April 30, 2007

  • Where's Middleageguy when you want him?

    I was reading a story on the Dallas Morning News website about a fancy-pants cake decorator, Bronwen Weber, and the unusual cakes she's made.

    Fish, oddly enough, are a popular choice for some events.  "I've done
    hundreds of trout," she said, explaining that it's a favorite for
    birthdays and grooms. "It gets easier every time I do it."

    I guess a trout's no more peculiar than that Texas groom's cake tradition, the armadillo.

    Here's the part that brought Randy, aka: Middleageguy, to mind:

    Although she
    won't admit to having a favorite cake – "Usually, I just look forward
    to the next one," she said – she seems to have a penchant for primates.

    "I love monkeys, and I keep pushing the monkey cake," Ms. Weber said. "No one wants the monkey."

    Randy'd want the monkey.  He'd be all over that cake like fleas on a, um, ah, well, monkey.

    She has a website which features some of her creations, some of which I like more than others.  These I like:

    0089_FrostedArt0129_FrostedArt 0108_FrostedArt

    These I'm not particularly keen on:

    0075_FrostedArt0009_FrostedArt

    Here's my idea of the quintessential groom's cake:

    0078_FrostedArt

    Oh, MY. 

    I don't see how someone could cut into this one:

    Groom_L_3

    OTOH, I can easily imagine some little boy begging, "Can I have the NOSE?" 

Comments (15)

  • Bronwen Weber has been featured on Food Network a lot - competitions and such. Her work is lovely, and she seems like she's having fun and is very gracious about her work, too.

    The thing that knocks my socks off is how much people are willing to pay for these high-end cakes. I realize I got married donkeys' years ago, but our wedding cake - which served 300 people quite nicely! - was $65.00. These cakes are THOUSANDS of dollars!

    I still have my cake topper, btw. And we didn't have a groom's cake. Not a custom that took hold in our plain ol' circles back then, although it's increasingly popular now.

    Wonder why no one wants a monkey cake?

    Do you ever Catch "Ace of Cakes"? on Food Network? His cakes are incredible - I can't imagine cutting them. Or paying for them!

    me<><

  • No, I've not seen Ace of Cakes; of course, this was my first exposure to Bronwen Weber, so there one is.

    Hey, I've got MY cake topper, too! It's made of sugar flowers so is extremely fragile after almost 36 years, but by jingo, it's still there under its glass dome (kindly provided by Mom).

    Thousands of dollars??? That's nuts.

    Did you see the first one under "Birthday Cakes" that's for some child's first birthday? I wonder how much that set the proud parents back?

  • The monkey cake is so cute - it's Curious George!

  • Ah! I didn't notice it there in the Special Occasion cakes.

    I also like the blue and white one that looks like a jar with a lid.

  • My goodness Anne! Dima's been out with Carolyn, what, two times, and you're already looking at wedding cakes?? Slow down! Please!

    (What's a groom's cake, anyway? I never hoid of it.)

  • LOL!!!

    Very funny, Moosie.

    Well, a groom's cake is almost always chocolate (which just seems wrong, doesn't it? Surely the female's cake should be chocolate!), and is a second cake that normally isn't as frou-frou as the official wedding cake.

    Some people down here like to make a red velvet cake in the shape of an armadillo.

    Only in Texas!

  • mmmmmmm...Iwant to dig into that yummy looking chocolate grooms cake.  John Moriarty had a tuba cake with chocolate covered strawberries coming out of the bell as music notes.  It was awesome.  My mom and aunts have always been great at making cakes (our wedding cake and my birthday cakes growing up).  I wish I could do that.  I need to take lessons from family.

  • ARGH! Did he really? Can you get a photo of that cake? I'd love to see and post it.

    Your wedding cake was marvelous, a feast for both eyes and tastebuds.

  • Do you know, it was reading this thread that made me realize one reason all of us will miss Clara when the next wedding comes along. She decorated lovely cakes for all of our weddings since she took the Wilton course not long after Faron and I got married. That's a lotta weddings! Think of the money we saved!

    On a small rabbit-trail, for a while, we had our own wedding service. I'd make the dresses, Clara the cakes, Hazel would cater. Kim and Helen were available for whatever, if necessary.

    And Anne, you'll like this story. When Faron's sister Sue got married (the first time, that is) the wedding was done on a shoestring of unimaginable tightness! Clara donated the cake, and my mom and sisters did the food, and I made dresses. The reception was held at my parents' home. Ron was perhaps 8 years old, and pretty wild, in a sweet way. Just busy, and of course, he acted with no thought for the consequences. Clara had a big ol' Town and Country station wagon, with a back door that swung open to the side, if needed. So, she's delivering the cake - bent over with her head in the back of the car, picking up this 3 or 4 tiered cake. And Ron came running out of the house and WHAM! he tried to slam that door shut. (He still loves to slam doors.) Fortunately, I was there to help carry the tray of flowers Clara was to put on the cake plate once it was set up, and caught the door.

    I've always had a perverse thought about how funny it would have been if I hadn't caught the door.

    SHAME ON ME!

    me<><

  • That red armadillo cake - Didn't I see that in a movie? Steel Tomatoes or something like that?

  • Byron, I think the Groom's cake must be more of a Southern thing-- I never heard of it either until somewhat recently. They call the wedding "ushers" the "groomsmen" too, which led to a misunderstanding between Rich and a friend once.

  • The bride's cake should always be white and it's always served with wedding punch.  Mine was an amaretto cake with cream cheese frosting.  Mike's case was some kind of Italian chocolate - and the groom's cake is always served with coffee.  And yes, all the groomsmen are groomsmen, even though some of them may only usher and not stand up during the ceremony - it depends on how big the wedding party is compared to how many guests there are.

  • That's too funny, Cindy! What a mental image.

    And shame on you, indeed.

    I don't know, Byron; I saw "Steel Magnolias" but don't recall an armadillo cake. Wouldn't surprise me if there had been one, though.

    Groom's cakes are usually only found at large weddings (150+), BTW. Kirstin had one, but not Jessica nor my nephew, Justin. Most likely groom's cakes do double duty by both keeping the wedding cake from being too big, and providing a chocolate option.

  • Check out the show on Food Network, if you haven't already, called Ace of Cakes. This guy makes some awesome cakes!!. I miss ol Randy, too. Hope things are well with him.

  • I would take a monkey cake in a heartbeat.  

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