Center Stage at "Four" in Melville!

Okay...so I get a phone call from a gentleman asking for a cake for his wife's 40th birthday "surprise" celebration. Lucky lady to have such a husband. They're few and far between!

We made the appointment for a consultation. With him...he brought a picture of a Marc Jacobs Purse and Shoe. Right away...I loved the concept and with a tweak here and there, we came up with the color of the final product and what to put on the hardware to personalize the purse.
He decided on a white cake with Italian Merengue and Pineapple and Coconut filling...yummo!
Reminds me of a pina colada and my trip to the Bahamas!

The venue? Oh my goodness people! "Four" on Route 110. He told me there were four rooms, each one in the deco of a season. Ultra modern.I tried to envision the rooms but didn't get the full effect until I got there for the delivery. Totally amazing. I didn't want to leave. I'm not much for "modern" but this restaurant's decor was chic!!!! I plan on going back for dinner!

From the moment we walked in...My daughter Theodora and I were surrounded by the wait staff...then Josh....and then the chef came out....and several customers! We were asked if we were on Food Network! Wow...what a compliment! Is my head filling? Noooo! Just nice to hear and to see the reactions on people's faces. It's really cool making people happy.
Josh was so sweet (no pun intended) when he said..."We've had cakes in here before...but this cake is by far the best we've had at "Four!" (Thanks Josh!)

We were given a front and center table in front of a fireplace in the "Winter Room". My God...the effect was to die for! A red cake on a stark white tablecloth, in front of a modern stovepipe fireplace with snow white seating, uplit by a blue light emenating from each of the steps leading up to the cake! I felt like a star!

A special thanks to Chris L. for ordering the cake from me....and a Very Happy Birthday to Yvonne!

Casino Cake Anyone?

Ring....Ring....

Ring....Ring....

Thea? Hi there! I need a cake! It's Peter's 31st birthday and we're celebrating at Carmine's on the Upper West Side...Can you make a cake for me?

Of course you know the answer is going to be yes!

So, we threw around a couple of ideas, and came up with Peter's Casino Cake! What fun! The cake design included a Roulette Wheel with a mobile white board that landed on 31, some playing cards, dice, a roulette playing board, 3 cherries representing a slot machine....Hearts, Spades and Clubs and lots of gold coins springing from the top and strewn all around the board....and the cake spun....Now how is that for extreme?

The cake was delish too!!!!



When my daughter Theodora who was at the party came home...she said that the cake made a big hit...The other diners,oohed and aahed and even one of the chefs came out and wanted to meet the designer! (Me!)

Alas I wasn't there....but how cool when the chefs want to meet the creator of a cake!

My five minutes of fame. Too cool!

To my nephew Peter! Happy 31st Birthday! Dessie! Na ton herese!

On a side note...you know a cake is super awesome when your 2 year old nephew starts screaming when the cake is taken away from the table and starts pointing to where it's placed saying....."Cake!!!! Cake!!!!"

Addition to English Baking Girls.Blog

How could I forget Hufriz from India! Hufriz is a baking instructor at one of the colleges there!
Her work is beautiful as well!

English Baking Girls

It all started in 2006, when I was studying cake design at Squire's International School of Cake Decorating in London.

There we were 10 women from across the world, England, Cyprus, Germany, Holland, Mexico, Turkey and the U.S. sitting a long table with aprons, cake tools, tea cloths and fondant waiting to for our famed instructor, one of five world renowned sugar artists we were to meet that week, to begin our class.

While waiting, we shyly introduced ourselves.

Little did we know...that such a strong bond would be created between us. A bond that has led us to creating our group...The English Baking Girls! (Even though we all weren't English!)

My wonderful and talented friends, Claudia (Germany), June (England), Zacharoula (Cyprus), Emine (Turkey) and Nikki (Holland) and me Amelia (United States), remained on-line friends and we are pretty much still going strong.

I went to Cyprus to visit Zac in 2007, where she opened her sugar design shop, Sugar Designs, in Cyprus. I stayed there for a week to help out. She told me she was getting ready for a photo shoot and would I mind designing a cake for her. Of course I exclaimed joyfully. So I sat in her state of the art kitchen behind her charming storefront studio in Limassol, Cyprus and created the above cake which was featured in "Saloni Gamou" in 2007! (I have so got to get a photographer to shoot all of my other cakes!)

I taught her mother-in-law a hrisohera (golden hands) to make some of the rosettes. She was a fast learner, and did a pretty nice job on some of the flowers you see.

I was sad to leave Cyprus and my wonderful new friend Zac and her lovely family. But am so happy, that we remained friends.

We all continue to share ideas and techniques. I hope to someday meet up with my Baking Girls again in the very near future.

Zac and Claudia and June...I wish I were coming to Birmingham to meet up with you this year.

Maybe next time around!

Asian Influence Cake

I totally enamoured with the use of red and black and gold on cake! My gosh how it pops off the pics! I sound like I'm bragging...I'm sorry...but I simply can't keep my eyes off it!

The gold accent was done with 24K gold dust. So much better than regular luster dust. Just love the way the granules puddle into a liquid gold after adding a little vodka.

The twig you see with the flower blossoms was a heavy gauge wire coated with piping gel and very fine granulated sugar then painted with the gold dust.

Cool huh?

Having so much fun doing what I love.

Gotta go now....off to create a surprise cake for a very lucky young man for this weekend.

No....I'm not baking now!!! Just the sketch and the decorations. Baking is in a couple of day. We do pride ourselves in fresh, moist cakes!

Now How Did That Donkey Get on Top of Terry's and Mollie's Engagement Cake?

...and so the time came for this cake designer to create a special cake for her son's and daughter-in-law's engagement.

What does a designer do? Well as in any special cake project, one thinks of the couple and what their passions are as well as who they are as a couple and what they embrace.

Mollie and Terry have embraced our Greek heritage and culture. So much so that they are going to be married in our village of St. George, Sikousis on the handsome island of Chios, next summer.

Because of this, I decided to recreate a typical, white stucco'd village kafeneo (tavern) built probably in the early 1900's...replete with the blue patched doors, slightly shifted door jams, hanging tomatoes, a clothes line with drying beach clothing, a little cafe table with feta cheese, olives, a loaf of bread and a bottle of "ouzo" and of course the typical donkey....which by the way was NOT on the roof at the start of the party! Somehow, he made it's way up to the water resevoir tank to get a drink! I also added a display of drying almonds.

When YiaYia Maria (Terry's grandmother) was still with us, she would gather all of the almonds from our almond groves and sun dry them on the roof. Our kids would go up there and watch her shell the almonds and spread them to dry. It was my way of having her with us.

As was the eyelet cut lace curtains in the window, which YiaYia Theodora always had in her NY windows.

The kids, our families and friends (who by the way came from all over the country to be with us....from, Oregon to Minnesota to DC to South Carolina and of course all over NY... had a blast at Laterna Restaurant, in Bayside, New York. We ate scrumptious food, and danced to great Greek music until we dropped. Even Grandpa John, on cane straight from dialysis danced. The joy we all had in seeing Mollie and Terry together filled the room.

As we say in Greek...Kala Stefana kai E Hora E Kali! (Literal translation...it loses ... but here goes..."To your crowns and to the Good Hour" Meaning I think...to your wedding!"

Is this mom designer doing their wedding cake? Well...I will be designing it but as for the execution of it....on the Island....is a little hard. But I will be scouting for a bakery that can come through for us! Any ideas anyone?