debbie does cakes™ and blogs

you asked for it!

2011-03-25T16:05:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to announce I will be teaching my inaugural class on August 8, in Raleigh NC. Hosted by the awesome guys at Swank Cake Design,I'll be teaching my popular realistic teapot cake. For all of you who have asked about classes, please join me in my first foray into the classroom.

http:swankcakedesign.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14&products_id=74

The end is near!

2011-01-02T12:28:00.000-08:00

if you are to believe this truck, and we all know that if it's on a truck it HAS to be true, right? In fact it's "guaranteed!"
There are really only two ways this can play out, either the believers are right , or those of us who believe that, in fact, the world is nearing collapse but it will be a long, slow demise instead.Either way one of us will be right.
All this talk of an apocalypse does make me reflective.....a cake will never avert world collapse, but , I can hope that I have managed to be true to my ideals as an artist and fulfill my goal of always trying to be the "Best Me" I can be.There are many things in life that you have little to no control of.For me, I try always to do my best and to always strive to improve. Because, in the end(whenever that is) that is all there truly is.

Here's a retrospective of my personal favorite projects of 2010, let's do it again next year if we can, if not i'll see some of you later, bring ice!

you want me to wear what??!

2010-11-21T15:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, i'm one of those people who puts clothes on their dog. Apart from the amusement I get from seeing my lil' guy in a mini "snuggie" or pajamas with strategically placed "opening" it does serve a very practical purpose . Contrary to popular belief, California is not all sandy beaches and big sun. Here in Northern California it is chilly more often than not. For a guy who has little to no hair, clothes, regardless of how amusing or humiliating , are a necessity . As he gets older, more and more parts of his body have become off limits. Today we had one of those frustrating contests of wills , culminating in some growls and snaps,and apparently "we" have decided that he will no longer be wearing the snuggie.It reminded me of when we first arrived here, nearly a decade ago, and repeated attempts to send him to bed clad in a warm sweater .We'd always awake to a newly "naked" chihuahua. An apparent clothes Houdini, he is able to wiggle out of everything short of a straight jacket. I'd try an actual straight jacket if it wouldn't result in a disappearing act of my fingers =)! Anyway, all these memories of "naked Bee" made me think of naked cakes.My first installment about these unfinished works was well received so I thought it would be a good time to revisit it.Now, off to turn up the heat!

Tim time!

2010-10-03T19:29:00.000-07:00

I warned early on that this blog would be both in praise of my life with cakes and my bouts of malaise too, admittedly, it may have thus far been a little light in the praise department. Maybe I'm just old or getting lazy in my old age but , forgive my complaint leanings, but 13 hour work days don't leave me much in the mood for celebrating these days.Still, there are some jobs and clients that completely make me forget about the seemingly never-ending days. One such family are the "Z's" Carolyn Z first contacted me a few years ago about making some special airplane cupcakes for her son, Tim. Tim's a pretty special kid with a beautiful smile , who really knows what he likes.He's into planes and Mario, especially the Yoshi and Toad characters. Tim is also autistic.We've never actually met, but I am always treated to wonderful stories and pictures of Tim and his cakes.Words cannot truly express how touched I am that this wonderful family has let my cakes become a tradition in their family.I have never been able to make it through one of their wonderful thank you notes without tears.My work can feel so insignificant at times, but knowing that I have brought joy to someone through my work is a pretty awesome feeling. Tim's annual birthday cake has become as much a tradition for me as it is theirs. So from the bottom of my heart,Thank You!!!!!!...........xo, Debbie

The one's that started it all.....

The first of Tim's Mario themed cakes.........More Mario, the following year featured "Toad"....one of my fave cakes.......

Next up was an homage to Tim's love of planes,Mario (see the tail wing) and his very special service dog Charlie.I mean, of course he's special, he can fly a plane afterall!
This year I was tasked with combining Yoshi, Toad, Charlie and Nerds candy all in one. I love that dog butt =)
how can you NOT love this picture?? Carolyn told me Tim wanted to stare at the cake all night and even wanted to go back downstairs at bedtime to get one more look haha!

