1 Cake and 200 Cupcakes!

 What a busy year this has been! I hadn't realized how long it had been since I last posted on the blog! This spring and summer have been amazing! We haven't had rain in a few weeks, so I've been watching my garden flourish. I've spent much of my summer outdoors, working in the sunshine and tending to my garden. My family has been enjoying the fruits of my labor with fresh snow peas, beets, zucchini, and fresh herbs! My tomatoes are beginning to ripen and everything is on track for an amazing harvest.

Last weekend, I also had the joy of witnessing two dear friend renew their wedding vows. After 10 years of marriage, they made the decision to say I do to each other again. What a blessing they are in my life, and a true inspiration. For the celebration, my sister in law, Kristine, and I teamed up to make nearly 200 cupcakes - 1/2 chocolate and 1/2 vanilla bean, both topped with a vanilla buttercream piped to look like a rose blossom. We chose 4 colors based on the colors of the ceremony - pale pink, fuchsia, coral, and lavender. We knocked them out in a day, but it was rather labor intensive! My sister in law is also pregnant, so I'm sure she was even more sore than I was after that day. Here are a few pictures of the final cupcakes, displayed at the ceremony.

The display table, before the cake was placed

 

 

 

 





 



 On the side, I managed to put together a small cake as a surprise for the bride and groom. I made a 4 layer milk chocolate cake, brushed with a Kahlua simple syrup, filled with a rich chocolate ganache, and topped with a vanilla buttercream.  I tinted the icing to a warm champagne color, then piped white icing in a whimsical paisley design. To finish the base, I wrapped a rusty colored burlap ribbon, and tucked a crocheted lace ribbon under the edge. The lovely cake topper was put together by my friend and sister of the bride, Aubrey. She did an amazing job on it! After the cake topper was placed, I scattered individual hydrangea blossoms around the base and top of the cake. Here is the finished cake!

The completed cake!