This week I will be putting the spotlight on Jackie's Cake Boutique of Staten Island, NY.  Jackie's has been in business for 10 years and was one of The Knot's 2010 picks for Best of Weddings.  She has also created cakes for clients like Hillary Clinton, Mariah Carey, and the New York Mets!  Here are just a few of my favorite cakes but you can always see more at JackiesCakeBoutique.com.



I love the creativity of this cake!  It is probably my favorite of Jackie's cakes.



















This cake comes in a close second.  Wonderful!















A work of art!

















I chose this cake because I love the idea of a potted plant cake.  I have been wanting to make one of these for some time now.














This is one of the cutest ideas for a baby shower cake that I've seen yet.















I absolutely love non-traditional wedding cakes!












There were too many wonderful cakes to choose from so make sure you visit the Jackie's Cake Boutique website. 

Thank you Jackie for sharing your cakes with us!

Transporting a cake can be the trickiest and most stressful part of decorating a cake.  Here are a few tips to put your mind at ease.

1. First and foremost, place cabinet liner under your cake.  Even a small amount will keep the cake from sliding around.  I even give some to my customers when they pick up the cake.
2. If your cake is stacked, even just 1 extra tier, place a sharpened dowel down the center of the cake.  For added support, hammer the dowel into the cake board slightly.
3. If your cake is higher than 3 tiers, it is probably a smart idea to build your cake in two or three parts and assemble it on site.

The first of these steps is most important so make sure you purchase cabinet liner.  A little goes a long way.  For more tips on doweling a cake, view this recommended video tutorial.

Lisa's Cake Boutique is a full-service custom cake bakery located in Conway, AR.  They use only the freshest ingredients and give great attention to detail.  You can find more information and photos on their website www.lisascakeboutique.com.



The hose on this cake is a great touch and the dog is adorable!


















The perfect sweet sixteen cake...
















The orchids on this cake are gorgeous!
















This cake not only looks adorable but yummy too!
















I cannot figure out how this cake didn't fall over.  Amazing!
















Last, but not least...This Halloween cake doesn't miss a detail.












Thank you again to Lisa's Cake Boutique for sharing your cakes with us!

Scarsdale, NY is the home of the amazing and organic cake boutique, Lulu Cake Boutique.  Lulu's uses only the freshest ingredients and strives to make their cakes taste as great as they look.  I am not exaggerating when I say that I had an extremely difficult time choosing cakes this week.  I loved every cake I saw and I know you will too so make sure you visit Lulu's online gallery.





This week I am starting off with my absolute favorite cake.  From the colors to the design, I love everything about it.  Gorgeous!
















Next, I find it fitting to pay a small tribute to World Cup Soccer.  I think the grass is a perfect touch.
















All I can say is...beautiful!

















This one also topped  my list of favorites from Lulu's.  There are a lot of decorating ideas I'm going to take away from this.













Very cool design.  Makes me nervous just looking at it.

















Flawless!













Thank you to Lulu Cake Boutique for sharing your cakes with us!

I have told you in the past about a great Thomas the Tank Engine tutorial and a few weeks ago I had a chance to try it.  Thomas is a bit overwhelming when it comes to the amount of detail he requires so next time there will be a few things I do differently and I now realize I over looked.  One being that the red base should stick out further than the rest of the train.  Wendy's tutorial is amazing and it especially helped when I was making Thomas' face.  She taught me techniques that I will use in future projects.  I really love her tip about piping the icing onto the cake.  It really does give you so much more control.

That being said, there are a few things I did differently and made the process a little bit easier for me.

1. I made the base using blocks and foam core.  By raising Thomas up onto a stand, it made the cake look more like the toy.  Next time I will make the base bigger and use a Styrofoam block.  The outside of the base was covered with black icing to make it look like part of the cake and the wheels were stuck to the sides.  It is also important to note that Thomas was glued down and two dowels were used for extra support through his largest section.
2. After the cakes cooled, I leveled, stacked, and filled my cakes.  I froze them that way to save time later.
3. To help me carve the section for Thomas' face, I created the front platform and placed his face into position.  I then took my piping bag and traced around his face with icing.  When the face was removed, I was left with an outline to help me get the correct size, shape and position. (Sorry I didn't take a picture)
4. I also baked extra cake in case I didn't have enough to get the right shape.  I am very glad I did this because I definitely needed it.

Things I will do different next time....

1. I will scale down the size.  He was way too big for me.  I would rather put him on top of another cake that looked liked railroad tracks then make something this big.  He felt like he was going to fall over!
2. The red base will stick out further than the rest of him.
3. The base will be made out of Styrofoam and the board that Thomas is sitting on will be foam core.

Thank you Wendy for all of the hard work you put into your tutorial.

Elisa Strauss, owner of Confetti Cakes in New York, NY, has been one of my favorite cake decorators since I first saw her on Food Network's 'Challenge.'  She has participated in several challenges but took home the grand prize in the 'Extreme Cake Challenge' with her, if I remember correctly, 'Revenge of the Sock Monkey' Cake.  Elisa has been featured in many magazine and appeared on several talk shows.  She has even made cakes for shows like HBO's 'Sex and the City.'

It wasn't easy choosing only 6 cakes for this feature so make sure you stop by the Confetti Cakes website to see more.



I have tried making cakes similar to this and it is hard to make the stripes straight.  I also love the idea of a plaid cake.

















Gumpaste flowers are one of my favorite things to make and these are gorgeous.















All I can say is...how fun!


















I could just squeeze him!  Too cute!
















Elisa didn't miss a detail here.  The cake board is the perfect touch.
















I'm having a hard time believing this truck is cake.  Amazing!















I know I said 6 cakes but I had to share this one.  What do you think? Pat's or Geno's?













Thank you again Elisa and everyone at Confetti Cakes for sharing your work with us.  Your cakes are a work of art and you are truly inspiring.