Smashing Cake Designs

Last blog post here

2011-09-19T17:08:00.000-04:00

I am happy to announce the launch of our new website. With the new site comes a new blog so everything can be streamlined. Please visit our new blog and follow along with us there.

This page will remain active so you can view older posts of cakes however no new blog posts will be entered here.

Looking forward to staying connected with everyone on the page. I would also love to hear your reviews of the new site.

Changes are coming!

2011-09-14T10:39:00.000-04:00

Over the last few months we have been putting a new website and blog together with Studiodpi. If your a facebook user you will now be able to follow the new blog through your facebook account by following this link.

We will be adding more details in the next little while about the blog move so stay tuned and be sure to follow the new blog for upcoming contests, tutorials and more!

Fall Cake Decorating Workshop

2011-08-30T22:25:00.000-04:00

Lets embrace Fall with a fun fall themed cake!!

In this workshop you will learn how to make some gumpaste pumpkins and a scarecrow figure. We will also decorate your cake so that it resembles a hay bale.

Date: Sunday September 18, 2011

Time: 12:00pm - 4:00pm

Location: Jarrett Hall, Horseshoe Valley Road (in between Barrie and Orillia)

2 workshop options are available, so please let me know which option you would like when signing up.

Option 1: Do it yourself
Cost $50 per person which included the workshop time and instruction. Use of some specialized tools. You bake your own cake and bring your own fondant, icing, tools etc. A list will be provided approximately a week prior to the workshop.

Option 2: Full Workshop
Cost $80 per person which includes the workshop time, instruction, baked cake, icing, fondant and cake boards. Use of some specialized tools. You will be required to bring a few tools such a rolling pin, knives, etc. A list will be provided approximately a week prior to the workshop.

Space is limited so sign up early to reserve your spot. Your non-refundable pre-payment must be submitted to hold your seat. E-mail transfers sent to info@smashingcakedesigns.com are accepted or please send an e-mail to arrange other payment options.

Please fell free to pass this workshop onto anyone you know that may be interested in attending or hit the share button and post it to your facebook page.

*You don't need previous cake decorating experience to attend this workshop. So feel free to join in the fun if you would like to try your hand at cake decorating for the first time.

Wedding Fun

2011-08-25T22:59:00.001-04:00

So what happens when a cake decorator gets married? Lots of late nights!!

The last few weeks have been very busy. My wedding was fast approaching so there was all the regular things to take care of and then of course the cake and treats on top of that.

It started about 3 weeks ago with making the wedding favors. Each favor was 2 chocolate hearts drizzled with white chocolate.

Then it was onto cookies. I didn't want regular cookies, so I made these 3 tier wedding cake cookies. Each cookie actually consisted of 6 cookies with 2 for each tier. Rather then normal cookie icing, they are iced with white chocolate and finished with some gum paste flowers.

Cake Pops make a great treat at a wedding. They are a great finger food that also tastes great! These were vanilla cake with cream cheese icing dipped in milk chocolate.

Finally the cake! I went with a simple wedding cake design because I LOVE the look of simple, elegant cakes.

The dessert table looked great thanks to the help of some great friends that set everything up. Once I get the professional photos in I will share that with you.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

2011-07-27T10:01:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was a birthday party for my two little munchkins. My kids birthdays are 3 days apart so we do one big joint party every year. It's getting a bit harder to pick themes they will both like, but since they both love ice cream this year was lots of fun. I thought I would share some photos from this ice cream filled event with everyone.

We played some fun ice cream themed games. The first one was a spray painted Styrofoam ball on a ice cream cone. They had to walk around the yard trying to keep the ball on the cone. Once they made it back they traded in their cone for some ice cream treats.

Then changed up the old fashioned game of pin the tail on the donkey and everyone got some ice cream lip gloss for playing.

The kids then made their own ice cream sundaes.....yummy

For the cake I made a large ice cream bar style cake. Lemon flavoured cake (picked by my son) covered in fondant. The stick is made from gum paste so it would hold up in the heat.

To keep on track with the theme all the items in the loot bags were ice cream themed as well. I made some ice cream bar chocolate treats that were also included in everyone's bag.

That was our ice cream parlor birthday party. The kids are already putting in their requests for next years party, so let the planning begin again :)

2011-07-21T13:29:00.000-04:00

My, my it has been some time since I posted something. I don't know where the month of July has gone. I took some time off to do some more kitchen renovations and I have been working on some fun treats that I will post later.

Today I wanted to share a link to another blog called Birthday Girl. She posts some great ideas and I am particularly in love with the S'more blog from yesterday so I thought I would share these fun treats. http://www.birthdaygirlblog.com/2011/07/please-sir-may-i-have-smores.html Enjoy!!

School Books

2011-06-27T09:16:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was our book cake workshop. I took this opportunity to turn my books into something fun and suitable for his Kindergarten class.

The thing I love about book cakes is that each time you do them you can achieve different looks and personalize them for the recipient.

This will mark the end of our workshops for the summer months. We will start back up again in September, so be sure to keep your eye out for updates. Also you can send an e-mail to info@smashingcakedesigns.com and request to be added to our workshop distribution list to be sure you stay up to date and don't miss out :)

One more week until Father's Day

2011-06-11T07:59:00.000-04:00

Father's Day is fast approaching. Be sure to order your chocolate gift sets for Dad by Monday. Chocolate gift sets are only $12 each and you can choose from the following themes:
Motorcycles
Vehicles
Hockey
Golf
Police
Fire Fighter
Teacher (also makes a great Teacher gift for the end of school)

Tools
DAD - Solid chocolate letters

You can e-mail your orders to info@smashingcakedesigns.com

Book Workshop

2011-06-01T13:10:00.000-04:00

A book cake is the perfect cake for the end of the school year. Come out and learn how to make a small stack of books out of cake. Each participant will be able to create their own feel for the books, so we could have some books for the younger kids up to designs best suited for adults.

This is also planned for the last Sunday in June for those of you wanting to send the cakes to school for the end of the year party.

2 workshop options are available, so please let me know which option you would like when signing up.

Option 1: Do it yourself
Cost $50 per person which included the workshop time and instruction. Use of some specialized tools. You bake your own cake and bring your own fondant, icing, tools etc. A list will be provided approximately a week prior to the workshop.

