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The 1st Cake of Christmas

December 2, 2013 by Carrie Sellman

I can hardly stand it!  It’s finally time to kick off our third annual holiday series…. The 12 Cakes of Christmas!!  Over the next month, we’ll be oohing and aahing over twelve marvelous cake designs, created especially for this series!  All brand new, never seen before, and created by some of your favorite bakers!    For our theme this year, we’re taking a moment to reflect on our favorite Christmas memories and traditions.  As the month of December rolls on, our days often become saturated with to-do lists and holiday tasks.  The merriest time of year becomes the craziest time of year!  So throughout the hustle and the bustle, I hope you’ll check in and let us provide you a little refuge from the holiday mayhem.  Because here on the blog, we will be celebrating the little things that make this season shine bright.  Each of our featured bakers was asked to create a cake based on a classic Christmas tradition.

So let’s get started!  Our first cake celebrates one of the most recognizable symbols of the holiday season.  A twist of red and white peppermint that’s sticky sweet and smells like Christmas.  The First Cake of Christmas was inspired by …. candy canes!

Inspired by Candy Canes  |  The 12 Cakes of Christmas

 

The first cake in our series comes to us from Allison Kelleher, owner of AK Cake Design in Portland.  Allison has been with us from the beginning of this holiday series, stealing our hearts with her snowy white cake back in 2011 and her incredible metallic ornament cake in 2012.  You loved Allison’s cakes so much that we happily invited her to join our talented list of blog contributors this year.  You probably remember her watercolor cake tutorial – it was nothing short of amazing!  Well, Allison’s refined sense of style and love of patterns has come together in a graphic cake fit for 2013.  With meticulous detail and a velvety touch, Allison is taking candy canes to the next level.  It’s time for The 1st Cake of Christmas!

 

Candy Cane Cake by AK Cake Design  |  The 12 Cakes of Christmas

 

Allison of AK Cake Design shares the inspiration behind her design:

“My Christmas cake is inspired by candy canes and cozy quilts.  Every year, I buy a big box of candy canes for my girls to decorate the tree with.  And every year, the closer we get to Christmas, the fewer and fewer candy canes are left on the tree. Hmm. . . .”

 

Candy Cane Cake by AK Cake Design  |  The 12 Cakes of Christmas

Allison of AK Cake Design tells us about her technique: 

“For my top two tiers, I used a quilted herringbone motif reminiscent of those mysteriously disappearing candy canes. The red fondant triangles are hand-painted with red petal dust and lemon extract to give a velvety appearance.

For my bottom tier, I created a snowflake quilt design. It’s true. . . I have a fondness for quilt patterns. Hand-made quilts remind me of warmth, coziness, and family – my own quilt was made by my aunt and given to us on our wedding day.

From a design perspective, I tied the two themes together using two elements – pattern and color. While the candy cane theme is created with a quilt pattern, the quilt theme is dressed in ‘candy cane’ red and white. For the finishing touch, a cluster of white sugar roses balances the design-heavy top of the cake with the whiter bottom tier.

I hope you enjoy your holiday season – stay cozy and keep an eye on those candy canes!”

Candy Cane Cake by AK Cake Design  |  The 12 Cakes of Christmas

 

Absolutely mesmerizing!  I could get lost in the precision and placement of each individual triangle.  Thank you to Allison of AK Cake Design for inspiring us with her stunning candy cane design.  And to Lara Ferroni for the incredibly beautiful photography!

Up tomorrow… The 2nd Cake of Christmas!  Stay tuned!  In the meantime, be sure to enter our mega KitchenAid Mixer Giveaway!  One lucky reader will win a top of the line, 7 quart KitchenAid!  Enter to win here!!

 

VENDORS & CREDITS
Cake :   AK Cake Design
Photography :  Lara Ferroni
Inspiration Image : Bunches & Bits
Learn From This Baker : Modern Mosaic Cakes with Allison Kellher on Craftsy

December 2, 2013 by Carrie Sellman

Carrie Sellman , Founder & Editor

Carrie Sellman is the Founder & Editor of The Cake Blog. Her work has been published in BRIDES Magazine, Country Living Magazine and featured online at People, Today, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Redbook, Real Simple, TLC, The Cooking Channel and more.

connect with Carrie :

Make the most of citrus season with one of these cake recipes!

« The 12 Cakes of Christmas
The 2nd Cake of Christmas »

Comments

  1. Lisa says

    December 2, 2013 at 10:48 am

    Amazing detail. A simply stunning cake! Gorgeous as it always is with AK Cake Design.

  2. Courtney says

    December 2, 2013 at 11:04 am

    This is beautiful! I may need to attempt one like this for my mom since she owns a quilt shop 🙂

  3. Brenda's Wedding Blog says

    December 2, 2013 at 12:26 pm

    Absolutely beautiful and such a great cake to kick off the 12 cakes of Christmas with.

  4. Bethany says

    December 2, 2013 at 12:28 pm

    Absolutely amazing!!!

  5. Cyndy S says

    December 2, 2013 at 1:31 pm

    Beautiful cake! Very festive.

  6. Shannon says

    December 2, 2013 at 2:00 pm

    I love this cake series! And this design is simply breathtaking. Congrats to the baker!

  7. Laura says

    December 2, 2013 at 2:19 pm

    Beautifully done! You achieved your intent of a candy cane theme, with great success!!

  8. Johnetta says

    December 2, 2013 at 3:43 pm

    I must say, I was expecting something a little more… Literal!? But I couldn’t be happier with the design that came out of the AK Cake Designs kitchen! So much more interesting and inspiring!

  9. Katie @ Pearls + Girls says

    December 2, 2013 at 5:18 pm

    This is STUNNING! I’ve never seen a quilted cake before, beautifully done, thanks for sharing!

  10. LaMar Johnson says

    December 2, 2013 at 11:35 pm

    WOW! Simply amazing!)

  11. Comfort Blissful Blog says

    December 3, 2013 at 1:18 am

    beautiful cake…& the quilts ideas are genius…
    check out my blog: https://comfortandblissfullife.wordpress.com/

  12. Allison Kelleher says

    December 3, 2013 at 2:30 am

    Thank you Carrie, and thank you all for your very sweet words!

  13. Diana Daniel says

    December 3, 2013 at 9:50 am

    Me encanto!!! Muy original creativo y totalmente navideño. Toda una obra de arte! Felicitaciones!

  14. Victoria says

    December 5, 2013 at 1:41 pm

    Ahh, peppermint perfection! Incredibly intricate work to be admired by all! Someone must have a magic wand in their drawer of utensils. 🙂

  15. lyndsay // coco cake land says

    December 5, 2013 at 11:15 pm

    allison, it’s a beauty! love how it’s inspired by candy canes and quilting. the cake is such a modern take on a holiday cake, beautifully precise but with your amazing graphic vintage-look style! xo

  16. Kim @ The Celebration Shoppe says

    December 6, 2013 at 9:18 am

    This would be perfect at my holiday party this year! 🙂

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