The Sugar Suite Blog

Bohemian Elegance

2012-02-15T18:37:00.002-05:00

David and Alaina came to our design consultation with their dream cake already in hand! They found this photo from The Knot and loved how it was different, not like any other cake. They wanted something original, something that would fit with the vibrant personality of their venue, and most of all something that was elegant.

(This amazing cake was made by Nine Cakes in Brooklyn, NY)

We made a couple of design choices to personalize the cake. Their reception was at The Grand Bohemian Hotel, a modern artsy hotel in downtown Orlando. We pulled in some of the hotels colors of cranberry, eggplant, and lots of metallics to give the cake a more sophisticated feel. The couple also liked the idea of having the florals in a cascade pattern on the cake. Aside from design, it was really important to them that the cake be buttercream, no problem!

The Cake

Here is the sweet couple sharing their first bite!

Photos by the brilliant Castaldo Studios

Valentine's Day Cupcakes at The Sugar Suite!

2012-02-09T10:46:00.001-05:00

Get your "Suitie" a dozen rose cupcakes for Valentine's Day!
On February 14th from 10:00AM - 2:00PM, The Sugar Suite will be hosting a Valentine's Day Cupcake Day!
~All of our flavors will be piped with a pink buttercream rose in the following flavors

*New* Amaretto

DiSaronno Amaretto cake with Madagascar-Bourbon vanilla bean buttercream and our new cherry filling!

Champagne

Champagne cake with raspberry buttercream

Chocolate Covered Strawberry

Chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream and chocolate ganache

*Delivery is available, restrictions apply*

CLICK HERE to order

Orlando Weddings Bridal Council Member

2012-01-17T14:01:00.004-05:00

We were recently asked to participate in a council of Central Florida wedding professional organized by Orlando Weddings Magazine called the Orlando Bridal Council. This innagural group of Orlando’s finest includes Kerline Docteur with Joie de Vie Weddings and Events, Warren Dietel with Puff ‘n Stuff Catering, DJ Carl Williams, Susie Weiss of Wonderful Weddings, and Amy Morelli of 2UCollection and so many more talented people! We gathered in October to talk about trends, share opinions (a task I am excellent at!), talk about Orlando Weddings and to share what we think brides want!!! Hopefully we succeeded, and the current issue or Orlando Weddings hits shelves this week!

SO grateful to be amongst some of these excellent professionals!

Up House Kids Birthday Cake!

2012-01-16T16:51:00.003-05:00

This sweet first birthday theme was"Evan is growing UP!" How creative!

The mom, who is my regular client and pastry chef by trade, put every details of this party together! It was her original idea to use real balloons on the cake! Genius!

We normally have a policy against plastic things.... HOWEVER, we were happy to make an exception for these adorable balloon clusters! What a creative and cohesive idea!

Special thanks to Jacob Bates for his beautiful images!

Personalized Wedding Cake Ornaments

2011-12-08T16:05:00.003-05:00

We are proud to announce something we've been working on for a while,

Personalized Wedding Cake Ornaments! If your cake was designed by us or not, we can make a mini version to hang on your tree.

Ornaments are made of polymer clay and take 3-5 days for completion. Shipping & handling is available for clients outside of the Orlando area. Currently, the wedding cake ornaments, as the original cakes, are priced based on the complexity of design. Email Jennyfer@thesugarsuite.com for a quote on your cake!

All wedding cake ornaments are hand made by our cake artist, Erin Green. Erin has a background in fine art with a Bachelors degree from UCF in Studio Art, specializing in model making and sculpture.

We make these all year long (great first anniversary gift), but wanted to give a special shout out at the time of year when everyone's Christmas Trees are up! We are also making mini models for shadow boxes. Instead of a 3-D item, we can make a relief (in between 2D and 3D) to be placed in shadow boxes and displayed with an invitation or other sentimental wedding items.

The Holiday Mini Dessert Collection

2011-11-28T10:19:00.012-05:00

Dessert bars are a growing trend in weddings and for the holidays we decided to add some comfy cozy desserts with elegant presentations to our repertoire. The Holiday Dessert Collection comes in boxes of 14 or 28 assorted desserts, red bow and menu card included. If you want to make sure you get extras of your favorites, they can be ordered in quantities as small as one dozen.

14 assorted desserts - $27.00

28 assorted desserts - $50.00

Delivery is available and we require 24 hours notice on all Holiday Dessert Collection Orders.

Delivery is Available upon request.

To Order CLICK HERE

or call us at 321-972-8650

Apple Pie Pops

traditional apple pie and crust presented on a stick $30/dozen

"This ultra-traditional apple pie, is adorably packaged. They will definitely be the first ones gone from the dessert table"

Ginger Cookies

candied ginger cookies with a sweet sugar drizzle $18 for 24 (12 2-packs) mini cookies

"The candied ginger makes all the difference in these cookies. They are slightly spicy, but kids absolutely love this cookie"

Red Peppermint Cupcakes

mint red velvet mini cupcakes with white chocolate buttercream and peppermint chips $18/dozen

"traditional red velvet with a holiday twist"

Spiced Egg Nog

Spice cake with egg nog buttercream garnished with nutmeg $18/dozen

"It will take you home for the holidays"

Lemon Bars

zesty lemon bars with a sweet pastry crust, garnished with powdered sugar $20/dozen

"If you like real lemon, this lemon bar is for you! The zesty lemon is a perfect winter dessert for Florida!"

Salted Caramel Brownies

fudge brownie with a salted caramel ganache $20/dozen

"this brownie is like a chocolate truffle, and the salted caramel puts it over the top of decadence"

Mini Vanilla Cheesecakes

Traditional vanilla cheesecake with a graham cracker crust, garnished with raspberry fleurs $27/dozen

" Traditional, scrumptious, insanity. (period)."

Special thanks to Sivan Photography for all the gorgeous shots!

Halloween Cupcake Day October 29th!

2011-10-20T11:24:00.003-04:00

Our most anticipated (not hyping it, y'all have been asking ALL year!)

Cupcake Day of the year!

Come by our shop in Maitland on Saturday October 29th from 10:00AM - 2:00PM.

We will have four flavors available for sale:

Blood Red Velvet

red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing and edible blood.

The Miss Popularity of Cupcakes paired with cream cheese icing.....and lots of blood!

Chocolate Peanut Butter -
Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Icing and a whipped peanut butter center

Reminiscent of your favorite Halloween candy

Pumpkin Spice
Spice cake with pumpkin buttercream
This sweetheart of fall is our obsession this time of year!

Caramel Apple
vanilla cake with candied apple buttercream and sweet caramel
(*hard apple cider version available upon request!)

The cupcakes are $3.00 each and can be purchased individually
$2.75 for advance orders of 36 or more

For orders of 12 or more, please order in advance. The cupcakes will be on a first come first serve basis so please RSVP if you would like ensure you get your favorites!

To RSVP or to place an advance order email hello@thesugarsuite.com

Specialty Halloween Cupcakes
*As Seen on News13 On Demand Channel 300*

Candy Witches and Pumkins available for special order only!
LImited Flavors available for buttercreams (unavailable: chocolate, cream cheese, peanut butter)
Minimum order half a dozen per style

WItches $4.50
Pumpkins $3.50

Orders must be received before 6:00PM on Wednesday 10/26

Here is our debut on Brighthouse Network!

How to: Rouching!

2011-10-13T11:30:00.001-04:00

Rouching is a technique used to get a billowy fabric feel out of fondant cakes. I learned the basic technique from a TLC show featuring Swank Cakes. I used larger dowels, mixed with my finger-smoothing technique and came up with this method for rouching fondant.

Start with 6 dowels (the orange width, 3/8") and place them finger width apart.

Next, roll out a piece of fondant at least 8" tall, and long enough to cover all 6 dowels. Lightly dust your fingertips with cornstarch and gently press them in the gaps between the dowels. Run your fingers up and down the gaps, gently applying more and more pressure until the fondant molds to the dowels and forms even pleats.

After achieving the desired shape, take the ends of the dowels not covered by fondant and slowly pushed them closer together. Its important to ensure that all of the pleats remain somewhat even in this phase. Also, touching the dowels instead of the pleats will keep your work neat and wrinkle free.

The fondant will be placed on the cake in panels. In order to hide the seams, we create an "under" and "tail" system to interlock the panels. On the left, you will see the tube is trimmed to end "under" the pleat. On the right, the pleat ends in a small "tail."

Remove the dowels and pinch the top end of the fondant together. This is also a good time to trim the top to make an even edge.

Place the panels on the sculpted cake, left to right. Once on the cake, you will need a little extra finessing of the pleats to get them into a straight and even position. Always make sure the inside of the pleat is firmly secured to the cake. To trim the bottom, firmly secure the fondant to the under belly of the cake and cut excess fondant with manicure scissors.

To measure how far up the cake the rouching should go, I use a board the size of the next tier to estimate where to place the dowels.

