Cake As Art By Cake Coquette

Anniversary Cake for the Republic of Tea

2012-01-22T12:31:00.000-08:00

We had the honor of making this 26" tall cake for the 20th anniversary of the Republic of Tea. We recreated the tin of their anniversary blend which should be in stores now. We got to sample it...so delicious!

Cakes For Every Occasions

2012-01-22T12:18:00.001-08:00

This lovely white cake full of ruffles is definitely what is hot right now. I can't take credit away from Maggie Austin Cake (http://maggieaustincake.com/) in Washington DC who is the incredible talent behind this cake design.
This week we also had a colorful first birthday cake.....
A Louboutin shoe....The structure underneath is not edible but it is covered in fondant. Kudos to the cake designers who can make shoes entirely out of sugar, it seems too fragile so I'm for extra support.

And a 1st birthday party cake for a tea party at the Fairmont. Lucky girl!

Extreme Pearls

2012-01-15T17:51:00.000-08:00

Yes, this cake did take forever. The texture was all from hand piped buttercream beads and sugar pearls of all sizes.

A Dress-Inspired Wedding Cake at the Fairmont San Francisco

2011-12-24T14:08:00.001-08:00

I love these photos taken by Chocostudio Photography. This cake was one of those grand cakes perfect for the Frairmont Hotel. Here are more photos of this beautiful wedding on the Chocostudio blog: http://www.chocostudio.com/blog/san-francisco-fairmont-hotel-wedding/

New San Francisco Wedding Cakes

2011-12-11T12:38:00.000-08:00

This tall cake (with one faux tier for extra height) had ruffles, quilted textures and a lace pattern that matched the brides dress. Here is a close up of the lace pattern that I loved.

This Tiffany cake had a real box incorporated into the cake for the bride to open. The ring on the bottom was NOT real!

Sorry for the unattractive background, but I love this cake. I made if for my close friend who wanted to showcase Mexican embroidery for her fiesta wedding.

So simple, but so popular. And the top tier was gluten free!

San Francisco Skyline Birthday Cake

2011-10-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a newest addition to the many San Francisco skyline cakes I have done. This one is the biggest yet on a 4ft base board with 3ft tall sugar painted sunset backdrop. Although not all the standing details are cake, the Ferry Building was made entirely of cake as was the entire city ground. The coolest feature were the little LED lights spread out across the cake to give the effect of a night time city glow.

Marie Antoinnette Variation

2011-09-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is most definitely my most popular cake design but there is always a new variation with every client. I especially love the boy and girl silhouette that came off the couple's invitation and the flowers and leaves given to me by one of my favorite florists in town Nicole Ha. The flowers make this cake so dreamy and romantic. Thank you to Meghan Caudill for taking this lovely photo for me.

Little Insects Wedding Cake

2011-09-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

If you look closely you will find all kinds of little insects hidden in the vines and flowers. There was a little sugar squirrel, mouse, lizard, frog, turtle, hummingbird, bees, ants, ladybugs, butterflies, snails and more crawling all about the bright sugar foliage.

Thanks to Orange Photography and Nelle with Zah Zoom Weddings.

Wine Theme Wedding Cake

2011-08-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

With this summer wedding at the Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club our groom was a huge wine fan. The couple was inspired by a cake display similar to this that they saw in Vegas, but we made it better by personalizing it with their favorite wine label and brand and by engraving their names and wedding date into the wine boxes. Everything you see on this cake was edible, even the plate, the bread and bread sticks, cheese...it was all made of sugar! Thank you to Michael's Wedding Group for the photographs.

San Francisco Themed Wedding Cake

2011-08-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

About once or twice a year I get the request for an epic San Francisco themed cake filled with monuments and personal favorite locations of the bride and groom. They are always a little different. For this lovely couple romantic memories surrounded Coit Tower, The Embarcadero and AT+T park to name a few. We made a special street sign with their names and filled the cake with vibrant accents like the colorful heart sculptures found around San Francisco. These cakes are so fun since they are so personalized and are the cakes that people talk about for years!

Ivory and White Elegant Wedding Cakes in San Francisco

2011-07-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

Most clients come to me these days wanting to showcase strong colors or matching theme colors, but there is something to be said for the traditional all white or ivory cake. Sometimes you only need a small hint of an accent color, like the navy and beige cake above, or you can create a lot of texture with piped patterns, flowers and bow. Just because it may not have a lot of color doesn't mean it's boring. I think all these cakes make quite a statement!

Weddings in San Francisco Part 1

2011-04-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

I'm so grateful for the help of the lovely Janae Shields of Janae Shields Photography who came to my shop to photogragh many cakes on one really big weekend! There were so many I think I'll spread them out over the month. Here is part one.

Flood Mansion: The decor was inspired from their most adorable invitation made by Hello Lucky!

Clift Hotel: Simple and Elegant with real Rhinestone bands.

Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay: Breezy coastal theme with white chocolate shells and hand piped coral.

Lucky Kids

2011-03-05T17:43:00.000-08:00

The end of March is when the wedding season unofficially begins so most of the beginning of my year is filled with kid's birthday cakes. I know these were not the cakes I got or saw at my friend's birthday party growing up, but times have changed. Birthday cakes are no joke. I would be jealous of any of these kids growing up!

