The Kiss

I have been SO excited to share this post with everyone! I had the honor of doing a wedding cake for a friend from high-school. Now, this was not your traditional wedding cake. I love it when couples branch out from the norm and want to express their hobbies and passions in their wedding cake. You can tell a lot about the Bride and Groom when you look at their cake. Are they traditional with a 3-tiered white buttercream cake, or are they more edgy and fun with a self-designed theme cake? The latter sums up this couple. Both love art and wanted it to come alive in their cake. I was so excited when Whitney asked me to do it because I knew it was going to be a challenge for me. I had never done something so untraditional, and by no means do I consider myself an artist. This only motivated me more to create something out of my comfort zone. I just kept telling myself, "You can do anything you set your mind to!" This is the sketch that the real artist, the Bride, sent me.

This is the final product:

I loved the cake topper which is Klimt's "The Kiss" design. It brought your attention to the theme of the cake which was artists in love. Thank you Whitney for giving me this opportunity to make this and allowing me to feel like Jackson Pollack for a day :)

Fall is Here!

Finally, my favorite time of year has arrived! Pumpkin Spice Lattes, festivals, boots and leggings... I just can't get enough! Fall also brings in the busy season, I guess brides love this season as well. I can't wait to share some of the upcoming cakes this season! In the meantime, I had the honor of making 150 cupcakes for Emory University's MBA social event. Every year, Java Vino in Decatur hosts this fun group and it is always a great turn-out, despite all of the college football games on TV. I decided to do a fall-theme which included Mocha with Coffee Swiss Meringue Butercream, Pumpkin with Maple Buttercream, S'mores, and Orange Creamsicle.

I also made GF wedding cupcakes for a bride at the Pace House in Vinings. What a cute venue! The MOB was gluten-free, so it was nice of the bride to have these made for her mom. I added a vintage touch with the monogram.

It was a busy weekend but it was nice to watch people Ohh and Ahh over the cupcakes, it makes my job worth while :) I wanted to include a picture of the ugly side of baking... it's not always easy... but learning from mistakes always pays off in the future!

Yes, that is 2 dozen cupcakes in the trash. That comes along with trying new recipes and tasting one bite, spitting it out because it is nowhere near calorie-worthy. Oh well... on to the next recipe! 

Happy Baking!

Playing Catch-Up!

I am sorry I haven't posted in a while! Geez, what a crazy couple of weeks. What was I thinking starting a business and planning a wedding at the same time?! To start off, I wanted to announce that Lush Cakery is a new member of the Paisley Umbrella design team! We are a group of wedding experts who work together to create a bride's dream wedding. It is a cute bungalow house in Buckhead consisting of a dress designer, shoe designer, photographer, event coordinator, and the list goes on and on... it is basically a one-stop shop for a bride-to-be! I am so excited to be a part of this team and I will keep everyone updated on the events coming up this season!

I have also booked my first cupcake event which is a wedding! The MOB is gluten-free, so I will be making GF cupcakes supporting her food allergy. I am excited to do this, as I am GF as well... don't get me wrong I taste all of my yummy creations, but this time I can dive-in and enjoy these cupcakes. I will be making GF Chocolate filled with Ganache and GF Vanilla filled with a Lemon Curd Mousse. Yum!

I also booked a wedding cake for a friend of mine who loves art and her Fiance is an art teacher. I will be creating a cake to show off their favorite works of art. Here is a picture of her sketch:

Wahoo this should be fun! I also received some pics from my friend Alicia whose wedding cake I did recently. She wanted a floral cake so I came up with a garden theme and incorporated her flowers used in her bouquet. This is how it turned out:

Congrats Alicia and Ian! 

SO BLESSED!

Wow, what a week! I have been dying to blog... I have realized how therapeutic it is :) I mentioned in the last blog about the Wish Upon A Wedding launch party. It was a great event... great networking, great people, and most importantly, a GREAT organization. It was so humbling to see everyone willing to donate their talent and money to terminally ill couples who dream of getting married. They showed a video that was so moving and announced that 2 wishes have already been granted. I hope that I can be a part of a couple's dream wedding one day :)

It was so great to see Kori and Nicole from SKS Designs and my dear friend Kristy Dickerson. Kori and Nicole were the stylists for my engagement photos and Kristy was the photographer. All of these gals are amazing! It was great to meet new faces, like the ladies from An Elegant Occasion. I love being around like-minded women who set high goals and work hard to succeed in this industry. You can just see the passion dripping from them.  I feel so blessed to have this talent... knowing that I followed my heart and that this was God's plan for me. I posted some pics from this event. Enjoy!

Fire breathing

I think Kristy and I were watching this guy...

Ribbon Dancer

Girl's Night Out

Manic Monday!

Happy Monday! Most people hate Mondays, I on the other hand love them. Most bakers count Mondays as part of their weekend because Saturday is a work-day... doing last-minute detail work and making deliveries. I look forward to Mondays because it is the one day where I can catch up on errands and chores.  So far today, I have updated the flavor page under the "About" tab. I am so excited! There are still so many recipes I am dying to try, and luckily I have willing and honest guinea pigs at the restaurant that will devour them. Who doesn't love free cupcakes?


Another task I must accomplish today is business cards. I am attending a networking event Thursday night for Wish Upon A Wedding. They are the world's first nonprofit wish granting organization providing weddings and vow renewals for couples facing terminal illness and serious life altering circumstances. The Atlanta chapter is throwing a launch-party to kick-off the new chapter and I am so excited to get involved. This is a great opportunity to get my name out there with the new company and to help these couples have their dream weddings. Most brides get so wrapped up in the details that go into their wedding and lose focus on the bigger picture, two people are taking a vow in marriage to love each other for the rest of their lives. I feel this organization will remind people of that and I hope to contribute in any way that I can! Check out their website, it is so inspirational!


To end this post, I would love to send a shout-out to Sheila Parast. We go way back to our freshmen year of college, little did we know we would have the same dream of baking! We have become closer (in location and friendship) and I am so grateful that she has helped me with this blog and with pictures for the website. Thanks Sheila!

Teaser picture :)

 Today's winner is... S'mores

It's Official!

Hello Blogging world! I finally made it! I guess I should start by telling you about myself and why I am here. Well... I quit my job in Corporate America to pursue my dream of baking and designing cakes. I worked with an AMAZING woman, Kimberley, for a year and a half and she taught me SOOO much about the wedding industry. I recently took a step out out on my own and started my own company, Lush Cakery. I will be doing cupcakes, wedding cakes and celebration cakes. Wahoo!!

My amazing Fiance helped create my website, he is so supportive :) It is still in the works, but it is so exciting to have something in progress! Tomorrow, I am working on recipes for cupcakes to add to the site. My friend Sheila and I (Sheila Parast Cakery) are going to make a night out of it... me trying recipes and her making cake pops for a birthday party. We are so domestic :)

I will post the winners and pictures soon. Until then, Goodnight cakeworld!