Cakeapalooza

I've sort of fallen off the face of the earth in everything I do online lately.  I haven't gone to the forums to check out what's going on, I've fallen way behind on the blogs I follow, and I obviously haven't been posting anything here lately. 

I've been caking in most of my down time.  I made two big cakes for baby showers last Saturday and worked at the bakery on Sunday.  This weekend, I'm making 100 cupcakes and a groom's cake for a wedding.  And after that, I think I just have a regular sized cake to do every weekend through the end of October, getting easier as I go.  I delivered both cakes last weekend on time and there was only a brief period when I considered putting my fist through the second one, so I say that was a successful cake weekend.

The first one was sort of fun--a double layered white cake with chocolate buttercream filling for the base and a chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream filling for the top.  I covered both tiers with cream cheese frosting and marshmallow fondant.

I think the fondant bees were the best part.

That cake went out late morning.  I was relieved that I didn't have to color any fondant for the second one, but it was GIANT.  Three layers of cake on the bottom and two on the top--same flavor combinations as the first--that thing was heavy. (Incidentally, the three layers on the bottom were the problem when I almost lost it and punched the cake.  I rolled out the fondant FOUR TIMES before I got enough to actually cover it.  Seriously.  My forearm muscles were extremely sore on Monday when I went back to my day job.)

This one was my gift for a friend I work with at the bakery.  I've witnessed an awkward moment more than once when a party is being planned for someone who makes cakes...there is usually some dead air when the issue of the cake comes up. I don't think anyone was going to ask her to make her own cake, but you do wonder--what do you get for the person who makes five tier cakes for other people?  I volunteered and it worked out great; the party planner couldn't have been more organized and gave me clear instructions about what she wanted.  Plus, I didn't have to stack that monster and try to transport it all put together.  I took it in separate pieces to the shower and added a border between the tiers when I got there.

So the biggest cake weekend is over.  It's all downhill from here, right?