There are lots of movies based on comic books these days. This time, however, it’s a cake based on a comic book! We all know Spider-Man, Iron Man and the X-Men, but I was unfamiliar with The Infinity Gauntlet. I’m always excited to learn something new, though (and then turn it into cake!).
It’s powerful AND delicious! I loved creating all the textures and wrinkles of the leather gauntlet.
I hope you had a great birthday, Tyson!
With Halloween just around the corner, I thought I’d share a spooky cake today!
This skull cake was technically for a birthday (it seemed fitting for a guy whose nickname is “Bones”), but it would perfect for Halloween too.
Smile!
I particularly enjoyed doing the little cracks in the top of the skull. Nice and spooky!
Have you seen the trailers for the new Star Wars movie, Rogue One? It looks awesome (as most Star Wars movies are), but I don’t see any cute robots – how can they have a Star Wars movie with no cute robots? Roly-poly BB8 stole our hearts when he showed up in The Force Awakens (I’ve made cake versions of him several times!), but R2-D2 will always be our first true love.
In fact, I found a fascinating article from the Smithsonian on why we just can’t get enough of him (in the article, R2-D2’s original designer is quoted as saying “there is something about R2-D2 that people just want to cuddle”. Accurate!)
Convinced? I’m sure you loved him anyway. 🙂 So here’s everyone’s favourite robot, now as cake (okay, it’s half of him – just imagine he’s sticking out of an X-Wing instead of a cake plate!).
Back view:
R2-D2, we love you!
This cake is tops – triceratops! Ahhhh, okay, that’s a bad joke (even for me!), but it’s a good cake, so I hope that will balance things out!
I’ve actually made several dino cakes for this family – both their two boys are totally dinosaur obsessed. When so many kids (and grown-ups, for that matter!) seem to change “favourite things” twice a week, it’s cool to see their level of dino-votion (devotion = dino-votion – does that work? Sure, why not. Bad joke count: two.). So, of course that love has to manifest in sweet, edible dino-cake form.
This particular triceratops was based on the birthday boy’s very favourite dino figurine – one he affectionately calls “Daddy-ceratops”.
I loved creating his skin texture – it’s so wrinkly and interesting. Usually you want to avoid wrinkles in your fondant, so adding them on purpose was fun to play around with!
Also, you want to know a secret?
The spots were a last minute addition. A tiny dot of liquid colour dripped onto his head-frill-thing while I was airbrushing him (that’s what they call that part, right? I’m sure the birthday boy would know the proper terminology, but I’ll just stick with “head-frill-thing”!). Rather than fussing to wipe it off, I decided it looked so cool I would just add more spots all over! I think they really added to the overall effect. And it just goes to show that there are no mistakes, only accidental inspiration!
I was quite pleased with how he turned out – definitely dino-mite! (Three dino puns, I’ll go home now.) 🙂
Ah, the lazy days of summer… What could be better than a backyard barbecue? Well, how about a cake that LOOKS like barbecue?
This ribeye steak looks hot off the grill, but it’s actually chocolate cake! (Vegetarian friendly!)
You may remember this t-bone steak cake I made a while back. That one was lots of fun, so I was excited to be asked to make another – though this time, I thought I’d mix up the cut a little!
I looked a lot of photos (and maybe a few real steaks) to get the details just right, including the edges. The “parsley” and “pepper” are finely chopped green and black fondant, and the “salt” is coarse sanding sugar.
With a side of healthy (ahem, fondant) vegetables, of course! Technically they ARE fresh Ontario green beans, since I did make them fresh and I am in Ontario… That counts, right? This pic also shows the nice shine from the barbecue sauce (which, in this case, is thinned corn syrup).
The entire steak is hand-painted with edible colours to get the shading and markings just right – even the bone marrow!
Oh – and the recipe card and “wooden” cutting board are both fondant too! So… who’s ready to fire up the grill, and/or grab a fork?
You may have noticed things have been WARM in Toronto so far this summer. If you’re running out of popsicles and pining for cooler climes, take a look at this cake – Mr. Penguin on his ice floe is chilly enough that he needed his hat and scarf!
Doesn’t he have the cutest little penguin butt?? (Also, I enjoy that in my research for this cake, I had a legitimate reason to Google “penguin butt”.)