Option 2: Full Workshop
Cost $90 per person which includes the workshop time, instruction, baked cakes, icing, fondant and cake boards. Use of some specialized tools. You will be required to bring a few tools such a rolling pin, knives, etc. A list will be provided approximately a week prior to the workshop.

Space is limited so sign up early to reserve your spot. Your non-refundable pre-payment must be submitted to hold your seat. I accept e-mail transfers to info@smashingcakedesigns.com or please send an e-mail to arrange other payment options.

Please fell free to pass this workshop onto anyone you know that may be interested in attending or hit the share button and post it to your facebook page.

Date: Sunday June 26, 2011
Time: 11:00am - 4:00pm
Location: Jarrett Hall, Horseshoe Valley Road, Oro-Medonte

Another Great Workshop

2011-05-30T20:37:00.000-04:00

We did a full day of workshops yesterday and what a day it was. I must say I have some great ladies that come out to the workshops which makes the day full of laughs. I don't know what I look forward to more, the cake making or the time to hang out with these great ladies.

We made 2 cakes yesterday a purse and a golf bag. I didn't do the golf bag cake as I gave my cakes to one of the ladies as she was short on baking time. Their golf bags turned out great! I missed getting a photo, but will try to snag one from one of them.

Here is my purse from the workshop.

Fire Helmet

2011-05-28T22:40:00.000-04:00

This as a fun cake to make. I have wanted to do one for sometime so it was great to finally have the opportunity. This was for a local firefighter celebrating his 40th birthday.

This cake is a true to size replica of the helmet.

Love of pink

2011-05-23T21:05:00.000-04:00

This birthday girl was celebrating her 21st birthday in style. She loves the colour pink so it was easy to bring in as much of her favorite colour as possible in this cake.

Spiderman

2011-05-16T11:49:00.000-04:00

This weekend was my Nephews 2nd birthday. It was just a small family gathering so I wanted to keep the cake simple but fun for him. Like many little boys right now Spiderman is a top favorite for them so it was cute to see his face light up when the cake was presented to him.

Treats for Dad

2011-05-13T22:42:00.000-04:00

Before we know it Father's Day will be here. What are you doing for Dad this year? Here is a sweet deal that you and Dad will enjoy. Pre-order your chocolate gift set this week only and receive a second set at half price - last day for the pre-order sale will be Friday May 20th. Gift sets are $12 each and only $6 for your second set!

Here are a few examples of some great gift sets for Dad. If there is something specific you are looking for send us a message as we may have it or be able to get it for you. Each chocolate is packaged individually then placed in a gift box so it is ready to give to Dad.

Click here to send us your order by e-mail.

Welcome Payton

2011-05-09T14:43:00.000-04:00

A personalized cookie platter is a great way to send that special message. These cookies were for the arrival of little baby Payton. This was a great treat for the new parents and guests coming to see baby Payton.

Congratulations to her family!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-06T15:58:00.000-04:00

There are so many great Mother's out there so Happy Mother's Day to all of you!

This cake was delivered today to a local retirement home for their Mother's Day celebration. It was an honor to make this cake for a group of amazing Mother's and Grandmother's.

Royal Wedding Cake

2011-04-30T22:23:00.000-04:00

A local retirement home was having a special Royal Wedding Celebration. We were asked to make a 2 tier wedding cake for the celebration that included the flowers from the four corners of the UK - English Rose, Welsh Daffodil, Irish Shamrock and a Scottish Thistle.

The bottom tier of the cake is chocolate and the top tier is fruit cake.

Golf Bag Workshop

2011-04-26T12:27:00.000-04:00

Father's Day is coming up in June, so join us on Sunday May 29^th from 11am – 5pm at the Jarrett Hall on Horseshoe Valley Road to learn how to make a great cake for Dad.

During this workshop, you will create a 3D golf bag cake with some gumpaste golf clubs, balls and tees. I will show you step by step how to carve and create your golf bag.

2 workshop options are available, so please let me know which option you would like when signing up.

Option 1: Do it yourself
Cost $60 per person which included the workshop time and instruction. Use of some specialized tools. You bake your own cake and bring your own fondant, icing, tools etc. A list will be provided approximately a week prior to the workshop.

Option 2: Full Workshop
Cost $95 per person which includes the workshop time, instruction, a baked cake, icing, fondant and cake board. Use of some specialized tools. You will be required to bring a few tools such a rolling pin, knives, etc. A list will be provided approximately a week prior to the workshop.

Space is limited so sign up early to reserve your spot. Your non-refundable pre-payment must be submitted to hold your seat. I accept e-mail transfers to info@smashingcakedesigns.com or please send an e-mail to arrange other payment options.

Please fell free to pass this workshop onto anyone you know that may be interested in attending or hit the share button and post it to your facebook page.

Quack-Quack

2011-04-25T08:14:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend. We had a great dinner with family yesterday.   Of course a cake needed to accompany dinner so this is the cake I made for our dinner this year.

This is also a great example of how you can change a plan and still have it work out for you.   I had originally baked the cake to make a 3D egg, I was then going to decorate it so that the egg was cracking and you could see the little chick legs and a few feathers. So on Saturday when I sat down to decorate the cake I honestly just didn't feel like making cake anymore.   I recalled seeing a cute chick cake on Cake Central last week so thought, why not.   So the top of egg cake was cut off, stood on it's side rather then laying down and a few hours later Quack-Quack was born.

Now, I don't normally name my cakes.   This was the result of my daughter who yelled Quack-Quack as soon as she seen the cake. So everyone at dinner was calling the cake Quack-Quack yesterday. Which admittedly made it a little harder to cut into in front of the kids. Luckily they are all cake lovers and were pretty happy to be getting a piece of cake.

Last call for the purse workshop

2011-04-22T14:12:00.000-04:00

There are still a few spots open for the purse workshop being held next weekend. If your interested please sign up ASAP as the supply details will be sent out in a few days.

Please see the Original Post for more details.

Broken Eggs

2011-04-18T23:23:00.000-04:00

As a baker this is not what you want your egg carton to look when you open it. Luckily these eggs were saved before hand and turned into this fun Easter time cake.

Egg carton is real, the eggs are mini cupcakes with pudding yolks and chocolate egg shells.