A Real Wedding in Get Married Magazine

2011-01-30T15:10:00.001-08:00

The new issue of Get Married Magazine is on stands now and one of my cakes make a cameo. This wedding, held at the Kohl Mansion has one of the best cake rooms out of all the venues I know. I love when my cakes have a room all to their own! Thanks to Michelle of MB Wedding Design and Events for the great work and getting us published!!

Brides Magazine

2011-01-23T21:08:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to have one of my cakes featured (and on a full page) of Brides Magaize this month. This was an incredible wedding photographed by the lovely Lisa Lefkowitz, designed by Gloria Wong Designs with gorgeous flowers by Nacy Liu Chin. These are just a few of the amazing people that put this event together. Enjoy this lucious spread!

Last Cakes of the Year!

2011-01-04T09:42:00.001-08:00

Cake for Dorell Wright

2010-12-11T22:05:00.000-08:00

This cake was for Golden State Warrior's player Dorell Wright. His 25th birthday was a "Black, White Diamond Masquerade" party so we featured the most masculine mask we could find (from Phantom of the Opera) as well as his name in "diamonds." Happy Birthday Dorell!

Flood Mansion Wedding

2010-11-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Loic Photography.

Cake Coquette featured in Get Married Magazine Winter Edition

2010-10-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

It has been three years since I got married but my Moroccan inspired wedding cake was still found relevent and worthy of publication! Yes I made my own wedding cake!

More Cakes

2010-10-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

I haven't made a Faberge Egg in a while. This one featured little painted portraits of the bride and groom on the regal egg.

This cake was painted in buttercream as if it was an oil painting. Non pareils were added to the brush stokes for fun texture and color.

A secret garden birthday cake filled with little ladybugs, bees, butterflies, birds and flowers. So sweet!

Wedding Season is Almost Over

2010-10-15T22:40:00.000-07:00

It's been busy! Here are few faves....

New Summer Cakes

2010-09-10T23:02:00.000-07:00

In no particular order...here are some new cakes I wanted to share.

Gold and Silver Gilded Cake

2010-08-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

A new cake in my favorite style of gold and silver gilding.

Thanks again to the talented wedding photography of Janae Shields.

Simple Elegance

2010-07-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

This cake is the definition of "simple elegance," a request I hear quite frequently. Of course everyone has their own definition of what simple elegance is, but this is what I think of when I hear the term. I love the little topper the bride and groom had custom made. Thanks again to Janae Shields Photography for taking these glamour shots at the Flood Mansion.

Mucha Inspired Cake and 50th Birthday Cake

2010-07-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

These were a few fun cakes I thought you might enjoy. Thanks to Janae Shields for taking these great shots.

Some June Favorites

2010-06-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Food Network Challenge

2010-06-06T23:20:00.000-07:00

I can finally blog about the Food Network Challenge because it aired today! I was an assistant to the oh so talented Amber McKenny of Sweet on Cake in Napa. We filmed this challenge in January and since I had so much fun I came back as a lead for another challenge which will air in October. Let's just say, the stress as a lead doesn't even compare to the stress as an assistant. I swear these challenges took 3 years off my life! I told Amber I'd go back as her assistant, but as a lead... I have to think about that.We make a killer team and our cake rocked! Honestly, I thought we should have won. But, Orlando's winning cake was pretty amazing. Here is a snap shot of the us and the cake. The coolest part...we got to meet Joan Cusack.

New Cakes

2010-05-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

Enjoy these new pictures!

Una Bella Sera Bridal Showcase April 25th 2010

2010-04-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

I am honored to be a part of Una Bella Sera a Bridal Showcase put on by Amazáe Special Events & Nicole Ha Designs. The event will take place this Sunday April 25th, 2010 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Craneway Pavillion.

CLICK HERE to RSVP on the Official Website

Wedding at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay

2010-04-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

I can't say enough about how lovely this wedding was. You can't go wrong with the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay, or gorgeous flowers by Amy Burke Designs, photography by Janae Shields Photography, videography by Studio MSV and of course cakes by Cake Coquette. For Carrie and George's wedding cake we used mostly real flowers with some rhinestone studded sugar peonies and hydrangeas. I also lined the boards with real rhinestone ribbon. The groom's cake was so much fun to work on. I wanted it to look as real as possible so I made the sails from real fabric and the masts from wood dowels. The railing was wire, but everything else was edible. My favorite element has to be the little life preservers.

Lamborghini Cake

2010-04-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

You can't forget the groom. Here is an epic Lamborghini groom's cake that was on display at the rehearsal dinner. The best part about working on this cake is that the bride and groom gave me a toy model of this exact car to work off of. That was pretty handy. I even made the back hatch see through so you could get a peak of the engine!

Thanks to Sabine Scherer Photography for the glamour shots.

Wedding at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco

2010-03-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

This cake was for a beautiful platinum wedding at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. It was coordinated by the famous MB Wedding Design and Events. I can't wait to share the photos of the rest of the wedding. These photographs were taken in my studio by my friend and amazing photographer Sabine Scherer

Valentine's Day Wedding

2010-03-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

I loved how this Valentine's Day wedding cake was crawling with thorny vines and overflowing with deep red sugar roses. The bride had a custom designed ring of two tiny blue jays so they wanted to incorporate the blue jays onto the cake as well. They were made of sugar and hand painted. Thanks to Sabine Scherer Photography for coming to my studio to take some shots.

