My mom’s birthday was this weekend and my sister and I each made her a cake. I made one with fondant
to look like a box of McDonald’s fries (her favorite food and also my first attempt at a stacked/carved cake). I definitely want to practice this technique more. I need to learn a few tricks because after a little while my structure started coming apart. I’m just glad she saw it before it did. And next time, I think I’ll put a little sugar on the fries to look like salt and make mini cupcakes with red frosting to look like ketchup. Yeah… i’m lovin it!
Now, for my sister’s cake.
Mom told my sister that she wanted wedding cake. Actually, she says that every year because she loves the way it tastes. I must have inspired her lately though, because my sister went all out and baked a cake and made it look like an actual wedding cake. I’m pretty proud and a little jealous that I didn’t think of it. This was the first time she made homemade frosting and only the third cake she has ever made. Pretty awesome I think and my mom got a good laugh out of it, too.
She certainly wasn’t expecting a wedding cake or fondant french fries for that matter.
Happy Birthday Mom!
It looks okay to me
That is so sweet
.lio.;op/p;/o;/
That french fry cake is so stinking cute !!
my sister and i have gotten a good laugh over your sisters cake.. its something we would have done for our mom! big props to her
your sister’s is ugly
You are so smart!
Genius!
I LOVE YOU’RE CAKES
CAKEPOPS
CUPCAKEBITES.
You name it!
wow !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love fondant but its a bit sugary for me! but I love to bake! wathever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
OMG! PERFECT!!! I wanna make my baby party.. so I’m getting some ideas! i found the perfect place…!! but I want to know how I make the cake! haha
Both are spectacular! That’s a heck of a challenging cake for your sister to take on having only ever baked two cakes. Well done. I think your mom has a great thing going on with getting two cakes for her birthday. That’s my kind of birthday celebration.
i love the way u made th cake and i made the french frys and the were delious
your sisters wedding cake was so thoughtful! And your fries are great too!
I am 9 and i decorate cakes, these are amazing! i love cakes
what about burger king fries?
Oh my! I am soooooo impressed by your work! (I sooo wanna be your friend :D)
I have this horrible frustration, I tried to carve my first cake and they fell apart (all nine of them!) it was a nightmare, but it has become my “Moby Dick”. It seems I can bake the cakes ok, freeze them ok, “carve” them ok, but when it comes to icing… It falls apart in a horrible way! Even as I am writing this, all the frustration and hatred invades my whole body!!! this cake almost kills my passion for dessert cooking.
Anyways… HELP!
¿got any tips on this?
Thanks so much.
Alexandra.
em…that second cake doesn’t look great. i think the icing should be a little smoother, but,for a third cake shes ever made, its awesome! no efence
Yes…it is on my list of things to do…I took Wilton I and haven’t managed to find time to do more…something about the kids and just having had a baby…maybe once things settle down!
Thank you!
Heather – If there is a Michael’s or Hobby Lobby near you, they give cake classes. I took a cake class at a Whole Foods cooking school. But it’ kind of random what they offer.
Having only begun decorating cakes a few short years ago I must say your sister’s cake is a masterpiece! Kudos to her for just doing it! I also recently completed my first sculpted cake. It was for my son’s 4th birthday…I created a baseball cap to match the one he wears everyday…I can’t wait to do more!
Any advice on where to learn more about using fondant? I am still trying to get it just right…
Love your blog! You are an inspiration to all aspiring bakers!
eula – no problem. And serve it all with a giant milkshake.
cool french fry cake! i’m making a burger cake today, too bad i didn’t think of the french fries! maybe next year. thanks for the inspiration!
A_and_N – cute. I’ll have to tell her that.
Christine, Danyele, and jenny l. – thanks a bunch.
the french fries cake looks awesome!!! your mom is so fortunate to have two loving daughters. hooray for your sister’s third attempt. great job!
amazing and so much fun!!!!!!
Your french fry cake is AWESOME!!!
Lovely, lovely cake! I guess if you are bakerella, she’s a bakerette too :)
Crystal – straws… must get straws. Thanks.
Stephanie – thanks for the award.
Deshona – glad you like it.
That is so neat!!! super cute!!
There’s an award for you on my blog – check it out! :-)
http://www.baskersfunfoods.blogspot.com/
2008/07/little-lemon-tassies-
and-award.html
I use straws in my cakes too. If they are too big I separate them with cardboard (which you can also cut away) which sits on some straws from the previous layer.
Snooky doodle – thanks
Clara – will do. thanks.
Gill – That British Woman – … next time I guess.
