A long-overdue post: A Baby Gender Reveal Party

Nuh-uh!!! Has it really been over a month since I posted? Nuh-uh!!! Well then, I’ll just blame it on the fact that my goal was a “No-post November.” It was a success! Just kidding. I didn’t really mean to not post anything on here for an entire month but here’s a big thank you to those who are still reading and haven’t given up on me!  I have lots to share.


To (kinda, sorta) make up for it, here’s a big, exciting post…

So, I hear the big thing for Mommy and Daddies-to-be is to host a “gender reveal party” to let everyone know (at the same time) whether the little one is a boy or a girl. It’s such a fun, neat idea and is so much more creative than just a mass text message, multiple phone calls, or a big Facebook post…

I’ve heard of many different ways to “do” the gender reveal. Some expectant couples choose not to find out the gender themselves during the ultrasound and then send the results to the cake maker who in turn makes either a blue or pink cake batter or filling.  That way, the couple finds out along with everyone else.  I don't know if I could do it that way.  Some couples find out before everyone else, then order the cake, and then reveal it to all their friends and family members with the cake. Some even decide to make the cake a certain flavor based on the gender (e.g., chocolate=boy, strawberry=girl). Whatever method is chosen, the big thing for us bakers is to make sure that the revealing gender filling color/flavor is covered up with lots of frosting so no one finds out early!

The couple who had me make their gender reveal cakes wanted fall-themed cupcakes (this party was several weeks ago, when the trees here were gorgeous and before everyone went all Christmas-crazy) made of vanilla cake and vanilla buttercream. The kicker (besides the baby, ha ha ha)? They wanted only ONE of the 24 cupcakes filled with a pink or blue charm and a shot of colored icing! Only ONE person at the party would find the charm and then would have to yell out BOY or GIRL so everyone could celebrate. How fun!

Here’s a few photos of the cupcakes I made on display and some of the pretty party décor.

The little pumpkins and leaves were fondant and modeling chocolate.

Just some of the yummy food....

When the cupcakes were served, it was a frenzy to find out who had the charm....

The arrow points out who found the charm...

It's a BOY!!!

The proud parents-to-be were FINALLY able to show off the ultrasound photos...

So, who are these proud parents-to-be? 

Well, that'd be none other than the Cake Gal herself and her hubby!!!  :)  We feel so incredibly blessed and can't wait to meet our little guy. 

So, now that you all know that my mind has been a little distracted lately, please forgive me.  I have so many fun cake projects to share with all of you (and I'm still taking orders!  No maternity leave yet!)

Love, G

Wine Bottle Cake

Who wants some homemade Georgia wine? 

Oh wait, that bottle's not real....

This cake was made for a very special birthday man.  A man who turned 90 years old this October and AND he makes his own wine. 


He must have a whole lotta people who love him because this cake was MASSIVE.  No, seriously, it served 60 people by my standards (and easily served 100 by industry standards... have I mentioned my cakes are made for cutting big slices? I don't skimp on servings).

The granddaughter of the birthday man contacted me about this cake.  She had a few details she wanted on the cake but the rest was up to me.  Here's some of the details...



"Vintage 1920" label



The label reading "Aged to Perfection 90 Years"



The bottle top with an "H" for Howard on it.  This actually wasn't a request, I just had to add it.

The cake itself was made to look like a storage crate for the wine bottle and was vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream.  The details, including the bottle, were made out of fondant and modeling chocolate.  The "leather pouch" the wine bottle rested in was fondant and dusted with spices.  Everything written was hand-painted with food dye.  Everything was edible. 

 

That's the first of the latest fun cakes I've been working on.  I have several more to post and several more coming up so I'll post them as soon as I can.  Just keep checking back!

A Little Update

I'm WAYYYY behind on updates to this blog but I have so many exciting cakes I've worked on and several fun cakes coming up and I can't wait to share them.  I promise I have a little break later this week to update all of you so please don't give up on me!  For now, it's back to caking!

Love,

G

Funky Flower Cake

This cake was ordered by a wonderful customer for her daughter's birthday and it was (shhhh!!!) a surprise.  To me, surprise cakes are some of the best.  Who doesn't love getting a little surprise? 

Vanilla cake with buttercream icing and fondant decorations.  Sign is hand-painted.

Some of the best orders I get are from a boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife wanting to surprise the other with a little sweet treat.  Flowers and chocolates are great but a little surprise cake is... so sweet! ;) 

I hope you had a great birthday Caitlyn!!!

A Little Thank You

To All of You Who Read My Ramblings,

Thank you!!!  According to Google Analytics, my blog has now reached all 7 continents of the world and countless countries and cities throughout.  I did a little dance when I found this out today.  I never would have dreamed this was possible when I started this blog back in January.  I truly thought maybe some friends and family would read it and that'd be it.  So... thank you, thank you, thank you.  For those close enough to order from me here in Atlanta, please keep ordering-- you all are my joy.  Y'all are the reason I can keep this blog going and do what I love and I don't take that for granted.  I have the BEST customers.  For those of you throughout the world, you amaze me and I hope you enjoy this lil' blog of mine.  Have a great weekend!

