The Best of 2011

Every December I like to sign off with a look at the year that was, and this year has to have been the most difficult ever to narrow down the best of the best. The year started with one almighty bang when we dived head first, and quite frankly entirely unprepared, into creating the largest Opera House cake ever attempted (no biggie). Things pretty much escalated from thereon in and some of the most original, beautiful and innovative cakes of our history emerged from this year, even with the ever present cameras breathing down on our necks for a couple of months back in April.

Best Wedding

While I tried to limit it to two, I just could not decide between these ones. Believe it or not, despite the gorgeousness we are surrounded with for the most part, none of us here are particularly girly, but every one of us fell totally in love with this pink pearlised cake. For the wow factor, the prize definitely goes to Kim Veverka's invite inspired flamingo cake which looked unbelievable against the multicoloured backdrop of the Sydney Opera House foyer.

BEST REALISTIC

While we get a lot of feedback on the general fabulousness of our staff from the TV show, far and away the number one most talked about thing is The Orangutan Cake. Seeing this little guy staring out at us from the kitchen was just gob-smacking and I don't think there was one of us who wasn't a little devastated at the thought of him being cut up and eaten! Earlier in the year,

BEST CHILDRENS

The touching reaction of the client who ordered Ritzy's funky lion cake compelled me to write about it on here not too long ago, but I just have to show it off again. The lazy legs and quirky smile made this cake just perfect. Children's cakes are really difficult to pull off and these one have just the right balance of cute and quirky.

BEST CELEBRITY

Unfortunately I can't show you what can only be described as the coolest cakes we have ever made for a celebrity (you'll have to tune in to the show tonight for that reveal). My next two picks went to the Lady Gaga cake, if for no other reason that it was for Lady Freak'n Gaga (!!!) and Matt Preston's surprise birthday cravat cake.

While we're not finished quite yet, things are starting to wrap up after one very big year, only to be followed by a 2012 that's even more jam packed. Watch this space, we have some serious surprises up our sleeve!

Merry Christmas xx

Just your typical week at PC

Love it or hate it you've got it to give it to Ritzy this is one helluva cake. We were thrilled this week to help Triple J thank the one and only Dr. Karl with what else - a remale reproductive system cake. We have made all manner of anotomical parts but this was definately a first and is hands down my favourite cake of the week.

With Christmas only a matter of 27 sleeps away - I know, I am frightening myself just writing this! - we decided to celebrate the festive season Planet Cake style with the appearance of our Christmas Smurfette on Chanel 7's Morning Show. Watch this space for the 2011 Christmas window display, it's going to be a cracker! 

Cake Imitating Cake

Ah, the cake that started it all. Three weeks ago when the show first went to air we were inundated with comments about Antony’s infamous pink, exploding-feathers 21st birthday cake - to be usurped only by Emma’s ‘menopause mauve’ cake in Ep 2. Everybody and I mean EVERYBODY, it seemed, had an opinion. Love it or hate it, there is no denying that this is one cake not to be reckoned with. Personally, and I’m not ashamed to admit it, I loved it and it would seem I was not the only one. Sweet -16 year old Alana was also completely smitten with the cake and was, only one week after the cake went national, the first to request a replica. Not one to repeat himself, Antony tweaked the design a little to create this completely one-of-a-kind Funky Varden.

Abbie's original design

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but try telling that to an eight year old. Official ‘Showroom Tweaker’ Estelle Cutler wasn’t convinced of this when Antony designed a replica of her 7^th birthday cake last week. Six year old Billy on the other hand was absolutely thrilled with his blue bowling ball, which, made entirely from chocolate mud cake, I’m pretty sure weighed in at more than he did!

And while we're speaking of replicas, Anna Maria and her team of helpers created forty mini Estee Lauder bottles this week as part of their promotion. While they look completely real, don't be fooled these are delicious caramel fudge on the inside. Can you spot the real bottle in here?

