And She Does It Again!

Hey Everyone! Didn't realize it had been so long since my last Blog Post! August/September has just been an absolutely whirlwind of cakes - but no complaining here :) Between weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, corporate events and the like - Country Girl Cakes put out over 60 cakes between the 2 months alone! Did I sleep? Nope! Do I still love what I do? Absolutely! One of the biggest tips I can give anyone when starting up in this type of business, is that you HAVE to love what you do! This business is extremely stressful at times, overwhelming, chaotic and insane, but it's your passion for cake decorating that is going to take you and your sanity to the end of the week, and give you the spark to start all over again the following week.

In amongst all the cakes we've done in the last couple of weeks, I took a bit of a road trip from the little town of Cardinal, to the big city of Kitchener/Waterloo, to what I refer to as my second home, Icing Inspirations! Now I've mentioned Icing Inspirations in a couple of past blog posts, but if you haven't read those - you should - haha, I'll briefly mention again what and who they are! Icing Inspirations/Too Nice to Slice, is a cake shop/cake supply store/cake decorating school, located in Kitchener, Ontario, and is run by two of the most amazing people I know. Husband and Wife team, Chrissie Boon and Justin Kozak are incredible hosts who make everyone and anyone feel like part of the Icing Inspirations family when you go to take one of the amazing classes they host at their HUGE shop! Chrissie teaches classes herself, but what they're really known for, are their Guest Classes. Ranging from James Rosselle, Marina Sousa and Rick Reichart to Carrie Biggers, Karen Porteleo, Michelle Bommaritto, Courtney Clark and more! Classes are typically 2-3 days, and you leave with an incredible work of art to bring back to your home/shop, not to mention priceless tips and tricks of the trade, and memories with new and old friends!

A few weeks ago, I got the opportunity to head back up to Icing Inspirations, to take my second class with the hugely talented Courtney Clark, owner of Cake Nouveau in Ann Arbor, MI. Courtney is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet and is crazy humble about her talents in cake decorating. This girl is amazingly talented, and I am forever grateful that she said yes to coming back to Icing Inspirations to teach another class! 3 years ago, I attended my first class ever at Icing Inspirations. I had just finished up the first couple of Wilton classes at the local Michael's, when my sister told me that Food Networks Courtney Clark was coming to town! As my birthday present, she bought me a spot in Courtney "sculpted cupcake class"! I was SOOO excited! Courtney was, and STILL is, one of my greatest inspirations when it comes to cake decorating! Not only because of the cakes she produces, but because she maintains that "regular person" attitude - making you feel no less talented than anyone around you. When I got to class, she was just as amazing in person as she was on TV. That class 3 years ago, was my first time EVER touching fondant - needless to say I had some issues, but Courtney got me through it - never putting off that she was frustrated with my lack of experience, just really exciting to be teaching someone the skill of cake decorating! A lot of people don't know, but that was also Courtney's first time teaching a cake class! How lucky were we? I think she was just as nervous teaching, as we were learning! Class finished and I ended up with, what I thought, was the best cake ever! I sent it to my mother-in-laws house for her birthday and the whole family went nuts! Since that class, Courtney and I have kept in touch over the years - anytime I had a big question, whether personal or about cakes, I knew I could ask Courtney, and she would always respond :)

When the time came to take Courtney's class again a few weeks ago, I was super excited. This time we were learning a sculpted dog out of cake! I've had requests for dogs in the past, but never had the confidence to try it, so I knew this class would be a huge asset to my business. Class started by watching Courtney stack a few tiers of cake on top of each other, slap on some buttercream, a little cardboard and a couple straws. Majority of the class couldn't believe there wasn't more structural support, but Courtney insisted this was all it needed. This picture shows the initial stages of the cake - doesn't look like a dog yet does it?

Next we watched her carve a chunk here, slice off the head, take out some cake there, narrow out the nose, and all of a sudden the dog started to take shape!

It wasn't until we got the fondant on the dog, started using some tools to make some impressions and marking, and airbrushing the shadows that the dog started coming to life. The eyes and nose were the final touch we needed to make those dogs real. Everyone got to choose a costume for their dog! Of course, being the ridiculously obsessed Christmas-oholic that I am, and having just previous watched a dozen Christmas movies with my sister the weekend before, chose to dress my dog as a Christmas elf! So I made his hat, some little elf shoes, and a scarf and started getting really excited about this project.

