Hello, Love Guest Blog: Messy Cakes

Alicia Rico at Hello, Love Blog was kind enough to ask me to guest blog today. Check out my post on the charm of messy cakes over on their site.

Yeah!

Photo of our carrot cake by Apryl Ann Photography.

A Celebration of Summer Berries

In the late spring through summer, berries abound at markets. It's hard to get away without grabbing a few pints of gorgeous blackberries, strawberries or blueberries, and in the scorching Texas heat, what better way to treat yourself and friends than with a berry tart, crisp, pie, granita, sorbet, or...the options are as endless as your creativity. When working with fruit, I prefer desserts that showcase the beauty of the berries (or whatever you're working with) and try to search for the perfect accompaniment rather than disguise. Oftentimes all that is necessary is a dollop of cream and something sweet and flaky. This way the berries' natural beauty may be relished visually and the flavor remains light, juicy and refreshing...perfect for a summer evening with friends, sparkling punch, and a celebration of the garden...

 

Decadent coconut cream cakes with raspberries, blueberries and Chantilly cream.

 

For this tart, we wanted to incorporate fresh garden basil, so we infused our pastry cream with it! In this version of a basil pastry cream, the basil takes center stage and is a heavenly Earthy surprise in every bite. A mint infused cream would work equally well.

 

 

A fresh spin on the shortcake: lemon shortcakes with a plum blackberry sauce, and of course, fresh cream.

 

Love the play of fresh herbs with berries. 

 

Keep it fresh: Check out this link to find local North Texas farms where you can arrange to pick your own berries, straight from the grower.

On The Road

Summer is here and it's megahot.

So we are going on a road trip. In search of good times, cooler weather, swimming pools, cheap motels, southern charm, low country grub, bourbon distilleries, enchanted islands, smoky mountains, fireworks, rustic cabins, live music, bicycle tours, open air markets, literary haunts, and many, many baked goods.

Will try to post from the road. Check out my instagram to follow the journey. See ya soon with lots and lots of yummy content to come. 

Stay cool.

Inspiration: Whimsical Dessert Buffets

There are so many fun ways to display sweet treats in a fashion that will compliment your wedding day theme. The following dessert bars take it to that next level with creative flair: fabric banners, pennants, eclectic cake stands, painted wooden signage, suitcase props, and gorgeous flowers are just the beginning. Our delicious treats can surely wow on their own, but why not take it further and make a bold statement that tempts with the eyes and keeps it playful until the sweet finale? Hopefully this collection will inspire your creativity as much as it does ours.

The dessert bar from our Marfa wedding was an eclectic mash-up of our wedding design elements: crepe fringe, antlers, mexican tile, dehydrated ocotillo, and pink! Photo by Natalie Shelton of NBarrett Photography. Cake by Lisa Copeland of Austin Street Cafe. Desserts by Maiya Keck of Maiya's Restaurant. Flowers by Alicia Rico of Bows and Arrows.

This beautifully eclectic assortment shines in the simple playfulness of its pieces. Love all the tiny treasures this table has to offer from the mixed china dessert plates to the tiny floral arrangements to all the bite sized treats arranged on a collection of small stands. The white cake while small makes a big statement and the crafty topper couldn't get any cuter. 

This feminine assortment is creatively displayed in an exposed cupboard, a perfect example of making the ordinary striking by playing with context. Love the pattern play and small details. Perfect for an afternoon tea themed wedding!

The elegance of bell jars, gold, calligraphy, gilded tassels, and minimal dessert pieces give this spread an old world charm feel, as if stumbling upon F. Scott's secret sweet stash.

Small cakes and pastel-hued cupcakes cluttered on a small table atop mixed vintage glass stands adds a playful, retro vibe to this vintage wedding. I love how each dessert takes on a personality of its own by playing with size and texture but still keeping it simple.

 For a playful barn wedding, crafty banners, wood grain pieces and a "sweets stable" sign couldn't be more adorable. An example of a simple spread come alive with found decor and a crafty backdrop.

Our Wedding in Martha Stewart Weddings!

Our wedding was featured in the Spring 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine!

In addition to reading about our Real Weddings story, you can check out this sweet slideshow from the Martha site. I can't believe it has almost been a year since our joyous wedding in Marfa, TX. I'm so excited to be involved in a new career where I can help other brides fulfill their creative vision and add some extra sweetness to such an amazing day.

I'd love to share a little peak into the big love fest that was our desert-magic-themed Marfa wedding.

Mod Pop Scenes

We are so excited to share this fun video put together by the talented Matt McNeill of I Do Cinematics. The video was originally featured on the always lovely Hello, Love Blog. Check out our cakes on film!

Mod Pop | Styled Shoot from Matt McNeill on Vimeo.

Filmed on location in Dallas, Texas
Design + Concept……. Bows and Arrows
Planning………………….. Birds of a Feather
Photography……………. Apryl Ann Photography
Videography……………. I Do Cinematics
Cake Design……………. Cakewalk Bake Shop
Floral………………………. Bows and Arrows
Makeup…………………… Stephanie Potter
Stationary………………… Southern Fried Paper

Behind the Shoot: Mod Pop

Wednesday's shoot with the creative team at Bows and Arrows was a playful and punchy contrast to our Midsouthern Night's Dream shoot. The Mod Pop theme's fun color palette of pinks, mint and citrus hues inspired an assortment of playful, retro cakes. Funky tassels and gigantic balloons from creative designer Alicia Rico were in abundance, like some kind of child-like, Warhol dream. Such amazing inspiration for those fun, color-crazed, pop art-afflicted couples. You know the ones.

