The View from The Top Tier

We are super excited to announce our newest cake-venture! cakelava has recently been added as a Top Tier vendor on Half Baked - The Cake Blog. Half Baked - The Cake Blog, is an amazing online cake resource site owned by cake designer Carrie Sellman. We have been aware of Carrie's beautiful work for a number of years and jumped at the chance to be included alongside some of the best designers in the industry including Confetti Cakes (who we interviewed in our Interviews from Cakeland series), Cake Girls, I Dream of Cake, Pink Cake Box, and more. We love Carrie's discerning taste and her passion for all things cake! Last week Carrie featured our couple Janelle and Alex's "Sweet Treat" wedding photographed by Stephen Ludwig Photography on her blog. Seeing the components of their wedding put together as a collage was so gorgeous, even Janelle herself chimed in to comment how pleased she was.

The view from the Top Tier is pretty damn sweet and we want to thank Carrie for including us!
If you haven't checked out Half Baked - The Cake Blog, you absolutely must take a visit over to indulge in this sweet site!

Aloha, 'til next time!

When Seattle Unites with Hawaii

We dedicate today's blog to all the Seattlelites out there. Those who have, at one time or another, lived there and were affected by the sights, sounds and smells of the city. Seattle will always have a special place in our hearts, as it is where Rick and I first met and fell in love. It is the place where my professional culinary career was launched, and a place where many of our friends and some family members live. Seattle pretty much has it all -- a vibrant art and music scene, the most beautiful summers, an amazing selection of cafes, some killer donut shops, and an open market that would make any foodie proud. The only downside is about 8 months of the year it rains.

There is a huge Seattle-Hawaii connection that exists. We regularly have clients getting married in Hawaii who live in Seattle. I can't tell you how many people we've met in Hawaii that at some point in their lives haven't lived in Seattle. When Justin approached us to make his and his good friend Sara's birthday cake, he mentioned the Hawaii-Seattle connection. Both he and Sara live or have lived in Seattle. Justin lives in Hawaii and Sara would be joining him to celebrate their birthdays. He asked if it would be possible for Rick to make a cake honoring both places, and Rick was excited to take on the project. He handcrafted a Seattle skyline on top of the cake and below it was a sandy beach and plumeria flowers. The flavor of their cake was a salute to Hawaii, and he chose our Rainbowlicious which has mango and passionfruit curd fillings in a cake the colors of the Rainbow. Hawaii is known for its rainbows, we see them almost daily here, sometimes 2 or 3 at a time! If you are a "Seattlelite", hopefully this cake will bring fond memories of your lovely city. Enjoy!

Aloha 'til next time!

Motorcycle Helmet with Badass Flames

It's the first day after the holidays and it's back to the cakes! This sculpted motorcycle helmet cake was ordered by one of our previous brides for her husband's 30th birthday. We knew he was a badass who rides both motorcycles and dirtbikes and the only appropriate birthday cake for someone so committed to riding dangerously was a helmet. Rick sculpted the helmet in black fondant and added the flames and visor. The flavor selected for the cake was our Banana Blueberry Mascarpone, one of the flavors in the couple's wedding cake more than a year ago, and they came back for more. Banana Blueberry Mascarpone, more gourmet than bad-ass, is so delicious and one of our favorite flavors on the menu! Happy Birthday Venelin!


Aloha, 'til next time!

Mr. President "Snowbama" visits Kailua

It's been an exciting last few weeks to say the least! Less than a week after we returned from filming Rick's first Food Network Challenge competition, our sweet beach town of Kailua, where cakelava is based, was filled with excitement. Kailua was preparing to host President Obama ("Snowbama") and his family for their what has become, an annual Hawaiian Christmas vacation. President Obama and his family arrived on Christmas Eve to the same exquisite Kailua beach estate they stayed at last year. Their vacation home is about 2.5 miles from our cake studio. As to be expected, the island of Oahu and especially Kailua based businesses love hosting the Obama family. There have been signs in the windows of local businesses saying "the Obama Ohana" ("Ohana" meaning family), to show their support of the first family, but also hoping they may choose their establishment for their next meal or visit. One of the lucky Kailua businesses able to serve the President has been a small surf shop/shave ice store near the beach called Island Snow. It is no secret that President Obama loves his shave ice, as do most residents and visitors of Hawaii. It is one of Rick's and my favorite foods, and we eat it every chance we get. We even have a frequent buyer card at Island Snow. If you have had CNN on recently, you may have heard the term "Snowbama," a name which originated at Kailua's Island Snow and refers to the 3-flavor shave ice that President Obama ordered.

Yesterday, the first day of the New Year, President Obama was all over Kailua, and thank goodness so were we! As many of you who follow us on Facebook or Twitter know, I had the great honor of getting to shake President Obama's hand. Rick and I were on the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base with our friend Eric and saw the President exiting from the fitness center on base. We knew ahead of time he was going to be there and came prepared with our cameras. As President Obama turned to the crowd, he started shaking people's hands. Due to security measures you are not allowed to reach out your hand, he has to choose to shake it, and luckily he felt inclined to shake mine. What an amazing experience and thankfully Rick and Eric had camera's handy and documented this milestone event! Below are some of the photos we took yesterday, including the photo of him shaking my hand. I was star struck afterwards, we all were, and if we weren't headed to brunch afterwards I wouldn't have washed my hand. Ha ha. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life and a incredible way to start the New Year! Enjoy the pics!






the photo Rick snapped of President Obama shaking my hand. As you can see, the perspective wasn't ideal but he was that close!

The shot taken by Eric as President Obama shakes my hand

Happy New Year to everyone! It's a new year, a new decade and we can't wait to see what happens in 2010. We'll be back soon with more cakes and more news!

Aloha, 'til next time!