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Hello Kitty and Her Little Cake

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Erica OBrien in 1st birthday, birthday cake, Featured, first birthday, wedding cakes connecticut, wedding cakes ct, wedding cakes new york, wedding cakes ny | 2 Comments

My baby turned three last week. Three! It took her a long time to decide on the design for her birthday cake. At first she wanted Strega Nona, one of her favorite books, but that was a while ago. As her birthday came closer, she vacillated between Hello Kitty and Strawberry Shortcake (with some random other cakes like owls, Dora the Explorer, and monkeys thrown in the mix) until she finally settled on Hello Kitty. The flavors were an easy decision: vanilla with raspberry. (But not for preschool. For preschool she wanted banana cupcakes with blueberry buttercream.)

I cut a chevron template out of paper (I’ll be doing a DIY on this soon) and used it to cut the pink fondant chevron I appliqued to the bottom tier. For the plaque on the top tier, I cut a pink round out of fondant and hand-cut the lettering and number. Hello Kitty was made of gumpaste, except for her clothes which were fondant. And for Hello Kitty’s mini cake I molded gumpaste by pressing it into two well-cornstarched round cutters and allowing it to dry overnight.

Happy Birthday Mia. I love you so much.

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Happy Birthday Wedding Chicks!

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Erica OBrien in birthday cake, peach cake, pink cake, wedding cake long beach, wedding cake los angeles, wedding cake orange county | 2 Comments

If there is such a thing as Karma, I like to think that in my next life, I will be rewarded for all my good deeds by being reborn as Amy Squires, the tall, blond, supermodel-thin founder of The Wedding Chicks. Amy is also honest, open, and very down-to-earth. For someone who is seriously gorgeous, she doesn’t take herself too seriously at all.

The Chicks turned three this year, and they asked me to make their birthday cake. Somehow, thanks to Amy, I didn’t feel pressured at all. Here’s the photo. Happy Birthday Chicks!

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Mia’s First Birthday Cake

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Erica OBrien in 1st birthday, birthday cake, cake design, first birthday, fondant, for the baker, tips + tools | 4 Comments

This is Mia. She turned one on February 2nd, 2010.

This is Mia’s room.

This is Mia in her room. Well, actually, this is Mia in the dresser that’s in her room after she decided to take out all of her pajamas and climb in the drawer. (Photo of her falling out of the drawer and hysterical crying not included.)

This is Mia’s name hanging on the wall of her room.

This is the birthday cake that was inspired by Mia’s room.
And this is Mia about to eat the fondant topper from the birthday cake that was inspired by her room.

Now, for the bakers out there, here are some tips, tools, and tricks of the trade:

1. For easy, even fondant stripes, use a ribbon cutter. Also, use fondant that is on the drier side. If your fondant is too stretchy, knead some cornstarch or Tylose Powder into it. Allow the stripes to dry ever so slightly before applying.
2. For perfect lettering, try FMM Tappits. Just be sure to roll your fondant or gumpaste extra thin. Again, slightly drier fondant is best.
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