Rustic Sweetness

Back in February, I got a message from Lizzie asking me if I was interested in catering her summer wedding, after she had recently found out the woman she had hired to do her cake wasn't going to be able to follow through with the order (eeek!) ... Of course I jumped on board immediately, and was even more excited as she shared more details of her wedding with me!

Lizzie and her fiancee Eddie wanted a very small cake to keep in tradition with the cutting of the cake, but were looking more for small, individual desserts that people could pick at! I was instantly excited.  Most people assume I want to open a bakery some day, but my dreams are quite the opposite. Catering full dessert tables is what I really want to do, and Lizzie was giving me the opportunity to do my very first one.

From the moment we left Starbucks on the cold morning, until the day before yesterday, we probably emailed eachother about 45 times back and fourth, met up a bunch of times to go over details, sent text messages of pictures of perfect plates, paper, colors, flavors.. You name it, we covered it.  Together, we took Liz's vision and built it step by step into a reality. I was so thankful she allowed me so much creative freedom as well.. The basics were -- summer wedding, to be held at The Ranch Golf Club in Southwick, MA--a very rustically beautiful venue with hardwood floors and exposed beams wrapped in white lights.  Her colors were light sage green and peach mixed with taupe and browns... and she wanted everything to be dainty, rustic, and anthropologie-like.  And she wanted an ombre ruffle cake.

I'd say we made it happen..

I could not choose just 5-10 photos for this one, so I posted them all.

 The cake was soft, delicate and feminine with ruffles made from a 50/50 fondant/gumpaste mix.

 Lizzie's florist added hydrangeas on top, and I included a birch piece underneath the plate to tie into her centerpieces.

 

The cake pops included peach, greens, white and browns with wild flowers, hydrangeas, and sprinkles.  Lizzie and Eddie chose mint chocolate, peanut butter, cherry chunk, vanilla  and lemon rosemary.  The cupcakes were vanilla and cherry chunk with a french vanilla whipped butter cream.

 My porcelain plates were lovely on top of my crocheted place mats, which my yia yia made for me.  They were perfect for this rustic, romantic theme. 

 Lizzie found these crates which were rustic and perfect for adding height to the display.

 Lovely gold birch paper was found at the paper source in Boston, and matched the birch trees cut for her centerpieces.

 The flickering light of the white enamel lanterns added a homey feel to the display along side the peach roses and baby's breath. Delicate and just simply elegant.

 

This was the final product!

 

  About a month before the wedding, we decided to basically double the order, and add a cake pop to every seat as part of the guest's favors!  172 individually wrapped, tagged and ready to be devoured!

This venue was just a dream.. 

Congratulations to the beautiful couple! I can't thank Lizzie and Eddie enough for letting me sweeten their special day!  My first dessert table was a huge success, and I was told today there wasn't one cake pop or cupcake left.  There is no better news I'd rather hear! Catering a wedding was a overwhelming but so rewarding.  I loved being at the venue, helping to create a magical day for two people who love each other, and I already can't wait for my next adventure!

Though I will say... I made around 2,000 mini desserts and three cakes since March.. I am ready for a little break :)

-Elena

Love Anchors All

A month or so ago, I posted the beach themed wedding sampler for Kathy and Paul, two people I have known for a very long time.  It was an exciting event and I was insanely flattered that they asked me to contribute cake pops to their special day in place of a traditional wedding cake. After careful planning and color coordination, yesterday was the day, and I spent all week prepping for this one.  It meant a lot to me to do these, and I think they are my most favorite so far!

To be successful in this display, I needed to create something "beachy" but classy, keeping in mind the very elegant venue which was the Branford House on UConn's Avery Point campus.  The colors needed to be eye catching but muted, and the designs had to be intricate but not gaudy.

I wanted them to stand on their own without any distraction from ribbons or "cake topper" focal points. I wanted it to be 100% edible, because it's to easy to get beach themed stuff at the craft store to put on the top. I needed sugar starfish...just HAD to have them.

This display required a lot of detailed fondant work.  The bride told me she was incorporating anchors into her centerpieces so I wanted to add them to my display as well.  They were gorgeous with a pretty gold rope.  The anchor is such a beautiful symbol of love and marriage, and I love how it was used in the decor. The fondant work was tedious but totally worth it!

Now my favorite design ended up being the ones I decided to create on a total whim.  As I molded the flip flops, I couldn't help but think sticking them on would be cute but not enough, I needed something more.  I once had seen cookies that looked like a wave washing onto shore with sand and flip flops, so I decided to create this on a cake pop not knowing what I was getting myself into! These were tough!! But I think they came out beautiful!

The pictures of the Branford House do not do it justice. I was literally floored when I walked in and saw the fireplace.  The detail in the woodwork was exquisite and the ceilings were so beautiful.  

I could not have been happier with the finished product!

The woodwork was the perfect backdrop for these bright cakes.  I took a million pictures, completely obsessed with the dark designs against the white plates.

Such a beautiful venue for a beautiful wedding. Could not be happier for the couple and they had a perfect day for the occasion!  I absolutely love catering weddings.

Fondant and the Fourth

Fourth of July weekend was a total blast! Though it rained like crazy all day Friday, it still beat having to go to work! I was able to get so many things done around the house, as well as bake some yummy treats for a party we were attending on Saturday! 

I had peanut butter cake in the freezer for like two months, waiting for the right time to use it and this was it.  I did peanut butter, chocolate and vanilla cake balls with marshmallow fondant festive accents!

Making fondant was a messy but easy task. I had been wanting to try it because buying fondant at the store is so expensive ($17/lb) and I’ve been going through it so fast lately! So I found a recipe and went for it… and it was delicious. Obviously, anything marshmallow based is going to be awesome.. I melted two bags of jet puffs, mixed with confectionary sugar and a little bit of water and done!

Here is what a pound of melted marshmallows looks like.. yes, it looks like heaven.. 

It sounds easy, but the mess was insane and I had to literally put my hands in shortening first so it didn’t stick so bad to my hands as I mixed (it stuck anyways so it was a lost cause) and I think I got more sugar on my floor than in the mix but it was an experience and I will definitely try again!  Not sure if I would use it to cover full cakes until I master it, but definitely good for accents and fun things that go on top of cake pops!

So I made some vintage looking red white and blue stars and streamers to put on top of the pops and they were perfect! Everyone ate them right up and just like that, I am back in the zone!

The weekend was filled with friends and family.. Louis and I got to see basically everyone we are close with during different parts of the weekend and it was great catching up with people!  Not sure I can eat any more hamburgers for the rest of the summer though… I am definitely BBQed out!  

So on Sunday, we decided to grill up some pizzas with my parents while sitting by the pool for the day.  I loved grilled pizza and I definitely want to post a tutorial soon!  We topped them with fresh mozzarella, various other cheeses, spicy Italian sausage, grilled chicken breast, vegetables and basil pesto! So delicious and filling, without the fat and oil in take-out pizza. Such a refreshing way to BBQ!

Hope everyone’s holiday was relaxing and fulfilling! It was a great three days to be with the people we love and reflect on our freedom we all sometimes take for granted!

-Elena