Strawberry Shortcake

2011-04-10T17:17:00.000-04:00

For all those parents with young girls, you know that Strawberry Shortcake is very popular again.
I love the bright colours of this cake. The strawberry is cake carved to resemble a strawberry then covered in fondant. Cake flavours are strawberry and banana cream....yummy!

Chocolate, lots of chocolate

2011-04-08T13:30:00.001-04:00

I admit it, I am a chocoholic! Smashing Cake Designs is happy to launch a new chocolate line. Gift sets always make great little gifts, so order your chocolate gift set today. Here are a FEW samples of what we have, please ask if there is something in particular you would like as we have many other molds.

Chocoholic Diet Pill.
1/2 pound of chocolate $5

Tractor Set.
Packaged individually in a gift box $12.

Fire Fighter Set.
Packaged individually in a gift box $12.

Bingo Card $4

Cupcakes.
Packaged individually, set of 3 $10

Police Set.

Packaged individually in a gift box $12

School Set.
Packaged individually in a gift box $12.

Tool Set.
Packaged individually in a gift box $12.

Fondant Newbie

2011-04-07T09:37:00.001-04:00

Interested in signing up for a fondant workshop, but don't have any previous skills using fondant or decorating a cake? Don't let that stop you! When you attend a Smashing Cake Designs workshop you will be shown step by step how to complete the project. You will also learn lots of tricks of the trade to help you make other cakes at home.

Meet Melissa. Melissa has attended a few cupcake workshops over the last year, but has never completed a full cake or worked with fondant. Melissa came out to the last fondant workshop to give it a try. She brought her rolling pin and a knife and all other supplies/products where provided to her signing up for the full workshop.

Great cake Melissa!

English Major

2011-04-03T21:44:00.000-04:00

This cake was for a young lady heading to university this weekend to start her summer studies.

3D Purse Workshop

2011-03-30T14:01:00.001-04:00

Our next fondant workshop will be held on Sunday May 1^st from 12pm-5pm at the Jarrett Hall in Oro-Medonte.

During this workshop, you will create a 3D purse cake with some gumpaste make-up. I will show you step by step how to carve and create your purse. The purse in the workshop will not be identical to the on below as I like to create new designs when possible ;)

2 workshop options are available, so please let me know which option you would like when signing up.

Option 1: Do it yourself
Cost $50 per person which included the workshop time and instruction. Use of some specialized tools. You bake your own cake and bring your own fondant, icing, tools etc. A list will be provided approximately a week prior to the workshop.

Option 2: Full Workshop
Cost $80 per person which includes the workshop time, instruction, a baked cake, icing, fondant and cake board. Use of some specialized tools. You will be required to bring a few tools such a rolling pin, knives, etc. A list will be provided approximately a week prior to the workshop.

Space is limited so sign up early to reserve your spot. Your non-refundable pre-payment must be submitted to hold your seat. I accept e-mail transfers to info@smashingcakedesigns.com or please send an e-mail to arrange other payment options.

Please fell free to pass this workshop onto anyone you know that may be interested in attending.

Last call for the spring workshop

2011-03-13T15:16:00.000-04:00

The spring cake decorating workshop is only a week away.   There are a few spots open for anyone still wanting to join in.

Here is the link for the original post http://smashingcakedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/03/spring-workshop.html    Sign up ASAP to have yours supply list sent to you.

Don't be afraid to join us if you don't have previous cake decorating experience. I will walk you though how to make this cake.   Ask about our prepared workshop kits as well for those of you without the correct cake pans to bake the cake or assess to all of the supplies.

Jamaican Rum Shack

2011-03-12T14:55:00.000-05:00

This was a last minute cake order that I received this week. The customer went on a trip to Jamaica recently with some friends and is getting together with them for dinner tonight. So to bring back the memories of Jamaica what is better then a Jamaican inspired cake for dessert......okay, while maybe some Jamaican Rum would have also been appreciated. So I came up with making this Jamaican Rum Shack for them.

Spring Workshop

2011-03-05T12:20:00.000-05:00

Join us on Sunday March 20, 2011 and learn how to make this pond themed cake just in time for spring. The workshop will start at 12:30pm at the Jarrett Hall on Horseshoe Valley Road. We will add a few more gumpaste figures such as a snail, lady bugs and a tree.....so this is a great workshop if you want to learn more about modeling figures.

Space is limited so sign up early to reserve your spot. Pre-payment of $50 must be submitted to hold your seat. I accept e-mail transfers to info@smashingcakedesigns.com or please send an e-mail to arrange other payment options.

You will be e-mailed about a week prior to the workshop with a list of items required. Such items will included, fondant, roller, fondant mat. You can make a real cake or a dummy cake for the purpose of this workshop.

Catching up

2011-03-03T11:51:00.000-05:00

Sorry I have been absent for awhile. We were without internet for some time so I wasn't able to upload photos onto this site.

This one was for a 40th birthday party. The whole cake is edible.

I will post a photo soon of another cake that was made in February. I am going to offer a workshop on the cake, so will post a photo with the workshop info.....so stay tuned.

Goodies for school parties

2011-02-06T18:38:00.000-05:00

The kitchen was full of chocolate today. Lots of chocolate lollipops are ready to be handed out in school on Valentines Day.

Looking for something different to send with your kids? Punch a hole in your valentines card and put them through the ribbon on these lollipops for the kids to hand out this year.

A few more Valentines treats

2011-02-04T22:01:00.000-05:00

While being snowed in the other day, I decided to make the best out of it and bake some fun treats.

These mini cupcakes are chocolate with cream cheese icing and a fondant heart.

Do you remember those little heart candies with all the sayings on them? I have seen a few cakes done up like the candies and just had to make one myself. Why not personalize your own cake? Add a fun message, someones name or maybe a Valentines proposal.

Valentines Flyer

2011-02-02T13:40:00.000-05:00

Here is our Valentines flyer for this year. We are now less then 2 weeks away so be sure to get your orders in this week to ensure your order can be filled.

Chocolate Hearts

2011-01-31T07:51:00.000-05:00

Order your chocolate Valentines heart lollipops today for just $2 each! Each will come individually wrapped and tied with a Valentines ribbon.

