21

Rick and I were reminiscing recently about our 21st birthdays. Neither of us recall celebrating with a cake, but if we had, we would have loved a cake like this! We both hit the bars with friends and don't remember much else. 21 is a special year and deserves a cake that will be remembered for years to come. Rick designed this black fondant cake for a girl wanting to party it up on her 21st birthday, as she should. The cake wasn't tremendously large but he wanted it to have a BIG presence, which it did, and the "21" on top was a dominant feature. It was beautiful in person and would make any 21st birthday extra special!

Aloha, 'til next time!

Thanks for Making Us Smile!

If you want to know how to make our day, send us an unbelievably cute photo of your child enjoying our cake, as two of our clients recently did. Extra kudos to you if the cake is the same height, or is larger than the child. Big thanks to our clients for sharing with us mementos of the child's special day. If you think their smiles are huge, you should see ours!


Kidrobot cake image by Sieber Studio

New cake photos have been posted at cakelava.com and many more to come soon.

Aloha, 'til next time!

Compass Wedding Cake

We've said it before. We LOVE our clients and the awesome ideas they bring to us every day. It keeps our creative juices flowing and gives them a special cake they will remember for years to come. Rick and I were excited about this cake since we received the order. I doubt there was a single person at Allison and Evan's wedding who will not remember their sculpted compass wedding cake years from now. Their story is a sweet one. Allison resides in Memphis, Tennessee, and Evan is in the military stationed in Japan. They met halfway, in Hawaii in October to get married. He is a navigator in the Air Force and she, an Air Traffic Controller. They both have a love of aviation and wanted that prominently displayed in their cake. For their wedding cake, they wanted a compass with a map that incorporated some of the places they have lived together. Rick sculpted their compass out of cake and handpainted the map below it. The compass was so realistic, I thought it might navigate us to the reception site. We had a wedding right before theirs but the timing worked out beautifully because we had a chance to meet Allison and Evan, who we only had contact with via email and phone. They were thrilled with their cake and it immediately drew a crowd around it.

Congratulations to Allison and Evan on their marriage. We hope this is the start of many adventures together!

The compass wedding cake is just one of many sculpted wedding cakes we have made. Visit cakelava.com to see more!

Aloha, 'til next time!

Micah's Little Red Toy Car Cake

If you have children or are around them with any frequency, you probably recognize this little red car. Our next door neighbor's child has one and she has a great time riding it. When our client called requesting this cake to be made for her son Micah's birthday, she told us that he LOVES riding in his little car and thought it would be a great surprise for him to have one made in cake. Rick sculpted the little car, made entirely in our Banana Nutella cake, and put a "1" on the hood and the name "MICAH" on the license plate. Our client, her son and his guests all adored the cake, and she told us after in her thank you note that, not suprisingly, they all wanted to ride in the car. The ultimate compliment!

she wrote:

Yeah ...the cake was pretty much the centerpiece of the party. My son even thought he could ride in it which was pretty funny. Actually all the kids wanted to ride in it but then they realized it was a cake.

Aloha, 'til next time!

Purple and Pink Hello Kitty Cake

We regularly receive orders for Hello Kitty cakes, and this month we had two of them. Each one is a unique design so Rick always has his work cut out for him. This purple and pink Hello Kitty cake was made for Laylah's birthday party. Rick selected daisies and butterflies to use on the cake and went with an elegant striped design for the base colors. Coincidentally, the weekend we made Laylah's Hello Kitty cake occurred during a time when we had a photographer, editors, and translator from Japan shoot cakelava for a Japanese magazine feature, and this Hello Kitty cake was photographed professionally for the magazine. This is a photo we took of the cake prior to delivery. The cake was very cute in person and looked right at home with the Hello Kitty decor at the venue.

More to come soon!

