Icing Smiles Part Two!

In a previous post on the blog I spoke about the amazing organization called Icing Smiles. In a combined effort with bakers across the country, Icing Smiles provides birthday cakes for critically or terminally ill children and their siblings. Please read my first blog to understand why this organization is SO important to me. I had been called upon a few times to provide a cake, but I kept having conflicts with my schedule... until Mia. 

Mia was born on December 20 with a congenital heart condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) and in short, the left side of her heart was severally underdeveloped. You can read more about Mia's journey on her mom's Facebook page. She's seriously a trooper and I couldn't wait to meet her. 

Mia was going to be celebrating her second birthday on December 7 and once I confirmed my availability I was put into contact with her mother, Christi. She informed me that Mia is in LOVE with the show Paw Patrol and the character Skye. Once again, I had never even heard about this show so I spent a few hours online researching to get an idea for her cake. In my research I discovered that Skye was a cockapoo and if you've read my very first blog entry you'd know that my sweet puppy dog, Sophie, is in fact a cockapoo! I immediately messaged Christi about Sophie and offered to bring her along when I delivered Mia's cake. Christi and Mia were 100% on board. I think that Christi and I were actually more excited about the whole thing than Mia... And Sophie for that matter. Sophie HATES wearing things. Coats, costumes, bows, you name it. She will literally stand there and look at you as if you just de-stuffed her favorite squeaky toy.

Skye wears this pink get-up so I had to make Sophie wear her pink coat for the delivery! 

Sooooooo getting back on subject!!! The design of the cake was actually pretty simple. There are six puppies on Paw Patrol, so I made each of their badges to go on a side of the cake. 

They were made from gumpaste that I then colored with edible markers. I also made Mia her own personalized badge that had a gold heart with her name in the center... and I forgot to take a picture of it. 

The front had the Paw Patrol logo and a bright, pink '2' for Mia's birthday. 

The top of the cake was a different story! I made Skye by carving/sculpting Rice Krispy treats, which is the most time consuming part for me when I'm making 3-D figurines. I'm really a perfectionist and if one part looks 'off' to me then 9 times out of 10 I'll squish up the figurine and start over!   

Once I had Skye's head and body made, I covered them in a layer of buttercream, smoothed them out, and then covered them in fondant. I then added all of the details including her goggles and aviation hat, backpack, tail, ears, eyes, arms and legs. I was so happy with how she turned out!

On the day of Mia's party, I got Sophie all dressed up in her jacket and we made our way down to the hotel where her family was having the event. I unfortunately couldn't bring Sophie into the hotel but Mia got to meet her in the entry way of the lobby and Sophie had kisses for everyone. Wouldn't be an issue if she didn't have such stinky, puppy breath! 

When I opened the cake box to show Mia her cake, she immediately started smiling. She recognized Skye in an instant and couldn't contain her excitement. I picked her up and showed her Skye and the different parts of the cake and we got a few pictures together. 

As I started to leave, my emotions got the very best of me and I started crying. Christi thanked me over and over again for the cake but I told her the honor was all mine, and it really truly was! Mia is such a little fighter and has been through more battles in her first 2 years that most people won't even face in their lifetime. I just kept thinking to myself how miserable I was when I was sick and then diagnosed with Lupus and how much I needed a distraction from all the doctor's visits, lab tests, and hospital stays. Mia's condition is SO much more critical than mine, so I could only imagine the break they all needed from the medical hustle and bustle they go through each day. I was honored to be part of the distraction that day and doing her birthday cake put so much into perspective for me. Life is so precious and so many people take it for granted. I often ask myself, "Are you doing enough? Are you making the world better by being in it? What else can you do to make a difference?" And it dawned on me as I was writing this blog that hopefully by sharing this story, it'll inspire others to have the same mindset. I wish that I could spend the rest of my life providing cakes for Icing Smiles, but unfortunately I do need to make some sort of income haha. But can you imagine how much better our society would be if each day, every single person did ONE thing to help someone else. Ask yourself if YOU are making a difference, and if not, what's stopping you? 

