sweets for life’s memorable momentsTumblr (3.0; @chefmona)http://chefmona.com/<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4rvsdX1qD1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Theatre Cake - Gluten-Free and Sugar-Free</p> <p>I made this cake for Melanie, Leslie’s daughter, who loves the theatre!  Her favorite colors are green and blue, and she has traveled throughout Europe and the United States to perform.  Melanie does not eat sugar or gluten, so I made this gluten-free, agave-sweetened, Chocolate-Almond cake, with Raspberry Mousse that was made with agave as well.  I made an agave-sweetened marshmallow frosting.  Leslie texted me the next day and said everyone kept taking pictures of it and loved it so much!  </p> <p>I know this might sound weird, but I hope I get more orders for cakes with dietary restrictions, because I like the challenge of coming up with new ways of making cakes yummy!</p>http://chefmona.com/post/23986211446http://chefmona.com/post/23986211446Tue, 29 May 2012 00:07:00 -0700<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m47ax0W8E01qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Carrot Cake!</p> <p>This is a cake I made for Heather and Brad’s engagement party.  Heather’s Mom wanted something, “Decorative but not too crazy, classic but not too boring, and it has to be carrot cake with cream cheese frosting but not too sweet!”  </p> <p>No problem!  I received a lot of compliments on my super-yummy carrot cake in the past, and I was confident it would be a hit at the party.  The morning after the party, I received calls from both Heather and her Mom, thanking me for the cake and telling me how much everyone loved it!  It made me soooooo happy!  That most definitely made my day!!!</p>http://chefmona.com/post/23275349412http://chefmona.com/post/23275349412Thu, 17 May 2012 21:24:00 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m47a1pEukg1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Calla Lillies</p> <p>This is a small wedding cake I made early in my career in Las Vegas.  The bride and groom were having a small wedding ceremony with 15 of their closest friends and family, and planned to celebrate without a cake, at a French restaurant in the Paris Resort.  The bride’s best friend contacted me and asked if I could make a small wedding cake for them, as a surprise.  She said she wanted something simple, and the bride loved purple calla lilies.  </p> <p>I made this 2-tier cake with layers of vanilla bean chiffon and vanilla custard.  Both tiers were decorated with rolled fondant, and the calla lilies were made from pulled sugar.  It was fun to make, but delivering this cake to their table was the best part of it!  The bride and groom were so surprised and happy!  I felt so fortunate to be a part of their special day!  </p>http://chefmona.com/post/23274518848http://chefmona.com/post/23274518848Thu, 10 May 2012 21:05:00 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3566rz2iB1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><div class="post"> <div class="post-content"> <div class="text"><a href="http://chefmona.com/BreadClubSignUp" target="_blank"> <img align="left" height="520" src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3poz7Xkp11qbvj2no2_1280.jpg" width="520"/></a></div> <div class="text"></div> <div class="text"></div> <div class="text">BREAD CLUB</div> <br/><br/><div class="text"></div> <div class="text"></div> <div class="text">I’ve been baking so much bread lately, I’ve decided to start a <br/><br/>  <a href="http://chefmona.com/BreadClubSignUp" title="BreadClubSign Up" target="_self">BREAD CLUB</a>!!!</div> <div></div> </div> <div></div> <div><br/>Get freshly baked artisan bread delivered to you weekly (or every-other-week)!  <br/><br/>One loaf for $5.  Delivery IS included in that price!*<br/><br/>I’m not crazy, I JUST LOVE BAKING BREAD and I want to share my passion!   Most of the bread I bake is sourdough, made from a natural starter I made from flour and water.  Some weeks I may play with flavors and make olive, rye, or whole grain bread.  The choice is up to me!**<br/><br/>Deliveries are made on Tuesdays and Thursdays, between 7am-11am.  When you fill out <a href="http://chefmona.com/BreadClubSignUp" target="_blank">the form</a>, please indicate your preferred delivery day.  Payment is due at the time of delivery.***</div> </div> <p><br/><br/></p> <div></div> <div>If you would like more than one loaf of bread per week, just let me know!  I could make each loaf different if you would like!<br/><br/><strong><a href="http://chefmona.com/BreadClubSignUp" title="BREAD CLUB Sign Up" target="_self">Click HERE to sign up for the BREAD CLUB!