I like the idea of sprinkling the “french fries” with sugar, as they do look a bit like mozzerella sticks.
Once again super creative….
Gill from Canada
I totally love your blog and your french fry cake is AMAZING!
Just letting you know I’m awarding you a blog award – feel free to play along if you like… Check out the award at my blog …
http://phoenixsilk.blogspot.com
Wow they re awesome. You never stop to amaze me.
Mikelle – I like the way you think! I’ll have to try it and see.
Anonymous – sure. it’s a canon rebel xti!
hi! your pictures are wonderful. may i know what camera and lens you are using?
Oh and i’m curious to know if you have ever tried the little cupcakes with a brownie mix instead of cake. Do you think it would work?
I love the french fry cake!!! But mostly i love the cupcakes. You are so talented and have an amazing nack for detail. I need to ty these!!! Thanks for sharing.
By the way you are famous!! Who gets to go on the Martha Stewart show.
maichelle – I have not made a cake without sugar. But if I come across an interesting recipe, I’ll investigate.
Mother of Madness – It was really good!
Dawn in CA – I like the straw idea and thanks for the fondant link
Your site is always so fun to visit! Great McD cake and your sister did a fine “first run” wedding cake, as well. I think someone already mentioned using wooden dowels to help support a multi-tiered cake (you can even use straws on smaller tiers, in a pinch). You might also try a cardboard round on the bottom of each tier for support (I’ve only tried stacked tiers, not sure about the “pillars” like your sister used).
Have you ever tried homemade marshmallow fondant? It actually looks pretty easy and is supposed to taste better than regular fondant — cheaper, too. Here is a link I found. Am hoping to try it myself one of these days!
http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/Fondant.htm
Keep up the great blogging! :)
Hey Hey Sis! Ha ha ha..I see you put my wedding cake for Mom on here. Thanks. It’s the leaning tower of frosting. But, it sure was yumm. Those cupcakes I made with the left over, were awesome. I still have some. I don’t think I have EVER tasted a cake as moist as mine. I think I am going to start blogging on my dinners I make. Except I don’t know if I want to give out my secret recipes.
Love You!
hey i made your sprite cake and it was DELISH! i wanted to ask you, have you ever tried to make sugar free or sugar less cakes? i’ve been looking around forever for good recipes and haven’t found any. my daddy is diabetic and i would LOVE to make him a sugarless cake that tastes great. if you have time to do some research and try it out, i’d LOVE it! thanks!
You did a fabulous job!!! :)
I love it! I like how you put stripes inside the box, too. My husband’s bday is next week and he loves McD’s, too. Maybe he should get a Big Mac cake!
Bakerella, you are my hero. This french fry cake looks absolutely delectable! You are so talented!!! Did you take a course in cake carving? How did you learn?!
Your sister’s cake was fantastic as well! Kudo’s to both of you!
You are awesome with fondant! It looks great!
your creativity never ceases to AMAZE me!!!!!!! WOW! I bet Mickey D’s would be lovin it too!!!
what a lucky mom!!
Ace of Cakes, look out, here comes Bakerella! Great job!
Oh my god! Those are both so awesome! Concratulations with your mother by the way!
super great job on your first carved cake. I’m sure it will be the fisrt of many.
Wow, you are so talented. I love to see all your new creations!
Your photos are always so beautiful. What kind of camera/lenses are you using?
I have never been brave enough to try carved cakes – this is a work of art, Bakerella!
These are suppppeeerrr!!! Especially french fries :))))
I wish to your sister every time best!!!!
Evren
wow! very nice
is your mom b’day on july 13? mine is too :) Happy belated b’day to your mom!!!
can you make baseball field theme cupcakes?
wow!!! your french fries cake looks GREAT! you never cease to amaze me with your creativity and talent!
OMGosh !!! I just discovered your site and I lOVE it !!!I can’t wait tocomeback and read everything.
Congrats on being on Martha & your mention on the Garfield Site.You are very talented. I have learned a lot already just from looking around.I will be back. Keep up the GREAT work and TFS it with the world.
Roxanne
How on Earth did you do that?!! I think you should join the “Ace of Cakes” team…sure they’d love to have you!!! You are a brave baker…nothing stops you…I need to be more like that….thanks for being such an inspiration to us all!
How fun is that! Great job girls! Come by and say hi someday!
Hugs,
Robyn
Bakerella, Hi! I’m in the middle of reading the Cake Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum (I know, who “reads” a cookbook, I’m a dork). You would LOVE it! (assuming you don’t already!) The detail she goes into about the science of cakes and baking is phenomenal, not to mention extremely helpful. She gets into layering, decorating, and fondant too! There are great tips about cooling between steps to firm things up and everything… I find that you can fix anything with buttercream followed by a stint in the fridge. Fries look great and your sister was super ambitious too!!!
danielle@bakers-cakes.com
how fun and different!