 Other costumes included: a geek, superheros, princesses, ladybugs, clowns, and much more! It was unreal seeing all the dogs together at the end. This class in particular was filled with mixed levels of experience and years of cake decorating - but you would have never known. Courtney has a way of teaching class so that everyone understands and helps you to make sure no one falls behind or moves onto the next step before fully understanding how the previous step was accomplished. She makes everyone feel like they're on the same playing field (or dog park). Those 2-days felt like spending a weekend away with family - it was incredible. Reminiscing with old friends, and making memories with new ones!

 

It's hard to believe that it was only 3 years ago that I first started playing with fondant in Courtney's first class - I feel like I've come such a long way and have learnt an incredible amount of tips, tricks and knowledge. Not only with regards to cake decorating, but on a personal level as well. I am, and will be forever grateful to the amazing people that I have come in contact with over the last 3 years in class, at competitions and through work - and to think, I have "cake" to thank for that? Is the last 3 years has been this amazing, I can't wait to see what the next 3 years will bring! All I know, is that I am ready, prepared, and super excited!

In closing, don't ever be afraid or hesitant to take a chance on something you love. If you have a passion or a dream for something that may seem a bit crazy or "out-there" at the time, try it! Doesn't mean you have to stick with it for the rest of your life, but you don't ever want to see your years pass, and continuously think "what if"? Try it, Take a Chance, Live, Dream, and Make Cake!

Stay tuned next time, for more Cakes From The Country! :)

Miranda xoxo

Cake Decorating: Not just for the Professionals

Cake Decorating: Not just for the Professionals...or just for adults for that matter! Even though the art of cake decorating has been around for hundreds of years, it's only been in the last 10 years that this artform has really made a lasting impression on people around the world. From Fondant covered cakes, handmade sugar flowers and blown sugar work, to cakes that are upside down or look like they're about to fall over. With the sudden boom in the cake industry, came an overwhelming number of cake decorating reality shows. Ace of Cakes, Cake Boss, Food Network Challenge, TLC Ultimate Cake Off, and our favourite Canadian program of course, Cake Walk: Wedding Cake Edition :) We all watched them, either by yourself, your spouse, friends and even children. It's the last point (children) that I want to talk about today on our Blog.

When I was young, I remember making cakes all the time; however, the extent of my cakes were from-the-box Betty Crocker cake mix and Ready-Made Frosting. I would make 2 8" rounds, then simply stack them on top of each other with a thick layer of icing in the middle, then plaster the outsides and top with the rest of the icing, and finally cover the entire thing in as many sprinkles as I possibly could. That was my masterpiece - I was always so proud of these cakes :) Now that people have seen on TV what can be done with cakes, the "new" cakes are the kind that the kids want to make. Not your Betty Crocker Box, Ready-Made Icing - they want the fondant, the moulds, the cutters, the flowers, etc. SO, here at Country Girl Cakes, we decided to let the kids give it a shot!

It's been almost a year since we started our Kids Cake Decorating Birthday Parties, and they are more popular now than ever before! Our Decorating Parties, give kids a chance to come on into a professional cake decorating shop and really get an indepth look at what it takes to make these cakes. They each get their own personal 6" round cake, which has been previously torted, filled and crumb coated. Before they get started, I always give a demonstration on a dummy cake, how to kneed and roll out fondant, how to cover your cake in the fondant, and how to use all of our tools (moulds, cutters, plungers, crimpers, rolling pins, smoothers, etc.). Once the demonstration is done, they get their own bit of fondant to start rolling out. As many of the participants have never touched fondant, this is usually the part of the party that takes the longest. Figuring out how to keep it in a circular shape, how to figure out the correct pressure of the rolling pin, and how to know when to stop at the correct thickness before putting it on the cake. Once the cakes are covered, each participant starts the decorating - and this is where the chaos fun begins! We use pre-coloured fondant for our parties, so we don't waste a lot of white fondant trying to colour it for each person. They get their colours, their supplies and go to town! This is my favourite part of the whole party! Each persons personality and creativity starts to fly, and the cakes go from looking all the same to looking all completely different! Once the cakes are done, I take each participant over to the airbrush booth and they put that final touch of pearl lustre spray on their cakes - which when people see how it makes their cake sparkle and shine, they go crazy. I get so much pride and happiness out of seeing the happy faces on everyone when their cakes are done! Everyone then gets their own box to take their personal cakes home.