Pay special attention to the bottom edge of the tier above your finished cake. There is no border with which to cover any imperfections, so we take the fondant all the way to the bottom and even tuck it partially underneath. This cake had a metallic final coat in a silvery gold.

Here is the finished cake that was delivered to The Winter Park Farmers Market.

To see the entire wedding, visit Orlando Wedding Pix

The design was inspired by the couples invitation.

Meet Beth!

2011-10-12T13:27:00.004-04:00

Beth Lent came to us from Le Cordon Bleu School of Pastry Arts looking for more experience in wedding and specialty cakes. She is a multi-talented"Jane of all trades," not to mention a fantastic sugar artist. She worked on the flowers above along with the anemonies below. Her eye for detail, unending work ethic and unpretentious attitude made her a valuable part of the team!

1.) What are three words you would use to describe yourself?

sweet, nutty, and creative.

2.) What are you most passionate about?

I am most passionate about helping others in any way I can whether it be to find the best dessert or to reach a dream

3.) What is your dream job?

My dream job would to be to own my own restaurant or bed and breakfast. Either way I go I know I will be happy and fully know what it is to be living large

4.) What was your favorite part interning at The Sugar Suite?

My favorite part about interning at The Sugar Suite was helping to create a good memory for the clients by helping to provide a product that exceeded their expectations. Just to be a part of that magic is enough to put a smile in the heart.

5.) What is your favorite sweet? What is your favorite cake flavor at The Sugar Suite and why? Coffee Ice Cream topped Chocolate Souffles. Strawberry Blonde.

6.) What is something you wish all future employers could know about you, they might not learn in an interview?

I describe myself like I describe my dishes, whether they are culinary or dessert based. In order to have a good dish that you have created taste absolutely amazing there has to be a lot of you in it. They need to taste the hard work and think that it must be effortless. I always strive for the best dish in life and I hope one day to have the chance to have someone tell me that my dish is the best thing they have ever had.

We wish Beth all the best in her next adventure!

"Favorites" Cupcake Day! October 1st!

2011-09-21T17:21:00.003-04:00

"Favorites" Cupcake Day at The Sugar Suite!

Saturday, October 1st

Out first two Cupcake Day sold out.... and now we are at it again but this time with The Sugar Suite Staff Favorite Flavors!
Come by our shop in Maitland on Saturday October 1st from 10:00AM - 2:00PM.

It was tough chosing favorites but here they are:

(Intern Kyla) Mint Chocolate Crunch - Mint chocolate cake with white chocolate buttercream and Mint OREO crumbles

(Jennyfer) Salted Caramel - chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream and a salted caramel ganache
(Intern Beth) Champagne and Raspberry -Champagne cake with raspberry buttercream

(Erin) Amaretto - DiSaronno amaretto cake with vanilla bean buttercream and vanilla custard

The cupcakes are $3.00 Each and can be purchased individually.
For orders of 12 or more, please order in advance.
The cupcakes will be on a first come first serve basis so plese RSVP if you would like ensure you get your favorites!
To RSVP or to place an advance order emailhello@thesugarsuite.com

Grooms Cake: Fender Stratocaster in Sunburst

2011-09-20T14:44:00.003-04:00

When I met this couple, the idea of doing a guitar cake was at first a thrill. Then we met with the terror of details, accuracy and expectations. We got to work making all the little pieces, and the neck, and when it came time to build the body, we faced our largest challenge: a full size guitar wouldn't fit in our industrial fridge, no matter how you angle it. We built the guitar in two pieces, the body and the neck, and waited for the final assembly until two hours prior to delivery (no pressure!). Below is the final cake and some detail shots highlighting our love and labor week. BTW, we are WAY cooler now because we have a detailed knowledge of a really cool guitar!

Above is a photo of a real Fender we used as inspiration to build the guitar

Elephantastic!

2011-08-25T11:40:00.000-04:00

These chocolate elephants were made for a 40th birthday where the all the birthday boy wanted was to save an elephant! They guests presented him with adoption papers for a herd of elephants..... what a fantastic guy!

Meet Kyla!

2011-08-09T16:55:00.006-04:00

This is the first post in a series where we get meet and greet the interns of The Sugar Suite. We have so many talented people that walk through our doors, and we want to tell the world all about them!

Kyla Jicha came to us from the Valencia Pastry Program (post UCF grad). Her bright smile and organizational skills have changed us forever! Never had we met someone that was 15 minutes early every single day for 6 weeks, impressive! She is a stunning perfectionist which is a serious compliment around here. She also has a passion for social media that created an exciting wave of interest in our bakery- making "Lets tweet this" a regular phrase! We wish Kyla all the best in her endeavors and asked her a few questions so everyone could know and love her like we do!

1.) What are three words you would use to describe yourself?

Excited

Organized

Rule-follower (does that count as one word?)

2.) What are you most passionate about?

My Jesus, my favorite people who I am so super lucky to call my family and the most glorious indulgence on this earth... food.

3.) What is your dream job?

I'm going to have to go with the occupation of Princess. I mean really, what kind of girl doesn't want to be a princess?! On a more serious note, something that involves food (my favorite part of life), makes other people giddy happy, and pulls on my heartstrings every morning.

4.) What was your favorite part interning at The Sugar Suite?

The intimate family-like working atmosphere and our weekly Tuesday morning meetings

5.) What is your favorite sweet? What is your favorite cake flavor at The Sugar Suite and why?

Decadent crispy waffle cones filled to the brim with rich chocolate gelato... Mmmmm...

Hands down the Mint chocolate cake- Woah, so good!! because It felt like the never-ending Girl Scout cookie! And thank goodness I didn't actually try it until my last day or I may have doubled in size had that glorious flavor combination entered my life any sooner during my time at The Sugar Suite.

6.) What is something you wish all future employers could know about you, they might not learn in an interview?

That I get a sure thrill out of feeling as if I am part of something bigger than my own strengths, that I can contribute to a team that is passionate and thorough in their field.

The Sugar Suite is hiring a Pastry Chef!

2011-08-02T17:34:00.007-04:00

Here at The Sugar Suite we are a small business focused on personal service. We have received many accolades for our culinary quality and this is 100% attributed to the fantastic and passionate team in the kitchen! We are asked on a daily basis if we are hiring, and finally the answer is "yes!"

Here is a little bit more about who we think will be a good fit:

A candidate with a minimum of 2 years of professional baking experience
A candidate that is interested in working part time (12-24 hours a week, Monday & Tuesday)
A positive, passionate and self starting individual!

We want to truly get to know each candidate so we created the following questionnaire.

Why did you get into this industry?
What is your dream job?
What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
What are you passionate about? (multiple answers are fine)
Would you or anyone you know consider you a “perfectionist?”
What is something you want a future employer to know about you that isn’t always expressed in interviews?
In your opinion, what is the most important attribute a candidate must have for this position?

Feel free to visit our website for more information about our company www.thesugarsuite.com

Email your resume, portfolio and responses to this questionnaire (cut and paste in an email is sufficient) to Jennyfer Mancino Jennyfer@thesugarsuite.com

Looking forward to meeting you!

Girly Cupcake Class: July 28th

2011-07-12T16:11:00.002-04:00

UPDATED 7/21: The Girly Cupcake Class is FULL.... stay tuned for future classes!

Introducing our "Girly Cupcake Class" on Thursday July 28th from 6:00PM - 8:30PM.

This class will cover the girliest of decorating techniques such as bows, pearls, modern rose piping, and dainty cherry blossoms. We will also cover the basics of piping buttercream on cupcakes and rolling fondant for accents. This class is perfect for beginners and children over the age of 8.

The cost of the class is $65 and includes 6 cupcakes for your decorating pleasure. We will cover all 4 designs and variations, but, of course, you can absolutely choose which designs you do on your 6 treats. Mini cupcake tasters and beverages will also be provided, and feel free to bring your own favorite bottle of wine if you'd like to jazz this girly evening up a bit! All you need to bring is a pair of closed toed shoes and an apron. We will provide all of the tools and sweets you will need to make sure you walk out with a box full of charming cupcakes at the close of our evening!

Email Jennyfer@thesugarsuite.com to sign up!

Summer of Faux: Vase Cake

2011-07-08T19:10:00.000-04:00

Like Marcy Blum, I am always on a treasure hunt for new ideas..... even if I don't know it. Upon receiving "The White Issue" of CeciStyle Magazine (my much anticipated weekly treat), I saw this beautiful white porcelain vase by Lekker Home. Although I must admit, I initially began picturing this vase in my fantasy remodeled kitchen with fresh peonies...... I stopped an realized it was calling out to be made into a wedding cake! I sketched out the first draft, with a lush peony and hydrangea topper, and decided that a contrast of ivory and white would make my interpretation of this pattern stand out. It came to fruition beautifully!

Hope you enjoy!

