Top Ten Cakes of 2016!!!

And here we are again, at the end of another year. 2016 was tough, and I faced many diffcult obstacles, with work going up and down, my health, and some personal issues. But I still got up everyday, faced it, and dealt with it, as best that I could, so I could turn the page.

It was still an exciting year with lots of beautiful and big cakes, that I am so very proud of. My trip to the States in the first quarter of 2016, saw me teach my very first class in New York. Then, I went to Indonesia to teach another class, and that was challenging with 8 students with different levels of experience. I'm not sure I am cut out to be a teacher full-time, but once I see all the results from the students, maybe, just maybe, I could do it all again. 

One of the highlights of my year, was meeting The Cake Boss aka Buddy Valastro here in KL! My dear cake buddy, Su from Delectable, helped with setting up the meeting and from there, it spiralled into 3 radio shows with the HitzFM Morning Crew! I woke up one morning, and the next thing I know, I'm on the radio with Buddy, head to head in a Baker's showdown! It was a lot of fun!

I also turned 40 this year, and although I don't really feel (or act) my age, it's makes one wonder, how earth did I get to 40, so quickly?? Time to step up the pace and get moving!!
Miss Shortcakes is ready for bigger and better things! My humble studio is getting quite cramped, and it's time to move to bigger a premises. 2017, let's see what's in store for me. 

So here are my Top Ten Cakes of 2016!

10. Travel the World
Featuring hand cut 2D buildings of the homes of Amsterdam, Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Statue of Liberty. And on the top of the cake, a tram from the streets of San Francisco. All the favourite cities of the birthday girl.

9. Datin Seri Rosmah's Birthday 
When I was asked to make this cake, I had plenty of mixed reactions from everyone. But hey it's still an honour, and to be presenting a grand birthday cake to the Prime Minister's wife! This was a massive 3 tiered cake, weighing in over 20 kg's. 

8. Tun Siti Hasmah's 90th Birthday
To be honest, I didn't know this cake was for Tun Siti Hasmah, until about 3 or 4 days before the event. And what an honour it was, to be apart of this momentous occasion. Tun Siti also launched her biography titled, "My Name is Hasmah", on that same day. My cake was featured in various newspapers and magazines, and all over social media. 

7. Sultan of Pahang's 86th Birthday
This cake was ordered literally 5 days before the event, on a Thursday afternoon!! I had a full weekend of cakes and the pressure was ON. I could not say, no to this client. So I came up with an alternative cake design, and managed to deliver it on time, and up to the Miss Shortcakes standard. Everyone was happy. I was happy. :)

6. Royal Blue and Gold
One of the many royal wedding cakes that I did in 2016, for the Pahang Royals. The top and bottom tiers were both fruit cakes, making it really top heavy and bottom heavy. That blue, was not easy to replicate and we kneaded 15 kg's of fondant by hand to get the colour right. The bottom tier was stencilled with an ornate damask print, then we painted the gold on by hand, section by section. All the crystals were from Swarovski. 

5.Yellow and Silver 
Still one of my favourite weddings of all time. From the moment, I stepped foot into the vicinity of the ballroom, I was moved. The decor was so beautifully done, from the colours, to the flowers, to the crystal vases, the stage, it was all majestic. And my cake, MY CAKE.....it fit right into the whole night perfectly. Decor by Rizalman, Glam Weddings. 

4. Purple Peonies
It took 2 weeks to make all the peonies that were on this cake. Each petal was cut individually, thinned out, veined, then curled and left to dry on trays. Then 2 more days, to tape them all up into full blooms, and finally another full day of petal dusting. The shades of purple made this cake very regal, and "POP" with vibrancy. It was shared over 700 times, and had 3K likes on my Facebook page! My cake buddy, Shawna McGreevy shared it on her page, and it went mental!! Thanks so much, Shawna! xx 

3. Agong's 89th Birthday 
One of the Agong's birthday celebrations, was held on my 40th birthday, 7.12.2016. This was the first time, my cake has been presented to the King of Malaysia. So this was a real treat for me! I couldn't be prouder! The top tier features the State of Kedah's Royal Crest.

