By Some Miracle - We Survived the Night. Barely.

Well, here we are again!
Another week - another batch of cakes. This week we have an order for 1 dinosaur cake, 1 erotic cake (finally!!), and our monthly corporate slab orders.

The cakes were made, the fondant was dyed, and we were all set to go. My boyfriend, aka our 'honest opinion', had his plate of excess cake and chocolate icing, and we were feeling good! I had to make Rice Krispie's for the legs, head and tail of the dinosaur cake . We saw this idea on Cake Boss and thought that we should give it a whirl with this order.

Earlier in the day, I had gone to the grocery store to get the supplies needed to make the Rice Krispie's. Now call me silly, but I assumed that Rice Krispie's were still the same old Rice Krispie's as I remembered. Snap! Crackle! Pop! and all that jazz...
Apparently I was wrong.

I started to mix my Krispie concoction and noticed something was off:

Rice Krispie's or Kraft Dinner? Something's not right...

I mean, it smelled the same....it tasted the same...but it just looked off.

We decided to investigate into what the heck was up with these XL Krispie's that I was previously unaware of. Grabbing the box, I quickly noticed what was going on. I'm all for the healthy lifestyle, but come on Kellogg's! Putting MultiGrain Krispie's into the same box as regular Krispie's is really confusing to us old people!!

Our Krispie Frustration

I suppose the large, yellow "NEW" and the fact it says "MultiGrain" instead of "Rice" should have been a clear enough indication. Evidently I need to not only read the labels, but should probably book an appointment with the nearest optometrist.

Don't be fooled!

Here is the box, thought I'd just put it out there in case anyone else just grabs without looking at the grocery store. Be warned. Your Krispie's may turn out larger then life. But on a side note, the fact it says MultiGrain makes me feel way less guilty about finishing off the left overs. Mmmm...MultiGrain Krispie's....


Once the fiasco of the Krispie's was over, we continued on with the Dino Cake. We had really high hopes for this bad boy. It is the first time that we were making a 3D cake with legs and a long tail and were very curious as to how things would turn out.

There were many things we learned while making this cake. It would only be fair to share all our boo-boo's here in the hopes to prevent anyone else from making the same mistake.
*Warning* Some of these mistakes may seem more like a lack of common sense...and just so you know...you're right.

1- Krispie's alone will not support the weight of a cake without dowels. Even if they are as solid as a brick wall. Trust us - they will change shape.
Advice: Build the legs and other body parts AROUND the dowels. Wooden, cardboard and plastic ones are probably your best bet.

2- A head made out of Krispie's will not stay up with dowels stuck from the head into the cake.
Advice: Cutting the cake board to accommodate the weight of the head is a WAY smarter and more logical idea. Logic...pfft...

3- Chocolate icing should not go under fondant.
Advice: Use white if you're new to the game of covering things in fondant. Chocolate can get so messy and once it get's on your fondant - it's not coming off.
Also, chocolate tastes way better, and you may be more inclined to polish off any leftover.

4- Circles and Dots can save your ass.
Advice: Refer to #3 and you will understand our need for circles and dots. Another great fact about circles and dots is that they can end up looking super cute!


Love Your Cake had a love/hate relationship with this prehistoric beast.

This is what we were able to pull off:

Dino Cake 2009

We were very pleased with the outcome, especially because it was our first time trying anything like this. We love that the fondant has many natural bumps and lines from the shape of the Krispie's underneath, it gives it that authentic, rugged, "dino-skin" look.

We would encourage all decorators to give the dino cake a try.
It will be a great learning experience, and if you can get through it without throwing in the apron, you will have accomplished something you can hopefully be proud of.

And if not, don't feel bad about eating the carcas...afterall, it's MultiGrain ;)




Good Night, Kitchen. I must go wash the icing sugar out of my eyebrows..

-C&S

Coping with 'Down Time'

While our business is battling to take off and before 'Love Your Cake' takes over the world, we definitely come across our fair share of down time. This can be a somber moment for most entrepreneurs who want nothing more then to see their dreams take off a little more each day.

