Archives for

That’s So Pretty, but What’s Up with All These Fake-Me-Out Photoshoots?

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Erica OBrien in for the baker, for the bride, wedding cake | 7 Comments

“That’s so pretty, but what’s up with all these fake-me-out photoshoots?” was an actual comment someone left on a blog that posted a mock-wedding photoshoot. The comment really got me thinking about the recent preponderance of photoshoots. So, here’s whats up.

According to some source I can’t remember, 80% of brides today rely on the internet to plan their wedding and only 20% on print media, while just five years ago 80% looked to wedding magazines as their main resource and 20% to the internet. A quick google search of the term “wedding planning blog” reveals over 6 million results. While startup costs for a print magazine can be prohibitive, it’s very inexpensive (even free) to start a blog, which explains the abundance of wedding blogs. Of course you have your top ten or so blogs, but really there are tons, all competing for your attention, and all constantly in need of new content. Enter the photoshoot.

No one is trying to fake you out. I promise! Although wedding blogs may have started as a way to feature actual weddings, since they’ve become brides’ main source of planning, their role has become more that of a magazine. Blogs feature photoshoots just like magazines do, and generally use the term Real Wedding in the title of posts featuring, well, real weddings.

Photoshoots present a wonderful opportunity for wedding professionals to showcase their work. As a cake designer, I get to challenge myself, try out new designs and techniques, work with new people, and get professional photographs, all without the pressure of an actual wedding. The person styling the shoot gets to pick the team and have a real hand in the creative process. Photoshoots are also a good way to realize concepts that you can’t explain to clients without a visual. The bookshelf alter in the photographs below is a good example. Megan, the designer, conceptualized it but couldn’t explain it to her clients. Now she has professional photographs to show them just what she means.

This was featured on 100 Layer Cake. (And yes, it’s a photoshoot.)


Design, concept and styling: Megan Gray of Honey and Poppies
Make up: Stacy Bisel
Photography: Jessica Claire

Are you a wedding professional interested in a photoshoot? Here are some guidelines for putting together a shoot.

1/ Formulate your idea. Gather ideas for inspiration and create a mood board. Go to your local hardware store and collect paint chips in your color palette. Clip photographs from magazines that contain elements you want to incorporate. Have a clear, concise, fully fleshed out concept.

2/ Assemble your team. Contact people whose work you admire and want to be associated with. Be careful and be selective. A good team can enhance the best attributes of your work, but a team that’s unprofessional, inexperienced, or untalented can make your work look worse.

3/ Pitch your concept to blogs. Bloggers who are familiar with your work will often agree to publish it before they even see the pictures, but if it’s your first shoot you may have to show them your photos first.

4/ Meet often with your team. Make sure that everyone understands his or her role and is on the same page.

5/ Don’t forget the small stuff. It’s the stuff that no one wants to do, but will ensure a successful shoot. Create mock-ups of the design before your shoot, and leave enough time to make changes or corrections. (What’s worse than arriving at the shoot only to realize that the invitations say Staurday instead of Saturday?) Make a timeline. Have a backup plan. Communicate often with your team.

6/ Have a critical eye–but not too critical. We’re all our own worst critic, and it’s important to be objective. However, you want to show your best work. So, before you submit your work anywhere, be sure to proofread it and have others proofread it as well. Properly credit anyone involved in the shoot. Ask friends, family members, and other wedding professionals to look at your photographs and critique them. Choose the 30 or 40 photos that best represent your work. Once you’re satisfied with the results, you are ready to submit to blogs.

7/ Be selective and patient. Think about your target audience and market, and create a list of blogs that best meet your needs. While it might be nice to get published on one of the bigger, mainstream blogs with a nationwide following, if you’re after a different clientele, it might not be your best choice. Most bloggers want original content, so submit to your first choice first. If they reject your submission, go to your next choice, and so on. I don’t advise submitting multiple blogs at once.

Good luck. I look forward to seeing all the brilliant, creative, and inspiring ideas you come up with.
Read More

Sometimes My Favorite Part of the Cake Isn’t Even the Cake

Posted on June 13, 2010 by Erica OBrien in cake topper, calla lillies, old new borrowed blue, photography, vintage | Leave a comment

I loved everything about this cake. I really did. I loved the tatooed bride. I loved the bride’s mother. I loved the vintage color palette of olive, coral, and peach.