2. Poo cake
Where do I begin with this one?!! This was a "retaliation cake", to put it quite simply. The boys from the Morning Crew at Hitzfm rang me one morning, pretending to be customer. It grew into quite a difficult conversation, and really unusual, so I got, Jasmine to record it for me. When the call was revealed that it was a "Gotcha" prank call, I vowed that I would get them back. Oh, and boy did I pull through. 
It hit me the next day, that I SHOULD actually make the Poo cake, that they wanted to order. With my brother's advice, I texted the producer, Basil and he LOVED the idea. We decided that I should come into the studio with the Poo cake, and make RD (the Gotcha caller), eat it. Oh, it was the perfect plan. 

I got to work on the cake, and I made the poop, THE most realistic dog poop, ever. I had so much fun making the cake, and we also managed to film me putting it all together. Hopefully the full video footage will be out soon the Hitzfm website. 

1. Mah Sing's 60th Birthday
When I got this brief, I was somewhat daunted by this task. I had 4 days to construct this cake from scratch. I printed out all the projects completed by the Mah Sing group, and laid them out in front of me. I studied them for hours, trying to work out which developments could translate onto this cake. And then I had to work out, how I was going to create them with fondant. My head was in serious pain. But in the end, with 2 extra pairs of hands, we pulled through and this cake was born. I am quite proud of the level of workmanship that went onto this cake. Every detail on this cake was pretty accurate and I couldn't have done it without the commitment and passion given by my staff.

And there it is, my Top Ten Cakes of 2016! 

This year, I will try to update my blog a little bit more, and also upload the pictures from my classes and travels abroad. I have yet to complete the class posts from 2015! Eeeps!! *facepalm

Meanwhile, do drop me a note if you want to say hey! I'd love to hear from you! See you next time!

xx Miss Shortcakes

Choosing a Wedding Cake

Everyone often thinks, "It's just a cake. Why do I have to spend so much on something we are going to eat, anyway?"

Let me tell you that it's not just cake, but it's a statement. The wedding cake is just as big as a statement, as choosing the right gown on your wedding day. It's part of the wedding ceremony, where the bride and groom cut the cake, and feed each other a piece of the cake, as husband and wife. This provides endless photo opportunities for the photographer on the day, and having a beautifully executed cake, that match the details, makes the day complete.

A good timeline to give yourself when choosing a wedding cake, is a minimum of 6 - 8 months prior to the wedding. This will give ample time for yourself, and the cake designer to bounce around ideas and to start planning. Some items may need to be ordered from overseas, or if there are any changes to colours or themes, this timeline is realistic enough to make any necessary adjustments.

Most cake designers are booked well ahead of time, so it's always best to get in as early as possible. Once, I got a phone call for a wedding cake for 300 people on a Thursday afternoon, and the wedding was for that Saturday! I was in utter disbelief, especially when the person over the phone could ask me, "How long does it take to make a cake?!" 

Ahem. For 300 people? Sure, let me see what I have in the back. 

Riiiiight.

Always browse through the portfolio of your cake designer. This will give you an idea of what his or her style is like. You may be after something clean and simple, or romantic and vintage, or traditional and conservative. Most designers these days are willing to replicate a photo, but it will never be exactly the same as the original. Always choose your cake designer for their style, because this will ensure that your cake will illustrate, what they do best.

Top left : Photo courtesy of Mint Events, Bottom left:  Photo courtesy of McKay Photography

Once you have selected the designer, then it's onto the design requirements. The first place to start is how many portions you would like the cake to feed. Do you want it simply for photographs, or would you like each and every guest to have slice of cake? If it's just for photos, then more often than not, you can opt for styrofoam tiers. The bottom tier will be the edible cake, and the rest in sytrofoam. Your guests will not even know the difference. As for cost-wise, it will work out to be slightly less expensive. But having said that, the decorations on the outside still remain the same, which is where most of the time is spent. 


Some brides like to match their dress to their cake, and providing swatches of the fabric and photos of the dress, help the designer recreate it, as close to as possible. From gorgeous ivories to pearl whites, lace work to embroidery, these days almost everything can be replicated into icing and cake. 

I did a Steampunk Wedding cake a few years ago in Sydney. Steampunk was an exciting era of new inventions, corsets, metals, and strong bold colours. What could be more fitting than a cake in rich red, gold, bronze and copper?

Top left: Photo courtesy of Everylastdetail.com, bottom left : photo courtesy of Etsy.com, Steampunk cake by Miss Shortcakes

Left : Photo courtesy of Brides of Adelaide and Cake by Miss Shortcakes

Left photo courtesy of Wedding Inspirasi , dress by Vera Wang, Cake by Miss Shortcakes

Wedding flowers and invitations are also elements which can appear on the wedding cake.  It's best to match the wedding flowers with the sugar flowers or fresh flowers used on the wedding cake. Continuity is key. And also ribbons or textures that were used on the invitations, can be added onto the cake. It's the smallest details that make all the difference.

