Style Me Pretty Storyboard Contest

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...

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!!

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

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...

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

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!

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.

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Recent Cake

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?

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

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!

Still the Greatest Love Song of All Time!

Let's Eat Cake Fundraiser this Tuesday!

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