Pollock-inspired funky 18th birthday cake/cupcake ensemble

We were approached by a young lady whom we know very well to make her 18th birthday cake - 1 week before her birthday! Note: we do not encourage late requests. But this future pilot is someone we simply cannot say 'no' to. She asked for Colour, Caramel, and a Candice figurine topper... we spent two nights bothered by the fact that we normally shy away from colour and we've never done caramel before. 

Lucky for Candice, Kenneth (the third and often unmentioned Sweet Art Cake persona - our cake engineer extraordinaire and husband to Joy) has recently been fascinated by American abstract painter Jackson Pollock's 'drip' technique. You can read more about the artist here. We took Kenneth's interest on board, and here's our Pollock translation: 

 

 To us, this cake has the perfect personality to match THE Candice that we know - vivacious, strong-willed, fun, and full of passion for life! We hope that our attempt to represent her through the personalized figurine has been a success 

(we're convinced so - and here's why):

 ... checkout the eyebrows...

 ... the full lashes...

 ... and the generous smile!

After building the cake (4 layers of white chocolate mud-cake, alternated with a layer of creamy caramel filling and white chocolate butter cream frosting), we debated whether or not to use the same Pollock technique to design the 18 cupcakes to go with the cake. 

Well, here's what they ended up looking like: 

 Fondant-finished vanilla cupcake with raspberry preserve filling and vanilla butter-cream frosting.

 We have always been reluctant to use solid black colour in our creations, 

but this ensemble has made a believer out of us.

Finally, ta-dah!

 Happy 18th birthday, sweet Candy! Thank you for joining us in this sugary-sweet journey.

  Love to all!

60th Launch / Fishing Boat Cake

A peek into the process of creating a bespoke cake.

First we brainstorm and design...

After some necessary procrastination, we build:

The boat is a replica of the birthday boy's 

(yes, we said boy, just because we can't really say 'birthday man') 

most cherished launch boat. 

Then as close to the day as possible, we bake... 

After which, the fun part - when it all comes together! 

 First the details... we put every effort into making sure that every detail is executed with much care and thoughtfulness. We give every creation our very best! 

 (Above: hand-moulded, hand-painted seagulls)

 Above: The launch boat's actual name; hand-moulded and hand-painted blue marlin head. 

 Above: Needless to say, 'Arthur' likes fishing and his beer. :)

Finally, here are some 'cake portrait' shots... just because:

Oh, and the 'Happy Birthday' writing (on photo above) is edible sticker. 

If there was such a thing as edible wires, 

we would make every effort to get our hands on them too! 

We're NOT big fans of putting inedible things on cakes. 

A top-down view of Arthur's cake:

 

 Just one more... while we're at it:

Happy 60th birthday, Arthur! 

To our good friend Ivan, his lovely wife Mel, and their gorgeous children: we have enjoyed getting to know your family a little bit more through this adventure. 

Thank you for joining us in this sugary-sweet journey!

Rose-themed high tea party

Rose-themed ladies' afternoon high tea party to celebrate Paula's 40th birthday... awesomeness! :p

The cake:

The mini-cupcakes:

...and a few more photos from the party... it was just beautiful! We loved everything! I know all the other ladies did, too. :)

Beautiful, isn't it?

Happy 40th birthday, Paula! Thank you for letting us join in the fun! And, thank you for joining us in this sugary-sweet journey!

African Safari-inspired 50th Birthday Cake

A project we have worked on for weeks: Kathy's 50th birthday celebration. She loves giraffes and animal print. To tone down the strong colours and patterns in the animal-prints, we used burlap extensively, adding to the earthy ambiance. So here's a quick glance at the Safari-inspired party decor:

 

The giveaways were made weeks in advance. They had 5 stripe-y Hershey kisses in them to signify the 5 eventful decades of Kathy's life:

The table setting at the restaurant, showcasing stationery and flowers styled by Milbreé Moments. Clean and simple:

 

And now, for the piéce de résistance: Kathy's 2-tier safari-inspired 50th Birthday Cake. Bottom tier is raspberry & vanilla butter cream-filled moist vanilla sponge . Top tier is mocha cake. Inedible accents: ostrich and pheasant feathers, and matching satin ribbons. The model cake-topper is sugar/gum paste.

 

 

Thank you Available LIGHT LTD for the gorgeous photos. Goodnight, y'all! Thank you for joining us in this sugary-sweet journey. Till next time, and it won't be long, promise. :)