This photo shoot was inspired by Oscar de la Renta’s Pre-Fall 2010 collection. It’s not so much that I was personally inspired–I’m no fashionista as anyone who knows me (or for that matter sees me) can testify–but rather Megan, the artistic genius behind Honey and Poppies was inspired. I’m kind of into ruffles, so I went with it. (She’s a bad influence on me.) And, I didn’t even argue that Pre-Fall would techinically be summer.
Below, the inspiration board Megan created.
First, I came up with some sketches based on the inspiration board.
Then Megan (frickin Megan) suggested changing it up a bit, so of course I did. (She’s mean.)
Rather than a single cake, I created a collection of cakes, just as fashion designers create seasonal collections. (I guess you could call this my Post-Spring collection, just to sound fancy.) And if that’s not enough, Megan created some pretty amazing cake stands out of flowers.
The shoot was featured in Utterly Engaged, an online wedding magazine.
We shot at the Hotel Maya in downtown Long Beach, CA. It’s the kind of hotel that makes you think that if you stayed there for only one night you’d be just a little bit cooler than you were before.
The wedding cake is the most recognizable symbol of a wedding. It’s what beer is to baseball, what Elvis is to rock and roll, what rice is to sushi. A wedding just isn’t a wedding without the wedding cake. It’s the first thing people notice at a wedding (okay, maybe that’s just me, but still it’s important) and the thing they’ll remember most (again, probably just me).
Occasionally, I hear about a bride who decides not to have a wedding cake. Sadly, I understand completely. I’ve been to many weddings where the cake–cloyingly sweet with gloppy filling and crunchy buttercream–just gets pushed around the plate once it’s served, only to be tossed out like some used up napkin. I freely admit that I’m a cake snob, and unless I made it, I rarely eat the cake at a wedding. Sure, I’ll try it, just to see what it tastes like, but in the end, I’d rather not waste the carbs on something that’s not appealing to me. It doesn’t matter how beautiful the cake looks. If it doesn’t taste good, it’s a failure for me. Cake can be a hard sell. Many clients come to me with the typical bakery cake in mind, made with greasy shortening that leaves a film on the roof of your mouth and powdered sugar that crunches between your teeth. Some even let me know upfront that they don’t like cake. Before their tasting appointment, I’ll get an email that reads something like, “And just so you know, I hate buttercream.” Obviously, they’ve never tasted real buttercream–the French kind made with egg yolks, sugar, and butter, the kind that I make. Even traditional American buttercream that’s made with real butter still has the powdered sugar crunch. The sugar in French buttercream is cooked till it dissolves, so there is no crunch, only sweet, velvety, buttery yumminess. I always include a few buttercream flavors, even if the client doesn’t want one, just so I can see their surprise when they taste it. I’ve never had a client who didn’t like it. Ever. And my cakes? Made with real butter, all from scratch, and with high-end ingredients, they taste nothing like the cake they’re used to. I’ve built my reputation converting my clients and their guests from cake haters to cake lovers.
Why should you pay for a cake that no one is going to eat? The answer is, you shouldn’t. If you want your guests to eat the cake, it better taste good. But be advised that good taste comes with a price. Sure, you can get a less expensive cake, but in all likelihood it will have less expensive, and therefore less palatable, ingredients. If you don’t care what it tastes like, that’s fine, but if taste is a concern for you, be prepared to pay. Think about how much you would expect to pay for a good dessert at a restaurant. Now factor in the time spent for the designers’ expertise, the labor spent decorating the cake, delivery and set up, and that’s how much you’ll pay per person. Our cakes begin at $7 per serving. Some of the top designers in the industry charge as much as $20 per person.
Remember, you don’t have to give up on cake just to serve a delicious dessert. Your cake should be the delicious dessert. To ensure that it is, make a lot of appointments with different bakers. Almost every cake baker is happy to offer a complimentary consultation. Be sure to schedule a lot of tastings before you decide to work with a cake designer. Don’t get your heart set on a specific baker before you taste his cakes. At your consultation, taste the cake and fillings separately and together. They should both stand on their own but also pair well. Ask your baker lots of questions, and don’t forget to ask if he or she uses real butter. And lastly, don’t leave your guests wondering where the cake is.
