Whimsical Floating Balloon Cake

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

Last week, I took a short lead order.

Thanks to an incredibly supportive friend who recommended me on FB, I started getting orders from complete strangers. (Scream)

Ms. L called me last Wednesday as I was having lunch. I was not expecting any calls and thought, "bloody telemarketing!!!". So I answered the phone with a mouthful of food and possibly a slightly annoyed voice, "Chomp chomp....hellooo?".

"Is this Giana? A friend of yours recommended your cakes on FB and I would like to order one..."

"Oh. OHHHH. OKAYYYY. (quickly swallowed that giant piece of cow in my mouth) Yes Yes!!! (frantically trying to find a pen and paper....)."

Ms. L told me she wanted a cake for her daughter Piper's first birthday. However, she needed it on Sunday and wondered if it would be too short notice. I told her not to worry and we could work together to find a design that she loved and viable for me to produce with a short lead.

Ms. L explained she wanted something simple, gender neutral and not screaming-at-your-face princess-y (love it). She needed a cake that feeds 12 people and was completely open to flavour as long as it wasn't too sweet.

As we chatted, she kept reassuring me that they are not fussy and that I shouldn't stress about the order. I was thinking in my head, "What did I do to deserve such great clients!!!?"

And so I started sketching that evening.

Due to the time constraint, I told Ms. L I would only be ble to do an one tier cake. However, I would make it a tall cake which would still be visually impactful.

Ms. L has a very calming and graceful voice. She is one of those people who you secretly wonder if they ever lose their temper. As we chatted, words like "white", "dreamy", "pastel", "light", "sophistication" popped up.

So I took that and incorporated in the design. I wanted her to have a cake that is elegant and gentle on the eyes with beautiful small details on the cake. In the end this is what I came up with...

This is a three layers Chocolate Cake with my signature super moist chocolate sponges sandwiched between a strong espresso swiss meringue buttercream made with real espresso powder.

I then covered the entire cake in white fondant and decorated with a floating balloon, pastel coloured poker dots and small daisies made out of fondant. The word "One" was scribbled across the front of the cake with a single, continuous string of white fondant rope.

To not overcrowd the cake with too many wordings, I decided to make a paper garland with the name "Piper" as a cake topper.

It is not a cake that shouts for attention. Its beauty lies in the delicate details and the simplicity of it.

It was such a wonderful experience crafting this cake. I kept Ms. L in the loop during the creative process and it was always nice talking to her. As I finished the cake, I excitedly sent her the photo and asked, "Do you like it?!!!!!!!

The day I delivered the cake, I waited patiently for her feedback. I probably asked my husband every hour or so, "Do you think everything is OK? Should I message her to see how the cake go?" And my (much more rational) husband would tell me, "NO. Don't be pushy....just wait". "Yes yes, you are right you are right." I said.

The message finally came later that evening and Ms. L wrote, "Hello Giana. The cake was even more beautiful then expected. Thank you very much for your hard work and for being so flexible and accommodating on such short notice. We're really happy with it. And it was DELICIOUS and not too sweet, which is just what we wanted. We also received a lot of compliments on it."

My husband was lying next to me half asleep as I read on and I shook him like the house caught on fire and we had to run for our lives, "HONEY, SHE LOVED ITTT!!!!!!" To that my husband responded with, "oh...Z...z....Z...zz.zzz

Happy Birthday Piper :) I am so honoured to be a small part of your special day, may you always bloom with grace wherever life plants you...

With love,

G