A little bling never hurt anyone...

My friend Kristen got married this weekend, and of course she asked me to provide the cake for her! I've known Kristen for a few years, so I knew that she would need something equally elegant and quirky for her wedding day!

Kristen's cake used the modern "telescoping tiers" look, in which we make each tier of cake taller than the one below it. This gives the cake a statuesque, avant-garde look.

The cake was adorned with hand-made sugar flowers adorned with real rhinestones and a real rhinestone chain at the base of each tier. The flowers were painted with silver leaf dust, which is edible (but expensive!). This is a great way to include a little bling on your cake without harming your guests. Since the flowers are removed from the cake before cutting, you don't need to worry about your guests biting into a rhinestone while enjoying their dessert. The flowers can then be preserved and saved for years to come!

Kristen's cake is a great example of a cake that did not necessarily use elements from her reception. Although she used red roses and black damask throughout the wedding, we both knew that repeating those elements on her wedding cake would make the room start to look very matchy-matchy. By giving me a feel for her reception and allowing me to have some creative freedom, we came up with this beautiful cake that fit right in on her wedding day!

Congratulations, Kristen!

New York is Boring

When I moved to Savannah, I didn't know a thing about it. What I did know was that I had come for a two-day visit to scope out schools, and when I passed under the moss-covered oaks, that was it; I was in love. Although I have now called Savannah my home for almost seven years, it is still easy for me to see how many brides would fall in love with it the way I did.

Savannah is one of the country's most popular destination wedding locations. Why get married in Savannah? Let us count the ways...

1) It is beautiful.

As someone who grew up in New Hampshire, Savannah's greenery was a big part of the reason I chose to make it my new home. Of course, the city is famous for the Spanish moss that drapes it's ancient trees, but what you may not know is that Savannah works very hard to maintain it's beauty and charm. The Historic Savannah Foundation helps to restore old buildings to their former charm and make sure new businesses honor the beauty that Oglethorpe laid out for us. Being able to walk down to the Savannah River and still be in the heart of the city certainly helps, as well. I don't know what more you could want for your romantic day! Oh wait, maybe I do...

2) It is fun!

Although the city gets a rap for being a sleepy Southern town, those of us who live here know that is only true part of the 20% of the time. For the other 80%, we are out and about seeing live music shows, going to galleries, seeing our friends, and drinking!! Savannah loves the arts, so there is rarely a time when you aren't able to find a great band performing or some beautiful paintings to take a look at. FUN FACT: Savannah is one of only 5 cities in the US with an open container policy. Combine that with our next bullet-point, and you've got yourself a good time...

3) It is walkable.

Historic Savannah was one of the country's first planned cities, planned at a time when most people needed to get around on foot or by carriage. Although our modern changes have made it so that this fact makes it sometimes difficult to find a place to park your car downtown, Savannah is still a great place to get around on foot. This means you won't have to worry about shuttling your guests from hotel to ceremony to reception. Many of Savannah's most popular wedding venues and lodging are walkable to each other! And you'll get to take in that beautiful Southern sun on your way there...

4) We know how to have a wedding here!

Because so many people get married in Savannah, it means that myself and my fine peers and cohorts in the wedding industry here have had lots of time to hone our craft and really get to know what you, the bride, are looking for. We keep in touch with current fashion trends and decorating trends to make sure we can help you have a wedding that is stylish and perfect for you! There are many florists, caterers, and cake shops here who specialize just in wedding services - no need to worry about hiring a sometimes-DJ or a fair-weather photographer!

5) You can still feel like it is your day.

We lovingly refer to Savannah as the country's biggest small town. Although there are a lot of weddings happening in town, we are still a close enough community to make you feel like you are the star of your day. Don't be surprised if your bartender knows your name the day you arrive! And as many say, "you never really leave Savannah"...you know you can always come back to celebrate your special day, and be welcomed with open arms!

Whether you are from Macon, Charlotte, or Burlington, Vermont, you'll be sure to find more than a few reasons why Savannah could be the perfect place for your wedding day.

A Good Cause

I have always been an animal lover, but I have not always been a shelter lover. We adopted a lot of shelter animals when I was a kid, but going to select a new pet was always a somewhat depressing experience. We knew we were helping our new family member, but you couldn't help but feel sad for the other animals left behind in cold, metal cages.

Last spring, my boyfriend and I decided it was time to get a friend for our cat, Ace. Ace is very social, so I knew we were going to need an animal that was absolutely perfect for him.

When I stepped foot into the Humane Society for Greater Savannah, I could see it was a different place than the shelters I had been to as a kid. The walls were all brightly-colored, the staff was excited, and the animals actually looked.....happy.