I loved the venue–La Palapa in Long Beach. And I loved the fondant calla lilies on the cake.

But the thing I loved the most was the cake topper. It belonged to the bride’s grandmother who used it at her wedding. The bride’s mother used it at her wedding too. And the cake topper, with its silk flowers, delicate porcelain couple, and still in its original box, would now be used for the third time by the bride. It was my favorite part of the cake.

I am grateful to Ramon Felix of Ramon Felix Photography for sharing his beautiful images.
Read More

Readers’ Questions Answered

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Erica OBrien in buttercream, fondant, for the baker, freezing cake, process | 6 Comments

When I first launched my blog, I really wanted it to serve as a resource for bakers and brides, but it seems I have less and less time to document my process. That said, when a reader emailed with the following questions, I thought the least I could do is answer them here.

1. Should baked cake layers, unfilled, ever go in the freezer? I read conflicting opinions. If not, how early should I bake the cake layers?

You are absolutely right: There are conflicting opinions. I have a friend who swears she can taste a frozen cake a mile away. I also know a very well-respected cake designer who freezes her unfilled cakes after she bakes them. I’ll admit that my younger self may have even frozen a cake or two, but I would never do it now. For me, optimal taste and freshness are just as important as design, and I won’t compromise my culinary integrity by freezing a cake. I just can’t chance it.

So, here’s my timeline. Let’s assume I am making a fondant-covered cake for a Saturday wedding. I would:

  • Bake my cakes as late as possible on Thursday afternoon and allow to cool for two hours
  • Fill and crumbcoat on Thursday as soon as my cakes have cooled
  • Refrigerate crumbcoated cakes until firm, then cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight
  • Early Friday, ice again with buttercream and refrigerate until firm
  • Once firm, cover in fondant and refrigerate (yes, I refrigerate my fondant-covered cakes) until ready to decorate

Remember that fondant firms up and seals in the cake’s freshness. If I were using buttercream, I wouldn’t bake a cake for a Saturday wedding until Friday morning.

2. What is your favorite type of buttercream to use? Does one stand up in the heat best? I’ve been using Swiss meringue buttercream and it started melting at wedding.

My favorite type of buttercream is classic French buttercream. I use Rose Levy Berenbaum’s recipe from The Cake Bible, and it is absolutely heavenly. It does not, however, do well in the heat. I actually find that Swiss meringue buttercream is more stable, and does better in high temperatures. Still, I always recommend fondant because of its stability. Clients are often surprised by how pleasant fondant tastes–I always try to offer a fondant sample at my tastings–and since fondant firms up, guests who don’t like the taste or texture can easily peel it off. Also, because of the way wedding cakes are cut in concentric circles (see diagram below), only the servings on the outside ring will get fondant on the top and the sides. Slices from the inner circles will only have fondant on top.

If a client insists on buttercream–and some do–it is important that they know about any possible issues with melting. I have it written into my contract that it is the client’s responsibility to ensure that the cake is kept in a cool area away from direct sunlight.

I really enjoy hearing from readers, and am happy to answer all your questions, so keep ‘em coming. Best of luck in all your baking ventures.

Read More

Fondant Succulent Cake

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Erica OBrien in Uncategorized | 11 Comments

I’ve been wanting to do a cake with fondant succulents literally for years. I even tried a few years back, but with no actual occasion to make it for, I got frustrated and gave up rather quickly. This time, with a deadline and a design, I had no choice but to persevere when the going got tough. (And it did. As did the fondant.)

I wish I could share some tips on how I did it, but it was one of those things where it just flows so naturally, it’s like you’ve been doing it all your life and you’re not cognizant of the process. I was pretty happy with the results. (I’m never 100% satisfied.) I get asked a lot if the succulents are real, which I think is a good sign.

Here are some pictures, in no particular order, of the cake and flowers.


