Indulgence

2008-09-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

2008-08-04T14:04:00.001-07:00

2008-02-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

Branching Out Event Florists

2008-02-06T08:16:00.000-08:00

Make a postcard - it's easy!

Lauren & Wesley

2008-01-25T08:18:00.000-08:00

Name That Diva!

2006-12-15T05:45:00.000-08:00

2006-12-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

2006-12-13T06:35:00.000-08:00

2006-12-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

2006-12-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

2005-07-18T08:14:00.000-07:00

Wedding cake for Katie. Unfortunately the fiber optic spray doesn't show up in this photo.

WOW!

2005-06-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

This article really blew me away! Thanks Tracey.

2005-05-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

Melissa Parks Wedding

2005-05-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

Irish Pride!

2005-04-23T06:20:00.000-07:00

Sugar paste roses and freesia detail. Bustles are accented with pearl dust

2005-04-23T06:19:00.000-07:00

Emily's Wedding cake. Ivory blush fondant with roses and freesia.

2005-03-27T04:25:00.000-08:00

Ummmmmmmmmm! White chocolate cheesecake with fresh strawberry topping.Ummm, stop me ...must not eat...must give to client.....

2005-03-27T04:23:00.000-08:00

Close up of spring sugar cookies

2005-03-27T04:22:00.000-08:00

Spring has sprung! Well at least in my kitchen.

2005-03-17T15:18:00.000-08:00

Cake topper saved in a bell jar.

2005-03-17T15:17:00.000-08:00

Totally innocent. Done for a recent wedding show.

2005-03-17T15:16:00.000-08:00

Vibrant Packages

2005-02-25T15:43:00.000-08:00

Thank God for Martin. His photos are so much better than mine.

2005-02-25T15:35:00.000-08:00

Rhinestone Ruckus. This cake was for the opening of Manuel's exhibit at the Frist Center Gallery

2005-02-20T04:18:00.000-08:00

Rhinestone Ruckus at the Frist Museum

2005-01-14T15:24:00.000-08:00

Psyco kitty

2005-01-03T05:48:00.000-08:00

Hibiscus close up

2005-01-03T05:47:00.000-08:00

Hawaii here we come

2005-01-03T05:45:00.000-08:00

...and now for some tropical vibes in the cold of January!

2005-01-02T05:53:00.000-08:00

i wonder if they thought this wedding was a gamble?

2005-01-02T05:52:00.000-08:00

Design elements inspired by Collette Peters.

2005-01-02T05:50:00.000-08:00

Birthday cake for a ladies tea at the Hermitage Hotel.

2005-01-02T05:49:00.000-08:00

Snowflakes in the setting sun high atop the city.

2005-01-02T05:48:00.000-08:00

This cake was for April & Jereme.

2005-01-02T05:47:00.000-08:00

December was busy. Here are just some of the cakes I loved.

2004-11-08T08:06:00.000-08:00

Keyla's Suprise Cheesecake

2004-11-08T07:15:00.000-08:00

Hey, it is Music City!

2004-11-08T07:12:00.000-08:00

More Roses

2004-11-08T07:11:00.000-08:00

Close up of Roses

2004-11-08T07:07:00.000-08:00

Pink Quilt with Drapes

Old Pictures

2004-11-08T06:53:00.000-08:00

Since I have no weddings this month, I suppose I should take a little time to post some of my recent cakes.

Why Is This Stuff So Expensive?

2004-11-08T03:55:00.000-08:00

This was originally published in the Tnnessee Wedding & Events Specialists Association Newsletter. Since that time it has been picked up by many cake artists for use in their portfolio, with my permission. By request, I am reposting it here.

Why Is This Stuff So Expensive?

by: Christine Boulton

It’s just a cake, how could it possibly be worth $1000.!!! You can bake a cake at home for a few dollars. What’s the difference? Scale and degree of difficulty are part of it. Work on a well crafted wedding cake can begin weeks in advance. If you are using sugar paste flowers, they are intricately hand crafted, one petal at a time. A highly skilled sugar artist will take great pains to mix colors to reflect the true beauty of nature. Ingredients are scaled and mixed, lots and lots of ingredients. Pounds of sugar, pounds of soft wheat cake flour, many pounds of butter and dozens of fresh eggs. Care must be taken to insure the structural integrity of each layer that it may support not only its own weight, but also the weight of the tiers above it. Special formulas are necessary for the chemistry to work on larger layers. A knowledge of food safety is required. Remember if fresh eggs and dairy products are handled improperly, you run a risk of food poisoning. This requires your baker to have invested in a large amount of refrigeration. At home, you bake and frost one cake. For a wedding cake many tiers must be iced with precision, with special pains taken to insure that each is finished in harmony with the others. Every scallop must be identical, swags must be precisely measured to insure proper placement. All icings must be flawlessly smooth. Your baker also has a basic understanding of structural engineering. 4‘ tall wedding cakes that feed 300 people are not magically held aloft be good intentions. They are built using the same principals as skyscrapers. In building, it is called bearing pile construction. In a cake, it is represented by the wood or plastic stakes in your cake. Your baker knows where to place these “bearing piles” and how many are needed to evenly distribute the weight above. At home, you place your cake on a pretty platter, but what would you do with an 18” cake. Custom cake boards must be either acquired or created. Getting your cake to the reception site is also a process. It must be timed so that it is set up in advance of your guests’ arrival, but not so far in advance that it sits out too long. The delivery person must be equipped to repair any possible mishap that might occur in transit. Once on site, the professional will check the table for stability and level, and be prepared to fix any problem with the table. A true professional has great confidence in their skills, but also remembers that while it may be one of many cakes to them it is an incredibly special, once in a lifetime cake for the bride.

2004-10-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

Harlinsdale Farm
This was today's cake for The city of Frankilin's birthday and to celebrate the purchace of Harlinsdale Farm for use as a passive use park.

2004-10-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Jennifer's Cake

2004-10-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

Groom's cake

Jennifer's wedding

2004-10-24T05:17:00.000-07:00

Well this was a first. I had a bride call me from her reception to tell me how absolutely delicious and beautiful her cakes were. The brides cake was alternating layers of Apple Walnut with cream chees filling and french vanilla cake with heath bar crunch.
The groom chose a whimsy cake in double chocolate with both raspberry jam and raspberry buttercream filling.