Don't get me wrong...we like dreams taking off too. That's why we started this whole thing.

It's not that we're wishing for any down time so early into our business adventure. And it's not that we couldn't spend all this down time promoting our brand, creating portfolios and getting on top of the book keeping - now that we have acquired enough business to actually keep a book! Yay! All of those things are almost as fun as baking...almost.

Needless to say, we do not do these things during down time.

Instead, we go to the pool!! Ahhh....nothing better then a nice swim in a pool.
Sometimes we venture to the beach, or go for a drive to chill amongst the mountains. Occasionally we will watch television- but if we're watching a cake show, then technically we're working...technically.

There are so many obstacles to overcome to get 'Love Your Cake' into the hands (and stomachs) of the Vancouver public, that on days when the orders are not coming in - we don't let it stress us out. It took this long to get to a point where we take this whole baking idea seriously, it seems silly to let it cause our lives any added stress or frustration just because we have a few moments to breathe without inhaling icing sugar.

So for all you entrepreneurs out there - don't get depressed if you're not running around like a crazy chicken 24/7.

Instead, why not try a Mojito! Here, let us help:

Ingredients:

• 4 mint leaves
• 1 lime (for juicing)
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
• 2 ounces white rum
• 2 ounces club soda
• 1 sprig of mint (for garnishing)
• crushed ice

Preparation:

1. Put the mint leaves into a glass and squeeze the lime juice over them.

2. Add the powdered sugar and then crush the mint, lime juice and sugar together. Add crushed ice.

3. Stir in the rum and top off with the club soda.

4. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Servings: Makes one drink.




No orders? No problem :)

Now someone pass the sunscreen...

-C&S

guilty conscience = epiphany

Welcome to 'The Never Ending Story'.

'But how does it end?', you might ask. Allow me to elaborate:

I have eaten nothing but soup for 7 days.
I have listened to every word Suzanne Sommers ever said.
I waited 3 hours between proteins and carbs.
I have said good-bye to bread, meat and sugar in tear-filled ceremonies.
I've done the Survivor diet, yet I was never cast on the show.
I have been yelled at by Billy Blanks, Susan Powder, Richard Simmons and Jillian Michaels and didn't press mute.
I've taken the stairs... and yes, more then once.
I've even done a weight-loss reality TV show......

Opening Segment of Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp

2 Week Weigh-In

Final Challenge

Final Weigh-In with Tommy Europe & Nadine Bowman

And after having done all of this, I have come to one conclusion...

McDonald's always wins.


Always.



-Candice

Someone gets our sense of humor AND likes our cupcakes?! Jackpot!

Well I'll be darned...it has happened again...

Love Your Cake was mentioned in a blog posted by www.zencupcake.com!!!

Love Your Cake Celebrating the only way we know how...beer and icing sugar.

I first came across ZenCupcake on Twitter, (aka @zencupcake), and immediately looked forward to her daily tweets about all things sweet and sugary and wonderful. The cupcakes she features on her blog are too delicious to describe in words, so thankfully there is always a snapshot to let everyone see all of the yummy creations!!

Click on the photo for a direct link to ZenCupcake!

We really appreciate all of the positive feedback. As you probably know, we are new to this caking game and really want our business take off to new heights!

One day, you will be walking down the street in Vancouver and happen by a 20ft tall wedding cake made of stucco and cement...

Go inside - we'll see you in there! And we will keep it stocked with delicious cakes and cupcakes for you to share with your family and friends. Or if it's just for yourself , don't worry - we won't tell anyone ;)

-C&S

If "USA" was a category on Jeopardy - I'd be in trouble..

In honor of July 4th, I'd just like to say that I love the USA.

From a very young age my mother would load up my sister and I into the car, put on a little B52 Love Shack, and drive the 14 hrs to South Carolina. I loved the palm trees, the ocean, and the seafood - mostly because of a "small" 90210 obsession (the original series...obviously.)

Having a drink with my friends. Circa 1990

My best friend and I would take road trips into the USA, we drove through many states and followed/stalked around the original American Idol tour in Columbus, Ohio - what a beautiful place!

