Its been a bit more like an 'Oh S%#t' day or two actually. What does this mean you ask? Well.....
It seems to have become a bit of a constant in my cake creation process. There are many stages in creating a cake (that maybe I'll write about one day), but this is a fairly prominent and sometimes soul destroying (or do we call it character building) one. I may tend to the dramatics in this post when describing this particular roller coaster... but lets not forget, it is a cake... no lives are at risk, just my creative livelihood and general wellbeing (again with the dramatics!). I realise this has some similarities to last week's post.... but rest assured, this is at a whole different level to what I wrote about before. This is when I am coming much closer to the day I hand this cake over and construction has usually begun, like I said, this has become an absolute regular in my cake making process. Maybe one day I will get to leave it behind.... I hope.
In this moment its like I become completely commitment-phobic towards my cake. I question everything; why did I agree to this, why did I decide to go with this design, why did I decide to do it this way, WHY am I making cakes in the first place???!!! I start wondering how I ever thought I could do this. I'm convinced it even effects my ability to create. Case in point, I broke nearly everything I made this morning (don't worry it wasn't too much)... so before I went into a blind rage and smashed everything else I had already made I calmy walked away from the table and watched some reality tv... oh so calming.
By now my confidence is rather shaken and anxiety is my new friend. I truely believe for complete seconds, minutes, even hours that I might not be able to accomplish this. And that is the moment when someone needs to step in, slap me around the face and tell me to pull it together..... OR I need to sit myself down and have this conversations with myself, in my head or out loud, it doesn't matter.
This craziness that goes through my head is not about actually deciding to make the cake, or questioning wanting to do it... I wouldn't have signed up for the task in the first place if I wasn't commited and passionate about it, lets be honest, I wouldn't be here writing this blog at this very moment either. I guess its just part of the creative process. A very wise person once told me that inventors and creators have many, many more failures than they do sucesses... we just don't see that side of things. That infact brings me back to part of the reason that I began this blog in the first place.
In nearly all cases I know when this stage will end. There is usually some form of achievement I have to reach to know it is all going to be ok. I won't give it away for this cake. But its managing to make something or attach something or get it all looking just right before I realise I'm actually doing fine. If all goes to plan, that should be this afternoon... fingers crossed...
P.S. I promise next week there will be pictures... I just needed to vent today, so thank you.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Don't forget to stop and smell the... lilies?
Its Sunday... its raining and cold... we have no milk or bread or flour (unheard of!!!) and I should be heading to the supermarket. But here I am instead, laptop in hand, under a blanket on the couch, and feeling a bit pleased with myself... but more on that later.
Do you ever have that moment where all of a sudden you realised you have a ridiculous amount of things to do over the next week or two? It just hits in that pure moment of clarity and, well.... panic. I do have a tendancy to take on more than is natural for a human being, just for the satisfaction of the results. Is that healthy? No, probably not... my parents, sister, husband, best friends will all tell you so.
But maybe this isn't one of those times if I really think about it. In these moments I have to sit myself down for a serious talk, take a deep breath and I begin to realise its all doable. Its the unknown quantities during that two weeks that I think makes me nervous... what I have to get done, will it work, will it come out the way I want it to? Obviously this pertains a lot to this cake business, especially when it is something I've never done before... mostly I don't know if it is going to work out until its worked out! My current work space (for those who know me) is a testiment to the chaos in my head:
But then theres that fabulous moment when it DOES work out. All of a sudden it feels like there isn't too much to do, its all falling into place... then the sun comes out again, the birds are chirping, theres rainbows and unicorns and fairies and pixies and.... and... you get the picture. It does make me realise, its not about the quantity of tasks, but the unknown outcomes I'm waiting to find out about.
So thats what has happened to me today. I've been working on lilies for a wee while now and today I finally finished my very first one. It is the stereotypical 'first pancake', I know how I can make them better next time, but I have proven to myself that I can actually do this. I present to you my first ever lily:
Moral of today's story.... stop to smell the lilies, enjoy the ride... its never as bad or as crazy or as difficult as it all might seem. Keep trucking everyone!!!
Do you ever have that moment where all of a sudden you realised you have a ridiculous amount of things to do over the next week or two? It just hits in that pure moment of clarity and, well.... panic. I do have a tendancy to take on more than is natural for a human being, just for the satisfaction of the results. Is that healthy? No, probably not... my parents, sister, husband, best friends will all tell you so.