Here are 2 cakes which were derived from the Wedding Invitations

Some couples also like to customize their wedding cake, in a more personal manner. Below is an example of a personalized wedding cake. The bride was Chinese and the Groom was German. Hence the use of the Chinese lacquer box and German-themed travel stickers on the luggage. Both of them loved to travel and have lived in many places all over the world. 

The most important thing to remember when choosing a wedding cake is, to ask yourself, "Does it suit the theme of the night?". You may like to get a cake with red roses and black detailing, but if your wedding is filled entirely with blush pink and ivory, the cake would look out of place. So in this case, perhaps you can keep the same details of the cake, but change the colours instead. Easy peasy.

A reasonable-sized budget is also a good idea when planning for a wedding cake. As cake designers become more and more skilled at producing extraordinary cakes, the price tag may seem steep. But don't forget, it takes days of preparation and production, some times, weeks, just to execute the cake from baking to final product. The hours and hours of consultation and follow-up's before the baking starts should also be accounted for. 

And finally, have fun with it. Choosing the right wedding cake should be the most enjoyable task of all. At the very end of the night, there's a delicious wedding cake to be devoured! 


Thanks for reading x 

Do stop by my Facebook page for more updates here www.facebook.com/msshortcakes

   

My Top Ten Cakes of 2013!

It's the end of 2013 and I've had an absolutely fantabulous year!! I can't believe how fast time has flown and the amazing opportunities I've experienced this year.
 
So to finish off the year, I thought, I'd put together my Top Ten Cakes for 2013. Or shall I do a Top Twenty? 

Damn. 

It'll be so hard to choose.

The cakes will be selected on a number of key factors. 

First up, design and execution. Loads of times, I have sketched up cakes that look great on paper, but once they translate into cake, it may or may not work. Did it answer the client's brief? And how well did I execute this idea into cake. This will be my first criteria.

Secondly, creativity. Of course the most important part of my job is designing a cake. I get loads of enquiries from clients who have no clue what they want. It is then my job to help them break it down into important factors that they must have on the cake. A lot of my clients leave the design completely up to me, and I love that. I get to go nuts. 

And finally, I will give the general public a vote in this too - via my Facebook page updates and Instagram updates. The most "liked" photos will have a fair go, in my Top 10 list.

So without further a due...
 

Entering at Number 10.... *drum roll please*

10. The Gentlemen's Cake

This cake was designed by Mint Events for a little boy turning one. I love the sophisticated colour palette of powder blue, taupe, grey and brown. A great example of a sketch that translated beautifully into a cake. It was the first cake I produced for a Mint Event party, and a beginning to many more great cakes.

9. The Black Widow

The black lace work was inspired by sugar artist Kelvin Chua and I extended his design into a 3 tiered cake, accented with large, deep red sugar roses. One of my most popular posts on Instagram and FB.

 

8. Turkish Nights

The birthday girl had an amazing trip to Turkey a few months before her birthday. Therefore, her birthday party had to have a Turkish theme, of course! I came up with a bright and bold cake, based on Turkish textiles and ceramic ware, and the Hand of Fatima.

7. The Singer Patchwork Cake

The patchwork panels were all hand-cut and stitched with a stitching wheel. Then the "fabric" artwork was hand-painted with food colouring. It took approximately 5 hours. Not recommended for the faint hearted :) This cake drew the most attention on Instagram and FB! 

6. The Lion King Cake

Based on a 2 tiered cake, by Peggy Does Cake
My version features a different African Sunset tier, with silhouettes of the Lion King characters. I also add an extra tier with black and white zebra stripes. I loved how this cake came together in the end, and the colours on the African Sunset were absolutely spot on. 

 

5.  Slumber Party

A fun and girly cake to make for a special girl, celebrating her birthday with a Slumber Party theme. The pink and white theme really suited the design and all the little details made it SUPER cute! Loads of Instagram love for this cake, too!

 

 4. Monsters Inc. "Mike"

This year had a few cakes with BIG toppers. This Mike Wazowski was just one of them. His expression on his face was priceless. With sis arms and hands up in the air, it just accentuated the "scare" factor, and I loved how it brought the entire cake to life! Super fun to make!

