I do love a good food challenge.  Even though it was Easter weekend and I had a wedding cake, I pulled an all-nighter to put together 2 submissions for this year’s first annual Edible Book Festival at the Lake Forest Town Center, courtesy of the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council.  There were some fantastic entries this year, and I’m very disappointed that there is no link I can share to show the other entries.  However, I’m more than happy to share my entries.

I based my first entry on the popular book A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.  I called my submission A Game of Scones.  It’s made out of 3 different flavors of scones, Raspberry, Blueberry, and my very special Bacon Cheddar.  I made the family banners out of chocolate on bamboo skewers.  All the other decor is made of fondant with bits of chocolate for the details.  Even though I filled a big tray of extra Bacon Cheddar Scones with gloved hands, I was surprised at how quickly people started taking apart and eating my display when it was announced that the contest was over…especially since I dropped the display on the floor of my car and set it up with my bare hands.  I removed it as quickly as I could make my way through the crowd once I noticed people were eating it, but really, let this serve as a little food for thought next time you find yourself at an Edible Book Festival.

My second entry was based on the character Curious George from the short stories by the same name.  The focus of my entry were my new favorite baked snack, Gougeres.  I titled my submission Curious Gougère.  Gougeres are simply a fancy French term for cheese puffs.  I baked mine with Gruyere cheese, a dash of fresh herbs, and just a touch of black pepper.  George is made from cake we were going to toss from the bakery because it was too old to sell, along with some extra vegan icing I had left over from a wedding cake.  The whole thing is covered in fondant with a little edible food pen decor.  Once again, I provided a basket of fresh baked delicacies only to return to find someone had carved a piece out of George’s side with a spatula when it was announced people could start eating.  Looking around the room, I could see projects that obviously took days, and I really think this is something people should consider before blindly taking a bite of something.  As much as we’d all love to run around a room stuffing our faces like we’re in Willy Wonka’s factory, that was a work of fiction and food born illnesses are part of the real world.

There were no awards to be had for this cake decorator, but that hasn’t discouraged me from trying again next year.  I especially loved The Secret Garden entry and the chocolate sculpture honoring a Biography of Alfred Hitchcock.  I’m also very proud of my co-worker for her submission of Poppy and Rye with one of her delicious Gluten Free Poppy cakes and a beautiful perfectly executed first attempt at pie.  I really wish someone had uploaded pictures of the event; you’ll just have to take my word for it that is was a lot of fun for the whole family.  I know I’ll be there next year, and I hope to see some old and new faces next year.

A customer called about a surprise birthday party cake that needed to be chocolate and perhaps pirate themed…chocolate pirate themed.

I started with solid chocolate shapes and used white and yellow chocolate for the detail.  I added just a touch of gold luster dust to the yellow chocolate to give it a touch of sparkle.

Every year I make a cake for little Oscar, and the last couple years he’s been really into Legos.  This year the new fad is a collection called Chima.  I’m more of a fan of the City collection, but it’s not my birthday.  Last year I made a background image that they decorated with toys, but this year, they had something very different in mind.

Now before anyone gets their copyright britches in a bunch, I looked it up; Chima is the name of a city in Portugal.  I stayed far away from copying the style of the logo, so I get to use the word on the cake without stepping on anyone’s toes.  Chima legos are based on a battle between various animal-people tribes in a jungle paradise.  This shield is loosely based on a very awesome shield the family was kind enough to let me borrow.  I made most of the decor out of cream cheese icing.  I actually had a bit of a dilemma over whether or not to hold back on the blue food coloring.  Extra coloring meant bright vivid colors and the risk of blue mouthes while less color meant a less impressive cake for the kids.  In the end, I like to think it’s about the kids.  The middle piece is made with swirly blue chocolate that I gave a light spray of silver shimmer.

I can’t wait to see what the family brings me next year.

Tigger is of course under copyright, so I did a little tweaking here and there to make my own cartoony version of a classic character for a 1st birthday.  I’ve noticed that children 4 years and younger tend to be familiar with only the colors and general shape of their favorite characters, so you can get away with quite a bit when making a cake.

Normally, with a Black & White cake I would decorate the sides with cake crumbs.  However, it just didn’t feel aesthetically appropriate in this case.  So, I decided to use bits and pieces of the Hundred Acre Wood.  I really enjoy tiny details.  I like that look kids get when they notice something they didn’t see at first glance and how excited they get when they get to share their discovery with someone else.  I realize the child in this case is a little young for that experience, but I’ve also noticed that parents of little ones have no problem getting excited for them.