Between fondant, gumpaste, and pastillage, not to mention marzipan, Mexican paste and chocolate clay, it’s easy to get confused about sugar paste terminology. Throw in some British terms–like flower paste and sugarpaste–and it’s anyone’s guess. Below is a (hopefully) comprehensive list of the different sugar pastes used for cake design. For each, I’ve included a brief description, alternative names, suggestions for use, and my opinion as to whether it’s best to make it yourself or buy it. Note that these are the American terms. British, Australian, or other uses may be different. Know of any I missed? Please email and let me know.
Chocolate Clay A pliable chocolate paste made from just two ingredients, chocolate and corn syrup, it has the texture of a tootsie roll or marzipan and is very easy to work with. Chocolate clay can be made with bittersweet, semi-sweet, milk or white chocolate (source: www.joyofbaking.com). Overhandling it will make the oils separate, causing the clay to become crumbly. Extreme heat can cause melting, so it is not ideal for certain decorations.
Alternate terms: candy clay, chocolate leather, chocolate modeling clay, chocolate modeling paste, chocolate plastic, chocolate plastique
Used for: Most often used for figurines and to cover shapes made from rice cereal treats. Also used for ropes, braids, ribbons, ruffles, flowers, leaves, and sculpted cakes.
Buy or make: Chocolate clay is so easy to make that for small batches it probably best to just make it yourself. For large batches, it may be easier (albeit more costly–$50 for 5.5 pounds) to buy. I’ve never used Cacoa Barry, but it is the most widely available commercially made chocolate clay.
Melt chocolate in a double boiler or metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir until cooled a bit. Stir in corn syrup. (The chocolate will stiffen almost immediately.) Continue stirring until completely combined. Transfer to a sturdy plastic freezer bag and refrigerate until firm (about two hours). When dough is firm, remove from the refrigerator, and knead until soft enough to work with. If it is too hard, cut off small pieces, and knead until pliable. Well wrapped it will keep for months. If it gets hard to work with knead in a little more corn syrup until pliable
Note: To prevent the corn syrup from sticking to the measuring cup or spoons, spray or grease with vegetable oil before measuring. I never use candy melts in any baking as they are not real chocolate.
Source: www.joyofbaking.com
Fondant
An edible sugar dough that is rolled out and used to cover cakes. Fondant dates to the Renaissance and was originally used in Britain to cover fruitcakes and seal in the freshness for shipping to the new world. Gelatin and glycerin keep the fondant smooth and pliable. Fondant dries firm, but not nearly as hard as gumpaste or pastillage, and therefore serves a different purpose.
Alternate terms: fondant icing, ready-rolled fondant (British), soft fondant (British), rolled fondant, sugarpaste (British)
Used for: covering cakes, appliques, braids. Can be used for other decor, such as ribbons or bows, but needs more drying time than gumpaste or pastillage, so it is not ideal for this purpose.
Buy or make: Definitely buy. I like Satin Ice. Here’s why.
Gumpaste
Gumpaste is similar to fondant, but the addition of gum tragacanth (a plant-based gum; more about gums in a future post) gives the dough added flexibility, allowing it to be rolled much thinner than fondant for realistic-looking flowers. Gumpaste dries hard, unlike fondant, and is therefore NEVER used to cover a cake. It is superior to fondant for decorations that need to hold their shape, such as the handle on this purse cake on the cover of Confetti Cakes: Homemade gumpaste flowers can take up to two weeks to dry, and need to be made well in advance of the cake decorating event. Gumpaste flowers are best stored in airtight containers in a cool, dark place. Heat, humidity and refrigeration can all soften flowers, even after they’ve set. Placing flowers on buttercream frosting, which contains fat, can also soften them (source: http://www.ehow.com).
Alternate terms:Flower paste
Used for: Flowers. Also used for decorations that need to dry bone-hard, such as three-dimensional decor and plaques. The plaque on top of Mia’s cake was made of gumpaste.Buy or make: Make. I never knew how easy it was to make gumpaste until I was introduced to Nicholas Lodge’s recipe. Two things to know are: (1) You must follow this recipe exactly for best results and (2) Use ONLY the CAI–Confectionary Arts International–tylose. I have found that other tylose yields different results.
