An August Wedding

I had another bride email me over the weekend that they would like me to do their cake.  That's a record three bookings in one weekend!  The wedding is in August at the St. Paul Hotel, and she has selected a gorgeous cake design accented by an abundance of fresh flowers.  The pictures below are similar to what she showed me, but we will be doing a dot pattern on the cakes instead.  Her flowers are shades of white, champagne, and pale pink.  To die for!

 

Via weddingcakecreations.com.  

Too bad the turquoise sequined swags make this look like a high school prom.

 Via weddingfashioing.com

I like this one better because you can't see the pillars at all.

Inside, the cake flavors will be carrot, red velvet, white cake with fresh strawberries and custard, and chocolate cake with ganache and chocolate buttercream layers.  They liked the samples at the tasting so much, they had to have them all.

Rachel

My Want-List for Spring

I love pretending I have gobs of money to spend on my wardrobe.  For fashion inspiration, my favorite blogs are The Glamourai (who's writer, Kelly Framel, inspired my current haircut), The Man Repeller, Karla's Closet, and All the Pretty Birds.  Here are some of the pieces I'm lusting over for spring.

My current muse is Clemence Poesy:

 Clemence Poesy, via jammings.co.uk

So I'm obsessed with the French, sue me.  Clemence has been in Harry Potter movies and on Gossip Girl, neither of which I watch.  Here, she combines feminine with an edge and I love love love the mustard chiffon mixed with black.  Pleats are big right now, they have great movement.  I would wear this outfit to work at the salon in a heartbeat.  Love the bag, too.

Via imageshack.us

Effortless girly-chic.  The skirt is super flattering and the perfect length to elongate my stubs without being too short.   I adore the rosey shade of the top, and button ups are both comfortable and flattering in a gauzy fabric.  In a perfect world, I would find the top at Goodwill and sew the skirt myself.  I own a caramel colored purse (the one with the ruffles, from Mallory Joe) that would match expertly. 

 

 Source unknown

Very similar to the outfit above, anything with bows is a winner in my book.  I own more skirts and dresses than pants.

 

Via musicandtastythreads.blogspot.com

Colored skinny jeans?  Sign me up.  This burgundy shade can go with so many other colors, its almost a neutral. 

Via stylecaster.com

I've been searching for an all-occasion fitted blazer that is sized right for my petite frame.  Either the sleeves are too long or the shoulders are too big.  The search continues.

 

Via gossiprocks.com

I don't know what this is from, but that is the biggest croquembouche I have ever seen.

Happy spring!

Love, 

Rachel

As the World Turns

I'm excited to be doing a semi-decent job about keeping this up.  I literally only have time to post on the weekends.  During the week I put in about 10 hours a day between the bakery and my gig at the salon.  At Fresh Fields, I coordinate and conduct all of our wedding cake consultations and planning.  I decorate most of the custom cake orders and all of the wedding cakes.  There is a pastry case and refrigerator that Nick, my pastry accomplice, and I replenish.  The case holds individual pastries, from eclairs to tarts and cake slices.  Nick stocks most of the case at 6:30 every morning before I get to work.  The refrigerator stores a small inventory of 8" cakes, 1/4 sheet cakes, cupcakes, "Gateau Por Deux" (4" cake for two) and "cakecups" (cake scraps topped with buttercream and sprinkles, in a cup, for $1.50).  Nick and I divide the cake baking, so he does white and chocolate, I make carrot and red velvet.  I bake biscotti a couple times a week, and I wish I had time to do more quickbreads, my favorite being a newly found recipe for vanilla poundcake I adore (best when soaked with a rum and vanilla syrup).

Nick is an anomaly.  At one moment he is singing along to Metallica on the radio, the next he is crafting the most delicate palmiers and speaking in perfect French.  As he should, being born and raised in Brittany.  I haven't told him yet, but I MUST go home with him and his family someday.  Brittany looks amazing and I would die to go with a native.  Nick has a lovely wife, Sharon, and daughter, Samantha, whom accompany us to wedding shows (Sharon used to to the wedding consults, but has since taken a new job.  She's a blessed helping hand at the shows.)  Sam is a pre-teen fashion maven slash pop star with an enviable subtle French accent.

Like most Europeans I've encountered, Nick enjoys generous amounts of Grand Marnier and butter ("bud-air").  We may go through 6 gallons of heavy cream in a week.  Nick runs 5k's.

My weekended commences now.  I booked two of two tastings this week!  Woot!

Rachel

Wee Wille

This is me at my third birthday.  A few months ago, I turned 25, and I'm realizing my personal style hasn't changed too much:

I love curling my hair.
I love getting dressed up (I'm wearing a slip in the picture.)
I stand on chairs to reach stuff.
I have midget hands.
I think cakes are awesome.