Much gratitude to my colleagues on this one:
{Photography} charlablue.com
{Coordination} andriniqueevents.com
Read More

A Forest Wedding

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Erica OBrien in cake design, fondant feather, forest wedding | 3 Comments

Working with Rebecca Stone of Duet Weddings is always a little intimidating. You see, she’s a true designer. I can tell because I always have to google some aspect of whatever concept she pitches.(I can also tell because I’ve seen her house and it’s gorgeous!) This time, she emails and says that she’d like me to create a cake that incorporates a faux bois pattern (huh?) and guinea feathers (wuh?). “No problem,” I write back, and then promptly hop online to find out what exactly that means and how to execute it.

The cake was for a photoshoot and was recently featured on oncewed.com. I was very excited to work with Jose Villa whose work I really admire (and who, I’m happy to report, loved my cake!).

Here’s the inspiration Rebecca sent over.

 

And here’s the cake, complete with a faux bois pattern (that’s wood, by the way) and a fondant guinea feather.

And here are some other photos taken by Jose Villa.

Photography: Jose Villa Photography
Cinematography: Joel Serrato Films
Lighting: Bella Vista Designs
Table settings: Small Masterpiece
Invitations: CEVD
Hair & Makeup: Fiore Beauty
Dress: Oscar de la Renta via B Hughes Bridal
Florist: Flowerwild
Design/Styling: Duet Weddings
Read More

How To: DIY Custom Cupcake Wrappers (plus a wordy introduction)

Posted on May 3, 2010 by Erica OBrien in custom cupcake wrappers, DIY | 8 Comments

When I moved to California from New York in 2005, cupcakes had already exploded all over the New York confectionery scene. The Cupcake Cafe had become a New York icon, with Magnolia Bakery, not to mention countless others, not far behind. On the west coast, the cupcake was just entering its renaissance.

“How passé,” I remember thinking. “Cupcakes are, like, so NYC 2004.”

And then, “this too shall pass.”

Boy, was I wrong.

If cake was a blank canvas waiting for me to bring it to life, cupcakes had a life of their own. They didn’t need me as much. Slap a little icing on top, maybe throw some sprinkles at it, and your done. I’m an artist more than a baker, and the idea of churning out 150 identically iced cupcakes just didn’t spell creative to me.

For a while, I refused to make cupcakes. But the requests kept coming, and my resistance eventually wore down. I sold my first batch of cupcakes. And so I learned to appreciate the cupcake, albeit several years too late. Indeed, designing cupcakes can be just as artistically challenging as designing a cake. Now, I just think of them as smaller canvases.

I admit that I’m still not a huge fan. I have no problem with the way they taste, per se, although I do find that they dry out in the baking process more easily than cake. I have a problem with the esthetics of the cupcake. Sorry, but in their natural state, they’re just not fancy enough for me. And they’re not uniform enough. So, I put my own spin on cupcakes: I make my own cupcake wrappers. I’m not talking about the paper baking cups. I’m talking about a custom wrapper that goes around the cups. Here’s how I did it.

First, I designed a template. Once I had the shape right, it was easy. I went to Michael’s and bought some 12×12 scrapbook paper I liked. This is where the DIY wrapper is superior to the store bought wrapper: The possibilities are endless. (Well, almost endless. It depends on the available paper.)

Then, I traced the template onto the back of the paper.

Cut the paper. It now resembles a rainbow shape.




Used my daughter’s fancy scissors. (Note: It’s helpful to have a seven-year old who has all sorts of fancy scissors so you don’t have to buy any, but if you don’t have one, you can just go to your local crafts store.) Be sure to cut the outer edge of the paper (i.e., the top part of the rainbow

Wrapped the cupcake wrappers around the paper baking cups and taped the back. You are now read to use your custom cupcake wrappers. Just drop in your already baked (and still wrapped in their paper baking liner) cupcake.

Here, several of my cupcakes designed to match the custom wrappers.


For the baker: I don’t allow the paper to touch my cupcakes. The paper isn’t greaseproof, so any grease or fat will stain the paper, and not all paper is foodsafe. If you’d like a copy of the template, shoot me an email with “cupcake template” in the subject line at: erica@ericaobrien.com

For the bride: If you’ll be serving cupcakes at your wedding, you can ask your stationary designer or graphic artist to print sheets of paper that will match your invitations. Give the paper to your baker and instruct him or her to follow the directions in this post.