Mea culpa....

2010-09-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

........and thirty lashes with a wet fondant noodle.I have been unintentionally neglecting the blog.
Forgive me....it's been really busy.
In August we drove the "cake mobile" (see below)
down to our very first cake show, The ICES convention in In San Diego. I spend so much time sequestered in my shop, it was great to be able to get out and even better to finally meet in the "real world" so many talented cake designers some, I have been fortunate to call friends for years, and some that I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time. I felt like Bigfoot trekking across the forest, often rumored, but rarely seen.It was nice to emerge from my cave if only for a brief time.
When I returned to the lair, it was pretty much hit the ground running.I had no idea how exhausting having time off could be. I think I could learn to adapt.......
Since then a lot has been going on: lots of cake orders and inquiries, a magazine interview for an upcoming feature In "National Geographic Kids" magazine, a small piece in "Modern Dog" magazine and a feature in Italian newspaper La Repubblica.Whew! Here are a few pics of cakes that I have done since I last wrote , San Diego seems so far away now........
how's this for a diverse assemblage of cakes? Plunger cake, anyone?

well, you know my name is Simon

2010-07-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

.......and the things I draw come true.Ah! one of my favorite segments on Captain Kangaroo.If I lost you at Captain Kangaroo, sorry, I'll now be speaking to the old folks here for a little while.
As a child who was so often carried away , metaphorically, by drawing, naturally I was entranced by a little Boy named Simon, who , in fact, did draw things that came to life. I am still enchanted by the power of art and creation.There truly is something magical about envisioning something and seeing it come to fruition. I had this thought when poring through some cake sketches. To see your concept, or even a germ of a concept actually materialize still has the power to amaze me.
I am often asked if I provide sketches, and generally I do not. Because much of what I do is replicating objects in cake, a drawing is both redundant and not a true portrayal of the finished cake. I'm not, in fact Simon and the things I draw don't exactly come true.However, when I am composing a tableau or "scene" if you will, a sketch is often very helpful in envisioning the final product. Many of my sketches are nothing more than speedy scrawl to flesh out placement, or to simply help me envision what my work week will look like.....like this one:
Some sketches are more involved concepts, where I will combine hand sketching with computer graphics to achieve a more professional proposal like this one:then there are the sketches that are never fully realized, but most have the decency to not be aired on national TV..........haha!

Parts is parts

2010-06-15T18:04:00.000-07:00

I can't count how many times I hear someone say how much they love making cakes and how it would be so much "fun" to have a job "playing in sugar".What strikes me about this most is, at the end of a 14 hour day the word "playing" does not enter my lexicon.Working in the custom cake business, is something of a misnomer.Often, it might be days into my work week before I ever touch a cake. I work alone so I need a really big hat rack to store all the hats I have to wear on any given work week. I'm the administration staff, the supply clerk, the public relations person, the accountant , the baker , the delivery driver and finally the cake designer.After all that, sometimes actually getting to focus on actual production can feel like something of a break, at least I'm doing only ONE thing.
So many of my cakes are comprised of multiple components, components that might take me all week or more to craft.So given my already overflowing inbox,why in the world do I often actually introduce even more parts where they were not originally requested? You might call it divine inspiration or sugary masochism , but I'll just call it fun.Yes, fun.Now, don't think that all the "parts" crafting is a sushi picnic at the beach. Some jobs are just that: jobs, unavoidable tasks. However, sometimes I'll get an idea about some element I have positively convinced myself the cake absolutely needs! I'll admit, I usually put far more time into those bonus elements than I have to spare, but most often, it was that little extra that completed the presentation.
Here's a collection of "parts" that I spent waaaay too much time on and didn't care one bit. That leaning tower of dishes can wait just a little while longer.
this fully to scale Big Mac box took me two days alone
in the middle of the night I just "knew" that a Heineken bottle cake needed an oversized coaster and bottle opener!
Ok, I was actually commissioned to make a few figures for the launch of the new Death Jr. Video game, but I got carried away and made a whole slew.When my client ordered a cake replica of her boyfriend's PSP game system, she was perfectly content with just the system , but when all was said and done, it also had a controller, a game cartridge and a taco bell dinner because she mentioned he always has taco bell while gaming.
finally, I'm working on a Molar cake this week and inspiration plus my cursory graphic design skills led me to create the inscription in toothpaste and floss(but hopefully tastier)!

