"The Golfer in Blue" -Birthday edition
It was just about a week after New Year. I felt great seeing everyone on the gram modeling their 2020 into the year they would ace it all. I had my own reasons to not overthink and plan much ahead. A baby who was just learning to walk, a barely-there support system, and a home that was getting crammed up week after week. I felt restrained and limited. Who knew I had a myriad of firecrackers on the way waiting to get me busy like I never imagined.
Lee Ann wanted to surprise her husband Jim for his 60th and when she approached me with a number cake, she mentioned that it had to be masculine and very different as opposed to the Number Cakes you see otherwise on the Internet.
While the Number Cake trend seems to be here to stay, it is worth reimagining it when chanced upon. A one of a kind, number cake was what I had in mind for this occasion. And that kickstarted the first cake of the year.
I did a personality sketch for Jim which is something I always do when the cake has to take after the celebrant's character. Jim, as described to me by Lee was an avid Golf player.He always seemed to be reaching out for a Royal blue when he had to put on something before stepping out. This reminded me a lot of my Dad who has about a dozen t-shirts, all in the color black.
So here are some details about the making of this cake. I used hand-cut paper templates as a guide to carve out the cake. This cake served 80 guests and it certainly was a lot of work with the math and serving guide for such a large number. The Golf balls were entirely made by hand and a ball tool out of fondant.
The cake board was covered by using the torn paper technique with fondant and I think this was a genius way to break the stereotype of having a clean, smooth finish. I loved it so much that I might try it on the body of a cake sometime soon.
When I am given any color by a client, I always think in terms of the spectrum revolving around that color. So its never just navy blue, rather there is a blend of royal blue, prussian blue, and pure white to yield that spectrum which is stroked with the palette on the cake surface. The medium used to give the finish was Vanilla buttercream. The Flavour Profile was Ultimate Chocolate cake layered with Malted Chocolate frosting and covered in Ganache; a profile perfect for the birthday celebrants who want nothing but some great tasting chocolate cake.
To complement the cake, Lee Ann also had me make these cupcakes that I decorated with classic swirls in the colour palette of an ocean wave.