Recipe:4 Large Egg Whites
2 lbs 10x powdered sugar
12 Level teaspoons Tylose
4 teaspoons Crisco
1. Place the egg whites in a Kitchen Aid mixer bowl fitted with the flat paddle. 2. Turn the mixer on high speed for 10 seconds to break up the egg whites. 3. Reserve 1 cup of the powdered sugar and set aside. 4. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and slowly add the remaining sugar. This will make a soft consistency royal icing. 5. Turn up the speed to setting 3 or 4 for about 2 minutes. During this time measure off the tylose into a small container. 6. Make sure the mixture is at the soft peak stage. It should look shiny, like meringue and the peaks fall over. 7. Turn the mixer to the slow setting and sprinkle the tylose in over a five second time period. Next, turn the speed up to the high setting for a few seconds to thicken the mixture. 8. Scrape mixture out of the bowl onto a work surface that has been sprinkled with some of the reserved 1 cup of powdered sugar. Place the shortening on your hands and knead the paste, adding enough of the reserved powdered sugar to form a soft but not sticky dough. You can check by pinching with your fingers and they should come away clean. Place the finished paste in a zip-top bag, then place the bagged paste in a second bag and seal well. 9. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours if possible before using to mature the paste. 10. Before use, remove from refrigerator and allow the paste to come to room temperature. Take a small amount of shortening on the end of your finger and knead this into the paste. If you are coloring the paste, add the paste color at this stage. 11. Always store the paste in the zip-top bags and return to the refrigerator when you are not using the paste. Will keep under refrigeration for approximately 6 months. You can keep the paste longer by freezing. Be sure to use zip-top freezer bags. If you will be freezing a batch of paste, allow it to mature for 24 hours in the refrigerator first before placing into the freezer.
Yield: About 2 pounds
Mexican Paste
Mexican Paste is ideal for cutting out shapes and modelling. It does not contain any glucose, glycerin,or gelatin, and therefore does not stretch or lose its shape when transferring the cut out shapes to the drying board. Similar to gumpaste. Not recommended for the easily frustrated.
Alternate terms: None that I know of.
Used for:Letters, patchwork cutters, plaques. Patchwork cutters are available at globalsugarart.com. Here’s (a rather gigantic view of) my favorite:
Buy or make: According to http://www.cakefrills.co.uk/, Mexican paste is “very easy to make as it is basically [fondant] with Gum Tragacanth. Patchwork powder is commercially available, but it is so easy and much cheaper to make your own.”
Recipe:Note: I have not tested this recipe.8 oz (or more) confectioner’s sugar
3 teaspoons gum tragacanth (DO NOT USE A SUBSTITUTE)
cold water
In a small bowl, mix confectioner’s sugar and gum tragacanth. Add 6 teaspoons of cold water.
Stir until mixture becomes crumbly but damp enough to bind together. Add a little more water if too dry, or confectioner’s sugar if too wet. Turn out onto a worktop and knead until pliable. Place into a plastic bag and leave at room temperature for 12 hours until firm. (The paste will feel very firm.) Break a small piece away and knead between your palms. Continue kneading between your fingers and repeat until all the paste is softened. Cut the paste into small pieces after it has been softened. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and place all of the pieces into a plastic bag and place in freezer. Remove only the quantity required for defrosting. (Smaller pieces will defrost quicker.) Once defrosted, remove plastic wrap and store at room temperature in a plastic bag only. Never store the paste in a fridge. Knead the paste every third day to keep it pliable and to prevent the corners from drying out.
Tips for using Mexican paste with Patchwork Cutters:
Grease the rolling board with vegetable fat. Roll out the Mexican paste, but DO NOT LIFT THE PASTE OR TURN THE PASTE OVER WHEN ROLLING. The paste must stick to the board.
Grease the cutter well. Press firmly onto the paste.
Remove the cutter by flicking the edge. Always remove the cutter before peeling away the excess paste.
