Kola Nut Themed Birthday Cake

We were asked by Ogechi to design and create a kola nut themed cake for her dad's birthday. If you're not familiar with the Kolanut, it's the fruit of the kola tree. It has a bitter flavor and contains caffeine. It is chewed in many West African countries- individually or in a group setting. It is often used ceremonially, presented to chiefs or presented to guests.

For more information on the kola nut, click here .

Everything on the cake is edible. The kolanuts were handcrafted out of fondant. Same for the basket.
 

The cake was vanilla pound cake with vanilla filling.

Feel free to browse this site for more traditional themed cakes.

Have a sweet week!

Suitcase cake

I'm always amazed at how wedding celebrations vary across cultures. A few weeks ago we had the honor of designing and creating a traditional engagement suitcase cake for a Nigerian couple.

We started off by sketching a stack of 2 suitcases with a couple dressed in Nigerian traditional attire (made out of fondant and gumpaste) sitting on the top tier.

The colors of the day were lavender and champagne/ivory.

The flavors of the cake consisted of vanilla pound cake with vanilla buttercream filling and a traditional Nigerian fruit cake. This cake flavor is very unique because it is made with raisins and 'aged' in brandy over time to give it a distinct flavor.

As we learned here, sometimes your eyes play tricks on you and sketching and the real life turnout are 2 totally separate things (lesson learned- sketching is only used as a guide lol).

As you can see, the iniital sketch called for only 2 tiers. When we stacked the cakes, it didn't quite create the 'pizazz' effect we were going for- so we decided to add a 3rd tier/suitcase for a better effect!

We finished the cake with a gold-ish/tan-ish sheen to give the 'worn suitcase' look

Congratulations Kemi and Samson!

White and Bling wedding cake

We were excited to create this wedding cake this past summer. We delivered this cake to the Philmont Country Club in Pennsylvania.

Photo courtesy of Bella Naija 

The top tier was a nigerian fruit cake (aged in brandy) with

vanilla swiss meringue buttercream.

 

Photo courtesy of Bella Naija

We especially loved this cake display table provided by BCG Events.

Flavors included Lemon cake with white chocolate filling, Marble cake with white chocolate and dulce de leche filling, and Lemon cake with strawberry and Cream cheese  filling. 



Photo courtesy of diamond street photography.



Photo courtesy of diamond street photography

The 1st and 3rd tiers of the cake were adorned with beautiful brooches provided by the bride.
 The cake was topped with the bride and groom's first initials adorned with crystals.

Congrats to the bride and groom!

 

Some vendors we worked with on this event:

Event planner: http://www.classiceventsbykris.com/
Venue: Philmont Country Club

Photography: Diamond Street Photography

Flowers, Centerpieces & Decor: BCG Events

Draping, Dance Floor, Bar & Other Rentals: All Around Entertainment

Lighting: FairyTale Events

Who doesn't love Sesame Street?

OK! Sooooo Sesame Street celebrated their 40th Anniversary in 2010! Who doesn't loooove Sesame Street? It's hard to believe that they've been around for the past 40 years! I enjoyed watching cookie monster, big bird, elmo and the gang as a kid and from time to time, I still take a peak if I see it on TV while channel surfing.....and.....I can still sing their theme song in my head :) We're all kids at heart.  

This cake was made for a cookie monster themed baby shower. It was a personalized replica of a similar cake that the celebrant liked. The flavor was a Nigerian fruit cake filled with vanilla buttercream and iced with white chocolate ganache. This is a recipe I got from an aunt whose cakes I've loved for years!

Nigerian fruit cake is similar to American fruit cake and is very popular in Nigerian weddings. I've noticed, however, that it does not have as many dried fruits as the American fruit cake does. This of course is up to the individual.

Like the American fruit cake, this fruit cake can be made days, sometimes weeks, in advance. One of the reasons this cake is made in advance (and I think this is one of the things that sets this cake apart) is that this cake is repeatedly 'fed' and 'nourished', over time, with brandy (yes, alcohol). This gives the cake a subtle, rich, brandy flavor plus it also allows the cake to be stored for ages and ages. It also gives the cake a moist texture and allows time for the flavors to sort of 'mix' and 'settle' and taste even better!