everyday is halloween

2010-05-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

.......or so it might seem if you gauge your seasons by the subjects of your cakes. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of making a Left 4 Dead/ zombie themed cake for one of my very first DDC customers. I relish every opportunity I get to make cakes like that. Bloody body parts, decaying flesh...... I'm getting to live out my FANGORIA fueled dreams.
By now you all know about how a dog encouraged me to start DDC, but I haven't told you how a rat helped shape my business model. Back in 2005 I had first launched my website. Hoping to promote the site, I shopped around for link exchanges. One highly respected, sugar artist generously offered a section of her website as a directory for cake designers across the country. I knew that getting her approval would be equivalent to the Good Housekeeping Seal . I eagerly submitted my site, awaiting her OK.She replied that she loved my work , but she suggested that I remove the "dead rat cake". Now, she was not the first person to express a strong reaction to that cake. Some were disgusted , some intrigued , but all were interested. I realized that it was far more important to me to offer cakes that were above all else "interesting".Against the aforementioned artist's suggestion, I kept the rat. The rat was a symbol to let my potential clients know that nothing was too off beat, too strange.Over time the rat image was replaced by other , newer cakes, but I still get comments about it to this day. A cake that keeps people talking years later? Yep, I think I made the right decision.
Here's the Left 4 dead cake referenced and a nice little compilation of other Halloween/ horror themed cakes including the rat

does size matter?

2010-05-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

..... probably not, still it's something I am fascinated with. Before you get all distracted, of course I'm taking about CAKE size! Like all cake professionals, I spend much of my free time looking at cake "porn" (I've got a theme going on here, huh? ). It's great to see all the wonderful work out there from my peers, but unless you are Cupcake Envy http://cupcakeenvy.com it's not always easy to ascertain a cake's scale. I know many times I have been surprised to find out a cake's true dimensions. Photos can be so deceptive. What I have learned is that Australian and English designers tend to make smaller cakes and, to assuage the American credo of "big is good but bigger is even better" American cake makers tend to craft larger cakes. Scarred by experiences at the old work place, I usually oversize an already outsized cake so servings are never an issue. Determining how many servings a cake will yield is an advanced art all in itself when you don't make round or square cakes.Alas, there is no chart at the ready to provide servings info for , say, a severed head cake.Experience is the only answer to this conundrum .
I thought it might be fun to see a few cakes in context. Thanks to all the people who lent their likenesses for this exercise. These are by no means the largest cakes I have made but are good representations of size
Plus..... it's a good way to show off some goofy photos!.

about that cupcake..........

