Thursday, September 26, 2013

Dr. Seuss - A World of Infinite Possibilities

cakelava.com
Some party themes are just too perfect for cake, and Dr. Seuss is one of them! The whimsical vision of Dr. Seuss provides a world of infinite design possibilities. We know when we receive a Dr. Seuss theme request, we're in for a really fun time, and... we also need to clear plenty of time on our calendar to work on it! It is one of our favorite themes to do and one of the more difficult due to the amount of time Rick spends making the characters and decorations.

The inspiration for this colorful wonky cake was based on one of Rick's previous Dr. Seuss themed designs. The client wanted a similar look with modification to the themes to suit their party. The Lorax and truffula trees would be used in decor throughout the party and we were asked to include them. The choice of colors used was left up to Rick. Since the cake was for a boy, Rick selected blues and red for the main base colors and some of the more feminine colors were used as an accent.

As I write this, I'm thinking about and looking forward to one of our cakes for next weekend. Can you guess the theme?




Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Monster Truck Birthday Cake

cakelava.com

cakelava.com
The monster truck cake is one of those requests that can make you shudder because it is so much work! Sculpting a massive truck body out of cake that has to be suspended and sit perfectly on gigantic wheels is no easy task. At the end of our first full week back in town after the Boston classes, we hit the ground running and Rick made Stylen's birthday cake.

Both the truck body and its wheels were sculpted out of cake. All the detailing on the truck was handmade and painted. Applying fondant on a cake like this in the Hawaiian humidity is always a challenge, but we got lucky that week and the weather cooperated. Whew!

The cake was purchased as a gift for Stylen by the child's aunt. I recall my reaction when I asked her for the child's name. She said "Stylen." I said "Did you say Stylen?". The name was about as perfect as it could be for a lucky child about to be gifted with a "stylin'" amazing monster truck cake! "Yes, Stylen." A child named Stylen and a very difficult, very detailed monster truck cake. We better not screw this up!

Rick estimates he spent 15 hours working on the monster truck cake, and that is a chunk of time to devote to one cake when you have others in the same weekend. The time spent was all worth it in the end. We were so happy with the cake, and Stylen's family loved it as well!

cakelava.com



Wednesday, August 7, 2013

cakelava is now on Pinterest!

cakelava.com
This week we finally caved. We starting pinning on cakelava's new Pinterest page, creating a small handful of boards and we were off and running! We've noticed our cakes on Pinterest for a long time, and we want to thank everyone who has pinned, commented, repinned or Liked our cakes enough to post them on their boards. We invite you to join us on our brand new Pinterest page for cakelava and our Extreme Cakeovers book.

www.pinterest.com/cakelava

One of our Pinterest boards is called "these are a few of our favorite cakes". So far, the "few" cakes have turned into 62 of them, and we're about to make it 63 - at least 63! Our newest addition will be this handpainted Samoan tattoo themed wedding cake (above) which Rick made for a wedding this past January. He spent many hours painting the intricate Samoan tribal pattern by hand and we couldn't wait to present it to the couple! It is definitely one of 64 of our favorite cakes and we hope you like it too! Off to pin it!




Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Back from Boston!




We've been busy since my last blog post. Just a few days after filming the segment for KITV News This Morning, Rick and I flew 5000 miles to Boston, to teach his Hibiscus cake and a Painted Peacock cake at The Cake World's lovely new shop in Saugus, MA. It was my first time in Boston and I wish I had more time to stay and explore all it had to offer! The trip was a bittersweet journey for us. The classes were Rick's last planned classes for 2013, a decision we made after traveling for almost half of 2012. We decided to spend most of this year at home making cakes and living a less hectic lifestyle. It was a tough decision as Rick loves teaching and entertained some amazing offers in locations we've always wanted to visit, but we stuck to our guns, and Boston was going to be the last, at least for a while.

Upon arriving at Boston airport, we were greeted by our wonderful host Andreia, owner of The Cake World and her two adorable children! Her son, who must have felt an affinity with Rick, after seeing his photo over the months threw his arms around him. Now that's a welcome to Boston! This warm gesture and beaming smiles from the family set the tone for the entire class experience and we knew we were all in for a good time!

Having traveled with Rick for classes on three continents, I have grown to cherish the unique experience of the classes. In every class we meet new cake friends who value the opportunity of learning in a hands-on environment. We share cake stories and spend a lot of time laughing. Although Rick is the teacher and there to share his knowledge, in most if not all of the classes, he has learned new tricks from his students. The class experience is as much about learning new skills as it is getting together with friends and having fun! There is an incredible energy in the room generated by a room full of inspired students and a teacher intent on sharing knowledge. It is unlike anything you can get from a DVD or an online tutorial. Is it pure learning "old school". You enroll in the course, show up for the class, and come prepared to be challenged and hopefully, stimulated. If you are lucky enough to come to a class at The Cake World, who regularly hosts cake instructors from around the world, come hungry for knowledge, bring your appetite because lunch is included, and prepare to feast your eyes on the cake supplies available for purchase at the shop!

Rick's two classes were well documented by myself and The Cake World. As I was looking through the photos, the ones I was most drawn to were those that showed all the fun we all had! No one took themselves too seriously, and everyone walked away with gorgeous new cakes they were proud of! I would like to thank our fantastic host, Andreia Aguiar, and her husband and family for sharing their photos with us and making our last classes of 2013 unforgettable!

Prep Day!
Beautifully displayed cake decorating eye candy!







You won't meet a nicer family!

She kept us all entertained!
Always cracking jokes. We were drawn to her immediately

Presenting... The Cake World! 
Two beautiful ladies, one gorgeous cake!
She came down from Canada for the class, but Rick kept her at arms length
All ready to learn!
A fabulous host and a talented cake artist
She loved posing with her cake. Rick joined in on the action!
The proud instructor and his host beaming after a successful Hibiscus class!
This little cutie wanted to start her cake decorating career early. She came to the right place!
Don't mess with her! Taking a small break after the first phase of painting in the Peacock class
Rick photo bombing again. Aww, c'mon Rick, they are trying to focus!
They couldn't resist getting in on the action!
Wow! Look at all these beautiful cakes!
An absolutely heartwarming shot of Rick teaching Nicolas, the owner's son how to make the peacock feathers.
Having some fun before the topper went on

Hugs for the teacher!
Rick putting the topper on his cake
One of his students advises Rick on the placement of the topper 
Kisses!
Hugs! (This time I got in on the action)
She joined us for both classes and her cakes were exquisite!
Thank you to The Cake World for an awesome week and so many memories!


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