Category Archives: Barbara-Jo

When I asked my nephew Sam what he wanted for his third birthday cake, he immediately responded, “Zebra cupcake!”  I have no idea where he got this idea, or what exactly he thinks a zebra cupcake looks like.  To my … Continue reading →

For my little friend Max’s second birthday cake, the only guideline that his parents gave me was that the party was Cars themed.  So I asked my five-year-old nephew for his expert advice on designing a Cars cake.  He suggested … Continue reading →

I have been looking forward to seeing my nephews perform in school plays since before they were born.  Finally, my dream has come true.  At his pre-K graduation, my nephew Nathan appeared in their stage adaptation of Dr. Suess’s The … Continue reading →

So far, two couples have had the courage and/or the lunacy to trust me to design and make their wedding cakes.  The first was the Seasons of Love Cake, which my sister and I made back in 2004.  This is … Continue reading →

A few years ago I took a kinetic art class and we made little wire versions of Calder-style hanging mobiles.  I decided to try to make one using cake to serve at a graduate student conference being put on by … Continue reading →

My nephew Nathan’s specifications for his fifth birthday cake: “I want a Banshee cake.  And one switch will make the lights turn on and one switch will make the wheels turn and one switch will make the mouth open and … Continue reading →

When it came time to design my nephew Sam’s second birthday cake, I turned to Sam’s older brother, Nathan, to help me conceptualize the cake.  Sam, while remarkably verbal for a two-year-old, still cannot be relied up to respond to … Continue reading →

Those of you who don’t happen to be immersed in the magical world of three- to five-year-old children are probably not familiar with John Scieszka’s Trucktown. So I recommend that you follow the link so you know what the heck … Continue reading →

This cake was for my nephew, Sam’s, first birthday. It’s based on a real truck. When I asked Sam’s big brother Nathan, who was, at the time, almost four years old, what kind of cake he thought that Sam would … Continue reading →

I began this cake flush with the success of my recent Tardis cake. I received a bit of a comeuppance. The occasion for the cake was my friend Isaac’s third birthday party. (You may remember Isaac from his second birthday … Continue reading →