honor of my sister, I started Team Donelle for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

 

The Susan G. Komen Foundation was started by Nancy G. Brinker in honor of her sister who died of breast cancer.

The Susan G. Komen NC Triangle Race for the Cure raises funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer, celebrates breast cancer survivorship, and honors those who have lost their battle with the disease.

 Seventy-five percent of the funds raised through events like the Race for the Cure go to funding grants in our 20 county service area at local hospitals and community organizations that provide breast health education, and breast cancer screening and treatment programs for medically underserved women in our community. The remaining 25% supports the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Award and Research Grant Program, which funds groundbreaking breast cancer research at the national level. 

This is the second year Team Donelle is participating in the Triangle Race for the Cure!  Last year, with the help of Ladies Fitness & Wellness, we were able to raise over $2,000.00 in the fight against breast cancer!

I am proud to say that after a long year of surgery, chemo, radiation, and so many medications, my sister's cancer is in remission!

 

On Saturday, June 11, 2011 at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC we will walk or run in honor and in celebration of Donelle and all the many women fighting breast cancer.  

So far this year, we have raised $625.00!

I wanted to think of another way I could help raise money for our team and I came up with doing something else I love to do... baking!

This weekend I sold cupcakes to all the lovely ladies at Fitness & Wellness!  

I made pink velvet cake with raspberry buttercream, chocolate cake with Mocha buttercream, chocolate cake with cookies & cream buttercream, and vanilla cake with brown sugar buttercream!

After a tough workout, these ladies earned cupcakes, and raised money for breast cancer at the same time!

All proceeds went to benefit Team Donelle for Race for the Cure.

We raised over $275!!!

Thank you, ladies!

If you would like to join Team Donelle & walk, or run, or even do the SLEEP in for the Cure, or donate click HERE.

 (my personal favorite - chocolate & cookies & cream!)

Wedding Cake of the Century!

So many of you spent your Friday morning glued to the TV watching a real life fairytale wedding take place.  I was right there with you!

There are no words to describe this wedding!  It truly was a fairytale wedding!  William & Kate seemed to come right out of a storybook!

The bride was absolutely stunning!

There was only one thing in that wedding that was more beautiful than the bride and that AH-mazing dress desgined by Alexander McQueen!

I mean... dressES!

The CAKE!

I couldn't wait to see what amazing cake the wedding of the century would have!

The cake was made by Fiona Cairns.

She began by baking out of her home, believe it or not, and has been decorating for 25 years!

The cake and sugar flowers took 5 weeks to make!  The cake was 8 tiers high and there were up to 900 sugar-paste flowers and 17 different types of flowers!  So you know Mrs. Cairns and her team had to get started early!

Apparently, Kate Middleton had the whole detailed design of what she wanted her cake to entail - down to what each type of flower meant to her and William!

It even had their new monogram or cipher on the third tier.

The string work and detail on this cake is absolutely amazing.

It's truly a cake fit for a prince and princess!

April Finished with a BANG!

This week was our last class in the Decorating Basics course.

To finish up the course we learned printing and writing, and the Wilton ribbon rose.

Now, I may be biased... but I have to say, these cakes were AHH-mazing!

We had roses!

  

And shaggy mums!

And sunflowers!

And balloons!

And stars!

And more roses!

You guys did an awesome job and you should be proud of your cakes!  I know I am!!