Keeping things fresh!!

I love baking first thing in the morning to give my clients the freshest possible baked goods.  I do not freeze and thaw like some other baked good producers do!!  Nothing compares to the taste of fresh cake. This was the scene at 6AM!!  An added bonus is that baking makes the house smell SO good all day long!!

Being a professional cake decorator is not just baking and decorating. It’s about imagination, sense of artistic style, design, research, flavor palette and understanding your client’s vision. Sometimes they are fairly short, sometimes they last for hours. Getting ready for a cake consultation this morning for a baby shower!!

The Gift of Cake

One of my favorite things that happened this past holiday season was taking an order from a client who was gifting her daughter a cake.  The little girl has been asked repeatedly what she wanted for Christmas and her repose was always "cake".  How could I not fulfill her wish?!?  I designed a Christmas themed elf cake for her.  You can tell from the picture that the elf is quite larger than the cake.  Ooops.  I thought the elf was perfect but I guess I should have read the description more carefully.  I was shocked when I opened the box but needless to say I made it work!!  Take a look at these pictures........the magic of Christmas was alive and well in this home when this sweet little girl was granted her wish......CAKE!! 

Inside a strawberry crunch cake

Often times I get asked "what do the insides of the cake look like?".  I usually don't have the opportunity to take a picture of a sliced cake but a few weeks ago I did and it happened to be of one of my best selling products--the Strawberry Crunch Cake.  I have been so excited about the awesome response people have had to this cake.  It has been ordered for "just because", for birthdays and even Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I first started making the cake shortly after I opened in 2017.  I customer had requested one and sent me a picture of what she wanted it to look like on the inside and voila, the strawberry crunch cake was born!!  Alternating layers of strawberry and vanilla cake filled with alternating layers of strawberry and vanilla buttercream covered with my signature strawberry crunch topping and fresh strawberries.

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!!  While 2018 was a very successful year for Sweet Dreams Cake Shop I am really excited to get a fresh start in 2019.  2018 was a year of learning, experimentation and growth and I hope to continue on the same path as well.  One of my goals is to be more consistent with my blog entries :)   i have some excited new products that I will be launching through out the year and will be concentrating on perfecting my cake decorating artistry, excellent customer service and communication and offering nothing but the most beautifully decorated and delicious baked goods!!  I can't thank you all enough for such a wonderful year.  All of your loyalty, support and kind words energize me.  2018 was great......here's to an even greater 2019!!

Every Cake Has a Story

Every cake that I make has a back story.  The cake design may have special meaning to the recipient or the flavor of the cake may have great significance in their life.  Often times, the cake is celebration a special milestone, a milestone that was miraculously reached against all odds.  The cake I made this past Friday for a 5 year old boy, Kai, was one of those cakes.

At the time that Kai's mom placed the order for the cake I was completely unaware of Kai warrior story.  It wasn't until the cake was picked up that I learned how that celebrating Kai's 5th birthday was, in fact, a miracle.
Kai was born at 25 weeks and weighed only one pound at delivery.  He had many medical complications after birth and remained in the NICU for 7 long  months.  5 years later Kai is a thriving sweet boy who is doing well.  He really wanted a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake to celebrate and I was honored to grant his wish.  I was so grateful I was there to witness the excitement on his sweet little face when he saw his cake for the first time.  It is something that I will never forget.  Happy 5th Birthday, Kai!!  May you have many more years of celebrating your life and shining your light on the world!!

Today marks the 17th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11th.  I think like most people I remember exactly where I was when the first plane hit or when you first heard the news about what was happening.  I had just graduated college and I was coming home from a jog.  I had been listening to music and the broadcast had been interrupted to bring the details of the events that were unfolding.  I have to admit I was confused at first but my confusion quickly changed to shock, anger and sadness as I walked into the apartment to the TV coverage of what was unfolding.  I sat in sheer disbelief as I watched the towers collapse.  I grew up in NJ and had traveled to NY all my life and the Twin Towers were a permanent fixture of the NYC skyline, or so I thought.  Nothing will ever bring back those that lost their lives that day.  Those innocent people that were reporting to work or the First Responders that so unselfishly risked their lived to save complete strangers that never made it home to their families that day.  And those that did survive that will forever remember the scenes of the 3 sites that attacked. 

Baking is therapeutic for me.  Just like so many people that find solace and comfort in yoga or running, baking and decorating is my go-to activity.  I am baking today to help me through the emotions that I feel today as I remember that day and those that are no longer with us.