My First Groom's Cake...And Maybe My Last

September was the craziest month ever. Packed with birthdays, anniversaries, rehearsal dinners, showers and weddings, I thought I would go crazy trying to keep up. To top it off, I was asked to make a groom's cake for my cousin's wedding and my brother's wedding which were a week apart! A lot of you knew that I was over my head in cakes, so I thought I would post a picture of my cousin's cake to show you what I had been up to. If you haven't figured it out, it was a Blues Brothers themed cake. The bottom cake was about 24x24 and it was surrounded by white fondant piano keys. My husband and I made a cake stand and wrapped it with a shiny fabric that had a snakeskin pattern. It was decorator friendly because I could wipe off any icing that made it's way to the table. I cut and molded fondant to form the black piano keys and the musical instruments (with the help of my best friend) and the cars. Each drum set took about an hour, start to finish. There is one on each side of the cake, so the front looked the same as the sides and back. I also used black fondant to create the Blues Brothers on top! This was my first experience using fondant and I didn't take shortcuts because I didn't know any. Everything was cut out carefully and I layered all the components when creating the guitars and drums. I also did a little painting with edible glitter when I made the instruments and the cars. It was fun, but I am not exaggerating when I say that I put in well over 50 hours on this cake. I made 14 individual red velvet cakes which were 12x12. I only had one square pan, so I spent a lot of time baking! I filled them with cream cheese frosting, and topped it with buttercream, because I can easily work with that!  I sprinkled on some blue sugar that had some sparkles, just to add a little something extra! All in all, it turned out pretty good. I don't think I will ever take on something so challenging again though!  My brother's cake was much easier. I'll post pictures soon! On things for certain. I have definitely learned why a groom's cake cost so much!
Thank you Tony Harrell Photography for sending this image to share with my readers. I ordered a couple of photos to put in my photo album and I really wanted one to post here! I had the opportunity to see all of the pictures that Tony and his wife Lisa took for my cousin's engagement, wedding, and reception and they were very creative and FUN! Any photographer can capture a smile, but only the best can capture the true essence of a person. Tony and Lisa saw beneath the stress and chaos, and found the love and happiness shared by the couple and their family and friends. They gave us new memories of a wonderful couple and shared glimpses into the past and present by capturing the right moments and expressions, and through their photos we saw hopes and dreams for the future.