These birthday parties aren't just for kids though! We've had a number of bachelorette parties in the shop as well, with participants in their 20's and 30's  having just as much fun, if not more fun, than the 10 and 12 year olds have!

Everyone wants their chance to make that "cake boss" cake like they've seen on TV, and here at Country Girl Cakes, we want to give them that opportunity! Some people leave the shop with their cake thinking it was so much harder than they thought it would be, while others think it wasn't too bad at all. Then we get the odd few who are bound and determined to come back when they're old enough and work here at the shop, as they have decided they want to be a cake decorator when they get old! How cute :) As long as everyone leaves here with a finished cake, happy face, and new found respect for the art of cake decorating, we're always happy!

So if you and your friends, or your daughter/son and their friends want to try out cake decorating, WITHOUT the mess at YOUR house, give us a call and book your next party! You will not be disappointed :)

Here at Country Girl Cakes, we hope everyone has a wonderful week full of fun, laughter, happiness and of course, cake! Stay Tuned next week, for more Cakes From The Country!

Miranda xoxo
www.countrygirlcakes.org




**For more information on available dates, pricing, etc., don't hesitate to call us at 613-341-7074 or email at countrygirlcakes@hotmail.com **

The Importance of Continued Education and Mentors

Hey everyone! Sorry we missed the Blog last week, but it was an INSANE week here at Country Girl Cakes - which we can't complain about, right? :) This week for our blog I wanted to touch on a subject that I believe is extremely important when running a successful business. In the cake industry especially, trends are constantly changing and new tips, tricks and techniques are forever coming out of the woodworks. Sure, you can go onto google and youtube to check out these trends or to try and teach yourself from videos, but there's something about having that hands-on experience with a trained professional that you just can't find on any google site or youtube channel. Yes, classes, especially cake decorating classes can be extremely expensive, but if you look at them as an investment to your business and career, you'll look at it differently.

Although I'm not a trained pastry chef, and I didn't go to a cake design specific school, I have taken dozens of individual cake decorating classes in order to get to where I am today in my business. Like a lot of decorators, these classes started with the basic Wilton classes at my local Michaels. Fortunately, I had an amazing instructor who pushed me to continue after I had finished all the classes, and I left knowing the basics of cake decorating. From there, I started taking 5-6 classes a year at Icing Inspirations, a cake supply shop and school, in Kitchener, Ontario. The owner, Chrissie Boon, and her husband Justin, are the most amazing class hosts that you will ever meet. Chrissie works her butt off, trying to get the best-of-the-best in cake decorating into her shop to teach the newest trends, or to teach a specialized form of decorating. I have taken many classes at Icing Inspirations, from some incredible cake decorators, from Courtney Clark, Michelle Bommarito,  Carrie Biggers and The Sweet Southern Ladies, to James Rosselle, Marina Sousa, Diane Katsuyoshi-Phillis and Karen Portaleo. All INCREDIBLE designers in their own ways. The one person I've taken a class from however (2 classes now actually), who's tips, tricks and techniques I continue to use on a weekly basis, is Rick Reichart, of Cakelava in Hawaii.

Rick's classes are titled appropriataly, "Discover Your Inner Artist" 1 and 2. The reason I say that these titles are appropriate, is because Discovering Your Inner Artist, is exactly what you do in his classes. Rick has a way of making you think outside the box, in fact, Rick convinces you that sometimes it's best not to think at all...sometimes it's best, to "just do it".  When you start to overthink a design, colour, or a pattern, that's when you start to make mistakes. Going outside the lines isn't the worst thing in the world - in fact, that could be what takes your cake from good, to GREAT.

A big part of Rick's classes are the painting/airbrushing of the cakes and/or objects that go on the cake. This was the biggest challenge for me! My mind was set on the idea that once that paintbrush or airbrush touched the cake, it was game over. Now, after learning proper techniques and tricks that Rick uses, I paint 80% of my cakes and flowers. If you ever get a chance to take class from Rick, do it, you won't be disappointed! Not only is Rick an incredible cake designer, but Rick and his wife Sasha are wonderful people! Very kind, courteous and are always asking about YOU, and how YOU are doing. Always willing to help where help is needed and encourage when that look of frustration appears on your face.