</a></strong><br/><br/></div> <div></div> <div></div> <div>If you would like to take a break or cancel, just let me know!</div> <div><br/>*For deliveries in Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill.  For deliveries to other cities, just ask me!<br/>**Bread may contain nuts.<br/>***Cash or check is accepted.</div>http://chefmona.com/post/21912186962http://chefmona.com/post/21912186962Tue, 08 May 2012 07:13:00 -0700<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3pouoRW6r1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Sparkly Butterfly Cookies</p> <p>I made these cookies for a fundraiser at my daughter’s school.  They are chewy chocolate fudge cookies, topped with rolled fondant.  I brushed them with an edible luster dust to make them sparkle a little!  I love these chewy cookies because have just the right amount of crisp around the edges!</p>http://chefmona.com/post/22655649727http://chefmona.com/post/22655649727Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2c75zrVFu1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Mocha Macarons</p> <p>I LOVE dark chocolate and coffee, so I made some Mocha Macarons!  I steeped heavy cream with finely ground espresso and strained it just before pouring over 64% chocolate to make the ganache filling.  The macaron shells are made from espresso, almonds, egg whites, and sugar.  I love making and eating macaroons!  I shared some with friends and family yesterday…hope they love it!!!  </p>http://chefmona.com/post/20927253842http://chefmona.com/post/20927253842Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:44:00 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3polxffgl1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3polxffgl1qbvj2no2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Red Velvet Heart</p> <p>This is a Red Velvet heart cake I made for Madeline.  Inside is a fluffy cream cheese strawberry mousse.  It was so much fun to make this cake, and everyone loved it!</p>http://chefmona.com/post/22655456119http://chefmona.com/post/22655456119Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m478ziNIp81qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Think Tink!</p> <p>Here’s a Tinkerbell chocolate cake layered with milk chocolate mousse.  It is decorated with fondant, and I made sure to use lots of flowers and edible pixie dust!  </p>http://chefmona.com/post/23273421241http://chefmona.com/post/23273421241Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:42:00 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m22g5kzw5v1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Raspberry Creme Macaron</p> <p>I made some Raspberry Creme Macarons just for fun!  Crispy tops, chewy middles, and creamy raspberry buttercream filling is so yummy!</p>http://chefmona.com/post/20594040450http://chefmona.com/post/20594040450Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:22:32 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1g974VftL1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>The Cat’s Meow Jazz Club</p> <p>This is a 2-tier Red Velvet cake I made for a school auction.  The theme was ‘The Cat’s Meow Jazz Club’, and it was a lot of fun to make!  It was such a fun evening, and it was exciting to see this cake go to the highest bidder!</p>http://chefmona.com/post/19898930243http://chefmona.com/post/19898930243Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:45:00 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxttmqkqv31qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Tiffany Box Cake</p> <p>This is a cake I made for Allison.  It is layers of vanilla bean chiffon and caramel pastry cream.  all of the decorations are fondant.  I dusted the pearls with edible luster dust to make them more ‘blingy’, and the tissue is made from thinly rolled fondant that dried overnight.  The lettering was the most challenging part of this cake; I have the shakiest hands in the world, but after practicing a few times, I think it came out okay.</p>http://chefmona.com/post/15873307789http://chefmona.com/post/15873307789Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:28:00 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m08si3YuXi1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Just for fun, I made this Cartier cake.  I have never seen a real Cartier box in real life, so I looked up some pictures on the Internet.  It is made of alternating layers of chocolate chiffon, vanilla pound cake, coffee chiffon, chocolate mousse, coffee buttercream, and vanilla bean bavarian cream.  One day, I would like to be able to make a box that actually opens and closes, so an engagement ring could be displayed inside the box :) </p>http://chefmona.com/post/18595049641http://chefmona.com/post/18595049641Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:27:39 -0800<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxtttvMSIT1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Golf Ball Cake</p> <p>I made this for Derek, an avid golfer, who was turning 10.  