If anyone gets a chance to pick up today’s copy of the Boston Metro (Thursday, February 4th 2009) we have a lovely little ad in there!  Very exciting!

-Amanda

Amanda Oakleaf Cakes has recently teamed up with Princess Sharon Events to offer the most amazing parties.  To quote her site, “Princess Sharon provides musical, magical, upscale themed birthday parties and special events for children, tweens, teens and adults in and around Boston…”  She brings the party decorations, costumes, games and even music to you.  You can also contact her about getting a custom Amanda Oakleaf Cake as a delicious centerpiece at your party.

We design these cakes to specifically match the theme of your party.  For example, the cake below was for a Poodle in Paris/Fashion Diva party.

Check out Princess Sharon’s website to find out how fun and easy (for you) your special party can be!  Princesssharon.com

*Also, on Wed. Feb. 2 at 10pm FOX 25 in Boston is airing a special feature on Princess Sharon.  They recently attended one of her fabulous events to capture the magic of her themed children’s parties and of course they got great shots of our awesome poodle cake.  So excited to see our cake on TV!*

Below is a close up of the sugar poodle figurine.

Frosting the Dog is one of our favorite sculpted cakes.  After completion he was so real to us that we named him Frosting.  It was such a joy to have him sitting around the kitchen watching us with his puppy dog eyes.  We also enjoyed taking him for a ride in the car, aka delivery.  It was a little sad to return home without him.

Frosting was made for a birthday girl who was both a Red Sox fan and a lover of Golden Retrievers.  Because we know many of you are curious, we’ve decided to reveal a few of our secrets behind a 3D sculpted cake.

Here is the finished Frosting in all his glory.

The original sketch which was sent to the client before anything was baked.

This is a shot taken just after we had assembled and carved the cake layers and were just beginning the crumb coat.  For the sake of keeping it lightweight we used styrofoam for the head which we sculpted and molded with modeling chocolate to reveal facial features.  Every other part of the cake is edible including the rice krispie treat limbs.

Here the body of the cake has been covered in fondant.  We wrapped it in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out before we’re able to add the fur texture.  As you can see from my huge elbow, I’m covering the sculpted head in fondant, intentionally leaving folds in the fondant (which is usually a ‘no-no’ when covering a wedding cake for example) as to make the ears look more realistic.

Below sits frosting after his first round of air brushing.  It took many rounds of air brushing and mixing many colors to give the affect of real fur, which dose have subtle changes in color.

This is the point where we gave Frosting his name.  It is also the moment when he became so very real to us.  I just wanted to pick him up and hold him.  After this stage we added the Red Sox jersey and final details.  And voila!  Frosting the Dog cake  : )

Hello, my name is Red Velvet Cake.

I am an unexplainably delectable cake.  The buttermilk added to my batter gives a unexpected tang to my flavor as does the hint of cocoa.  I am neither a chocolate or vanilla cake but an in between flavor that has a super velvety texture.  You see me here layered with vanilla Italian meringue buttercream.  This is usually my most complimentary filling as my cake flavor packs enough punch on its own.

If you really have a sweet tooth you may request I be paired up with cream cheese buttercream filling.  Or, if you remember December’s flavor of the month, I am quite irresistible when layered with white chocolate cream cheese filling.

Good day, I am the scrumptious cake most widely known as White Vanilla Raspberry cake.

I am made up of four fabulous layers of a white butter vanilla cake.  The middle layer is laced with raspberry jam topped with raspberry Italian meringue buttercream.  The two surrounding layers are filled with vanilla Italian meringue buttercream to complete the smooth raspberries and cream flavor.

I am a perfect centerpiece for your afternoon tea party or any birthday celebration.  If you love the combination of chocolate and raspberry, I am also delicious when paired with chocolate buttercream.

Howdya do, my name is Carrot cake.  I am an ever moist, carrot and cinnamon spice cake who is a bit more dense than my other sponge cake counterparts.  This makes me perfect for sculpted and topsy-turvy designs which require more stability in a cake.  I am perfect for any fall festivity but can be enjoyed year round.  Cinnamon Italian meringue buttercream divide my four layers of cake heaven making me a melt in your mouth delight.

My original recipe includes morsels of chopped walnuts for added fun.  But if you’re not akin to nuts they may be removed upon request.

Hello, my name is German chocolate cake.  I am an insanely chocolatey delight.

A slice of me consists of four layers of super moist chocolate cake separated by layers of creamy chocolate Italian meringue buttercream.  My mid section is undoubtedly the most delicious part as it is filled with a carmel-like custard mixed with toasted coconut and toasted pecans.

These are simply my insides.  I can be covered in even more chocolate buttercream if you’re a die-hard chocolate lover.  I am also quite delicious covered in vanilla buttercream and wrapped in Amanda’s homemade marshmallow fondant.

And yes, I a really am as delicious as I look.

For their 50th Anniversary celebration Methods Machine Tools in Sudbury contacted us to create a replica of their 50yr old building.  It was such a fun cake to create and decorate for Christmas.  When we delivered the cake there wasn’t any snow on the ground but after this weekend’s blizzard this may now be a more accurate depiction.

The funny thing about making and delivering these cakes is that we had become so, utterly familiar with each building that when we showed up to the actual building to deliver the cake we felt as though we were entering the world of the cake.  As we drove in the driveway and parked in that parking spot right there, and walked through the front door (which I had created earlier), it felt as though we were entering a make-believe land.  Or at least like deja vous, as if we had already been there : )

This cake was for a 5th anniversary for Briarwood Healthcare Nursing Center in Needham, MA.  Supposedly there are 3 guys who always hang out in front of the building, when the weather is nice, so we re-created them as well.

Earlier in the school year I was contacted by Kathy’s Place Youth Center who asked me if I would be interested in teaching a group of middle schoolers the ways of cake decorating.  Of course I said yes.  The class consisted of a small group of 6th and 7th graders from Winthrop’s Memorial middle school who were part of the 21st Century after school program.  For the first 2 months we met once a week learning the basics of baking and frosting.  The finale cake was made to be displayed at the Hoiday Fair on Dec 10th and then enjoyed by the teachers at their meeting later in the day.

Earlier in the semester the kids sketched out their holiday cake design ideas and then two separate groups presented their designs to the principal and vice principal (as if they were the clients), who would choose the final cake to be made.  The final week of the course the group of 7 kids baked, frosted, and decorated this cake totally from scratch.  I assisted and directed the kids but the design is totally their creation.  The kids were all very proud of their cake and were surprised they could create something ’so cool’.

Here is a front view of the cake as it was displayed to the entire school along with a poster displaying pictures of the kids in action. (in addition to leaving smiling cookies for Santa they left a carrot for the reindeer)

Here is a photo of the back of the cake.  Noticed how they managed to include the latest vampire craze into the cake. : )  The made a Twilight book to go on the toy train.  They also all signed their names at the bottom of the cake.  Awesome job guys, I look forward to the next class!

Luckily there appears to be a chance of snow in Boston this weekend.  In the spirit of dreaming of a white Christmas I designed this particular snowflake cake.  All the snowflakes are edible.

This cake was on display at Des Rosiers Design for the Charlestown Holdiay Stroll.  Lynn Kimmel of Des Rosiers Design does amazing work.  She specializes in window treatments and has fabric samples galore. Definitely contact her if your home is in need of some sprucing up for the holidays and the new year.

Sure it looks weddingy but this design could be for any wintery occasion.  Gotta love snowflakes!