1920's Theme Cake

2010-03-12T16:59:00.000-08:00

Cake Coquette is in the Knot Magazine

2010-02-16T19:10:00.000-08:00

Check out my newest piece of press! I am always honored to work side by side with Michelle of MB Wedding Design and Events who created the look for this fabulous industry event at the San Francisco Design Center. I was so happy of course to see they showcased the cupcakes as well as the amazing stand I had designed by my super talented brother Sebastian Parker. This magazine is on stands now, in case you want to take a closer look.

Jewel Tone Wedding Cake at RF80 in San Francisco

2010-02-10T21:06:00.000-08:00

This wedding cake was for a stylish couple who wanted the rich, warm, jewel tones for their wedding colors and cake. The talented Emily Dreblow of Soulflower Floral Design created the feather and flower topper which was absolutely perfect. Janae Shields of Janae Shields Photography took these great shots for me. Morgan Doan coordinated this beautiful event which was held at RF80, Robert Fountain's intimate event space in Potrero Hill.

Cake Coquette in San Francisco Brides

2010-01-31T19:24:00.000-08:00

I've been waiting oh so patiently for San Francisco Brides to hit the stands because one of my favorite cakes of the year is featured on page 26. They did a little interview with me, which is always an honor, and in the article I mention how much I love the gold gilded Marie Antoinette style cakes. I have to thank the super talented Sabine Scherer who helped stage and photograph the cake and of course the editor, Mary Jo Bowling, of SF Brides who found my cake print worthy.

January Cakes

2010-01-16T21:16:00.000-08:00

This is a very simple, but elegant, cake for a New Year's Eve Wedding. It's very traditional and romantic. I'm a big fan of full flowers in between columns. Call me old fashioned, but if you fill up the space with a mix of all types of flowers big and small, and there are even sugar flowers in there too, I think it looks full and fabulous.

This was a really interesting cake. The couple wanted the cake to have the feel of rice patties. There was a sort of monument rock as a topper that was flowing water down the mountain. The couple's names were painted on the rock next to two butterflies.

I miss doing florals. This style reminds me of the days at the Cake Divas, since I probably did about 5 a week. I think they are so beautiful and love when I have the opportunity to do my buttercream flowers.

Cake Coquette on Chow.Com

2010-01-01T19:43:00.000-08:00

I was asked by Chow.com to create a gingerbread village as a "movie set" for their holiday greeting card movie. They actually even borrowed all my personal Playmobil toys and Brilo train set for the scenes. I spent the day working with the awesome guys at chow as they made this adorable stop motion animation movie. Enjoy. It's so cute.

http://www.chow.com/stories/11994

New York Mets Grooms Cake

2010-01-01T19:39:00.001-08:00

This cake came out pretty cool if I may say so myself! A surprise groom's cake that I hope was a home run. Cheesy pun intended.

Ween Cake

2009-12-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

This cake was so long over due. My husband has been asking me for a Ween cake for years and last night he finally got it. Ween is a killer rock band and the cake, as you can see, is the album cover of Chocolate and Cheese. They are worth checking out if you haven't heard of them. We've been to many a concert. You can check out Jean and Dean Ween's website Ween.com. Rock on!

A Wedding in Kenwood

2009-11-17T23:15:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Bruce Forrester Photography for the gorgeous photographs. This beautiful event was designed by Joannie Liss Events and End Design.

Figurines of our favorite charaters

2009-11-01T11:35:00.000-08:00

Today I thought I'd show a few examples of the sugar figures you can do on cakes. In this first example of Dora the Explorer I drew her on sugar with food color. She is what I call a 2D design because she is not sculpted out of sugar like in out next example.

For the Scooby Doo Halloween Cake the gang is also painted on sugar, but scooby, who is hiding in the grass is sculpted out of sugar.

For the full effect of sculpted sugar figurines see The Swedish Chef, Micky and Minnie Mouse and Sesame Street. I know I already posted the Sesame Street gang, but they are just too cute to leave out.

Doing sculpted figurines is a good option if your party is too small to do a sculpture cake(I usually need to work with at least 25-30 servings) or if you don't want to break the bank as sculpture cakes are more expensive.

New Cakes for Fall

2009-10-18T22:49:00.001-07:00

This cake, photographed by Melissa Bagley, was inspired from my own wedding cake. I'm sure you've seen it, the Moroccan pattern, 5 tier cake that is in a few spots on my website and blog and facebook page. But in the end this cake looked very different. The piping was in ganache instead of a deep blue and then the burnt, fall colors of the hydrangeas and roses really made the cake pop.

I loved how this cake turned out. It is buttercream with piping in chocolate ganache.

This shape is a little different, the bottom and middle tier were on lifts. I think the proportions are really great.

I love Sesame Street and watching those vintage 70's sketches still makes me laugh. This cake would have made my day when I was 6, well actually, I wouldn't mind a Bert and Ernie cake right now. I'm convinced that they sculpted my sense of humor to what it is today.

This cake was for a couple, both Pisces, and both with Koi fish tattoos, who got married this weekend in Golden Gate Park.

