Well, well--Happy June! It's been a busy few weeks, ending finals, moving into an apartment, starting an internship--and oh yes, turning that magic number for the American adolescent: twenty-one.  Indeed, I am now finally able to legally acquire alcohol.  I can go into bars, and order those cute little umbrella-topped drinks in restaurants, and no longer have to be frustrated when the cake requires Grand Marnier and there's none in the house.
While, generally, this occasion is marked by a certain amount of consumed alcohol, one must ask oneself: is alcohol better than sugar?  Better, say, than frosting?  I think not. 

So to duly celebrate my 21st in true cake style, I took a decorating class at Amanda Oakleaf Cakes, located in Winthrop, MA.  It was quite excellent; lots of useful tips for decorating, but especially for decorating with fondant, a substance that has never been my closest friend.  Happily, by the end of the class I was rolling and smoothing and stacking layers almost like a pro.

Finished cake, with birthday candles.

The cakes the Amanda Oakleaf Cakes' crew turns out are pretty awesome, too.  It's generally all fondant, but there's a great array of styles:

There are the pretty ones...



 ....and then the less traditional ones.

The brain cake makes the psychology major in me giggle, and does anyone else want to know what the support system for that lobster wedding cake looks like?  Talk about a balancing act...

They've also done crazy amazing things like being featured on TLC Fabulous Cakes, build a life-sized Stormtrooper out of cake, and compete on the Food Network Cake Challenge.

Be amazed, my friends.  Be very amazed. 

They'll also be heading down to Florida in the nearish future to make another cake-figure, this time a life-sized Darth Vadar. 

Sending you lots of cake-love!  Stay tuned for a few more kitchen posts for July, and maybe even a couple more cakes.



**Logo and cake images from oakleafcakes.com