Strawberry shaped cake

Strawberries have been used as symbols of love, purity, and even the Virgin Mary, as well as a symbol for romantic gestures. This “strawberry” shaped cake does not allude to any of this.  Strawberry is a beautiful, delicious and nutritious fruit.  I just wanted to make a cake that looks like this luscious fruit.   It was an almond cake with almond cannoli filling.

Today I focus on hope; to invent it, to insist on it. Hope and aspiration for an end to conflict and violence. While we wait for what happens next in this world let’s hope for peace and justice. Perhaps hope comes with faith in the inherent balance of the universe and/or faith in the Almighty. May tomorrow’s sun bring a dawn of peace on this blue marble, Amen.

 

 

Shoebox cake

 

Shoes are essential footwear to cushion and protect feet, however, in this day and age they have evolved into a much complex psycho social phenomenon. Shoes can boost confidence, make an impression of personality and status,  protect feet, and even deliver the little extra support we might need to win a race.  Shoes seriously influence fashion and individual expression and also our outlook.  Beautiful heels can change the whole appearance, alas! with age I can no longer wear heels, so I must content with flats for comfort.

This cake is in the form of a designer shoebox. The cake was a pistachio cake with ricotta icing. The sides of the box and shoes were made of white chocolate.  Yum!

A woman with good shoes is never ugly.” - Coco Chanel

Rubab Cake

 

The rubab, a stringed instrument,  is the national musical instrument of Afghanistan. It has a deep sound that is very soothing. My brother has one and he loves to play it. I made this cake for his 70^th birthday.  We love to celebrate birthdays although getting older is no achievement. Ageing gracefully and joyfully are the most popular, but  I believe ageing thankfully is the key. There is so much to be thankful for. Today I am thankful for my brother who turned 70 with a smile. 

Birdcage Cake

 

This birdcage cake is an orange cake with a filling of orange marmalade and cannoli cream with walnuts.   I am not at all in favor of caging birds despite the beautifully decorative birdcages available to keep birds as pets.  Maybe some birds are comfortable and even happy in these beautiful cages.  Personally, I value freedom more than anything and I wish and hope for freedom from a life of oppression for everyone in this world. Here’s to world peace. 

 “It would be my greatest sadness to see Zionists (Jews) do to Palestinian Arabs much of what Nazis did to Jews.” — Albert Einstein

Fan Cake

A handheld folding fan has been used to keep cool for thousands of years.  These fans have been depicted in Egyptian art 4000 years as well as the Chinese since the ancient times.  These folding fans have been used not only to keep cool but also as part of ceremonial and ritual purposes and as fashion accessory in many cultures of the world such as Chinese, Japanese, Burmese, Thai as well as European. In Europe these folding fans were introduced in 15th and early 16th century and later became an important fashion accessory in the social circles of Europe.  The fans are especially popular in Spain, where flamenco dancers use them as part of their act to add a sensual element to their performance.

My Mom loved these hand fans and had quite a collection. Today, the 25^th of December 2024 we got together to remember Mom with this fan cake. The cake was a plain vanilla cake with whip cream.  I made long pieces of white chocolate and put them together to look like a hand held folding fan. 

 

Lock and key cake

 

This Lock cake was almond cake with marzipan filling. Key was made of fondant. This cake was inspired by the escalating turmoil in the Middle East. Human beings are most cruel to their own species whereas animals only show aggression when in fear or hungry.  When will this end? Desperately praying for a world of peace and freedom from aggression. 

“There's a Palestine that dwells inside all of us, a Palestine that needs to be rescued: a free Palestine where all people regardless of color, religion, or race coexist; a Palestine where the meaning of the word "occupation" is only restricted to what the dictionary says rather than those plenty of meanings and connotations of death, destruction, pain, suffering, deprivation, isolation and restrictions that Israel has injected the word with.”
― Refaat Alareer, Gaza Writes Back

“If you expect the worst, you'll never be disappointed.”

― Sarah Dessen, Lock and Key

Nail Polish cake

Getting our nails done has become quite popular ritual in today’s society, especially before big events, or during summer when we all want our nails to shine.

The first nail salon dedicated to nail care was opened in 1878 in New York City. Founder Mary Cobb learned about nails in France, and then brought the concept to NY.  The idea soon caught on with big companies such as Cutex and Revlon in the early 1900s. Cutex launched its first nail product in 1911 with a product to soften the cuticles around the nail. They also created liquid nail polish in 1925 and for a while nail polish was referred as “Cutex”.

Revlon began by inventing nail polish that was made using pigments instead of dyes in 1920. By 1932 nail polishes were sold in drugstores and department stores, making it available to the masses.

Acrylic nails appeared In 1957; a dentist named Frederick Slack broke his nail at work. He ended up patching it up with aluminum foil and dental acrylic. The look of the nail was so good that he collaborated with his brother to create and then patent the acrylic nail.

Today nails are a multi-billion dollar industry and still growing thanks to social media.  Nail art of today is more than just part of grooming but has been exhibited in Museums; It is creative, glamorous, and even over the top and sometimes downright scandalous.  Our nails are a vehicle to express who we are or who we want to be.

This cake is ode to our expression of self. The bottle was a carrot cake with cream cheese filling and the lid was an almond cake.  This cake shows breathable, halal nail polish. Halal certification has become an important element in the Islamic communities of the world.  Breathable nail polish allows water to penetrate. 

Enjoy

A woman is helpless only while her nail polish is drying.