Peacock Wedding Cakes are Hot!

2009-09-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

This is my new favorite cake of the summer. This cake is iced in buttercream. The details of the peacock feathers are made from a textured fondant center that has been painted in green shimmer and the wispy feather detail is piped in buttercream and also painted in shimmer. The gold details are also piped and then painted in gold. The cake went to the new Pavilion on Treasure Island which is a brand new venue. It is a large white permanent tent that looks out over the waterfront and the San Francisco skyline. It is a great venue and a complete blank slate so the design possibilities are endless.
Thank you to Melissa Bagley http://www.melissabagley.com/ for the photographs.

Cake Coquette in Brides Northern California

2009-09-14T22:39:00.000-07:00

I am so honored to have been a part of this beautiful photo shoot executed for Brides Northern California. I shared the spotlight with so many talented Bay Area designers who made it all possible. The photography by Lisa Lefkowitz www.LisaLefkowitz.com was stunning as usual and the design concept was meticulously staged by Gloria Wong www.GloriaWongDesign.com. The large cake and mini cake design were inspired from all the airy and colorful patterns of the vintage table clothes used in the vignettes. The mini cakes even used bands of fabric as part of the decor. Nothing is off limits. There were so many great ideas and I hope it provides a lot of brides with inspiration!

I Made Jack Black a Cake AND Got to Meet Him!

2009-09-01T22:33:00.001-07:00

My friends who know me well, know that almost every line that comes out of my mouth references Nacho Libre or lyrics from Tenacious D albums. Nothing makes me laugh more, so this just may have been one of my greatest moments in history. I tried as hard as I could to not be a weirdo fan-I WAS supposed to be there. I think I was normal, I think. He sure was awesome.

I made him and costar, band mate Kyle Gass a cake in the shape of the pick from the movie Pick of Destiny. Jack Black and Kyle Gass make up the most killer rock band of all time: Tenacious D. They reigh supreme!

Beautiful Wedding Cakes...

2009-08-16T19:22:00.001-07:00

All the clients I'm meeting with right now are bringing me navy, pewter/gray and silver. Those are the "it" colors of next season. I do think they make a great color combo, but I still love the yellow, black and white scheme. Yellow flowers were floating all over the Kohl Mansion, another beautiful venue in the Peninsula. This wedding, coordinated by MB Wedding Design and Events is magazine worthy.

That same day, down at the Golden Gate Club in the Presidio was another fabulous wedding coordinated by Kathryn Kalabokes of Dream a Little Dream Events. Here is the cake from that event and the link will bring you to photos from the wedding.

This was a fun wedding cake. Stacked pillows for the bride and stacked law books for the groom.

A simple elegant cake with sugar orchids and modeling chocolate bands. So simple, but so sweet.

More Summer Weddings in the Bay Area

2009-08-02T23:21:00.000-07:00

This large wedding cake was detailed in a quilted pattern in fondant with painted navy bands and bow. The quilted look does look best in fondant.

This simple and clean lined cake was for a grand wedding at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. The heart shaped logo on the second tier was their monogram as the symbol has an X and C (the couples initials) within the design.

The figurine topper was hand made by the bride. They were very cute.

This fun wedding cake was iced in a lavender buttercream and covered with handmade sugar flowers.

Cake Coquette on Chow.com

2009-07-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

Chow.com has a great lineup of short instructional video clips called "Chow Tips." They asked me to give a few decorating tips, like how to make a buttercream rose, mix buttercream colors and how to hold a piping bag. They are really fun and you just might see one on TV the next time you are in line at the bank! Enjoy the clips!

HOW TO MAKE A BUTTERCREAM ROSE

HOW TO MIX COLORS FOR ICING CUPCAKES

WHAT'S A CAKE TURNTABLE?

WHAT IS FONDANT?

HOW TO MAKE A PIPING CONE FROM PARCHMENT

HOW TO USE A PIPING BAG

July Favorites

2009-07-18T00:03:00.001-07:00

Here are a few cakes that I really loved....

Simple Elegant Wedding Cakes

2009-06-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

Usually the wedding cakes I blog about are super detailed and over the top, but these are two recent cakes that are simple, yet very elegant. I love using fresh flowers on the cake, especially when I can work with a nice variety of flowers of different colors, sizes and textures.

Marie Antoinette Wedding Cake at the Marines Memorial, San Francisco

2009-06-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

This cake is going down as my new favorite. The wedding, held May 31st at the Marines Memorial in downtown San Francisco, was as coquettish as can be, with inspiration from Marie Antoinette's lavish sytle. In case you were wondering, the cake is iced in pink butteream and the scroll details are hand piped in buttercream and painted in gold. The cameos, bands and bow are made with fondant, painted bronze. The topper was transported all the way from the amazing patisserie, La Duree, in Paris. Here are some shots taken in my studio by my friend, and fantastic wedding photographer, Sabine Scherer.

This is the email I recieved a couple days after the wedding. It's a good one, made me feel proud.
[I wanted to] let you know that I was absolutely, completely, totally head-over-heels for my cake!!! It was truly stunning, and completely exceeded all my expectations! I literally screamed when I saw it, I was so happy!! All our guests were amazed, and our photographer said that it was the most special and beautiful cake he’d seen in his 16 years of SF weddings. AND it was completely delicious!!!!!! The color was perfect, the shape was perfect, the design, the taste, the gold scrollwork and garlands were completely unbelieveable!
I can’t thank you enough for making it the most perfect cake to ever exist.