From the looks of it, I think this cake was supposed to be a bunny, but if it was a cat, I would like it more.  It was made by my paternal grandmother, Dorothy Wille.  Also an avid baker, home cook, and cafeteria lunch lady, it isn't hard to trace my love of food back to Grandma Wille.  I would call her a master of comfort foods, from potato rolls to Swiss steak and every kind of pie.  Hopefully she didn't think my mom and dad were nuts for letting me wear a negligee to my 3rd birthday.

I like looking back on old photos, because they show you not only how far you have come, but how quickly life passes by.  Worry less, play more.

Love,
Rachel

Cakes Inspired by Textiles

So as of late I have been pretty obsessed with blogs, ranging in subject matter from fashion to (obviously) cakes. A couple days ago I discovered The Caketress at http://thecaketressblog.com and cannot get Lori Huchinson's designs out of my head. Her cakes are what MY dreams are made of. I'm really inspired by her use of texture and the imprinted, textile-look. Oh, and ruffles ruffles ruffles!!!www.thecaketressblog.com

You MUST check out her site. The photos are amazing, plus she has a great layout and cute hair :)


In the same vein, I have a photo of Ashley's wedding dress, as promised. I asked her permission to post this picture, and you know she will look even more stunning in it than this gal, so no element of surprise shall be ruined here.

Ashley had expressed interest in another cake design with layers of fondant reminiscent of the ruching on her dress. We decided to mimic the diagonal movement on the dress and the row of buttons down the back on a tall, slender cake. The design will be simply embellished with strategically placed peonies.

No lie, I'm self-conscious about sharing my sketches of cakes because I feel they are very basic - ie: the stick people drawings of cakes. I have a hard time translating to paper the grandeur of what I'm envisioning in my head by means of a pencil. Ask my old buddy Mallory, I have always drawn for crap, BUT darn good at sculpting, mosaic, etc. I'm hoping with practice this will improve some, which is why I started keeping a sketchbook/journal of sorts. Once I watched one of those Food Network Challenges, and they showed sketches of the competitors cake designs before they started. The team that actually ended up winning had probably the most rough looking, cartoon-like sketch. I remember it looking like it was possibly colored in with crayons. Anyhoo, I saw that and thought "Hey! I don't have to have a beautiful sketch to make beautiful cakes!" Behold:

Cake and cats,
Rachel

Musings on Ashley's Wedding Cake

My dear, darling, tall-glass-of-water friend, Ashley, is getting married this summer! She lives in our home state of Oregon, so I will be traveling home (I'm in Minnesota now) to be a bridesmaid in the wedding and make her cakes. I say CAKES, plural, cuz girl is having 250+ guests. That's how special she is :) So I'm designing a grouping of three cakes, a 4-tier, 3-tier, and 2-tier, in multiple flavors.

I put together some inspiration using magazine cutouts in my little sketch book. Her colors are pale yellow, pale pink, and gray. Shabby chic, but the gray keeps it from getting too saccharine. Her flowers are peonies, a personal fave also, for their full and ruffly blooms and delicate coloring.





Oh, I forgot to mention I'm also making 600 lemon French macarons for her favors! Overall, this is going to be a big challenge for me, but I'm excited to be doing it for someone I LOVE. I put my soul into every wedding cake I do, but rarely do they go to people I actually know personally. It means a lot to be part of their special day and I want everything to be perfect for her!

Love and cakes,
Rachel

Oscars Fashion

Many of my cake designs are inspired by fashion. I don't get too many opportunities to create some of the more elaborate cakes that I sketch in my spare time, but a girl can dream, right? Also, I'm a fashion junkie in general, so I'm sharing my favorite Oscar gowns from last nights show.

Mila Kunis in Ellie Saab Haute Couture, via thesuperficial.com

Mila is my pick for Best Dresses. She is looking flawless, not overdone, Old Hollywood glamorous but still young and chic. The dress is perfection, and although I'm not huge on lavender, it's working here. The contrast in the textures of the chiffon and lace are just lovely, and I would love to recreate the look on a cake. There is a perfect balance of womanly and sexy.

Jennifer Lawrence in Calvin Klen, via thesuperficial.com

A lot of the critics are hating on Jennifer Lawrence's dress, however, I see it as she is pulling off a dress that not a lot of people could. In a simple dress like this, any roll or dimple is going to show, and she, simply, looks amazing (see also: January Jones at the Golden Globes).
Yes, the top looks a little Baywatch-esque, but she is killing it! The hair and makeup are perfectly on point to keep it from looking trashy. The orangy-red is supa fresh and modern.

Cate Blanchett in Givenchy Haute Couture, via celebuzz.com

Last but not at all the least, Cate Blanchett: Always one of my red carpet favorites because of her eclectic and daring taste. Her hair is adorable here. . The pleats have me swooning. Again, I would never choose lavender for myself, but she is glowing, and the detailing is unlike anything I have ever seen. I could totally see it on a cake!

I was lucky enough to be asked to provide a cake for the Oscar party to benefit United Way at Acapulco Restaurant in Stillwater last night. Photos will be up soon!