Friendly cats were allowed to roam in a big screen porch area. Dogs had a lot of area to play. We found our new cat, Kenobi, there, and began the adoption process. The staff were sad to see the kitten go, which showed real compassion for their charges.

I knew I'd really found a great organization when, right before we took Kenobi home, one of the staff members picked him up and gave him a kiss on the head. For an industry where it is easy to grow numb to the troubles of homeless animals, I knew Humane Society for Greater Savannah was different.

Since then, I've tried to help the organization as much as I could. We donated a cake to last winter's fundraising event, and it was such a big hit! We also do our best to try to help make the community aware of when the shelter could use a little help.

Now, we'd like to help again. Humane Society for Greater Savannah is holding a "Dog Lovers' Walk" at the Landings on February 25th. This is their biggest fundraiser of the year, and they could use your support! You'll also find an ad for TIER Luxury Cakes in their program! If you aren't in Savannah, consider making a donation to help them help homeless animals this year.

This is a organization that I feel 100% awesome about supporting, and I hope you will, too!

Food into Cake? Cake into Food?

Making a cake into something that resembles another food is always a weird thing. It is certainly deceiving to the brain ("Is that really a burger? What am I looking at??"), but always a BLAST for me to create!

Alfredia came into my shop looking for a groom's cake, but wasn't sure yet what to do for it. When she told me that her fiance was the owner of 520 Wings on Victory Drive, I knew we had our answer!

I began work on the big bowl of wings the day before her wedding. The first step was to create all the pieces. First, I made a bunch of sugar celery and a little bowl of "ranch dressing" to go on the side of the cake.

The celery was created from pale green sugarpaste. I formed them to shape with my hands, and let them dry over a wooden dowel rod to keep their shape. When they were ready, I airbrushed them slightly for depth, and used a fine paintbrush to add the lines. For the dressing, I just took some frosting, crumbled some chocolate cake crumbs in, and piped it into a sugarpaste "bowl".

Of course, the next step was the wings! Being a vegetarian, I was sure to pull up tons of reference photos to make sure I was getting them right. Alfredia sent me some photos of his wings, too.

I started with chunks of pale orange fondant, and formed them to shape. Next, it was time to airbrush! The airbrush color is specifically made for cake decorating, and is really just watered down food coloring. I started with a layer of orange airbrush color to add depth, and them used a darker brown to add the "burnt" areas.

But they were still looking a little flat. The answer: a paintbrush, and some darker brown food color for accent areas!

Now they're starting to look like wings! Once they got onto the cake, they were looking great, but I knew they needed a little extra "umph"...

Ah, that's it! The sauce on wings makes them glossy! So I whipped up a little orange piping gel, and used a big fat paintbrush to spread it onto the wings in the bowl. A few little drips of the "sauce" and now we were in business!

What fun!! I always think people probably feel a little deceived when they cut into a cake that is in the shape of another food, but I suppose that is part of the fun!

Until next time!

Anna's Birthday Cake!

It is always a pleasure when I get to create birthday cakes for my friends. When you know someone really well, you can always create something for them that you know will fit their interests perfectly. And the especially fun part is that: you often get to have some creative freedom!

I haven't known Anna very long, but we've become fast friends. So when her mom called to ask if I would make her a cake, I was quick to say "yes!". Anna is a member of one of Savannah's favorite local bands, General Oglethorpe and the Panhandlers, so the easy way out would have been to make a guitar shaped cake or something of the like. But we knew better than that!

Anna's boyfriend, Nate Marsh, also happens to be a fantastic illustrator. Anna's mom suggested using one of his drawings on the top of the cake, so I got him on the phone! He was quick to send me an illustration to use on the cake; Anna's favorite character of his: a dog riding a unicycle.

(this is hand-painted in food coloring, using Nate's drawing as reference)

So I had the top of the cake figured out. But what to do for the rest of it?

I was thrilled when Anna stopped by the shop the day before her birthday (not knowing I was making her cake), and pointed out her love for the silver bird on one of my cakes in the showroom!

Perfect! So I whipped up this cute, hipster-vintage birthday cake for Anna. The especially good news: she loved it!!

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Happy birthday, Anna!

Your Wedding Cake vs. Southern Sun

I get it. Really, I do. It's a great, romantic notion. Your perfect day in the sun, and you and your love cut your wedding cake in the beauty of the Southern outdoors.

Sounds great! The reality is, however, that sun and heat can take a toll on a wedding cake. Remember that, while your wedding cake may seem to you like a monolithic pillar for your wedding day - a statue, almost! - it is still just eggs and flour.