Those with a keen eye and an affinity for all things Muppet may recognize him as one of Super Grover’s penguin friends from the episode Super Grover at the Penguin Party! Perhaps not so coincidentally, this was for the same family who requested this Super Grover cake recently. They’re a Grover family – I approve!
Oh – and you may also know that my husband periodically enjoys naming my cakes (as you do). This one is named Pingwing. Because, as you may or may not know, Benedict Cumberbatch can’t say “penguin”. So, here he is again; Pingwing the Penguin. 🙂
Happy Pride, Toronto!
I made this cake for a wonderful company, Edelman, who was celebrating their “Edel-Pride” with their employees. What sweeter way to share the love than with cake?
I love seeing a company reach out to make everyone feel welcomed and supported, and I was delighted to be a part of their celebration. On this Pride and Canada Day weekend, I feel so fortunate to be part of a country and a city that embraces the belief that ALL love is love!
Around the bottom tier, male, female and transgender figures (modelled after the classic “bathroom symbols”) pair up, and on the top tier they all join together. Of course, the inside had to match the outside – a rainbow Pride flag for every plate!
While celebrations like this one remind us of all the wonderful, inclusive aspects of our community, I know there are still so many struggles facing LGBT+ individuals both here at home and around the world. Considering the recent events affecting the LGBT+ community and in the general spirit of Pride, I have donated all the proceeds of this cake to Allout.org. If you’re unfamiliar with this wonderful organization, I encourage you to check them out and learn about all they’re doing to fight for LGBT+ rights. We know that in the long run, #LoveAlwaysWins.
If you’re interested in supporting the cause financially, you can go to https://go.allout.org/en/a/donate/, or simply sign a petition or share their stories on social media. Every bit helps!
Happy Pride, everyone! Love out loud!!
Full disclosure: My husband works at Edelman.
This purse cake is stuffed – with a lobster, Coca-Cola, a peach, and a confidential file folder. Oh, and a Starbucks Chai Latte on the side!
Just what we all keep in our purses, right?
This was for a leaving party for a woman originally from Nova Scotia (lobster). She’s moving to Georgia (peach), worked on confidential clients (file folder), and… well, she likes Starbucks Chai Lattes and Coke! A LOT, apparently. 🙂 Oh, and she has a green purse. So, why not replicate it all in cake? Why not indeed!
Everything is edible, including the Starbucks cup itself.
Tasty! Oh, and the inside is tasty too – seven layers of chocolate cake, with chocolate-hazelnut buttercream.
Best of luck on your move!
I love making book cakes! I’ve made a few of them now – this one from the Twilight series, this one for a book launch party, and this one for a birthday.
It seemed fitting, then, to make this one for a librarian’s retirement!
I love the leather look of the top book. So classic – makes me want to crack it open and read!
The two titles are the honouree’s favourite books. We thought a bookmark was the perfect place to include her retirement message!
I hope you’re enjoying retirement and doing a lot of reading, Wendy!
“He’s everybody’s favourite hero. He’s faster than lightning, stronger than steel, and smarter than a speeding bullet. He’s… SUPER GROVER! (And he’s cute, too!)” And now he’s a CAKE!
I was SOOOO excited to get a request for a Grover cake, and I was ESPECIALLY excited that it was Super Grover! As a child of the 80s, I grew up with Sesame Street and Grover was my favourite. After all, in his own words, he’s such a “lovable, furry old monster”! We had some of his books, too: The Monster at the End of This Book, Grover’s Bad, Awful Day, and, my little brother’s favourite, Down on the Farm with Grover (okay, my brother’s not so little now, but he used to love shouting “Aiiieeeee, CHICKEN COOP!!” when Grover drove the tractor through the hen house!). As you can tell, this muppet and my family go way back.
These days, everyone seems to be Team Elmo – I’ve actually done an Elmo cake, and it’s Elmo in the spotlight almost everywhere you look. So, when I got an email that referenced Grover’s “Oscar-esque performances in Disco Grover, Grover waiter, Near and Far, and of course, Super Grover”, I knew I had a fellow fan!! I was so pleased that he’s introduced his son to the wonders of Grover, and I knew I had to do a faithful reproduction.
Even his logo and the yarn tie for his cake are now fully edible! I think Grover would approve.
Up, up and away… It’s SUPER GROVER!!