The reason I wanted to touch on Rick's classes, is because this past weekend, I had one of the most challenging wedding cakes I've ever booked. Had it not been for the classes I took with Rick, I either would have: 1) refused to do the cake, or 2) ended up in tears on the floor with a CakeWreck on my hands. Neither happened - We booked the cake AND ended up in smiles :)

The couple came to me last year with their request, shortly after I took Rick's first class. When I first saw the picture of their cake design I got really excited and really scared all at the same time. This cake was nothing like anything I had ever attempted before and was far from the traditional tiered wedding cakes were used to here at the shop. BUT, here at Country Girl Cakes, we love a good Challenge, and I was good friends with the Bride from school, so I couldn't say "no" :) A few weeks ago, knowing the date was coming up, I started looking at the design, once again getting excited and nervous at the same time. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how I was going to pull off this cake. This is where the importance of Business Mentors come in. I mentioned earlier about Chrissie Boon, the owner of Icing Inspirations where I take classes. I've known Chrissie now for over 3 years, and actually worked with her at her shop for about 6 months before leaving the Kitchener/Waterloo area to move back home. We kept in close touch after I left, and are great friends. In addition to being great friends, Chrissie is also my mentor when it comes to cake decorating. I know that if I EVER have a question with a cake design, I can call/text chrissie, and she walks me through it. I needed Chrissie on this cake. I texted her the picture, and after a big "wow", she walked me through what SHE would do had it been her making the cake. All of a sudden, a lightbulb moment happened, and I knew exactly what I was going to do to make my friends wedding cake dreams come true! Mentors are a great asset to any business, and I am constantly grateful to have a mentor like Chrissie.

Back to the cake. Above you can see the picture that Shane and Stephanie (bride and groom) gave me for their cake design - pretty eh? The time came to start putting this cake together. This cake was a crazy process from start to finish. We first torted and filled 4 red velvet cakes with cream cheese, put them in the fridge to set and chill, then brought them out and stacked them one on top of the other (with supports and dowels of course). We put another couple of crumb coat layers on the cake as a whole to keep it together, chilled it, and then carved out the top of the broken pillar. Once set, I started adding definition to the cake with modelling chocolate, putting it all the details before the layer of fondant went overtop - this was going to give me the long indentations that pillars/columns have. Then with my husband, because I couldn't do it myself, we rolled out 1 piece of fondant, laid it over the top of the column and quickly started working the fondant down the cake and in and out of the long indents made underneath by the modelling chocolate. Soon enough came time to paint this monster cake! I made a few different colour combinations mixing Americolor Airbrush Colours and Lemon extract, testing them on pieces of fondant, and soon enough came out with one that I loved. After hesitating for just a minute, I remember what Rick was always saying in his classes "just do it"! So that's what I did! I applied the colour to the whole of the cake, and accented with some black. The couple really wanted the column to look antiqued and old, so that was the look we were going for, and we were really happy with the final results! The flowers were added at the venue, which were left by their flourist - so pretty :)

Had it not been for my mentor Chrissie, the classes taken from Rick and the confidence achieved in those classes, this cake would not have turned out the same. So, continue taking classes and continue learning new things! The world of cake decorating will keep surprising us with new and fun ideas, and you will only expand your business by knowing how to work with the growing trends. Get yourself a mentor, this will be a huge benefit to you. Having someone that you know you can ask for help with anything, anywhere, is something you can't take for granted. If you already have one, GREAT, don't be afraid to ask them for help, they WANT to help you, and they WANT to see you succeed.

Have a great week, stay out of the heat, and catch us next week with more Cake from the Country!

Miranda xoxo
www.countrygirlcakes.org

Quilted Country Birthday Cake

Hey there! Hope everyone is enjoying the lovely weather we're having this week! FINALLY, some rain! Although my grass is still looking really sad, I'm starting to see a little bit of green popping through :) Never thought I'd be so excited to see green grass!

