Sunday Sweets: The Undead Wed
March 29, 2009 Alright, folks, here 'tis: the moment you've all been waiting for. I give you...
James F. was the first to submit this loveliness, and as you can see it's from the one and only Pink Cake Box.
This next one may be more "bare bones", but I think it's rather classic:
Lynn H. actually sent this to me a looong time ago as a Wreck, but I liked it well enough to keep it stashed in the "Sweets" file ever since. It's from Craig's Cake Shop in Wisconsin.
I hear this next one was recently featured on the WE channel's Amazing Wedding Cakes:
It was made by Lauri Ditunno of Cake Alchemy, and Julie T. was the first of many to send it in.
I find this one particularly cool because I think that web was made using a new flexible icing product I saw at last year's ICES convention. You pipe it out as a runny icing, but once it dries it's like an edible rubber - you can pick it up, stretch it, etc. John and I had some fun at the product table playing with the stuff, but this is the first professional cake I've seen using it - assuming that's what it is, of course.
Sorry, sorry - geek out time over. Next!
I'm an art lover, so you know I have to feature at least one Day of the Dead cake:
Looove the colors! This was Janet S.'s wedding cake, and it was made by Kathy of Calamity Cakes.
Check out this dark beauty:
It took me a second to realize, but those tiers are actually coffin-shaped! See, I love that this is such a unique, gothically-inspired cake without being in-your-face. Also, this just might be my favorite Day of the Dead inspired topper ever:
And yes, it was custom-made: Carrie, the bride, wore a red gown and has purple and red hair. [sing-song voice] Gor-geous!!
This was submitted anonymously, but Mistress Carrie (she's a DJ for WAAF in Boston) was kind enough to e-mail me recently with more details. The cake was made by Something Sweet by Michelle, and the custom topper by Skellramics.
Here's another red, black & white gem:
Sabrina found it here, and it's made by Rosebud Bakery. Thanks to all of you in the comments who helped track it down!
And you know I always save my favorite for last, right? Here ya go:
Honestly, I think I'm in love with this cake. Who knew a skull topper with a spider on it could be that adorable? And I love the soft colors, the airbrushing, the purplish black roses - it's really all quite exquisite. What's even better is that this was made by the author of the blog Pumpkin And Spice for her advanced cakes class - she's still in culinary school! Many thanks to Meghan L. for finding it.
Reader Comments (103)
See, if you're going to be "unique" about your wedding (just like the millions of other goths out there), this is the way to do it--these cakes are pleasing to look at, skillfully done, and they are perfectly appetizing. Just because doves and angels isn't your style doesn't mean the only other option is to use tongues and eyeballs.
Personally, I'd rather not have a wedding theme that reflects some fleeting interest I had at the time--I'd want something that's going to be meaningful (and not embarrassing) for the rest of my life. Like someone said the other day, you might think you're being hip and unique today, but God help you when you have to show your wedding photos to your kids, grandkids and possibly great-grandkids.
I think the first "wreck" from Thursday's post was well done and could have been included in today's post. I especially liked the extra touch of using dried rose petals to add to the dead theme of the cake.
I am also getting tired of the whimsically misshapen tiers like in the Tim Burton cake today. The idea was cute at first, but it seems to be a bit too trendy and overused now.
Yeah! These are all really well done....but for some reason the "bare bones" cake is my favorite. Maybe because I hate any form of airbrushing on cakes. Just one of my peccadillos I guess.
Oh, my gosh! Fantastic!
I love the one with the coffin shaped tiers, and the one with the rubbery-icing web.
Magnificent.
Although, I'm not real sure what it bodes for the marriage itself. Kind of a bad omen, in my way of thinking.
But nonetheless, cool as can be!
~Amy B.
I'm so not a goth person, but these are awesome.
I can only imagine the... beautiful... and handsome brides and grooms in their... stylish... attire
You definitely need a professional if you're getting an undead wedding cake. These are scary, but in a good way!
This is my favorite Sunday Sweets ever! I knew there would be some good Day of the Dead cakes. I was talking to a friend a few weeks ago and I mentioned that (if) I get married, I would like Day of the Dead skull toppers for the bride and groom. From behind me, my boyfriend chimes in "Well, that's stupid". I told him he didn't have to be so offended by it, he wouldn't be there.
Fantastic!
I love the one with coffin-shaped tiers, and the spiderweb "rubbery" icing. Those are all great.
Though one would wonder what it bodes for the marriage, to have these as wedding cakes. LOL
I love them all.
~Amy B.
Those are absolutely amazing! It almost makes me want to get married again... Almost! LOL Thank you for sharing!
i'm not sure there is a "right" way to do cakes like these... yuck!
Dude, I have those same skull molds used in the second cake! They're Day of the Dead skull molds from one of those educational toy catalogs. :D
Can anyone tell me what the "rubbery icing" is? I'm a cake decorator and I recently booked a Halloween wedding cake for this year and they want a spiderweb on it. This would be perfect, but I've never even heard of it before!
I have an aquantance that had a haloween wedding who had the cutest little black, white, and orange tim burton cake.
Not my personal tastes, but they had fun! people came to the wedding and reception in their haloween costumes, and they seem to have had a ball!
Wow, those are gorgeous! Now *those* are how you do goth wedding cakes. I can't decide whether the first o fifth are my favourite. The Corpse Bride cake makes my inner Burton fangirl squee with joy, but that fifth one...my god, I almost want to get married *just* to have a cake like that!
To the knitter who posted-actually cable knit sweaters *always* make me want to throw up.