Milk Chocolate
Dark Chocolate
White Chocolate (Red and Pink)

Zoo Themed First Birthday Cake

2011-01-30T08:53:00.000-05:00

This cake was for a little guy turning 1. His Mom requested a Zoo themed cake, then gave me full freedom to come up with a design. I have been wanting to attempted another gift box cake for some time now so I thought this would be a perfect 1st birthday cake that also let me play with some techniques.

Happy 1st Birthday Calum!

Valentines Cookies

2011-01-21T08:22:00.000-05:00

Here are some more Valentines Treats for you this year. These delicious sugar cookies can be pre-ordered for Valentines day this year.

You have two choices of packaging and prices.

The first is 6 cookies stacked in a cello bags with a little red ribbon for $10

Or you can have your cookies packaged in a little chocolate box for $12. This option is great for traveling as they cookies have less chance of breakage. Each box will contain 6 individually wrapped cookies.

Bark is back, Valentines Style!

2011-01-19T12:55:00.000-05:00

Valentines Day is less then a month away. This year give your sweetie a nicely packaged box of Chocolate Bark.

Order yours today for just $10 per box or 4 for $35.

Valentines flavours are: Toffee, Cranberry, Chocolate Mint.

1st Birthday Cake

2011-01-16T11:16:00.000-05:00

How fitting that the first cake order for 2011 is a 1st birthday cake. This cake was based of of the princess birthday cake I did a few months ago. We just changed the design slightly by using stars instead of flowers and butterflies.

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T08:57:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that 2010 will come to an end tonight.

Smashing Cake Designs would like to say thank you to all of you that made 2010 a great year for us. Several cakes were created allowing us to take part in your special celebrations by designing the cake for you to remember.

We are looking forward to 2011 and all the exciting news it will bring.

Here is a small review of a few personal favorites in 2010.

Happy New Year!

Santa got stuck!

2010-12-23T15:50:00.000-05:00

This cake was made for a Christmas Party today at a daycare. I didn't make the delivery so I didn't get to see the reactions, but I hear everyone loved it.

The chimney is cake and Santa is made from Rice Crispy treats.

Ginger Bread House 2010

2010-12-22T07:06:00.000-05:00

After making a Gingerbread house last year my son has been asking to make one for about 2 months now so we finally broke open the box this weekend and made this years house.

I helped him with most of the icing work as this icing was to thick for him to deal with. He had the fun job of placing all the candies on and sprinkling lots of icing sugar and coconut every where for the snow effect.

Melting Snowman Cookie Tutorial

2010-12-20T09:28:00.000-05:00

Well, this has been one very busy month. I have had a few cake orders (which I still need to post some pictures of), workshops and tons and tons of bark orders to fill.

So with all the work in the kitchen this month I fell behind on getting a Christmas Tutorial ready for you. So I am going to forward you to the blog of an amazing cake decorator in the States. She has a tutorial on her site for making these cute melting snowman cookies. You could also turn these cookies into cupcakes which I did last year.

So hop on over to Truely Custom Cakery

Here are the cupcakes I made last year.

Princess Cupcakes

2010-12-13T08:01:00.000-05:00

This order was for 50 cupcakes with Princess for a little girl turning 1. Loved the colours, her mother requested. They are so bright and pretty.

Chocolate Treats

2010-12-06T22:48:00.000-05:00

Say Merry Christmas this year with Chocolate. We are busy making 40 plus pounds of chocolate treats this week. With our Christmas Bark, Chocolate Lollipops, Holiday Snowflake Cutters and Milk Chocolate Gingerbread Men we can help you with those little gifts for family, friends, teachers, hostesses, etc.

Contact us today info@smashingcakedesigns.com to place your order.

Spaces still open

2010-12-06T08:13:00.000-05:00

This Sunday is the fondant candle workshop for any last minute planners still wanting to attend.

To allow for delivery of the tips and couplers Wednesday is the deadline to sign up for the cookie decorating workshop being held on December 14th.

Please see past posts for information on both workshops or e-mail us at info@smashingcakedesigns.com

Christmas Cookie Decorating Workshop

2010-12-01T11:38:00.000-05:00

Join us Tuesday December 14^th at 80 Bradford Street in Barrie to learn how to decorate cookies like a pro. Workshop times will be 11:30am-2:30pm OR 7:00pm – 9:30pm.

During the workshop you will decorate about 2 dozen cookies using 6 different cookie designs. I will teach you about working with cookie icing and how to get the perfect consistency each time!

Each participant will receive 4 icing tips and 4 couplers to take home and continue creating.

Pre-payment of $30 must be submitted via e-mail transfers or cheques (at least one week before workshop) to info@smashingcakedesigns.com Upon receipt of payment you will receive my favorite cookie and icing recipes so you can pre-make them before class.

I am suggesting all participants buy the Wilton Cookie Cutter 12 or 18 piece set from Wal-Mart which retails for $4.97. This will ensure we are all decorating the same cookies during the workshop.

I only have 6 spots for each workshop so sign up early. Please be sure to indicate if you are signing up for the day or evening session.

Bark pre-order special is coming to an end

2010-11-30T20:58:00.000-05:00

Wow, where did November go?    You may recall earlier this month I had posted a pre-order special for the Christmas bark.   If you pre-ordered prior to November 30th you received 3 boxes of bark for $25 (regular price $10 each).

Since this month totally slipped away from me and I forgot to send everyone a reminder I will extend the sale by one day since those of you who subscribe to the blog won't receive your e-mail until December 1st.    So pre-order your bark today and save before the prices go up December 2nd.

Each package of bark is nicely packaged making great gifts for teachers, co-workers, friends. school bus drivers....the list could go on and on.

Flavors include:
Holiday Bark - peppermint
Festive Bark - orange flavored chocolate with cranberries
Toffee Bark
Cookies n' Cream Bark

Also we still have spaces open for anyone wanting to take the fondant candle workshop.

I will also be posting information soon for a Christmas cookie workshop, so watch for those updates.

Cold One

2010-11-25T07:23:00.000-05:00

Here's a nice cold one for those beer lovers out there.

This is a chocolate lovers dream with a chocolate cake, chocolate icing wrapped in chocolate fondant.

