The Fender Stratocaster - - of Cake

Once again, I find myself at the end of a huge project with very few words...so I'll share with you the pictures of one of the best cakes I've created to date.

Here's the guitar-lover's rock-star cake.  The Fender Stratocaster, a la Bake Lore, 100% hand crafted from the tone knobs to the pickups and tuners:

That's my model - my old strat from college, and a great instrument!

My Dad, the best guitar player I know, and I know quite a few.
I was pretty much in cake heaven when he was so happy with the final product.

So that's it!  The whole thing is made out of gumpaste, cereal treat, fondant - and of course, cake and butter cream.  There are only small bits of cardboard and floral wire holding things in place, but otherwise, you could eat the whole thing! 

Happy Birthday to one very lucky little boy!

Zambia, A Country in Cake

Well, for those who read my post a week or so ago, you know I've been working on a HUGE cake for a church group sending a family on a year of mission work in Africa.  Specifically, this stalwart team is heading to Zambia.

To celebrate, they commissioned me to make it out of cake.  And let me tell you - what fun, and what WORK!  The baking alone was a momentus undertaking, then the icing the filling the carving the crumbcoating and the decorating and delivering...I earned every penny!

Here it is in all it's glory!  "Cake for 100, Alex..."
"Made out of yellow and chocolate cake, his African country can feed a huge crowd". 
"What is...

ZAMBIA!"

My Patterns

West Zambia...in buttery yellow cake

East Zambia...in chocolate cake...with the colors of the flag almost complete

The finished product!

My apologies...I'm sure you see the smudge...

It wasn't until I was home reviewing my poor photography skills that I learned there had been a small smudge of green butter cream on the camera lense.  I'm hoping someone will take pity on me and send me another, icing-free picture, but until then...these will do!  Enjoy!

Thank you for Calling Bake Lore...Please Hold...

Dang!

Things is busy, kids!

I frankly...cannot believe it. 

The past two weeks have been nothing but calls and emails and orders and appointments.  I have been so busy baking, I haven't had a spare moment to update the old blog - apologies - but, if you are one of the many people who have recently called me to bake something, I totally blame you:).  Thank you.

My current projects are - many and varied - but the one that is really challenging me right now is this one:

Recognize that? 

No? 

Well, you may need to brush up on your African geography.  THAT, my friends, is Zambia!  It's a whole African country, and bunch of Hoosiers are heading there in the not so distant future for a mission trip.  Cool!

To celebrate that, they have commissioned yours truly to make this beast of a gerrymander out of cake.  We're doing West Zambia in yellow cake - - yellow cake always makes me snicker a little, cuz I'm a nerd - - and West Zambia in chocolate, and covering the whole thing in delicious Bake Lore buttercream.  So, the above shape, with the below color/decoration:

That, of course, is the flag - and, hey, does anyone know the Zambian national anthem?  It would really get me in the spirit of things I think.

Keep checking in to see my progress.  It's gonna be great!

***Post Posting Post***

I found the national anthem!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvB1aNJn53M