Airplane Cake

How do you combine a retirement cake and a wedding anniversary cake?

The couple was celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary and the husband was also retiring as an Air Canada pilot.  This is what their daughter surprised them with at their party.

 The airplane and top tier was vanilla butter cake and bottom tier was chocolate velvet cake.

Have a great week and don't forget to enter our contest for a fabulous Cupcake Recipe book: The Cupcake Diaries.  Contest end this Thursday at midnight and open for those in US and Canada.

Contest: Cupcake Diaries Book Giveaway

Happy Friday!  I'm happy to announce another book giveaway!  I received a wonderful package from Harper Collins Canada this week.  A copy of The Cupcake Diaries: Recipes and Memories from the Sisters of Georgetown Cupcakes.  These are the ladies from the show DC Cupcakes.

One book will be given to one of my lucky blog readers in Canada or USA.  Contest starts today until Thursday, November 17th, 2011 - details below.

There are so many recipes in this book - some of them include: Salted Caramel Cupcakes, White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes, Bacon Blueberry Pancake Cupcakes, Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Lava Fudge and Hibiscus Mango Cupcakes.

How to Enter

1. Jump over to the Harper Collins Canada website and just pay them a visit to see what they are up to.
2. Leave a comment on my blog - make sure you leave me your email address so I can get a hold of you if you win.  Or send an email to info(at)sweetthings(dot)ca if you'd prefer.
3. For 1 additional entry, visit the SweetThings Facebook page and leave a comment.
4. For another 1 additional entry, follow me on Twitter @SweetThingsTO and tweet the following including the shortened url:  I want to win the new Cupcake Diaries Book from @SweetThingsTO and @HarperCollinsCA http://bit.ly/vQpIwP #Cupcakes
5. A maximum of 3 entries per person.  Available in Canada and USA.
6. Deadline for entry is Thursday, November 17th, 2011 at midnight EST.
7. One winner will be randomly selected and posted on Friday, November 18th, 2011 at noon.  Also notified via email.  The book will be shipped to you.

Good luck everyone! And for those of you in Toronto, the sisters Katherine Kallinis and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne will be Indigo Yorkdale on Tuesday, November 22nd at 7pm.

Winner: Cake Boss Book Giveaway

Thank you everyone for participating in the Cake Boss Book giveaway contest via blog comments, email submissions, twitter and leaving comments on the SweetThings' facebook page. Also a big Thank you to the folks at Simon & Schuster Canada for sending over the books.

The winner is....

 ... a Twitter entry from Dat757Deeva.  Congratulations!  I will be contacting you shortly to get your address to mail the book out to you!

For everyone else, please check back in on Friday for another contest book giveaway!  Another book hot off the press... but this time, it's about cupcakes!

Guest Post: Rafael Logrono Cake Design from Philadelphia

Today's post is part of our bi-weekly Guest Post: 5 Pics Series.  We feature multi-talented cake designers from all over the world that I have met online.

Today's guest post comes from a young cake designer, Rafael Logrono, from Azucar, a custom cake shop located in Philadelphia, PA. Rafael has had cake decorating in his blood ever since he was born when his mother began selling cakes.  Several years ago, Rafael starting designing his own cakes and his 8th grade teacher placed an order back in November 2008.  Yes, if you add that up - he is a very talented 18 year old!

Since then, his cake portfolio has really expanded, he's been featured in Cake Central magazine, competed in many cake competitions, won several awards and will be teaching several classes in 2012.  Here is a sampling of some of his work:

 #1 - Stunning Beauty!

#2 - So  Creative, so Elegant

#3 - Something Funky

#4 - Tall and Striking

#5 - Very Chic!

To see more of Rafael's wonderful cake designs:

• Website at: www.rafaellogrono.com/
• Facebook at: www.facebook.com/RafaelLogronoCakeDesign
• Blog at: http://rafaelscakes.blogspot.com/
• Twitter at: twitter.com/RafaelLogrono

And if you are in Canada or US, don't forget to enter our contest giveaway to win the new Cake Boss Book.  Contest ends tonight at midnight.

Contest: New Cake Boss Book Giveaway

Don't you just love getting packages in the mail?  Here's a lovely package I received last week from the folks at Simon & Schuster Canada.   It is a copy of the new Baking with the Cake Boss: 100 of Buddy's Best Recipes and Decorating Secrets which just launched today!

Even better, they sent me two!  One book will be given to one of my lucky blog readers in Canada or USA.  Contest starts today until Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 - details below:

 Here's a little peak at what is inside:

 I know that I will definitely be trying to make these lovely cannoli's.