3. The Royal Byzantine

Holding a very special place in my heart, is the 6 tier, Royal Byzantine Cake, at number 3. It has deep blue icing, accented with antique gold scrolls, gold pearls, white quilting and dozens and dozens of sugar roses. I spent a good 3 weeks, making the roses and another 3 days, completing the entire cake by myself. It was then transported to Kuantan, which is about 3 hours away by car, from my home studio.

 

2. Two Peas In A Pod

I've faced many challenges in my career as a cake decorator, but not ONCE have I wanted to throw in the towel, and accept defeat. When I was asked to come up with a cake for this party, the client left it all up to me. I selected this theme. I came up with the design. I decided on the size of the cake. It was all MY IDEA. 

Two days before the event, this cake was about to be thrown into the bin. I almost scrapped the 3D idea, and was about to bake more cakes to produce a 2 tier cake.I was extremely frustrated with the sculpting and structure.

So what did I do? I put it away in the fridge. Cleaned up. Left the kitchen. Went to get a beer with my friends. Best decision ever.

The next morning, I faced the cake again, and fixed it. In the end, I loved how cute the cake turned out, and I loved everything about it. Yes, it caused me MANY sleepless nights, and yes, I got it to the venue, in tact.

 

And the Number 1 cake for 2013 is the Mad Scientist Cake!

I don't think this cake needs any explaination as to why it's number one! It's one craa-a-a-a-a-az-y cake!!  I had so much fun making it, and hearing how many people got grossed out at the brains, made it even more worthwhile! 

I've spent 2 days writing this post because it was too difficult choosing only 10 cakes from my archives. I'm going to do a sneaky one and slot in one more photo. 


Just one more. Let's call it the Wild Card.

Gold Gift Box Tower

Apologies for the bad photo, but this was the best photo I took on the day. I absolutely adore this cake for it's elegance and quirkiness, if I may. Every box featured a different texture and technique and I played with different shades of gold. It took almost an entire month of planning, alongside a similar wedding cake, but in squares instead. I still get people talking about this wedding cake, almost 11 months after I had made it! 

If I could do this cake all over again....I definitely would! LOVE.

And there you have it. My top 10 cakes for 2013. I hope to create more interesting and fantastic cakes in 2014 and on a much larger scale too!

Here's to more cakey adventures and for a bigger and brighter future! Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading! xx

A Heck of a Month!

September 2013. The busiest month for me in KL, so far! The cakes have just been flying out of my little home studio and I haven't had a single day off in over 2 months! 

Lots of exciting things have been happening as well this month with a photoshoot for a lifestyle magazine, plus a video which I'm very excited about :)

I thought I'd put together a collage of all the crazy and beautiful cakes, I've made last month. Hope you like them!

I had quite a few 3D cakes, all different from each other. There was a Minion for a one year old, a stuffed dinosaur who had lots of clothes, an Iron man head, and a stage cake for a little girl who loved Selena Gomez. 

The ever popular Candy Crush game was also a fun cake! It took me 3 hours to make all those little candy! And to top it off, when I was done, a turntable from the shelf above my workstation, suddenly falls over, and crushes my tray of candy! Hahaha! True story!

I also had lots of cakes with beautiful sugar flowers and various motifs from lace and lattice to floral and chevron. I love making sugar flowers and wedding cakes, and last month, I made quite a few lovely ones :)

One of the more exciting cakes I made, was with a Camo stroller, gold studs and black patent. It was for KL's shoe and clutch specialist, Ung Yiu Lin. Her hubby surprised her with this cake and he wanted it to be personalised with all the things she loves- a baby on the way, shoes, gold studs, camoflauge, and clutches. And by all means, was there to be NO PINK!

Another fun project I had was with Mint Events again, and this time it was for a Slumber party-themed, birthday party. It had to be pink, a bed filled with little girls, plus all the bedroom accessories. So I created a white wood-grained bed, covered with a pink polka dotted blanket, with 7 little girls having a sleep over. There was cake, macarons, and a plate of chocolate biscuits too. Very cute!! 

So there you have it, after working away non-stop during the Royal Wedding Cake month of August, it was even crazier in September! 

And last but not least, here's the magazine clipping from my Halloween feature in the Expatriate Lifestyle magazine October 2013 edition. 

Let's see what October has in store for me ;) 

Thanks for reading!

For all my latest posts or to see more pics of my cake creations, log onto
Miss Shortcakes on FB.

xx Jessica