The cakes are VERY well done. Just not my style. The whole "undead" (whatever the heck that means) thing and gothic...whatever, just isn't my thing. But like I said, still very impressive cakes!
oooooh If I ever get married I am soooo having a unique cake like those! They are gorgeous and its nice to see spiders on a cake that dont make me reach for the insect spray!
I love all of these!
Love the first and fifth cakes..Very unique.;D
Chocolates...;D
I was going to comment earlier that the first cake in the last installment of dead wrecks wasn't all that bad. Compared to *these* cakes, if it weren't a wedding cake, I'd still say it wasn't all that wrecktacular, but, yes, if it's a pro job (not by a friend in cake school, or whatever), the quality diminishes quickly in comparison.
The Corpse Bride cake would be equally lovely without Victor and Emily on it.
Cakes!!!!!!!
Love the first one..;D
Yummy..=)
Freaking awesome! :D
@Cody: You're not the only one bothered by the asymmetry of the 4th cake. I've seen tons of asymmetry that is done where it looks like it's "asymmetrically symmetrical" (if that makes any sense). That one? Not so much. It just looks sorta sloppy to me. I do think the color palette is really cool, though.
"I doubt a cabled sweater ever made someone want to throw up."
My friend, respetfully, you are very wrong. ;)
I love all these wonderful cakes, its nice to see something different from doves/white/pretty-pretty flowers on Wedding Cakes.
As Janel mentioned, it is SugarVeil on the skull cake. Though, to be honest, that cake wasn't done by Cake alchemy, but she worked with another woman at the Cake Attilier, but they have since split.
The "rubbery" icing product used by Lauri Ditunno is called Sugar Veil (www.sugarveil.com). It's a pretty good product: Essentially a royal icing mix with some gum additives (there are a few recipes floating around to make your own as well). I love to use it and it's fun to experiment with.
Now that's more like it!
The Bare bones cake seems to be inspired and is almost identical tot he one the dead cook makes for Emily and Victor in the corpse bride movie. See here http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd59/staffordmanorhalloween/corpsebridecake.jpg
These are incredible!! I love them all! I almost regret not having this as a wedding theme.
Go to http://babelfish.yahoo.com/ They can translate just about anything. Just cut and paste your text.
I absolutely LOVE these cakes.
Beautiful work as always on Sunday Sweets.
wv cativ...I was cativated.
Oh my goodness! On that pretty coffin cake, it's a Grim Fandango cake topper! It's been a few years since I've played through the game, but I'm almost sure I remember there being a character who looked a lot like the groom there. The colors on that cake are just gorgeous too. I think I would be hard-pressed to not take that cake home as a pet, let alone eat it.
(I knit *and* I love cute-spooky stuff like this!)
These are all so very impressive. The Pink Cake Box is my fav. They all have amazing colors and style.
Oh, some of these cakes are perfect realizations of the gothic cakey images floating about in my head. Should I ever marry, I would love to have something like the coffin cake, as it's proof that a goth wedding cake can be both elegant and tasteful...and done in colors other than black and orange. These cakes are old-school goth elegance and whimsy in delightful, edible form.
word verification: bibli...what one uses to toast before digging into one of these cakes.
In the second to last cake, the skulls look like they were drawn with pastels. Looove it!
Oooh, Something Sweet by Michelle is right in Woosta! *makes mental note to remember this joint when I get married*
Can you tell me what the "rubber" icing is on the Cake Alchemy cake? I'd love to have the brand name to be able to use it. I saw her doing it on TV and didn't catch what the product was.
Marsha~ Great Cake! of the Outer Banks www.greatcakes.net
Can you tell me what the "rubber" icing is on the Cake Alchemy cake? I'd love to have the brand name to be able to use it. I saw her doing it on TV and didn't catch what the product was.
Marsha~ Great Cake! of the Outer Banks www.greatcakes.net
Wow, I've been waiting for the day when beautiful gothic cakes would be on Sunday Sweets - thanks! You've made my blog readers very happy:)
My favourite is the coffin cakes - so elegant and tasteful, and so delicious-looking!
Incredible edible evil!
I have a correction to make for you - the first one is an obvious Corpse Bride cake due to the toppers, but the second one is as well! It's the cake the undead made in the movie for Vincent and Emily's wedding. :)
My perkygoth teen daughter now demands one of these for her sweet 16
omg, everyone was looking for the bakery. if you said so, i'd help to find out.. coz although the blog is in portuguese, i also speak english... lol...
tks 4 the link!
I have seen some knit sweater that made my eyes hurt, and the dead cakes are awesome.
As far as showing these types of cakes off to my family, heck yes. Especially my children, someday grandchildren. loosen up and not be so critical of being different.
ya know, the one with the coffins is still representing the day of the dead you douche.
I was looking at past entries on this blog since I am a recent addict to your confection humor and when I saw the "bare bones" cake I recognized it...I often buy cakes from Craig's Cake Shop and had seen it on their website. I stopped in that same day for a cake and talked to one of the bakers (a fellow follower) and she said the customer had given them the sugar skulls and bones and requested they be placed on a "smooth traditional wedding cake". Just a little background of how the cake came to be. :)
*ahem* I know this post is old, but how come no one pointed out the obvious strange comment made by the lovely bloggess??
"You pipe it out as a runny icing, but once it dries it's like an edible rubber - you can pick it up, stretch it, etc."
My dear lady, I consider myself adventurous in the boudoir arts..but I have NEVER heard of an edible rubber, nor do I think i would want to eat one!!
(the flavored ones are nifty, though)
Simply Fantastic! You have to appreciate that type of work. xx