I admit I made up my own Hundred Acre Wood based on what I know from the stories.  For example, I remember Pooh liked honey, so their are some pots stuffed under a tree.  Rabbit had a garden, so I added a little patch in the front.

I put a hole in a tree at the top for Owl to live in and a small one at the base of a tree for Pooh and Piglet.  I also lovingly remember Pooh losing a fir-cone off a bridge because he thought it was magical how it fell into the water off one side and popped up on the other.  I don’t know if there was a tree swing in the stories, but there gosh darn should have been one.

My favorite work by Phil Lamarr was his voice work as Samurai Jack, but it should be noted that he has incredible range.  While watching the voice actors panel I was able to take in Phil Lamarr’s spot on hilarious impersonations of Michael Jackson, Snoop Dogg, and Chris Rock to name a few.  However, the reason I decided to give him a cupcake was because I just recently watched The Pee Wee Herman Show on Broadway courtesy of HBO.  My favorite character on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse as a kid was Cowboy Curtis, originally played by Lawrence Fishburn (whom I will always refer to as Cowboy Curtis until the end of time), and in the stage version, Phil Lamarr did an amazing job filling some very important boots.

I apologize for the terrible photo.  He’s much less grainy looking in person.  Sometimes I get so nervous waiting to meet a celebrity that I hit strange settings on my camera…like the Nighttime button when I’m in a brightly lit room in the middle of the day.  Phil Lamarr was incredibly friendly in person; he even stopped to take a photo of me.  Here’s a much better photo of the cupcake.

I made Hermes out of chocolate on top of a Guinness cupcake.

I’d like to thank all the celebrities for being amazing and the Emerald City Comicon staff for running a great convention.  I had a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to next year.

Supernatural has been on the air for 8 seasons and is looking forward to season 9.  Misha Collins was not one of the original characters, but a guest appearance led to a role that stole the hearts of fans and made him one of the stars.  His incredible sense of humor and comedic Twitter presence has created a cult following he lovingly refers to as his minions.  He is my favorite character on Supernatural, but what really earned him a cupcake was his charity Random Acts of Kindness.

Random Acts of Kindness is a charity designed to do exactly what the name eludes to.  They encourage everyone to perform random acts of kindness in a movement to make the world a better place.

I admit, this cupcake was last minute.  I was really hoping Misha Collins would offer up something on Twitter that I could use on a cupcake, but he didn’t (the lice thing didn’t seem appropriate).  I quickly put together a # Angel Wings in honor of his Twitter presence and angel character.

Not my best work on top of a Guinness cupcake, but I really thought he deserved the effort.  I also caught his panel An Angel Walks Among Us, which was thoroughly entertaining, and he dealt with his hoard of female fans very well.  I recommend his Twitter if you’re looking for a good chuckle now and then, especially if you’re a Supernatural fan.  He’s very nice in person, and I will treasure the photo taken of the two of us he autographed.

I’m just going to get right to the point as to why I gave this man a cupcake.  Chekov is my all time favorite Star Trek character.  You read that right, ALL TIME!  Take all the shows and all the movies, and Chekov is my favorite, hands down.  Why?  Well, I’m glad you asked.

Chekov is the heart of the original Star Trek crew, and he had a little of the Davy Jones thing going for him.  He was loveable, his accent was charming, and he had incredible passion.  I know what happens in Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, but I will watch it again and again to then end just to know Chekov is okay.  The same can be said about Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, which happens to be my favorite Star Trek movie.  You might have a different favorite actor, and you are fully entitled to your opinion.  I show my appreciation through cupcakes, thus, Walter Koenig has earned my cupcake honors by creating such a wonderful character.

I also want to point out that his acting didn’t end with Star Trek.  He also performed as the memorable character Alfred Bester on Babylon 5, and he still makes appearances in many independent sci-fi projects.  He also writes scripts and comics.  The decoration on his cupcake is based on the art of David Reddick because Chekov was not in the Star Trek animated series, which is a travesty.

The cupcake is Mint Chocolate Chip.

Walter Koenig was very sweet in person.  There is no photography allowed in the celebrity autograph area at the Emerald City Comicon, so do not ask me how I got a photo.  I’m really happy I got the opportunity to tell him how much I enjoyed his character and get him to sign my action figure.  He recognized the likeness on the cupcake immediately, and I hope to see him making more guest appearances in the future.