Anyways, before I write a novel about our weather, lets get on with this weeks blog. At the end of last week, we received a phone call from a lovely woman by the name of Jen, from the Winchester Nursing Home (located approximately 35-40mins from our shop here in Cardinal). At the nursing home, each month someone is in charge of planning that months' birthday party for all of the residents (how cute) :) Jen was in charge of July, and really wanted to do something special for all of the July "friends". She called us, hoping we could do a special cake for her and the residents - how could we say no! The theme was "Country Quilts" - again, very cute! My mind started racing with ideas as soon as she mentioned the topic; however, once I got off the phone with her, I really had no idea where to start. Quilts are incredible works of are - so much details, stitching, colours, fabrics, designs, etc. How was I going to transfer such detail and design onto a cake? I went home and looked at a few of the quilts I have myself; all extremely beautiful, but with more of an elegant, soft colour look, than the country feel I was going for. I then turned to my best friend: GOOGLE :) Google is honestly amazing, and not surprisingly, when you type "country quilts" into the image search engine, you get a whole lot of results! After looking and searching, I put a few different quilts together and got my final design - I was SUPER excited - still unsure how I was going to pull it off, but excited for the challenge. This blog post is actually going to run through how we did the Country Quilt Cake, the tools/supplies we used and a few step-by-step pictures to go along with it! Enjoy :)

The first thing you need is the cake itself - we used an 11x15 slab for the required number of servings. Luscious Lemon Cake with sweet raspberry buttercream. After filling the cake and applying a few outer layers of buttercream, it was ready to decorate! The first thing we did, was to cut out a large piece of fondant to lay over top of the slab cake, to look as if the quilt were laying on the cake, as opposed to BEING the whole cake. We wanted it to literally look like a piece of a quilt - having a few pulled up edges, some creases, etc. We used one of our "crimpers" with the heart design, and added a stitched edge detail around the perimeter of the fondant "quilt".

What you'll need to finish decorating the cake is: pre-coloured fondant (we use satin-ice), textured rolling pins or textured impression mats, 3 different sizes of square cutters, water and a paintbrush.

 

In order to get the impressions onto the fondant, you need to first start by taking one of the colours of your choosing, roll it out thin, place the impression mat over the fondant, and using either rolling pin or fondant smoother, press the impression mat gently over the fondant, making sure to press hard enough for the impression to make the design on the fondant. From there, cut out approximately 24 little squares using your smallest square cutter. Set them aside, and cover with saran wrap to ensure they don't dry out before you get a chance to put them on the cake. Repeat this with each colour you want to use for your small square. For the larger squares, you'll need 8 of the 2 colours you want to use for the smaller triangles and 4 of 2 colours you want for the big triangles. Again, roll out your fondant, using the impression mats, press in the design of your choice, then using the med and large square cutters, cut your squares, and then using a pizza cutter, slice them into triangles. Cover with saran wrap.

You then want to find the centre of your cake, as this will help keep the quilt centered. Start by placing 4 different colour small squares in a pattern as your center and build out from there until you have a 4x4 square (16 small squares). You're then going to add the larger triangles to form the big squares on the quilt - fit these together. Add 4 more 4x4 squares into the empty blocks of space until you have the complete quilt.

 You're almost done! Every single cake that leaves our shop, leaves with a finishing coat of Pearl Lustre Spray. Not only does this "finish" the cake, put when you have so many different colours, and especially when you have used fondant that has been imprinted with a design, the pearl spray really helps to "POP" that design! Voila - The final cake! 

Happy Birthday to all those celebrating July birthdays at the Winchester Nursing Home!

You can find all of the above mentioned supplies at www.icinginspirations.ca or www.goldaskitchen.com

We hope you've enjoyed this Step-By-Step Country Quilt blog - let us know if you try it yourself, and make sure to send us pictures!

We hope everyone has an amazing weekend full of friends, family, laughter and joy, and stay tuned for more Cakes From The Country!

Miranda xoxo

www.countrygirlcakes.org

From Sketch to Centerpiece - Part 2

Throughout the consultation process for a wedding cake, 9 times out of 10, the bride and groom (mostly just the brides) want a sketch drawn of their cake. Understandably so - this gives them the piece of mind that the designer listened to everything they talked about with regards to what they wanted in their cake, and they're able to change something that they may not be sure about, before the cake itself is made the week of the event. As someone who has never taken a single art class before in her life, this part of the wedding cake process I did not sign up for; however, I've practiced, practiced and practiced my little heart out, to try and produce sketches that actually look like cakes, and not just a stack of round or square boxes. Sometimes I need a couple drafts to get it right, and sometimes I surprise myself the first time. I've come to realize that doing a sketch for a bridal couple is an extremely important aspect of a consultation, not just for the couples benefit, but for mine as well when it comes time to actually creating the cake. Having that picture next to you when decorating the cake has proved to be extremely useful, and I find myself doing up little sketches for even smaller celebration cakes. Who knew?! :)