Thank you for reading! Always,

Sarah 

Dealing with Loss

Many of you might have noticed my recent absence from Facebook over the last few weeks. On November 9, my family suffered a great loss with the passing of my father's mother, Irene. My dad's side of the family is small, he is one of three children with four grandchildren.  So growing up it was just me, my sister, and my two cousins, Matthew and Adam, which meant my grandma spoiled us rotten. Almost every Sunday my family would cram ourselves into her modest home, the home where my father grew up, and we would feast on the most delicious home cooking. Even as my cousins, sister, and I grew older, we were still sent to sit at the "kid's table." I didn't mind though. I looked forward to the friendly banter, laughter, and storytelling that always ensued whenever we were together. Grandma had the memory of an elephant. I swear to god, she would tell stories and I would just look at her and marvel at the itty-bitty details she could recall. She had the sharpest wit and would threaten to bring out her old wooden spoon to smack us on the dupah (that's slang for butt haha) should we cross her or our parents. She had the heart and soul of a saint. She was kind, generous, compassionate, and I could go on. Her viewing was attended by more than 300 people, which I think speaks volumes on how much of an impact she made on people's lives. And as I stood by my family, accepting the condolences of everyone, there was one remark that I heard over and over again, "Sarah, she was so proud of you," and I couldn't help but smile. I smiled because my grandma was the person who said since I was 12 that I needed to go to culinary school. She knew that I always gravitated towards the kitchen, burying my nose in cookbooks, and was watching the Food Network when kids my age were watching Nickelodeon. I smiled because my passion for cooking and baking had a lot to do with her. 

So many of our family traditions were rooted in the kitchen and I truly believe that's why I'm so passionate about food. My grandma was the one who was responsible for creating those traditions! My childhood memories are filled with moments spent with her in the kitchen, learning how to make pie crust, pierogies, strawberry jam, pumpkin rolls, pigs in the blanket, and most importantly.. pound cake! Special occasions within my family were always accompanied by my grandma's pound cake. It was a rich, dense cake that she served with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Simple, ridiculously delicious! So it only seemed fitting that in the days following her death, I make the recipe that reminded me of her. 

As I measured everything out, the memories of her came flooding over me. The measuring cups she always used, the way she prepared the bundt pan, how she told me over and over again not to try the sour cream even though I insisted it had to be sweet because it looked like fluff!

When I pulled the cake from the oven, the smell made my heart ache. I've always related memories with smells and this old familiar smell, it felt like my grandma with surrounding me. In that moment I realized that even though she is gone, I'll always have baking as a way to relive my memories with her... And I wouldn't trade that for the world. 

So with holidays quickly approaching... I ask you to slow down. Put away your phones. Spend QUALITY time with your family and make memories with one another that you can cherish for years to come. I attached the recipe for my grandma's pound cake, and I hope that you'll enjoy it as much as I do. 

Always,

Sarah

Aunt duties ...

If you follow me on Facebook and Instagram then you are probably well aware that my best friend is pregnant with her first child. I met Amanda in college and as cliche as it sounds, we became instant friends. She has the most beautiful soul and caring heart, so I know she is going to make an incredible mother. The video below is actually one that was shot by Amanda when she told me she was expecting. She gave me a gift box, and in my defense for sniffing it, she usually gives me my favorite scented candle whenever we get together. This time it was a mug that said "Aunt" on it and as you can tell... I'm a cryer. I seriously had NO IDEA and I'll just chalk that up to me being blonde haha.

Amanda and her husband live in Elizabethtown so we don't get to see each other as much as we would like. However, the news that they were expecting has given a solid reason to take weekends off to go visit them. Added bonus: I get to make all of the celebration cakes that go along with pregnancy!

Amanda had me do a "Reveal Cake" to surprise her in-laws and her family. It was a gift box cake with a big loopy bow and a tag that read,
"Tractors or Pearls?
Carhartt or Curls?
Open to see if I'm a Boy or a Girl!"

It's a boy!!!! 

After it was revealed that they were expecting a boy, Amanda started planning Ethan's (that's his name!!) nursery around a construction theme. I helped to plan her baby shower and I found the most adorable invitations on Etsy. I can't say enough about the customer service I received from the owner! She went above and beyond to customize the invitations until they were perfect. 