A weekend date added for the fondant candle cake workshop

2010-11-23T18:19:00.000-05:00

After posting the information on the Fondant Candle workshop, I received a high request for a weekend workshop. So here it is:

Workshop will be held at the Jarrett Hall on Horseshoe Valley Road – Oro-Medonte on Sunday December 12^th from 1pm – 4pm. Pre-payment of $50 must be submitted to hold your seat. I accept e-mail transfers to info@smashingcakedesigns.com or please send an e-mail to arrange other payment options.

Once your seat is confirmed you will be e-mailed about a week prior to the workshop with a list of items required. Such items will include, fondant, roller, fondant mat. You can make a real cake or a dummy cake for the purpose of this workshop.

I will supply the candle, plate and specialty tools required.

Please fell free to pass this workshop onto anyone you know that may be interested in attending.

You do not need fondant experience to attend this workshop as I will show you how to over the cake and create the details.

Simple Floral Birthday Cake

2010-11-23T09:51:00.000-05:00

This weekend was my Mother-in-laws birthday. So we headed up to her place for lunch and cake of course. It was fun to just make a simple pretty cake as I don't get to do those very often.

First Fondant Workshop

2010-11-22T12:58:00.000-05:00

Here it is, the ever awaited introduction into fondant workshops.

I have limited space for this beautiful Christmas Candle Cake, so sign up early. Workshop will be help in Barrie on Tuesday December 7^th from 11:30am – 3:00pm. I will consider an evening class if there is enough interest.

Pre-payment of $50 must be submitted to hold your seat. I accept e-mail transfers to info@smashingcakedesigns.com or please send an e-mail to arrange other payment options.

You will be e-mailed about a week prior to the workshop with a list of items required. Such items will included, fondant, roller, fondant mat. You can make a real cake or a dummie cake for the purpose of this workshop

I will supply the candle and plate. You will have use of my tools to make the holly leaves and candle indent.

Please fell free to pass this workshop onto anyone you know that may be interested in attending.

Same Cake Different Version

2010-11-21T18:35:00.000-05:00

Back in July I made a In The Night Garden cake for my kids birthday. While I have now make 3 In The Night Garden Cakes.

The one for this weekend didn't need to be a large, so we eliminated a tier but was still able to accomplish the same look and feel of the cake design.

Fundraising Event

2010-11-18T11:37:00.000-05:00

Would you like to support RVH and have a chance to win a $100 Smashing Cake Designs gift certificate?   If you live in Simcoe County and have children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years please check out the Our Children of Simcoe County web site.

You purchase a ticket for just $20 which includes your photo session, wallet prints and a year book with all the children. Each ticket also is a ballet to win some free prizes donated by local companies.

Call Munros Furniture today to purchase your ticket and book your photo session.

Another Candle Workshop

2010-11-17T12:04:00.000-05:00

I have had a few requests about doing a workshop with the fondant Christmas Candle.   Right now I am trying to gather numbers to see how big of a space I would be looking at renting to complete this workshop.   If this is one you would be interested in please let me know by commenting with your e-mail address or e-mail me so I can forward finalized class details to you.

Date and location is TBD based on numbers. I am looking at Halls in the Barrie, Orillia and Oro-Medonte area so it will be within one of those areas.   If you could also let me know if daytime, evenings or weekends work best then I can go with the majority of people.

You don't need fondant experience to take the class, I will show you how to cover a cake with fondant.   You will however need to bring your own tools (rolling pin, fondant mat or silicone mat to roll fondant on, and a few other common kitchen tools).

Bark contest winners

2010-11-14T20:03:00.000-05:00

We would like to thank everyone that entered into the Bark give away. We would like to congratulate Lee and Amanda as our 2 winners.

We also want to thank everyone that come out to the arts & crafts show this weekend. We had a good time and met lots of great people. It was fun to watch everyone sample the bark as they tried to decide which flavour was their favorite.

Don't forget about the pre-order sale of the bark where you can save $5 before November 30th when you order 3 boxes for just $25. I have several Mothers pre-ordering boxes now to receive them in mid-December for Teacher gifts.

Christmas Candle

2010-11-11T11:30:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned that I LOVE Christmas yet? I love the bright colours and endless cake ideas that this season brings.

Here is a sample cake I have made up for the Craft Fair this weekend. This cake can be made in a variety of sizes which is great for accommodating different sizes of dinner parties.

Here are a few more treats you can find when you visit us at the Craft Fair this Saturday.

Arts & Craft Fair

2010-11-10T15:33:00.003-05:00

Come join us this Saturday at a local Arts & Craft sale. We will be selling Chocolate Bark (at a great show special price), Light Bulb Lollipops, Chocolate Pretzels, Snowflake Cutters.......ummm a chocolate lovers dream.

You can find us along with other vendors selling stained glass, portraits, calendars, cards, scarves, jewelry, pewter. Check off a few of those Christmas gifts and visit us at 3883 Line 8 North, Oro-Medonte, between Horseshoe Valley Road and Warminster Side Road.

Date Change for Candle Workshop

2010-11-09T22:37:00.000-05:00

The Candle Cake Decorating workshop has been re-scheduled for Wednesday November 24th. All other details remain the same. Please see the post a little further down the first page of this blog for all the information and a picture of the cake you will make.

Yummy give away and pre-order sale.

2010-11-08T18:03:00.000-05:00

What is your favorite kind of Bark?   I did a lot of taste testing this weekend and must say I love all 4 of our Bark flavors and can't decide on a personal favorite.

Holiday Bark, I can say has the most enjoyable scent of all. You open a bag of this bark and can almost taste the mint and chocolate combination before taking a bite.

Cookies n' Cream, is just that a delicious creamy chocolate combination that melts in your mouth.

Toffee Bark has a nice crunch to it with a hit of toffee flavoring throughout.

Festive Bark is an orange flavored chocolate mixture with Cranberries for added colour and flavor. It reminds me of the orange chocolates found at Christmas time with the added bonus of cranberries.

Smashing Cake Designs will be making bark an annual treat you can purchase each November and December. You can also order bark and have it shipped to a friend with a personal gift card included.

Bark will be retailing for $10 per box. However if you pre-order your bark before November 30th, you can enjoy a bulk rate of 3 boxes for $25.    These make great teachers gifts, hostess gifts and stocking stuffers.