Love,

The Cake Gal

Zebra Purse Cake

I love each and every cake I make.  I work my hardest at making each cake a true creation, a unique piece of "edible art" (if you will).  I hope that comes across in the cakes themselves.  Sometimes I have to get really creative with an idea that someone will send me.  Sometimes, though, I don't have to get too creative on the ideas and I just get to be creative in making the cake.  Either way, I get to play with food and have fun.  Geez, I love my job! 

I love it when I get the neatest cake ideas sent to me and I can just play and create.  Seriously, how cool was this cake idea? 

A pink zebra-striped purse cake!!! 

Edible silver and hand-painted zebra stripes details

I hear the birthday girl and all her friends went for mani/pedis and then partied and ate this cake.  What a fun birthday idea (hint, hint, any of you who know me....).

Happy Birthday Sophia!  You're the coolest for ordering this fun cake.  It was such a neat idea!

And, now, since I have a blog, I want to blog.  I want to ramble and just share my thoughts.  You don't have to read this.  You can just look at the pictures above and move on (also, how awesome is my new camera???).  I just want to talk about doing what you love.  Yep, a post about life... 

For any of you wondering, I did not get my education in "caking."  I went to college and pursued history and archaeology.  Wha?  Archaeology?  Yep, I spent most of my 20's (and some of my teens) covered head to toe in dirt.  I found dirt in places I didn't know dirt could be.  I traveled this beautiful country and saw some amazing places (and some not-so-amazing).  The last company I worked for (which shall remain un-named so don't even try to email me and ask) had me and my coworkers going to big and small towns all over the map.  I met some of the nicest people (and also came a little too close to being shot on private property).  I really had an amazing time.  One day, though, that started to change. 

I traveled alone (every.single.time.).  I ate fast food one too many times.  I sat alone in airports missing my husband.  I got on a plane covered in dirt because I didn't want to miss my flight.  I also walked into a Target covered in dirt and swamp sludge and walked out in a brand new outfit simply because I didn't want to repeat the plane incident (changing in a dressing room and having a store associate walk you to the register to pay while you carry your dirty, nasty clothes while wearing new clothes... not so fun).  I almost got attacked by wild boars (true story).  I missed my flight when the one thing I wanted to do was get home a wee bit early.  I walked around "urban" areas feeling a little out of place and a just a little too unsafe.  I racked up one too many reward points for hotel stays, airlines, and rental cars.  I busted my butt for my clients.  I got chewed out by my boss.  I worked way more than full time. 

I missed my life.  I became someone I didn't know... bitter and angry.  Why?  Because I believed my boss when he said that "it's called a job for a reason."  I worked my hardest and gave it my all and yet I never seemed to please my clients or supervisors enough and, that?  That was when I knew I had had enough and things needed to change.   

If you EVER work a job where your superior tells you that "it's called a job for a reason" or "it's not supposed to be fun, it's work," RUN!  Maybe you don't need to switch careers like I did.  Maybe you just need to find a new employer (I know, easier said than done in this economy).  I've had amazing bosses who appreciate their employees (here's talking about you, A!); it is possible.  Please, please, please though, realize one thing for me.  You get one life.  Don't spend it working too many hours to enjoy it.  Love, G.

I will get down off my soapbox now.  ;)

**UPDATE** I re-read the above post and thought I should add this---
Don't get me wrong, I don't regret pursuing my dream of being an archaeologist for one single second.  It just turns out that my dreams changed somewhere along the way and I'm so incredibly thankful for each and every one of you for helping me pursue those dreams now.  Do what you love, no matter how many times you need to change careers.  ;)

Toy Story Cake

Again, as promised, here's the other fun cake from this past weekend.  Toy Story!!!

Sorry some of these pictures are kinda blurry-- like I said in my last post, my camera is dying.  Better photos are promised soon!

This is the first time ever I've used non-edible figurines or, for that matter, any figurines that I didn't make but I really wanted the birthday boy to take home new toys.

This cake was also ordered with a dozen Toy Story cupcakes.  Here's a shot taken at the party (thanks, P, for this photo!)...

Happy Birthday Nickolas! 

Super Mario Bros. Cake

As promised, here's just one of the cool cakes from this weekend.  It's Super Mario Bros. themed!!!  Man, I had flashbacks to childhood making this cake-- I started remembering the little songs that played during the different levels, remembered the character's names (it took me a few days)... it was fun!  Anyways, back to the cake, since I know I usually just want to see the pictures....

Mario!

Some of the little details...

On a side note, I found my old Gameboy the other day-- you know, the old black and white one (or should I say greenish and grayish)?  It doesn't work anymore but that thing could be in a museum somewhere.  I think I'll keep it just so my (future) kids can laugh at me one day. 

Kids have it so good these days-- XBox 360 and the Wii and the new Gameboys--the characters are so clear and it's not all pixels but, hey, I can't complain 'cause this cake would've looked a little weird if the characters were still pixels...