Cupcake Class

2011-06-28T19:10:00.000-04:00

This was our very first 'open to the public" cupcake class! We all had an absolute blast decorating our little cakes with masses of buttercream and itty bitty fondant details. The specialty flavors featured in the class were also featured at our Father's Day Cupcake Day Sale, which was held at "The Sugar Suite" the Saturday before Fathers Day! These ladies were loving the endless creative and innovative possibilities in decorating their own Father's Day treats! So innovative in fact, that Katie (our youngest decorator of the evening) even added a teeny tiny pair of reading glasses to the pocket of her tie cupcake! It was such a treat for me to get to "play" and just enjoy decorating cupcakes all night. The middle picture on the bottom row features all three of our cupcake gals showcasing their favorite decorated treat!

Style Me Pretty!

2011-06-24T10:51:00.000-04:00

Today is a big day for us.... it is the day we announce to all of our readers, clients, and facebook fans that we are now part of Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book of Vendors! Just being asked to be part of such a prestigious wedding website is like winning a huge award (that's how we feel anyway)!

As I had mentioned in the previous post, I attended Engage!11 this year, which is a wonderful event for those of us who are in the wedding industry where we get to network, learn, and be a part of something way bigger than any of us individually. While at the conference, I attended Abby Larson's (Founder of Style Me Pretty) media panel. After being exposed to this blog on a more intimate level, I decided to make one of The Sugar Suite's written 5 year goals to be a featured vendor on this stunning website for brides. No more than 10 days after returning from Engage!11 did we receive a delightful phone call being asked to be part of Style Me Pretty's network! Of course we accepted the invitation, and now couldn't be happier about our posh spot as a trusted vendor and we proudly display our new badge of honor!

Engage!11 The Grand Del Mar

2011-06-06T19:16:00.000-04:00

Once or twice a year I have the privilege of attending the Engage! Luxury Wedding Business Summits. This May it was hosted at The Grand Del Mar in Sand Diego. The summit is organized by the wedding industry marketing consultants at Engaging Concept, who are somehow miraculously making each event even better and grander than the last. Here are a couple of photos from the conference....

David Beahm giving us a peak into his Zen wisdom and creativity!

The "so-gorgeous-it-looks-like-a-photo-shoot" welcome party, complete with a unique Sand Diego musical group that played the "earth harp" with Sylvia Weinstock.

The General Session - (aka The Main Event) hosted speakers like Carley Roney, Mindy Weiss, Monique L'huillier, Todd Fiscus, Marcy Blum, Cindy Novotny and the brilliant Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn Arce of Engaging Concepts (picture below)

This photo is from a lunch hosted by the cake diva (and the person who made my wedding cake!) Sylvia Weinstock. This tent was like nothing I've ever seen with embroidered trim detail, stunning chandeliers, and ghost chairs (swoon)! ... just further demonstrating the level of talent at the conference.

Photos 1-7 by the ultra talented:Jessica Claire

The stunning Diann Valentine, celebrity event planner to stars like Toni Braxton and Shawn Stockman, is indescribable! If I could mix the word "swagger" and "grace", that would be HER word!

This photo was of the Gala put together by the FABULOUS Mindy Weiss, THE celebrity event planner of LA (who is the planners for my favorite celebrity: Jessica Simpson! .... the first and the second wedding, that's how good she is!). Attending one of her parties is like attending the Oscars, unforgettable and totally glamorous!

photos 8 & 9 by the SUPER Mel & Co. !!

More to come on all the ways the conference inspired our business. Too much gratitude and love to fit in one blog post!

Father's Day Cupcake Day at The Sugar Suite! Saturday, June 18th

2011-06-06T14:34:00.000-04:00

Out first Cupcake Day sold out.... and now we are at it again for Father's Day! Come by our shop in Maitland on Saturday June 18th from 10:00AM - 2:00PM.

We will have four flavors available for sale:

Guinness - Guinness buttercream with a chocolate cupcake

Shock Top - Shock Top (beer) buttercream and orange cake

Maple-Bacon - maple buttercream and candied bacon on a vanilla-buttermilk cupcake

Key Lime Pie - key lime buttercream with graham cracker crumbles with vanilla cake

in our fun "Dad" decor!

The cupcakes are $3.00 Each and can be purchased individually. For orders of 12 or more, please order in advance.
The cupcakes will be on a first come first serve basis so plese RSVP if you would like ensure you get your favorites!
To RSVP or to place an advance order email hello@thesugarsuite.com

**If you are a confirmed bride of The Sugar Suite and didn't receive our email regarding this tasting, please email Jennyfer at jennyfer@thesugarsuite.com **

Father's Day Cupcake Class June 16th
For the first time ever, We are offerering a decorating class!

Thursday June 16th we will learn how to decorate these Father's Day Cupcakes. The Class is from 6:00PM - 8:00PM at our shop in Maitland. The cost of the class is $50.00 and includes 6 cupcakes. Space is limited, so reserve your space asap by emailing Jennyfer@thesugarsuite.com!

The Summer of Faux

2011-06-05T15:59:00.000-04:00

As a designer, I sometimes wonder if I'm crazy.

I see royal icing detail in the wallpaper at the Delano, I see sugar brooches in the clearance section of Anthropologie, I see a wedding cake on the cover of the Vogue in my friend's guest bathroom. (clearly, I'm inspired everywhere!)

In the words of Marcy Blum, Eventiste and New York Wedding Planner to the stars: "I am always on a treasure hunt" and whether it be obsession or talent (the combination of which I like to call passion)... I too am always on a hunt for new ideas and ways to express those ideas in sugar.

The Summer of Faux is about taking all of our inspiration, these styrafoam (or "faux") cakes, some sugar and a lot passion to show everyone what we see, and hopefully inspire .

Stay tunned for the full stories, images and faux cakes, its going to be one inspired summer!

Baby Shower Sweetness: Top 5 Trends in Baby Shower Cakes

2011-05-10T15:05:00.000-04:00

The Top 5 trends in baby shower cakes:

Our clients are hosting baby showers with some serious style! From the meticulously chosen invitation and party theme, to the thoughtful favors, to the design centerpiece of the party: the cake! Here are some of the trends we've seen and the fresh approach and design style our clients are taking....

1.) Modern/Stylish Color Pallets

"Greige" (grey+beige), tangerine and blush

Black & White with vibrant pops of color

Light Aqua and Brown

2.) Using the baby's name in the cake design...

3.) Sentimental Themes. Sometimes the sweetest themes comes from a very personal inspiration as a child. Here are some classic themes that are sweet throughout the decades...

nautical themed cake

Clothesline - baby bloomers, socks and dresses must be the cutest thing in history!

Baby feet! If you are a mom, you know that tiny little baby feet are forever the sweetest little things in the world.

Winnie, Eeyore and Piglet actually get cuter with age (after all, they are 85 years old this year!). This uber-classic theme can be passed down for generations!

Transportation Cake - there is nothing more "boy" than a transportation cake!

4.) Gender Neutral Cakes. Nowadays, many parents are waiting to find out the sex of the baby until birth.... recapturing the same excitement of the "olden days" Shower themes don't need pink and blue to have a strong identity. Take look at these gender neutral cakes....

This baby shower was "build a library" theme where all the guests were asked to bring their favorite childhood book. The cake was the center of conversation where guests pointed out the sugar version of their favorite books!

This shower took place over the Thanksgiving weekend, and was affectionately called "Welcome little pumpkin" :)

This shower was for a sweet baby girl, whose mommy loves green. We added a little turtle, teeny-tiny bits of pink and the baby's name for personal and sentimental touches.

This mommy was so excited to keep the baby's sex a secret, we went with the perfect neutral color pallet, yellow and white!

5.) Mod: Mod is back baby. Clean lines, prams and polka dots will never go out of style. period.

Spring Cupcake Day at The Sugar Suite!

2011-04-13T20:36:00.000-04:00

By popular demand, The Sugar Suite will be hosting its first retail cupcake

day for one day only on Saturday April 23rd at our shop in Maitland from

10:00AM - 3:00PM.

We will have four flavors available for sale:

Coconut - with almond cream cheese and shreded coconut

Lemon Poppy - with vanilla bean buttercream and raspberry filling

Strawberry Blonde - vanilla cake with strawberry buttercream

Carrot Cake - with cream cheese icing and caramelized carrots

All in our festive Spring decor!

The cupcakes are $3.00 Each and can be purchased individually.

For orders of 12 or more, please order in advance.

This is our first CUPCAKE DAY, and our first time selling retail our of our

location..... and the cupcakes will be on a first come first serve basis so

plese RSVP if you would like ensure you get your favorites!

To RSVP or to place an advance order email us at

hello@thesugarsuite.com

**If you are a confirmed bride of The Sugar Suite and didn't receive our

email regarding this tasting, please email:

jennyfer@thesugarsuite.com

We will also be featuring our little bunny cupcakes which can be ordered 5

for $30.00

Bunny Cupcakes are a _specialty order only

Order your cupcakes before Wednesday, April 20th by clicking here:

Email Jennyfer@thesugarsuite.com

BRIDES Florida Feature

2011-04-13T10:26:00.001-04:00

Now, I already have a slight obsession with bridal magazines, but when I knew our cake was in this issue of BRIDES Florida I couldn’t get to the stand fast enough! (Literally, I had to beg an industry friend who had an advance copy)

This is our FIRST official magazine feature, and the excitement is bubbling over at The Sugar Suite!!!