But maybe this isn't one of those times if I really think about it. In these moments I have to sit myself down for a serious talk, take a deep breath and I begin to realise its all doable. Its the unknown quantities during that two weeks that I think makes me nervous... what I have to get done, will it work, will it come out the way I want it to? Obviously this pertains a lot to this cake business, especially when it is something I've never done before... mostly I don't know if it is going to work out until its worked out! My current work space (for those who know me) is a testiment to the chaos in my head:
But then theres that fabulous moment when it DOES work out. All of a sudden it feels like there isn't too much to do, its all falling into place... then the sun comes out again, the birds are chirping, theres rainbows and unicorns and fairies and pixies and.... and... you get the picture. It does make me realise, its not about the quantity of tasks, but the unknown outcomes I'm waiting to find out about.
So thats what has happened to me today. I've been working on lilies for a wee while now and today I finally finished my very first one. It is the stereotypical 'first pancake', I know how I can make them better next time, but I have proven to myself that I can actually do this. I present to you my first ever lily:
Moral of today's story.... stop to smell the lilies, enjoy the ride... its never as bad or as crazy or as difficult as it all might seem. Keep trucking everyone!!!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
If you were a cake, what flavour would you be?
I was never very good at that game (or maybe it was a test) where you say what animal you would be. How do you decide that? Physical and/or personality characteristics? Habits? Lifestyle?
So if I was a cake.... I know what I wouldn't be - a fruit cake. Trust me, I can see the obvious jokes that come with that. But I do have a serious aversion for fruit cakes. At Christmas I understand... but lets say its your wedding or birthday, with all the flavours under the sun is this really going to be your first choice? For a select few, yes... and I'm sorry I'm bagging your favourite cake. If this is what someone really wanted for their cake, I would make it happily and make sure it's a fabulous one. But when theres chocolate and lemons and pineapple and apples (and, and, and, and) and light and fluffy gorgeousness out there.... is the fruit cake really it?
I think in part the answer to this is that we do (ask for) what we know, whats traditional, what we think is the right thing. Now this isn't just limited to fruit cake, if not that, its usually chocolate or lemon or banana. These are all amazing cakes... they wouldn't be so popular if they weren't tried and true stars of the cake world.
I am curious - are there some undiscovered cake stars out there? Flavours that could become staples to offer up? I have done some experimentation in the past and I think my favourite out of that was a mint angel food cake with dark chocolate ganache - like a cake version of an after dinner mint. The absolute most important thing is that any new cake MUST be exceptional to make the cut.... and from experience I can say it takes many cake experiments to end up with just one new one that will become a staple.
You might have been wondering whether this post would have me actually producing anything. So... we come to today's experiement - Mango cake! It has just come out of the oven and its probably time for a quick taste test. Stuart is my semi-impartial judge, and after a slice, I quote, 'Mmmmm'. His formal evaluation is positive... different and tasty, but the fibers from the mango do sort of look like hairs.
Me? It is tasty - the texture is excellent, but I do wish there was a stronger mango flavour. It may need some more taste testing before we know for sure if its a good-un. Here is some evidence of it all:
I have a challenge for you... If you were a cake, what flavour would you be? Take away all normal boundaries of what we think cake flavours should be and tell me what your supreme cake flavour would be? Thinking about it, maybe I'm challenging you to challenge me, because I plan on experimenting on some of the flavours that you come up with. Assuming there is interest here - post a comment with your flavour idea. Surprise me....
So if I was a cake.... I know what I wouldn't be - a fruit cake. Trust me, I can see the obvious jokes that come with that. But I do have a serious aversion for fruit cakes. At Christmas I understand... but lets say its your wedding or birthday, with all the flavours under the sun is this really going to be your first choice? For a select few, yes... and I'm sorry I'm bagging your favourite cake. If this is what someone really wanted for their cake, I would make it happily and make sure it's a fabulous one. But when theres chocolate and lemons and pineapple and apples (and, and, and, and) and light and fluffy gorgeousness out there.... is the fruit cake really it?
I think in part the answer to this is that we do (ask for) what we know, whats traditional, what we think is the right thing. Now this isn't just limited to fruit cake, if not that, its usually chocolate or lemon or banana. These are all amazing cakes... they wouldn't be so popular if they weren't tried and true stars of the cake world.
I am curious - are there some undiscovered cake stars out there? Flavours that could become staples to offer up? I have done some experimentation in the past and I think my favourite out of that was a mint angel food cake with dark chocolate ganache - like a cake version of an after dinner mint. The absolute most important thing is that any new cake MUST be exceptional to make the cut.... and from experience I can say it takes many cake experiments to end up with just one new one that will become a staple.