My only complaint was that "iced tea" was literally a tea bag in ice water.

We went to a number of Buffalo Sabres games and cheered them on, while getting hassled at every corner for being from Canada and liking the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sorry! Geez!
Giant hotdogs were really just regular sized hotdogs - but the excitement of being in another country was always good times!

I'm not ignorant, I just have a selective knowledge of what goes on across the border..

I love the national anthem - cried like a baby during the last olympics at every USA medal ceremony.

I love celebrity gossip - American celebrities have soo much more scandal and sooo much more paparazzi.

TV shows & Movies is it just me, or do they look better when they are American? - I don't know if it's because our cameras are carved from ice, but the quality of the picture seems way better.

I like Obama - I like his sense of humor and kudos to him for breaking barriers.

It would probably take me 37 days to name all of the 50 states, but only 37 minutes to tell you all the wonderful designers and clothing stores that have come from the USA.

Do you know how exciting it was to be able to take a trip 'across the border' to go shopping?! The price difference is just plain ridiculous. Ridiculous!

What it comes down to in the end, is that watching Oprah has taught me everything I know about the USA, and I will continue to learn, and expand my knowledge mon-fri at 4pm :)

Happy Independence Day!

Parting Words: This isn't everything I know about the USA. This is just the stuff that interests me on a daily basis.

Happy 4th of July!!!

Did Our Cupcakes Jinx the Canucks? Probably.

Vancouver Canucks Cupcakes
Originally uploaded by love.your.cake

We had a birthday order for a hardcore Canucks fan right during the 2nd round of the '09 playoffs - whatever would we do??

Naturally, this set of cupcakes was the only thing that seemed right.

Upon second thought, we may have jumped the gun. So we apologize to the Canucks, their fans, and our birthday boy, for getting your hopes up and then having them go stale..

At least they look cute... :)

Bake-Even Strips - Up in Smoke or Pure Genius?

Leveling cakes is not a simple task, especially with just the naked eye.
Even the dental floss technique is flawed - especially if you don't realize you have used the "waxed" kind (oops....)

Wilton's metal cake leveler is alright, but I don't like having any excess cake because then, since I seem to have no self-control, I eat it. all of it.

When I came across the bake-even strips upon one of my many trips to Michaels, I literally danced in the aisle. I was more then happy to shell out the $29.99 for a package of 4, and rushed home to my kitchen to put these magical wonders to the test.

As per the instructions, I soaked the strips in water and preheated my oven. I excitedly mixed the batter, poured it into a clean, shortening & flour covered pan, and then proceeded to squeeze the excess water off the baking strips. With the pins provided, it was very easy to attach the strips together to cover the outside of my slab cake pan.

The anticipation of baking a cake that wouldn't resemble some sort of anthill was almost too much for me to handle.

I'm reminded of something...

yep. that's about right.

The slab cake needed to bake for an hour, and after 30 minutes of trying everything in my power not to peek at the cake - I couldn't take it anymore!!

On went the oven light and...oh...my...goodness....

I was staring at the most perfect, flat, even, slab of vanilla cake that had ever come out of my kitchen.

How was I functioning without these little pieces of silver cloth and pins!?

After sharing my excitement with anyone in ear shot, I let the cake continue baking and went on preparing the next bowl of batter for another slab that needed to be baked that day.

*Sniff* Sniff*

uh oh.

My new bff (aka the baking strips) were burning!!

I didn't consider the fact that the strips would dry out and start to burn, and nothing on the directions indicated to me that this problem would occur. It did say not to leave the cake unattended...but nothing to tell me that I had 30 minutes before I would possibly have to call the fire department!

"Dr. Penfield...I can smell burnt toast..."

Aside from the faint smell of burnt fabric lingering in my kitchen, I will continue to use this wonderful invention. For the joy of having a flat surface to decorate on, I can handle re-wetting every 30 minutes to prevent catastrophy.


Thought I would share my findings, though a bit naive, they may just save someone from having to do a little unwanted kitchen rennovation :)

-C