Would you like to win a box for free?   I will be giving away 2 boxes of bark. Winners will be announced Sunday November 14, 2010. Local winners can arrange pick up of the bark or you can have it shipped anywhere in Canada. Here's how to enter both contests:
1) Post a comment below stating what you think your favorite flavor would be, be sure to include an e-mail address for contact purposes.
2) Become an active follower of this blog.   To become an active follower you must enter your e-mail address in the bar in the top right side where is says "subscribe" you will then a receive an e-mail from Feed Burner to activate your subscription. Click on the link in the e-mail and you are now an active follower.

Good Luck!

Christmas Lights

2010-11-07T15:54:00.000-05:00

I love driving around in December looking at Christmas lights.   I remember doing it as a child with my Mum and I now love taking my children out and see their eyes light up.

Another way to light up the eyes of a child is with candy of course.   This year I will be making and selling these chocolate light bulb lollipops during the Christmas season.   These make great stocking stuffers for kids and adults alike.   It's also a nice treat to hand out at Christmas parties to all the guests.

I will be appearing at a few Christmas craft shows over the next few weeks where you can get your hands on some goodies.    I will post all the info on the shows shortly.   If you can't make it out to a show you can certainly place an order for any of the Christmas treats.    I can also ship a package of these lollipops :)

Animal Baby Shower

2010-11-07T07:34:00.001-05:00

Some of you may recall a Birthday Bash give away I did back in June. For commenting on the blog or becoming a new follower you were entered into a draw for a gift certificate. Marcia was the winner of that draw.

As soon as I announced to Marcia she that she was the winner of the certificate she knew she wanted to use it for a family members baby shower later in the year. Well this weekend was the shower and this is the cake design Marcia and I came up with.

Congratulations again Marcia and it was a pleasure making this cake for you and your family.

Snowy Candle Cake Decorating Workshop

2010-10-29T21:57:00.001-04:00

If your hosting Christmas dinner this year or having a dinner party over the holidays, you don't want to miss this workshop. Place this candle on your table as the centre piece then serve it up for dessert! This also makes a great birthday cake for someone that loves candles, just don't add the snowflakes and you can use it all year round.

You don't need any previous cake decorating experience to attend this class. I will walk you through every step.

Workshops will be $25 per person. Once workshop payment is received you will be sent a small supply list and baking instructions. E-mail payments will be accepted at info@smashingcakedesigns.com or send an e-mail to us for other options.

Workshops will be held in Barrie, ON on November 24, 2010 at 10am-12pm OR 7:30pm-9:30pm.

Please sign up by e-mail before Monday November 21, 2010 and feel free to pass the workshop details onto your friends.

Space is limited so sign up early to save your spot.

BOO!

2010-10-27T09:43:00.000-04:00

Well Halloween is this weekend and this is my last Halloween themed cake for this year. I forgot how fun Halloween can be. I still have so many other ideas in my head for cakes, so hopefully I will get to work through a few of them next year.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Cookies

2010-10-26T12:54:00.000-04:00

I made up 5 dozen Halloween cookies to package up for the kids at daycare and to send to son's school this week. It's hard to tell in the picture but there is a little spider on the web cookie.

Halloween Toffee Apple

2010-10-24T22:19:00.000-04:00

Yummy!! Doesn't this cake make you just want to take a big bite? Today I was able to enjoy being a student in one of Andrea Sullivan's workshops. She has amazing sugar skills and I love being able to learn new tricks from her and always walk away with an amazing cake.

This cake was so much fun to make and I can see changing it up slightly for different designs and seasons.

All the candies on the board are hand made and edible.

Happy Birthday James

2010-10-18T13:34:00.000-04:00

This was a fun little cake for a special little guy turning 1. This little guy has had lots of challenges in his first year, but he was a strong little man and after a much needed surgery he is doing terrific. It's great to see him playing and just being a little kid, so I couldn't think of a better cake for him then a fun toy.

Pans for sale

2010-10-17T11:04:00.003-04:00

UPDATE

My cake pans are overflowing and taking over the kitchen. I have am no longer using the following pans and have decided to offer them up at low prices to anyone needing a few cake pans.

All of pans are Wilton.
6x8" Oval $3 - Sold
8" Circle $3- Sold
10" Circle $5 - sold
12" Circle $8 - sold
6" Square $3 (have 2 of these) - sold

Character Pans:
Nascar #2105-1350 $6
Lion #2105-1012 $6 - Sold
Ghost/Pumpkin #2105-3070 $6 - Sold
Kid Fire Fighter #2105 - 2077 $10
Fire Truck #2105-2061 $10 - Sold

Pumpkin Shaped pie pan $3 - Sold

Cupcake Carrier - holds 12 cupcakes, 24 minis or a 9x11 cake. $10- Sold

Please e-mail julie@smashingcakedesigns.com if you are interested in purchasing any of these items. You must be able to get to Barrie to pick them up. If you are attending the workshop on October 27th - I can hold the items for you to pick up at that time.

Pumpkin Patch Princess

2010-10-15T19:17:00.000-04:00

This cake was made for a little girl celebrating her birthday pumpkin patch style. Her cake flavour of choice was Cookies n' cream with vanilla icing.

Gobble, Gobble

2010-10-07T10:35:00.001-04:00

My son was over the moon to see these cookies this morning. I told him I would make a special treat to send with him for Thanksgiving, so he was thrilled that Mommy came through. So 20 little turkeys are being enjoyed today in a JK class

Scarecrow

2010-10-06T15:32:00.000-04:00

I have been wanting to make a Hay Barrel cake for some time now. Of course a barrel of hay on it's own would be pretty boring so I had to make a scarecrow and a few pumpkins to liven up the cake. I have fallen in love with this little guy, he has brought a smile to my face over the last few days while he has been drying on the counter.

AHHH

2010-10-05T14:38:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I am over the moon excited right now. I am a member of the Canadian Cake Decorators Guild...you can find their info down the right hand side of my blog to go check them out. They held a raffle today for a Cake Safe. I bought my 4 tickets 2 weeks ago as this has been in my long wish list of products to have.

I just found out that I am the lucky winner of this $500 valued Cake Safe. WOOHOO

So I will be going on a little road trip soon to go pick it up and can't wait to play around and finally be at ease while I make cake deliveries.

Would you eat it?