We hosted the baby shower at The Cork Factory Hotel in Lancaster and the setting was perfect. Amanda and her husband had their wedding reception at the venue so it was like everything came full circle. 

I was a tad nervous about transporting the cake down there because the roads in PA are COVERED in potholes from the horrendous Winter of 2014. I made sure to pack the cake the best that I could before leaving and was thrilled to see that it made it down there in one piece. 

Boxed and ready to go! 

I also made sugar cookie favors for the guests that included baby onesies, bottles, and hearts that said "Baby Under Construction!" 

All set up at the shower

I added signs to the cake that read, 

"Slow"

"Mom at Work"

"Baby Bump Ahead" and 

"Caution"

The entire day was a gorgeous celebration and I was so happy to be there. I can't wait until Ethan finally gets here and I can spoil him rotten with lots of love... and birthday cakes.

Thanks for reading! 

Always,

Sarah 

An Evil Minion took over my kitchen!!!!

So the last few weeks probably went down in the books as, "The Weeks of Unthinkable Hell." I've been tested in so many ways and really had to get my act together and my head back into my business. There was no better way to do that than with the Evil Minion cake! This cake was for one of my most loyal customers. She has three little boys and we have so much fun coming up with each of their birthday cakes.

For anyone that is unfamiliar, a Minion is a character from the movie, "Despicable Me," and the Evil Minion joined in the sequel. Below is a picture of a normal minion on the left and evil minion on the right. Game on!

I started the cake by stacking two 8" cakes. I probably doweled the bottom cake more than necessary...umm better safe than sorry? The top cake needed to be rounded to help give the illusion that the Minion's hair was sticking straight up. I applied the buttercream and smoothed it out with my handy-dandy scraper. Where can you find one of these little guys, you ask? Home Depot, my friends! The cake had to then be refrigerated for a couple hours to chill the buttercream.

Next up, I mixed the fondant to match the purple of the Minion. I used AmeriColor Violet and Regal Purple, and honestly it's just trial and error with color matching. P.S. that's the reference picture that I used throughout the process to make sure my colors,  dimensions, and placement were all correct. 

Making the eye was actually a lot easier than I expected. I made the white background from gumpaste and then marbled the purple with a darker shade of purple for the center. Then I added the pupil and a small white accent for a little jazz. Next, I did the little eyeball compartment...is there a technical term for this jammer? Hmmm.. either way I used silver luster dust spray that's made by Duff Goldman (aka the Ace of Cake's dude) to make the compartment look metallic. I really love Duff's product line which you can find at Michael's and Walmart. 

 At this point I started to slack on taking pictures, mainly because I like to work quickly through the Final Scrape/Roll Out Fondant/Cover Cake in Fondant/Trim Fondant stage. I consider all of that one, big stage! It's essential to move quickly through these steps to avoid the buttercream from softening and the fondant from cracking.

Above, you'll see the steps where I added his teeth, lip, and the base of his overalls. My go-to adhesive for decorations on fondant cakes is chocolate. I try to use a color that is similar to the fondant covering the cake, so I ended up using Wilton's Lavender Chocolate Melts. The bond is almost instantaneous which is huge since I don't have the patience to stand there and hold decorations against a cake while the royal icing or piping gel dries. 

Then I attached his arms and hands! His arms actually face backwards and he only has three fingers. I used the purple fondant for the arms and black fondant for his hands.  I finished the smaller details of his overalls, adding "stitches" along the borders, buttons, pants, and his feet. Every part of his lower body was made from the black fondant. 

I used the chocolate to adhere his eye, then added the band and hinges for the eyeball compartment. I used piping gel to get the band to stick around his head. I'll use piping gel when the decoration is lightweight and doesn't have to support any other decorations. 

The very last element of the cake was adding his crazy hair! I used very stiff royal icing and used a star tip to pipe the icing all over his head. I had to work in sections and layers in order to get the height I wanted. I would pipe a layer, let it dry for about 15 minutes, and then add the next sections. I seriously just kept piping until I ran out of icing haha and I was pretty satisfied with the final product. 

