Saturday 25 February 2012

3 Tier Square Gold Daisies Wedding Cake

This week's wedding cake was a 3 tier square cake covered in ivory fondant icing then trimmed with gold ribbon. The cake then has tiny daisies applied which have a gold centre, and a topper of gold centred daisies to the top tier. 





The cake was delivered to Hey Green Hotel, Marsden, Huddersfield (www.heygreen.com) and a big big thank you to Alex for all his help! The road was closed, and he kindly came down the drive to my car and carried the cake to the hotel for me. What a star! 



Thursday 23 February 2012

Gruffalo Birthday Cake

Here's a cake we made for Ellis' birthday. He loves the Gruffalo, so we were asked to put a whole family of them on the cake! 



Each gruffalo is hand modelled and totally edible. 




The cake is finished with a message, some little stars and an edible bow. 


Happy Birthday Ellis! x

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Our shiny new website

Jo's Cakes finally has a new website up and running - FINALLY! There were a few sleepless nights and a day or two when we didn't even have a website but it's there now. It's slightly less purple than the last one but I hope you like it. Why not bob along and have a nosy at our cake galleries- it's www.joscakes.net. 


Don't forget you can also find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JosCakesHudds or our Flickr stream with photos of all our recent cakes at http://www.flickr.com/photos/52101386@N04/sets/ 














xx

Monday 20 February 2012

Peppa Pig and George Birthday Cake

Here's a cake we made for Scarlett, who loves jumping in muddy puddles like Peppa! 



Hand modelled characters of Peppa and George sitting in a muddy puddle are on the top of the cake, as is a little duck pond with cute little ducks. 


Scarlett's age is laid out in daisies with hand piped centres, with her name on pink discs then the letters hand piped on.





 Happy Birthday Scarlett! x

Saturday 18 February 2012

W060 - Wedding Day Top Table Novelty Cake

Something a bit unusual for your wedding day! Here's a novelty cake with hand modelled characters designed to be like the top table at a wedding, complete with all the stars of the day! 




All are edible (apart from the diamante sparkles) and inside is a delicious vanilla sponge cake. 




As we make the figures, we can make them look like your wedding party and can change the colours and styles to suit your colour scheme. 


To enquire about this or any of our cakes, please get in touch - jos.cakes@ntlworld.com.



Friday 17 February 2012

Two Tier Pink 21st Birthday Cake

Here's a two tier birthday cake we did last week for Naomi's 21st birthday. The top tier was lemon sponge cake with lemon filling and the bottom was vanilla cake with vanilla filling and strawberry preserve. 




The bottom tier was decorated with hearts, and the top with stripes of pink fondant. 






The top tier was finished with a spray of pink hearts and we piped a message onto the cake for Naomi.




The cake survived me driving it to Barnsley, which is a fair old way from little ol' Jo's Cakes HQ!! Thanks for looking x

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Portion Sizes...

It can be a minefield, knowing how large a cake to order. The amount of portions you get from a cake depends on a number of factors, the main one being the generosity of the person cutting up the cake! Some things worth bearing in mind:

  • You get more portions of cake from a square cake than a round one
  • Cakes are generally portioned up into 1" x 2" size for sponge cakes and 1" x 1" size for fruit cake. Fruit cake tends to be a lot richer, so you need less cake per portion. 
  • Novelty carved cakes are a whole other matter - these are only ever very general numbers of servings, as the way the cake has been carved means that not everyone will have an equal portion (if that makes sense!?)
 Round - Fruit
Round - Sponge
Square - Fruit 
Square - Sponge 
 Single Tier
 Approx no of servings
 6"
 22
 12-15
 28
18
 8"
 40
 20-25
 54
32
 9"
 54
 27
 70
39
 10"
 68
 35-40
 90
50
 12"
 100
65
 134
72
 Two Tier        
 6" + 9"
 76
 38
 82
41 
 8" + 10"
 108
 54
 144
72 
 9" + 12"
 154
 77
 204
102 
 Three Tier        
 6" + 8" + 10"
130
 65
 170
 100
 6" + 9" + 12"
176
 88
 232
 145
 8" + 10" + 12"
208 
 104
 278
 155
 Four Tier        
 6" + 8" + 10" + 12"
 230
 120
 304
 170

Hopefully this is useful! It's a good way of seeing how many portions you can get if you mix and match as well, e.g. a 6" round fruit cake, 8" round sponge cake and 10" round sponge will give you going on for 80 portions of cake. 