How to Enter

1. Jump over to the Simon & Schuster website and just pay them a visit to see what they are up to.
2. Leave a comment on my blog - make sure you leave me your email address so I can get a hold of you if you win.  Or send an email to info(at)sweetthings(dot)ca if you'd prefer.
3. For 1 additional entry, visit the SweetThings Facebook page and leave a comment.
4. For another 1 additional entry, follow me on Twitter @SweetThingsTO and tweet the following including the shortened url:  I want to win the new Cake Boss Book from @SweetThingsTO and @SimonSchusterCA  http://bit.ly/tkOdWr
5. A maximum of 3 entries per person.  Available in Canada and USA.
6. Deadline for entry is Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 at midnight EST.
7. One winner will be randomly selected and posted on Wednesday, November 9th, 2011 at noon.  Also notified via email.  The book will be shipped to you.

Good luck everyone!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone!  What a fun holiday.... and what a great day for a cake!  Here's my Halloween duck cake -- it is vanilla butter cake with chocolate swiss meringue buttercream.

You are probably wondering... why a duck?

Well... it is a duck because I had to make a cake to match my 4-month old daughter's halloween costume  :-)  Have a safe and Happy Halloween everyone!  Be sure to stop by on Tuesday for a contest giveaway!

Guest Post: Too Nice to Slice from Kitchener, Ontario

Today's post is part of our bi-weekly Guest Post: 5 Pics Series.  We feature multi-talented cake designers from all over the world that I have met online and admired.

This week's guest post come from award winning cake artist and designer, Chrissie Boon, from Too Nice to Slice in Kitchener, Ontario.  Chrissie’s love for sugar art has been a long time coming.  Starting in her mom’s kitchen with her little toy oven, to eventually running her own Christmas cookie business.  Today, in addition to creating amazing cakes, she runs a cake supply store: Icing Inspirations and host an annual cake competition.

Now if you didn't think that was enough, she also has a newly renovated classroom and runs regular classes bringing in cake designers from all over the place.  I attended one of these amazing classes back in March.  Now here's some of Chrissie's wonderful creations:

#1 - Tall and Elegant

 #2 - Wonderful and whimsical

 #3 - Unique and completely out-of-the-box for cake

#4 - A one-of-a-kind Spider-lizard

#5 - Chrissie setting a new trend in Cake Art

To see more of Chrissie's creations or visit her online store at:

• Websites at www.toonicetoslice.ca and www.icinginspirations.ca 
• Facebook pages at http://www.facebook.com/TooNiceToSlice and http://www.facebook.com/IcingInspirations 
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/toonicetoslice
• Email: chrissie [at] toonicetoslice.ca

Boston Celtics' Cupcakes

A quick post for this Tuesday.... which Twitter tells me that it also happens to be National Chocolate Cupcake Day!   Some cupcakes that are sporty and sweet!

Chocolate sour cream and banana sour cream cupcakes topped with handmade sugarpaste Boston Celtics designs.  Have a great week - see you next Tuesday!

Guest Post: Pink Little Cake from New Jersey

Today's post is part of our bi-weekly Guest Post: 5 Pics Series.  We feature multi-talented cake designers from all over the world that I have met online.

This week's guest post is Kathia from Pink Little Cake in New Jersey.  Her passion for cake decorating started 4 years ago when she was celebrating her daughter's 1st birthday.  Since then, Kathia has been taking pastry and cake decorating classes and making wonderful cakes, cupcakes and cookies.  She writes a lovely blog where she shares many recipes and tutorials.  And just in time for Halloween, she has a ton of guest blog posts and ideas for Halloween.   Now, a sampling of her cake creations.

#1 - For the Fashionista

#2 - For the Shoe Lover

 #3 - Elegant Wedding Cake

#4 - Cute 1st Birthday Cake

 #5 - 3D Yorkie Puppy Cake

You can visit Kathia from Pink Little Cake at the following places:

• Website: http://www.mypinklittlecake.com/ 
• Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PinkLittleCake 
• Twitter at http: http://twitter.com/pinklittlecake 
• Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/pinklittlecake

Rock n' Roll Cake n' Cupcakes

The theme given to me was The Rolling Stones, The Who and Rock n' Roll, so I came up with this cake n' cupcake tower.  All the decorations were handmade from sugarpaste - I really used a lot of my trusty xacto knife for this creation.

I usually take some pre-delivery photos to double check the set-up and also helps as many times the venue is not completely set up or does not have good lighting.  Here's the tower minus an extra cake tier which I will stack at the venue.

The cupcakes were strawberry vanilla and chocolate sour cream.  By the way, if you don't recognize the sugarpaste "records" then you are young!  :-)

Here is the final set-up with the additional tier.  I forgot to take photos from the other angles, but the cubes also had the guitar and record design on the other sides.