Erica OBrien first discovered cake design quite by accident almost twenty years ago while living in New York. She had always wanted to be an artist, and found that cake offered the artistic outlet she coveted. After moving to California in 2006, Erica began designing cakes full time. She quickly gained recognition by major bridal publications such as Brides and The Knot, and attracted a large online following. It was in California that Erica truly realized her artistry, allowing her style ... Continue Reading
Search Results for: erica obrien
Gold Dipped Cake
Our contributor, Erica OBrien, is back with a new cake technique. For this cake, I wanted to create something chic and trendy. There are certainly many beautiful gold cakes out there already, but I wanted this cake to appear as if it was actually dipped in gold. For inspiration, I turned to Pinterest, where I not only found beautiful images of items dipped in gold--everything from vases to feathers--but DIYs as well. The method used in the DIYs were very similar to the technique we used for ... Continue Reading
Falling In Love Cake
Our contributor, Erica OBrien, is back with a new fall cake technique. Fall in New England, where I live, is a special time of year. The changing colors of the leaves is a sight to behold. The air gets a wonderful crispness to it, and we light our fireplace for the first time in months, bringing a coziness to the house that is unparalleled. It’s time for sweaters and boots, apple picking, pumpkins and Thanksgiving. I love fall-inspired cakes, and wanted to create a cake to ... Continue Reading
Dip Dye Macramé Cake
Our contributor, Erica OBrien, is back for the next post in our Trending series. Join Erica as she goes from inspiration on Pinterest to cake concept and then the final cake design. My childhood was, both literally and figuratively, quite crunchy. In the 1970s, long before farm to table was a trend, my mom adopted a vacant lot in our Queens, New York, neighborhood and planted a thriving garden. Her lifelong commitment to healthful living manifested itself in my school lunches, when she ... Continue Reading
Mid-Century Cactus Cake
Our contributor, Erica OBrien, is back for the next post in our Trending series. Join Erica as she goes from inspiration on Pinterest to cake concept and then the final cake design. Since relocating to Connecticut from California four years ago, my cake designs have reflected a seasonal approach: cakes for spring that boast tender young blooms and pastel color palettes, summer cakes that celebrate everything summer has to offer, fall cakes with earthy colors, spicy warm tones, and falling ... Continue Reading
Watermelon Cake
Our contributor, Erica OBrien, is back for the next post in our Trending series. Join Erica as she goes from inspiration on Pinterest to cake concept and then the final cake design. The theme of my monthly posts on The Cake Blog is design trends. The trends can come from anywhere—fashion, textiles, food, housewares, architecture, etc. Some months, the inspiration comes easily, and everywhere around me I see trends just begging to be turned into cake. Other months, when nothing is ... Continue Reading
Flamingo Cake
Our contributor, Erica OBrien, is back for the next post in our Trending series. Join Erica as she goes from inspiration on Pinterest to cake concept and then the final cake design. I love designing cakes, but I especially love designing cakes within given parameters. Although I’m very flattered when a client trusts my artistry enough to leave the design completely up to me, it’s a bit daunting. The idea of being able to do anything kind of overwhelms me. Instead, I work best when ... Continue Reading
Peach String Art Cake
Our contributor, Erica OBrien, is back for the next post in our Trending series. Join Erica as she goes from inspiration on Pinterest to cake concept and then the final cake design. I took an eclectic art class in junior high school in which we learned lots of art forms, including calligraphy and string art, so string art makes me very nostalgic. I love the reinvented string art that we’re seeing today, less hippie-arts-and-crafts (the kind I learned) and more refined with lots of ... Continue Reading
Marquee Letters Cake
Our contributor, Erica OBrien, is back for the next post in our Trending series. Join Erica as she goes from inspiration on Pinterest to cake concept and then the final cake design. We have an ongoing joke at the shop about who comes up with the best design concepts. My sister, the soup maker (with whom I share the kitchen), always has lots of ideas that we promptly dismiss. Most of the designs are either mine or a collaborative effort between me and Callan, my wonderful assistant. ... Continue Reading