2010-04-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

When you make cakes that look like everything except cake, it's really hard to convey that in a symbol, or in this case a logo. When I first started DDC I struggled with this. At that time simply stating "sculpted cakes" was often met with quizzical looks and the inevitable "just WHAT is a sculpted cake anyway??" Should I select an image of a cake as my branding? Which one? Baked ham cake? No, I learned from having that image on one of my business cards that that just leads people to ask "Oh you do catering too?" What then? perhaps one of my animal cakes? Then I might get pigeonholed as only making animal cakes (see? "pigeon-holed:animal cakes? get it?)
That wouldn't do either. In fact no single image would accurately convey what I do . Hence the "cupcake" in my logo. Not entirely sold on it OR cupcakes in general (but more about that in a bit) but it'll do. Close but no cigar.Anyway, that cupcake logo has been used on my website, my business cards, my sign and on my first delivery vehicle.
Over time I grew to despise cupcakes. My mission in starting DDC was to offer things you could not get just anywhere. I need not point out that every town has a cupcake shop and every city has many multiples of them. I have been trying to phase out cupcakes for the longest time now because of this plus the fact that they are such a pain in the ass, at least the ones I make. I guess I could just make simple toppers that are cute and decorative but you know I'd never take the easy road.......nope, If there's a way to make something complicated and time consuming I'll find it. Despite finding the production quite tedious, I will (just this one time) admit that it's cool to see lots of little things in groupings. I do love miniature stuff =)
We recently got a second delivery vehicle and again the "cupcake" debate arose again. If I stuck with the logo then I'm stuck with cupcakes, right? Answer is a qualified "yes". As of now I still will take on the occasional cupcake order if , and only if, I think it's something that is unique enough to warrant my doing them vs. a cupcake specialty shop. So here are a few DDC cupcakes/ toppers that I can now admit are some of my faves, you know , now that the memory of the pain of making them has faded.

News of the World

2010-04-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

.....not just a great song by The very awesome group "The Jam" but also an apt title for my life lately.OK, the word "news" might be stretching it a bit, but I have been experiencing a lot of world press the past few months. Those of you who know me , know that I spend much of my life online, so naturally I appreciate any online recognition that I am fortunate to get, but those who have known me for a long time know that I used to be obsessed with magazines and newspapers.
I think I have always been an information junkie.Growing up in a small town there wasn't much to entertain a precocious terror like myself.When I grew tired of watching the 3-5 channels of TV we got, I devoured everything in print.Now, my parents weren't exactly book collectors so my pickings were slim.I may be one of only a handful of people who actually read the World Book Encyclopedia and one of an even smaller group of people who read the dictionary. For. Fun. Yep! a popular kid was I!
Anyway, since the internet has exploded I'm afraid I've done more than my part hammering the final nail in print media's coffin. I just need my information faster these days, New, now, next!
It makes me kind of sad, though. There's nothing like having something of substance to hold on to, the tactile feeling of the glossy page.Here's where I finally get around to the topic.....
much of my latest press has been actually in print, real paper! So, from magazines and newspapers around the world here are a few:
The New york Daily News 1/2 page article!
A fun dutch kids magazine called "7 Days" =)

The Sun UK(Thanks to Christine for posting it to me!)

And I can now die happy..... Just thumbing through the mags at the counter today at wally world and lo and behold! I'm here too! I was asked to be in this mag months ago but I never saw it and actually the copy I found was one from last week. It was kismet, I tell you!Just what every mother dreams of for her child, tabloid trash!

return of the Baylist, this time it's personal!

2010-03-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

So happy to announce that Debbie Does Cakes has been nominated again for Best specialty foods/Desserts In the Bay area on http://baylist.sfgate.com The competition is held every two years and DDC was the 2008 winner. Now we've got to protect the title, haha! If you are so inclined a vote would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

all about a board.......