This cake was SO much fun to make and it really did knock me out of my funk! Hope it brought a smile to your face, as well! Thanks for reading and for all of the support! 

Always, 

Sarah 

Winning the lottery...

I'd like to run through a conversation I had with Boyfriend last night.. 

Boyfriend: "Babe.. question."

Me: "Alriiight."

B: "Would you still bake as a hobby if you didn't have to do it to make a living?" 

Me: (think for one second) "Yeah, I would. Why?"

B: "Seriously?"

Me: "Yes. I love it and I don't know why I would ever stop doing it. Why?" 

B: "Well after I win the Powerball tonight, you won't have to."

Me: "Oh. Right. So you already know that you're going to win? Yup... That totally makes sense." 

Needless to say, we didn't win the lottery last night. I heard some lucky bastard in California did, but that's not the point of me telling this story. I'm telling it because I honestly cannot imagine my life without doing some sort of baking. Every single day I thank my lucky stars that I am able to make a living doing what I absolutely love. Can you say the same for yourself? Would you stay in your job or the same field of work if you won the lottery? 

Here's the thing... because I'm so passionate about my work, I have finally realized one of the biggest downfalls of pouring my entire life, energy, money, and soul into my job... rejection. I've been doing consultations for my 2014 weddings and I had my first couple turn me down for their cake. This will be my second wedding season and it was bound to happen eventually, but the whole thing left me shaken. I wanted to call the perspective bride and ask for a more specific reason other than, "We decided to go with another bakery." Was it me? Were my prices too high? Did they not like the cake I brought to their tasting? I had so many questions but after a few tears and some positive reasoning, I told myself, "Oh well. I have 29 other couples to worry about and I'll make sure each and every one of them is thrilled that they picked me to do their wedding cake." 

My family and friends know that I have two qualities that make AND break me... I'm a perfectionist and I'm ridiculously sensitive. They make me because I will do everything in my power to make a client's vision come to life. If that means spending 6 hours working on one aspect of their cake, then so be it. I sacrifice A LOT to make sure my clients get what they pay for, and if that means I can't go to the gym or visit my friends, then so be it. I also get emotionally invested with just about every single client I have... not in a creepy way, GOSH, get your head outta the gutter! I just mean that I feel like I make a connection with them because they are trusting me to be a part of a very special occasion. I cannot explain the emotions I feel when I experience a bride seeing her wedding cake for the first time. Or when I get to surprise a 3 year old with a birthday cake that makes her squeal with excitement. I'm tearing up right now even thinking about it. See... Miss Sensitivity. Oy vey! 

But like I said, these two qualities can break me at the same time. Facebook is my best friend and worst enemy. Anyone that has a Facebook Business Page knows that you can see your page's insight, which includes site traffic, visits/views, audience stats, and "Likes." I monitor my "Likes" on a daily basis and whenever it shows that someone "Unliked" my page, I immediately say, "Well, what the f**k?!" I again go into defense mode wondering what I did to make someone say, "OMG, I can't stand seeing one more cake from this wack job so (clicks "Unlike") TAKE THAT YOU CRAZY CAKE LADY!!!" Ok.. I'm sure that's not what they all say but you get the picture. I wish I knew who the person was because I want to know what I did wrong and how I can fix the situation. Did I offend them (uhhhh I warned you guys in my first blog post that I have an R-rated vocabulary!)? Do I post too often? Do I not give away cakes enough... relax, Flavor Spotlight Friday will be back. Don't even get me started on my page's star rating feature. I cried for about an hour when I discovered that four people gave me 1 star and two people gave me 2 stars. Again, I wanted to know what I did wrong because 63 people that gave me a 5 star rating would disagree with your shenanigans in giving me a poor rating. 