TRENDING : Marsala
Our contributor, Erica OBrien, is back for the next post in our Trending series. Join Erica as she goes from inspiration on Pinterest to cake concept and then the final cake design. I wanted to celebrate the new year with something a little unconventional. Rather than create a winter-inspired cake like one might expect, I decided to embrace Marsala, the Pantone Color of the Year. Truth be told, I’m sometimes a little baffled by Pantone’s annual Color of the Year selections, and ... Continue Reading
Glittering Deer Cake
Our contributor, Erica OBrien, is back for the next post in our Trending series. Join Erica as she goes from inspiration on Pinterest to cake concept and then the final cake design. Today is all about silhouettes, specifically a glittering deer silhouette! I’ve always been a bit of a non-conformist. My freshman year of college I was voted “Most Unique” on my dorm floor and wore the distinction proudly (although in retrospect it was most likely more of an insult than a compliment). ... Continue Reading
Chocolate Painted Cake
Our contributor, Erica OBrien, owner of Erica OBrien Cake Design, is back for the next post in our Trending series. Erica is helping us translate today's top trends in fashion, design, art and everyday life into fabulous cake designs. Watch each month as she goes from inspiration on Pinterest to cake concept and then the final cake design. Today is all about dramatically dark designs! I wanted this cake to be a celebration of the bounty of Thanksgiving, my absolute favorite holiday. ... Continue Reading
Black & White Halloween
Our contributor, Erica OBrien, owner of Erica OBrien Cake Design, is here today with some fabulous Halloween cake inspiration... For these two cakes, my goal was simple: reinterpret Halloween in black and white. I wanted each cake to be symbolic of Halloween without being too literal. I love the sophisticated black and white Halloween decor that seems to reject the conventional Halloween palette of orange and black or orange and purple. For the first cake, the more formal of the ... Continue Reading
Paper Garland Cake
Our contributor, Erica OBrien, owner of Erica OBrien Cake Design, is back for the next post in our Trending series. Erica is helping us translate today's top trends in fashion, design, art and everyday life into fabulous cake designs. Watch each month as she goes from inspiration on Pinterest to cake concept and then the final cake design. Today is all about paper garlands! I love to have fun. I love to laugh. And I like to think that my cakes reflect my free spirit: cakes that are ... Continue Reading
Technique + Imagination (III)
Today is Day 3 of a new mini series all about cake artistry! Three of our contributors teamed up on a project conceived to challenge each other while inspiring all of us. We talk about inspiration and techniques all the time here on The Cake Blog. But how do you take those concepts and translate them into your own cake designs? It's a process that every cake designer must go through, time and time again, as they build their skill set and define their own personal style. Because really, cake ... Continue Reading
Technique + Imagination
Today is the start of a new mini series all about cake artistry! Three of our contributors teamed up on a project conceived to challenge each other while inspiring all of us. We talk about inspiration and techniques all the time here on The Cake Blog. But how do you take those concepts and translate them into your own cake designs? It's a process that every cake designer must go through, time and time again, as they build their skill set and define their own personal style. Because really, ... Continue Reading
Trending: Boho Chic
Our contributor, Erica OBrien, owner of Erica OBrien Cake Design, is back for her next post in our new series called Trending. Erica is helping us translate today's top trends in fashion, design, art and everyday life into fabulous cake designs. Watch each month as she goes from inspiration on pinterest to cake concept and then the final cake design. With this insider look into her creative process, we hope you'll start to see inspiration everywhere in world around you. Today we're talking ... Continue Reading
10 Fabulous Flamingo Treats