You might have been wondering whether this post would have me actually producing anything. So... we come to today's experiement - Mango cake! It has just come out of the oven and its probably time for a quick taste test. Stuart is my semi-impartial judge, and after a slice, I quote, 'Mmmmm'. His formal evaluation is positive... different and tasty, but the fibers from the mango do sort of look like hairs.
Me? It is tasty - the texture is excellent, but I do wish there was a stronger mango flavour. It may need some more taste testing before we know for sure if its a good-un. Here is some evidence of it all:
I have a challenge for you... If you were a cake, what flavour would you be? Take away all normal boundaries of what we think cake flavours should be and tell me what your supreme cake flavour would be? Thinking about it, maybe I'm challenging you to challenge me, because I plan on experimenting on some of the flavours that you come up with. Assuming there is interest here - post a comment with your flavour idea. Surprise me....
Sunday, January 9, 2011
My regular customer... And all roads lead to flowers
He shall remain faceless and nameless (that seems only fair)... but to date, he is officially my most frequent customer and it seems right to have a chat about this. There is beauty and loveliness in both getting to work with someone new and hear their ideas, but to get to do multiple projects with the same person... especially when they're like this person.
He has ordered a total of three cakes from me, but its not really about that, its what happens when he asks for a cake. This person deliberately chooses cakes that he knows will challenge all skills I have acquired to date and will send me down a road not yet travelled. I'm not sure if he just likes to see the look on my face when he tells me his idea (one of mild panic and excitement all mixed together) or that he just wants to see exactly how far we can take this.
He has me on my current quest... to learn how to make flowers... aaahhhhhhhhh. Wait! you say... I have already made flowers (if you were paying that much attention). Those white and dark chocolate roses on a couple of my cakes (see previous post). Yes, and I am proud of them being all chocolately and actually looking like roses, but they are no where in the realm of what I am attempting now. These new babies are to be colourful, beautifully formed and maybe even a little realistic looking. More elements, more complexity, more thought, more skill... just MORE.
I'm taking it easy to start with, something on the simpler side that I can use to experiment with colour... Frangipani.
Here is where I started off, cutting out little shapes, working them on their little foam bed, gluing them together and putting them in their little flour nests to dry I need to stop saying little, but everything is... LITTLE):
Time lapse to a few days later and I got my brushes and dust out to colour things up. I had once reading that steaming things will make them shiny and more realistic... so this is the time to try it. CAUTION: steam is hot and holding something over it can be dangerous... safety first everyone!
Like when you make pancakes, the first one is always a bit of a dud... ill-formed, not quite the right colour and no wheres near as appealing as the rest of the batch. Here is my first 'pancake':
Then came the odd coloured one... cute, but green isn't working for me, it looks mouldy:
Then came the rest of the batch... I think I like them. The shinier ones are more recently steamed, the sheen dulls a little once they dry:
They are all part of a bigger master plan... all will be revealed in February! See you all again soon....
He has ordered a total of three cakes from me, but its not really about that, its what happens when he asks for a cake. This person deliberately chooses cakes that he knows will challenge all skills I have acquired to date and will send me down a road not yet travelled. I'm not sure if he just likes to see the look on my face when he tells me his idea (one of mild panic and excitement all mixed together) or that he just wants to see exactly how far we can take this.
He has me on my current quest... to learn how to make flowers... aaahhhhhhhhh. Wait! you say... I have already made flowers (if you were paying that much attention). Those white and dark chocolate roses on a couple of my cakes (see previous post). Yes, and I am proud of them being all chocolately and actually looking like roses, but they are no where in the realm of what I am attempting now. These new babies are to be colourful, beautifully formed and maybe even a little realistic looking. More elements, more complexity, more thought, more skill... just MORE.
I'm taking it easy to start with, something on the simpler side that I can use to experiment with colour... Frangipani.
Here is where I started off, cutting out little shapes, working them on their little foam bed, gluing them together and putting them in their little flour nests to dry I need to stop saying little, but everything is... LITTLE):
Time lapse to a few days later and I got my brushes and dust out to colour things up. I had once reading that steaming things will make them shiny and more realistic... so this is the time to try it. CAUTION: steam is hot and holding something over it can be dangerous... safety first everyone!
Like when you make pancakes, the first one is always a bit of a dud... ill-formed, not quite the right colour and no wheres near as appealing as the rest of the batch. Here is my first 'pancake':
Then came the odd coloured one... cute, but green isn't working for me, it looks mouldy:
Then came the rest of the batch... I think I like them. The shinier ones are more recently steamed, the sheen dulls a little once they dry:
They are all part of a bigger master plan... all will be revealed in February! See you all again soon....
Monday, January 3, 2011
What you may have missed...
