The holiday inspiration continues with our newest cake series, The 12 Cakes of Christmas!  We’re celebrating twelve days of beautifully festive cakes, created especially to inspire you to holiday greatness!  Twelve talented bakers were asked to create innovative and elegant cake designs appropriate for both Christmas parties and winter weddings.  And along the way, we get an up close look at what inspires this talented group.  It’s 12 bakers baking…. it’s The 12 Cakes of Christmas!

The tenth cake in our series comes to us from Jacki Fanto, owner of Blissfully Sweet in Sydney Australia.  You probably remember Jacki from previous features on our site (like this incredible starry night cake or this ocean sunset cake).  Jacki is back once again to amaze us with her creative style and artistic interpretation of a theme.  It’s time to pack your bags and find your passports because Jacki is taking us on a fabulous Christmas trip down under.  In a breathtaking ode to her homeland, Jacki brings the rich heritage of Australia to life in today’s cake.  It’s absolutely phenomenal… and its The 10th Cake of Christmas!

Jacki builds upon the world around her to bring a touch of Australia to our cake series.  And the result is nothing less than spectacular!  Layers upon layers of delicate ruffles, each textured and patterned with remarkable detail.  A sugar flower so grand you have to see it to believe it.   Even the cake board is unlike any I’ve seen before.  Prepare for take off because we’re headed to the land of magnificent cakes!

Jacki of Blissfully Sweet tells us more about her inspiration for this design:

“What Inspires me at Christmas??   I am mainly inspired by the amazing country I live in, as unlike the majority of the world, in Australia we have burning hot summers and Christmases spent cooling down with family and friends.   So Australia was my inspiration, then came all the amazing things that sum it up – our indigenous heritage, our landscape and the amazing colours that it evokes as well as the elements and how they remind me of haute couture.   How complex that simple first question ended up being!  The trick would be now how to combine all the ideas and elements into a cohesive cake design that really spoke about what it meant.”

Jacki of Blissfully Sweet tells us about her technique:

“Time for designs – I wanted to use as many different techniques as I could, because this is meant to also be a challenge!   For me there is no bigger challenge than sugar flowers.   But there would be no call for pretty roses and peonies, I needed organic and native flowers and florals that are reminiscent of Christmas.   The Waratah is a native Australian flower and is also the NSW (my state) State Floral Emblem.   This flower is made up of many bud type petals that are densely packed into a cone shape and then are surrounded by long, large and smooth red leaves.   I wanted this flower to be the feature but to also blend into the design.   I lost count of the amount of petals this magnificent bloom took to create, but the majesty of the final product was well work the time!

The bottom triple stacked tier displayed my couture inspiration for this design.   I wanted to achieve an organic ruffle in the design and when I saw the Miss Australia National Dress costume for the 2010 pageant, I wanted to create a sugar version of this design.   The many ruffled layers were interpretations of the dress.   The red bottom layer was textured with royal icing and then given a red lustre to give the look of textured material.  The next layer was a black ruffle designed with many, many royal icing dots that gave the impression of Aboriginal painted material.   The next layer had a watercolour of the earth colours of our summer.   The next layer was a hand painted brown and black floral aboriginal painting design and then the top ruffle was a textured mustard colour.  The entire ruffled layers came together to create a sugar couture Australian skirt for my cake!”

More from Jacki of Blissfully Sweet:

“My oversized warpath was perched on the top in front of two off-centered tiers that made up the top of the cake.   One tier was covered with a ridged silver/copper fondant detail that was inspired by the corrugated iron roofs of old bush huts (this treatment was also used on the cake board) and the top tier had a earth toned lustre finish and then a simple Aboriginal pointillist painting was the only adornment.   I originally wanted to have the entire top tier in this style of design, however when I was putting the top tier together (the final part), I did not think it needed to be so “busy” on top and so I left the pointillist painting to a minimum and I loved how it finished the cake off perfectly.”

Jacki of Blissfully Sweet continues:

“Cake done and now I needed the perfect location to tell the story.   My amazing photographer showed me this old Blacksmiths hut and I fell in love with the location immediately.   It was the perfect backdrop for the cake and for the inspiration.   And true to a typical Aussie Bush Christmas, it seemed fitting that the photo shoot day was unbearably hot and really rang true to the story I was trying to tell.”

One final thought from Jacki of Blissfully Sweet:

“I do not think that the final result, could be construed as anything except Australia …… and Australia at Christmas!  I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of an Australian Bush Christmas and I wish everyone from all corners of the globe a very merry Christmas and all of the fun and festivities that this wonderful season gives.”