Here's how this whooooole post comes together... ready for it....okay...  because I'm so passionate, because I get emotionally invested, because I'm a perfectionist, because I would still bake even if I won the lottery... because of all of that... I know I'm doing what I was placed on this world to do. Again, I ask you... can you say the same? Boom! (Drops the mic and walks away) Hahahaha I've always wanted to do that! Thanks for reading and I'll try to get my act together and spend some more time blogging about actual cakes but until theeeeen :) 

Always, 

Sarah

Icing Smiles

I hate my birthday. This is common knowledge to just about anyone who is relatively close to me. However, my reasoning behind this hatred might not be as readily known because I usually tell people, "Because I've had some really crappy birthdays."

The worst one to date was my 14th birthday. I turned 14 in the back of an ambulance that was speeding from an ER in Scranton to the ICU at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I had spent the 2 years leading up to this joy ride suffering from ailments that didn't have explanations. Doctors said my excruciating joint pains were probably growing pains because all of their blood tests came back negative. Test after test came back without a diagnosis. I even lost all of the hearing in my left ear because a "virus" caused nerve damage. Everything came to a boiling point the day before my 14th birthday when I ended up in the ER with fluid surrounding my heart and lungs. The local doctors recognized the severity of my case and sent me to the ICU in Philly. 

I'm not going to lie... I barely remember the first few days in the hospital. I do remember when the doctors finally came to me and my family with a diagnosis: Lupus. It wasn't terminal but the road to remission was going to be a long one. I was placed on a HIGH dose of prednisone that over the course of a year that would bring my overactive immune system down to the activity seen in a normal immune system. That summer was spent driving back and forth between home and Philadelphia for check ups. 

It's been 12 years and I'm still in remission. I definitely had my fair share of flare-ups but I've been lucky. I have never allowed Lupus to be a large part of my life, and I tried to grow up as normal as possible. Normalcy is ALL I ever wanted. When I was diagnosed, I was so young and naive. I never really saw the larger picture until years later. The stress it put on my parents... my sister. Financially and emotionally. Dealing with a sick child is something that I wish upon NO ONE. I'm so fortunate that my illness, with treatment, was controlled into remission. Others aren't as fortunate. 

Which brings me to the whole reason for this post. Icing Smiles. This incredible organization is working to bring that sense of normalcy that I spoke of before, to critically/terminally ill children and their families. I'm going to quote their mission statement because my words won't do it justice. 

"Icing Smiles is a nonprofit organization that provides custom celebration cakes and other treats to families impacted by the critical illness of a child.  We understand that the simple things, like a cake, are luxuries to a family battling illness.  Our goal is to create a custom cake for the ill child, or their sibling, that provides a temporary escape from worry and creates a positive memory during a difficult time."

I got goosebumps the first time I read this and I knew this was something I needed to be part of. I've been there.. I know what it feels like to want that temporary escape and I cannot wait until I am able to provide that to a family. I'm official registered as a "Sugar Angel" and have been added to the list of vendors in the Scranton (and surrounding 120 miles) area who will donate custom cakes to families that apply. 

I've always been looking for a way to give back and I've found it. If I can make one child smile, temporarily forget about their pain,  and possibly prevent them from hating their birthdays in the future... then I'll do everything in my power (and in my kitchen) to make that possible. Please take some time to check out Icing Smiles and their Facebook page to see what an extraordinary organization this is! I can't wait until I get to donate my first cake and I will definitely post a blog about it. Thanks for reading! 

Always, 

Sarah

Soooo about that....

I vaguely remember making some sort of statement way back in July about trying to blog more and clearly that went over well. It's now October and I finally have a free minute to enlighten the masses with my cake knowledge. My deepest apologies to those who have been sitting patiently, checking my blog for a new post each day. According the my page insight thinger-ma-bob there actually is one person checking it each day... buuuut that might just be me. Who knows!!! 