 

Flowers in waiting at Bows and Arrows.

 

Putting the finishing touches on our Mod Pop cakes!

 The world of Alicia Rico is full of color.

 

Setting up the cake table...

 

 Fancy Poodle Boy tops our sherbert-inspired ombre cake.

 

English liquorice treats added a pop art sculptural effect to our chocolate cream cakes.

Voluptuous poppies in the hue of pink play atop layers of textured mint buttercream.

GOOD TIMES.

/// Stay tuned for more photos from this funky shoot!

A Blush of Pink Inspiration

 

Image from Colby Allen

Behind the Shoot: A Midsouthern Night's Dream

Whew! We just wrapped up two back-to-back shoots with our sweet, mucho talented friends at Bows and Arrows and The Bell Jar. The shoots were absolutely beautiful and we had so much fun! Can't wait to post photos from Apryl Ann Photography soon. Until then, check out some of our behind the scenes shots.

The first shoot, themed "A Midsouthern Night's Dream" was all about rich, organic, forest whimsy. We provided a true feast of magical Southern delights: an elegant, three-tiered vanilla bean buttercream cake crowned at layers with lavender and artemisia, a naked carrot cake fashioned with gorgeous fresh green figs, apriots, and donut peaches; blackberry and fig tarts dusted with gold; and a rustic fresh berry meringue pavlova adorned with rare golden raspberries!

 Sometimes our makeshift studio happens to be the back of our car.

 Organic lavender and artemisia from a local farm add even more beauty to our vanilla bean tiers.

A living still life with fresh fruit.

Where will the forest take you?

Somewhere sweet we hope!

/// Stay tuned for more photos from this gorgeous shoot.

Z is for ZUCCHINI!

Summer gardens are overflowing this time of year with one of our favorite veggies: the mighty zucchini, making this the perfect time to celebrate a favorite garden cake: zucchini bread. Duh. Our zucchini bread is unlike the many, many others. We have tweaked it with a roasted pepita, burnt coconut, and sunflower seed crust, among other things, making it extra-special. Crunchy on the outside and moist and spice-filled on the inside.

Mmmmmm...Zzzzzzzzz!!!

Inside the Wedding Day Kitchen

As proud as I am the moment the cake is finished and polished, there's something about a naked cake that I find equally beautiful. Here's a look inside as we prepared a beautiful wedding cake with layers of apricot goo and vanilla bean buttercream.

 

SIX LAYERS!

 

Vintage Tools

 

Support System

 

 

Pink Parisians

Nothing in the world beats the absolute cuteness of Parisian Macarons. Ok, maybe kittens. But that's it. These little ones belong to a super sweet batch we did for a baby shower. A mountain of pink atop a ruffled pink cake stand, oh my goodness did they spread some smiles.

Pink dotties ready for the oven!

 

Pink on Pink with a heavenly raspberry buttercream filling.

 

Available in almost any color, with creamy and fruity fillings.  Sure to put a Paris smile on your face.

Betty's Macaroon

This macaroon has a lot going on, but it all works together playing yummy tricks on your tongue. Pistachio! + Coconut! + Fresh berries! Oooh la la. As complex and beautiful as its namesake.

chocolate + orange. friends forever.

Something about pairing chocolate and orange together makes me feel like part of an old Southern Ladies' Club. In a good way. I first stumbled upon the concept when digging through a 60's Junior League cookbook and when I asked ladies in my life about it, they raved all esoteric-like with nods to grandmothers and great southern women who came before them. Some things are just so good that they must have always been enjoyed, and this is one of them.

An uber moist orange cake, full of zest, juice and orange liquor (go big or go home) is adorned with a sweet orange rum glaze and served over a tiny pool of dark chocolate. Available in a variety of forms, we especially like it fashioned as a mini-bundt with mini flowers on top.

Ombre Sunshine Cake

This cake is full of love, sunshine and fresh lemon zest! Just what a girl needs on a rainy day. Or at a garden party. Or beaming from her fabulous wedding dessert table. For breakfast, lunch and after supper. To share with her best friend, mom, and best man. It's just that kind of lovely.

 

Shades of lemon-hued vanilla bean buttercream work their way up the sides in charming ombre fashion. Inside is loaded with four layers of lemon poppyseed cake, house lemon curd, and vanilla bean buttercream, making this one beautiful and tasty inside and out.

 

Texture shot! The little black flecks of Tahitian vanilla bean add even more richness to the ruffle.

Monkey Carrot Birthday Cake

For a special Marfa birthday, Lisa and I put together this adorable carrot cake, complete with a vintage Taiwanese monkey candle topper. Too cute for words.

Pecan Crusted Carrot with Four Layers

 Monkey Man

The monkey belonged to a rowdy wooden animal family, hand carved and purchased in this sweet little original box at a New Mexico garage sale. This is the kind of find that keeps me junking.