Cake Life @ The Velvet Buttercream

It's the peak of summer right now(156 days) and is so far my slowest week on record.  I have one cake due this week, but after making a few shop cakes I am hoping to end with 5 for the week. My only cake order..  I finished it on monday July 26th.  A chocolate 6 inch cake with raspberry filling, chocolate buttercream crumb coat, and a ganache final coat. In a time where I control my own schedule I am finding it quite difficult to get enough hours.  I know that I shold be enjoying this slow time of year.. but I am having a hard time enjoying it when in the back of my head I know I have bills due!  I know that i'm complaining now, but in a few weeks i'll be eating my words..  This past week I scheduled another cake for the week of August 21st, bringing the total cake order count to 6 and possibly a 7th. On the a different note, I would like to congratulate two of my close girlfriends on their engagement..  Regan and Bri!!!!!! Have a great week everyone, take it eas

This week was a challenge.. although the challenge wasn't creating the cake, but trying to get to 40 hours!  The heat wave in the Northeast doesn't seem to be treating anyone too well.  I'm getting increasingly antsy waiting for business to pick back up again.  Maybe mid to late august we should see an improvement?  Onto the cakes that were finished this week.  I had one three tier wedding cake, a two tier separated wedding cake, and a couple smaller ones. The Lane three tier wedding cake was an incredibly complicated cake, consisting of Almond cake with ganache filling, coconut cake with ganache filling, and the icing on the cake.. so to say, was Italian Buttercream.  All in all I think that the cake might taste wierd, but I didn't have the chance to talk with the customer to help them change their mind.  Oh well, to each there own I guess? These twins twins as well as the nautical compass below were part of the Gray wedding.  The twin cakes were both the same c

Icing cake this week was made quite the challenge because of the extreme heat combined with humidity.  I managed to make it through Friday without having my icing melt, but come Saturday morning it had turned to soup.  I haven't experienced buttercream icing melt, I guess you could say that I was spoiled with consistent air conditioning while working at Albertson's.  Anyone have a sturdy buttercream recipe that won't melt on me?! This past week flew by... six days and 19 cake layers later, I am totally exhausted.  I only had two very large cakes this week, the Whitney cake was three tiers with a single on the side, and the Nisson cake was three tiers as well with two sheets on the side.  I also had quite a few shop orders this week, carrot cake's, almond cakes, and lemon cakes. The Whitney cake was completed with beautiful red roses along the corners and for the topper.  I didn't make it to the delivery for this cake hence why I am missing the final detail pictu

I know that some of you are counting on a blog tonight..   In order for me to avoid writing about the same thing twice, I am going to move my blog schedule to Wednesday and Saturday's. So far this week is hella busy for me.. I have 17 cake layers to make and a remaining two days till they need to be completed.  Stay tuned on Saturday for the pictures of this weeks cake.

Saturday in Maryland... Rain! Need I say more?  Some say that if it rain's on your wedding day that your marriage will be blessed with fertility, bliss, and good fortune.  In the back of my mind I can't help but think that there is a bridezilla out there that freaked out that it was raining cats and dogs. It was a week for trial and error, and to find methods of organization.  I'm not the most organized person when it comes to the transition from paper to final product.  The funny part is that I can organize the paperwork and also finish the cake with great precision, but the in between is still hard for me to organize.  Maybe it's because I'm not making the cakes at a steady pace as I used to, or maybe it's just the first week jitters. Any idea's on organization technique are welcome! Now onto the part that you have all been waiting for..  Wedding cakes for July 10th, 2010! Three tier Almond cake filled with Almond brittle buttercream all the way throu

Another beautiful day in Annapolis Maryland has come to a close... psshh what am I thinkin!  It was hot and humid as h*** today!  Making cake today was made almost impossible by the heat and humidity combined.  I was tempted to go in the walk-in refrigerator and ice cakes for the rest of the day, at least in there the temperature is controlled. Yes.. I know that I moved from the surface of the sun (Phoenix, Az) to a state where it's supposed to be colder, and I should be used to it.. right?  Ha.. fat chance!  Working at Albertson's was a godsend for a cake decorator, there was constant air conditioning that kept the cakes from melting away.  At Palate Pleaser's it's hard to maintain a cool temperature when you have 2 ovens, a stove, and a receiving door that constantly gets opened. Runuculous cake due Saturday I lost my cool a few times today while trying to crumb coat a couple cakes, it took a few deep breath's and my new boss Amy to help calm my nerves and g

Today was my first day with the new bakery.. and what a day it has been!  I had a great first day at work, such a great day that I am officially pooped lol. Today I spent majority of my morning figuring out a system of how I will write down what supplies I need from my baker.  Also a basic order guide for myself as to how a cake will be built per layer.  I re-organized the confirmed cake folder into a three ring binder that is separated into three sections, Cake Due This Week, Confirmed Orders, and Unconfirmed Orders.   I still have many things to change, organize, and clean in my station.. I imagine that I will be doing these changes all week long. So I didn't really produce much product today, I made about 40-2 count cupcake packages today and two 6" inch cakes. The cupcakes varied in flavor and they were as basic as they come..  White cupcakes with white/chocolate icing, Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate/white/german icing.  All the cupcakes were hand decorated with

Day three: Knoxville, TN to Stevensville, MD Little did I know that I wouldn't get much sleep in Knoxville that night.  I was in the hotel room by 10pm and in bed by midnight, but for some odd reason I woke up at three in the morning and took a shower.  After noticing what time it really was I had to lay down and try to get a little bit more sleep..  My mind was racing all night at the thought of what an amazing trip I had accomplished, and that I was so far from my family. Once again I woke up 15 minutes before 5am and began to get my car packed up and ready for the final push into my new home state.  I made a crappy cup of hotel coffee and checked out for the morning, all followed by a small McDonald's breakfast. Goodbye Tennessee, and hello Virginia! Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee down.... Virginia, District of Columbia, and Maryland to go! From the first moment when I crossed the Virginia border I noticed that the speeding cars slowed b

Day Two: Oklahoma City to Knoxville I woke up bright and early at 5 a.m. on Sunday morning.  I began making my way towards through the inner city freeway when I had remembered that my mom was telling me about the Federal building memorial.  So I called and woke her up about 3am Arizona time and asked her where the building was located. For those of you who don't remember what happened on April 15, 1995 At 9:03 a.m. the Ryder truck filled with 13 barrels of explosives blew up, destroying one half of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building.  The blast killed 168 people, including 19 children and injuring a total of 680 people.  A day that one will never forget. I began to drive into downtown Oklahoma City to visit the Murrah Federal building memorial.  I wasn't expecting to be moved as I was, seeing as how I was only 10 when the blast occurred I didn't really remember much.  I arrived at the memorial and instantly my heart began to race as I looked at the massive wal

What an amazing eventful past four weeks it has been!  Change has come to all parts of my life and I couldn't be happier that I made them.  Let me catch you up on all that has happened, and all that I have seen. On June 7th I accepted a position with " Palate Pleasers " catering/bakery as a full time cake decorator.  In this position I will be responsible for being the sole creator of all wedding cakes, birthday cakes, anniversary cakes, etc.  I could not be happier that I am now able to slow down and spend my time making beautiful cakes instead of having to finish 30-50 cakes in a day. After putting in my notice to Albertson's Bakery in Phoenix, I began to play the waiting game.. waiting to sell stuff, waiting to pack, waiting to leave.  I was getting more anxious by the day knowing that this immense 2300 mile journey was imminent. Day One: Arizona to Oklahoma I left the Grand Canyon State of Arizona on Saturday June 26th around 7am with intentions to end