You wouldn't believe what just happened, well actually you would, it happens to everyone. I went to post this big and very extensive post and the site crashed and I lost almost everything. There was that split second before I hit the button where I considered copying the text, but no, I had faith... how naive. I am now a little tired, which makes me forgetful so here is my best attempt at a recovered version, maybe time will be an improvement....
There is a short history to my cake design career, so why not take a quick look back before we go forward. Not only that, December 2010 was a fairly busy month for sweet creations and really I was a little late in getting this blog underway.
I can pretty much pinpoint the two moments that sent me down this road, about two years ago:
Moment 1.) Its my best friend's wedding coming up and her mum (Heather) is starting to get things organised. Its a DIY afair and everyone is pitching in. So I pipe up... 'Heath, what can I do for the wedding?' Casual as anything she replies, 'Rach, why don't you make the cake'. Oh... right. I had no idea what I'd gotten myself into.
Moment 2.) After a week of baking and designing and creating with the exceptional Yvonne by my side.... who was right there to help me before I even realised how far over my head I was in it..... I came out with this piece of ART. Thats what struck me... I didn't realise I would see it as art. I was so proud.
Here is the result of those defining moments:
It was almost exactly a year later before I made another professional cake. It took that amount of time to get my confidence up to make something for anyone other than my best friend, who would have loved anything I made. Once again, I was in complete awe. Partly that I managed to pull it off, there were many moments of doubt until it was all in one piece, and also how much I felt like I had created art rather than just a cake:
After completing that beauty I delved into a world of birthday cakes and learning how to figure out what people are looking for in their cake. Its an interesting balance between guiding them towards something that will look gorgeous and giving them what they want. I began to work with colour and mediums other than chocolate and berries. To sum it up... it was nerve wracking. I was constantly and fervently googling to find online tutorials on how to use different ingredients and make certain things... not that I don't still do that. Poor Stuart... not only does he calmly deal with my craziness and talks me down from the ledge as required, but he watches each cake walk out the door without so much as a small sample. Here are a few from this last year:
DECEMBER! Its a fabulous month... not only is it getting sunnier and warmer, but theres parties, celebrations, good drinking, good eating and plenty of time with family. It also inspires me to want to make goodies for anyone and everyone. I do have to reign myself in... I tried one year to do it all. While I loved the result and handing out bags of treats like Santa (very self satisfying)... it possibly wasn't worth being in my kitchen to the small wee hours coating chocolates and making (what felt like) hundreds of cookies. So this year I kept it simple... JUST chocolates, ONLY two flavours - mint and orange. It was very hard to stay within those confines, but I made it without straying into other exciting ventures that could have caused me having a small litter of kittens:
This is a 21st cake that I whipped up (but not really) for a party a week before Christmas:
Last but definately not least is a wee surprise engagement cake for our friends Craig and Charlotte. This was my first attempt at making little people. It might have not been the smartest idea to base these first little gems on people I know. But I think making them cartoon style probably saved me. The little buggers gave me some problems though - trying to keep their arms, legs and bodies all joined together and stopping them from sliding off the cake while the 'glue' dried was somewhat trying. I think I will chalk this one up to a success though, mainly because Charlotte was attached enough to the cake that she carried the top layer all the way home on the plane. Happy people = a good cake:
Phewww... we've made it to the end, it has certainly taken longer than expected. But we are now caught up on whats been happening. So whats next you ask? Many things infact... two cakes due in February. One that I only have SOME idea of how to make, lucky I have half of January off so I can figure it out! Also lucky that the recipient is well aware of this fact and infact likes choosing something I don't know much about, but more about him in another post. The other is going to be a rather large wedding cake for my cousin - I'm excited, I get to hang out in gorgeous Tasman Bay and spend a week making a cake (which I DO know how to make). There will be some secret squirrel elements for both, but I will share what I can, when I can. January and February will be full of cake adventures... stay tuned!
There is a short history to my cake design career, so why not take a quick look back before we go forward. Not only that, December 2010 was a fairly busy month for sweet creations and really I was a little late in getting this blog underway.
I can pretty much pinpoint the two moments that sent me down this road, about two years ago:
Moment 1.) Its my best friend's wedding coming up and her mum (Heather) is starting to get things organised. Its a DIY afair and everyone is pitching in. So I pipe up... 'Heath, what can I do for the wedding?' Casual as anything she replies, 'Rach, why don't you make the cake'. Oh... right. I had no idea what I'd gotten myself into.
Moment 2.) After a week of baking and designing and creating with the exceptional Yvonne by my side.... who was right there to help me before I even realised how far over my head I was in it..... I came out with this piece of ART. Thats what struck me... I didn't realise I would see it as art. I was so proud.
