Be Still, My Unicorn

It was going to be a quiet week for me partly because the World Cup has ruin my sleep - I'm not usually a football fan but hey, this is a once-in-four-years event with some athletic eye candy, so why not! But then a friend contacted me for a Unicorn cake for her elder girl and I decided to forgo sleep altogether ha! They are based overseas but were headed back to Singapore for a wedding in Bintan, and she needed a birthday cake as a surprise for her girl who was turning 8.

I love horses, and the mystical unicorn adds another dimension to the equine beauty. At first I was going to make a dumb down version of the beast but when Mummy J showed me the birthday girl's favourite unicorn figurine, I got inspired to make one like it (well, close enough at least).

Keira's Unicorn and Pegasus

As you can see these figurines are almost life-like and I've always been nervous about making anything too much like still life. However, I was up for the challenge and did some research online and found this amazing tutorial on Cake Central on how to sculpt a unicorn. After a few attempts, I was happy with how my unicorn was turning out. I'm so grateful for the generous cake crafters out there who constantly put up ideas and how-tos.

Here's my unicorn in progress...this is made with a mixture of fondant and gum paste, left over night to set and dry before details and shading were added on.

Sculpting at work

Done without shading

Complete with shading

The cake had a few challenges to overcome before it could meet with the celebrant - mainly: Transportation. It would have to go by car to a ferry terminal, take a 45-minute ferry ride, then a transfer to the resort and stored till evening when celebrations will happen. It was a highly humid day. I was seriously concerned. Just a week ago, one of my cakes didn't make it in transit and it was just a car ride that unfortunately had to brake suddenly at one point. The tiered cake shifted, the fondant cracked. I think I was more devastated than the recipient. So yes I was a bit naggy with Mummy J but she was totally cool about it.

Here's the completed cake when it got picked up in the morning...

Keira's Surprise

I'm glad to say everything went well. Mummy J reported back that the cake survived the journey and the birthday girl loved it! While I could see in her picture that there was some wear from the day, I'm glad everyone enjoyed it. For me, that's what it's all about :)

Happy Birthday Keira

Buds, Blooms and Beyond

I'm going to blog about cakes I made over Valentine's Day... I'm still behind on my updates as you can see. Anyway, as I was saying...

You may have read my earlier entry about the master class I took with Joyliciouscake for making sugar flowers. Well, I was very fortunate to be able to apply what I learnt as Valentine's Day came round and I was asked by some devoted husbands to create something special for their wives.

Now, we know Valentine's Day is the one day in a year that florists of any grade make all their money. So this baker was going to give them a run for their money, at least with the two lovely gentlemen, who wanted flowers that their wives can eat instead of watch wither.

Hubby No.1 is based in San Francisco, and he asked if I could create a Valentine's Day cake for his wife here in Singapore. At first his idea was for me to make a cake in the shape of a branded handbag, but I told him that it's one thing to make edible flowers, it's another to make edible bags. Some things are best in actual form...and leather bags are one of those things - agree ladies?

So here's the expression of love I made on his behalf - a Tiffany blue heart shaped cake topped with more than a dozen red roses. Each rose was lovingly handmade, petal by petal.

"Our love can traverse any distance"

I delivered the cake first thing on V-day, to catch her before she went to work. I knocked on her door bright and early at 7:30am, after being told she leaves the house about 7:45am only to find that I had woken the household! She had overslept! So she was saved by the (door)bell, and received a total surprise on V-day morning. I only wished her hubby could see the sheer delight on her face. 

Hubby No.2 requested for a cake with flowers as it was his wife's birthday. She enjoys a good carrot cake and I was only too happy to make one with sweet cream cheese filling. Not enough people request for this, it's such a wonderful wholesome cake. 

Again I made roses in varying state of bloom, from rose buds, to small blooms to full petal roses. I also   put my lessons in floral arrangement to good use. It's one thing to be able to handcraft flowers, but being able to put it together in an aesthetic way makes all the difference. I have my amazing instructor Joyce to thank, apart from a master sugar artist, she's also an expert in floral arrangement.

Happy Birthday Darling

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

When you need to say I love you,

Bake a cake. 

                        -- debbie

Hello Kitty #3

There you go... Hello Kitty is requested again. This time it's from a thoughtful bride-to-be who ordered this cake for her baby niece who turns one on the wedding day. I thought it was really sweet of her to take the time to plan a little birthday surprise for her niece in the midst of all that wedding preparation. She saw my Hello Kitty #2 and knew it was just the cake for the occasion. Her wedding theme is rainbow and the birthday girl's mummy (bride's sister) loves Hello Kitty.

Here's Hello Kitty with a wedding touch

Happy Birthday Cordelia

Congrats Felise & Brian and all the best!

A Gooner's Surprise

I'm not a big English football fan (and neither is the hubby) but I come from a family of ardent Liverpool supporters (ok, it's split down the middle with Manchester United). So when I got the call to create a cake for an Arsenal fan, I was admittedly a bit lost.

I knew there was a gun involved somewhere, but little did I know, it is actually a cannon (doh!) - the emblem for the North London club. Arsenal fans are known as 'Gooners' and I was making a birthday cake for a Gooner who was turning 50! My dear friend Phi had asked me to replicate the design of the Arsenal football jersey for her boyfriend's dad. I did a bit of research and took up the challenge much to the chagrin of my Liverpool-loving siblings.

So the planning started...

Paper cutout of the jersey

I was told of the new jersey design so I had to incorporate it into the cake as well. The blue bits are new to the Arsenal jersey. But the real work is in the logo...

The Gunner logo

This is jerseylicious...

On a plushy grass turf

And it's done! A Gooner's surprise birthday cake...

Happy Birthday Gooner

Of course if you've been following my blog, you would know the hubby contributes to all my cakes. For this one, he made a Gunner football...

Check out the football geometry 

I was delighted to hear that the cake made the birthday boy one happy Gooner.

You know what this means, I'll have to start working on a liver bird next ;p