I got a chance to listen to Jim Cummings wonderful range of characters during both the Star Wars Script Reading Panel part 2 and the Jim Cummings: Working in the Hundred Acre Wood Panel.  He had the audience cheering and laughing with his incredible tales of growing up and developing his voices.  For many people of my generation, we grew up listening to the voice of Jim Cummings, and many more generations after me will be enjoying his talents, and for this, I think he deserves a hundred cupcakes, one for each memorable character, but I just gave him one.

He was smiling much more in the first photo, but I’m am that obnoxious idiot that had the wrong setting selected on my camera.  Learn from me!  Always check your camera settings before meeting a celebrity.  I made Jim Cummings a Mint Chocolate Chip cupcake with Pete made out of chocolate.

I don’t think Pete gets enough credit.  Jim Cummings informed his fans that Pete is the second oldest Disney character.  He’s been in Goof Troop, countless Mickey Mouse films, and several video games, often times playing the minor villain, teaching children how self centered behavior never truly pays off.  Pete sets the challenge that the hero must overcome to win over the audience, and for that, I think he’s a very important character, worthy of a cupcake.

Jim Cummings was amazing to meet.  He entertained fans with voices personalized towards the items that they brought him to sign.  We actually got a couple of autographs because we like him that much, and I feel really bad that I messed up the photo opportunity that he posed so wonderfully for.  I also got the chance to hear him read the part of Darth Vader using the voice of Winnie the Pooh, and I will treasure that moment for years to come.

From the very first episode, I have found Jordan Hembrough to be overflowing with energy and charisma.  His show reminds us of all the toys we played with as a child, the toys we wish we had, and the toys we didn’t even know existed.  I like to think of him as the man who rekindles childhoods, by connecting people with the little pieces they’ve been missing for so many years.  He also buys toys from collectors, rewarding them for so many years of loving care and protection.  I myself am an avid toy collector, but I have to be honest, nothing I collect is worth anything except sentimentality.  However, for giving hope to all those who held onto the treasures of their childhood, and justifying their collections, I decided he needed a cupcake.

There were so many wonderful toys for purchase and only so much money in our budget.  There were a lot of people hovering around the Toy Hunter booth mixed with camera crews and filming staff, but with a little patience, Jordan Hembrough was gracious enough to make time for all his fans.

I really struggled coming up with something appropriate to put on a cupcake before settling on the box cover for the original Robby the Robot (aka Mechanized Robot).  I was in the midst of looking for other images for other cupcakes, and I cropped and printed this image in a hurry without fully thinking through the level of complexity. I was really nervous at first, but once I started I decided there was no going back.  There are 11 different colors of chocolate in this piece, and it’s only 2 inches tall.  The cupcake is Mint Chocolate Chip.

Jordan Hembrough was exactly as he seems on TV.  He was constantly smiling, shaking hands, and posing for pictures left and right all while running his booth.  He was excited to receive a cupcake, and I can’t wait to see his Northwest escapades on TV as part of Season 2!

Brian Posehn usually plays the epitome of nerd giant.  He has a wonderful comedic presence standing awkwardly at about 6.5 feet tall with often feathery thinning hair and black rimmed glasses with the accompaniment of his unique voice that goes from monotone nasal to intense screechy in a second.  You know him when you see him, and if you listen closely to movies, such as Surf’s Up Glen, you’ll know him when you hear him.

I get a big grin just looking at this guy.  I even watched a bit of the Sarah Silverman Program to catch a scene with him in it.  His stand-up is also very hilarious if you ever get a chance to watch or listen to it; it’s got a little bit of everything in it so that everyone can enjoy it.  I don’t want to take up too much time listing his resume, but if you know who he is, then you’ll know why I had to give him a cupcake.  If you don’t know who he is, then you obviously have some googling to do because you’re missing out!

I took the image for the chocolate decor from the cover of Brian Posehn’s comedy album ‘Live In: Nerd Rage’.  The cupcake is Key Lime, which is a twist on one of our new March flavors.  For some reason I associated the flavor combination of sweet and sour with Brian Posehn.  He thought it was really great, and his fellow writer on the Deadpool comic asked me to pose for a photo, which was a completely unexpected first.  I have to admit, I don’t know what to make about being on the other end of the camera.  However, I’m glad they enjoyed the cupcake as much as I enjoy Brian Posehn’s contributions to the world of comedy…and the world of metal?