Cake Coquette in San Francisco Magazine

2009-06-06T23:08:00.000-07:00

This may be the most exciting press yet. My very own profile piece in San Francisco Magazine. You can find this fancy little magazine with the Sunday Chronicle.

Wedding Cakes

2009-06-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't shared wedding cakes in a while....her are a few sweet ones.

A Lovely Workshop with Elizabeth Messina

2009-06-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

I was so honored to be a part of Elizabeth Messina's "A Lovely Workshop" last month. This world renowned photographer staged an amazing wedding scene for her workshop and yours truly provided the cake. I was working alongside the fabulous Viola of Chewing the Cud, Eden Rodriguez of N Design and Rosemary of Rosemary Special Events at the beautiful and romantic Kenwood Inn and Spa. You can see so much more of the photos that Elizabeth took on her increasingly popular blog Kiss the Groom and Style me Pretty.

My Fabulous Promo Video by Andrew Hsu of Studio MSV

2009-05-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my promo video and I am so excited to share it. I hope you all enjoy it too. It was made by the most awesome, talented videographer Andrew Hsu of Studio MSV.
I'm not used to being on film so I didn't know what to expect (mostly of myself), I just knew that Andrew would do something magical and special.

Can you imagine how whimsical and wonderful he can make you look on your wedding day!?! On top of his insane skills, he's got a great personality, and sense of humor, which made my day of filming feel so natural and comfortable. And you just want to squeeze him he's so cute!

Cake Coquette from andrew msv on Vimeo.

Housewarming Theme Cupcakes

2009-05-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

I usually like to show off my cake work, but I know everyone loves cupcakes too. I just happened to have two housewarming themed cupcake orders this month that came out really cute. The first one had pillows, vases, frames and blankets, while the second one was a "stock the kitchen" theme, with pots, pans, china and utensils. I personally love the cutting boards with fruit and veggies on them. You can do just about anything on a cupcake. It's like playing doll house.

Amazing San Francisco Wedding at The Hotel Monaco

2009-05-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

As you may already know, I love Art Nouveau patterns. The inspiration for this cake design came from couple's wedding invitation which featured an Art Nouveau peacock feather border design. The colors where a silver/gray, scarlet red and deep blue which came together so beautifully in the flower arrangements done by Not Just Flowers in San Francisco.
The fabulous photos where taken by Janae Shields of Janae Shields Photography.

Lombard Street Cake

2009-04-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

I was pretty excited with how this one came out. I love doing San Francisco themed cakes.

Wedding Season is Here!

2009-04-27T17:47:00.001-07:00

The Wedding Season has officially started. Here are just a few cakes I wanted to share.

Promises and Pearls

2009-04-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

It's time once again for Promises and Pearls. Michelle of MB Wedding Design and Events and Beverly of Especially yours Chair Covers put on a gorgeous event showcasing their style and talent along with all their favorite vendors (I would be one of those!) this July 8th. Pass it on and don't miss it.

Cake Coquette in Daily Candy

2009-04-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

Cake Coquette was featured in Daily Candy April 14. Twice a year they feature up and coming wedding vendors. This is very big-gives me that street cred.

Birthday Cakes for the Golden State Warriors

2009-04-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

I got not one, but two birthday cake orders for NBA Warriors basketball players last month. First I made the jersey cake for Jamal Crawford's big bash. Apparently it was a huge hit, so I got a call the next week from Stephan Jackson's fiance to make his birthday cake too. We didn't want to copy Jamal's so I thought it would be fun to highlight his name by making 3D rhinestone encrusted letters. I handmade the letters inspired from Snoop Dogg's logo lettering (because he was performing for Stephan's birthday party at Mezzanine in SF) and glued on hundreds of little swarovski crystals. I couldn't leave out a Warriors logo for the topper-also encrusted in crystals.

Renee Lalique/ Art Nouveau Inspired Cake

2009-04-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

I always have to do something different for my mom's birthday cake and this year I drew my inspiration from the fabulous Faberge, Lalique and Tiffany pieces now on display at San Francisco's Legion of Honor. The fantastically ornate pieces especially the Faberge eggs up close blow me away-I highly recommend checking out the show.

Thank you to Melinda Le Photography for the photos.

Cake Coquette is in Brides Northern California

2009-03-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

This recent press is especially exciting because not only did I get a cake photo in the magazine, I actually got interviewed. I feel so very special! If you can't tell, the cake is inspired from Gustav Klimt, one of my favorite artists. We have the love of gold paint in common.

I was on View From the Bay

2009-03-17T22:56:00.000-07:00

It was so very exciting to be on View from the Bay. I hope you like the segment.

View CAKE COQUETTE - How to Decorate a Cupcake like a Pro on The View from the Bay

Elegant Wedding Cakes for Gumps San Francisco

2009-03-15T21:44:00.000-07:00

Most of these cakes were made for the Gumps Bridal show I participated in a few months ago. I was fortunate to have Natalie Wi of Allure West Studios take these amazing shots for me. The designs were inspired from china patterns, and other decorative elements that were on display at Gumps. I hope you enjoy them.

