White Radish Swan

A watermelon rose carving with a pair of  white radish carved into swans depicting the bride and groom made an elegant table centerpiece at the wedding. The swans on top added a little flair to the rather traditional watermelon carving. It's something new and different which the guests enjoyed.

Wedding Plated Desserts

For the last  wedding of the  season, I made these assortment of mini desserts. The couple decided on doing a plated dessert instead of having a wedding cake on their big day. I like the idea of offering guests a variety of desserts in one plate. It gives them a chance to indulge on different flavors without having to leave their seats.

A Wedding Cake That Cheered Me Up

There is not much happening at the resort this month. It has been slow at work.  Just when I started getting bored and unmotivated,  I received a request to make a two-tiered red velvet wedding cake. I was thrilled. It was  not something new and different after having done it numerous times before but at least I got  a break from my dull routine. It's all that mattered during a lazy week.

Cupcakes for June Wedding

June is slow and quiet. I thought I had all the time in the world to make these cupcakes for a wedding. I was wrong. I spent a great deal of time baking, filling and frosting them. You may wonder why. What happened was the bride wanted five different flavors. Not only that, the frosting came in different flavors and colors as well. Tinting the frosting in dark green, purple and royal blue was a daunting task. It was a bit of a challenge to get the right shade.  I felt somewhat intimidated by the amount of work that has to be done.  Imagine whipping up 24 cupcakes for each flavor all on your own. I was drained at the end of the day but pleased to  know that the bride loved her wedding cake.

Wedding Cake Topper - The Trial

A June bride wants Batman and Batwoman cake topper for her wedding next month. She sent a picture and inquired if the baker ( which is me) could sculpt the hero and his bride just like how they look in the picture. My boss asked if I could give it a go. That was difficult  but I tried anyway. She took a picture of it once it's done and sent it to the bride.

Wedding # 4 Centerpiece

The sous chef  never ceases to amaze me with his creations. For this year's fourth wedding, he created this party centerpiece using two watermelons. He carved multiple roses into one watermelon and the names of the couple into the other.

Wedding Cake # 4

In the past four years that I am baking, it never crossed my mind that red velvet cake could go well with coconut meringue butter cream frosting. It's something I learned not by reading the internet but through the bride who requested for a coconut flavored frosting.  The idea intrigued me. I did my own research  and discovered that pairing the two together was possible.

Wedding # 3 Set Up

There are not many instances when I get to see how the F & B department turns the beach club into a perfect venue for the wedding. It takes time to decorate the whole place with fairy lights, cover the tables and chairs with linens, arrange the buffet table and finally do the place setting. I see the transformation take place from time to time. On those rare occasions when I am lucky to see the venue fully ready, I make sure I have my camera or camera phone with me to capture the scene. Here are some of the shots I took recently.

Wedding #3 Watermelon Centerpiece

The sous chef  has once again exhibited his fruit carving skill with this watermelon centerpiece. He used the yellow flesh this time. I prefer the  red watermelon as it creates a more striking effect.   I have been wanting to learn from him but due to my manic work schedule I haven't had the chance to do so, let alone watch him carve. As expected, this  impressive work of him has brought smile and joy to the couple.

Wedding Cake # 3

The resort I work at is getting busier as the wedding season continues. Only a couple weeks after the last January wedding was held, I made the exact same cake for another wedding early this month. This was actually a last minute request. The mother of the bride made the request a week before her daughter's big day. My boss asked her to take her pick among the wedding cakes I've made in the past. Luckily she chose the one I am familiar with and make so often. That's a relief as I still had treats to do for her daughter's wedding and another wedding two days later.

Wedding Fruit Carving

The sous chef who does fruit carving is back! He'd been away for quite some time after his wedding. I've missed seeing his creation as he does his work intricately. He's been doing fruit carving since he resumed his position in the kitchen. His recent creation was this watermelon centerpiece at the wedding recently. It must have been exhausting carving the names of the bride and groom in cursive style. And as a bonus, he carved rose out of beetroot which added a nice touch to the table centerpiece

Wedding Cake # 2

It hasn't been long since the holiday fuss has ended and here I am again working tirelessly to cater to the request of our wedding couples. I don't mind the extra work. I enjoy making cakes from start to finish. It gives me the most rewarding feeling when I see the final look of the cake.

Anyway, this chocolate mud cake in rustic style has been wowing  wedding couples since I made it for the first time  in May 2014. Many of my cake's designs ( including this) are based on the client's wishes. This particular design stands out among the rest. Its' simple "home-made" look is probably the reason why it has become so popular.

