I hope your bags are packed because it’s Beach Week! We’re saying goodbye to a fabulous summer with one last trip to the beach.  An entire week of amazing cakes, recipes and DIY’s inspired by the beach.  We kicked things off yesterday with a spectacular 7-quart KitchenAid Mixer Giveaway!!  (Be sure to enter!!)   And now it’s time for the cakes!

Four talented bakers were asked (pretty, pretty please) to create something fabulous, inspired by the sun, sand and surf.  To bring the beauty and colors of the beach to life in sophisticated sugar.  Just imagine you’re lying on the warm sand…. the sun shining down, the ocean waves crashing, the crisp hint of sea salt in the air.  Okay, now you’re ready to think beach.  So let’s get started!  This first beach beauty comes to us from Erin Schaefgen, owner of Three Little Blackbirds in Denver!

You may remember Erin of Three Little Blackbirds from previous features on our site (like this vintage cowgirl party).  Erin’s design captures the essence of the shoreline with a romantic elegance and charm.  From coral to waves to shells!  This cake is one gorgeous beach scene!

Stripes of shaded blue progress from light to dark blue, mimicking the waters of the ocean.  Scalloped detailing along the top edges resemble ocean waves while also reflecting the lovely shape of the cake stand.  Delicate hand-painted coral and a phenomenal shell topper compete for the starring role of this cake.  With small touches of sand and rope, this design is simply stunning!

Erin of Three Little Blackbirds shares the inspiration for her design:

“For this cake, I wanted to do combine a romantic nautical theme with a classic beach theme in a modern and almost abstract way.  I chose to feature the beauty of a shell skeleton with my shell inspired “ruffles” and the uniqueness of coral with a semi-abstract hand painting of coral in matching colors.  I originally had a very soft color scheme in mind for this cake, but when I found the navy blue cake stand with scallops that reminded me of waves, I knew I had to incorporate a pop of the darker navy blue.  Sand colored sugar ropes were added to provide a bit of rustic beachy charm to an otherwise sophisticated cake design.”

Oh my goodness!  Could the shell topper be any more incredible?  And I love how the same shells are used in small groupings elsewhere in the design.  From the shells to the waves to the hand-painted coral, this is one spectacular beach beauty!

A huge thank you to Erin of Three Little Blackbirds for sharing her time and her talent with us!   You have created a delightful day at the beach for us!  Up tomorrow… another day of fun in the sun!

VENDORS & CREDITS:
Cake :  Three Little Blackbirds

**** WINNER UPDATE. This giveaway is now closed. Our lucky winner is… Natalie who said “I’d use it for just about everything, from desserts, breads to savory foods!” on Sept 3rd, 2012 at 11:57 am. Congratulations Natalie! Please contact me by Thursday, Sept 6th to claim your prize. ENJOY! ****

I am so excited that I can barely stand it!  This week we have an incredible line up for you here on The Cake Blog!  We’re celebrating a summer full of amazing cake inspiration, scrumptious recipes and fabulous readers… like you!  We’re hosting a blow out beach party saluting the sand, the surf and the end of summer!  It’s Beach Week! An entire week of  new beach-inspired cakes, recipes and DIYs!  Created just for you, by some of your very favorite bakers!

And to kick off the week, I’m thrilled to announce our biggest and best giveaway ever!  So spectacular you’re going to flip!  Cue the drum roll please……..  Thanks to our very generous sponsors at KitchenAid….. we’re giving away the biggest and best stand mixer there is!  Eeek!!  One lucky reader will win a 7 Quart KitchenAid Mixer!

Having owned my own KitchenAid stand mixer since 2001, I am quite thrilled for of our soon-to-be winner!  My original 4 quart mixer has seen me through thick and thin.  I cannot even begin to count the endless batches of cake batter and icing it has endured over the years.  Not to mention cookie dough, pizza dough… I could go on!  So I can only image how awesome this powerful 7 quart model will be!

Just look at what this bad boy can do!  It’s KitchenAid’s best performing stand mixer with their most powerful motor yet.  Breezing through longer mixing times with less heat build up and a smooth, quiet sound.  All while sporting an incredibly large stainless steel bowl…. …  we’re talking the capacity to mix 14 DOZEN cookies at one time!!!  Can you image?!  With a 2-Year hassle free replacement warranty and a retail price of $549, this is one spectacular prize!!

**** WINNER UPDATE. This giveaway is now closed. Our lucky winner is… Natalie who said “I’d use it for just about everything, from desserts, breads to savory foods!” on Sept 3rd, 2012 at 11:57 am. Congratulations Natalie! Please contact me by Thursday, Sept 6th to claim your prize. ENJOY! ****

HERE’S HOW TO ENTER:

1. Sign up to follow Half Baked – The Cake Blog on Facebook
   
2. Sign up to follow KitchenAid on Facebook
   
3. Leave a comment below telling us what you’d mix up with your new KitchenAid!

Giveaway ends Monday, September 3rd at midnight PST.  A winner will be chosen via random.org and announced here, on this post, on Tuesday, September 4th.  Winner will be notified by email and must claim their prize within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected.  This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. Void where prohibited.  Only one (1) entry per person.  Must be a US resident and at least 18 years old to enter.  Promotion open to new and existing Facebook Fans.  Winning is conditioned on liking both Facebook pages. Prize includes one 7-Quart Bowl-Lift Residential Stand Mixer from KitchenAid, valued at $549.  Available in red, silver, black or white.

Beach Week continues tomorrow with an incredible new cake series…. fabulous new cake designs created just for YOU!!

I can hardly believe it’s that time of year again.  The days are getting shorter.  The kids are heading back to school and the season is coming to close.  But before we round the corner to autumn and and start talking about the winter holidays…. we’re going on one last summer vacation!  Yes… you’re coming too!  Pack your bags because Monday we’re headed to the beach!  We’re celebrating a Summer full of beautiful parties, stunning cakes, scrumptious recipes and new readers… with a little fun in the sun!  A blow out beach party saluting the sun, sand and surf!  It’s Beach Week!

The party starts on Monday with a FAB-ulous GIVEAWAY!  It’s the best prize ever given away on my site!!  It’s so good I wish I could keep it myself.  Huge thanks to our generous sponsor…. they always know how to mix things up {hint, hint}.  Then we have an entire week of sun-shiny fun in store!  New beach-inspired cakes from talented cake artists, created just for you!  And let me just tell you.  These cakes are simply incredible!  Each one is completely different yet totally amazing.  Plus a new tutorial, a new cupcake recipe and some general beach party fun!  So grab your towel and slather on some sunscreen…. It’s Beach Week!

I hope you’ll join us for some fun in the sun!  Beach Week starts tomorrow!

	Carrie Sellman is the Founder & Editor of The Cake Blog. Her work has been published in BRIDES Magazine, The Bride and Bloom, on DIYnetwork.com, TLC’s Parentables and more. Read more about Carrie on her bio page.