A huge thank you to Jacki of Blissfully Sweet for inspiring us with her stunning Australia-inspired Christmas Cake!  And to One Love Photography for the gorgeous images!

Just one last quick reminder for all of the bakers out there…. did you know there is a Wild Card Spot open in our series!!  The 12th Cake of Christmas is open and up for grabs!  It’s a fun little competition open to any and all bakers who choose to submit a design.  So to all of the talented bakers who read and follow along…. now’s your chance!  Submit your merriest design to be considered.  Your cake may become The 12 Cake of Christmas!!  Email your photos or links to me at carrie@thecakeblog.com by 12:00 pm EST Thursday!

VENDORS & CREDITS
Cake :  Blissfully Sweet
Photography :  One Love Photography
Inspiration :  Miss Universe Australia’s National Costume by Natasha Dwyer

An entire month of holiday inspiration would not be complete without a DIY or two!  Now that we’re officially in the Christmas spirit and inspired to bake, we have a spectacular tutorial for you today.  A DIY that is modern and sophisticated and just a touch of whimsy.  It’s one part festive and two parts fabulous!  And it comes to us from the insanely talented Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet!

Jacqueline is an award-winning sugar artist, well known and loved for her meticulous sugar flowers.  Students across the globe seek out classes with this talented sugar crafter, eager to learn her techniques.  Yep, she’s that good!  Featuring Jacqueline’s tutorial is not only a highlight for this site, but it has been a long time coming!  And I cannot think of a better time than right now.  As a little gift to you… a free lesson from the best.  Today we’re learning how to make gorgeous Sugar Mistletoe with Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet!!

Oh for the love of stealing kisses under the mistletoe!  Jacqueline’s sugar mistletoe is magical… and she’s going to teach us how to make it!  I love learning.  And I know you do too.  So let’s skip ahead to the good stuff… one spectacular arrangement of mistletoe coming up!

HOLIDAY MISTLETOE
a DIY by Petalsweet

Flower-making Tools and Supplies:
• Groove board
• Foam pad
• Rolling pin
• Cornstarch
• Shortening
• Sugar glue
• Styrofoam
• Wire cutters
• Ball tool

Mistletoe Berries:
• 30g white wire (3” lengths)
• White gumpaste
• Confectioner’s Glaze (with brush)
• Glaze thinner or alcohol
• White pearl dust (optional)

Mistletoe Leaves:
• 28g green or white wire (3” lengths)
• Moss green and yellow-green gumpaste
• Leaf veiner (optional)
• Mistletoe leaf cutters
• Moss green and yellow petal dusts (with brushes)
• Confectioner’s Glaze with brush (optional)
• Acoustic foam OR apple trays OR scrunched foil for drying leaves
• Green floral tape

STEP 1 :  Roll a small (pea-sized) ball of white paste until smooth.

STEP 2 :  Dip end of 30g white wire into sugar glue and insert wire through ball until the tiniest tip barely pokes out the top of the ball. Place in Styrofoam to dry completely. Make as many as desired, varying the size of the ball, but keeping them small and dainty.

STEP 3 :  Finish the berries with a thin coat of 50/50 Confectioner’s Glaze if desired (half glaze and half thinner or alcohol. If a high gloss effect is desired, use the glaze full strength). Let berries dry completely. If you don’t want glossy berries, you can just finish them with a light dusting of white pearl dust.

STEP 4 :  Roll moss green paste over groove board until thin and the groove is visible.

STEP 5 :  If using a single-sided leaf veiner, press the veiner gently but evenly into the surface of the paste, lining up the center of the veiner with the groove.

STEP 6 :  Remove the paste from groove and cut the leaf shape, centering the cutter over the veining.

STEP 7 :  Dip end of 28g wire into sugar glue, and then insert into the groove of paste on the back of the leaf about ½ inch. Gently pinch paste around base of wire to secure neatly.

STEP 8 :  With the underside of the leaf facing up on the foam pad, lightly thin edges with ball tool, being sure to keep the ball tool ½ on your paste and ½ on the foam pad. Use firmer pressure with the ball tool to add movement to the edges of the leaf.

STEP 9 :  Lay on foam or apple tray or scrunched foil to dry. Make as many leaves as desired in several different sizes, some dried facing up, and some dried facing down. I made the larger leaves with the moss green paste, and smaller leaves with a yellow-green paste for a little bit of contrast.

STEP 10 :  Blend petal dusts with a bit of cornstarch to create desired colors. Dust topsides of the large leaves with the desired shade of moss green petal dust. Dust the topsides of the smaller leaves with a mixture of yellow and moss green petal dusts.