This weeks fabulousness not drabulousness

I started here at Planet Cake back in early 2009 just days after the first book, Planet Cake hit Australian shelves. Back in those days, there were just the ten of us crammed into the one little room - yep, cake production, school and admin team all in the ONE room! - and little did we know what lay in store for us just a few years hence. This week when the release of our third title coincided with Lifestyle Food's launch of Planet Cake, reality TV show, for the first time since arriving here, I actually took a moment to sit back and have a look at how far we have come. While we're looking a little shinier these days, we've said goodbye to some friends and welcome other, at our core we are still that same crazy little family that I was lucky enough to become a part of two and a half years ago. Despite all the glitz and glammer that, much more frequently, now goes on around us, I am incredibly proud to say with all honesty that our number one priority is still about making really fabulous cakes.

Roll, this week's fabulousness

 Ritzi's hand-made realistic figurine - including one cat-chasing canine

Melbourne Cup, Planet Cake style - forgetting one's fascinator is not a problem at PC where we just always happen to have a dress-up box on stand-by

This was a real labour of love from Shell this week. While this classic white wedding cake looks simple, these lily of the valley flowers are heart-achingly time consuming to make, although worth the hard work. The end result speaks for itself.



In the Jungle...

Yesterday I was lucky enough to have one of those days that really make it all worth while. While this joint collaboration from Ritzi and Naoko was certainly my pick of the week, there is never any guarantee the client is going to feel the same way, and believe me; I have had some very awkward moments. To my great relief yesterday morning, the tears that sprung to this client’s eye upon seeing her cake were those of joy, and not disappointment! It's easy for us to forget sometimes just how much a cake can mean to a person, and I like to think this one will live on through cherished photos in the family album. Most importantly, I hope it ends up the way all good first birthday and christening cakes should - completely smeared all over the face of this special little person!



Just 6 Sleeps To Go!!!!

After months of cake craziness, bright lights and cameras, late nights and moments that left us wondering what on earth we had gotten ourselves into (!) the fruits of our efforts is just around the corner. With only a week to go until we invade your lounge room for thirty minutes every Wednesday night, we are pretty damn excited, and fingers crossed you guys are too.


While we had to keep mum about the eight enormous cake projects for the show’s media launch a couple of weeks back, I am thrilled to be able to share the photos with you now. These "couch potato" themed cakes were on display to hundreds of TV and media officials at the fabulous event held at iconic Sydney MCA, in the Rocks. As always, it was completely down to the wire getting these finished in time, and while it was a great touch to have the girls add finishing touches to the giant Foxtel remote at the event, it was also an entirely necessary touch! Each one of them was a serious feat of engineering, but the TV definitely took the cake (sorry) when it came to sheer size and wow factor. It took eight of us and more than a couple of less than glamorous words, to pick this baby up and transfer it to trusty Maz’s truck for delivery.

Paris and Lifestyle Channel General Manager, Nicole Sheffield get a piece of the action

Cat and Ant prove there is only one new black... and it's black

From left to right: Paris, Anna Maria, Shell, Naoko, Ritzi, Emma and Antony

For extra show bibs and bobs including articles, bio's, recipes, tips and programed show reminders, don't forget to "like" the Lifestyle Food Channel on their website: http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/shows/planet-cake/

It's funny how relative things get in here, that a pink pearlised, three-tier wedding cake, 1.5m long iPhone and realistic 'Masters Voice' can become just part of a days work is pretty ridiculous, but testament, I think, to how talented these guys are.

CC adds the finishing touches to the new 3D Car Workshop cake design

Anna Maria puts the iPhone cake to scale

Although slightly less glam than the world of cakes, television and media functions, we are VERY excited, at last to have our new website up and running. There have been a few hiccups since its launch two weeks ago and we are still making some final tweaks here and there, but we hope you love our new 'baby' as much as we do. Our school page has been fixed of all its bugs, and all workshops can now be booked online: http://www.planetcake.com.au/PLC/client/Courses/c_courseList.jsp

Last weekends Cookies and Cake Pops with Libby

Bride and Groom Figurines with Anna Maria

Speaking of the website, Antony has been busy designing new cakes for our online store, we'd love to hear your thoughts?