The paste should be cut cleanly. If the edges are ragged the paste is probably too thick.
The smaller the cutter the thinner the paste should be and the more vegetable fat should be used and spread over the smallest parts of the cutter.
Hot soapy water and a small brush will remove the fat once the cutter has been used.
Pastillage
Pastillage is rolled fondant without any of the softening ingredients (glycerine, corn syrup or shortening). It is used mainly for three-dimensional shapes because it dries bone-hard and crusts more quickly than fondant (source: Rose Levy Berenbaum, 1988.) It can also be colored or painted. You have to work very quickly with pastillage because it dries very quickly (source: http://www.baking911.com/). Below, a pastillage sculpture.
Depending on the mix, pastillage can be formed and sanded to remove any rough spots after it has completely dried.
Used for:sculptures, showpieces, three-dimensional shapes, ribbons and bows
Buy or make:Pastillage is relatively easy to make. I haven’t experimented much with recipes other than Rose Levy Berenbaum’s (below). Different recipes will obviously yield different results.
Recipe:
1 tablespoon gelatinscant
1/3 cup water
4 cups (lightly spooned into cup) powdered sugar
1/2 cup (lightly spooned into cup) cornstarch
optional: pinch cream of tarter
Sprinkle gelatin over water in a 2-cup heatproof glass measure and let stand for 5 minutes. Set into a small pan of simmering water and stir until gelatin is dissolved. (This can be done in a microwave on high for a few seconds).
Combine the sugar, cornstarch and optional cream of tartar in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the gelatin mixture and stir with a lightly greased wooden spoon until blended. Mix lightly with greased hand and knead vigorously in the bowl until most of the sugar is incorporated. Turn onto a smooth, lightly greased surface (such as Formica or marble) and knead until smooth and satiny. If the Pastillage seems dry, add several drops of water and knead well. If it seems too sticky, knead in more powdered sugar. The Pastillage will resemble a smooth, well-shaped stone. When dropped, it should not spread.
Rolled Pastillage may be used at once but seems to work more easily when allowed to rest for several hours. It is important to keep Pastillage covered to prevent it from drying. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. It will firm slightly upon standing.
When ready to roll out, spray the work surface and rolling pin with nonstick vegetable spray.
We have just announced our new Tier I: Introduction to Cake Design course dates. To register, or for more information, please go the CLASSES page on our website: http://ericaobrien.com/classes.html. Classes are limited to four students.
The Challenge: Elizabeth Anne Designs teamed up with The Sweetest Occasion for the Inspired Creations Contest. Basically, vendors were asked to submit photo shoots featuring their most creative, unique, and out-of-the-box concepts all for under $500. I love a challenge, and I’m proud to say we made it to the Top 10.
Here’s the full description of what we came up with. Like what you see? Please leave your comment on the Elizabeth Anne Designs blog. We would really appreciate it.
The Concept:
Caribbean/Latin art with an updated, bohemian flair. The mix-and-match style is a nod to the DIY trend with lots of layers and mixed media.
The Inspiration:
The Color Palette:
The [Imaginary] Couple:
They met while on vacation in Costa Rica and share a love of painting and museums. Their appreciation for art has taken them to Europe, Asia, and South America. They got engaged while on vacation in the Caribbean, where they discovered the work of Paul Gauguin, a post-Impressionist artist from the late 1800s, and decided to incorporate his work, as well as their other artistic interests, into their wedding.
Guest Book:
To incorporate the couple’s love of painting, we created a unique paint-inspired guestbook using paint chips from a local hardware store. We then embellished the first paint chip using a scrapbook punch and scrapbook paper.
Dessert:
Our couple wanted their desserts to be a work of art—literally. I made icing in a Caribbean color palette and miniature cakes to match. Guests were invited to “paint” on their cakes using the colored icing with paint brushes. Directions, printed on scrapbook paper, read “You are the artist. (1) Choose your cake. (2) Choose your icing. (3) Create your design.” I also created a three-tier fondant-covered wedding cake with Caribbean-inspired gumpaste flowers.
