Two hearts that beat as one.

“Two souls with but a single thought, Two hearts that beat as one.”  

I usually reserve my blog entries for special cakes and events and I think this one definitely qualifies. It was May 25^th 2012 when Kesha & Dele pulled me aside during a party and said “We plan on getting married in March 2013 AND we want you to do our wedding cake!” At that particular point in time I had only done a few birthday cakes, and was not active via social media, so my immediate reaction was “shock and disbelief”. My response was “I’m not ready to do a wedding cake, I’ve never done one before” to which they responded “After seeing and tasting this cake tonight we are impressed and have no doubt that you can give us what we want.” The cake they were referring to was a cake I did for Charles Emanuel’s surprise Birthday Party.

 

Charlie’s Cake

Still blown away by the request, I asked for a few days to think it over and respond. After a few days I decided to accept the challenge and “give it a go”. I mean how bad could it really be? I mean, I would have a few months to prepare and practice right?? Well, I got some practice alright! A few weeks after, another couple asked me to complete their August wedding cake.

August’s Wedding Cake

For Dele’s and Kesha’s wedding they requested 100 Chocolate and Vanilla cupcakes (as party favors for guests) + a Burnt Orange Velvet wedding cake – burnt orange being one of the chosen colours for their special day. The months went by like a breeze and it was hard to believe that it was now March 2013. The big day was less than a month away – March 30^th was D day… As the day grew closer I became increasingly nervous, and several questions plagued me BUT the vision was clear. I had everything clearly thought out and written down, it was simply to execute now. Over the last year I have had the opportunity to prepare cakes for some large events, so I knew that a few things were bound to go wrong but I also knew that it’s how I dealt with these issues would be the only thing that mattered in the end. Knowing this meant, I had to manage my time perfectly so that when these things popped up I would have enough time to adjust to the circumstances. With all the practice and preparation in tow I set out to create Dele and Kesha’s dream cakes. I first worked on the 100 cupcakes because these needed to be wrapped in little boxes for the guests.

 

Vanilla cupcakes ready to be filled.

I made a Dulce De Leche filling to fill the cupcakes. I use Dulce De leche quite a bit in my cupcakes (as filling, frosting and even in the cakes). Now,  Dulce de Leche is condensed milk which is slowly heated to create a product that is similar in taste to caramelised sugar. Literally translated, it means “candy of milk. It is popular in South America, notably in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay.

 

Chocolate Cupcakes with filling

Each cupcake was topped off with a simple Vanilla frosting.

Now The Cake!!!!!!

With every cake there is a certain level of nervousness that comes. For me, that feeling is multiplied by 10 when creating wedding cakes/cupcakes. I know I’m not alone when I state that wedding cakes tend to be the center of attraction (right after the bride and ceremony of course). I think most persons expect to be wowed upon first sight of the cake, and that is where that nervousness (and pressure) comes from for me. A few months prior, the couple sent me a pic of a cake which they wanted me to recreate, I found it simple yet stunning. I knew if I was able to successfully recreate this, then the bride and groom and guests would be wowed for sure.

Picture of cake to be recreated

After baking several layers of Orange Velvet cake, I started to assemble this masterpiece.

First layer of cake waiting to be “dressed”

 

The layer of the bottom tier

  

The second layer of the tier

Crumb Coat applied

Making sure I get the measurements correct.

The second tier

The top tier being assembled

     

The two bottoms tiers being assembled

The bottom tiers were assembled at home while the top tier and the rest of the cake was finished on site – at the reception hall. Assisting me with assembly and setup was my “Aunty” Kerry.

   

The final cake.

As a special gift we gave the couple a personalized cookie.

Congrats Dele & Kesha!

Congratulations!

When I started out making these little cupcakes I never imagined the demand for “regular” sized cakes would be so great! SO imagine my surprise when I was approached by Kessha to create her dream cake for her impending nuptials.

After the initial shock and excitement wore off I responded politely with a no. Why no? Well, I know brides are very particular about every detail of their special day (have you seen that reality show Bridezilla?) At that point I had never done a tiered cake, much less a wedding cake. I felt that my work would not be good enough for such a special day, I explained to Keesha.

A friend of the bride to be convinced me to meet with her to hear her ideas. After thinking about it, one evening in late May I reluctantly met with her .

At this point in May, my plethora social media pages were inactive so all she had to go on were a couple samples of cupcakes from friends and pictures posted on my personal facebook account. 

She was particularly impressed with some butter cream roses I did for mother’s day and wanted those to be a part of her cake.

 “Butter cream roses”

 

As we spoke about the cake and her ideas, I felt a bit more at ease but still not 100% sold. She explained to me that she wanted a simple cake, nothing fancy. Just a three tier cake with roses in yellow and teal/turquoise adorning the cake.

I told her that I needed a few days to think about it before I accepted the job. It was about 2 days after that I was contacted by a local wedding co ordinator to put together a cake for a vow renewal. Here, I decided to try out a tiered cake for the first time.

 

 

 

Plain 2 tier cake for vow renewal 

After Keesha saw a picture of this cake. She pleaded even more for me to sign on to create her wedding dream cake. After successfully completing my first tiered cake, I felt confident enough to bring to life Keesha’s vision. After, giving my yes to creating her cake, waves of nerves overcame me, and so it would continue for months until the day after the wedding.

I set out to learn as much as I could about constructing a three tiered wedding cake. This included tutorial videos, books and consulting with cake decorators.

I started about a month prior to the nuptials creating the fondant flowers. I wanted to amass at least 100 of these but that was easier said than done.