Junko and Oscar's Wedding

All images courtesy of Frank Amodo - amodo photo

On yesterday's blog we featured Junko and Oscar's wedding cake and had previously shared Oscar's surprise Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sculpted groom's cake with the magic wand accessory. Today we're going to show how it all came together at the beautiful Lanikuhonua venue, courtesy of four of our favorite wedding professionals Frank Amodo of amodo photo and Yvonne Chapman and Alex Garcia of Yvonne Design. Together this talented team along with cakelava, created a chic and romantic event for Junko and Oscar.



Junko's wedding gown had a beautiful flower detail that tied in with the event perfectly!



One of my favorite images in the bunch. How romantic is this!


love these florals lining the aisle




this is a killer shot of the groom's cake and decor!


Another incredible tabletop, drapery and lighting courtesy of Yvonne Design


a stunning color combination!



Lounge, pink lighting, and tenting by Yvonne Design






Junko is heels over head for Oscar.

Big Thanks to Frank Amodo for the images. They are divine!

Aloha, 'til next time!

Junko and Oscar's Wedding Cake - A Sweet Simplicity

Earlier in the month we shared a Harry Potter groom's cake made for Junko and Oscar's wedding. Junko had ordered the sculpted Harry Potter book cake with the magic wand accessory as a surprise for Oscar, and it made a huge impact at the wedding. The groom's cake was detailed and artistically challenging, and the wedding cake was a beautiful sweet simplicity, a marriage of soft turquoise blue and dark brown, with a single flower in pink to give it some "pop". Everything about this cake, and our couple, was cute, cute, CUTE! It had a sweet little white cake stand and a lovely printed linen underneath it and a beautiful, Hawaiian backdrop of lush greenery and a sparkling ocean. What more could you ask for! Junko and Oscar's wedding had one pretty little detail after another.  Some of Hawaii's best vendors -- Yvonne Design for florals and design, and photographer Frank Amodo, whose images we will showcase tomorrow with the rest of the wedding. You won't want to miss this beautiful event!


The icing on our cake for this wedding was that the couple was so darn sweet! Shortly after arriving back in New York City, they sent us this Thank You note:

We wanted to THANK YOU for the most beautiful and delicious cakes you created for our wedding! I LOVED LOVED LOVED our wedding cake! It was so simple but so chic and the shade of turquoise color completely matched our linens! I just couldn't get enough of the buttercream and my favorite lemon curd and strawberry fillings!

and what about the groom's cake? One word ... Fabulous! What a work of art! Oscar was completely suprised by his Harry Potter cake! We were both amazed by how much details Rick was able to put into that cake!

Junko and Oscar


above image courtesy of Frank Amodo Photography

Come back to tomorrow to "meet" our couple, Junko and Oscar, and see their beautiful wedding!

Junko and Oscar, you two are fabulous and we wish you the very best!

Aloha, til next time!

Melissa's Sushi Cake

Image courtesy of Bruce Ayres

Shortly after cakelava opened in 2005, Rick made his first sushi cake in Hawaii and he's been making them steadily ever since. He's made sushi platters, sculpted sushi rolls, and numerous art cakes with sushi as a theme. He even made an elaborate tokidoki cake with a conveyor belt of sushi at the base. Sushi is one of our favorite foods and we seek it out every chance we get. On the cakes, the handcrafted sushi are so realistic, it inevitably makes us crave sushi after the event and I have to stop myself from reaching for them before. Our latest sushi cake was made for Melissa's 40th Birthday. The banner around the cake says "Happy Birthday" in Japanese and is covered with different kinds of sushi. It was inspired by a cake Rick had previously designed but they wanted even more sushi on it. My mouth is completely watering as I write this and I'm wondering how to get my next fix. Mmm... suuuushhhi.

Check out cakelava.com for a selection of sushi themed cakes.

Aloha, til next time!

Sesame Street Birthday Cake: Educational and FUN

We adore this Sesame Street cake, made recently for a 1-year old's birthday party. It's bright and bold, funky, and most of all, FUN, and the design was a complete suprise for our client. She left the design up to Rick, as long as it was funky, and had Elmo, Cookie Monster and Big Bird. Rick used 3 colors only for this cake and chose polka dots for the patterns, to emphasize the characters. It's difficult to look at this cake and not feel completely happy, and the 3 cute furry guys are all to blame!