2010-10-05T12:54:00.000-04:00

Okay so my step father and I have lots of fun teasing each other all the time. At a family birthday party in August he was teasing me about what kind of cake I should make for his birthday. I shot off with a quick response saying he would get a piece of S*** He of course laughed and said "Ya, right. I dare you"

So I thought about it for about a week and thought he deserved much more then one piece. So below is his very delicious Banana Cream Cake.

Happy Birthday Gerry!!

If you are a little twisted like I apparently am, this would make a fun cake for a Halloween Party. Rather then cake, have it all cupcakes underneath and see how many party goers are brave enough to dig in :)

Halloween Cake Pops Workshop

2010-10-04T16:07:00.000-04:00

Make these fun treats in time to send with kids to school for Halloween or for Halloween parties taking place over the weekend.

Once you learn how to make these, you will find yourself making different themes throughout the year.

Workshops will be $25 per person. Once workshop payment is received you will be sent a supply list and instructions for baking your product at home. E-mail payments will be accepted at info@smashingcakedesigns.com or send an e-mail to us for other options.

This workshop will be running Wednesday October 27, 2010 at 10:00am – 12:00pm OR 7:30pm - 9:30pm at 80 Bradford Street, Barrie ON

Please sign up by Friday October 22, 2010 and feel free to pass the workshop details onto your friends.

Oreo Cookie Turkeys Tutorial

2010-10-03T21:07:00.000-04:00

Make these cute little treats for Thanksgiving. Little ones just love these guys.
They are easy to make, but give yourself a couple of hours to complete them.

To start out you will need:
Oreo Double Stuf (the regular ones will not allow you to put the candy corn in)
Whoppers
Candy Corn
Resse Mini Cups or you can get mint and caramel for those with nut allergies
A pipping bag with a number 3 tip and some icing (you could also put a small hole in a baggie with icing)

Each turkey requires:
10 Candy Corn
2 Cookies
1 Mini Cup
1 Whopper

Use a bit of icing to attach your 2 cookies together. I suggest doing all your cookies first so the icing can harden a bit before you start attaching stuff to the cookies.

Take 6 candy corns and push them gently into the cookie. You may need to put a little bit of icing into the cookie first so they stick better.
Put a bit of icing onto the bottom and back of the mini cup and apply to cookies.

Cut the tips off of 2 pieces of Candy Corn. Set the tips aside as you will need them later.

Attach the 2 Candy Corn you just cut as feet, using a little icing as glue.
Attach the Whopper onto the cup by putting a little icing on the bottom and back of it. Yow will need to hold it in place for a few seconds.

Take the remaining 2 Candy Corns and attach them to the top of the mini cup on either side of the whopper as arms.
Take one of the little pieces that you cut off for the feet and attach it to the whopper as a beak. Then use your icing bag to make 2 little dots as eyes.

Put a little bit of blue food colouring into a bowl and use a tooth pick to add blue eyes to your turkey.

Your finished! Watch the kids faces light up as they enjoy these little guys.

Good Morning!

2010-09-30T14:30:00.000-04:00

Well I was thrilled to wake up this morning and visit my favorite cake decorating website Cake Central to find my beach themed cake was sitting in the 4th spot for most favorite cakes of the day.

I am often in awe of the top cakes on this board as they are absolutely stunning, so having one of my cakes make the board (for the second time) is a HUGE pat on the back.

Yes, I took a picture of my computer screen.

Beach Cake

2010-09-17T13:08:00.000-04:00

This cake is for a 50th Birthday Party. The theme of the party is elegant beach theme. The customer send me a inspiration board of pictures that they were as a guideline for decor. This was perfect! I was able to truly understand the feel of the party and design the cake accordingly.

This cake would also be perfect for a beach wedding.

Happy Anniversary

2010-09-16T19:56:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that a year ago my little brother got married. I made the wedding cake for them and found it only fitting to make a small anniversary cake for them as well.

Happy Anniversary!

A nice cold one.

2010-09-15T10:04:00.000-04:00

I have been wanting to make a beer bucket cake for a long time now. This is a small cake so I only used 2 bottles for this one.

Bottles, labels and ice is edible and placed on top of a delicious chocolate cake.

Tee Time

2010-09-13T14:14:00.000-04:00

What a fitting cake for a retirement party. Hopefully Don can get out and enjoy lots of tee times now without having the daily grind of work.

Golf bag is covered with chocolate fondant and textured to look like leather.

First Birthday

2010-09-12T09:53:00.000-04:00

A little girl celebrated her first birthday this weekend. Young kids just love the show In The Night Garden, so this was the perfect cake to celebrate such a large milestone.

Happy Birthday!

Silver Anniversary

2010-09-05T15:47:00.000-04:00

Celebrating a silver wedding anniversary is a pretty big milestone. I was thrilled to make this cake for this amazing couple as they celebrate 25 years of marriage today with their family.

Spaghetti Cake Decorating workshop

2010-09-04T14:06:00.001-04:00

Since I have been on a food theme lately we are going to continue that for the month of September and make a cake that resembles a bowl of spaghetti with meatballs. This is a fun cake to take with you to a pot luck dinner and see how many times it gets moved off the dessert table. I have also made this cake for an Italian friend, and he was in awe when he seen it.

Workshops will be $25 per person. Once workshop payment is received you will be sent a supply list and instructions for baking your product at home. E-mail payments will be accepted at info@smashingcakedesigns.com or send an e-mail to us for other options.

You will receive the icing tip as part of your workshop fee so you can recreate this dessert again at home.

This workshop will be running on Thursday September 23rd in the morning from 10:00am - 12:00pm as well as an evening class from 7:30pm – 9:30pm, in Barrie.

Please sign up via e-mail by Monday September 20, 2010 and feel free to pass the workshop details onto your friends.

Horseshoe Tournament

2010-09-03T15:05:00.000-04:00

This cake is for a customer that hosts an annual horseshoe tournament. She thought it would be fun to surprise everyone with a custom cake this year.
The weather this weekend isn't looking the greatest so hopefully they don't get rained out and still can have their tournament. If not they can all enjoy some cake indoors :)

Halloween Cake Pops

2010-09-01T07:48:00.000-04:00

I made some sample Halloween Cake Pops the other day. The kids love these things!

I am thinking this might be what we do this year for the October Workshop, so keep an eye out for details to come later.