Here is the result of those defining moments:
It was almost exactly a year later before I made another professional cake. It took that amount of time to get my confidence up to make something for anyone other than my best friend, who would have loved anything I made. Once again, I was in complete awe. Partly that I managed to pull it off, there were many moments of doubt until it was all in one piece, and also how much I felt like I had created art rather than just a cake:
After completing that beauty I delved into a world of birthday cakes and learning how to figure out what people are looking for in their cake. Its an interesting balance between guiding them towards something that will look gorgeous and giving them what they want. I began to work with colour and mediums other than chocolate and berries. To sum it up... it was nerve wracking. I was constantly and fervently googling to find online tutorials on how to use different ingredients and make certain things... not that I don't still do that. Poor Stuart... not only does he calmly deal with my craziness and talks me down from the ledge as required, but he watches each cake walk out the door without so much as a small sample. Here are a few from this last year:
DECEMBER! Its a fabulous month... not only is it getting sunnier and warmer, but theres parties, celebrations, good drinking, good eating and plenty of time with family. It also inspires me to want to make goodies for anyone and everyone. I do have to reign myself in... I tried one year to do it all. While I loved the result and handing out bags of treats like Santa (very self satisfying)... it possibly wasn't worth being in my kitchen to the small wee hours coating chocolates and making (what felt like) hundreds of cookies. So this year I kept it simple... JUST chocolates, ONLY two flavours - mint and orange. It was very hard to stay within those confines, but I made it without straying into other exciting ventures that could have caused me having a small litter of kittens:
This is a 21st cake that I whipped up (but not really) for a party a week before Christmas:
Last but definately not least is a wee surprise engagement cake for our friends Craig and Charlotte. This was my first attempt at making little people. It might have not been the smartest idea to base these first little gems on people I know. But I think making them cartoon style probably saved me. The little buggers gave me some problems though - trying to keep their arms, legs and bodies all joined together and stopping them from sliding off the cake while the 'glue' dried was somewhat trying. I think I will chalk this one up to a success though, mainly because Charlotte was attached enough to the cake that she carried the top layer all the way home on the plane. Happy people = a good cake:
Phewww... we've made it to the end, it has certainly taken longer than expected. But we are now caught up on whats been happening. So whats next you ask? Many things infact... two cakes due in February. One that I only have SOME idea of how to make, lucky I have half of January off so I can figure it out! Also lucky that the recipient is well aware of this fact and infact likes choosing something I don't know much about, but more about him in another post. The other is going to be a rather large wedding cake for my cousin - I'm excited, I get to hang out in gorgeous Tasman Bay and spend a week making a cake (which I DO know how to make). There will be some secret squirrel elements for both, but I will share what I can, when I can. January and February will be full of cake adventures... stay tuned!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Why are we here?
It's the first blog post... I am a little nervous. I have never been a particularly witty or creative writer (as I thought you had to be to have a blog), more often unnecessarily long winded. So I ask myself, what do I want to achieve from this?
I know I want to share my cakes with people who are interested... thats the lovely part at the end of each cake. And maybe after seeing what I can do you will want one for yourself and flick me an email. BUT... at this early stage in my cake design career I claim to only know little and have a long and winding learning curve ahead of me.
I'm not sure if its entertainment value, educational or my own form of cake designing therapy but I've decided I want to show the process behind that final product. All the ups and downs, successes and failures, and moments of insanity. The world of 'fake it 'till you make it' confidence is not a place I live. I've never been able to be anything other than a realist when it comes to my own talents and work. So I've realised that this voyage of discovery I seem to be constantly on is just as important to me as the cake that results from it.... so why not share. Only showing the finished product is a bit like only reading the end of the story... the happily ever after.
So on we go, off into the great cake unknown... one post at a time.
I know I want to share my cakes with people who are interested... thats the lovely part at the end of each cake. And maybe after seeing what I can do you will want one for yourself and flick me an email. BUT... at this early stage in my cake design career I claim to only know little and have a long and winding learning curve ahead of me.
I'm not sure if its entertainment value, educational or my own form of cake designing therapy but I've decided I want to show the process behind that final product. All the ups and downs, successes and failures, and moments of insanity. The world of 'fake it 'till you make it' confidence is not a place I live. I've never been able to be anything other than a realist when it comes to my own talents and work. So I've realised that this voyage of discovery I seem to be constantly on is just as important to me as the cake that results from it.... so why not share. Only showing the finished product is a bit like only reading the end of the story... the happily ever after.
So on we go, off into the great cake unknown... one post at a time.
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