Flowers: Megan Gray of Honey and Poppies took her inspiration from Gauguin’s tropic paintings and old floral still lives. She wanted the flowers to be lush, exotic, and sensual, but with an element of refined sophistication. (Imagine a wealthy artist’s Caribbean villa filled with bohemian artist-types.)
The flowers include peonies, dahlias, roses, sweet peas, ranunculus, and snowball viburnum. To bring a more exotic feel to them, she layered in tons of texture with vines of passion flower, clematis, and pepper berries, and finally added in wispy curled ferns and peacock feathers.
Table Numbers:
Another mixed media inspired piece, we created the table number collage out of scrapbook paper and paint chips and negative space for the actual number, an interesting take on the traditional.
Invitation: We created a collage reminiscent of the couple’s favorite artist and had colored prints made, backed them with card stock, and affixed them onto the front cover of the invitation. Invitations were printed with an ink jet printer on scrapbook paper.
Place Cards/Favors: I created miniature collages for each guest’s place card that would also serve as their favor. The mini canvas and easel sets were purchased at a local arts and crafts store and painted with acrylic paints. Guests’ names were printed on scrapbook paper, cut into the desired shape, and decoupaged on the canvas along with paper and paint chip cut outs.
Andrea is married to my husband’s friend Rob. I liked her immediately the first time we met, and more and more every time I see her. She is a class act through and through. Her wedding, which she designed herself completely, was featured in The Knot magazine. The first time she invited us to dinner, she put out her best china and tablecloth (which I promptly dropped tomato sauce on). I thought she was just trying to impress us, but no, that’s Andrea. Just the other night they had us over for a barbecue. Paper plates and napkins? Nope. Not Andrea. Try cloth napkins and napkin rings. (I didn’t stain anything this time, but the baby did manage to grab hold of the salt shaker and pour a good amount of salt everywhere.)
Andrea’s house is immaculate–and not only when she’s having guests over–and she is always impeccably embellished with a coveted accessory like a giant flower or a trendy strand of beads. If you think you could dislike her, in the way that you dislike Martha Stewart for being everything you could never be, you’d be completely wrong. Truth is, she’s clean, perfectly accessorized, and cool, funny, and totally down-to-earth, so it’s impossible to not like her. I guess that’s why she had over 60 guests at her baby shower.
You know those themed parties you see on blogs with all the details and you think, “Come on! That’s not real! No one could ever have a party like that!” That was Andrea’s shower. And if you knew her, you wouldn’t expect anything else. Congratulations, Andrea! I can’t wait to meet baby Amelia.
Sylvia Weinstock, the Queen of cakes, once said “I don’t do fondant.” Well I guess she’s changed her tune, because I see a lot of her work around and it’s all fondant.
Let’s face it: When it comes to achieving a perfectly smooth finish on a cake, nothing beats fondant. Nothing.
Some people object to the taste of fondant. In his book Ace of Cakes, Duff Goldman states that fondant is meant to be peeled off, not eaten. I disagree. If it’s not meant to be eaten, why put it on a cake? My objection is to the gumminess of the fondant with the crumb of the cake. It’s the two textures that I dislike, not necessarily the taste.
Fondant is the only component of my cakes that I don’t make from scratch. I’ve been using the same brand for years, but I wanted to find out if there was another that would work better for me. So, I conducted a decidedly non-scientific study of five brands of fondant. Here’s what I rated them on:
Consistency. It is important that your fondant look, taste, feel, and work the same every single time so you know what to expect. (Which is exactly why I purchase my fondant. Homemade fondant is completely unpredictable.) Every batch should yield the same results. If some batches are overly stretchy while others are completely dry, it makes for a very frustrated baker (and sometimes a very sad looking cake).
Texture. I want my fondant to be smooth and pliable, but not too smooth or pliable. It has to have a good amount of elasticity, but shouldn’t shrink back when it’s rolled out. It has to stand up to kneading and can’t be too buttery soft in my hands, but it has to be easy to work color into.
Working Time. Quality fondant gives you a significant amount of time to work with it before it becomes too dry. Cheaper fondant dries out too quickly.
Taste. I mean, come on, people are eating this stuff.