Even the most well-built wedding cake (tiered cakes use a table-like structure system of plastic dowels and cardboard plateaus to stay aloft) will begin to melt in the heat of the American South. Trust me, I've seen it.

Does this mean you have to abandon all of your hopes and dreams for your perfect outdoor wedding? No! You have lots of options to make sure your artistic dessert continues to stay perfect.

1) Consider putting your cake indoors. Most outdoor venues that I have been to have some sort of indoor area around them. Usually it is the clubhouse for the golf course, or the inn which has that great outdoor courtyard for your reception. Put your cake inside the door to your outdoor area, that way it can benefit from the air conditioning, and still be seen by your guests on their way to your reception.

2) Go with fondant. No matter how much you decide you don't like it, fondant holds up better in the heat. It acts as a "hug" for the buttercream underneath, and will prevent the buttercream from sliding down the cake, which is what would happen if you had an all-buttercream, no-fondant cake.

3) At the very least, put a tent over the cake. For bigger budget weddings, consider an air-conditioned tent. But if you're on a budget, keeping the cake in the shade will help to prolong its life a little.

4) Cut the cake early. To give you an idea of the life-span of your cake before it meets you at the reception: your wedding cake will be refrigerated at the cake shop until about an hour before your guests arrive to your wedding. It thrives in the cold, so if you absolutely must have your cake in the Southern heat, try to cut it while it still has a little bit of that refrigeration left in it.

All in all, it is best to avoid putting your cake outdoors as much as possible. In fact, I try my hardest to sway my brides away from putting cakes outdoors ever, even if it is the fall or the winter. And the bigger your cake is, the more susceptible it will be to melting in the sunlight.

I have never had a cake fall, and I don't intend to start now!

Ask Ashlee: "What Is It Like Being On Food Network Challenge?"

When people come into my cake boutique in Savannah, Georgia, usually the first question out of everyone's mouth is the same:

"What was it like being on Food Network Challenge?"

I have appeared on five episodes of Food Network's competition-style show "Challenge". They are, in no particular order:

- Beauty Pageant Cakes

- Extreme Wedding Cakes

- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Cakes

- Paranormal Cakes

- LEGO Cakes

Okay, I lied. They're in chronological order.

All of my experiences with Food Network Challenge have been absolutely delightful. The show has changed a lot over the time that I have been participating on it. When I filmed the first two episodes, they filmed the show in a small studio, and we were each given a small kitchen to work within. By the time I got to my third Challenge, the show had been given a great big new studio, and we each had these impressive, circular kitchens to work in. It was amazing!

I feel like, because of this, I have sort of been able to wean myself onto the experience of the competing on Food Network Challenge. The first couple episodes felt somewhat cozy and close. It was a different kitchen than what I was used to working in, but still felt very much like my shop back in Savannah.

When the new studio was built, there was this AMAZING new dramatic lighting in the studio that made me feel like a movie star. The spotlight rose on you at the beginning of the day, and fell at the end - literally!

But enough about the studio (it is amazing). The show is hard, hard work. Yes, it is really filmed in 8 hours. But what is even harder than that is that there is several hours of filming around that 8 hours. You spend a lot of time getting makeup on, waiting for lights to get set-up, getting instructions, waiting for the judges to make a decision, etc. It is absolutely exhausting. I have never worked harder in my life than I do on Food Network Challenge.

The weird thing, though, is that due to the show being filmed at a top-secret location with a climate very much unlike the one I live in, I often experience the worst sickness the day after the show films. It is not unlike a terrible hangover - but I didn't have anything to drink! We hardly eat or drink during the filming of the show, so it is hard to keep yourself healthy while you're on the set. It happens every time, and I have learned to prepare for it, but man - what a shock the first time I experienced it!

Everyone always asks me what the judges are like. Let me tell you: they are great, all of them! We all have a "character" we need to play on TV. Mine has sort of become the "rough, cocky youngun", and the judges have characters they play, too. It's what people like to see! What you don't see on TV, however, is that the judges really do care for you and your work, and after every Challenge make an effort to come to you personally and tell you about how they felt about your performance that day. They are the judges on a hit Food Network show for a reason, and their input is so, so valuable.

It is such an honor to be able to have been included in the roster of Food Network Challenge competitors, and I hope cake television never dies! There are a lot of television programs about cake, these days. Maybe not as much as there was a couple years ago, but it is still pretty prevalent.

Many people I have talked to say that they think cake television will never go away. People liken it to sports on TV. People will always have a want to see their favorite team compete on television!

Will it always be the same for cake design? What do you think?