Happy Birthday Mark! 

Stay tuned for the other cool cake from this weekend.  I have to admit that my camera is dying and it's not just the batteries so the pics won't look all that great but, hey, you'll get the idea...

Polka Dots and Hearts Cake

How fun is this cake?  Polka dots and hearts galore. 

Happy Birthday Alison! I hope all your wishes come true.

I seem to be making lots of buttercream cakes lately and I'm happy with that but I can barely wait to show you my creations for next weekend.  I'm busting with excitement over the fun things I get to work on next week.  Stay tuned!!! 

Logo Cupcakes

I was recently contacted to make some logo cupcakes for a Presbyterian Women's meeting. 

Here's the logo...

and here's 12 of the 36 cupcakes I made... 

Each logo was hand-painted with food dye on fondant.

Now, who else needs a logo cupcake????  : )

Happy Friday!  Hope you all have a great weekend and get to spend some time with your loved ones on Patriot Day.  God Bless America!

UNC Birthday Cake

This post is way overdue (what else is new?).  I've been busy, busy, busy and I'm so very thankful. 

This UNC Birthday Cake was created for a special boy turning 9 years old!  After delivering this cake to one of the neatest venues I've ever been to, I wish I could have been a kid at that party!

Those tarheels sure did walk all over this cake!  ;)

New technique! Hand-painted (with food dye) fondant.  Completely edible.

The cake was buttercream (no fondant overlay) with fondant accents.  I was so excited to make this cake and so happy to try out new techniques. 

Happy Birthday, Austin!  I hope you had a great day!

Doctor Cake

This cake was created for a very special birthday man.  Can you guess what his profession is? 

Names have been blocked to protect the innocent.  : )

Yep, he's a doctor. I greatly respect anyone in the medical field and I was so honored to make this cake for this long-time, respected internist.

I love what I get to do every day (have I said that before???) but one of the best things about my job is hearing back from my customers.  Thank you, Mrs. M., for your oh-so-thoughtful and nice feedback.  I'm so glad you all enjoyed the cake!!!

Cowboy Baby Shower Cake

My best friend is having a BABY!!!!  I am so incredibly thrilled and excited and I cannot wait for the little guy to make his arrival very, very soon.  This little baby is so loved by so many people and, of course, especially by his sweet parents.  The Mommy and Daddy-to-be have created the cutest nursery with a cowboy theme so... cake inspiration received!

I was so honored to make this cake for my friend's shower where she was truly "showered" with blessings.  I think this baby has every thing he could need, and now?  Now the waiting game is ON!  We can't wait to meet you, sweet Baby Boy!

An Amazing Day

A few weeks back, I had the amazing opportunity to volunteer with the Partners of the Americas, a wonderful organization that allows professionals from Latin America and the Carribean to partner with their counterparts in North America (and vice versa).  It creates an amazing opportunity for those involved to learn so much from each other.  I've hardly been able to wait to share these photos with you (thank you, David, for these beautiful memories).

These beautiful ladies visited us from Honduras.  Two of them are teachers and spent their time partnering and learning from teachers and schools here in the Atlanta area (and I had the lucky opportunity to share in a day of that too!).  The other beautiful woman (seated) is a baker/cake artist from Honduras!  Their ambassador tried and tried to get a bakery in Atlanta area to welcome them in for a day of learning but all of the bakeries turned them away; I know these bakeries are busy but, seriously, how rude!  All I can say is they missed out!  I'm so glad I got the honor of partnering with them that day.

I can't explain what it's like to meet someone from another part of the world who shares your passions and love of "caking" but who does it with so much less than what is available to us in the U.S.  Making custom cakes isn't cheap but do you know how expensive it is to buy some cake supplies in Honduras?  It's overwhelming to me and I learned so much from this sweet lady. 

We baked a "secret" family pound cake recipe together, did our best to communicate in our different languages, ate some yummy pizza, and then finished up by decorating (and eating!) the cake we made.  The best part of the day for me was showing Dulce, the baker, how to make fondant from scratch so she can make it in Honduras.  Fondant is expensive to buy in the U.S. but usually so cost prohibitive in Honduras to the point where most bakeries there don't offer it.  I always make my fondant from scratch because, to me, it tastes so much better than store-bought stuff and it cuts down hugely on the costs of my cakes.  Since this day, I was beyond excited to learn that she has been using my recipe and creating new things at her bakery in Honduras!  I couldn't find a better way than photos to express what happened that day so here's the day in photos....

A little inspiration from my kitchen

The two cake ladies

Measuring and mixing

Love the sound of this thing

Sharing my fondant recipe

Making the fondant

Is the cake ready yet?

Dying and kneading the fondant

I was in awe over Dulce's lightning fast crumb-coating speed.

Eyes watching closely as the fondant gets smoothed

Making the sugar roses

The final creation

Can we just eat it like this???

Cutting the cake, moments before enjoying it!

What an amazing day and an amazing opportunity.