Wedding Cake #1 2015

The craziness of the holiday season is over. Now comes the wedding season. Just a few days after all the New Year celebrations wrapped up, I made the first wedding cake of 2015. The cake was three tiered red velvet frosted with light pink Swiss meringue butter cream in rustic style. It's not something new. I have done it several times before so the procedure went smoothly and quickly. I made no mistake (Sigh). I succeeded in resizing the recipes at the exact quantities required.  Oh yes, I'm getting the hang of making wedding cakes. Good for me!

My Wedding Cake Collection 2014

Before the 2015 wedding season starts, let me share with you my growing collection of wedding cakes. These are my creations in the past year. Some are just plain and simple. Others are beautifully decorated with fresh blooms. Decorating cakes has  been an amazing experience for me. I can't wait to learn more skills when my next adventure begins.

Macaron Wedding Favors

Macarons  which are  beautifully presented  in a transparent treat bag,  adorned with ribbon and bows and a cute gift tag can be the perfect wedding party favors. I packed these delicious cookies according to the bride's instructions. There were 29 guests attending.  She specifically asked that I make 29 macarons in mint green and 29 in pink, She wanted one mint green and one pink to be given to  each guests.

Making the cookie may sound as an easy task but I was overwhelmed with the whole process from start to finish. I failed several times before I was able to make decent cookies. First, I tried to bake from scratch. The cookies came out with a cracked top and no feet. Then I tried to use macaron mix. The result was the same. It took me days until I got it right.Well, sort of. The final macarons had very small feet. I couldn't afford to  start all over again as I had a wedding cake to make and my daily work load. The macaron making took me too much time and effort. Up til now, I still couldn't figure out what went wrong. Perhaps the quality of my almond meal was the reason. Or was it because I  over grind it. Another reason could be because I didn't dry them out in the oven? I am not an expert. I believe I will have the answer over time.

Mud About Chocolate

I must admit I have been slow lately. I  burned myself  out because of the demands at work. I have yet to fully recover and I know it would take time for me to recharge.  As the resort's occupancy rate is dropping, I am finally getting a little break from the high season madness.

Just when my rigid work schedule is easing up a bit, I was commissioned yet again to make another wedding cake. It would probably be the last wedding of the year before the holiday season starts. When I got the email regarding the style and flavor, I was relieved to know that the couple wanted chocolate mud cake covered in white icing. Making the cake several times in the past  has got me familiarized with the ingredients and procedures. It would be easy. I have worked with fondant so many times already.and did not have any problems. There was no reason for me to fret. So I thought...

Wedding # 16 Outtakes

I took my only chance for some Kodak moments while the wedding venue was being decorated. The cake was all set. I still had time to walk around and see the development happening. What caught my attention as I examined the place was the photo booth. Wedding guests could snap their own wedding photos wearing props the couple had brought with them. They even created an account specifically for the occasion so guests could post the photos online. Brilliant. It would be awesome to have a huge collection of wedding images from different sources.

Red Velvet Cake With French Buttercream Frosting

Rustic style wedding cake has been increasingly popular among our wedding couples. I made this red velvet cake frosted with French buttercream for a wedding today. The wedding group was small, with only eight people, but the couple wanted a three tiered cake.

I had been meaning to change  frosting for so long but I was being too cautious using raw eggs. It's just too risky. The classic butter cream made with butter and powdered sugar is what I normally use. It is easy and quick to prepare but it feels gritty and stays that way no matter how long you mix it. I wanted a silky texture in my cake so I made a bold move. I ditched the powdered sugar and butter icing and  went for French buttercream, a frosting made with egg yolks. My decision did not disappoint. The rich, creamy and decadent buttercream matched perfectly with the soft and moist red velvet cake.

Wedding #13 Set Up

I get off work early enough to miss the whole wedding scenario. My only chance to take photos  is before the big event. Here are some snapshots as the wedding set up took place a couple weeks ago.

A Wedding Setup

Table setup

I am  having a short break from wedding craziness. It's only for several days but at least I can get my mind off it. I also am slow with updating my blog. I had been working long hours. By the time I got home, all I wanted was to take things easy. That meant laying on bed and turning on my TV or watching something funny on youtube. Today,  as I browse my blog I noticed something missing.  I remembered I haven't shared a post of this wedding setup  in April. So before another couple says "I Do", let me share with you some photos I took.