We were so honored when BRIDES Magazine contacted us to be featured on their Florida Spring Edition and even more excited when they chose one of our favorite and most sophisticated cakes. Thanks to the couple, Jenna and Jim….. you have helped make a dream come true for us!

Two ribbons at The Festival of Chocolate!

2011-03-09T09:55:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we had the pleasure of participating in The Festival of Chocolate at the Orlando Science Center for the third straight year. This event includes so many quality vendors, we are proud to be on their roster.

We received two ribbons at the event for Runner Up in:

Best Chocolate Cake Competition

for the Mint Chocolate Cake and

white chocolate buttercream and Mint OREO cookie crumbles

and

Best Chocolate Cupcake Competition

for the Tiramisu - chocolate cake with espresso rum buttercream

To see more of our cupcakes visit our Cupcake Gallery: CUPCAKES

This year we introduced our Moose Munch Cupcake, which was a huge hit! I was inspired by the Food Network Show Cupcake Wars, when all of the contestants passed up popcorn as an ingredient in the crazy ingredient round. The cupcake includes a toffee popcorn, candied pecans and a white chocolate drizzle on a chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream.

This was our booth on Sunday right before we sold out!

Our littlest tasting girl!

The Orlando Festival of Chocolate is a fantastic family event, and we look forward to participating for many years to come!

Tear Sheets and Wedding Words Worksheets

2011-02-05T14:18:00.000-05:00

The Sugar Suite has a process to better understand our clients style. With thousands of images and hundreds of wedding related blogs on the internet, and even more sources of inspiration fro magazines,venues and friends..... organizing all of those thoughts on top of design choices already made for the wedding can be a daunting tasting.

To simplify this process for the design consultation we ask our brides to bring one of two things to our design consultation.

First, for the right brainers out there: The Tear Sheet. The Tear Sheet consists of images that represent the couples wedding style. We have gotten pictures from chandeliers, invitations, dresses, things that brides have torn out of magazines and printed from the internet...... and we love it when we get a collage of various images such as this one below. This helps me as a designer reference the carefully chosen pictures when sketching out their wedding cake designs.

Second is for the left-brainers out there: The Wedding Words Worksheet. The Wedding Words Worksheet is the same concept as the Tear Sheet, just in words. There are no rules or psychology to which words are chosen, I just ask them to circle the ones that stand out to them.

Getting to know our brides and helping them communicate their style makes the process fun and easy!

Mini Wedding Cakes

2011-02-05T14:02:00.000-05:00

At The Sugar Suite, our goal is for our brides to fall in love with their wedding cakes, from design to execution to the lasting memory they have of their special confection on their special day. To recreate their experience, some couples are opting to skip the tradition of eating their frozen wedding cake topper on their anniversary, and instead going for a miniature replica of their cake. This cake was created last year for a couple that has become regular clients of The Sugar Suite. Here is their "mini me" cake (as they referred to it:)) complete with the original design and flavors of their wedding cake. The cake serves 4-6, but will surely be enjoyed by only two as a sweet way to reminisce on their very special day.

Sweet Southern Wedding

2011-01-30T09:25:00.001-05:00

Here at The Sugar Suite, we are passionate about design. Our goal is to take the style of the bride and translate that into an original cake design, because every bride is an original herself.

I met this bride over a year ago and if there is one word I could use to describe her, it is SWEET! When we talked about the idea of using real lace on her Southern inspired Winter Park Farmers Market wedding, I prayed she'd say yes! Not only did she say yes, but she asked for a ranunculus and garden rose inspired sugar flower to go on her cake...... I was immediately in love with the cake, before I even created it!

Here is a little bit more about her flower.

I started with clean edged petals on a round cell bud. I placed the first three overlapping to cover the cell bud, and then the following five, tightly around the base.

The next set of seven petals were also placed in a tight, bulb-like fashion, on a slight vertical angle at the tip of the clean edged petals.

Then onto the outer layers of 5 and 6 petals that I placed gradually more horizontal. The cupping technique on the edge of the petals gave the flower a bulbous feel, while still allowing for width.

The final product placed on the cake

Oh, sweet Southern lace!

To see more of our recent wedding cakes visit our wedding cake gallery

For more on our wedding cake design philosophy visit our weddings info page

2011 Best of Weddings Winner on The Knot!

2011-01-28T09:20:00.000-05:00

We were recently awarded the "Best of Weddings" on The Knot, and OUR brides gave us a perfect score!

We are grateful, humbled and so pumped to reach this personal and professional goal.... and in our first year on The Knot!

Thank you to all our brides, we love you!!!

French Bronze Birthday Cake

2011-01-25T18:54:00.001-05:00

Last week I was in a design rut when it came to a friends birthday cake. I knew it had to have a French feel since we were dining at the fabulous Chez Vincent in Winter Park! I wanted to use turquoise and bronze reminiscent of the Parisian rooftops and metro.

After an agonizingly uninspired Google search and an quick education that real bronze is actually a brown-black shade of green, not the shiny red-copper I remember......I only had a turquoise two tier hexagon cake and nothing else, then I saw "it!"

I saw some favorite camellias I made last year, along with some extra flowers and leaves that were left over from a different project.

I looked at my leftover florals, then looked at my bronze paint and I took the leap!

There is nothing better than great friends, great food and great cake!

The Sugar Suite has a great MENU, but we love it when people want to customize their flavor. This cake was Mint Chocolate cake with Baileys and white chocolate buttercream, I know I always say this.... but this is my new favorite flavor!

Bon Appetite!

Grooms Cake Fever

2011-01-18T20:04:00.000-05:00

Grooms cakes, a tradition here in The South (Yes, Orlando is in The South), show the personality of the groom, and the whimsy and fun side of the couple. At The Sugar Suite, we always encourage the couples to put the grooms cake on completely different table than the wedding cake, ideally on the other side of the room. The elegant and statuesque wedding cake should never have to compete with a fun or funny cake.

What do these cakes say about their grooms?

This is a "red" sea turtle for a red-headed surfer groom

Trumpet for this musical groom

Snoopy and Woodstock for this Snoopy memorabilia collector

Noles emblem for the Florida State grad

Yellow Shirt for the Trekki

Soccer ball for the Arsenal fan!

Cessna for this pilot

PC for this groom, with his actual screen saver (what a sweetie!)

The Sugar Suite's grooms cakes are a personal and fun touch to your wedding reception. Check out our specialty cake gallery for inspiration for your grooms cake!

Wedding Cake Design for a Designer: Winter Park Farmer's Market Elegance

2011-01-06T11:14:00.000-05:00

Stylish Wedding at The Winter Park Farmer's Market

There is no more daunting of a task then creating something for a designer, especially when its as important as their wedding cake. Further, the pressure is really on when she is your best friend! Nicole and I had been talking about her wedding cake for years (literally), and when it came down to the final execution we took her style of clean, modern yet vintage, high contrast colors, yet simple and organic (the reception took place at The Winter Park Farmers Market)..... and took a turn towards the grand. Its her wedding cake after all!

This was the couples "brand" that appeared on everything from the invitations to the programs (to the banner hiding the not-so-elegant co

mmunity events board outside the Farmers Market).

Once the cake was assembled I began placing the brooch centered peony inspired flowers.

British folklore has it that the wedding can foretells the size of the couples family, The top represents the couple, the very bottom tier their family and the tiers in between is how many children the will have. My sights were set on a 7 tier cake (and wishes for 5 children), but I knew that would get me in trouble so I settled for 5! :)

Nicole wanted a touch of gold and a touch of black, much mostly a tone on tone look that wasn't too traditional. Our answer was to hide some jewelery looking brooches as the centers of the high petaled flower. I wanted the flowers to bring in some of the organic elements of the Farmers Market, without going the mason jar or potted plants route (also a cute idea for this venue).... so I added as many petals as possible.

The thought of black piping crossed my mind to add more contrast to this cake. In the end it was important to me that the flowers were the stars of the show and didn't want to go overboard on this anti-gaudy couple.

And the grooms cake for this dashing and musical groom! His real trumpet is silver, but an executive decision was made for the sake of the wedding colors to make it gold.These fantastic images were captured by Orlando Wedding Photographer Shannon Nicole Smith, a rising star in the wedding world! Ian and Nicole's wedding will be featured on their wedding stationery blog in the coming weeks, check back to get the link!

To see more of our wedding cakes, visit The Sugar Suite's wedding cake gallery! Now, her is some eye candy from their reception...

Holiday Menu

2010-12-03T12:32:00.000-05:00

TO ORDER: CLICK HERE TO EMAIL US!!!

Or call (321)972-8650

One "Suite" Week

2010-11-30T19:25:00.000-05:00

When I first started baking, I would always take 100 pictures of projects. Then as I got busier, I only started making time to photograph only the projects that were different than what I had previously done. Now, with so much variety and volume we are lucky to get a photo of anything leaving the bakery!I decided that I wanted to give our clients a glimpse into what do, all of it! The photos below are from a full week in November at The Sugar Suite, and captures the variety of what we do and the attention to each project.