Some New Art Cakes

2009-03-08T18:03:00.001-07:00

I've been busy this month, here are some of my favorites...........

Topsey Turvey, Tim Burton, Moulin Rouge Inspired Wedding Cake

2009-02-28T17:46:00.000-08:00

This may possibly be the coolest wedding cake yet. I knew I had to ask Janae(of Janae Sheilds Photography), to come along with me to photograph this crazy cool cake. The shots were amazing, and here are just a few. The wedding was on the lodge level at the Regency Center in San Francisco. The smokey dark wood and red velvety vibe on the room was gorgeous and looked just perfect with the cake.

Gumps Bridal Show

2009-02-14T20:35:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I participated in a very chic bridal event hosted by Gumps in San Francisco. Gumps sells and registers brides for the most elegant china, silver and housewares. It is also worth mentioning they have a wonderful wedding dress salon on the 4th floor but you have to make an appointment. (That's where I went first to try on wedding dresses!)
So, for this bridal event I worked with the visual designers at Gumps who were creating fantasy table displays. I made 6 faux cakes ranging from classical styles to an over the top sand castle pagoda.
Possibly the most exciting creation I could showcase that afternoon was the custom wood cupcake stand my brother designed and MADE for me. He is a fantastic artist and wood sculptor, so I was so excited that he was able to make this gorgeous piece for me. There are detailed design elements that don't come through in the photo, so I"ll be posting professional shots soon. You can see more of his work and style at http://sebastianparker.blogspot.com/

The cupcake stand is filled with mini carrot cupcakes and whipped vanilla cream cheese icing topped with candied walnuts, and mini chocolate cupcakes topped with a mocha ganache. Delicious!

Here are all the cakes on display until the 19th of February!

Sculpture Cake Weekend

2009-02-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

I have been behind on blogging, but after I show you what I had going on the past few weeks I think you'll understand why. Not only did I have 6 faux cakes to make for the Gumps Bridal Event "Wedding Chic" last Sunday (photos to come) I had more sculpture cakes in one weekend than I've ever had. Let's take a look see at the favorites.....

X-BOX 360

TRUSTY LOUIS VUITTON DIAPER BAG, complete with silver spoon, bottle, pacifier and diaper.

OH, YOU KNOW....A TUGBOAT

WINE BOTTLE WITH CUSTOMIZED FAMILY LABEL

KEG CAKE

RED FERRARI

ORGANIC CARROT, for my friend who writes the the blog weirdvegetables.blogspot.com

CHILLI DOG

Cakes in Gentry Magazine

2009-01-28T21:16:00.000-08:00

I am very proud to share my newest press in Gentry Magazine. The Vintage Bird Cake they choose was one of my favorites from last year. Inspired from a vintage handbag that had jade and gold beads making a partridge in a pear tree relief, this cake really popped from the texture and color of the hand made sugar beads, leaves and love birds.

Cakes in Today's Bride!

2009-01-17T23:21:00.000-08:00

More of my cakes made it into Today's Bride. The green paisley cake as well as the detailed shot of the green art nouveau pattern on the first page are mine. The Spanish lace which I'm sure everyone is getting tired of seeing now also made it in on the second page. Very exciting!

My Spanish Lace Cake in Bride and Bloom

2009-01-12T17:09:00.001-08:00

It is so incredibly exciting to see my cakes in magazines. This month I get to feel special three times because Cake Coquette cakes are going to be seen in three magazines this month: Bride and Bloom, Northern California Brides and Today's Bride. Today I finally got my hands on a copy of Bride and Bloom (Spring 2009). Flip to page 28 and yours truly is in the Fresh Style....

I'll be posting the other pages as soon as I get them. Stay tuned.

Tropical Art Deco Cake and Monopoly Board Cake

2009-01-05T12:48:00.000-08:00

My inspiration for this cake was an intricate facade of an art deco building. The clients wanted the tropical blue colors reminiscent of Miami and the silver art deco plane was to honor the groom's passion for planes. To top the cake off are hand made sugar gardenias and calla lilies.

This cake is pretty self explanatory...someone really loves Monopoly!

The Holiday Gingerbread Village

2008-12-30T16:19:00.000-08:00

I can finally post these great shots of my Gingerbread Village now that I am back from my Christmas vacation. It was great to take a week off and this big project was delivered just a few hours before we got on our redeye to Boston.
The fabulous Janae Shields of Janae Shields Photography came along with me to take these shots and I think you'll be able to see the insane detail that goes into a Gingerbread world. I hope you enjoy the photos!

I'm making some powdered sugar snow!

Birthday Cakes

2008-12-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

Here are a few fun cakes I worked on this week....

This is a Justin Bua inspired cake. The birthday boy is a huge fan so I combined a couple of Bua's ideas to create this cake. I loved the city block scenes Bua paints so I used that as inspiration for the cutout pattern on the sides. I thought I had a chance at mimicing the "Mic Check" series for the drawing on the top. His paintings are super stylized and detailed - I highly recommend that you check out his website to learn more because his work is pretty fresh.

For this cake, the little guy just loves the Lion King and actually drew out the cake design he wanted. Too cute.

I thought this one came out pretty cool too...my interpretation of a sun.