Thanks everybody!!!! I’m glad you got a kick out of the cakes. My sis and I really appreciate all your sweet comments.
Susie – I wish I did
Katie – I want more, too. But I didn’t get any more good ones before it started coming apart.
Bridget – Come on over. I love cookies!
Dawn – For mine, I used a homemade Butter Cake recipe from the Cake Bible and my sister used the simple Sprite Cake recipe on this blog. Hers was more moist.
Angela – Nope. That sounds like it would have helped. Thanks for the tips!
I’m quite impressed with both cakes! Especially since they’re firsts – your first stacked and shaped fondant cake, and your sister’s first wedding cake and homemade frosting! I’m sure your mom had an unforgettably wonderful birthday!!
Wow, you are so talented! I love both the cakes. Your sister’s more resembles what mine might look like, but a lot prettier! I tried your reeses peanut butter cup cake and let’s just say it was not as pretty as yours! I love all your stuff though, thanks!
Congratulations to your mom! She must be a happy lady that raised 2 sisters that share great sense of humor! The french fries are adorable, sorry to know the cake was playing tricks on you…
Both cakes look fantastic. I love the french fry idea, it looks real. Love the wedding cake too. You both did an awesome job.
Your french fry cake is adorable- what a cute idea!
okay……ya’ll have some SERIOUS fun at your house….can I come play?
The wedding cake was a hoot but I admit that the McD’s cake is AMAZING. I bet Chef Duff would be impressed too……we love his show! Anyone that uses power tools while baking must be FUN!
I’m lovin it for sure… that is ADORABLE!
WOW! i bet your McDonalds french fries as waaaaayyyy better than the real ones! as for your sister’s cake, she’s awesome. i’ve always wanted to try my hands on a mini wedding cake but always afraid to. but now she’s inspired me to just to have a go at it!
You are SO talented! Wow.
I want to see more pictures of the fry cake!
Great job for your sis too.
Those look great! What fun ideas.
Yeah! Happy birthday to your Mom! I LOVE Mickey D’s fries too!
You both did a GREAT job on the cakes. Can I ask if you chilled the cake before and after carving, just before applying the fondant (but not with fondant on it, of course)? That is suppose to help with the carving, lessen the cake crumbs when applying the crumb coat, and help things stay together. If you layers are sliding try dowel rods or straws through the center for support.
Angela
Ps: Made you banana pudding last night and my boys loved it!
Wow, they have something for everyone!
Both cakes look great! Your mom is lucky to have daughters who love her to each make her a cake!
Hi there~
I love both cakes! GREAT JOB!! Quick question…what recipes did you use for the cake and frosting? I have been trying to find a good recipe for both, but have not had any luck. My cakes come out dry! :) Thanks a bunch!!
So, are you guys open to adopting any new family members?!? What fun! I’ll contribute cookies! (check my blog and let me know if I qualify!!!) :)
I LOVE your french fry cake and your sister’s wedding cake! Wedding cake is my favorite, too…that was a great idea and I can’t believe it was her 3rd cake ever! Wow!
I really love both cakes – your mom is so lucky. The french fry cake is so funny.
i love both cakes,but its fun to get a different cake,good work both of you!!Its fun to visit you blog!!
I bet your mom had a fabulous day! Kudos to your sis on her cake!
I love your “french Fries” cake, it look so real… And that suger touch to simulate salt woulde be great.
To avoid structure coming apart just push some wooden dowels through the entire cake (I think just two would be enough, one right and one left). See this CC article (my english is not good enough to explain this and you can see some photos also).
em…that second cake doesn’t look great:( why is he so curved?
I love your cake M `acdonals is very simple and striking.
I copied it with your permission.” Congratulations.Xoxo
I love the french fry cake, but I would love to see a different photo of it which shows the whole cake. Do you have a photo from a bit further away?
So cute! I would love to delve into the world of carved/stacked cakes. I am impressed as always!
Awwwwww I LOVE both of them! Your mom must have been so happy :o)
Amazing!
wow, both cakes are awesome!
I love your carved cake!! I have worked with fondant for one cake and will be doing my second one this weekend. I pray that it turns out as good as yours. Any advice?
Your french fry cake is freaking AWESOME! Funny enough, my mom is a french fry freak so this would be hysterical for a birthday cake for her too!
Wow! I’m lovin’ it too!!