Read More

A Jessica Claire Workshop Produced by Duet Weddings

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Erica OBrien in cake design, for the baker, for the bride, photography | 1 Comment

I recently created a cake for a wedding photography workshop hosted by Jessica Claire. Rebecca Stone of Duet Weddings styled the shoot. Below are the images she used for inspiration.

When Jessica mentioned that for her “more is more”, I took that as my cue to go crazy. Thanks to Lissette Q, one of the workshop attendees, for these photos of the cake.



It’s always interesting to see how different photographers interpret images. To view Jessica Claire’s photos of the cake and setup, visit her recent feature on Style Me Pretty.

Tip for the baker: Vertical stripes can be difficult. I like to let them dry slightly before applying to the cake so they don’t lose their shape.
Read More

The Buttercream Debate

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Erica OBrien in buttercream, cake design, Cricut cutter, for the baker, wedding cake | 7 Comments

I recently read this quote by Kerry Vincent, director and co-founder of the annual Oklahoma Sugar Art Show (also known for her role as the super uptight judge of the Food Network Cake Challenge): “We MUST preserve the art of buttercream. There are too many people who push some material in a mold, slap it on a cake and think that makes them a cake decorator.”

Ouch.

I shudder to think what Ms. Vincent would have to say about the recently released Cricut Cutter for cakes (pictured at left). According to their website, “[t]he Cricut Cake™ Personal Electronic Cutter is specifically designed for decorating cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and confections in no time at all. Just choose a shape, a size, and press ‘cut’. Decorating like a professional has never been faster or easier. Bon Appetit!”

There is an ongoing discussion on the Cake Central forum about whether the Cricut Cutter will render professional cake designers obsolete. Leah S. posted the following: “I think [the Cricut Cake™] is the worst thing that has happened to caking ever. It is destroying the creativity and artistry of what we do.”
Another perturbed cake designer wrote “If everything is made by machine or mold, where does the talent come in?”

Me? I’m not worried. Lot’s of people think cake design is easy. Indeed, a well-designed, well-executed cake can look deceptively simple. But think back to the first cake you made. I bet it didn’t look at all like the cakes you see on TV. I like what costumeczar posted on the Cake Central forum: “Just because you cut the shape out with a machine doesn’t mean the cake will look good. There will be plenty of cakes that look like a monkey iced them with cricut shapes slapped on…Cakewrecks, watch out!”

Pablo Picasso, perhaps the best known artist of our time, was actually a classically trained artist. His earlier work bore little if any resemblance to his later work. Although plenty of people look at Picasso’s later work and think they could easily replicate it, his early works show his technical capabilities.

And a more recognized Picasso, Self-portrait (1907):
For me, fondant is to buttercream what is digital is to film. They say that to truly understand digital photography, you have to first understand the nuances and technical aspects of film. Same is true for cake. Fondant won’t correct a flawed cake. The cake designer must first ice the cake perfectly smooth with buttercream.

When I started cake decorating 15 years ago, I worked exclusively with buttercream, and I was damn good at it. Today, I work almost exclusively with fondant. And you know what? I love it. I don’t care what Kerry Vincent says.

I’ve seen plenty of fondant cakes that lack artistry, but I’ve seen a lot of buttercream cakes that lack artistry too. I don’t think the medium determines the inherent artistic value. Working with buttercream is certainly a skill, but so is design. Skill with a piping bag does not necessarily translate into a well-designed cake. A beautiful cake employs both the mechanics and the design.

I’m excited about the new Cricut Cutter. I love the idea of adding new techniques to my repertoire and the endless design possibilites. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see a buttercream backlash in which buttercream becomes trendy all over again. That’s fine. I’ve got my piping bags all ready.
Read More

Zoo Animal Cupcakes

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Erica OBrien in Celebration Cakes, fondant, for the baker | 2 Comments

This is a lengthy introduction to the zoo animal cupcakes I recently made, but here goes. My daughter Mia was born with hip dysplasia. For the first several months of her life, she had to wear a brace that kept her legs splayed out like a frog. So, we called her The Frog. The name took on a life of its own: She became Froggie, then Frogalina, and even had her own Froggie theme song. The nickname sounds callous, I know, but the best nicknames usually are. (Take for instance, my 6’8″ brother-in-law, “Stubby”, who earned his nickname as a teenager after blowing off three fingers with a homemade bomb.)

