Archives for March 2010

Cake How To: Old, New, Borrowed, Blue

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Erica OBrien in cake design, for the baker, for the bride, old new borrowed blue | 1 Comment

Years ago, I made this cake with purple hearts strung on ribbon. It was on my website for a while until I finally got sick of it or was embarrassed by it, I can’t remember which, and took it down.

(“Oh, but Erica,” you say. “How could you be embarrassed by such perfection? Such genius?” Look closely. See how the edges are rounded? How light in color the top two tiers are? How the sides of each tier bulge out? That’s how.)

I did the purple heart cake many years ago, and I totally forgot about it until recently when I saw a similar cake on Eat Cake Be Merry. I’ve wanted to do an Old, New, Borrowed, Blue cake for a while, so I thought I’d revisit my original design.

A few simple steps include:

1. Color fondant and cut out small discs. (I used the second smallest cutter in the Ateco round set.)

2. Trace cutter onto paper to create template.

3. Determine where holes should be.

4. Mark holes on fondant discs with pointy object. (I used floral wire.)

5. Make holes using tip # 4 (or larger) while fending off baby Mia.

6. Allow discs to dry overnight or longer. Then string onto ribbon.

7. Use FMM Tappits to cut out letters. (Tappits can be very hard to work with. Click here and scroll to the bottom of the post for some tips and tricks.)

8. Fend off Mia again.

9. Apply to cake with royal icing and enjoy.

This cake won’t make it to my website–it was much cuter in my imagination–but it’s nice to see how much my work has improved since the purple heart cake.
Read More

Wedding Cake Trend: His, Hers, Theirs

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Erica OBrien in wedding cake | 5 Comments

When I first met Simone and James, they knew they wanted their wedding cake to represent them both as individuals and as a couple, but they weren’t sure how execute their concept. That’s where I come in: three cakes, one for him, one for her, and one for the two of them. For their individual cake, they each chose a design that complimented their wedding attire. He matched the pinstripes in his white-on-gray suit. She matched the detailing of her dress. For “their” cake, they incorporated elements of their relationship and marriage: platinum wedding bands represented by the ribbon around the base of each tier, roses to symbolize love, and edible pearls to represent her diamond and pearl engagement ring.

The color palette [courtesy of

The inspiration:

His cake:

Her cake:
Their cake:


The team: Event styling: Nozza Studio / Photography: Henry Chen Photography / Florals: Bella Fiore / Venue: Ebell Club Long Beach / Stationary: Paper Cut Industries

Read More

Silver Anniversary Cake

Posted on March 22, 2010 by Erica OBrien in fondant, metallic | Leave a comment

Teresa contacted me about a cake for her parents’ 25th wedding anniversary. She wanted to use the invitation below for inspiration. I knew I would have to pipe it to get the fine lines on the invite, and I wanted to use some small 3-D flowers. I learned to pipe way before I learned any techniques with fondant or gumpaste, and I really enjoyed it. I don’t get to do much piping now, but when I do, it’s like visiting an old friend.

Quick Tip for the Baker: Whenever I want to paint using metallic luster dust, I always start by coloring my fondant, gumpaste, or royal icing a similar color. In other words, if I know I want to paint a fondant ribbon silver, I’ll start with gray fondant. That way, I don’t have to worry about white coming through. For gold, I color it a similar golden yellow, and for bronze, I use a matching brown.
Read More

Buttons and Brides

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Erica OBrien in bridal shower, cake design, fondant, for the baker, for the bride, inspiration | 9 Comments

I am very visual. Give me a picture, and I’ll create a cake to capture the feel, flavor (no pun intended), and design of the image. I recently collaborated with Carter and Cook, an event styling company in San Diego, to create a cake for a bridal luncheon photo shoot around this inspiration:

Several artists worked on the shoot: Amy, from the Wedding Chicks, coordinated the project and Jessica Claire took the photographs. Leigh Ann, from The Floral Lab, designed the flowers and Lori, the artist behind Paper and Thread, created the invitations. Ink and Button provided the hair accessories for the shoot.

The team met at Cafe Mimosa in San Clemente, California to scout out the locale and finalize the design concept. We agreed to incorporate some tangerines and buttons into the design.

I love making cakes for photo shoots. I love the freedom to create anything I want within a given design framework and to interpret the concept in whatever way I choose. Here, I created a centerpiece cake and four miniature versions of the centerpiece cake.

I made everything you see on the cake–from the flowers to the buttons to the lemons and kumquats–out of fondant.

And here are some other cute shots.

Read More

Tier I: Introduction to Cake Design Course

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Erica OBrien in cake design, classes, for the baker, tips + tools | Leave a comment

I am pleased to announce my new course, Tier 1: Introduction to Cake Design. The course begins on Sunday, 4/11 and continues for four consecutive Sundays until 5/2. Classes are from 10am to 1pm.

In this introductory course, you will learn the basics of cake baking, icing, and design. Students will bake, fill, frost, cover and decorate cakes using a variety of techniques including fondant, royal icing, and gumpaste. Students learn classic French and Italian buttercream recipes and two cake recipes as well as how to fill, frost, and cover a cake with fondant.

Materials are included. For more information, or to sign up, please visit my website: http://ericaobrien.com/classes. I am limiting the class to four students so I can give each student individualized attention. Please contact me with any questions.

Read More