2010-03-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, Ok, I know I vowed not not be one of those set it and forget it type of bloggers so accept my apologies..........
So, this week, and so many weeks much of what keeps me busy is total immersion in the details.I have been cursed with this need for accuracy. I will go to great lengths to be as accurate as possible. Much of the time this means using a lot more math than I ever thought I'd be using (shoulda' paid more attention in geometry!) scaling projects up or down.I will spend countless hours researching a subject on the internet.Sometimes my quest for realism has me buying beverages that I'd never ever consume (anyone want a 12 pack of root beer?), eating in and out burgers , you know just for reference =) and sometimes, just sometimes I'll show my dedication
by watching a movie just for a glimpse of the scenery or some obscure element in the film. This week I watched a few episodes of "Gilligan's Island" to get a good look at their dining table. Yep, just the table.Now, I'll admit, as sacrifices go, this one was pretty easy. Anyone who knows me, is no doubt familiar with my obsession with television. Now I realize how that is not a particularly cool thing to admit, no erudite person would actually own up to enjoying the "idiot box". I think I'm living proof that this is pure bunk, see me use the word "erudite" above. I credit TV with exposing me to all kinds of things that were not just entertaining but educational. Alas, I digress.
I did in fact get the data I needed from watching the castaways . Bet you thought I was never going to get around to the subject of my blog title, but see? Thanks for sticking with me and my pro TV rant . I set out to create a special cake board or base for my Gilligan themed cake; now that I knew what it looked like I was obligated to faithfully recreate it . Even . If. It. Killed. Me.
I set out to replicate the woven tabletop with bamboo edging.A quarter of the way through, I was asking myself, "What was I thinking???" but it was too late then, I was too invested.
So a cramped hand and a few hours later I had a pretty nice island tabletop.I'd love to say that this is the first time I was so dedicated to a mere cake board but I remembered that I'd been here many times before. To me, nothing is more sad than to go so far to create some intricate sculpture only to have the board bring it back down to "cake", if you know what I mean.Don't get me wrong, I too will use simpler coverings when necessary, sometimes it's the best option but it kills my soul just a wee, little bit.
Here I've compiled some of my more interesting bases, a long overdue spotlight on the lowly cake board.

I ♥ you

2010-02-13T16:51:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest things about cultivating a niche business is not having to do "traditional" holiday cakes. Back in ye olde days, february was a month filled with red icing and pink for the adventurous, heart shaped sequins and cakes. Now, if I say "heart shaped cake " chances are i mean , Heart shaped, as in anatomical.Who is to say that one heart shaped cake fits all anyway? Perhaps your paramour likes zombies? demons? no problem. So, in honor of Valentine's day, I send my love and gratitude to my clients who challenge and inspire me to think outside the heart shaped box. heart decors for a valentine's day wedding

a wedding cake!
nothing says I love you like this character called "gluttony". Honestly, I think it does look valentine's -y , but that might just be me.

I'm big in Sweden!

2010-02-07T10:27:00.000-08:00

....and other tales of how google translate betrays and amuses!

Oh! the WORLD wide web!I'm a very curious person by nature .I think I am often as intrigued by what some inquiries are not saying as what they are.I'm truly fascinated by what makes people do the things they do. In fact, I spend a lot of time pondering this.I do love a mystery.Possibly, I may be the only person under 70 who truly enjoys "Murder She Wrote"!
Well, lately, I had a spate of inquiries with obviously translated text. My curiosity was in overdrive!
I put on my Jessica Fletcher hat (ask your grandma) and set about to solving the case.I was able to ascertain from subtle clues that these requests were coming from Sweden.More emails flooded in.Here's where google translate betrayed and amused, sample text:"my brother is completely inside DJ and DJ stuff and the plate would not even be a stupid cake" .........classic!
Now, before it sounds like I'm judging, I knew what they meant but....I'm thinking of having this printed up on t shirts, that's how much I love it! I have also used online translating tools from time to time and I am certain I provided similar entertainment value.
I finally decided to go right to the source and ask how these emailers were finding out about me. Turns out, I have been featured regularly by this site http://fokis.se/
Mystery solved! Alas, Sweden is a wee bit outside my delivery range. However, if someone wants to fly me there, all offers will be considered. Suddenly I'm in the mood for some Ikea meatballs.......
here are a few pics my new Swedish friends featured ,Tak sa myket! and I do hope I didn't just tell you to "have a nice pickle!"

Why is there a dog on the table?