The cake I want to use as an example today, was custom designed for an amazing couple that was just recently married on June 30th, 2012 at the Glebe Community Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. Angela and Christian were such a fun couple to work with! When they came in for their consultation, they actually brought a fair number of friends/family members with them to help decide the flavours of the cake; however, when it came down to the design of the cake, Angela knew exactly what she wanted :) They were basing their wedding on a Marie Antoinette Theme - how amazing! "Let Them Eat Cake"! Before the consultation, I had been emailing Angela back and forth about the design, with her sending me a few pictures she had found online, with a few details that she liked from each cake. We had come up with quite an elaborate design/sketch, but when she came in for her consultation, she had changed a few colours, a few of the flowers, so an additional sketch was in need, and this happens more often than you think! Below is the first copy of the sketch, with the original design and colours, as well as the second copy with the updated details.

As you can see, she took all of the pink out of the cake, added more simple white and switch a few of the sugar roses with sugar CasaBlanca Lilies. We thought that both designs had incorporated exactly what she wanted, but the second sketch, had more of a wedding elegance to it. Had we not done the original sketch, who knows if we would have switched the colours/flowers, and if she would have been as happy the day of her wedding, as she was with the second design. This is why some form of a sketch - not just black/white - but one with colour, is such an important part of the wedding cake designing process, and one that not many people think about. Couples spend a large amount of their wedding budget on the cake, and you want them to not only have the confidence in you as their designer to give them exactly what they want, but to know that their money is being well spent on the perfect cake.

Here is the picture of Angela and Christian's Marie Antoinette Themed Wedding Cake! As you can see from the picture of the actual cake, the "Fleur-de-lis" didn't make it onto the cake as my mould for the piece went missing a week prior and I wasn't able to get another one in on time, and so we switched it up with some really pretty gold cameos - which fit perfectly with the theme of the wedding. *Adaptability* Also, very important for a wedding cake designer, but we'll hold off on that for another week :)

The topper that was put on the top of the cake was an incredibly gorgeous Marie Antoinette China Piece, which played a big part in the colours that we chosen for the wedding - so pretty :)

Congratulations once again Angela and Christian, we wish you both all the best in your future together! :)


For the rest of you, thanks so much for reading, and stay tuned next time for more Cakes From The Country!

Miranda xoxo

From Sketch to Centerpiece! Part 1

When you walk into the reception venue after witnessing a beautiful wedding, whether it be a ballroom, an outdoor tent or a hall, one of the first things a lot of people look for these days - besides where they're sitting, and who they're sitting with - is the cake. Wedding cakes are HUGE right now, and most guests are always interested to see how big or small the cake is, what colour it might be, are there flowers, is it plain, simple, etc. What people may not realize though, is the process that is taken to go from an idea inside the brides head to an edible work on art on that cake table at the reception hall, that is later eaten during dessert or the late night buffet.

I thought I would use a couple of our most recent weddings as examples :)

The first being a wedding that took place on May 26th, 2012 at Stanley's Maple Farm in Edwards, Ontario. When I first met this couple at their consultation in September 2011, I thought they were the most adorable couple I had ever met. The way that Erin and Trevor looked at each other, and even communicated with each other, is something that you don't see everyday - this was true love. Now with regards to their cake - they weren't 100% sure on what they wanted the cake to look like, but they DID know 2 important things. They wanted the cake to be simple, and Erin wanted there to be flowers on the cake to match the flowers in her bridal bouquet. Erin and Trevor gave me 2 pictures, as shown below and put their trust in me to put those two "wants" together, and deliver a beautiful cake to their wedding.

In addition to coming up with a completely custom design for this incredible couple, we also came up with some new flavours! This required a couple of our sample boxes, one of which Erin came to the Ottawa Bridal Show to pick up from our booth. They wanted to try a lavender buttercream - this is something that I've never tried, or even heard of - but we will do anything for our brides :) I was able to get in Lavender Flavour Oil, added it to some of our swiss meringue buttercream, tinted it a light purple, and voila! Now I will admit, it smelled like a bubble bath here in the shop when we first made the buttercream, but it tastes wonderful! So light, so organic and natural - especially when paired with our lemon cake!  They tried it, and they loved it, using it for 2 of their 4 tiered wedding cake.