STEP 11 :  Gently steam leaves for just a few seconds to get rid of the dustiness and to set the color. Let dry before using. Steaming will give your leaves a soft, velvety finish (which I preferred for the look of my mistletoe leaves). If a glossy look is desired, dab a thin coat of Confectioner’s Glaze on the topsides of the leaves once they are dry from steaming. Let dry completely before using.

STEP 12 :  To make a small topper, tape the berries together in small groups of 3 or 5. Gather the leaves into several small bunches and tape together into a bouquet. Add a few of the berries, and finish with a ribbon and bow if desired. If using on a cake, arrange leaves and berries in a small fondant-covered Styrofoam ball to create a nice round bouquet. Attach the ball to the cake with a wooden skewer or a tape-covered wire inserted into a straw.

SUPPLY RESOURCES:

• Mistletoe leaf cutter set
• Single sided leaf veiner by FMM
• Confectioner’s Glaze
• Moss Green petal dust by Crystal Colors
• Daffodil petal dust by GSA

Thank you, thank you to Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet for sharing her tips and techniques with us today.  It’s enough to make a girl giddy!  And inspired to hang sugar mistletoe on every cake in sight.  Perhaps your kitchen should have a mistletoe bouquet too… ready and waiting for a Christmas kiss!

If you love this tutorial and want to learn more from Jacqueline, be sure to check out her class schedule for 2013.  And you can find her sugar hydrangea tutorial online at Craftsy.

VENDORS & CREDITS
Mistletoe Tutorial & Photography :  Petalsweet

The holiday inspiration continues with our newest cake series, The 12 Cakes of Christmas!  We’re celebrating twelve days of beautifully festive cakes, created especially to inspire you to holiday greatness!  Twelve talented bakers were asked to create innovative and elegant cake designs appropriate for both Christmas parties and winter weddings.  And along the way, we get an up close look at what inspires this talented group.  It’s 12 bakers baking…. it’s The 12 Cakes of Christmas! 

The ninth cake in our series comes to us from Anne Heap and her team at Pink Cake Box in New Jersey.  We’ve been fans of Pink Cake Box and Anne’s whimsical style since the beginning of this little cake blog.  And you probably remember some of their amazing cakes we’ve featured in the past (like this trick-or-treater or this Christmas candyland cake from last December).  Well this talented cake shop is back with another fanciful design to make us cheer!  Beautifully rustic and featuring shades of the season… It’s The 9th Cake of Christmas!

Anne and her team at Pink Cake Box build upon the pure beauty of a Christmas tree with rustic burlap and shades of green.  Strips of sugar burlap, intricately textured and perfectly frayed, wrap around each tier.  Simply tied and knotted, highlighting the organic feel of burlap.  It’s cozy.  It’s quaint.  It’s a natural charmer.  And it includes a spectacular bow!  Just like any great present should.  So let’s get on with the festivities and start unwrapping this gift of cake inspiration….

Pink Cake Box gives us the scoop on their inspiration:

“One of the recent holiday decorating trends we love is burlap! (Just head over to Pinterest and search for “burlap holiday” to see all the creative ways to incorporate burlap into your holiday decor.)  For this holiday cake we used two sources of inspiration.  The first was a ruffled red and natural burlap tree skirt from Done Over Decor.  The second source of inspiration was from Kasia’s craft blog, where she created these cute juniper tree place settings tied in burlap with a red and white striped ribbon.   The result was this four tier green ombré cake!  Its rustic whimsy comes out with the assymetrical burlap ties.  The cake is finished off with an extra-large red and white candy cane like ribbon.”

Oh how I love this statement-making bow!  With its candy cane stripes and large loops…. it’s phenomenal!  And the perfect accessory to a burlap covered cake.  Let’s get a closer look, shall we?

Thank you, thank you to Anne Heap and her team at Pink Cake Box for inspiring us with this Rustic Whimsy Christmas Cake.  Not only do they inspire us with their creativity but their dedication.  Somehow they managed to create this gorgeous design during the weeks following Super Storm Sandy.  While many others would have canceled, they still delivered this cake for all of us to enjoy!  And if that’s not inspiring… I’m not sure what is!

Just one last quick note for all of the bakers out there…. did you know there is a Wild Card Spot open in our series!!  The 12th Cake of Christmas is open and up for grabs!  It’s a fun little competition open to any and all bakers who choose to submit a design.  So to all of the talented bakers who read and follow along…. now’s your chance!  Submit your merriest design to be considered.  Your cake may become The 12 Cake of Christmas!!  Email your photos or links to me at carrie@thecakeblog.com by Wednesday Dec 19th.

VENDORS & CREDITS
Cake  :  Pink Cake Box
Inspiration Photo : Juniper Place Settings
Inspiration Photo : Burlap Tree Skirt