First off, let me introduce the team. Over the past 10 weeks we have enjoyed the company of two externs from Le Cordon Bleu. In the photo below from the left in the pink is me (Jennyfer), next is Brook Ogletree (extern from Le Cordon Bleu), then Megan Stelma (our Pastry Chef!), and on the far right in pink is Mary Lou Bradley (extern from Le Cordon Bleu).
First Up: Our passion, the wedding cake!
To see more of our Wedding Cakes visit our wedding cake gallery

This cake was a mini version of a cake we made a couple weeks ago. Believe it or not, it only stood 12", and the bottom tier was 8" round. The bride provided a cake stand which always adds a super personal touch to the dessert presentation.

This cake was inspired by a Martha Stewart Cake that was originally in pink with lovebirds perched on top. I knew the bride had her own topper, but didn't know what until I arrived on-site. I love personal touches!

This was also a mini cake designed for an intimate reception at Circa in Winter Park. The brooch center of the roses adds a vintage and elegant touch to a clean and romantic design.

When we went to deliver this cake, the florals weren't ready, so this is is an image of the cake that inspired the actual cake. Same dimension and design. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned, but allowing the florist to place the flowers is never a problem considering their expertise!

Next, onto our Specialty Cakes, to see more visit our Celebration Cake Gallery This was a grooms cake for a groom addicted to his Palm Pre. Mix that with his love for superman, this phone cake is a hyper custom representation of the grooms personality. This wedding took place at the Summerlin House in downtown Orlando

My design directions for this cake were simply two angles "40" and "manly" ... and voila!

This birthday cake was for a 16 year old girl that couldn't have been sweeter! She loves the beach, and wanted some interesting characters on her cake like Scoobie and a girly octopus.

This baby shower cake was inspired by the invitation From Zazzle. We added our own girly clothing, including some ruffly bloomers. Also, we used the mommy-to-be's favorite color butter yellow and the baby's bedding which included dragonflies.

An then our first love, cupcakes! To see more of our cupcakes, visit our Cupcake Gallery
The theme of this baby shower was "welcome our new little pumpkin" and the little giggling baby mimicked the invitation. The flavor was of course spice cake with pumpkin buttercream.

So that was a week with The Sugar Suite! We love what we do, and thank you for being a part of it!

Thanksgiving Cake Centerpieces

2010-11-08T08:11:00.000-05:00

The Sugar Suite is proud to introduce our Thanksgiving Cake Centerpieces!

Edible sugar fall leaves and acorns garnish this spice cake and pumpkin buttercream two tiered cake.

Cake sizes and Pricing

4" & 6" (serves 15-18) .................$45

6" & 8" (serves 33 - 36) ...............$70

8" (one tier, serves 21- 24)..........$55

**all cakes 4 3/4" - 5" tall**

ORDER HERE

Cupcakes: We also offer regular sized spice cupcakes with pumpkin buttercream. We offer them garnished with sugar fall leaves and acorns for $3.25/each. Cupcakes can be ordered in dozens with a minimum of 2 dozen

Travel: We can package your Thanksgiving Cake for car or plane travel (we recommend that the cake doesn't stay out of refrigeration for more than 5 hours). At this time, cakes and cupcakes cannot be shipped.

Service & Presentation: For best results, we recommend allowing your cake to come to room temperature indoors for approximately 3 hours. We also recommend elevating the cake, or placing it on a cake stand for presentation.

Pick Up: Wednesday, November 24th The Sugar Suite will be open from 8:00AM - 6:00PM for pick up. If you are unable to pick up during that time, please contact Jennyfer at jennyfer@thesugarsuite.com to schedule a pick up time.

Flavors: Other flavors of cake and buttercream are available for an additional $.50 a serving Click here to view our menu

Ordering: Thanksgiving orders must be placed by Sunday, November 21st by 6:00PM for Wednesday pick up. Ordering early is recommended to ensure availability!

Pearls, Pearls and More Pearls Wedding Cake

2010-09-09T08:43:00.001-04:00

Without exaggeration, pearls are the most classically elegant style and design elements EVER. The best have worn them, Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn, and some of my personal heroes!

When my very good friend Shaler asked me to make her wedding cake, and that she wanted pearls to be the focal centerpiece of the wedding cake design..... I was in heaven, well sort of....

Pearls are a cake designers dream to design, and nightmare to execute, rolling each one individually can be time consuming. Substitution with pre-made pearls is a good solution if you aren't going to use a tinted coloring or any sort of pearl dust. Shaler wanted shades of pink, peach, white and ivory pearls which gave the hundreds of pearls more dimension, giving attention to each one.

Bakers Tip: if you are adhering accents to a cake that have pearl, gold or silver dust piping gel is a great material that dries clear and will hold the weight of the larger pearls (royal icing and buttercream are not strong enough, and the dust makes the material very slippery).

A special thank you to The Orlando Citrus Club, the venue for Shaler's wedding reception.

Visit our site to see more of our wedding cakes!

Gardenia Wedding Cake

2010-08-29T09:33:00.000-04:00

I am crazy about gardenias, they are perfect and smell wonderful.....but not logistically great for a wedding between the wilting and browning. Unless they are in sugar. The following is an in depth look into the making of a gardenia and gold kissed wedding cake.

Gardenias buds start with three interior, and five exterior petals, then to make the full size flowers we add another seven petals around the edge. To make the giant gardenias we added 5 - 7 wired petals (wired in order to make adjustments on site, and for weight and structure). Total we made 12 full size gardenias, 7 buds and 2 giant gardenias, totaling 280 petals!Along with matching waxy green gardenia petals which were made of gumpaste tinted green, then airbrushed for dimension and shine.For you bakers out there: the gold was made of 2 containers of Old Gold, 1 container of Apricot Sparkle and 1/3 container of Moonstruck for a more rosey, antique gold. There was a gold rope at the base of each tier, gold loop accents on the cake and small sprays of gold pearls. Each tier was covered in marzipan instead of fondant. The bride's affinity for marzipan was worth any additional challenge we faced with this new tasty but fickle ingredient. This is my friend Shaler who stopped by our Orlando bakery just as we were assembling the cake. The cake was actually in two pieces. The two bottom layers were real, and the top 5 were faux. In this case, we decided to do this for the efficiency of the cake service to the couples 600+ guests, but in the end we were happy to have 5 lighter tiers to assemble.
An then some images of the final assembly in our shop. When we first put the flowers on the cake, the realistic off white color of the gumpaste was too stark of a contrast on the marzipan covered cake. A little ivory shimmer added to the petals softened it just enough that the gardenias could still have their signature off white color, but also blended with the overall design of the cake.

The completed cake on site in the reception hall at the T.Pepin Hospitality Center in Tampa. We hope to have many more weddings at this stunning new venue!
Here is a little video that my pastry chef and assistant Megan took. Thank goodness for her brand new iPhone! You can turn the volume off (oy, my voice sounds weird).

To see more of our recent cakes, visit our website at www.thesugarsuite.com

The Hungry Caterpillar

2010-08-18T07:53:00.001-04:00

Our little friends give us some of the most fun projects! The Hungry Caterpillar is an adorable childrens book, that we translated into cake for this little girl's first birthday. All of the food is made of colored fondant, including the polka dots at the bottom of the cake.

Earthy-Organic Styled Wedding Cake

2010-07-12T21:13:00.000-04:00

Every now and then, a client comes along with such a clear idea of who they are that their style jumps out at you! Anik is gracious, earthy, generous, sweet and lighthearted. She wanted a cake that was reflective of the earthy style they brought to all elements of their wedding, including the tree stump cake stand and ETSY birdie cake toppers. The couple's faith is a big part of their identity, so we added the bible verse read at their ceremony as a subtle element on the base of the cake.The biggest honor came when she asked me for a copy of the sketch to serve as a menu in the rustic wooden frame next to the cake. We wish you every happiness Anik and JD!

Faux and Fabulous Wedding Cake

2010-06-28T10:37:00.001-04:00

When this couple came to me, they had a grand plan to have a surprise wedding annoucement at their engagement party, followed by the rolling out of a huge wedding cake. Well, the guilt of hiding the secret got to them and they decided to have a small reception at a friends not so small house. They were only expecting 40 - 50 guests, but wanted large wedding cake as the centerpiece of the event. This is the perfect occasion for faux tiers!

Below is a picture of the 6 tiered cake, can you guess which 3 are real, and which three are faux?

Some other detail shots of the sugar flowers and monogram.

Eeyore and Piglet Baby Shower

2010-06-08T12:19:00.000-04:00

Its the season for baby showers, and with the sea of baby room design choices its no wonder that we never see two of the same cakes! This cake and cupcake combination was for an old friend (yeah Facebook!) having her first grand baby. The little Eeyore and Piglet topper were made of sugar so that the mom could keep them if she wanted. The cupcakes were made of chocolate buttercream with a little fondant top to the "hunny" pot, and some vanilla custard as honey drops. I had so much fun with this project, I hope someone else orders Eeyore, Piglette and Hunny pots!!