Cute frogs are hard to come by, but when Mia was about six months, I found this card at the Papyrus store on 2nd Street in Long Beach and bought it thinking I might use the design for Mia’s first birthday. We ended up going with a very different theme, but I kept the card in my inspiration file. So, when a client called and asked for zoo-themed cupcakes for her son Dante’s 2nd birthday, I knew exactly what design I would use. Here’s the card:

And here are the cupcakes:

PS: Mia no longer wears the brace, and has earned a new nickname: The Maniac.

Read More

The Wedding Cake: Big Dreams on a Small Budget

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Erica OBrien in cake plate, cake plateau, cake topper, DIY, faux tiers, for the baker, for the bride, wedding cake size | 2 Comments

Size does matter, especially when it comes to your wedding cake. For many brides, the bigger the better. Perhaps you’ve always dreamed of a five-tier cake, but the reality of your budget won’t allow it. Not surprising. In today’s tough economy, many brides are forced to find creative ways to stretch their budget, and get more for less. Below are five practical and relatively inexpensive ways to make your wedding cake appear bigger.

1/Increase the Number of Tiers. In a traditional wedding cake, each tier increases in diameter by 4″, so a cake for 100 guests typically has three tiers: 6″, 10″, 14″. Let’s say you have your heart set on a four-tier cake, but you only have 100 guests. Adding an 18″ tier would be cost prohibitive, not to mention extremely wasteful. By decreasing the difference in size of each tier, you could have a four- or even five-tier wedding cake to serve 100 guests. For a five-tier cake, the diameter of the tiers would be 5″, 6″, 7″, 8″, and 9″. The less space between the tiers, the taller and leaner your cake appears.

Keep in mind that this also gives your cake a more streamlined, modern look. Notice the difference in the two cakes below. Both serve 100 guests. The one on the left is a traditional, three-tier cake with three inches between each tier. The one on the right has only a one-inch difference.

2/Elevate your Cake. Another way to increase the grandiosity of your cake is to lift it.

Cake plateaus are more traditional looking, have wider bases, and usually come in gold or silver. (They tend to be pricey, but you can recover almost all of your money by reselling on ebay.)

The term cake plate and cake stand are used interchangeably to mean a plate on a pedestal. Cake stands range from antique to vintage to brand new, with looks ranging from traditional to modern. One caveat of a cake stand: A standard cake stand will accommodate a cake up to 10″ in diameter, while the largest tier of a typical wedding cake is anywhere from 12″ to 18″. Be sure to confirm with your baker the size of your largest tier before you purchase a cake plate so you know it will fit.

A traditional cake plateau (left) and a reproduction milk glass cake plate (right):

Make your own. There are many creative ways to create your own cake stand, but there are some challenges. First, wedding cakes can be extremely heavy–hundreds of pounds–and you have to make sure that your structure can support the weight. Also, your stand should be proportionate to your cake in both height and diameter, so check the dimensions with your baker. Lastly, some designs look better in theory than in practice. Although a glass vase filled with lemons and used as a cake stand might sound like a great idea, it doesn’t mean that it will have the visual appeal that it does in your head. Purchase some dummy cakes in the sizes of your tiers and play around with different ideas before you invest a lot of time and money (not to mention emotion) into your DIY cake stand.

3/Add a Faux Tier. Many cake designers are happy to add a faux (or fake) tier to your wedding cake. Since faux tiers are non-perishable, the designer can work on it weeks in advance (at his or her leisure), so they are generally less expensive than a real tier.

4/Add a Cake Topper. Vintage wedding cake toppers can be found at flea markets, garage sales, or your grandma’s attic. Ebay always has interesting finds as well (just search “wedding cake topper”). Adding a topper will give your cake more height, creating the illusion of a bigger cake. We found the custom toppers below on etsy.com:

5/Use a Smaller Table. The larger your table, the smaller your cake will appear. A cake with a 12″ bottom tier would be dwarfed by a 60″ round table. Using a smaller table will make your cake seem bigger in proportion.

Read More
Page 13 of 16« First...10«1112131415»...Last »