This was a cake celebrating my mother’s birthday. My mother has always loved mocha, so I used a mocha flavored buttercream to frost and fill this chocolate cake. I decided to add a little zing to my usual chocolate cake by adding a bit of cinnamon to the batter. It really added a very subtle smoky touch. I piped a decorative border and topped each point with an almond sliver. A gumpaste rose painted with pink luster dust tops the cake (I had to add some pink to liven the brown). I was very happy with the way this one turned out and mom loved it, especially the border!

I made this cake for a co-worker’s bridal shower. It’s a three-layered chocolate cake with grand marnier buttercream frosting, filled with buttercream frosting and raspberry jam. I piped a curly, swirly decorative motif all over the cake with buttercream. I had several options for making the roses. My first attempt to create one out of homemade white chocolate modelling paste proved unsuccessful. Fortunately, I had a plan B and C and settled at plan B pictured above – roses made of gumpaste. (Plan C, incidentally, was to use marzipan, which I knew would be the safest route). The cake was another big hit!