SF Station turns 12

2008-12-07T21:07:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure that all the cool kids in the Bay use SF Station as their resource guide to what is happening in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is a great website and ever since I was asked to make their 12th birthday cake, I've been hooked. They specialize in the arts and cultural happenings around the Bay Area, so the design elements on the cake reflected this. I made theater tickets, movie tickets, a VIP pass, an artist's palette and a little plate, fork and knife set that exeplifies their extensive restaurant guide. Of course the cake wouldn't be complete without the Sutro Tower featured on thier logo.
Thanks to Eduardo Ribeiro for the photograph. Hopefully more pics will be up on the SF Station site soon.

Sculpture Cakes

2008-12-07T20:31:00.000-08:00

December is not the big month for weddings, but I get a bunch of fun birthday and theme cakes. Here are a few favs from this week.

A Topsey Turvey Butterfly Cake and A New Faberge Egg Topper

2008-11-30T16:24:00.000-08:00

This fun Topsey Turvey Cake was for a Batmitzva. The invitation had a beautiful purple butterfly on it so I used that design element as inspiration for the cake.

I am so happy to have had another request for my customized, hand made sugar Faberge Egg toppers. This time the topper was for a birthday. I used photos of the birthday lady on the egg and as well as her favorite color purple as the background color of the egg and for the flowers.

November Weddings

2008-11-24T22:30:00.000-08:00

Here are a few cakes from my weddings this weekend.

This small wedding cake for 20 wass iced in buttercream with buttercream piping and little sugar jewel details.

Grooms cake! I used fondant for the glove because it really makes great leather.

Not the best pic I know, but this really did look good. All the flowers were sugar.

I was really happy with how this cake came out. This is also buttercream icing and piping. The couple ordered the crystal "B" topper themselves.

Glamourous Wedding Cakes

2008-11-14T17:45:00.000-08:00

I have a new favorite venue: the Penthouse Suite at the Fairmont Hotel. For this intimate wedding I used a gorgeous rhinestone trim (which I believe was used on the bride's dress) as a band on two tiers. I also individually cut the stones to use as centers of flowers in my topiary topper. I love the turquoise tile that peeks through in the picture of the topper. I had the opportunity to work with Kathryn Kenna, who is one of the nicest, most easy going and professional event planners I have worked with.

This wedding, designed by the always amazing Michelle of MB Wedding Designs was at The Julia Morgan Ballroom, which is tied for favorite with the Fairmont Hotel(I think they are both designed by Julia Morgan which would explain things). The colors were silver and midnight blue, so with the guidance of Michelle, we created this look. Covered in fondant and painted in silver, the tiers are decorated in hand made fondant jewels and leaves. That very inventive stand was made by Asiel Design.

Sculpture Cake of Stacked Gold Bars for Whirled

2008-11-06T22:31:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are fans of the online role playing games, maybe you've heard of Whirled? I hadn't but I learned what currency they use in the game, yup, you guessed it....Gold Bars.

This fun 3'X 2' sculpture was mostly faux, but the top 6 bars were real cake. All iced in buttercream and painted in gold. The logo was hand painted.

Sports Sculpture Cakes

2008-10-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

Without fail, theme cakes of the more random nature always come in pairs. Well in just this week alone I had two footballs, one soccer ball and a pair of ballet slippers. I'm not complaining, it's just funny that I won't have orders like this for months and then they all come flooding in.
All are iced in buttercream with fondant cutouts with the exception of the slippers which were entirely covered with fondant.

(Okay, this one is from a little while back, but it's cute.)

New Cakes

2008-10-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

Here are two elegant wedding cakes that I think you will all enjoy. The bottom cake for a commitment ceremony was inspired from my favorite Italian ornamental details- all hand piped in buttercream.

And this was a super fun Hawaiian Beach party themed cupcake tower. Each cupcake had hibiscus flowers, beach balls, sand, ocean, seashells and surfboards.

A French Inspired Wedding at The Bellevue Club

2008-10-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

Thank you Allana Taranto of Ars Magna Studio for taking these lovely pictures.

I discovered a new fantastic venue this weekend. The Bellevue Club overlooking Lake Merritt in Oakland is a secret jem of a venue that evokes the rooms of Versailles. My bride and groom love everything French (perfect, since I'm French!)so I was so excited to create a design inspired from the ornamental scrolls and swags of the room.

Me in action.

These centerpieces byLeighsa Montrose of Branch Out were so stunning I just had to mention them. The rich colors of the flowers and peacock feathers had such a nostalgic feel that looked wonderful in this venue.

Wedding Cakes

2008-10-06T19:27:00.000-07:00

This was a very simple elegant wedding cake iced in Italian meringue buttercream with sugared wine and concord grapes, pears, lychees, figs and plums. I added a few monkey tail ferns, brown branches, berries and eucalyptus leaves.

A bit different in style, this cake was also iced in a yellow/green buttercream and decorated with pink sugar orchids, rosebuds and baby blossoms.

A San Francisco Wedding Cake

2008-09-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

I've done New York City and Los Angeles themed cakes more than I can count, but until this weekend, I had never been asked to make a San Francisco cityscape. Of course, now that I live here again, I was so excited to finally take on this challenge. Although I couldn't include every landmark, and now that the cake is done, I keep running into buildings I could have made, but I think it came out pretty cool.
My fabulous friend Natalie Wi of Allure West Studios met me at the Marine' Memorial Club downtown on Sutter and Mason to take some great shots. The Marines' Memorial is really a beautiful venue with two gorgeous ballrooms-definitely worth checking out for your wedding.