House from the Heart

2010-05-27T11:57:00.000-04:00

Growing up, I spend a lot of time at my best friend's grandparents house, which was walking distance from our school. We have so many warm memories of the super sloped driveway, the green and white awnings, the vegetable garden of and ghost adventures in the attic. When Grandpa Jerry's 80th birthday arrived, I knew we had to make a cake of the house he raised his 6 children and one grandchild (and one adopted grandchild, me!) in... 1023 E Livingston Street. It was my first building, and required way more time and detail than I anticipated..... but this project was straight from the heart to honor Grandpa Jerry!

Graduation Cake

2010-05-24T09:48:00.000-04:00

There seems to be an ongoing dilemma when choosing which school to celebrate for graduations..... do they celebrate the accomplishment or the future that awaits them?! In this case, we said BOTH! The colors (black & gold, and royal & red) wouldn't be considered complimentary, but the significance of all four of these colors to the graduate was important.....so I went for it. We also needed to incorporate some "girly" elements so I made a large bow on the SMU tier. The mascot of her high school, the hornet, donned some eyelashes wispy wings, and a tiny little bow. Congratulations to all the graduates!

Friendly Dinosaur

2010-05-24T09:36:00.000-04:00

For a three year old birthday party, the friendly factor of the dinosaur definitely matters! I wanted to make this guy so friendly looking, you would want to kiss him! A curly smile, cute nostrils, triangle teeth, and bashful gaze all make up the personality of this dino. Our industry partner, Serendipity Sweets, made the mini cupcakes with the grass piping, the perfect scenery and party favor for the guests.

Fairy Baby Naming Cake

2010-05-13T10:54:00.000-04:00

I love the idea of having the baby shower after the baby is born. You get to know them, if they are sweet or vivacious, cuddly or independent, and you are sure their name fits.

My favorite part of this cake is the little pink fairy and her rosy cheeks. It took me about an hour to get her hair how I wanted it, but the brunette with a touch of red highlights (like the recipients) was worth it! You can never go wrong with pink and flowers for a little baby girl, but instead of the muted pastels, we added a little touch of jewel tones for extra personality! Cheers to babies!

Kids Golf Bag Birthday Cake

2010-04-28T12:37:00.000-04:00

One of our littlest fans has his own special flavor with us, vanilla pudding filling and vanilla cake. It was his special request last year, and again this year. Little Max is a golfer {smile} and loves the Gators, so we made him a little Gator club cover, along with a putter and wood (I am pitiful at golf, so please forgive if I didn't say those correctly). It makes my job so wonderful to have kids as repeat clients because you get to see their new interests year to year and be a part of their family in a small way. Enough with the sappiness, lets eat some vanilla pudding cake!

Modern Circles Wedding Cake

2010-04-26T14:03:00.000-04:00

I love it when a bride comes to me and says that she is getting married at The Orlando Science Center! The venue choice says so much about a bride, and this choice says that she is not afraid to be different. We made the circles of a deep red fondant, cut very meticulously. The taupe pearls and red swirls matched a graphic on the invitation (one of my favorite sources of inspiration for the cake) and the circles were inspired by the invitations as well as some deep red linen the couple used at the reception. When the cake was finished, there still seemed to be something missing from the top, so we attached some of the circles together (and luckily they stayed!).

Camellia and Lace Wedding Cake

2010-04-20T15:05:00.000-04:00

I first made this cake in buttercream in October for a dear friend, and I must confess that every time a bride circles "traditional" on her wedding words worksheet, my little heart pitter patters at the remote thought of making this cake. As with every cake, this time we did it a little different. Since my flower class with Ron Ben-Isreal, my sugar flower skills have improved a tiny, tiny bit (blog post about him, his class and the wonderful flowers this coming soon!). I made this camellia in his class, and almost cried when it went out the door forever.... but knew it went to a deserving bride. We also went with fondant this time to give it an even neater appearance, and great surface for piping lace pattern in royal icing.

Wood Grain Wedding Cake

2010-04-05T08:29:00.000-04:00

When I heard that this couple wanted a wood grain cake with a cute little carving of their initials (to match their invitation), I was so nervous about how to pull off rustic and neatness at the same time. The first decision I made was to use an ivory fondant base and a very light colored royal icing. I knew that the contrast would be significant enough with all the wood grain piping, and I didn't want the detail to be overwhelming. The second decision I made was to use the round part of the wood grain more frequently than in nature, to add an artistic element to the pattern. I was happy with these decisions when I arrived on site to find an all ivory room and a funky-artsy cake topper (more on this below).
So many times when we deliver wedding cakes, the background is something less than attractive, and the lighting challenges are too much to handle for this amateur (wedding photogs, I don't know how you do it!). I understand that the quality of my images speaks volumes to brides so I decided to setup a spot in my new shop to take photos of my cakes in natural light,with a white background... and voila the first photo! That being said, upon delivering this cake, I realized the benefits of taking photos on site.... they had two vintage porceline love birds (like my navy and pink cake) as their wedding cake topper!

Ranunculus Wedding Cake

2010-03-29T08:43:00.000-04:00

I officially have a new favorite flower, the ranunculus! The bride sent a photo of the flower arrangement for the cake and although simple in design these delicate flowers are high impact! What I also loved about this cake design is the fact that it is mini, perfect to fit on any gorgeous cake stand (like this milk glass stand), and can be a beautiful accent for the couple's home.

Paisley Print Wedding Cake

2010-03-21T08:36:00.000-04:00

When I asked this bride what was her favorite design element of her wedding, she quickly answered this print. She used this paisley print she found on ETSY from Two Yellow Shoes on her invitations and other stationery. After some amateur graphic design getting a 1" x 3" triangle shaped image into a solid band.....I printed the design on edible paper with edible ink. I wanted to incorporate the sugar gardenia as a topper because this bride along with many others always confess they really want gardenias and magnolias in their wedding flowers. Good florists always recommend against this because of the rapid browning of these flowers...... so a sugar gardenia can capture a dash of Southern charm in the style of the wedding.

Black and White Damask Wedding Cake

2010-03-15T15:21:00.001-04:00

Black and White Damask is the love of many brides.... and when a bride brings me an invite or tear sheet with this pattern I know she likes the contrast of the two colors, and her wedding is sophisticated. This particular cake was made with buttercream and the piping was also done with a black tinted buttercream. Flowers by Lee Forrest..... a super-creative and quality driven florist,who is also such a joy to work with!

Wedding Cupcake Tower

2010-03-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

There are wedding professionals that think cupcakes are too informal for a wedding... but I think that cupcakes have come SO far from the grocery store shelves that the idea of a fun and individual dessert is just perfect for some weddings! Neatly piped buttercream, brown liners and a fondant accent add style and presentation. This bride wanted pretty (but not too cutesy) bows on the top of each cupcake. Her colors were brown, light pink and ivory... so we alternated the buttercream and bow colors to give a variety to both the flavor and look of the towers.
Most caterers have their own cupcake tower and this one was provided by Puff 'n Stuff Catering (this wedding served 200+, and they have an additional tower if needed). The key to taking an ordinary cupcake tower and not having it look plain is filling it up! We placed each cupcake in the same direction (see bows) and as closely together as possible... so that the stand disappears and all you see is cake!

Two very Tweet Birthdays!

2010-02-22T08:44:00.000-05:00

I love referrals! I met this client while delivering the previous post (Strawberry Blonde Bridal Shower). She has two daughters 1 and 3, whose birthdays are weeks apart. She sent me the invitation above, and I knew it would be a fun project! We made the cupcakes below along with two crash cakes (no photo sorry :( ). Crash cakes are typically for first birthday parties that the baby can dive into! I add extra buttercream for extra cute pictures!

Strawberry Blonde Bridal Shower

2010-02-16T16:11:00.000-05:00

When my friend, and super-suitie Jen Isham called to book her best friend's strawberry themed bridal I knew I was in for a fun project! We made strawberry blonde cupcakes, of course, which are vanilla cupcakes with strawberry buttercream (which has a naturally pink color). The cupcakes were accented with graphic strawberries made of fondant and royal icing. We made a little 6"tier to match the cupcakes of pink fondant with a sweet white eyelet reminiscent border. When she said the invitations read "How Sweet It Is" I knew this border was a definite. Jen, who was a contestant on The Next Food Network Star, and now has her own blog created an entirely strawberry themed menu.