The day before the wedding in May was here before we knew it! We really wanted to match the flowers and especially the colours of the flowers as best we could. It took a lot of mixing and matching of petal dusts and paints, rearranging of the flowers on the cake, adding some little filler flowers and taking some out - but all-in-all we were super duper happy with the result of their cake when we were finished with it. Check it out below :)

                                                                                                                                                            

We've spoken with the bride Erin since the wedding and heard that both her and Trevor LOVED the cake "it was absolutely perfect!! everyone loved it! sooo beautiful!! Thank you again for going that extra mile for us!" - Erin Cowper-Johnson

This is just one example of how an idea that our bride Erin had for her cake, using a few different pictures, became one wedding cake - one that we absolutely love :)

Stay tuned tomorrow for more Cake From the Country, and how one bride took a Marie Antoinette Theme for her cake to the next level :)

Miranda xoxo

First Blog Post!

Alright, so here goes! I am not much of a "writer" at all...but I've had a few people tell me that I should start a weekly blog in addition to my website www.countrygirlcakes.org, so I thought I'd give it a shot :) Basically what I thought I would do, is to write a blog each week, featuring either one of our favourite cakes from the week before, a new fav recipe or something new and exciting coming up in the world of Country Girl Cakes! If there's something you would like to see us talk about, don't hesitate to ask! We're always up for something new :)

For our first blog, I thought I would start by introducing myself and the company. So to start, my name is Miranda Kenney-Pellett, and I am the owner of Country Girl Cakes. Country Girl Cakes is located in Cardinal, Ontario - a small community on the beautiful St. Lawrence River, just 45 minutes south of Canada's capital, Ottawa! Country Girl Cakes started just over 2 years ago, when my "hobby" of cake decorating started turning into more of a local business (much to my surprise). The name was based on the fact that, well, I'm a country girl at heart :)

 I've lived in Cardinal for the majority of my 26 years, with the exception of 6 years spent in Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario, where I attended Wilfrid Laurier University, graduating with a degree in Psychology. After 6 years in the city, I knew the country was where I needed to be :)

After doing cakes out of the basement in my house for a year, we decided that we needed to start thinking about the possibility of opening a retail location, but weren't too serious about looking for anything as we weren't really busy enough to cover such finances as overhead, utilities, etc. We attended the Ottawa Bridal Show in Spring 2011 as a vendor for the first time (which was mind blowing to say the least), and after booking 20+ wedding cakes at that show alone, we knew it was the right time. That weekend after we unpacked the vehicle from the show, we called up our real estate agent, and bought a commercial building a few days later. We now call that commercial building, the home of Country Girl Cakes :)

We had our grand opening here at the shop July 31st, 2011, where we had a large group from both the community and surrounding areas show up for a great BBQ, lots of cupcakes, and a ribbon cutting ceremony, which was attended by our local mayor, MP, MPP and a representative from GCFDC! It was a very proud moment in my life, as I NEVER expected to be someone opening up a business, let alone a cake decorating business. We accomplished a lot in a little amount of time, and life has been a whirlwind ever since!

We were featured on the SLICE network's Cake Walk:Wedding Cake Challenge in September 2011 in the second episode titled: "Shakespearean Masquerade" ! It was one of the most stressful moments of my entire life, but as I tell everyone who asks, I would do it again in a heartbeat! We didn't win the overall prize of $5000, but we did win the taste-test portion of the competition, and being someone who prides herself on the taste of her cakes, that was just as important to me as winning the overall prize :)

It's been a year since our grand opening and Country Girl Cakes is busier than ever. In 2012, so far we have created over 40 wedding cakes, with 28+ wedding cakes still to make this year! We've recently hired our first part-time employee, which was SO exciting :) I never thought I would be so busy that I would need help from someone who wasn't my mom or husband. We now offer cake decorating birthday parties, decorating classes and much more! Everything just seems like a dream, like something I only ever thought about while sitting in a lecture hall at University day dreaming, something I thought only happens to the lucky people in the world, but I guess I am one of those lucky people! I have been so blessed to have been constantly surrounded by amazingly supportive friends, family and a local community, who would refuse to let me give up on my dream. Who were always there and still are, when I think I can't go on, when I'm too stressed to finish a cake, or when times are slow. It's those people, it's YOU, that keep me going and that will keep me going in this cake shop. When someone comes in to pick up their birthday cake, and I see the smile on their face, THAT is what keeps me coming back everyday. I absolutely LOVE my job :)

Stay Tuned in the coming weeks for more Cakes From the Country!
Miranda xoxo