I'm no professional baker, so the thought of making a DIY wedding cake for my latest project for HGTV was a little daunting. But then I realized that with anything homemade, the beauty is in the "journey" as much as in the final product.  So I went with a  less is more approach. Basic pound cake, simply frosted with vanilla cream cheese frosting (thanks to all the masterclasses in Caking it Pretty !). 

I made this cake for the Strawberry themed mini desserts table, which I'll be sharing tomorrow. The cake really is so simple to decorate and I've already showed how I made the fondant strawberries here . So all that's left to do is the fondant pearl border and the ribbon bunting.

Nearly a decade ago, I (Tess) enrolled in a watercolor class during summer school at my university. I've always considered myself to be a fairly crafty and artistic person, but let me tell you - watercolor painting is HARD! Making simple designs and blending colors was fun and sort of relaxing, but the detail and artistry that my instructor and some of my fellow classmates used was phenomenal. Needless to say, I knew I was not going to improve all that much in just a short amount of time. However, I definitely left inspired and with a tremendous amount of respect for those that could create beautiful imagery with only a few tools.

We 're starting the week on a super sweet note, and giving you not one, but THREE nautical cake decorating ideas using sugar paste fondant - courtesy of our resident cake designer extraordinaire,  Tessa Lindow Huff .  Tessa created a trio of cakes for issue 8 of Birds' Party Magazine , based on our Nautical Party Printables, and any (or all three) would be a perfect focal point to your nautical desserts table - Plus they are so easy to decorate too, which is always a bonus in my book! Check out Tessa's step-by-step below:

I made these cuties for a mini strawberry themed desserts table I styled recently. And since it's strawberry season (even if the sun refuses to come out...), I'll be sharing my strawberry themed party recipes with you all this week in the hope to kick start the summer good and proper!! Anyways, it all turned out pretty yummy and cute too, don't you think? So it's good to know that if I can, you most certainly can too! ;)

  As promised in my last post,    I'm sharing the step-by-step tutorial on How To Make a Toadstool Cake today! I've always wanted to bake a toadstool cake, and styling our Pixie Fairy Party gave the perfect opportunity to head to the kitchen and get a little creative and adventurous. Now, I feel I need to add a little disclaimer here, to let you know I'm no professional baker and this was my total invention and first time making a toadstool cake. But hopefully it also shows that if I can do it (and super easily, I may add), then anyone can too! ;)

Hello fellow cake makers!! I am excited to share some quick tips to take your plain, buttercream cakes to the next level. Although I highly encourage learning how to create a smooth buttercream finish, adding textures is an easy way to change up the appearance of an ordinary cake.

So we've gathered all our tools, baked our cakes with delicious, fresh ingredients, and a bowl of mouth-watering frosting awaits us. Now what? Let's ice!!! Along our journey, I (Tess) will teach how to create beautifully decorated and iced cakes. We will experiment with rolled fondant, textured buttercream, and piped details. But for today, let's start with basics of H ow To Ice a Cake.

Hi there! I (Tess) hope you all enjoyed the last segment of the series, Baking Basics , and have been whipping up yummy, moist cakes left and right! Now, before we get into some decorating and assembly tips and tricks, I would like to set you up with some classic or  Classic Cake and Icing Recipes from my own kitchen - Believe me, if you start with a stable icing and a crumb with good structure, the sometimes-daunting decorating process will be much easier!

I'm an advocate for hand-made, and don't care who knows it. BUT I also don't have a lot of time and like any working mom, budget is always at the forefront of my party planning. And last year for my kid's joint Barnyard Birthday it was no different. I baked, crafted and handmade a lot of the details, including these Apple Cake Pops and mini " Farm Orchard" Centerpiece display for the pops...

Welcome back, friends! Continuing on our journey towards master cake maker and decorating genius - Today is Class 2 and we will go over some Baking Basics . Now that we know what tools to use, let's use them to mix up some quality ingredients to make something delicious.

I have been trying to get these ' Cake it Pretty ' cake decorating series up and running for ages, and so am beyond excited to have come across a mega talented professional to guide us through the world of cakes - Step-by-Step!

I am currently inundated with Holiday photos and articles for Bird's Party Magazine upcoming Holiday Issue, so today's post makes a nice change from all that! ;) If you haven't yet seen the joint  Barnyard Birthday Party I styled for my babies this year, then click here for all the details. Today I'll be showing how I made the cute Barnyard Cupcake Pails for that party. 

Ready for a Halloween Blog Fest ?! From now until the end of the month, we'll be bringing you lots of spooktacular posts with super fun, incredibly easy and BOO-tifully inspired  Halloween Party ideas ! ;) Today's Haunted Halloween Cupcakes recipe is courtesy of Haniela's !

My kid's Barnyard Birthday Party was posted a couple of days ago, but already have a few emails asking me about the cake pop chicks, so I think you're gonna like this post! ;) I was inspired by a fabulously talented friend from Lynlee's Petite Cakes when I made these "Hatching Chick" cake pops - I remembered seeing Lynlee's similar idea using fondant sugar paste and  push-up pops on Bird's Party Magazine Issue 5 , and thought I could make a similar chick but with cake pops instead!

Following on from yesterday's Barnyard Birthday post , this is the recipe for the " Farmhouse Apple and Berry Pie " I made instead of a birthday cake! I always like to incorporate a lot of handmade details in my styled parties, but this time around I was also in full prep for  Bird's Party Magazine Fall Issue , and hence my shortcuts - Instead of a fancy decorated cake, I opted for a farmhouse-style, rustic fruit pie for my kid's Barnyard Birthday this year . I'm no Nigella, so "rustic" is the operative word here! ;)

This is such a cool and easy idea by The Decorated Cookie  -  You don't need to be an expert baker nor an accomplished artist to create these stunning cupcake topper decorations - All you need is a little imagination and creativity!  You could even get the kids can get involved!! ;)

I made this cake for my Rule Britania Party shoot for Bird's Party Magazine - It's is my own twist on the classic Victoria Sponge cake.  Since we're celebrating Queen Elizabeth's reign this summer, I thought I'd inject a little British summer taste into my recipe, and called it a Jubilee Cake !

Hi, I am Virginie from That Cute Little Cake and today I am showing you how to make a Union Jack decoration using fondant. Whether you are planning a street party or getting ready to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee , these Union Jack fondant cupcake toppers will be sure to bring sparkle to your event !

This cute little Owl Fondant would make a great embellishment to any cupcake or dessert, and would make a cute party addition or teacher cupcakes!  Although Teacher's Appreciation has just gone, we can always Pin it for next year, right?! ;) Get the full tutorial below...