Pumpkin Cake

A cake that looks like a lovely, bright orange pumpkin! It is not just for Halloween decoration or Thanksgiving pie filling, but it is a vegetable rich in minerals and vitamins; also Beta carotene, a powerful anti-oxidant, lots of fiber and potassium. The beautiful pumpkin heralds Autumn when we relish the colorful hue of  the fall foliage.  Fall - the pumpkin season is gateway to new beginnings, the promise of cooler, sweeter weather, colorful leaves, and lots of  fall activities. It means starting to wear cute boots, that favorite sweater and scarves, not to forget sipping that fall drink of choice.

This gourd-like creation  is a carrot-walnut cake with cream cheese filling; the best vegetable source. I did not deface it by painting a Jack-o-lantern.

Enjoy Punkin!

Zodiac cake

Behold a cake for a zodiac enthusiast "Libra".  All the zodiac signs were painted around the cake which was a very intense almond cake with almond cannoli filling. The scales were a carrot cake.

The scales of justice epitomize balance.  An ideal society is a balanced society. That does not mean everyone is equivalently affluent and propitious. The variety and difference between the people of our society creates a balance. God has blessed us with "portions", not the same amounts so we need each other to create a balanced society. Some people have more money, some have more beauty, brains, luck, love......................This does not make one BETTER than the other, but it gives some opportunities to serve/ help the others. We need each other. If we were all rich like Scrooge McDuck, who would sell us food?  Fix that plumbing ?  We need to serve each other to create a balanced society; a better/peaceful world.

Creme de La Mer cake

Creme de La Mer is a pricey moisturizing cream invented by a scientist named Max Huber to cure skin burns; he is apparently ate the cream and stuck it in his eyes to show how innocuous it is.  The cream contains a "miracle broth" that is fermented in the presence of music. The broth is not active without the sound sound waves. 

Enjoy the most delicious version of this exotic cream. It is a carrot cake with cannoli cream filling. It sits perched on a comfy cushion made of fruit cake with raspberry filling; enjoy. 

Phantom of the Opera- Chandelier cake

Phantom  of the Opera is one of the most lavish and long lasting Broadway shows that is based on a novel by Gaston Leroux. It is about a man who was born with a horribly deformed face. He hides in the bowels of a Paris opera house where he toys with and torments the occupants. The show bursts with sexuality, mystery, innocence and passion.  Music composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber is absolutely mesmerizing. The sets and 19th century costumes are amazing.

Inspired by my favorite show, this is a chandelier cake.  The bottom tier was almond with raspberry filling, the middle layer was orange amaretto with cannoli filling and the top layer was chocolate with chocolate mousse filling. Tea lights illuminated the cake.

The Phantom of the Opera remains a stunning production that engages the ear, the eye and the heart and in this cake—the taste buds too.

"Dory" cake

This is a cake that looks like “Dory”.  Dory is a regal blue tang from Disney movie “Finding Nemo”.  She is an adorable character- very forgetful due to her short-term memory loss disability.  She also appears in “Finding Dory” a sequel to the previous movie.  This cake was for a lovely little girl’s  “Finding Dory” theme, sixth birthday party.

It was a chocolate cake with chocolate chips. The icing was chocolate buttercream sprayed with blue for effect.  Enjoy the chocolate fishcake

Masquerade cake

A cake for a masquerade theme party. It is almond cake with canolli filling.  Canolli filling is made with ricotta impastata which is ricotta cheese with water drained out. It is heavy. The little "feather detail on the mask is cotton candy. Unfortunately it absorbed ambient moisture and ended up as a little pink blob, but no one seemed to notice.

I am not a fan of masquerades. I believe it is better to improve the real self than to hide behind a facade- a mask.  On the other hand- maybe we all hide behind a mask of humanity and social decorum while the real self is but an animal - a beast that is poised to release its negativity on this world.  Most religions urge us to stifle and control that beast. I do believe this beast can be put to sleep by nurturing the spring of common decency and compassion. Ultimately it is our decision. Do we pull out from within ourselves that spring of benevolence or that beast?

 “A true believer does not taunt or curse or abuse or talk indecently.”  Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). 

Speed boat cake

Speedboats are fun, but I think sailboats are more serene and romantic, at least they look it. Either way being a pilot I know that maneuvering any vessel on land, sea or sky is a lot of work and huge responsibility, nevertheless enjoyable for the enthusiasts. This is a vanilla cake with Bavarian cream filling. It is not as chintzy and colorful as I believe cakes should be. I could not add flowers here and there for some color since a boat is in the blue sea. I just added some blue and white icing waves to show foam and turmoil in the water underneath. 

Martin Luther King Jr said "we may have all come on different ships but we're in the same boat now".  Unfortunately this boat is being divided. No one wins in such scenarios. But lets not lose hope - here's to peace and equality and justice in this world

Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks. Warren Buffett

stack of shirts

Cake like a stack of shirts for my dear dear brother.  He memorizes the world Almanac every year and knows more about cars and roads and historic events than any expert.  He is a man of routine, so he pretty much knows where he will be and what he will do at 3:00pm on a thursday afternoon.   We need predictable routines to feel safe and secure, organized, in control, and confident in who and what is in our lives. Isn’t it annoying and anxiety-provoking when change comes along and messes with us?  Maybe the reason we resist change is because it takes us out of our comfort zone. 

So let us routinely try something new; like this cake. It is an orange fruit cake with almonds, cranberry raisins and figs. Filling was orange whip cream. 

“When you see a person who has been given more than you in money and beauty, then look to those who have been given less.” 
― Anonymous

Teddy Bear Cake

A  teddy bear cake for a baby shower. Baby showers are a delightful celebration to welcome change in our life.  

Advent of this new year promises the dawn of a new- not necessarily better era. We are going through a major change in the world. A change that unfortunately promises to divide people rather than teaming together for a better world. I believe the biggest enemy is ignorance. Unfortunately not everyone takes the responsibility of researching the authenticity of information sent their way thus allowing the powers around to decide on whom we should like and who we should hate.   We desperately need education and authentic information about each other’s beliefs, religion, orientation, hopes and expectations so we behave responsibly as decent human beings.

Lets hope and pray ----------- 

The cake was vanilla bean with cannoli filling in the body and raspberry filling in the head.