Cakie! - A Beginning

In the weeks to come, I'll be responsible for lining up some cake tastings.

What does one bring to a cake tasting?

The smart thing would be to first say, "a budget".

Okay, but unfortunately, I have no idea how much a wedding cake is supposed to cost. $3-$5 dollars a slice? How much do I even need?

All these unknown variables run through my head as Sak picks up the chorus of the Birthday Cake song. Oh Salinas, ever the silly town.


*Ahem* ...Yeah, sorry about that. Back to business?

As in any complex problem, we'll start by listing out the "givens". What do I already know? (Click images for sources!)

- We want a square cake.
Everyone knows you get more cake out of a square than a circle!

-Maybe 3 or 4 tiers high.


-Mostly white, but with either red or black trimmings.


-At least 2 different kinds of fillings. If I can find a place that will do a rum cake, I can die a happy penga. A good rum cake with a custardy middle is nothing to laugh at!

Or how about some guava chiffon?

Mmm. Hungry now.


And Sak adds, "Please make it tres leche." Umm. Somehow I don't think they make tres leche in Hawaii? We'll put it on the shortlist for the at-home reception, smack dab in the middle of Salinas. In fact, I already know a great bakery for that one.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well, what about the design?

For once I'm drawing a bit of a blank.

I like cakes with ribbon on bottoms..


And cakes with white-on-white piping...


And cakes with gum paste flowers...



But together I don't think it would work out so well. Then there was also my other hair-brained idea.

Tiny little power poles (model-railroad size), on each tier, going up to the top of the cake, where mini-Sak & mini-Penga would stand under a mini streetlight, lit by LED.

Okay, yeah, I just went from fresh flowers and ribbons to train sets. But in my head it seems so cool. And with both of us having graduated as power engineers, it's got plenty of meaning.


Don't you just love paint? :P

Only one problem. I can't find mini-power poles anywhere. Resident train-expert Sak says it's because model-train sets usually are set in pre-electricity times, so there wouldn't be any power. So unless we make our own steel towers, this idea is out.

Even so, I'm still in love with the idea of an LED-lit cake. Let's add that to the list of cake-requisites.

What kind of cake are you planning on? And how do you stop yourself from getting mad cravings while thinking about it?