2010-02-05T19:30:00.000-08:00

.......when I heard this uttered by restaurant patrons in response to a cake I had made I knew I had stumbled upon something.
Some of you may know that I have had a love /hate relationship with cake for a very long time. When I first started doing cakes I looked at it as just a job. Surely this was just a stepping stone on my path to , well something other than cakes. Two decades ago, people were not exactly clambering to become cake decorators. Oh how things have changed! Over the years I tried to get away from cake. I was a muralist, a handbag designer,a sushi chef all with varying degrees of success.Still, there was always a draw pulling me back to cake. It was something I was good at, even if I had burned out on it so many times.Flash forward to 2001. I was preparing to move from my native North Carolina to The San Francisco area.I knew I would need a job and I inevitably heard the siren call of cake again. This time around, I was working in an X-rated bakery (name withheld to protect the less than innocent). I'm a very open minded person , but I'll admit it took a bit of getting used to calling for the baker to add another large c**k to her baking list! When the novelty quickly wore off there I began to grow tired of cake again. The hours were long and the heavy production in a retail bakery were not at all conducive to creativity. Now, before you ask yourself "just HOW creative can you get with c**k cakes??" the answer is a decided VERY, but we did make other cakes as well. My main responsibility at the unnamed bakery was the sculpted cakes. I did my best there but when the clock is ticking and your boss is peering over at you with that "are you going to take all day, time is money!" look ... well, I did my best. When I wasn't getting the look , and when it was slow, my boss would pretty much give me free reign.One of these slow periods coincided with my boyfriend's birthday so I decided to make a cake in the likeness of our dog Pepino. Actually taking the time to do something I loved I could start to see a brighter future with this old frienemy of mine, cake.That night I surprised him with the cake at one of his favorite restaurants. Literally other restaurant patrons wondered aloud why there was a dog on the table.

A few months after that I decided to call a truce with cake . We decided that as long as I did what I enjoyed, on my terms that we could get along.It was that first dog cake that convinced me to leave the bakery and start my own business. Not long afterwards I had my first magazine feature, in not a cake periodical but instead a dog magazine called BARK.
I owe my whole career to dog cakes and I'll forever be grateful to Pepino for the inspiration .
Here are a few of my favorite dog cakes I've made since
Pepino again ! and finally how could I have forgotten this cute guy in a plane? Made for one of my sweetest customers!
Be sure to look out for three great friends of mine Wayne Steinkopf, and Chuck Hamilton of http://swankcakedesign.com assisted by Clara Gold of http://clarasdesignercakes.com as they compete this monday feb.8 on an episode of TLC's "Ultimate Cake Off" called "Top Dog" . Friends, dogs and cake what else could you ask for?

Cakes on a plane!!

2010-01-31T10:28:00.000-08:00

.......or on a train or in a car, no matter how you transport a cake, delivery is always the most stressful part of the job.There's nothing like laboring over a cake for hours or days , even, only to have it damaged in transit.I know there are some cake designers who say they have never had a cake disaster and to that I say either, "congratulations "or,more likely, "bullshit!".Even the most careful driver cannot account for crumbling infrastructure.What you can do though, is try and learn from each experience.Everyone makes mistakes, but the trick is to try to not make the same mistake twice.My first cake delivery disaster was way back in the old days when I was still using buttercream exclusively, a time from here forward I shall refer to as BF (before fondant).I had worked so hard replicating a vintage MG car (wait aren't all MG's vintage? anyhoo....) all systems were go. Then came time for the delivery.If you have not been to San Francisco , likely, you are well aware of the terrain.Long ,90 degree sloping streets make for lovely vistas but are cake delivery nightmares.Creeping along, we inched towards the address , of course situated at the very top of a hill. To make delivering cakes in a big metropolitan area even more exciting, add in the dearth of parking spaces :fun times! So, naturally we had to circle around to find a parking space and had the pleasure of traversing that same geometric nightmare a second time.
Finally, we arrive at the house. Tip: always, always check the cake first before presenting it to your customer! We manage to get the box inside , only to lift the box lid to reveal a nice bit of front end damage. So, it turns out that a cake cannot defy gravity afterall. I must say that my client was so very gracious and told me that the birthday boy had actually crashed the car and damaged that very same front end. Regardless of her, her good nature, I was crestfallen.Even if the cake will be destroyed as a natural part of it's life cycle, it's my responsibility to deliver an intact cake.I returned her money despite her objections and went home to do some serious soul searching.Was I cut out for this job? Did I suck? I let myself wallow in cake induced misery for a while then I set about trying to learn from my mistakes.
1• always refrigerate a cake when possible, it makes the cake more sturdy for transport
2•try to have detailed delivery instructions , keeping in mind the terrain
3•never, ever present a cake without inspecting it first
I now had my own post traumatic stress trigger: car cakes! Now, subjected to such circumstances any cake would have been challenged , but it wasn't any cake it was a car.For the longest time I could not shake this thought.Over time however car cakes have become the cake deliveries I worry about least..Making them is an entirely different story! So, in light of this cake life lesson and because this week happened to be car cake week at DDC here are a few of the many that prove you can successfully get back on the horse (or car whichever the case may be).
Delorean from Back to the future Herbie the Love bug!Smart car.... woulda' had no parking issues with this one, but it would have had to have been a cupcake delivery!Karman Ghia , very similar to the MG, whose pic BTW was deleted from my camera (it was cursed I tell you!)

I lobster and never flounder

2010-01-23T15:07:00.000-08:00

If you got that reference, my condolences, either you're from the South or your entire record collection came with an "as seen on tv" sticker.For those of you who aren't familiar with the reference, search for Pinkard and Bowden on youtube. You'll thank (?) me later. But , I digress,this is not at all a post about semi obscure novelty musical acts, but a post about food cakes! I mentioned earlier how much I adore making cakes that look like other foods. One of my projects this week was a pair of lobsters.Clutching claws, the inscription read "With this claw, I thee wed", so clever. So , inspired by this week's latest food cake, I will take this opportunity to share some of my favorite , what my friend Mel calls "sneaky food cakes".
close up view of Mr. Lobster
My first "food cake' ,it's buttercream, back in the old days. I used to feature this on one of my business cards, prompting many to ask "Oh, you do catering too?" love that.
here's another buttercream one, and one of my faves. This roast beef was super convincing in the fridge. A fun one was the carnival foods cake:

steak cake, well seasoned

fried eggs and bacon......

Was super excited about the Big Mac cake but even more excited about the to scale box, honestly the box alone took me two days, it sure was fun though.

I almost forgot this one: a platter of exotic fruits, including the much maligned durian..... thankfully this one smelled much nicer than the real thing!

Airbrushing Naked

2010-01-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

.......naked cakes that is. That's my name for cakes that are awaiting airbrushing.If you know my work, you know that I airbrush everything, EVERYTHING.
I've been interested in airbrushing since the 80's. Many of you also know that I have had absolutely no formal cake training, but you may not know that I have also never had any airbrush classes, but I came close. In 1986, I think it was, I actually enrolled in an airbrush course but surprisingly it was closed due to low enrollment. I don't know why, maybe everybody who might have been interested was already set up on their street corners with their t-shirt airbrushing booths. Don't knock it, when this cake thing dies out I might be hanging my custom t shirt shingle out too, anyone up for a Lady Gaga portrait t ?
Anyway, while I am still making cakes, I thought it might be fun to have a look at some "naked" cakes and the finished product. in my opinion, there is no technique that has the ability to add more "life" to your work. Oh and technical queries?? I use Iwata airbrushes exclusively (hear that plug Iwata???) specifically, the Iwata Hp-B plus double action airbrush.
Oh yeah and I have so unartfully edited out my junk in the backgrounds because I'd rather you see me actually airbrushing naked than have you see my kitchen mess.

I don't get out much

2010-01-01T16:21:00.000-08:00

I can still clearly remember, 4 years ago thinking, "Wow, now that I work for myself, I'll have lots of time to go places and do fun stuff!" um....... what was I smoking???? Oh, if only I could credit some delusion inducing drug on my naivete.... As those of you with your own businesses already know , it's nearly impossible to leave work. Sure, you may go home, but in this age of smart phones, you're never really "clocked out".
These days I find myself immersed in research for the latest cake project, and sometimes my personal interests intersect. Thank goodness for this , because I feel so sequestered sometimes, my only exposure to new things often comes from cake orders. When I had time to do fun things, I was quite the collector.I love to see things in multiples. Everything looks better in groups, I think.I guess I have always been a collector . Since childhood I have obsessed over one thing or another from miniatures to smurfs. I later moved on to vintage lunchboxes and my most recent love is urban vinyl and designer plush. But, again, I don't get out much anymore, ha ha! So, I was extra excited about my newest cake because it is a character called Tare Panda. Tare in japanese means lazy, so Tare Panda is a somewhat deflated, droopy panda who moves around via rolling. What's not to love? My client also wanted to incorporate the birthday girl's love of rock climbing too, so Hey, it sounds antithetical to me , but one rock climbing lazy panda, coming up!
So here's a glimpse at my lunch box collection, plush toys and the cake that reminded me that there's more to life than cake. Hush my mouth!

I have a BLOG????!

2009-12-30T10:21:00.000-08:00

Ha ha, OK, I am notorious for getting these grand ideas and then completely forgetting about them. One of those, apparently ,was starting a blog, ha ha!
So now that I have "rediscovered" this, let's see this thing through now, OK?

Over the years I have been very fortunate to be featured on many online newspapers and magazines (LA Times, USA Today, CNN .com, SFGATE, Brides.com, etc...) but it seems like every other day I'm featured on someone's blog. Now, many of them are blogs that might be seen by a handful of people (you know like this one, ha ha!) but a few stand out. Here's a spotlight and a big Thank YOU to the blogs that featured me and brought me attention and amusement. I really appreciate it!!

First up is Cake wrecks . Now normally this would not be a badge of honor.I was fortunate enough to be seen on their "good" day, Sunday, in the Sunday Sweets a few times, but
no appearance garnered more attention than the brief mention of my uterus cake. In actuality the image did not even appear on the site, just a reference to it and a link to the image on flickr. To date it is my most viewed cake ever at 70, 605 views. Insane. I don't think it's the strangest thing I have ever done, but I s'pose you don't see reproductive organs in cake everyday, well, at least not that one, lol!

The next site I want to mention is Great White Snark. Somewhere along the way I became a favorite cake maker to legions of geeks in the Bay area. Ok, so I admit, it's probably a good fit, since I am a geek myself. I've just come to terms with this. So Thanks GWS, for bringing me lots of orders for all things geeky. Here's my latest appearance:

Next up I wanted to mention meat cakes!those of you who already know me, know that I adore cakes that resemble food and especially those that look like meat! This summer I was featured on Slashfood in an article about bacon. Ok, just say that out loud "I was mentioned in an article about bacon" never thought I would have a chance to say that and wouldn't my parents be proud??

Another cake that got a lot of attention was my Hello Kitty Zombie cake, more meat cakes? Maybe decaying meat? Meat / flesh what's the diff? So thanks to Boing Boing for this feature:
note: I LOVE that one of the tags they have given it is "happy mutants" did I mention I love you Boing Boing??

Lastly I wanted to post a blog appearance not because they said lovely things about me, because I don't read kanji, but because I love all things Japanese and seeing my work interspersed with the characters looks like art to me so, domo arigato, gozaimasu Japanese blogger!
So that's it, first blog post done. I'm sure I did something goofy, so bear with me. I'll try to learn the ropes fast. In future posts I'll post Debbie Does Cakes news, bitch a little and in general talk about , what else? cake and my love hate relationship with it. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll visit me again.
Thanks!
Deb