Wedding season is slowly coming to an end and I have to take a second to look back over the last few months and feel so incredibly blessed. I wouldn't have made it through this time without the support of my family, Boyfriend, and closest friends. I faced the harsh reality of being a business owner and what I have to sacrifice in order to better my company. I haven't taken a vacation since last February, I only had one weekend off over the entire summer and that was to torture myself in the Tough Mudder, and any amount of down time I have I don't have the energy to do much more than watch reruns of Breaking Bad on Netflix (don't you dare judge me!). I've lost a lot of "friends" and I say that with quotation marks because I assume that these people weren't truly my friends in the first place. I'm busy all day, every day and I invest whatever free time I have into the people who bother to send a quick text or leave me a voicemail to say that they are thinking about me. Yes, I'm well aware that telephones go both ways but for the first time in my entire life I am putting 100% of my energy into something for ME, and if that makes me a selfish person then so be it. My business is my passion and I don't think that most people would understand the time, effort, and sacrifices that one has to make in order to build a successful business. So I'm going to keep trucking along, count my losses and blessings, and look forward to the future. 

So now that I have that little ramble off my chest, and if you're still reading this then let's move onto one of the most stressful and amazing cakes that I did this summer. The snowmobile groom's cake... dun DUN DUUUUUN! The bride, Melissa, and I grew up together in the same neighborhood. She's an incredible person and when she contacted me to do a cake for her fiance, Coty, I jumped at the chance to work with her. Coty and his entire family are HUGE snowmobile fans... snowmobilers?... Uhhh I don't know the correct lingo.. but whatever you get the point... they LOVE snowmobiles. Melissa wanted me to make a replica of Coty's sled and I was sold. The bigger the challenge the better. Ok, who the hell am I kidding?! I lost a lot of sleep over this cake. Every night before I fall asleep, for some reason my brain decides it's going to go over every worst case scenario that might ever arise with a cake and cost me precious hours of beauty rest. 

When Melissa and Coty's wedding week arrived, I was on a mission. Melissa had sent me a ton of photos of Coty's sled but I was having issues visualizing how I was going to carve the cake, which led me on a field trip to Rusty Palmer, which is a huge snowmobile dealer about 45 minutes away from my humble abode. Once I got there and saw a sled similar to Coty's, everything seriously clicked in my mind. 

I had to do a trial run with styrofoam before I started hacking away at the stacked cakes. So I sat outside on my back porch and left a massacre of green foam everywhere, but at least I knew what I was going to do with the cake! 

Then it was time to bake, fill, and carve the cakes. I had to use two 9x13" cakes in order to get enough servings and create a cake that was in proportion to the real thing... because I'm OCD like that. Next up I had to get the whole thing covered in buttercream for a crumb coat. Crumb coats basically remove all of the crumbs, cover the rough edges, and serve as the building block for carving details in the cake. The first picture is the first crumb coat and then the second picture is after I smoothed it out. I had to go back in to some spots to cover up thin areas of buttercream but this part is always crucial because once a cake is covered in fondant, then every single bump or flaw will show up... at least it does to me. 

I dropped the ball in taking pictures throughout this process so you'll have to forgive me for skipping some steps. But basically the next steps included covering the cake in black and white fondant. I had to use black for the seat area and white for the front part of the sled (again, I apologize if I'm not using the correct lingo).  All of the detail was done with gumpaste and fondant.

Next up, I had to get the windshield on and make the indents for the lights.

Hooray for lights!! I found these little lights at Michael's a while back and they are great because they have tiny little batteries in them which eliminates the need for wires and battery packs! 

Then it was just about adding the final details. The track, the speedometer, the handlebars, the taillight etc. 

Once I had the cake on the board that I was going to transport the cake on, I was able to add the skis. I had also made some awesome foot rails (seriously, I need a snowmobile dictionary!!!) buuuut they broke into about 12 pieces when I tried putting them on.  No use in crying over spilled milk! The very last finishing touch was adding "snow" which was fluffy royal icing that I sprinkled with clear sprinkles. 

And here, my friends, is one of the professional pictures that Miss Amanda, of Amanda Krieg Photography took for me. She has a ton more on her Facebook page so make sure you check them out. 

When all was said and done I loved this cake. It challenged me in so many ways and when I sent a picture to Melissa before I delivered it, her reaction made EVERYTHING worth it. The long hours, the sleepless nights... everything. Making my clients smile and giving them something that they can always look back on and remember with such fondness.. it makes my job worth it. 

Thanks for reading and for your continued support! 

Always, 

Sarah