October’s Cake Decorator Spotlight
Hi everyone! I’m featuring Erin, @cupcakesandconfetti1, from New Jersey, USA, for October! Erin has a really unique range of creative techniques on her cakes, as you can see when you go to her Instagram feed! I always enjoy seeing her newest cake posts because they’re seldom the same! Read on to learn a little bit about this month’s cake decorator!
Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself?
Sure! My name is Erin, I am 36 years old, and my number one title is mom. I have a 3-year-old son who happens to be the most amazing little man in the world, and I am married to his incredible daddy. I have 3 sisters, one of which is my twin (or wombmate as I call her), and I’m Aunt to 4 beautiful nieces and a nephew. I love anything on the water, kayaking, boating, and the beach top that list, and I could eat sushi for every single meal. I am a bit of an introvert. I love Christmas but hate cold weather, and my favorite vacation destination is Aruba…I’ve been 7 times.
How did you get started with your cake decorating journey?
A few years ago, I was going through a tough time personally, and I started making boxed cupcakes as an outlet. My father in law (who loved anything I would make him) encouraged me to do bigger things; he saw a dream that I never knew existed. He was my biggest fan, my number one supporter, and never stopped believing in me. He is the only reason I started this cake decorating journey, and when he passed away after a short, courageous battle with cancer, I vowed to put my heart and soul into it.
What is your favorite process of baking/cake decorating?
Cake decorating is hands down my favorite thing to do; I find the entire process therapeutic. I love getting lost in a cake; there is just something about cake decorating that puts my mind at ease. I would decorate cakes all day long if I could, and seeing the result is always a favorite of mine.
Do you have favorite techniques?
My favorite techniques are ever-evolving. Right now, I love all things textured. Textured bottoms and sides using different contour combs is my go-to right now, as well as writing and stamping my cakes with cute puns and sayings. I also love striped cakes (I used to despise them), but after A LOT of practice, I’ve finally found a technique that works for me and fallen in love with the process.
Which buttercream do you like the best for decorating your cakes?
American buttercream. I love the taste, and I’ve perfected my recipe and technique for achieving smooth sides.
What do you hope to accomplish for your cake business/content a year from now?
I would love to start doing more videos/tutorials, and I really want to start teaching virtual classes. I would also love to start working with more companies as a content creator, which is truly a passion I love creating.
Where do you find your inspiration from?
Everywhere! Sprinkle mixes, browsing aisles at the store…I also find a lot of inspiration on Pinterest; I’ll search “fall wallpaper” or “Christmas decorations” (just to name a few) and save the ones I’d like to “cake” later. I find that I am more inspired by holidays and seasons, and when I’m laying down at night, my mind goes crazy with ideas, when that happens, I grab my phone and type them in my notes so I can easily refer back to them for inspo.
Can you share some tips for a beginning baker?
Be patient! I think it is so easy to get frustrated and give up when we aren’t instantly skilled at something. I am completely self-taught, and practice and patience has truly been the most important thing I’ve learned.
What is your favorite dessert?
Favorite dessert? This is a hard one. I love ice cream; my go-to is vanilla soft serve in a cup with strawberries from Dairy Queen. If I had to choose a cake, I’d choose carrot cake with cream cheese frosting every day of the week.
What do you love to do besides making cakes?
I love spending time with my family and being outdoors. We have very busy schedules, so it is always nice when my husband, our son, and I can spend quality time together. I love anything on the water, and the beach is my happy place, so we spend plenty of time there in the summer months.
My Favorite Cakes
Boo Ghost Cake
The cutest little ghosts I ever did see and super easy to make. I used candy melts and a spoon to make these guys and drew on their eyes and mouths with an edible ink pen.
Beachin’ It Cake
Here’s another Summer favorite of mine, it just speaks to my soul!
Halloween Cake
I can’t get enough of these little royal icing pieces in this sprinkle blend for this cake. There are little pumpkins and mummies and ghosts. So cute.
Hello Summer
I think we can all say that watermelon is a staple during the summer months and this cake is no exception. I made my melons on top using fondant and gel colors for painting and a 5B tip for piping. I am also obsessed with the multi-contour comb that I used to make the rounded watermelon on the bottom.
Hello Sunshine Cake
I decided to make a little pink lemonade cake this summer and added hand painted lemons as toppers. Keeping with style and theme, I added my textured bottom with a contour comb and used fondant and an edible ink pen to make the plaque.
Pumpkins Cake
I think this could be one of my favorite fall color combos this year. I made these standing buttercream pumpkins with a 1M tip and added a ton of random piping in teals, ivory, and brown. I am in love with how this cake turned out. (Check out my How to Make Buttercream Pumpkins post here)
Pink Glitter Cherry Cake
I used two dear friends’ techniques for this cake, dragee placement, and contour comb style. I absolutely love this cake merge of sorts and will definitely be making similar styles in the future.
Neon Rainbow Cake
I’m a little more than obsessed with this cake and I think any sort of stripes that contain black is my new favorite. Hopefully, this one brightens your day.
Ocean Cake
I made the plaque on this cake using edible markers in black and stamped “salty” with my fondant embossing set. My standing waves and dragee placement were inspired by my genius cake bestie. Side note, this cake will probably go down as one of my favorites cakes ever.
Cinderella Cake
I did this cake for a Cinderella cake collaboration on Instagram. My assigned character is the animated version of Cinderella’s pink dress. I decided to make the cake a spool of thread that I achieved using a round contour comb and then hand made every single detail including her dress with fondant painted with gel food coloring and brushes to give everything a more realistic feel. I also used an edible silver spray for the scissors, thimble, and needles.
Thank you, Erin, for doing this interview! I loved reading how you created your cakes.
Give Erin a follow on Instagram to see what new cake techniques in the near future!