Flamingos, flamingos, everywhere. While this pretty pink bird enjoys an extended moment in the spotlight, first stealing our hearts two summers ago, it seems as though their staying power is almost as majestic as their whimsical legs and billowing feathers. And we simply can't help but bask in all the colorful summer vibes. Pink, tropical with a nod to retro, seriously what's not to love? So today we're taking a look at some of our favorite flamingo sweets. From flamingo cakes to flamingo ... Continue Reading
Fall Baking Gallery
PUMPKIN SHEET CAKE PIPE BUTTERCREAM PUMPKINS APPLE TOFFEE CRUNCH APPLE BUTTER CUPCAKES PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE FOOTBALL PARTY DESSERTS PUMPKIN CUPCAKES 10 APPLE RECIPES BAILEYS PUMPKIN SPICE CARAMEL PEAR CAKE BUTTER PECAN CUPCAKES SWEET POTATO CAKE CHOCOLATE BOURBON PECAN CARAMEL APPLE COOKIES WALNUT CRUNCH WARM APPLE CAKES APPLE PIE CAKE PUMPKIN TIRAMISU CAKE 10 CUPCAKES TO BAKE HONEY BUTTER ... Continue Reading
Halloween Gallery
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10 Confetti Throwing Cakes
Summer is on our doorstep and that can only mean one thing. It's time to celebrate! The summer season is one of the most popular times to party, with weddings in full swing, showers for both babies and brides and birthday parties galore. Not to mention pool parties, graduation parties, patio parties and more -- all bound to pop up on summer's social calendar. And if you ask us, every good bash deserves a yummy slice of cake and a handful of confetti or two. So today we're loving on some ... Continue Reading
10 Flower Cakes for Spring
Thank goodness we're getting closer and closer to spring with each and every day. Who's with me in being over the cold and the snow? In an effort to welcome the season change with open arms, let's dream of crisp blue skies, tiny green buds of growth appearing on branches and the fresh flowers to come. Today we're spending the day swooning over some seriously stunning cakes perfect for spring. Bursting with beautiful blooms, from hand-crafted sugar flowers to piped buttercream flowers and ... Continue Reading
2015 Wedding Cake Trends
We've come to the end of our latest cake series - The 2015 Wedding Cake Preview! We've spent the last two weeks oohing and aahing over marvelous cake designs and getting the scoop on 2015 cake trends from the ladies who know. Top cake designers were asked to predict which cake trends will be hot in 2015. Based on their insights, this talented group got busy creating innovative new cakes, exclusively for this cake series and especially for you! If you missed any of these cakes, you can catch ... Continue Reading
2015 Wedding Cake Trends : Butttercream Flowers
It's day three of our brand new cake series - The 2015 Wedding Cake Preview! We're spending two weeks oohing and aahing over marvelous cake designs and getting the scoop on 2015 cake trends from the ladies who know. Top cake designers were asked to predict which cake trends will be hot in 2015. Based on their insights, this talented group got busy creating innovative new cakes, exclusively for this cake series and especially for you! I hope you'll join us as we debut a new trend-inspired ... Continue Reading
10 Pretty Black Cakes
At one point and time, we wouldn't have dreamed of a pretty black cake. But over the last year, gorgeously-dark black cakes have been popping up everywhere. And we are absolutely loving this look. Black is such a bold color and it creates a wonderful contrast with white, soft pastels, neons and more. So today we're taking a look at some of our favorite black cakes. Here's 10 Pretty Black Cakes to Love! Petite flowers and shades of neon make this design, created by Erin Gardner of ... Continue Reading
Technique + Imagination (II)
Today is Day 2 of a new mini series all about cake artistry! Three of our contributors teamed up on a project conceived to challenge each other while inspiring all of us. We talk about inspiration and techniques all the time here on The Cake Blog. But how do you take those concepts and translate them into your own cake designs? It's a process that every cake designer must go through, time and time again, as they build their skill set and define their own personal style. Because really, cake ... Continue Reading
TRENDING : Pineapples
Our contributor, Erica OBrien, owner of Erica OBrien Cake Design, is back for her next post in our new series called Trending. Erica is helping us translate today's top trends in fashion, design, art and everyday life into fabulous cake designs. Watch each month as she goes from inspiration on pinterest to cake concept and then the final cake design. With this insider look into her creative process, we hope you'll start to see inspiration everywhere in world around you. Today we're talking ... Continue Reading