Wedding Cake!

Remember Kenny and Dorien?  Well today I can introduce them as husband and wife.  So meet them again!  This is Kenny's wife Dorien.  This is Dorien's husband Kenny.  Their wedding was beautiful in a thousand ways, from the scenery to the music to the vows that turned me into a teary sniffling toddler.

I made their cake.  And it was an honor.  I could babble on and on about the process and the baking and the white-knuckled drive to Pala, but instead, I'll just say this.  I would do it again a thousand times over.  And I am eternally grateful to the 200 guests who demolished the cake.  You made me feel like a million bucks, so thanks for that.

Lots o' pictures after the jump.

  

My work in progress...

Double chocolate cake with chocolate ganache, how I adore you.

Someone please remind me why I don't always have pineapple upside down cake on hand.  This cake was my mom's idea and it was ridiculous good.  Flipping it out of the pan was one of the great dramatic moments of my young adult life.

These are chocolate whoopie pies.  Ready for this:  they're vegan!  Egg and dairy free!  Recipe came courtesy of my friend and vegan goddess Hilary over at Sugar Beats Eggs.  Give her a shout out and maybe she'll let me share the recipe.

My new love in life is this coconut cupcake (sorry John).  Quick decorating tip!  When making cupcakes, festive papers create a gorgeous presentation.  to get the full effect, bake your cupcakes in  white baking cups, and slip them into the party paper once they're done.

 

 Once the list was checked off...

It was time for transport!  It took 3 cupcake couriers and many cardboard boxes to get the job done.

I loved the rustic wine barrel table and stools that we used to display the desserts!

I'm the proud owner of a cupcake tower!  In addition to the coconut cupcakes, I baked red velvet cupcakes with a heart-shaped sprinkle on top.

The decorative flags that went around the main cake are edible!  They're rolled fondant that I dyed with food coloring, and stamped with the cutout design.  They weren't all perfect, but I knew that Kenny and Dorien wanted color, so color they got!  Beneath all the fondant was carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

This snuggly sculpture was handmade by Dorien's sister Thalia.  I think they look rather cozy atop their cake.

This German chocolate cake was a huge hit, and looked totally classic.  I'll post a recipe and a step-by-step soon, but you can also find it on the back of the package of Baker's German's sweet chocolate.

Look familiar?  This lemon cake was a nice option for guests who liked things on the lighter side.

And this cake...  

Was for her!  I gotta give it up to my mom for this one.  She baked dog biscuits from scratch, and then filled the layers with plain yogurt.  Is it cool or awful if I post a dog biscuit recipe on a baking blog?  Let me know, and I'll act accordingly.

We cut a LOT of cake.  Thank you John and Shannyn for all of your help during that intense 30 minutes of cake cutting!

A big hug from the bride!

This was my favorite view of the night.  See that lonely cupcake in the background?  It fell on the ground and I wouldn't let anyone eat it.

Raise a glass to the newlyweds!  Their wedding rocked my world, and I know that's only the beginning to a gorgeous life that they'll have.