It has 5 layers of red velvet and cream cheese frosting.  The golf ball is all cake, too.  The grass and flowers are buttercream.  Unfortunately I forgot to cross the t before these pictures were taken, so I had to fix it before delivery!</p>http://chefmona.com/post/15873487389http://chefmona.com/post/15873487389Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:25:00 -0800<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz2xxj6ESE1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz2xxj6ESE1qbvj2no2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz2xxj6ESE1qbvj2no3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Popcorn Cake</p> <p>I made this popcorn cake for my daughters because they love having ‘Popcorn and Movie Nights’.  It is composed of layers of lemon chiffon and lemon buttercream, covered in rolled fondant.  The individual popcorn kernels are made from fondant, too!  It was really fun to make and I can’t wait to use this technique with a carnival theme, or movie theatre theme!</p>http://chefmona.com/post/17264910872http://chefmona.com/post/17264910872Sat, 25 Feb 2012 07:05:00 -0800<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2kuamXxXr1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Chocolate!</p> <p>I made this cake with lots and lots of chocolate!  I was testing some new chocolate cake recipes, and put 5 different chocolate layers in this cake.  In between the layers of cake are different chocolate ganache and chocolate mousse recipes.  It was so fun to share this test cake with my family and friends!</p>http://chefmona.com/post/21211243858http://chefmona.com/post/21211243858Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:44:00 -0800<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz6yuc3kWY1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Louis Vuitton</p> <p>This is a Louis Vuitton purse cake I made for Josie, it is a mocha chiffon with chocolate mousse.  I am upset because I cannot find a picture of the finished cake! I must’ve been so excited that I forgot to take a final shot :(</p> <p>This picture was taken before I put on the handles.</p>http://chefmona.com/post/17380801874http://chefmona.com/post/17380801874Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:17:00 -0800<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxttsmshWk1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>SpongeBob Cake</p> <p>This is a cake I made for a former coworker.  Her son loved SpongeBob, so this is what I came up with.  It is 16 inches tall, and is made of many many MANY layers of pineapple chiffon and pineapple mousse.  The Krabby Patty and everything else is made from fondant.  </p>http://chefmona.com/post/15873455551http://chefmona.com/post/15873455551Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:24:00 -0800<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyzgvfvPGA1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Microphone Cake</p> <p>I made this cake for sisters Jaylyn and Jaycinda.  They both love to sing and are VERY good at it!  Inside is 5 layers of Red Velvet and Chocolate Mousse.  It’s iced with buttercream and decorated with fondant.  The microphone is all cake and completely edible.  This was the first time using this whimsical style of lettering and they were a little tricky, but I’m looking forward to using this style of lettering again!</p>http://chefmona.com/post/17160245926http://chefmona.com/post/17160245926Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:04:00 -0800<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxtum5jmhh1qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Peanut Butter Oreos</p> <p>I love Oreos and peanut butter!  Who can resist whipped peanut butter buttercream sandwiched between chocolate shortbread cookies?</p>http://chefmona.com/post/15874175185http://chefmona.com/post/15874175185Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:30:12 -0800<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxtujwKl681qbvj2no1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxtujwKl681qbvj2no2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Piece of Cake</p> <p>This is a cake I made for Heather’s daughter, Olivia.  She wanted a small cake to feed 6 girls at a sleepover, so this is what I came up with!  It has 4 layers of vanilla bean chiffon and vanilla bean bavarian cream.  It was so much fun to make!</p>http://chefmona.com/post/15874124712http://chefmona.com/post/15874124712Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:40:00 -0800