MENU

Welcome Strawberry Milkshake Shooter ( non alcoholic )

Butler Passed Hors d’oeuvres

Mini Strawberry and Brie Grilled Cheese on Raisin Bread

Shrimp with a Strawberry, Kiwi, Shallot, Lime and Mint Salsa Fresca

Strawberry, Cucumber, Mint Bruschetta with Chardonnay Smoked Fluer de Sel ( salt J )

First Course

Chilled Strawberry Soup with Orange Zested Crème Fraiche

( hints of cinnamon and black pepper )

Main Course

Mixed Baby Greens Salad with Poached Chicken Breast, Balsamic Macerated Strawberries and Candied Walnuts

Dessert

Cake and Coffee

Oh, doesn't that sound heavenly??? PS the first picture is the bride, Shannon, who will also be The Sugar Suite's bride in April.... can't wait!

People that Inspire Me: Carley Roney

2010-01-13T13:37:00.001-05:00

I felt moved to write this post to tell my clients and readers about the people and companies that I admire... in this case it is BOTH a person and a company. I have been very fortunate to meet Carley Roney,CEO and Editor-in-Chief of The Knot on a couple of occasions through Engage! and what I take away from every occurrence fuels me and illuminates for me what I want MY business to look like. The following is 5 Reasons why she is a remarkable individual!

1.) Woman Entrepreneur Carley is not only a successful entrepreneur herself, but she mentors women entrepreneurs around the country through speaking engagements. She is at the top of many nationally circulated lists that recognize her success at such a young age. As a graduate of NYU (in filmography, ...I know), she is sharp, and an elegant speaker. She once gave me seriously scary advice about my business in its infant stage "just jump in!".... and she was right.
2.) The Knot, The Bump and The Nest
The Knot first graced newstands in 1997, and currently draws 2.1 million unique visitors a month (source: MPA). She credits their success and abundant creativity to connecting their vendors to their brides (affectionately called Knotties). The sense of community and loyalty created by The Knot keeps brides coming back to their site even after they are married (hence The Nest and The Bump). When I was a bride I also felt this strong brand identity to The Knot, and used it almost exclusively as my wedding resource (2005-2006) to find what all brides are looking for: quality vendors, information, objective reviews from other brides and inspiration.
3.) Family Woman
When I first met Carley Roney, we both had 6 month old babies and she excused herself to go breastfeed. I was stunned to learn that while running an empire with her husband David Lui she sometimes breastfed in board meetings, brought her children to work and overall incorporated her family into the company culture. She told me the great thing about having your own company is that you can build it the way you want it to look. At that time in my life I felt a conflict between having huge dreams for my business and also a thriving family and marriage at the same time, unsure of how both are possible. If Carley Roney can run a publicly traded media conglomerate all the while being a loving mother and wife.... it IS possible! She also shared how the dynamics of her marriage are reflected in their business, saying that "the highs are high and the lows are low" and referring to the their hectic schedule as "you just have to like your life that way".... words that have reassured me over and over again.
4.) She hearts brides
Carley has a true affinity for brides, and understands what they want. Her and her husband David decided to quantify what they were hearing from brides, and came up with The Knot Survey. The Knot Survey is designed to collect information FROM BRIDES about the planning experience, from info about budgets to vendors to color combinations. In the end, it was also a way to recognize outstanding vendors through their "Best of" recognitions, an honor which we one day hope to achieve from our brides. Before this survey, no one had every taken a bride-focused approach to wedding industry statistics. We can add "trailblazer" to her list of attributes :)
5.) She is a great person.
Aside from enjoying much success, Carley is pointedly unpretentious (even though she is a New Yorker! hehe!). At conferences, she is never too busy to talk to vendors large and small alike and boasts of having all IKEA furniture in The Knot headquarters.

This woman is someone I wanted to recognize as outstanding, and her words encourage and inspire me in many different facets of my life!

Round and Square Wedding Cake

2010-01-06T08:38:00.000-05:00

When planning the dimensions and servings for a wedding cake, I usually have to break out the calculator.... but in this case, I had to break out the highschool geometry class. Considering I am miserable at math, it was nothing short of VICTORY that the dimensions of this cake turned out like I wanted. There is one indispesible formula when figuring out what size tiers to plan:
The basic idea is that you you have to figure out the length of the widest part of a square, which is the diagonal length. For example, a 8" square has an 11.3" diagonal length. That means that the round tier below it must be at least 12". This cake was a 4" square, 6" round, 8" square and 12" round. See kids, that geometry IS useful beyond the SAT!
The flowers were done by Lee Forest who is insanely talented, and so likable!

Ivory Ruffles and Chocolate Flower Wedding Cake

2009-12-16T21:47:00.000-05:00

This is officially my favorite cake that I never got a (good) picture of :( This bride had tons of class and a fantastic idea. What if we did small subtle ruffles and a large chocolate flower on very tall tiers, all tying in the very modern mood of the Global Gallery Venue. What is most different about this cake is the dimensions. It was a6x7x8, that's right only 1/2 inch divided the sides of these tiers, and the result was a very svelt and elegant design.

The best part of all was what I saw on the way out.... her card box matched my cake!!!

Sex in The City Wedding Cake

2009-12-02T11:08:00.000-05:00

It all started with this photo from the summer issue of IN Style Weddings (oh, how I will miss that magazine!) Its a cake by Collette Peters inspired by Betsy Johnson.

Then onto the true inspiration for her cake, the brides wedding dress that was inspired by Carrie Bradshaw's wedding dress, minus the bird and plus the groom (thank goodness for both)
We went through one round of revisions and came with the above sketch. I was really excited about the peacock brooch in sugar and all the feminine ruffles! The bride wore a chocolate brown sash, and it was the perfect transition from the skirt of the dress to the bodice.
Then the cake! The ruffles needed a lot of support, so I added some gumpaste to keep them stiff enough to resemble fabric. The dragee brooch was much heavier than I anticipated,so I secured with floral wire and fondant, and luckily it had enough strength to stand out of the cake for a more dramatic effect.
I love when brides want to make a statement with their wedding cake and this bride also made a fashion statement!

Alencon Lace and Pearl Wedding Cake

2009-11-23T21:15:00.000-05:00

When this bride walked in with a Martha Stewart Planner, I knew we would get along just fine. A touch of alencon lace and pearls mimic the brides dress, and the pearl brooches give the cake a timeless and sweet feel. On a side note I have officially given up my dislike of using real ribbon on a wedding cake. This ribbon perfectly "absorbed" into the cake and gave it an even shimmer that couldn't quite be achieved with a fondant ribbon. I know it may not be part of a solid "culinary point of view"but we wont tell Bobby Flay. If it looks sharp (and is food safe) I am all for it!

Vegan Star Wars Wedding Cake

2009-11-16T19:58:00.000-05:00

I believe that a wedding should express the combined identity and personality of the couple, and nothing said who and what this couple were about than a vegan Star Wars themed wedding cake! I LOVE the idea of a vegan wedding (even considering my love for cheese and bacon).... but the idea of cake with no butter and no eggs was a daunting order.
I started this challenge like any other baking experiment, with Google. Looking through recipe after recipe, reading the comments left and developing a game plan. I felt like a baking-genius when my first batch of vanilla cupcakes came out delicious and perfectly moist. The chocolate cake was a different story. After a multi-trial nightmare, cake explosions and implosions I felt like a baking-idiot..... that was until I found a vegan cupcake book in Anthropologie called Babycakes. The recipe was wonderful and baked exactly like regular cake (very important to have a sturdy texture when building tiered cakes). To flour the pans I brushed them with canola oil instead of butter and for the fillings I was sure to not suggest anything I couldn't confirm didn't have gelatin. The biggest challenge came with the fondant. I normally add 20% white chocolate for a smoother texture, and without it the fondant was very difficult to get super-smooth. My solution was to ensure the icing was very smooth before rolling out the fondant a little thicker (around 1/4").Ok, now for the fun part, how cute are these little figurines? The groom owned a comic book store and had these antique figurines of Hans Solo and Princess Leia (sporting a white gown.... perfect!).

Simple Drama Wedding Cake

2009-11-08T15:19:00.000-05:00

The two words I hear most from brides when describing their wedding cake vision are "simple" and "elegant" This cake is the perfect example of a clean, stylish cake with a pop of drama in the large sugar flower and ornate lace detail. The tone on tone piping keeps the cake looking neat yet still sophisticated. I think this same look can be acheived using a very muted base color (such as blush, or ice blue, or a deeper ivory) along with the ivory piping and flower. The large flower look has graced every bridal magazine this season, and I hope to see many brides embracing the large sugar flower in their cakes as well!

I decided to include the sketch pad for this cake to show the fluidity between concept and execution of the final design.