Another way of having more portions for a cake is to have a separate "cutting cake", which your venue will keep in the kitchen. This cake is iced on the top layer only. When your venue serve up the actual wedding cake, they serve this up at the same time and your guests have no idea that the cake from the cutting cake didn't come from the main cake. This is a good way to save a bit of money on your cake, as you can have a smaller main cake which is decorated and the extra portions are made up from the not so decorated cutting cake :-)

What you might find however is that it's best not to cater for every single guest. There will inevitably be people on diets, people who don't like that particular flavour of cake or people who simply forget to get a piece of cake, and you'll be left with it all, or have to throw it away which is a real shame, not to mention waste of money! 

If you need any more advice when it comes to choosing portion sizes, speak to your cake decorator. He or she will be able to help you and guide you towards the right size cake for you!

Jo x



Some of our Reviews...

I'm in the middle of redoing the Jo's Cakes main website, which is a horrible task, and I've no room for some of the really kind comments that people have left regarding our cakes. I've decided to link the website www.joscakes.net to this page so people can still see them :-)

"Hi Jo,
 
HAPPY NEW YEAR.
 
Thank you sooooooooooooooooo much for the fantastic wedding cake. It was perfect, didnt want to cut it :-).
Ive passed your details onto a few friends who are getting married this year so hopefully they will contact you soon.
 
Kind regards.
Fiona x x"
December 2011



"Hi Jo 

The cake was spectacular it went down a treat, although I did'nt get one bite of it :( we had a brill day albeit the rain but hey ho, we're off to book our honeymoon 2 weeks glorious weeks in Egypt can't wait .....
 
Cheers
Vicki xxxx"
December 2011


"Hi Jo,
Thank you for the cake, it was delicious and she really loved it! :) everyone enjoyed it as well.
Amina
Ps. We hope to do business with you again and we would also recommend you to others!"
December 2011



 
"Hi Jo

Thank you so much for Aaron's wonderful cake. All his friends loved it at the party, and it tasted just as good as it looked!

Thanks again.
Lindsay"
December 2011

"Jo



I would just like to say thankyou so much for making such a smashing cake for rob for his 50th




Everyone was really impressed with the cake and decoration (and it tasted great too) and Rob was absolutely delighted with it as it was a complete surprise.




Thanks again

Moira"
October 2011






"Hi Jo,

We just wanted to say a huge thank you for our beautiful wedding cake. 
You have been fantastic every step of the way with our cake requirements and our expectations were exceeded when we saw the final result! 
It truly was an amazing cake and not only did it look amazing but it tasted amazing too. (I was actually upset that we had to cut it as I didn't want to ruin it!)

Your professionalism and great value for money means that we have already recommended you to my cousin who is getting married this November and she has now booked you. We will recommend you to anyone and everyone now.

If you would like any photo's of the cake with the flowers on it for your website we will be more than happy to forward them on to you.

Thank you once again and good luck with your future ventures
Taner and Laura"
August 2011

"Dear Jo,

Thank you very much for the gorgeous birthday cake you made for my daughter Scarlett. I cried when i saw it! It was just what I wanted for her. I was almost reluctant to cut it, it was so beautiful. Many of my guests commented on how amazing it was, it tasted just as delicious as it looked. I really appriciate the effort you must have taken to get the cake here on time, especially all the way from Huddersfield.

If anyone asks me for a good professional cake maker, i shall definately reccomend you to them.

Sorry for the delayed response, we are still just recovering from the party. My daughter also had an entertainer and many guests. All of which resulted in a wonderful 4th birthday.

Many Thanks Again,

Kellie"
August 2011





"Hi jo,
Just a big thank you for the cake, it looks fabulous and I will definatley return for the next birthday in the family :)
Thanks again!
Carly xxx"
June 2011





"Jo, the cake you made for our wedding was absolutely gorgeous - both in looks and in taste! I cannot compliment you highly enough for the fabulous service you provided from the very first consulation to delivery.
Thank you once again, Lyndsey & Mike x"
June 2011





"jo, Margaret loved your cake and everyone commented how lovely it was it also tasted good. Next time i c you i need some business cards so i can hand them out.
Laura"
June 2011





"To Jo
A big thank you for making a fab cake!
Love Cher and Stu"
May 2011





"Jo
Just a note to say thank you very much for the wedding cake and all the ideas and planning you made for it to happen. Everybody enjoyed it, so again a big heartfelt thank you.
W Mustafa"
May 2011





"Hi Jo
Thank you for making such beautiful cakes. All our guests commented how fabulous they were. The mini cupcakes were ideal for the toddlers too!
Many thanks
Clare"
March 2011





"Hi Jo
Just wanted to say a huge thank-you for James wonderful birthday cake. He loved it, his friends thought it was awesome and the parents all thought it tasted fab!!! Can't wait to eat the wedding cakes !
Louise x"
Nov 2010

"Hi Jo
Just wanted to say thank you so much for the lovely 70th birthday cake you did for me for my mum's birthday this weekend. She loved it and everybody at the party said how wonderful it was too and it tasted fantastic as well. So thank you very much.
Rachel"
Nov 2010





