Today we’re taking another look at a trend that’s popping up in all aspects of design, including cake!  Whether it’s pages pulled from a classic book, old newspapers or love letters, vintage typography is everywhere.  Yesterday we featured an amazing wedding cake by The Caketress where alternating tiers were made to look like pages from a vintage book.  Today’s example is slightly more subdued, with just a small accent of vintage paper.

This lovely inside-out cake was created for a reception full of charming rustic touches like burlap table runners and tree stump pedestals.  Little hints of vintage typography were woven throughout the entire event.  An old family typewriter replaced the traditional sign-in book and book-paper flowers were intermixed with the fresh flower arrangements.  And then there was the cake!  Layers of carrot cake and cream cheese icing stacked tall and topped with a drizzle of caramel.  On top were two book-paper flowers.  Shared with us by Meredith Carlson Photography, you’re going to love this Vintage Paper Flowers Cake from the Labor of Love Bakery in Las Vegas.

The bride, Jana, shares with us a few thoughts about her cake:

“I saw a round cake with the sides exposed on the Martha Stewart Wedding website and thought something similar would be great with the rustic theme of our wedding.  The paper flowers were also inspired by Martha Stewart, but to make it more unique to our wedding, we used pages from old books to make the flowers.  My sweet friend Roseanne ended up making tons of paper flowers that went all along the long table, and at the last minute, my mom took a few to put on top of the cake.  My dad and (at the time) fiance made the cake stand from a tree trunk, and it was just perfect!”

I love that the bride’s mom added the paper flowers to the cake at the last minute.  Good call mom!  They were the perfect finishing touch.  Besides the charming paper flowers, doesn’t this cake just look delicious?!?  From what the bride and the photographer both tell me, it absolutely was delicious.  I can just envision a smaller version of this cake for Thanksgiving, can’t you?  Carrot… or pumpkin… or even spice cake.  It would be perfect for any Fall event.

A huge thank you to Meredith Carlson for sharing her lovely images with us.  And to the bride, Jana, for sharing her charming Vintage Paper Flowers Cake with us today.

Vendors & Credits:
Cake: Labor of Love Bakery
Photography: Meredith Carlson Photography
See the Entire Wedding Here: Meredith Carlson’s Blog

Today we’re taking a look at another trend in cakes that is gaining popularity….only, I’m not sure what to call it.  After much debate, I’ve finally given it the label of Vintage Book Typography.  Wait, vintage what – what?  Yes, you read that correctly.  Typography is the art of arranging letters in order to create visible language.  Whether it is printed, cursive or calligraphy, UPPER CASE or lower case, the written word is both powerful and fascinating!  And I absolutely love how it is popping up in all aspects of design, including cake!  Whether it’s pages pulled from a classic book, old newspapers or love letters, vintage typography adds a uniquely romantic feel to any design.

Our first featured design was created by the talented Lori Hutchinson, owner and artist behind The Caketress in Toronto.  This elegant 5-tier wedding cake is simply stunning!  Alternating tiers are made to look like written text pulled from the pages of a novel.  Gorgeous gumpaste flowers include both soft, romantic pink blooms and ranunculas made of ‘vintage book pages’.  As an unexpected touch of whimsy… hidden among the flowers is a little book mouse!  From the tiers of scrolling text to the book mouse’s smart little glasses, you’re going to love this Vintage Book Typography Cake!

Lori shares some thoughts about this cake she created for her clients, Liz and Nick…

“They wanted their cake to be romantic but with a quirky twist. Their reception was at Bellvue Manor, The Library room.  So their decor was surrounded around a novel theme.  For the pumpkin flavored cake, we designed it to look like written vintage pages.  The gumpaste ranunculas-like flowers also look like they were made out of book pages.  I added cute book mice hiding in the floral bouquets for an unexpected playful twist.”

So whether you agree with my name for this trend or not… I think we all can agree that this cake is a winner!  It’s a perfect example of how to include written text into a cake design.  A huge thank you to Lori Hutchinson of The Caketress for sharing her stunning Vintage Book Typography Cake with us today.  Just like a good book, I’m captivated and can’t look away!

Intrigued and want to see more?   Watch for more examples of this vintage book, newspaper, written text, typography-inspired cake trend in upcoming posts!

Quick Links for The Caketress:
Website:   www.thecaketress.ca
Blog:   thecaketressblog.com
Follow:   The Caketress on Facebook

Today is one of those rare occasions… when I share one of my own cake designs.  I primarily write about cake now, but occasionally I get the opportunity to design something new.  I’ve been dying to post this for months, but I had to see it with my own eyes first!  I am tremendously honored to have a second cake featured in BRIDES Magazine! Really?!?  Yes, really!  Back in September, I shared a cake I designed for BRIDES Most Beautiful Cakes of 2011.  I truly did not think it could get much better than that moment, until the editor contacted me about a second cake!  This time, the request was to create a design inspired by the oh-so-popular chevron pattern to be featured on their ‘White Hot’ trends page.  And it’s finally here, in print!!  My Zippity Zigzags, Chevron Cake!

Really?!?  Can someone pinch me please?  After the initial shock wore off and several late nights of sketching later, I sent over 5 different designs.  Each design unique but all inspired by chevrons.  Maria, the editor, helped me narrow it down to one final design which, of course, was by far the most challenging to create!  A two-tier round cake featuring extra tall tiers with a detailed chevron pattern flowing across the tiers from bottom to top.  The colors… teal, sky blue and deep orange.

I must say, it is definitely easier to draw a perfect chevron pattern on a sketch than to create one on a round cake!  Let alone to have the pattern flow across two tiers seamlessly.  It doesn’t seem that tricky except that the top tier has a smaller circumference than the bottom tier.  I know, that makes my head hurt too!  My math skills were definitely put to the test on this cake.  It’s actually somewhat of an optical illusion that the chevron pattern looks the same on both tiers, because it’s not.  It’s two separate patterns.  The angle of the chevron on the top tier had to be sharper than the bottom tier so the zigs and zags would align correctly.  I’d like to think my high school geometry teacher would be proud.  But in reality, he’d probably give me a B on this cake because my angles were just a tad off.  The back doesn’t line up quite as perfectly as the front.  But hey, every cake has a back, right?

Each individual fondant ’tile’ is hand cut, trimmed and aligned.  I wanted the fondant ‘ fashion’ flower to mimic a flirty, felt flower.  Sort of like the one on your favorite belt or hair accessory.  I loved this flower so much that I used the same technique on my daughter’s first birthday cake (stay tuned for pictures of that cake, hopefully to be featured sometime before she turns two…).

I could not feel more honored and blessed to be a part of this feature.  I would be remiss if I didn’t say a few thank yous, starting with my husband.  He took on extra daddy duties so that I could squeeze this project into an already crazy schedule!  Many thanks to Maria and the other editors at BRIDES.  I will forever be grateful for the amazing opportunities to be featured in your publication, all three of them!  {Yes, if you’re keeping track, there’s another fun surprise on the horizon.  More on that coming in December!}

And I’ve said it before but I have to say it again.  Half Baked wouldn’t exist without the many cake designers who allow me to showcase their work on a daily basis.  They provide us all with such great cake inspiration and this process only reminds me of the time and effort involved in every one of their creations!  I can only hope my words do your designs justice.  And last but not least, a huge thanks to all of you, for allowing me to share a bit of my work with you today.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the November issue of BRIDES Magazine to see all of the zippity zigzag, chevron inspiration!