Michael Jordon Cake

2008-09-21T00:26:00.000-07:00

This cake was the most outrageous and fun to date. The young couple, Starla and Jimmy, who ordered this Michael Jordan themed wedding cake loved the DubZero and SpikeLe shoes so much they incorporated all the design elements from the fabrics of the shoes into the design of the cake. To top it off, each chose their favorite shoe (it was a tough decision- I think they have every pair in every color) for the cake topper.

Summer Weddings

2008-09-12T18:24:00.000-07:00

This cake went to the St Francis Yacht Club in the Marina. Funny story, the bride was sent to me from Event planner Alison Hotchkiss and it turned out we went to high school together! (That would be Lowell High School)

This cake traveled very far to a Buddist Retreat, Pema Oseling, in Watsonville. the design was inspired from Art Nouveau ornament. Photo taken by Christine Sommers of Chris Sommers Photo.

This was a creative design for a gay wedding.

And..some seashells.

Vintage Cake

2008-09-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

This is a new favorite cake of mine. Inspired by a beautiful beaded vintage handbag depicting a partridge in a pear tree, it looked so natural in the woodsy setting of the Forest Hill Clubhouse. I think the clubhouse, so simple and elegant, is a secret gem right in the middle of residential San Francisco. Thanks again to Allure West Studios for the great shots!

Cake for GZA

2008-08-25T13:09:00.001-07:00

If you are familiar with the biggest rap group ever, Wu-Tang Clan, then you know GZA. GZA is currently on tour, and made a stop in Santa Cruz, where he was presented (on stage!) with a Cake Coquette birthday cake in the shape of his logo. This is especially exciting because this is the second time I have done a cake for GZA. He actually remembered me and requested another one of my cakes! My connection to this prolific rapper: my journalist husband, and Wu- Tang's biggest fan, has interviewed him several times and gets to sneak back (or on) stage to give him presents. You can read the most recent article here: http://www.gtweekly.com/music/interviews/verbal-supremacy.

GZA holding the cake, super fresh.

The cake is a celebrity on stage.

More Weddings....

2008-08-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

Here are a few favorites I wanted to share...

Faberge Cake at the Julia Morgan Ballroom

2008-08-13T18:13:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I am absolutely in love with anything Faberge. I was so excited when I had a tasting with a Russian bride and her mom who were just as into a Faberge Cake Topper as I was. I have been thinking about this cake for months and was so inspired that I created a line of Faberge Egg Toppers. I'm submitting them to magazines, so just wait, they are really fun. I noticed that a lot of the Faberge eggs have portraits painted on them, so I decided to personalize Clarina and Patrick's topper with pictures of them and their dog. This means that everyone can have their own personalized Faberge Egg topper. I'm trying to start a trend, lets see if it catches on.

The groom was a policeman so we made him a cake in the shape of his badge.

Thanks to Natalie Wi of Allure West Studios who came with me to take pictures of the cake and me in action.

Cake Coquette is in Your Wedding Day Magazine

2008-08-06T23:14:00.000-07:00

This is the most exciting press yet. I drove down to Los Angeles last March with two faux cakes for an incredible, high production value photo shoot. Five months later, I finally get to see how it all turned out. The magazine hit the stands a few days ago, and the 20 pages or so from the photo shoot look fantastic. My cake designs were used for the Hollywood Glamour and Vintage Bohemian sets.
What is even more exciting is that a cake I did for Michelle Barionuevo-Mazzini's bridal soiree, Promises and Pearls, also got featured. I recommend picking up this magazine which just went national with this edition. Enjoy!

Tech Cakes

2008-07-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

Fusion Storm ordered this sculpture cake of a Sun Microsystems server for Salesforce.com. If I understand correctly, Salesforce is no longer using these servers, so they wanted to "carve into them." Good thing they chose red velvet cake!

This cake ordered by Demiforce is for the logo for the newest game to hit the iphone called Trism. The game looks so fun, a little like Bejeweled but uses the tilt of the iphone to make it even cooler. I'm waiting for them to make it for the blackberry.

Cake Coquette in Bride and Bloom Magazine!

2008-07-14T08:19:00.001-07:00

The July issue of Bride and Bloom is out! Flip to page 11 and there is a fabulous cake by Cake Coquette. Of course it couldn't have looked so good without the photography skills of Natalie Wi of Allure West Studios.
I was given the four pantone colors as well as most of the images you see on the page and I was told to create something edgy, sleek, feminine, and sophisticated. It was a really fun project and so rewarding to see in print.

Paisleys, Daisies, Scallops and Hexagons

2008-07-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July weekend was just a bit busy. Here are a few wedding cakes to check out.

Spanish Lace

2008-06-29T19:26:00.001-07:00

This is now my new favorite cake of all time. I was looking at a few different patterns of lace as inspiration while hand piping this fun Spanish lace design in ganache. Fittingly, this cake was for an intimate wedding in the Spanish Suite at the Clift Hotel in downtown San Francisco.