Fondant Flowers

More Fondant Flowers

 

 

In the end, I ended up with about 50 fondant flowers.

Finally the week of the wedding arrived, and so I started preparing the cakes for the tiers. The flavours of cakes requested were fruit (the bottom tier) and red velvet (the top and middle tier).

The night before the wedding I started nervously assembling the cake. 

 

Chilled Fruit Cake waiting to be assembled

 

 

Getting ready to apply crumb coat to fruit cake.

Frosting applied to fruit cake (bottom tier)

“smoothing out” the frosting

applying straws in the bottom tier to support the upper tiers

middle tier is assembled

can’t wait to see the finished cake so just “testing out” the roses. Still alot of work to be done.

still “testing out”

 

I did not fully assemble the cake until arrival at the church. 

This was definitely one of the toughest things I have ever done in my life. I think it was the pressure to get it right. I wanted to make sure the cake was perfect and that Keesha and her groom  were pleased.

Thanks Keesha for giving me the opportunity to create your dream wedding cake. 

 

Surprise!

When we decided to plan a surprise party for Charles, I knew I had to throw my apron into the ring and bake something special. Charlie, as he affectionately known by everyone had become a close friend of mine over the past couple years, so I know I had to create something he would remember for years to come. I knew I wanted to bake a cake plus cupcakes, but I wasn’t sure about the flavours or the appearance.  I wanted to use his favourite things to make this cake special – his favourite colour (blue), favourite dessert flavour (chocolate), his passion (music).

After carefully considering his favourites the inspiration came to me.  For the cake I decided on a vanilla cake with a coconut cream filling with a vanilla frosting. On the cake I wanted musical notes, his tattoos, his social media logo and his favourite artist represented.

For the cupcakes, I wanted a big bold chocolate flavour. I decided to make chocolate cupcakes with a salted caramel filling and Baileys and peanut butter frosting. I would top them with letter shaped cookies spelling “Happy Birthday Charlie”

Crumb coat

It looks a bit rough now but in a few minutes it will be transformed!

the crumb coat is finished! I nicknamed this cake “Big Blue”

After the crumb coat and smoothing out the “rough edges”

On to the cupcakes. Getting ready to fill with the salted caramel

Baileys and peanut butter frosting.

Sugar Cookies

“Big Blue” in all its glory. The top image on the cake is his logo and the other two images are his tattoos. Two cupcakes adorn the corners (22 for his age and the Gemini sign).

The music notes run around the side of the cake.

Cutting into “Big Blue”

Happy Birthday Charlie!!

About Us

“Flavours by Delano” is a home operated business that bakes desserts. Flavours by Delano is the brain child of Delano – a passionate and dedicated individual who loves food, but more importantly wants to share his love of food and baking with you. An avid baker since his preteen years – he grasped at the opportunity to study culinary arts at Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College, St.kitts. During his tenure at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College, he honed his baking skills through theory and practical courses. Since the completion of his studies and the attainment of an Associate degree in culinary arts, he has had the pleasure of preparing desserts (and food) in restaurants in St.Kitts and South Carolina. Although Flavours by Delano is a small operation, we cut no corners to ensure that we will continually produce quality desserts that satisfy your senses.

Although “Flavours by Delano” specialises in creating stunning, scrumptious & tasty cupcakes, we also create cakes, cheesecakes, cookies and pastries. We love that look of excitement on our clients’ faces when we surpass their expectations, not only in flavour, but presentation, and service.

We are quite aware that you are familiar with (and therefore stick to) the run of mill flavours of cupcakes, but we want to broaden your tastes and appreciation for “left of field” cupcakes. To do this, each month we will introduce to you and feature an interesting cupcake that will not only grab your attention, but also your heart. Want to know more?? You’ll have to wait and see what we are talking about.
We also want to exploit our abundant local produce. Therefore, you will recognise the use of fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs in our creations.
On any given day you will find us making Nutty Monkey (Banana Pecan cupcakes), Red Devils (Red Velvet Cupcakes with a salted caramel filling and white chocolate frosting) or coming up with something brand new.

The concept of “Flavours by Delano” came about in November 2011. It was then that the earthy flavour of chocolate, the nutty flavour of hazelnuts and the heat of chillies were merged to create a Chocolate & Chilli cupcake with A Mocha & Hazelnut Italian butter cream frosting. Since that time “Flavours By Delano” has continued to grow by word of mouth. We are proud, but more so happy to know that our creations have helped several persons celebrate their special occasion.

We operate from our small but capable home kitchen. All of our creations have been produced here.There is definitely no place like home.
It is through dedication, passion and the love of baking (and food) that we are able to consistently produce creations of quality that are second to none.

7 Food Blogs to Follow This Summer

I love the pictures!!

WordPress.com News

With the official first day of summer right around the corner, now is a great time to start collecting recipes for your favorite warm-weather treats.

You’ll find endless inspiration by browsing through topics like recipe, grilling, and summer in the WordPress.com Reader, and discover tons of great ideas by exploring our collection of recommended food blogs.

Here are seven mouthwatering recipes from a handful of fantastic blogs that are sure to delight all summer long:

The Patterned Plate

We Call Him Yes! Chef!

The Faux Martha

In Pursuit of More

Just Homemade

Love + Cupcakes

The Craving Chronicles

Do you have an all-time favorite summer recipe? What new recipes do you hope to try out this season?

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                   This exciting Chapter starts on 1st June, 2012.

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I’m new to W.P. Keep up with me as I dive into a new and exciting chapter of my life. I wanted to give you a behind the scenes more personal look of my business venture.