Here are the results in order of best to worst. I must emphasize that this is strictly subjective and based on the criteria that I feel are most important. I recommend conducting your own test to determine which fondant works best for you.
#1: Satin Ice Fondant. There are several reasons Satin Ice is the fondant of choice for many bakers. It’s consistent and easy to handle with a mild taste and superior working time.
#2: Bakel’s Pettinice. A close second to Satin Ice, Pettinice is reasonably consistent (although I once got a batch of their gumpaste that never dried) with a pleasant taste. It can be difficult to find in large quantities (Pfeil & Holing sell a 15-pound bucket) and was somewhat softer than I prefer.
#3: MASSA. A relative newcomer on the scene, Massa is distributed exclusively by Albert Uster Imports and was developed in conjunction with Nicholas Lodge. I would describe Massa as a bit gritty but with good flavor. Perhaps it was because their sales rep gave me a sample in a plastic bag (rather than an air tight container), but I found it a bit dry and therefore hard to smooth.
#4: Fondx. I know Fondx is Bronwen Weber’s fondant of choice, but I thought it had a chemical-like taste and was just way too stretchy. (Of course, she might like that quality in a fondant.) Have you ever made your own pizza dough, and no matter how you roll, pull, beat, or stretch it, it just keeps going back to its original shape? That was my experience with Fondx. It was just too elastic for me.
#5: Wilton. Although Wilton’s Ready-to-Use Fondant is easy to find and very consistent, it dries out way too quickly. I actually really like the bubble gum-like flavor and sugary crunch of the Wilton fondant. However, while it can be significantly cheaper than some of the professional brands, it becomes excessively dry and crumbly, rendering it unusable, so any savings is quickly lost.
Not tested: Fondarific (which claims to have an “unlimited worktime”) and Choco-Pan (made with white chocolate). According to their website, “Choco-Pan® covers at a rate nearly double that of traditional rolled fondants at a competitive price.” Sounds like a must-try to me.
Many people ask me whether or not fondant can be refrigerated. A while ago (and more recently than I care to admit) after a particularly harrowing delivery, extremely high temperatures, and my first unhappy bride, I contacted my friend Melody of Sweet and Saucy Shop to tell her about the ordeal. She mentioned that she refrigerates her fondant cakes. I had always learned that you can’t refrigerate fondant, but Melody said it was fine, and she was right.
Today, I refrigerate all my cakes after they’re covered in fondant. To avoid condensation, I set my refrigerator to the lowest possible temperature to minimize the difference between the refrigerator temperature and the air temperature. Ron Ben Israel, my culinary hero (and boyfriend, unbeknownst to him), actually had a custom humidity-controlled refrigeration system built in his studio (which is why he’s my boyfriend). That said, condensation will form on the cakes when they’re taken out of the fridge, particularly on warm days, but I find that it evaporates rather quickly. It is imperative that you not touch the cake while it’s still wet or your fingers will stick and you will see fingerprints, even after it dries. (Note: I don’t refrigerate my sugar flowers. Because the petals are often very thin, any amount of water or condensation would weigh them down and cause them to wilt.)
I would love to hear your thoughts on the different fondant brands. Please feel free to share.
“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.)
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.
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.
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.
We would love to answer all of your questions! Feel free to contact Erica OBrien Cake Design. We’ll either email you directly or post your question on our blog.
Ready to step up from my old Rebel. Want to stick with Cannon. Obviously not a pro photog. What's my next camera? Recommendations?04:33:36 PM June 09, 2013from web
Rather than a single cake, I created a collection of cakes, just as fashion designers create seasonal collections. (I guess you could call this my Post-Spring collection, just to sound fancy.) And if that’s not enough, Megan created some pretty amazing cake stands out of flowers. .jpg)
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The shoot was featured in Utterly Engaged, an online wedding magazine..jpg)
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We shot at the Hotel Maya in downtown Long Beach, CA. It’s the kind of hotel that makes you think that if you stayed there for only one night you’d be just a little bit cooler than you were before.
Photographs courtesy of T and H Photography. Makeup by Yve Hart. Hair by Live Cut Die. 
The [Imaginary] Couple:
