16 Virtues of Confections

2011-05-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

Style Me Pretty Storyboard Contest

2009-11-29T15:19:00.001-08:00

Hello,

I wanted to thank the amazing photographer Agnes Lopez and Event/Set Designer Liza Chung for inviting me to take part in a story board inspiration project for the blog, Style Me Pretty, a few weeks ago.

Here is a photo of the cake I created for the shoot, which was a winter theme.

Best

By the sea...

2009-10-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Here is a beach themed cake inspired by the Cake Girls from Chicago. The bride brought the concept to me to go with there wedding reception location in Daytona Beach.

Each tier is actually two cakes of the same size stacked on top of one another to create that extra tall look. All the sea shells are made from silicone molds and fondant.

I like the idea of taking a central theme and then working out from it, rather than just sticking things all over the place, which usually makes the cake look too busy.

Warm Regards

You've Got Mail!!

2009-10-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Here are some of the letters/notes that I have gotten this year about cakes I was privileged to have brides commission me to create for them.

I really love to get feed back about my cakes and love it when I hear that all that hard work paid off with a happy bride on her wedding day.

Destination Wedding Cake

2009-10-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This cake was designed over the phone and through emails with a bride from New England. She flew in and out one weekend and was able to hold a tasting, which lead with one of the best taste combinations: A chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream and dark chocolate ganache....HEAVEN!

All the flowers were hand crafted, inspired by the bride's bouquet.

Kind Regards

DIY

2009-10-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Here is a cake that was designed by the groom. The couple had a specific idea, sketch and topper, already picked out. This was a huge cake with a 16 inch base, because of mixing square and round tiers. The inspiration was the bride's wedding dress which featured the champagne colored strands of fabric in this pattern. The middle tier had a bejeweled base done in pearl, inspired by the waist decor of her dress.

Kind Regards

Cute Topper!

2009-10-18T18:15:00.000-07:00

Hi,

This weekend I was commissioned to create a wedding cake for a lovely couple who had definite ideas of what they wanted their cake to be: Topper, blue bands, quilted, and pearls! FLOWERS, TOO!

I have to admit that I first thought that it was a bit too much going on for the cake, but naturally, we serve the tastes of the client.

I have to be frank and say that I was wrong and they were right!

The cake itself was a yellow butter cake with alternating tiers of cookies and cream and wild strawberry.

The hydrangeas were white and then I dusted them with a light pastel blue. I do not like solid colored flowers, they look fake, there should always be a gradation of colors, as in nature.

I also liked the topper. Here I had to change one request of the couple who wanted to have the topper on the second tier rather than on the top, but it would not have fit on the small ledge, so I placed it on top of the cake.

Best

Demask Decor

2009-10-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Sorry for not posting in a while. I have many new cakes to post about, but lets start with this one!

I created this cake for a bride who wanted to feature a key design of her wedding reception. I created a series of designs based off of demask. Each tier has a central motif that then repeats itself as it goes around the cake.

I really like the effect of black on white, it's very popular now, and with good reason!

Kind Regards

Rounds and Squares

2009-08-30T17:55:00.001-07:00

Hi,

I especially liked this cake, from consult with the bride and family, all the way to getting a very kind letter expressing her thanks for the experience of working with Etiquette of Chocolate.

This design was actually inspired by the groomsmen's cummerbunds!!

Taking the colors, shades of green and pink, and creating custom stencils to mimic the shapes found in the fabric design, I developed this decor.

The differing shapes of the cake tiers dictated the size of each one. When mixing squares and round tiers, you always have to take into account of the size, so that a square tier's corners doesn't go over the edge of the tier beneath it.

Best

Sometimes BIG is enough!

2009-08-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This cake was created for a high school classmate of mine, who had their reception at White Room in St. Augustine, one of the best reception sites in Northeast Florida.

The drama of this cake is it's sheer size, being five tiers tall, weighing as much as a medium sized child!

A bit of unwelcome drama concerned a cake stand which they wanted to place the cake atop of.

I, as a rule, do not like cake stands, because I think mainly because the stand usually bears no relation to the design of the cake. It's a bit too old fashioned a concept.

All of our cakes are built atop a board of masonite, which is covered in the same fondant as the cake and then wrapped with a complementary ribbon around the edge, leaving the cake to be the star.

The stand that was dropped off the day before the wedding wasn't level! When you set it down, not all four legs touched the table. The idea of placing a FIVE TIER cake atop this three legged table still gives me nightmares!

Happily, I was able to not have to use the stand, reaching the bride's sister in time to not have to tempt disaster.

Another key element was the use of real ribbon around the base of the cake tiers, which I used to be against, but have grown to like for those bride's who are very particular about getting the colors, exact.

Best

Cake and Cupcakes

2009-08-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

Hi,

One popular option many brides are doing now is the whole cupcake craze, started I think by Magnolia Bakery in NYC of Sex and the City fame.

The bride did what I think is the best option, combining a small presentation cake with cupcakes.

A wedding without some sort of presentation cake is very boring to me.

Cakes provide a touch of pizazz!

Coming to a Magazine near you...

2009-08-30T17:35:00.000-07:00

Hello,

One of my favorite cakes of the summer was this cake which was the subject of my last post before disappearing to work on the opening of the bakery.

I have included some close-ups of the flowers.

Soon, this cake will appear in a wedding magazine, which I will post about once it happens.

Enjoy!

Poker Cake

2009-08-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This poker cake was commissioned as a Birthday Celebration for a customer's boyfriend. She brought in a sample photo from a cake designer in England. The actual cake is a 14 inch square.

The playing cards on the top of the cake were hand drawn on sugar-crafted cards that I made and then inked with a food safe pen. I left the images in black and white, because I wanted the client to be able to have the cards as a keep sake and colors would fade after a while on the mantle top.

The poker chips were made with two circle cutters and a knife to make indentions around the rim of the coins.

Enjoy!

Back in the Saddle AGAIN!

2009-08-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I'm glad to be back posting on my blog after an absence as I opened up my business as a full-time bakery and eatery called "Love and Laughter Bakery & Eatery." But I am keeping Etiquette of Chocolate the same, after all it's the same business with the owner, just Up-Sized!

I will be posting throughout the week with many of the cakes that were completed during the build-out.

Best

Recent Cake

2009-06-21T18:03:00.001-07:00

Hello,

I recently created a cake for a very discerning bride, Sarah, whose wedding was June 6 and held her reception at the University Club.

While my own camera has issues (why I haven't put on new photos!), I am immensely lucky to have one of my cakes photographed by a talented local photographer, Scarlett Lillian.

I think the photos speak volumes about her talent...and how great the cake turned out!

It was a five tier, ivory fondant covered cake with a bejeweled belt in gold and jewel tones on the third tier. In addition, I added bejeweled sugar blossoms of poppies and a new rose I am developing.

I am in the process of opening up a Bakery and Eatery in my current location, no worries, Etiquette of Chocolate isn't going anywhere! Just expanding our horizons!

Updates Soon! I promise!!

Kind Regards

Who won?

2009-04-14T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I blogged about a contest for St. Judes Hospital that I took part in at the beginning of the year! I never posted about it until now because I have been way too busy. Here is the results:

I did not win, but got great compliments from the Head Judge about the flavor of my cake. I think that my style/vision just was too different to from all the other contestants!

The inspiration of my cake was "PEANUTS." The cause for the event, plus the idea of what makes a marriage work, lead me to use 'PEANUTS' characters and the virtues that they represent to create my cake. I have included both a photo of my cake, the winning cake, some of the other cakes that were presented.

The photos are from: www.steamykitchen.com

Best

Marisa and Levi's Wedding

2009-04-14T18:13:00.001-07:00

Hello!

I apologize for not posting in a LONG time, I have been busy planning an exciting venture for Etiquette of Chocolate and look forward to posting TONS about in the very near future!

But, before that, I wanted to start posting some of the weddings I have done thus far this year.

One of the best couples to work with, Marisa and Levi, but married at the White Room earlier this year, and were a great couple to work with, both are have designer backgrounds, so their tastes were very much on point and particular.

The theme of the wedding was Honey, Nuts, and Oaths, playing off of an amazing Invitation that Marisa and Co. put together with her being a squirrel and Levi being a bear that told the story of their meeting, love affair, and marriage!! I think she should be an invite designer, for sure!

The cake itself was a play off of one of our designs, "Lily." The fondant itself was colored 'gooseberry' with a chocolate brown stenciled tree crawling up the front of the cake with dogwood appliques, golden bejeweled chestnuts, golden leaves, and an amazing ceramic cake topper of a bear and a squirrel bride and groom.

I really recommend brides looking at this type of design, when planning on doing something unique with their cake. The cake should be an expression of who the both of you are. But the great thing is that you can take an established design and tweak it to your own desires.

I am sure this wedding is going to be in some magazines and blogs in the near future and I am very happy to have been a part of it!

Warm Regards,

J

Greatest Love Song/Movie/Musical of All Time!

2009-02-23T16:24:00.001-08:00

Still the Greatest Love Song of All Time!

Let's Eat Cake Fundraiser this Tuesday!

2009-02-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

Hello,

I wanted to let everyone know that I will be competing this Tuesday in a special fundraiser, Let's Eat Cake, for St. Jude's Research Hospital. The special guest judge is Kerry Vincent, the head judge for all of the Food Network Cake Challenges!!!

Should be a pretty exciting time for a very good cause.

Check it out if you can and visit their blog: www.letseatcakefundraiser.com for information on how you can support this!

Best

Birthday to a Great Person!

2009-02-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Yesterday I was able to make a birthday cake for one of my family's best friends, Tavi 'PaPa' Garces, who turned 90, but keeps on living life to the fullest!

I can only hope that when I turn 90 I will have as many family and friends celebrating my life and still have the wits to enjoy it!

2009-02-04T16:20:00.001-08:00

We are happy to announce that Etiquette of Chocolate has just recently been awarded the 2009 Bride's Choice Awards from WeddingWire, a website that gathers up reviews by brides of the vendors they have used. This award is for the top 3% of all vendors!

Chocolates of the World

2009-02-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

Hello,

This weekend I had the honor of partnering with Dennis Chan, chef/owner of Blue Bamboo Restaurant for the IVCJ's Chocolates of the World event, held at the Marriot Sawgrass. It is a great organization that promotes the meeting of people from all over the world! Thank you for helping out Lucy, too!

Dennis and I created over 250 servings of our dessert: Trio of Cakes! The cake was a chocolate cake with three different styles of buttercream, Asian-inspired: Cherry Blossom, Tahitian Vanilla Bean, and Passion Fruit.

Congrats go out to Mai Oui Gourmet for winning! I'll be back next year to give them run for their money, for sure!

Wedding Cake

2009-02-01T17:00:00.001-08:00

Hello,

This cake was created based upon, what is appearing to be the most popular design, "Eve."

The cake is a Yellow Butter Cake with Wild Strawberry, Champagne, and Chocolate Buttercream.

While the exterior is a beautiful chic white, the interior was a glorious trio of colors.

Cake featured in Jacksonville Luxury Living!

2009-02-01T10:36:00.000-08:00

Hello,

I am excited to announce that one of my original cake designs, "Christy" has been featured in the current issue of Jacksonville Luxury Living, as part of a concept shoot designed by Liza Chung and photographed by Agnes Lopez!

It's always a great honor and exciting to see one of your creations in print! Please check out the issue at your local bookstore!!

Best!

1st Cake of the Year!

2009-02-01T09:04:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Here is the first cake of 2009, a design inspired by the 'Eve' cake on our website. The flavors in the inside were: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream; White Butter Cake with Wild Strawberry Buttercream; and Almond Cake with Champagne Buttercream. The bride, Cristina, was a pleasure to work with and I wish her and her new husband much luck and best wishes!!

The venue was: The Garden Club

The caterer was: Catering by Liz

Jacksonville Luxury Living

2009-01-20T14:45:00.001-08:00

Hello,

I am excited that a cake I created for Agnes Lopez is being featured in Jacksonville Luxury Living magazine as they begin to promote the launching of their new Bridal Magazine: Wedding & Event Style.

Two major forces are Agnes Lopez and Liza Chung, two of the most talented people I have had the pleasure of working with since starting my own business.

Grace Ormonde!

2009-01-07T16:15:00.001-08:00

Hello,

I am very honored to announce that Etiquette of Chocolate has a cake featured in this spring/summer issue of Grace Ormonde WeddingStyle Magazine. For those in the know, Grace Ormonde, is the gold standard of wedding publications and for a cake to be featured within our first year is a tremendous honor and hopefully a sign of more to come!!

I want to thank Agnes Lopez, the amazing photographer, for taking the photo that appears in this magazine.

December Cakes!

2009-01-07T15:55:00.000-08:00

Hello,

I apologize for not posting in a LONG while! Here are some of the cakes that were created in the month of December.

Wedding Cake

2008-11-23T10:12:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Last Sunday I was able to create a cake for a great couple who introduced me to a new flavor combination that I will now be featuring in my cakes for upcoming clients, Meyer Lemon Cake with Lavender Buttercream.

The cake design took one of the colors of the bride's wedding, a lovely shade of purple, and signature orchids to cascade down the front of the cake.

I really enjoyed the chance to work on the flavors with this couple!

Warm Regards,

Jaycel Adkins

Founder

Style Me Pretty

2008-11-19T13:51:00.000-08:00

Hello Everybody,

I wanted to announce that Etiquette of Chocolate, has been honored to be named one of the North Florida's 'Very Important Vendors' by Style Me Pretty's blog, Little Black Book.

For those of you in the know, Style Me Pretty is one of the top wedding blogs in the country, if not the world, setting and chronicling all the cutting edge and innovative ideas in weddings for the discerning bride.

Etiquette of Chocolate is the ONLY cake and favor company in Northern Florida, thus far to be given this honor.

On top of that, Etiquette of Chocolate, was also named one of 'Abby Loves...' by Abby Larson, the founder of Style Me Pretty.

Warmest Regards,

Jaycel

Founder

I want to thank Abby and Michelle for their belief in Etiquette of Chocolate's point of view and philosophy when it comes to creating the best cakes and favors for our clients.

Christening Cake

2008-11-13T16:35:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Over the weekend I was able to create a Christening cake for the daughter of one of my mother's customers. My charge was to incorporate pink flowers, this is what I can came up with.

The cake is a Yellow Butter Cake with Strawberry Buttercream.

Dressing a Cake....

2008-11-13T16:27:00.000-08:00

Hello,

This weekend I created a wedding cake and groom's cake for a lovely couple, Angelique and Matthew. They were married at the Cummer Museum, one of the truly great venues in Jacksonville.

The bride wanted the cake to recreate her wedding dress with the addition of flowers atop the cake, edged in gold luster dust. The flavor of the cake was: Yellow Butter cake with champagne and strawberry buttercream.

The groom's cake was inspired by the groom's trumpet play. And of course, the greatest trumpet player of all time was Satcho, aka Louis Armstrong. I searched for a design that I thought matched the style of the event, which I found in this amazing sketch, which I replicated.

Review on Southern Weddings Blog

2008-10-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a review about the Etiquette of Chocolate Experience by Peter and Arjola, a truly charming and beautiful couple whose wedding I had the great honor of creating the cake for, that was posted on Southern Weddings blog. This is the goal that I am always seeking all of my clients to have.

We were planning our wedding from Orlando, so Jaycel was willing to meet with us anytime.
We met him for the first time on an early Sunday morning because that is all the time we had in Jacksonville. I was just shocked that any business would be willing to be open for us at that odd time. He put on a great tasting for us and truly was constantly conscious about our availability. We were captivated by this young, hard-working, and creative entrepreneur. We wanted a very simple cake, that's just who we are, and Jaycel really listened to what we wanted and sent us to appropriate websites to look to get ideas. He explained every step of the process and truly guided and listened to us as we made our decisions. We had our dream cake for our wedding! Not only was it beautifully done with refined artistry, but it was the best cake we have tasted. We have had so many of our guests and family members say that to us. We had the raspberry and champagne filling. We were not even planning on doing favors, and had even decided against them, but we were so happy with how we were treated and how budget conscious he was that we ended up ordering chocolates as favors and, also, we had guests say they were awesome!! I can tell you too, they are AWESOME!

Partnering Up...

2008-10-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

Hello,

A few weeks ago, I had the great chance to work with Agnes Lopez, one of Jacksonville's premier photographers, who recently was named an Editor's Pick by The Knot AND was included in Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book, both great honors and testament to her professionalism and talents.

In addition, I recently, have had the chance to work with Liza Chung, Editor of Jacksonville Luxury Living Wedding and Event Style Magazine. She is a terrific event designer.

All three of us (and many other amazing Northeast Florida Talents) collaborated on a special project of Agnes for a concept shoot she did, inspired by a stunning piece of cinema.

My humble contribution was the above cake, which was inspired by the film.

I saw many of the photos that Agnes took at her shoot and cannot wait for the time she posts everything on her blog! It will blow people away!!

Launch Party Cake for Luxury Magazine

2008-10-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I am excited to show a cake that was recently created for the launch party of Jacksonville Luxury Living's Wedding magazine at Ocean 60. I want to thank the amazingly talented Liza Chung.

But until then, here are my humble photos.

The flavors were Yellow Cake with Wild Strawberry and Champagne Buttercream.

The color of the cake was to match the logo of the magazine and the rose was sculpted completely out of hand, no special cutters! Nature doesn't do cookie cutters, neither do I!

Birthday Cake

2008-10-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This cake was created for one of the best customers I have, who has gotten numerous cakes from us over the year we have been open.

A birthday cake that takes a bit of inspiration from the Jaguars with the teal rings and dots.

Wedding Cake

2008-10-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hello,

One of my favorite cakes of the year was completed this weekend for a great couple, Debbie Gloria and Bob Smith.

The bride wanted a regal cake that took inspiration from her table centerpieces and flowers.

The flavors of the cake of yellow cake with blackberry buttercream and chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream.

The cake was delivered to River Club on top of the Modis Building.

Birthday Cake

2008-10-21T19:23:00.001-07:00

Hello,

Last week, I had the pleasure to create the birthday cake for, Agnes Lopez, one of the best photographers in Northeast Florida and a good friend of mine. She has many exciting ventures on her plate and I am very happy to call her a friend!

The flavor was carrot cake with pecan cream cheese buttercream.

Wedding Cake

2008-10-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Here is a cake that I take some pride in creating. It was designed for a bride that I went to high school with, actually, small world!

She brought in a photo of a cake that had swags and roses, which lead me to create this cake. The flavor of the cake is Yellow and Chocolate Butter Cake with Hazelnut, cookies and cream, and peanut butter butter creams.

The roses and swags were sculpted out of sugar paste! The venue was the Florida Yacht Club.

Simple and Chic

2008-10-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Here is a petite cake that was ordered via one of our vendor partnerships with a local reception venue. The bride wanted a simple cake for her budget, that was still beautiful and able to feed her party of 40. So I created this cute little two tier cake with white fondant and lavender hearts.

The flavor of the cake was yellow butter cake with vanilla bean butter cream.

Birthday Cake

2008-10-13T19:37:00.001-07:00

Hello,

Here is a cake that was done for one of my mother's customers, whose daughter was celebrating her 12th birthday. She wanted something different and elegant. After studying our blog and website, she wanted a white fondant cake with a butterfly and our signature bejeweled Poppy!

The flavors of the cake were chocolate cake with cookies and cream.

Wedding Cake

2008-10-13T19:33:00.001-07:00

Hello!

I had four wedding cakes this week, which is about my limit! But all were fun to create.

The first cake was a short notice wedding, i.e. ordered a few weeks ago by a bride who was a fan of 'Lily' one of the cakes on our site. But she wanted cherry blossoms instead!

The flavors of the cake were: Chocolate Cake and Yellow Cake, with each layer having Pistachio, Hazelnut, and mocha layers of our amazing swiss meringue buttercream!

Even in hard times....

2008-10-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Yesterday I got a call from a local tv station wanting to do a story about how the economy is effecting people's buying habits when it comes to chocolates!

Here is the video:

Sea Horses, she loves sea horses!

2008-09-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Earlier in the week, I dropped off a little cake in Amelia Island for a client from Scotland, whose family was renting a beach house to celebrate her sister's 60th birthday.

The cake was inspired by the sister's love of sea horses, which lead me to create a textured stencil plus some sea shells, etc.

The cake is a carrot cake with pecan cream cheese buttercream.

Duo of Birthday Cakes

2008-09-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This week involved the creation of two birthday cakes that were actually inspired by wedding cakes that we have created!

The first cake was inspired by "Eve" our dogwood flower cake with jeweled centers that is in our cake gallery. The clients wanted everything to be chocolate, hence we created a chocolate cake with chocolate fondant. But we included three different buttercreams that compliment one another: Mocha, Hazelnut, and Cookies and Cream.

The second cake was created via email with another client we was inspired by our "Lola" cake. She wanted something elegant for her birthday but staying within a budget. So I created this 10 inch cake inspired by "Lola" with the lace effects, but without making the cake topsy turvy. The flavor of the cake was a chocolate butter cake with cream cheese and hazelnut buttercream with crushed Heath Bar bits mixed in!

Wedding Cake

2008-09-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This was a short order wedding cake for a couple who saw my store while driving by. She wanted to have a fondant covered cake that was ivory with chocolate borders. The key decorative element were a series of orchids and calla lily groupings that would spiral up the cake. A key component was the addition of green leaves to each grouping in order to make the entire effect "POP!"

This is actually one of my favorite cakes because it was the first cake that was created using a new system I developed that allows me to create multiple cakes at the same time without losing quality in taste and design.

Cinderella Birthday Cake

2008-09-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Today I had a client pick up a cake for her daughter's 5th Birthday. We talked and designed the cake over email mostly and came up with this design. We first wanted to do a Walt Disney World Castle theme, but after creating the stencil for the castle, I felt that it looked odd and decided to add a stencil of Cinderella as well. The medallions around the top edge of the cake express the princess theme and the borders are based on the ramparts of a castle.

The flavor of the cake was Yellow Butter Cake and Raspberry Buttercream.

Baby Shower Cake

2008-09-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Here is a baby shower cake that was commissioned by my cousin for a friend. She wanted to create a cake based on the theme of Snoopy and Woodstock. The flavor of the cake is Yellow Butter Cake with Cookies and Cream Buttercream.

Everything on the cake is edible and decorated using gourmet/food safe ink. But I had to let the Snoopy/Woodstock and red dog house harden overnight, in order to ink the detail work, since it would be too soft otherwise.

Betty Crocker!?....taking it back to Old School

2008-09-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

Hi,

This is actually the second such cake I have created for a client based on an old technique popularized by Betty Crocker. While I promise that I don't use mixes in my cakes, I can't help but take inspiration from my clients.

The occasion was a Birthday Party for a young girl, "Lily." The Hula Skirt is yellow cake with vanilla bean buttercream. The base is chocolate cake with cookies and cream. The skirt itself is formed from molding chocolate which I scored to create the plant effect.

The bikini top is made of modeling chocolate, as well.

Best

Duo of Cakes

2008-09-02T19:18:00.001-07:00

Hello,

I recently was commissioned to create a pair of cakes for a double celebration, the 45th Anniversary of a good family friend and their birthday as well. I wanted to create something that would compliment each other and decided upon polka dots and rings, made of those dots.

The rings and polka dots were created out of modeling chocolate, which tastes like a tootsie rolls, and colored with food coloring. The notecards were created out of sugar.

Best,

New week/New Technique

2008-08-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

Hello,

One of my favorite customers, who always pushes for new ideas/designs, commissioned a baby shower cake this weekend. She supplied us with photos from another cake company, Pink Cake Box, out of NJ.

In addition, she ordered party favor goodie bags which contained assorted milk and dark chocolate almond clusters which were tied in yellow and green ribbons, the color theme of the party.

The couple atop the cake was formed out of modeling chocolate (which tastes like a tootsie roll!).

The extra tall tiers were carrot cake/cream cheese buttercream and chocolate cake/cookies and cream buttercream. There are actually two tiers of cake in each cake, doubling the servings and creating this effect.

I am excited to be bringing a new medium to the decoration of our cakes, offering something new to our clients.

Great Photographer

2008-08-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I wanted to highlight one of the best photographers in Northeast Florida, Agnes Lopez. She is a Knot Pick and her style is truly unique and allows her clients events to shine. She is also the photographer of our cakes on our website and has photographed three of our cakes, thus far.

Here is to hoping that she will be photographing many more.

Best

Wedding Cake

2008-08-17T06:02:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I just completed a wedding cake and groom's cake for a wedding with a Mardi Gras Theme. The wedding cake design was supplied by the bride who wanted a gold beads, fleur de lys, and a quilted pattern on the even tiers.

The flavors of the wedding cake were almond cake and vanilla bean buttercream.

The groom's cake was a sculpted cake in the shape of a Miller Lite bottle with logo. The flavors of this cake were Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream.

Best

Why I create Cakes....

2008-08-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I found this excerpt from another budding chef's blog.

" ....when i finally closed my eyes and tried, what I wanted came to me with complete clarity. The place that I went, the place that I still go, was the warm, hollowed-out center of a Bundt cake. It is usually gingerbread, though sometimes that changes. Sometimes it's gingerbread crowned in a ring of poached pears. The walls that surround me are high and soft, but as they go up they curve back, open up to the light, so I feel protected by the cake but never trapped by it. There are a few loose crumbs around my feet, clnging to my hair, and the smell! The ginger and butter the lingering subtlety of vanilla... I press my cheek against the cake, which is soft as eiderdown and still warm.
.......Cakes have gotten a bad rap. People equate virtue with turning down dessert.
There is always one person at the table who holds up her hand when i serve cake.
No, really, I couldnt, she says and then gives her flat stomach a conspiratorial little pat. Everyone who is pressing a fork into that first tender layer looks at the person who declined the plate, and they all think, That person is better than I am. That person is discipline. but that isn't a person with discipline, that is a person who has completely lost touch with joy. A slice of cake never made anybody fat. You dont eat the whole cake. You dont eat a cake everyday of your life. You take the cake when it is offered because the cake is delicious. You have a slice of cake and what it reminds you of is someplace thats safe,uncomplicated, without stress. A cake is a party, a birthday, a wedding. A cake is what's served on the happiest days of your life. "... Jeanne Ray

Bridal Shower Cake

2008-08-10T19:26:00.001-07:00

The cake was beautiful and delicious yesterday – the bride was really impressed. Thank you for making me look good!
- P. F.

Hello,

I had two bridal shower cakes this weekend, but was only able to photograph one, since the other was out the door before I remembered to take a photo, which is a shame, but I have a similar cake at the end of the, so I can post that one.

This cake was inspired by "Ella," one of our display wedding cakes, but with a deep orange poppy with medallion center and a gold band around the base.

The flavor the cake was chocolate cake with hazelnut praline buttercream.

Red Hat Society

2008-08-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hello,

A very good customer of ours came in with a short notice request, to create a celebration cake for a member of the Red Hat Society, which a terrific organization!

Since we had only a day to create the cake, we decided to take the colors of the Society as inspiration, purple and red. One dogwood flavor in each color on a stark white cake, which makes the colors POP!

The flavor the cake was yellow butter cake with champagne buttercream.

1st Birthday Cake

2008-08-10T19:17:00.001-07:00

Hello,

Also this weekend I was commissioned to create a birthday cake to celebrate the 1st birthday of one of our customers children, who discovered us via Kristen's Wedding Cake (I want that cake in the window!).

The source of inspiration was the invitation that the mother provided, for her son's pool party birthday. I created a cutout using the invitation as a stencil and then sketched the details of the invitation onto the sugarpaste with food safe markers.

60th Birthday Cake

2008-08-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Many people have chosen to take a motif/design from one of our wedding cake displays and turn them into cakes for other occasions, such as birthdays, baby showers, etc.

Here is an example of taking our 'Lily' cake and using it as inspiration to create a birthday cake to celebrate the 60th birthday of one of my mother's customers. The cake is a two tier cake with a golden tree that has two orchids erupting from the branches, slightly magical, since orchids don't grow on trees, but it's cake, not a botany book!

The flavor of the cake was two tiers of chocolate cake with a one tier being chocolate buttercream and the other being cookies and cream.

Arjola and Peter's Wedding Cake

2008-08-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This weekend I created this cake for Arjola and Peter, a lovely couple who enlisted my services to create their cake after hearing about us through the grapevine. The cake is covered in ivory fondant with a very elaborate alternating borders that were colored with a mixture of midnight blue and navy blue luster dust to match their invitations. The flavor of the cake was a yellow cake with two layers of champagne buttercream and a middle layer of raspberry buttercream between each tier.

The cake on the side, is actually not real cake but a small display cake which was meant to be signed by the couple's closets friends/family. Our version of a 'save the top.' I think it's cuter than trying to eat year old frozen cake.

They also ordered chocolate favors: Gratitude (Guinness Beer) and Love (Dark Chocolate).

Week's cakes

2008-08-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I wanted to post a few pictures of cakes that were completed this week. Two wedding cakes and a baptism cake.

The first cake was a subtle 4 tier colored fondant cake with a party in the inside, containing 3 different kinds of cake and buttercreams, almond cake with pistachio buttercream; chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream; and yellow cake with vanilla bean buttercream.

The second cake I take particular pride in because it was a three tier square wedding cake with sugar flowers and bows crowning it. One of the trickiest types of cakes to cover is a square shaped cake and I believe I did a darn good job! Notice the corners and edges, all straight and sharp, not rounded off! Ho-yah!

The third cake I am proud of because from start to finish it took me less than two active hours to make in one day. Most of our cakes are multi day affairs because of the need for things to dry or cool off, but I did it, after little sleep from the previous cakes so I am glad I did. Plus, the lady who picked it up was a really nice person.

40th Anniversary Cake

2008-07-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Here was the last cake of the week for us. A 40th anniversary cake. Our parameters were, 'beach theme.' So we created some orchids to give a kind of tropical feel and then a series of overlapping bands textured with shells and cut to look like waves of into the horizon.

And a note, of course.

Best

Work Scenes

2008-07-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Here is a couple of work scenes from the weekend.

Got to make sure everything is straight!

Best

I WANT THAT CAKE IN THE WINDOW!

2008-07-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

Hello,

When we first planned on doing wedding cakes out of our boutique, we purchased a series of display cakes in our window. But one day I decided to put the undecorated drums in the window, while we waited to get a shipment of fondant in. A fun loving and chic bride pulled into a shop next door to us and saw our 'display' cakes in the window and immediately came in to ask, 'Are you a cake shop?!'

She wished for a chic modern cake and flowers. We created the above, the bands are a champagne luster dust, and the flowers are all completely handmade made out of sugarpaste.

The groom's cake was for an avid hunter/fisher.

That lead to the above! Enjoy

An email from the wedding planner, Danielle Gregory of First Coast Weddings and blogger of oh happy blog.


I wanted to let you know that everyone RAVED
about how wonderful the cakes were.  I can't
even begin to count how many times I heard
that the guests were pleasantly surprised
by the taste of the fondant/butter-creme
combination .... and the carrot cake was
a favorite of the evening.The
guests also loved hearing the story
behind the table numbers and were
all deciding their favorite chcolates
(sampling one anothers)... I believe
that most of them have the address to
your studio now so hopefully
you'll be seeing them soon.

As for the cake topper- Mrs. Turnage
decided to take it home with her
last night but should be stopping in your
studio either today or tomorrow.
Let me know if you need any further contact
information on her. 

Thanks again-

the bride was so very happy!

Sources of Inspiration

2008-07-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hello,

We created this cake for a truly lovely bride, who also ordered chocolate favors (dark chocolate with cocoa nibs + honey cardamom caramel) to serve as part of a dessert plate, provided by Catering by Liz. The cake took it's inspiration from the bride's dress. We used silicon molds to approximate the type of lace on her dress, in addition to creating the overall flow of decor from her dress as well, for example the waist of her dress and the middle tier of her cake being complimentary.

Something Old, Something Blue

2008-07-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This week has been very busy with some major changes on the horizon with Etiquette of Chocolate, but mostly we have been spending many a late night baking, filling, covering, and decorating three wedding cakes.

This cake was commissioned by a lovely mother and daughter who were seeking something lovely for the daughter's wedding reception. After going through some designs, they decided on this style of cake from a previous cake we created. The bride provided a color swatch of off white for us to approximate with fondant, and a light blue/green for the bands/ribbon. In addition, they took a brooch from the daughter's grandmother for the something old, to go with something new, a sleek modern wedding cake.

The Mother of the Bride's response:

The cake was ABOLUTELY gorgous. the cake was the first thing Mallory looked for as she walked in the front door - and she jumped up and down like a little girl- it was so sweet.....

Everyone LOVED the cake - and the Blood Orange is by far my favorite flavor - unbelievable. I am praying that I do not have another wedding for quite a few years-but be assured that if and when a cake is needed I will call you again.

congratulations on your business and best wishes for continued success.

Best

Celebrating who We Love!

2008-07-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

Hello,

We have recently created a few cakes to celebrate the people our client care about in their lives. Above is a series of examples.

Our turtle cake, a la Johnathon Adler, drew this reaction from our client. The cake is a yellow cake with a salted caramel buttercream.

Thanks again Jaycel. I took Erika with me to pick it up.
She freaked. The cake looks amazing. Absolutely perfect.
She started emailing photos of the cake to her girlfriends
immediately. Thanks for helping to make our anniversary a
little bit more special  I knew I could trust the
etiquette of chocolate vision. Tell Judy how pleased we are.

The Etiquette of...Cake

2008-07-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

Hello Happy People,

After being in business for nearly a year with our very own boutique, learning about the environment that we are now in, after being in NYC, has allowed us to develop through trial and error our own philosophy of craftmanship and hospitality as we have gained commissions to do numerous cakes for a wide variety of clients. As a result, we wanted to display the principles and the expectations that you should expect of us when commissioning us to create the Centerpiece of Your Celebration. In the end, it all comes down to making people Happy!

All cakes from Etiquette of Chocolate are made from scratch. Betty Crocker did not bake your cake! Jaycel Adkins, graduate of the French Culinary Institute and former intern at Ron Ben Israel Cakes did, period.
Our icing is a Swiss Meringue Buttercream, which is a very light and smooth which floats on your tongue and retains the ability to carry an infinite number of flavors. Rather than blending confectionery sugar and butter/shortening, which creates a too sweet taste with a grainy mouthfeel. Sadly something EVERY bride has nodded in agreement with during our tastings.
We work at your convenience, NOT at our own. Meaning, if you need for me to stay late in order to meet you for a tasting, no worries. If you cannot make it out from the beaches to Orange Park, let's set up a time when I can come out to the beaches to meet you, instead.
(My civic gets great mileage!)
Our training allows us to show our brides a far larger and more modern range of techniques that can be used to express the message they want their centerpiece to give. From sugarpaste flowers and notecards, which can be saved for years into the future as remembrances to stencils that recreate scenes from children's books.
The consultation and tasting: We do not charge for consults/tastings. At our meeting, we will sample a cake with a variety of difference buttercreams based on your likes and dislikes. In addition, the overall concept and budget will lead to a general outline for a cake. Once you select us, we will create a very detailed proposal and then a sketch, showing you the concept that we are going to create. From there we can go back and forth, fine tuning the concept until it meets with your desires and vision.

In the next month, we will be creating a new series of display cakes, but we still love the ones we have now, to illustrate other techniques that we will be offering our customers, including sugarpaste flower bouquets, elaborate stencils, and story telling through cake with new flavors, such as the exquisite cherry blossom.

Please click on the labels down below to see the cakes we have crafted for our clients, thus far and browse through the blog....

Anniversary Cake

2008-07-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

Hello,

One of our best customers commissioned a petite anniversary cake for herself and her husband to celebrate such a special occasion. She gave us free reign to come up with the entire design and flavor profiles. We decided to go with a nod to Asia with a golden cherry blossom tree than we embedded into the fondant with cherry blossoms emerging from the branches.

Keeping with the theme, we flavored the cake with Champagne Buttercream, in addition to Cherry Blossom Buttercream, which is a new flavor for us and one that was a success, as our client's email response to our cake attests:

Hi there,

The cake was WONDERFUL! The flavor of the cherry blossom was something that I can't even describe and it tasted so exquisite. That, coupled with the champagne buttercream - it was just a fireworks display to the mouth:) The InnKeepers of the B&B enjoyed a slice of it as well!

The decoration was gorgeous. I have saved the cherry blossoms to shadowbox to remember the occasion.

Thank you, both, so very much for making yet another gorgeous and delectible cake to remember such momentous occasions with.

The Cake is Out There....

2008-07-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hello,

After creating birthday cakes for little kids, we got the chance to make a fun cake for a 'big kid,' who turned 18. Our client's daughter is a major X-Files fan, so the younger brother suggested that theme and we came up with the idea of having the birthday message as part of a 'top secret' folder on top of the cake. We also air brushed the logo of the X-files on the side of the cake with black airbrush spray and utilizing a negative stencil technique.

The flavor of the cake was a chocolate butter cake with chocolate buttercream and cookies and cream buttercream.

Storybook Cakes

2008-07-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

Hello,

When we do cakes where the occasion is the birthday of a small child, one technique/theme we recommend is to take a favorite book and translate that using our talent/technique into something special.

Here are some examples.

We'll Miss You!

2008-06-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hola!

I wanted to post a few photos of a 'going away' cake that we did for a customer who works at Vistakon. As always, we try to do something that is different yet playful with our cakes, so we created a driving map of the US, some post-its with the Vistakon logo on top, and naturally, since it is an office environment....a coffee stain!

The actual cake in the inside was Chocolate Butter Cake with Champagne Buttercream.

We are developing ALOT of new ways to present our cakes, doing playful riffs on traditional ideas, etc. and I am looking forward to sharing them with everyone once we start to do them.

Take Care!

All boys like trucks....right?

2008-06-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Here is a cake that you recently did for a little boy for his birthday. That was all we had to go on....so we figured that all little boys like trucks, right? I think so.....I know that I did!

The inside was a red velvet cake with cream cheese buttercream. We made the buttercream our way, i.e. a swiss meringue rather than american-style.

Skater's Birthday Cake

2008-06-21T15:59:00.001-07:00

Hello,

One of our best customers ordered a cake for her son, an avid skateboarder. After looking at the brand of boards he liked, we brainstormed and came up with this cake!

She recently emailed us with their reaction:

Judy and Jaycel,

What can we say that we haven't already said about your talents?! Langston's cake was a HUGE hit at his party this past weekend. Everyone was in complete AWE of the "Grinder's Cake". Him and his buddy decided that they would actually EAT the skateboards that you made:) Of course, both boys had black, red, yellow and orange lips - which was priceless! Langston even enjoyed "wearing" the grinding rail around his neck for a while:) The buttercream - WOW - the bananas were the most outstanding touch to that cake! You have GOT to keep that in your recipe list. Those, mixed with the chocolate - absolute heaven! The Krown Skeleton and Happy Birthday plaque are going to be saved and shadowboxed for him to remember. Langston is already coming up with ideas for next year's cake! Thank you again for making my son's day so special. It is definitely a birthday he will remember for years to come.

Happy Baking!

What can we say....we try our best!

Chocolate Scuplture of a Lighthouse

2008-06-21T15:53:00.000-07:00

Hello,

We recently were commissioned to create a chocolate lighthouse for the Lighthouse Academy. We molded a column of pure milk chocolate, air brushed it with cocoa butter white, and created a series of chocolate panels to finish the shape.

Sculptures such as this are really made by casting a series of geometric shapes, and composing them together to create the overall structure.

Wedding Cake

2008-06-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

Hello,

We just finished a duo of cakes, a wedding cake and groom's cake, for a bride this weekend.

The wedding cake is a yellow cake with champagne buttercream and the groom's cake is a chocolate cake with cookies and cream buttercream.

Celebration Events

2008-06-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

Hi,

We did a number of events recently that explored some other talents that we have. While our business is known for it's chocolates and cakes, we do create other items, such as desserts and sculptures for special events for our clients.

We recently did a chocolate amenity for Food Fight to be featured on CBS 47 during a lunchtime newscast to promote the event. We also did 50 creme brulee for a client who wanted them as individual desserts for his son's graduation party.

In the next few weeks we are going to be launching a line of "Desserts to Go" featuring tarts, parfaits, sorbets, cookies, cupcakes, frozen fruit drinks, chocolate strawberries, and creme brulee to sell through other vendors as a four star dessert to take home or enjoy on the go.

We'll take photos and feature them when they start!

2008-06-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody!

We did a great event this past week called Food Fight by Lutheran Social Services. We gave aways tons of free chocolate (Matcha Green Tea, Caribbean Cocktail with Rum, Dark Chocolate, Passion Fruit, and Coffee) and cake(Yellow Cake with Champagne or Raspberry Buttercream), got great feedback, made a few contacts with some great vendors!

Here are the pics!

Another week....hence...more cakes!

2008-06-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Another week has passed with us making lots of fun cakes for clients. Here are some of them!

Best

Laura's Birthday Cake!

2008-06-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Over the weekend we did a birthday cake for Laura, the daughter of one of our best customers. We baked a chocolate cake with cookies and cream buttercream covered in white fondant which we air brushed the base with purple to create a slightly misty effect and then two hand made butterflies made out of sugarpaste and painted by hand in the colors of purple, pink, and gold.

After the cake was picked up at our boutique, we got this awesome email in response to our efforts from the Mother.

Judy and Jaycel,

WOW! You outdid yourselves with the cake!!! The flavor - incredible. The icing - amazing. The fondant - I can now say I actually LOVE the stuff now! (I want the recipe!!!)

3 girls attended the party and they LOVED the cake. They were very interested in the fondant and enjoyed the fact that they could lay their face...yes - they put their faces on the fondant - and it didn't get on their skin. (Yes - the girls are crazy!). We ended up putting sparklers on her cake for her candles and it really set the cake off nicely.

Now Langston can't wait for his!

Thank you both so very much for making Laura's birthday so memorable.

Happy Baking

week that was...

2008-05-24T14:56:00.001-07:00

Hello,

So chocolate season has ended with the passing of Mother's Day, leaving us to a summer/fall of making cakes and more!

Here are some of the cakes that we did this week....two weddings, groom's cakes, congratulations cake, engagement cakes, etc. etc. etc.....

More to come...

2008-05-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Sorry for not posting for a while. But here are two cakes we recently finished. The MOCA Takes the Cake submission and a 'whimsical' birthday cake.

Here is a link to another blog about all the cakes that were at the MOCA competition.

Will post more soon!

Best

Cake Week

2008-05-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This was a cake week for us....

Our first cake was a surprise anniversary cake for one of our chocolate customers.

Our second cake was cool, it was a birthday cake for Hurley Haywood, a race car driver who is famous for winning Le Mans races. We took the logo from his race car and turned it into a cake. The key I think to alot of cakes like this is the question of going for either sculpted cake or a traditional looking cake. We went for the traditional shape because I have found that sculpted cakes are definitely more for show than for eating. The servings are difficult to plan out and the ratio of actual cake to buttercream is too high for what I think to be a pleasant eating experience.

Our third cake was a Birthday Cake for a young boy who is a fan of Transformers...specially Optimus Prime! Not...BumbleBee...OPTIMUS PRIME!!

Our final cake was a baby shower cake for a client who wanted the theme to be about boats and the sea. Hence the stencils of sea gulls, pier posts, and sail boats. I like these cakes, because less is more. We have a few weddings this summer, where the design of the cake is very extravagant, but they are very cool, because it coheres with the theme, rather than being a bunch of stuff just put onto a cake.

Best wishes to everyone!

The week that was...

2008-04-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

Hello,

So this week was filled with a bit of show and tell, cake decorating, and swordplay...chocolate style!

We were happy to play hosts to Girl Scout Troop #748. It's always fun and interesting to teach young people about how we create chocolates and listen to their questions.

In addition, Judy created a chic, petite cake for a dear friend up in NYC to display in her dessert bar/bakery.

And finally, we created over a hundred chocolate sword tablets for the Cummer Ball which was catered by Catering by Liz. This project was very exciting for us as we got to try out new techniques, i.e. creating a mold out of gelatin and using our chocolate sprayer!

Hopes all is well with everyone!

Communion Cake

2008-04-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

Hello,

On Sunday, we were commissioned to make a petite communion cake for a party held at a nearby church on the same street as our boutique. The interior is a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream. We decorated it with a rosary made from fondant and hand painted with pearl and gold. Also, we included a spray of jeweled dogwoods appliques.

Greatest Love Song of ALL TIME....PERIOD.

2008-04-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

Hello,

So this is the greatest love song of all time. Search the web to find out the amazing story about this movie, this song, the writers and singers, etc. etc.

I mean...isn't that life...'take this sinking boat and point it home....we still got time....'

Last Minute Wedding Cake vs. long term planning

2008-04-19T15:19:00.001-07:00

Hello,

We just completed another VERY short notice wedding cake for a bride, who first contacted us a week before her wedding....needless to say it became a hectic week! Which brings up the idea of why should you book your cake so far in advance. It breaks down into the following:

The NUMBER ONE reason is that the baker could be booked for that weekend. you have to imagine what it is like, a baker has to do as many cakes as possible without losing quality in terms of design and execution in order to run a viable business. Some bakers can do 3 cakes, others can do more...cake decorators like Ron Ben Israel and Duff of Charm City Cakes, can do up to 20 cakes in a week....all probably delivered on Saturday at 5pm!
If you wait until the last minute, you are left with what the baker already has in stock, in terms of colors, materials, decorations, and flavors. Most good purveyors are on the west coast, so shipping by ground can take several days, which pretty much means you won't get anything exotic that isn't already in the baker's inventory. We were lucky to have a few signature flavors already in stock for the above cake, i.e. pistachio, champagne, and blood orange. But if we hadn't....well...you get the idea.
Certain decors take time to create. Namely sugar paste flowers, which need time to dry after being crafted. In addition, coloring fondant to match the decor of the wedding can be prohibited by the fact that fondant, after being colored needs to rest, or it will become very fragile and easy to tear when rolled onto a cake.
Another element of the decor is approving the final details, etc. For instance, if the fondant is colored the same week, it's pretty much a one shot deal, i.e. if the color isn't what the bride wants, there really isn't much time to change it, due to the fondant needing to rest.

But, the cake was really cool and fun for us to execute because it tested our ability to conceptualize a cake and do a quick turn around for a cake that is rather complicated and exciting:

We had to color fondant on short notice using the colors we had on hand, mixing blue, white and gray to get a shade of blue slate that the bride was looking for.
Doing a double stack tier, a la April Reed, was something new for us.
Putting two types of cakes and three types of buttercream flavoring into one cake was intricate and fun.

Top tier: 8 inch Almond Cake with Pistachio Buttercream
Bottom tier (top): 10 inch Yellow Cake with Blood Orange Buttercream
Bottom tier (bottom): 10 inch Yellow Cake with Champagne Buttercream

Delivering the cake to a boat on the St. John's River was....interesting...to say the least!

Wedding Cake

2008-04-18T18:46:00.001-07:00

Hello,

We recently did a short notice wedding cake for a bride and her groom a few weekends ago. The key themes were the colors: Navy Blue and Silver; a cake topper; and two intertwined hearts. Given the size of the cake topper base, we had to enlarge the cake tiers. The interior of the cake was white cake with pecan cream cheese icing and chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream.

Cake for Cool/Hip Mother of the Bride!

2008-04-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

I was just getting ready to write to you.  Yesterday was the
most exciting day!  I first came by to pick up your cake,
and was thrilled. It was just gorgeous, and the smell that
filled my car was so delicious! After I picked up the cake,
and dropped it off at home and then went for my dress fitting.
That's where it all came together. It is really amazing,
the color of the dusting and the shape of the lace molds to match
the dress was really uncanny. Beautiful work!  Everyone
loved the champagne filling as well. Thanks Jaycel!

- Kathy S.

Hello,

We recently finished creating a Birthday Cake for a very cool Mother of the Bride whose daughter is having us create a wedding cake and wedding favors for. Her wedding cake is the style of her dress and she wanted to create something in a similar style for her mother's birthday cake, with the actual cake being a yellow cake and champagne buttercream.

So we created a series of bands that are inspired by the waist of her dress, with knots in the back for buttons, and lace motifs. All the decor was colored with a blend of various dusts to mimic the actual colors of the dress. We believe that you should rarely use a straight color for a decor element on a cake, because the color is much too flat looking. You want to have shades and hues of color to your decor. The cake is covered with ivory fondant.

I wish I took a better picture, so my apologies and sorry for the stool....we are planning on getting a photo table soon!

Inspiration

2008-04-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I wanted to include a link to an amazing blog for those of us who love the Pastry Arts.

My partner and I were taught and raised in a world where perfection, exactness, clean lines, and amazing and innovative tastes were the rule, not the exception.

The photos and words in the above blog are what we aspire to bring to our clients, working and learning everyday to bring that about is what makes us happy and engages us!

Childhood dreams....

2008-04-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

Really moving talk....it's long....but completely worth it!

Party Weekend!

2008-04-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Here are two cakes that we did over the weekend, both birthdays!

The party hat cake was a great experience because we got to experiment with a technique of high stacking a cake to create a very tall tier. You can't just stack cakes on top of each other, because the weight will not support the cake and it will start to press down too much, so you have to dowel the bottom cake tiers. Also, we had to shave the cake down to get that pointed structure that is iconic of a party hat. The cake flavors were chocolate cake and vanilla buttercream.

The other cake was a horse cake done for a client's daughter's 16th birthday party. The theme was equestrian. The top layer is chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream, while the bottom tier is yellow cake with chocolate buttercream. I really like the use of stencils to decorate a cake for a few reasons. It really utilizes the advantage of fondant over buttercream covered cakes, since you can use the fondant as a canvas to decorate on. The stencils are custom made, not cookie cutters, which lets us give the cake personality that is unique to the client. And finally, you can adjust the size of the decor via shrinking or enlarging the stencils!

Hopes you all like them.

This is going to be a very busy week for us!

1. We are sending samples to an amazing gourmet food company in Michigan that we greatly admire to see if our chocolates can be sold in their store.

2. We are holding a number of tasting for brides, including a couple coming out from California!

3. We have a short-notice wedding to do on Saturday, which is going to be fun. Mixing the technique of extra high tiers with the Lily cake tree motif.

4. My little cousin is getting a cupcake tree for his birthday on Tuesday, delivered by me dressed in my chef whites to his school.

5. We are doing a petite birthday cake for the mother of one of our brides, who wants it to be done in the style of her wedding cake, flavors: yellow cake and champagne buttercream!

6. A baptism cake this Sunday that we are going to decorate with a rosary hand sculpted from fondant.

7. Meeting for competitors in the MOCA Takes the Cake competition.

Good times!

When We Play with Our Food.....

2008-04-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

Hello,

So we just got invited to be a part of MOCA Takes the Cake competition in May. We are very excited for the chance as it means we will be returning back to MOCA, after attending MartiniFest for FolioWeekly at the beginning of the year.

The competition is split into two parts: one is making a sculpted cake and samples enough for 500 people. The second part is dessert samples and perhaps a chocolate sculpture. Well we have experience with chocolate sculptures. Judy created the above sculpture in just a day and half after returning from NYC the day before MartiniFest. We have taken this sculpture all over the place....it has been broken, sat in the window of our shop for a few months....so it has a little bit of bloom, but I think it is still hot!

We will post more info on the event as we get it and of course we will post our creations after the event!

Our Promise

2008-04-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hello,

We have been really excited about the reception we have gotten about our site and blog the past few days! It really does make a difference!

As a new business we have been developing ideas about the sort of business we want to create and the reputation that we want to be known for. I think I would like to state a few key principles for our guests to be able to count on in a concrete way:

1. We make all our chocolates and cakes from scratch, using ONLY the finest ingredients. We DO NOT use cake mixes! We do make Swiss Meringue buttercreams for our fillings, NOT american-style icings where confectionery sugar is blended with shortening and/or watery butter. Our butter is shipped to us from Vermont and is 83% butterfat vs. 40% butterfat supermarket butter.

2. All of our products are made on-site. We do not purchase product and re-sell them, PERIOD!

3. We DO NOT charge for tasting/consults for weddings.

4. Once we receive a deposit, we do not bump you off for a 'bigger' wedding that comes later. I thought this was an obvious thing....but we have heard some stories.....

5. If you cannot meet at our boutique for a consult/tasting, then I will make every effort to come and meet you at a local coffee shop or venue of your choice.

6. We are here to bring a bit of happiness into your life, NOT stress, disappointment, or indifference!

7. We return your calls and emails within 24 hours. (Just be sure that we have your email and/or phone number! Someone asked us about a groom's cake this week and didn't leave us an email or phone number to reply too!)

8. In fact, here is my personal cell phone number: 904.891.8186.

I am sure that we will be adding things as we continue on our journey, but it's a start!

Chocolates of the World Competition...yeah..WE WON!

2008-04-07T17:35:00.001-07:00

Hello,

The first charity event we did was a couple of months ago for the International Visitor's Corps, which hosts people from other countries to come to the United States to understand our system of government better and our people as well! We were very excited to have been invited to attend and were a bit nervous sense we would compete against the pastry chefs of all the major hotels and resorts in the region, Marriot-Sawgrass, Sea Island, etc!

The competition was to create a plated dessert, which would be judged by best plating, best taste, and best dessert buffet presentation.

We created a chocolate spire that had three platforms, each containing a chocolate, which we called: "Bonbons Threeways!" i.e. a bonbon, a truffle, and a molded piece. Our truffle was a pistachio truffle rolled in crushed pistachio nuts, a bonbon of red wine, and the molded piece was a honey cardamon caramel.

We nearly KILLED OURSELVES making over 300 spires, 900 discs, and 900 bonbons for the event, assembling the spires on site was a herculean task of which Judy was not too pleased about....BUT WE WON for BEST ARTISTIC CHOCOLATE PRESENTATION!

We also donated a box of chocolates...our NEVERENDING BOX which the winning bidder got to bring to the store every month for a year to be refilled with our awesome bonbons.

Food of the Gods...

2008-04-07T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This blog has been a way for us to talk about and showcase our cakes. But we also are chocolatiers, who have spent enormous time and expense to learn about TheoBroma...food of the gods.

In the next couple of weeks we are going to post our thoughts of the world's favorite food and flavor and explain our chocolates....first instance....why do we name them after virtues?!?

"We the People...."

2008-04-07T16:27:00.000-07:00

Hello,

One of the goals of our blog is to introduce the purpose of our company, "Etiquette of Chocolate," which is celebrating the special people and moments in our guests lives through cakes and chocolates.

Our ambition is to be the best in the world in fulfilling this purpose. It sounds rather grandiose, right?...GOOD! Because it is!

But what does that mean?

Being 'best in the world' at 'celebrating the special people and moments in our guests lives through cakes and chocolates?'

We are in a journey to figure that out, but we have some notions and ideas about what it will entail:

1. Finest Ingredients in the World & Using Nature as Our Palette

Our canvas is the cakes and chocolates that we create. When you are using a cake or box of chocolates to celebrate a moment or a person that is special to you, the cakes and chocolates BETTER be made with the BEST ingredients in the world. Hence, our cakes use only the finest butter from Vermont allowing them to float on your tongue, chocolates from France, and flavorings and spices sourced from around the world. We know where the best restaurants in NYC get their product....and we get it from there, TOO!

Breaking out of the iron grip of past flavor combinations! The classics are great and we pay homage to them better that most! But venture out into the world of green teas from Kyoto and our Signature Champagne buttercream!

2. Artisanship and Craftmenship

Two key components of a great and sublime food experience are fine ingredients...and great technique! Both Judy and I were trained at the French Culinary Institute in NYC and went on to work and intern at the best places in NYC for desserts: Fauchon Pastry Labs, Ron Ben Israel Cakes, P*ONG, and Le Cirque. The techniques that we learned from all of that experience goes into our chocolates and cakes.

Plus, we feel that you have to have a signature style that speaks to our guests tastes and personality. Our chocolates are straightforward flavors that balance both the taste of chocolate and the infusion of flavors that we create. Our cakes are very chic and clean, very well edited!

Equals an intense desire for excellence. We have tasted perfection, we have worked stations where the only standard was excellence. It's the world that we know!

3. Hospitality and a Happy Company

We believe that people who use our service are our guests! We want to create an experience that leaves people happier than before they entered our world. That is why we only use the best ingredients, why we spent so much time and sweat training ourselves in the best institutions, why we continuously read and read about our field, and why everyone who walks into our boutique is a guest in the home that we have created.

A Happy Company is one where it knows it's purpose and embraces it as a meaningful way to spend one's time and labor. Where people are respected and allowed to have fun doing what they feel that were meant to do.

Cliff notes:

(Best ingredients)x(global palette) + (great technique)x(great style) + (hospitality)(happy company) = Etiquette of Chocolate!

It's a Boy!!

2008-04-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

Hello,

We recently created a Baby Shower Cake for a client who heard about us from our 'Rock out My Son's Cake!' We created a sketch which the client approved of, consisting of a couple of child building blocks that had the initials of the baby boy on them. We then added two 'stuff' animals, an elephant and an alligator to round out the design made out of fondant. The cake was a carrot cake with pecan cream cheese icing.

Congratulations!!!

Cake Sketches

2008-04-03T06:07:00.001-07:00

Hello,

When we meet with a prospective bride about her wishes for her cake, we usually execute one to two sketches. These allow us to flesh out the ideas and to see if they go together. Sometimes a bride has ALOT of ideas about her cake, tearsheets from magazines, colors, flowers, etc. Taken individually they all look beautiful, but when putting them together onto a cake, sometimes....less is more!

We firmly believe that it is our duty to give a bride a cake she can be happy with, reflects her personality, tastes wonderful, and will be immortalized in her wedding photos for years to come.

The above sketches are a small sample of the types of cakes we have been asked to conceptualize thus far this year.

Take cake!

Can you do something simple....?

2008-04-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

Hello,

We have been getting ALOT of requests for rather 'simple' cakes for birthdays. Many people think that we only do elaborate wedding cakes or birthday cakes, i.e. drums or shoes! But we also love making rather simple and elegant birthday cakes for small intimate gatherings, as well!

We really like to pipe a small tablet, made out of chocolate, wishing the lucky person "Happy Birthday" rather than writing directly on the cake, it doesn't look as nice, we think. Also, while you certainly can, we have found that alot of people don't want to put candles into the cake! Go figure!?! Guys tend to be more geometric while the Gals prefer the flowers.

Take cake!

Birthday Cake for Fashionista...

2008-03-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

Hello,

We recently did a fun cake for two of our best customers in our boutique in Orange Park. They came in and said they wanted to commission a birthday cake for a dear friend's 42nd birthday. The sad and surprising note was that this would be her VERY FIRST birthday cake! Can you imagine?!?

Needless to say, the pressure to create something EXTRA SPECIAL was on us! But we were VERY EXCITED, because this was the reason that we became pastry chefs: helping people to celebrate the special people and moments in their lives.

After some consultation we came up the idea of a shoe cake, specifically a JIMMY CHOO cake! Very sexy!

Given the subject and inspiration this became Judy's project.

Naturally the cake would be the shoe box. She then would have to create handmade shoes out of sugar paste. The writing on the box and shoes were done using a food safe pen free hand. We colored the cake pink using an airbrush, channeling our INNER DUFF! (Ace of Cakes reference). The Happy Birthday Note would be the Receipt.

One the day of the pickup (we normally drop off cakes, i.e. wedding cakes are ONLY delivered by us) the couple came in and thought that we had been cheap skates and BOUGHT REAL SHOES! But after some discussion, they were very happy and pleased!

....a few weeks later.....

Our couple returned and had a great story! After showing the cake to the Birthday Girl, she was so happy and thought that the cake was too beautiful to eat....SHE WENT TO PUBLIX AND BOUGHT ANOTHER CAKE TO SERVE PEOPLE AT HER PARTY!!!!!

We don't recommend that course of action, but....we are proud of the look of our cakes!

In the end we were so happy with the circumstance, because when you work hard to create something for such a special event, you so desperately want your labor to result in making the clients smile in appreciation and happiness!