Refreshing Treat

2010-08-30T17:42:00.000-04:00

What's better then an ice cream sundae on a nice hot day? While this one might not be as refreshing as the ice cream version, you still can't help but grab a spoon and enjoy.

It's never to early to starting thinking Christmas!

2010-08-26T11:49:00.000-04:00

Okay so I can do without all the snow. But I love Christmas decor and planning.

I was able to get some sample cupcakes done up the other day. Be sure to place your orders early as Christmas tends to get busy! These designs are $25 per dozen, if you are ordering larger amounts e-mail me for a quote as I can reduce the per dozen price slightly. You can order 1 dozen of, the deer, snowflakes, trees or you can mix them up to get a variety pack.

Aren't they cute!

Nautical Cupcakes

2010-08-25T12:43:00.000-04:00

This weekend I made 50 Nautical cupcakes for a Bridal Shower. The colours where Red, White and Blue. It was fun to do a large cupcake order for a change over a cake order. Still a lot of work but, truly less stressful.

I received word from the lady who ordered them and some of the ladies that attended the shower. Apparently the cupcakes were a huge hit and every last one of them was spoken for :)

1st box

2nd box

Mega Blocks

2010-08-15T21:25:00.001-04:00

I have had the mold to make these blocks for months, so I was thrilled to finally put them to use for this cake. However it proved to be slightly more challenging then I thought it would be. Each block is melted chocolate, left hollow then stuffed with cake.
I then did 3 dozen mini cupcakes for the younger kids and those that aren't chocolate lovers like myself :)

Where is the summer going?

2010-08-13T08:44:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone is enjoying this very hot summer.   I must tell you this heat has made decorating the cakes a little more challenging, but I am always up for a challenge.

This has been a very busy summer with all the summer activities going on and the many cake orders that have been coming in.   I want to thank all of you for spreading the word about my cake, you are certainly doing a great job!

We are now booked up with multiple cakes each week from now through September 12, 2010.   If you have a special event after September 12th, I would be more then happy to make your special cake.   Be sure to book your date as soon as you can so you don't miss out.

We will be making some nice fall cakes for Thanksgiving that you can use as a centre piece on your table while enjoying dinner. I am hoping to get a few samples done in the upcoming weeks.

Enjoy the rest of your summer,
Smashing Cake Designs

Drivers, start your engines

2010-08-06T16:18:00.000-04:00

This is for a little guy turning 6 that loves his Hot Wheels cars. This cake only needs to feed 10-15 which was a nice break from some of the larger cakes I have had lately.

Happy 6th Birthday Owen!

Can I get anyone a drink?

2010-08-03T11:55:00.000-04:00

This was another fun cake to make. It also allowed me to break out my edible printer for the first time since I purchased it months ago.

Happy Birthday to my amazing children

2010-07-26T07:56:00.000-04:00

Every July, life if crazy around my house. I have 2 young children who's birthdays are 3 days apart. This weekend my daughter turned 2 and my son turns 4 tomorrow. For now we are doing one big joint party for as long as I can get away with it. Once they start asking for different themes or wanting friends from school to attend then I guess it will be one birthday one weekend and the other the following weekend. Which will then also mean 2 cake for me.

This year my son requested a In The Night Garden cake, which was perfect as my daughter also loves this show. It was so cute because I was putting it together and he had no idea who it was for. The morning of his party he seen it with all the characters on it and realized it was his cake. He looked up at me with a huge smile on his face and said "Mommy, this is the most beautiful cake you have ever made".

Fore

2010-07-24T19:09:00.000-04:00

Everything is edible on this cake including the clubs. With the heat we had this week, this cake proved to be slightly more difficult to work with then I had anticipated. A few design changes where made due to the heat and what the cake could handle with the heat. Overall I am pretty happy with how it turned out, even if it's not 100% what I had visioned.

Burger and Fries Cake Decorating workshop.

2010-07-15T07:46:00.000-04:00

We are well known for the love of our burgers and fries. Join us to learn how to convert this dinner into dessert.

Workshops will be $20 per person. Once workshop payment is received you will be sent a supply list and instructions for baking your product at home. E-mail payments will be accepted at info@smashingcakedesigns.com or send an e-mail to us for other options.

All icing and food trays will be provided in the workshop. You will receive an e-mail copy of the food tray templates to be able to make these over and over again at home.

Workshops will be held in Barrie on Thursday August 19^th at 10:00am-12:00pm OR 7:30pm-9:30pm.

Please sign up by Friday August 13, 2010 and feel free to pass the workshop details onto your friends.

Thomas and Friends

2010-07-09T15:05:00.000-04:00

An all time favorite for many little boys out there. I designed this cake so that some of the toys the birthday boy already had could be added to it.
Cake is the ever popular Banana Cream cake. I also added Oreo cookie crumbs to the tracks to give more dimension.

Crazy for Flip Flops

2010-07-07T20:47:00.000-04:00

My daycare provider Linda is known for wearing her flip flops around the house year round. So this was the perfect birthday cake for her.

Another Fun Workshop

2010-06-30T07:25:00.000-04:00

Thank you ladies for another great workshop. All of your cakes turned out excellent. I bet there were some happy kids at school yesterday thanks to those Mom's that made these cakes for the end of school parties.

Great job ladies, they all look like a real bucket of popcorn!

Happy Canada Day

2010-06-29T08:05:00.000-04:00

I know I am a couple of days early, but I am taking a few days off over the weekend and will be trying to contain myself from using a computer.
These are some simple cookies I made up for all the kids to enjoy on Canada Day. I might just need to snap a picture of all of them with red tongues after eating them.

A busy day of cake decorating

2010-06-25T17:41:00.000-04:00

Today was first. I had 3 cakes all go out today.....wow am I tired. Hoping that everyone has fun celebrating all the birthdays this weekend.

This cake is for 2 little girls celebrating their birthdays at the same party. I was asked to make a girly cake using pink and purple. So this is what I came up with.

This cake is for a guy that loves Scuba Diving. I had a lot of fun doing this cake and don't want to let this one go. I hope he enjoys it as much as I do.

This cake is for a young girl that is going to the movies with some friends for her birthday party.

Birthday Bash Winner

2010-06-23T20:04:00.002-04:00

The winner of our birthday bash $75 gift certificate is Marcia from Orillia. Congratulations Marcia! I look forward to designing a cake with you in the near future.