A Happy Bunny Cake and a few Surprises!

I have been thinking about a very simple cake design with PEEPS on top. So silly I know but I have never made a PEEPS cake.

It would be a small cake, covered with pipped white grass and the PEEPS perched on top. It would be cute and very simple!

A few days later, I decided to just do it. I was driving myself insane thinking about it so much.

I do that kind of thing. Do you? I think I have told you before that most of the simple projects I take on somehow become bigger, more complex and the most time consuming. It is true. Just don't remind the hubster of this this, please.

I rarely make a cake for myself. Because of my cake addiction and the fact there are no cut cakes allowed in my house. You know this already - we have been over it several times.

Back to the PEEPS cake….

Yes, I know you are looking at a happy bunny cake and there is not a PEEPS cake in sight. It wasn't supposed to be like this but just trust me. There IS a PEEPS cake.

Once I pipped the white grass to the cake, I liked it. It seemed so elegant - even if it was only grass. There is just something about a white cake.

I decided to take a quickie photo of the naked cake. Confession: there is no such thing as a "quickie" photo of a cake.

I photographed it with a solid black background.

Then I photographed it with a textured black background to see what would happen. I used a sheer, black fabric over my photo boards.

I did a head shot of the cake on the table with white sheer fabric. I liked this look also.

I suddenly realized that since this is my cake, I can design it several different ways and photograph it with different back grounds - just for fun!

So it began.

See how easy things get out of control in my world? Calling it "crazy" would be treading lightly.

It just "happens" and I can't seem to control it so normally I just go with it.

I added a simple wafer paper flower and photographed it with a neutral chevron background. This background seemed to make the cake appear a bit tan colored instead of bringing out the pure white. The "white balance" adjustment with the photo editing didn't seem to make any difference. I liked it anyway.

Next, I made some yellow gumpaste flowers and trimmed them with gold paint made from luster dust and blueberry flavored vodka.

And yes, you read that right. If I am going to make cake paint out of vodka, I may as well get some that  has a divine aroma, right people? Yes?

I photographed this one on a wooden table with a black background. I adjusted the edges with a blur for a soft effect where the two met.

This is a close up shot of the flowers sitting on a turquoise table top. I though the tabletop would make the flower centers pop. I think this one worked - I liked it.

I went "out all" and shot the same design with solid blue fabric. Did not like this one. The blue was very harsh and actually took away from the cake.

Next I wanted to see how the purple hydrangeas would look on top of the white grass. I liked this one the least.  A ball of purple hydrangeas sitting in white grass doesn't look natural, does it? 

Win some. Lose some. Right?

I wanted the PEEPS cake to be the final cake because I knew the sanding sugar would stain the top once I removed them from the cake.

Once I separated the PEEPS, I covered the white marshmallow sides with the extra sanding sugar that was in the bottom of the box. 

Clever? It may have been the most brilliant thing I did all day long!

I photographed the PEEPS cake with both - the black and purple background. 

The purple burlap background? Not so much. I thought the purple would be a nice Spring color and compliment the turquoise PEEPS. This background is just "okay." 

The black made it pop - in a loud kinda way.

The PEEPS cake was supposed to be the final cake but I didn't couldn't stop just yet.

While designing the other cakes, I got into Spring/Easter mode in a big way.

"Big" can become even "bigger."

I kept thinking about a little cute, happy bunny.

So I made one along with the flowers to match. I photographed the bunny with the purple burlap background. The purple really didn't do much for the "happy bunny" cake.

Since the sanding sugar from the PEEPS stained the top of the cake, I added a bit more buttercream and a texture to the top. I didn't care for it.

The happy bunny needed something soft to sit on so I covered the top with white sanding sugar and a few sugar pearls. Much better.

I photographed the bunny with the solid black background too.

I think I prefer the soft white background for the happy bunny. Which one do you like the best?

It took me approx. two days to decorate, make additional decorations and photograph the cakes. The simple PEEPS cake would have taken a few hours. For some reason, I don't think my brain has the capacity to compute "simple." 

I learned a few things which is always a good thing, right? 

1. A black background can really make most cakes stand out with a big POP.

2. A white background seems to soften the look but can also make the cake POP in a different kind of way.

3. It is tricky to use patterned backgrounds for cake. It can be done and it is done but the conditions must be right. 

4. Harsh bright colors - just no.

I want you to see this one last photo. It has nothing to do with the Easter cakes, but shows how a busy background can sometimes make the cake pop. I think this one did!

And so….as it goes with me - I decided to make a simple PEEPS cake. I then decorated that same cake six different ways and I tested various backgrounds while photographing the cakes.

Yes. It got big but it was a lot of fun.

We never know what will happen until we give it a try!

Just go do "something" fun and crazy sometime soon! Heck, I do it every day.

Happy Spring and Happy Easter!

Donna

xoxo