Beach Week : Romantic Coral & Shells

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