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Friday, May 27, 2011

1st Anniversary

On May 22, 2010 in Leavenworth, WA, Jessica and Matt got married.  It was a gorgeous day - sun shining, kids laughing, colors popping.  

Happy couple cuts the cake.
Each piece of their wedding was so unique and truly exemplified their personalities and relationship.  Dr. Seuss was read at the wedding, piƱatas adorned the reception (one even in the shape of Matt's Vanagon), a tequila bar served the refreshments of choice and hand dipped candles on every table.  I don't know if I'll ever witness such a wonderful wedding again.  When they asked me to be a part of it and create the cupcakes/cake, I was truly honored to be a part of it. 

But you try driving 2 hours over the winding mountain roads with a trunk packed full of 200 cupcakes and a cake buckled into the backseat!

120 cupcakes crammed in my freezer...only 80 more to go.  We had three different flavors - gluten free devils food, vanilla and apple spice.






The display was beautifully arranged by the extraordinary Amanda since I was at the wedding ceremony during the reception set-up.  A simple cardboard cupcake tier was covered in decorative wrapping paper that matched the wedding colors (hot pink, turquoise, and bright orange if you couldn't tell!).

Gluten-free devils food was topped with buttercream for the groom's gluten allergy; apple spice with a brown sugar cream cheese frosting; and vanilla with a mocha buttercream.  Delicious! 













A rooster groom and a chicken bride topped the cake at the focal point of the display.  The bride and groom raise chickens in their backyard so they were the perfect choice.  Jessica and Matt also love kayaking and that is how our little chicken couple arrived at the reception!

Mister Rooster, Missus Chick and their kayaks were formed out of fondant and detailed with royal icing.



Matt tries to smear cake on Jessica's face, while to the left Dashiel tries to sneak a cupcake early.


Happy one-year anniversary Matt and Jess - I can't wait to see what the future holds for you!  XO!

Spring Chicken

No this isn't an insanely belated Easter post, I promise!  (But on that note, how did chicks and eggs get involved in a holiday that celebrates the resurrection of a Jewish prophet?)

My wonderful friend and former coworker Jessica is an urban chicken farmer.  Now if you aren't hip to the newest city trend or haven't seen an episode of Portlandia, that means she is raising chickens in her backyard smack dab in the middle of Seattle.  She's not a country bumpkin, but just someone who likes her eggs fresh!

I wouldn't have the patience to raise the chickens, wait for them to start actually producing eggs, etc, but I did have the patience to make her a birthday confection she won't soon forget!



Vanilla cupcakes, vanilla buttercream and topped with either toasted coconut or yellow sparkles.  Roasted almonds for a beak and candies for a crown. 



From www.marthastewart.com
What was your favorite birthday cake or confection?  Not enough of a spring chicken to remember?  That's ok too, it's probably because you haven't had a PoppyCake for your birthday yet! :)

Monday, May 9, 2011

Celebrar Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Belated Cinco de Mayo!

Free cupcake to the first one who can tell me exactly what Cinco de Mayo celebrates without mentioning 'tequila' or 'sombreros.'  :)

May 5th is a day that is supposed to celebrate the Mexican victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862.  It's not actually a national holiday in Mexico and is pretty much only celebrated in Puebla.  After the battle, the French went on to capture Mexico City and ruled Mexico for three years.  Historians argue that if they had not been defeated, the French would have gone on to funnel arms to the Confederate Army in the south, thus changing the dynamics of our own Civil War.  

But really, does anyone actually remember this when they are throwing back the margaritas?  Definitely not me, but any excuse to celebrate with margaritas is usually a good one.


For Uncle Bernie's birthday it was the perfect occasion for some refreshing margarita cupcakes!  These delicious confections combined a basic yellow cake recipe with dashes of margarita mix, tequila and Grand Marnier.  The frothy topping?  Lime-tequila buttercream with a garnish and a straw!  Sugar salted the rim for that last perfect touch.



Feliz CumpleaƱos!
Uncle Sean got confused as to which was
his drinkand which was his dessert.
Even William couldn't get enough!
(Note: Most alcohol bakes out, so
don't go getting indignant on me!)

 















Round two of margarita cupcakes was for Doctor Dan and Bruce's birthday celebrations this past January.  It would never be a trip to Lummi Island without a batch of margaritas, so naturally the tequila found it's way into the cake!


Next Cinco de Mayo, leave the sombreros in the closet (because no one should ever wear one in public anyway) and celebrate with sugar instead.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Fit for a Princess

Unless you've been living under a very heavy rock for the last five months, you should know that there was a wedding that took place on Friday.  Only 1900 of the couple's closest friends attended the ceremony, 650 the reception and over two billion watched worldwide on just about every TV channel but ESPN.  


Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and his bride Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.  (And that random grumpy flower girl in the bottom left.)


Before I get sidetracked on how gorgeous Kate's gown was, how much in love they looked and how teary eyed I got during the constant replays of the wedding, let's focus on what is most important -- the cake of course!  Royal tradition has been a tall and extravagantly decorated fruitcake.  Fruitcake?! To me that seems unthinkable, but those Brits eat some strange food and I'm betting that a royal fruitcake tastes better than one you pick up at Safeway down the street at Christmas.  But how does Kate and Wills creamy confection stack up to royal wedding cakes past?  Let's take a look.