Scrolling and Quilted Wedding Cake

2009-11-03T21:03:00.000-05:00

When I first met this bride, she seemed to know exactly what she wanted....which is not the case with every bride I meet. She LOVED the quilted look, and wanted to incorporate a hint of the damask pattern she used in the wedding invitations and paper accents of the reception. There was last minute decision to use warm orange hues in the floral elements of the cake, which I think added a gorgeous and vibrant dash of color. Although this cake was very fun to make, the best part was the next day when I received this note from her before departing for her honeymoon:
"Hi Jennyfer! The cake was just PERFECT yesterday. Really, the most beautiful cake I've ever seen :-) "
With every cake I make, my dream is to receive a note like this period, (extra awesome it was the very next day)... and it never, ever gets old :)

First Birthday Stacking Rings Cake

2009-10-27T11:51:00.000-04:00

Colorful stacking rings make me think of little cooing and crawling babies, so how perfect mom chose this for her baby's first birthday! I added lots of green, blue and yellow to the design to the base of the cake to signify that it was for a boy (not that babies are concern with this), and made sure the teddy bear on top was boy-ish (without eyelashes or a bow).
So bummed I didn't get a picture of how the bear looked after I fixed the toothpicks under his chin.... but thought he was still so darn cute I had to post him :)

5 Reasons Carley Roney Inspires Me

2009-10-20T16:38:00.000-04:00

I am truly inspired by Carley Roney Editor-in-Chief of The Knot, and wanted to write this post to tell my clients and readers about the people and companies that I admire... in this case it is BOTH a person and a company. I have been very fortunate to meet Carley Roney on a couple of occasions through the Engage! and what I take away from every occurrence fuels me and illuminates for me what I want MY business to look like. The following is 5 Reasons why she is a remarkable individual!
1.) Woman Entrepreneur Carley is not only a successful entrepreneur herself, but she mentors women entrepreneurs around the country through speaking engagements. She is at the top of many lists that recognize her success at such a young age. As a graduate of NYU (in filmography, ...I know), she is sharp, and an elegant speaker. She once gave me seriously scary advice about my business in its infant stage "just jump in!".... and she was right.
2.) The Knot, The Bump and The Nest
The Knot first graced newstands in 1997, and currently draws 2.1 million unique visitors a month (source: MPA). She credits their success and abundant creativity to connecting their vendors to their brides (affectionately called Knotties). The sense of community and loyalty created by The Knot keeps brides coming back to their site even after they are married (hence The Nest and The Bump). When I was a bride I also felt this strong brand identity to The Knot, and used it almost exclusively as my wedding resource (2005-2006) to find what all brides are looking for: quality vendors, information, objective reviews from other brides and inspiration.
3.) Family Woman
When I first met Carley Roney, we both had 6 month old babies and she excused herself to go breastfeed. I was stunned to learn that while running an empire with her husband David Lui she sometimes breastfed in board meetings, brought her children to work and overall incorporated her family into the company culture. She told me the great thing about having your own company is that you can build it the way you want it to look. At that time in my life I felt a conflict between having huge dreams for my business and also a thriving family and marriage at the same time, unsure of how both are possible. If Carley Roney can run a publicly traded media conglomerate all the while being a loving mother and wife.... it IS possible! She also shared how the dynamics of her marriage are reflected in their business, saying that "the highs are high and the lows are low" and referring to the their hectic schedule as "you just have to like your life that way".... words that have reassured me over and over again.
4.) She hearts brides
Carley has a true affinity for brides, and understands what they want. Her and her husband David decided to quantify what they were hearing from brides, and came up with The Knot Survey. The Knot Survey is designed to collect information FROM BRIDES about the planning experience, from info about budgets to vendors to color combinations. In the end, it was also a way to recognize outstanding vendors through their "Best of" recognitions, an honor which we one day hope to achieve from our brides. Before this survey, no one had every taken a bride-focused approach to wedding industry statistics. We can add "trailblazer" to her list of attributes :)
5.) She is a great person.
Aside from enjoying much success, Carley is pointedly unpretentious (even though she is a New Yorker! hehe!). At conferences, she is never too busy to talk to vendors large and small alike and boasts of having all IKEA furniture in The Knot headquarters.

This woman is someone I wanted to recognize as outstanding, and her words encourage and inspire me in many different ways!

Tiffany's Inspired Wedding Cake

2009-10-20T15:43:00.000-04:00

Gotta love a gal that loves Tiffany's! This cake was inspired by the iconic Tiffany Blue, and white bow that made the jewelry store epic (aside from Audrey Hepburn, she helped too:)) The base of the alternating tiers had a small white graduated dot design that kept the attention on the bows and stripes while giving it a simple, clean look. The three loop bow is a nice way to give more attention to this design element of the cake, and keep it looking elegant and regal.

50th Birthday Party for an outdoors-man!

2009-09-27T09:41:00.000-04:00

Tractors and fishing boats and black jack and beaches.... theses are a few of his favorite things!
The sculpted fishing boat was modeled after his own boat, named "Never Say Never" made of Pina Colada Cake (coconut cake iwth a rum glaze and pineapple buttercream). The gentleman is a salt water fisherman, so we had to include a Blue Marlin caught at the back of the boat. His prized tractor, complete with steering wheel, controls and a comfy seat, was sculpted from amaretto cake with chocolate and raspberry filling. This gentleman also enjoys gambling, so we included a handpainted"21" spread along with some dice (I heard that "7" was a good number in dice). My favorite part of this cake was the little sculpture of him holding a "50." I wanted to make sure that the pose was celebratory and masculine.... hope I pulled it off for this outdoors-man!

The Knot!

2009-09-10T07:53:00.000-04:00

I am a huge fan of The Knot (aka Knottie) and its founder Carley Roney. In fact, I have an entire blog post brewing about how much I love her and her company.... even before they posted one of my cakes on their inspiration board! Tuesday This post went up on The Knot ... I thought that people submitted cakes to the bloggers, and that was how you got your work posted.... but i guess not! Thanks to Stacey Kane (the photographer) there is a whole new group of brides I can share my work with!

The Knot Post

Chinese Take-out

2009-09-08T21:10:00.000-04:00

This project made me hungry, but not for cake! This Chinese take-out themed birthday wouldn't have been complete with out a pagoda pail of cake and fortune cookies that predict a very happy birthday.

Simple Red Poppy Buttercream Cake

2009-09-08T14:33:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, I love poppies! The bride chose a large red-ish orange poppy and for a dramatic effect we placed it on a hyper-simple cake, with a simple gold satin ribbon. Normally when a bride suggests using real ribbon my fears of butter stained satin creep up..... but I thought I would take the challenge headon this time! I lined the back of the ribbon with a white tape, and gently brushed the ribbon with a damp cloth, so it wouldn't absorb the buttercream.... and it worked great! PS, these flowers were silk! It goes to show you that as long as you choose tasteful flowers, it all works out (no hibiscus with plastic stamens, please!)

Planes, Trains and Automobiles!

2009-09-02T13:44:00.000-04:00

These cakes were created for the 2nd birthday of THE sweetest little boy I know! He can't get enough of planes, trains and trucks..... clearly, all boy!

Ladybug Cupcakes

2009-09-02T13:32:00.000-04:00

Ladybugs must be the cutest little bug in the world! These black and red ladybugs were made of fondant and royal icing, and sat atop the cupcakes. I enjoy making a little disc to adorn the cupcakes as opposed to incorporating the theme into the entire cupcake, because it leaves the cupcakes in their true colors/flavors. Client can choose whichever flavor they like best, rather than working within their color palette, and there is always ample buttercream regardless of the design.

iPhone Cake

2009-08-19T12:43:00.000-04:00

This iPhone was made as a grooms cake to reflect the groom's love of his phone! The bride took a snapshot of his desktop and sent it to me from his phone (sneaky!) so that I could create the apps exactly like the ones on his phone! You can barely see it in this photo, but he had 52 emails!!! Woah, that stresses me out just thinking about it!

White with Navy Crumb Catcher Wedding Cake

2009-08-17T09:15:00.000-04:00

This cake was created for a friend of mine who loves navy and white as much as I do! She chose this navy crumb catcher design to add some style and contrast to the wedding reception. Dave and Danielle are the perfect couple, and we wish them so much happiness!!

Storm Trooper Cake

2009-08-10T21:40:00.000-04:00

This cake was made for a fascinating 4 year old! He loves to surf, and LOVES Star Wars... how cool can a 4 year old get!? He asked specifically for a storm trooper cake, and I was very happy to make it for him. Not knowing a thing about Star Wars, I had some research to do. I guess Storm Troopers are the bad guys, and come to think of it their mask is quite ominous and grumpy. To accompany the cake, there were OREO cupcakes: marshmallow buttercream on chocolate cake garnished with an OREO cookie, perfectly black and white.

Celtic Knot Wedding Cake

2009-08-10T17:21:00.000-04:00

The inspiration for the design on the side of the cake was this Irish Knot cake topper. The symbol on the interior of the heart is the Celtic Trinity symbol, similar to a cross. It is encased in the heart as a traditional Irish wedding symbol. This particular bride wanted to incorporate her heritage in the colors and symbols on her cake, so I made this custom design to include the symbol in light green buttercream.

Black and White Paisley Wedding Cake

2009-08-01T20:45:00.000-04:00

When I met this bride, she had an picture of the exact cake she wanted. I could tell by the photo that the bride had a lot of style, and suggested that I draw up a couple sketches for her. Not only was I thrilled when she said "Yes" to the suggestions, I was over the top when she picked one for her wedding cake. Every bride has her own unique style, sometimes you just have to dig in find that perfect cake.