"Hi Jo
The cake went down a treat and I am just onto my second piece it's delicious same time next year but goodness knows what the subject will be
Thanks sue"
Oct 2010




















"Hello Jo
Just to say a very big thank you for the cake for Lucy.
Not only did it look super but tasted absolutely delicious.
Renewed thanks, we know where to come to next time and will spread the word.
regards"
Mrs Smith
August 2010
 
"A truly fabulous looking and delicious tasty "pink fizz" chocolate beetroot cake. Thank you!"
Jo
July 2010
 
"Wedding cake made to perfection and looked amazing, and tasted fantastic, Many Thanks Jo"
Sarah
May 2010

"Jo huni the boobs cake you made was fabulous and tasted gorgeous! Thank you soooo much Xx"
Bita
May 2010





"Oliver's Noddy first birthday cake was fab"
Katy
May 2010





"Great tasting & well decorated cake for my daughter's 1st birthday, cheers Jo"
Vikki
April 2010





"My birthday cake you made was excellent and I will be recommending you to all my friends"
Lindsay
March 2010

Black and Silver 21st Birthday Cupcakes

These cupcakes were made for a surprise birthday party and were all vanilla topped with vanilla frosting. Some had black stars, some had silver stars and some had silver '21's on. 




They were displayed under a 6" round cake on a tower, and this is the photo my customer sent along with a message to say they were delicious! 




Thanks for looking x

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

Here are some of our Valentine's Day cupcakes. Available in gift boxes of 12 or 6, these make a delicious treat  for your sweetheart. We can personalise as requested :)



Sunday 12 February 2012

Wedding Cakes

Three Tier Ivory and White Cornelli Lace Wedding Cake With PillarsFour Tier Square Blossom and Turquoise Cake (7)Peacock 3 tier wedding cake (2)Cascading Hearts Wedding Cake (5)Three Tier Floral Layer Wedding CakeThree Tier Ribbon With Brooch Cake (2)
Ivory and Gold Cupcake TowerIvory and Gold Cupcake Tower (2)Three Tier Cala Lily Cake (4)Two Tier Pink Gerberas n Dogs (6)Blue Hearts Present-Style Engagement Cake (8)Swirls 3 tier wedding cake (4)
Three Tier Black and White Square Gerbera Wedding Cake Two Tier Rose Brush Embroidery Wedding Cake (6)Beach and Shell Themed Wedding Cake (7)Pink Roses Cornelli Lace 3 Tier Wedding Cake (15)Vintage Olive Green Cupcakes with Roses (4)Olive Green Vintage Roses Cupcake Tower with Brooch Wedding Cake  (4)
Olive Green Vintage Roses Cupcake Tower with Brooch Wedding Cake  (6)Olive Green Vintage Roses Cupcake Tower with Brooch Wedding CakeFour Tier Square Butterfly Wedding CakeThree Tier Pink and Ivory Fantasy Flower Wedding CakeHot Pink Gerberas Two Tier Wedding CakeWedding Dress Inspired Brooch Cake
Wedding Cakes, a set on Flickr.
Here's a link to our Flickr page, showing some of our wedding cake images.

Saturday 11 February 2012

Heart Shaped Cookies for Wedding Favours/Place Settings

Great for wedding favours or place settings (or both - two birds, one stone comes to mind, saving a bit of moolah!), these cookies can be decorated in any colour and with any message. 



Naked cookies before decoration

I made a few with chocolate chips in for me and my hubby to nibble - this is all that's left :~) x


We can also wrap them in cellophane and ribbon to match your wedding colour scheme but they'd also be great for baby showers, christenings, birthdays - any occasion really! 


They're yummy - I made a load of them over the weekend and I've only got one left hehe xx

Friday 10 February 2012

Horse/Pony Themed Birthday Cake

Macey loves horses and ponies - what little girl doesn't? I know I did as a youngster! Macey's mum asked if I could create a cake for her birthday with a modelled pony on, and this is what I did. It's based on a cake she found online here (I'm not sure of who the baker is of the original) and is delicious vanilla sponge decorated with fondant. 



Close up of the border detail and fence post

Piped message on cake

Modelled fondant horse detail

Thanks for looking! xx

Thursday 9 February 2012

Two Tier Princess Castle Birthday Cake

Here's a two tier birthday cake we made for Emilie's birthday. It's a version of one we made earlier in the year but Emilie's mum asked if we could include a sleeping angel figure as she calls Emilie her little angel :)


The top tier has a hand modelled fairy princess castle as a topper topped with a bit of sparkly lustre dust, and the bottom tier has sugar butterflies and blossoms on. 



Thanks for looking! x