See our selection of Sesame Street themed cakes on cakelava.com. More to come soon!

Happy 95th Birthday Lex Brodie. Thank You ... Very Much!

If you lived in Hawaii during the past 40 years, you know who Lex Brodie is. I'd be hard pressed to find a person living here who isn't familiar with Lex Brodie's Tire Company or his famous "Little Joe" caveman mascot and "Thank You ... Very Much!" slogan. In fact, when my mother heard we were making Lex Brodie's birthday cake, she repeated the slogan "Thank You ... Very Much!" and she hasn't even lived on Oahu for years. Lex Brodie's, voted Hawaii's best tire company 6 years in a row has 5 locations on Oahu. Lex is one of Hawaii's best known businessmen, and this Kauai born native built his company from the ground up, one "Thank You ... Very Much!" at a time. Born in 1914, Alexander "Lex" Brodie celebrated his 95th Birthday on Saturday and we were honored to make his birthday cake. I grew up with Lex Brodie's, spent 15 years on the mainland, and nearly five years after returning to Hawaii, Rick got to make his Fabulous sculpted tire 95th birthday cake! It was amazing!

Lex's cake was unbelievably realistic looking. Rick sculpted a life size tire out of cake and placed a real rim, provided by Lex Brodie's Tire Company, in the middle of it. On the side of the tire Rick handcrafted the Lex Brodie logo with "Little Joe", and on the side of the tire's "label" was information about Lex and his company. The party which took place at Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber in Waikiki was a celebration for both Lex's 95th birthday and the 50th "Thank You Very Much" Award, given to students who have written a 300-word essay thanking those who have touched their lives. The cake was delivered early in the morning, in time for the Perry and Price radio show which broadcasts from the restaurant every week.

Rick and I would like to say "Thank You ... Very Much!" to Scott Williams, President of Lex Brodie's, who was such a joy to work with and who went out of his way to give us the information we needed to make Lex's cake truly special. Happy Birthday to Lex Brodie, a true Hawaii legend whose generous spirit, support of the local community, and commitment to his customers is an inspiration to all of us! Thank You ... SO Very Much!"






Rick working on the tire




inside Jimmy Buffett's

Rick, the proud designer with his tire cake

'Til next time ... Aloha!

Top This Too!

More cake topper madness to share! For more crazy toppers see our Top This! and Top This! - Zombie Love posts.

Love Never Dies, even when your skin has fallen off and your clothing is covered in cobwebs. How romantic.


This is what happens after the reception when the lights go down and they get down and dirty. French kissing skeleton cake toppers. here again. Love Never Dies.


I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. We like her purple come-hither eyes and fashionable yellow hoops.


If you ever wondered what you would look like immortalized in LEGO, then this is the topper for you!


Not sure what the appeal of the animal cake toppers are, but they seem to be gaining in popularity. These conservatively attired field mice look like they are ready for a stroll in the Amish countryside.


This is one strange match. We're all for diversity but this may be going too far. At least the bride-goat remembered her "something blue."


Pig love is in. We missed the memo. Porcine matrimony at its finest!


Aren't into the pigs? How about the same set up with bulldogs, ribbon flowers and tulle veil for the bitch, err bride.


This is a called a "Hawaiian Cake Topper" but thankfully, we have never seen one here. This couple clearly needs a room as they enjoy their first kiss under one of Hawaii's red and green, and yellow and green palm trees. The white coconuts are a nice touch, and would be even better if they lit up. Now that's a party!


From the same company that brought you the Hawaiian cake topper comes a familiar scene for the porcelain frogs. Would this be a Hawaiian frogs cake topper? Again, we wonder if the coconuts light up.



As long as we're getting romantic here, this one is more wholesome, almost respectable. Almost.


Another one in the "Get a Room" series of cake toppers. Not sure why they bother to decorate the bottom of it with sweet flowers and hearts. As if anyone is actually looking down there.

Enjoy!

Aloha, 'til next time!