Queen Victoria & Prince Albert, 1840
Queen Victoria & Prince Albert,
1840

It might be hard to tell from this rendering, but this cake weighed a whooping 300 pounds and measured 9 FEET IN DIAMETER!  This is still the widest cake in royal history!  But it's not done yet, the cake was topped with a 2 foot tall ice sculpture.  Pieces of this cake survive to this day and were even on display at Windsor Castle in 2007.









Prince Albert & Lady Elizabeth,
1923
Prince Albert & Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, 1923

There is only one thing to say about the cake created for the future Queen Mother -- Holy Moly!  This cake was 10 feet tall and weighed over 800 POUNDS!  This takes the cake for heaviest royal wedding cake in history.  Prince William's great grandmother had quite a fanciful taste in cake...




Princess Elizabeth & Prince Phillip, 1947

Princess Elizabeth &
Prince Phillip, 1947
When the future Queen of England wed her Prince, wartime rationing was in full effect.  Many of the ingredients for her cake were donated from the Australian Girl Scouts own rations!  Despite the restrictions, the cake still measured over 9 feet and took 5 weeks to create.  Only one tier of cake was actually eaten at the wedding and the rest were donated to various schools around the country to supplement the schools rations.


Prince Charles & Princess Di, 1981


Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, 1981

Even though I wasn't born yet, I remember hearing stories from my mother of the pomp and circumstance surrounding this extravagant affair.  The wedding needed 27 cakes to feed all of the guests!  The main cake however was over 6 feet tall and featured the Spencer family crest and Prince Charles' coat of arms.  The cost of this cake alone was near $40,000 and that was 30 years ago!  In 2008, a shrink wrapped slice of this cake went for $1830 at auction.  Sadly that slice outlasted the marriage and Diana.


Prince Andrew & Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson, 1986

The gossip from this union has far outlasted the marriage itself and the cake was no stranger to controversy!  Fergie's cake weighed 240 pounds and was 5 and a half feet tall.  But this royal fruitcake was the first to contain brandy and rum as key ingredients, which rumor has it upset the Queen.  The couple also demanded that two cakes be made in case something happened to the original in transport to Buckingham Palace.  But no need for that, the cake was safely delivered and cut into 2000 slices!


The couple enjoys their wedding lunch.
Now I know that this next one isn't British royalty, but no royal wedding story would be complete without Princess Grace, so bear with me.


Prince Rainier III of Monaco & Grace Kelly, 1956

Prince Rainier & Princess Grace,
1956
Grace Kelly was and still is the epitome of grace and elegance.  So naturally her wedding cake would be the same.  This 6 tiered confection featured a built-in bird cage on the top two tiers and held a pair of live turtle doves.  The doves were released when the couple cut the cake with Prince Rainier's sword!









But what about Kate and Wills?!  The couple bucked royal tradition and went with British cake designer Fiona Cairns.  And what a gorgeous gamble that turned out to be.


This 8 tiered fruitcake took 5 weeks to design and 900 sugar paste flowers to completely adorn it.  This cake however makes Diana's look positively cheap.  It's price tag came in at a paltry $78,000!  

How about those 900 flowers?  Each one was added with meaning and symbolism as you can see below:
  • White Rose - the national symbol of England
  • Daffodil - the national symbol of Wales; new beginnings
  • Shamrock - the national symbol of Ireland
  • Thistle - the national symbol of Scotland
  • Acorns/Oak Leaf - strength and endurance
  • Myrtle - love
  • Ivy - wedded love; marriage
  • Lily of the Valley - sweetness; humility
  • Bridal Rose - happiness 
  • Sweet William - grant me one smile
  • Honeysuckle - bond of love
  • Apple Blossom - preference; good fortune
  • White Heather - protection; wishes come true
  • Jasmine - amiability
  • Daisy - innocence; beauty; simplicity
  • Orange Blossom - marriage; eternal love; fruitfulness
  • Lavender - ardent attachment; devotion; success; luck
Whew! No wonder there needed to be 900 flowers on that towering cake!




I can't imagine the amount of time, sweat, stress and tears that went into making this cake and I can only hope that one day I can create such a beautiful masterpiece!  But personally, I'd rather do it without the pressure of the Queen's approval :)

On a somewhat smaller scale, but equally befitting of a princess, are cupcakes I made for my dear friend Suzanne's wedding in 2008.  Her small ceremony and reception of family didn't need to feed 650 people, so a simple dozen cupcakes was quite enough.


Suzanne carried red roses in her wedding and wanted that carried through to her cake.  Each vanilla-peppermint cupcake was adorned with a sugared rose petal resting on sparkling vanilla buttercream.


My favorite is the heart-shaped rose petal on the cupcake below.



Perhaps it's just the erstwhile romantic in me, but I think it is absolutely heartwarming for the world to be so caught up in such a happy occasion.  And how can you resist the story of the country girl turned princess?