Are You Kidding Me?!

Recently, we asked pastry chef, baker and dessert-maker extraordinaire Carissa Jones of Sugar and Spice and... to be a guest blogger on our site and to share some of her knowledge and ideas with our brides.

Her past blogs have included: Mini Indulgences, Invitation Inspiration, and Cupcakes.

Here, she blogs about desserts with a sense of humor!

Dessert is already the most fun course of any meal…why not continue with the fun and have a cake with its own sense of humor? Below are a couple of fun ideas I’ve either made in the past year or have popped up repeatedly and have proven to be crowd favorites.

• Carrot cake…in the shape of a carrot! Get Out Of Town! This is probably the funniest cake I made all year. We were going for realism, but, even before I made it, the idea alone made me giggle!
  
• Peanut Butter and Jelly…this has taken several forms. The PB&J Sandwich: white cake layered with peanut butter buttercream and strawberry jam. Not your Mom’s PB&J, but it’s pretty dang tasty and your guests are going to laugh when they hear the flavor!
  
• S’mores…as cake! Chocolate Cake with graham crackers baked in and topped with marshmallow fluff. Yes, I have had clients who don’t like frosting. This is a great option and just before serving the tops of the marshmallow can be burned so you get that fresh from the campfire feeling.
  
• Chocolate Chip Cookies…nope, not the Toll House variety. This one is made with white cake that has mini chocolate chips baked into it, and then it’s filled and frosted with a brown sugar buttercream. I’m telling you, that buttercream tastes just like cookie dough…totally irresistible.
  
• Malted Milkshake…who says that malted milk balls have to stay on the candy station? This cake is made up of alternating layers of vanilla cake and chocolate ganache, and then is frosted with malted buttercream and decorated with crushed malt balls. An easy wedding translation would be to bake the malt balls into the cake or to nestle the pieces into the ganache. Either way… YUM!

Ok, love these ideas Carissa!!! How fun!

About Sugar and Spice and...
Sugar and Spice and... creates desserts as unique and special as you and your event. They believe you CAN have you cake and eat it too, but you can also have mousse, pies and tarts, crème brûlée, or éclairs! Special events are just that, SPECIAL and nothing says PARTY like those sweet little bites at the end of the party.

Be sure to check out Sugar and Spice and...'s Web site: http://www.sugarandspice.me/ and Carissa's blog: http://sugarandspiceand.blogspot.com/

Photo courtesy of The Memory Journalists, www.memoryjournalists.com.

Hey There, Cupcake!

Recently, we asked pastry chef, baker and dessert-maker extraordinaire Carissa Jones of Sugar and Spice and... to be a guest blogger on our site and to share some of her knowledge and ideas with our brides.

Her blogs always make us wanting something sweet, imagine that!?!

Her past blogs have included: Mini Indulgences and Invitation Inspiration.

Here, she blogs about one of our favorite things: CUPCAKES!

The cupcake trend has been around for a couple of years now, but here a couple of fun tips to play with if you are considering having them at your wedding.

• Display them in a tower. This provides you with the height and general shape of a wedding cake and will add drama to your cupcake table.
  
• Use a little color coordinated ribbon to decorate your cupcake stand.
  
• Ask your baker to make you a “cutting cake”. The cake cutting tradition is charming and so photographic. Just before the cutting, have the banquet captain or your wedding planner transfer the cutting cake from the top of the cupcake tower onto a plate. This will keep your from stretching and possibly getting your party clothes in the frosting.
  
• Two words: Cupcake Liners! There are so many amazing cupcake papers available now. Bakers use to be limited to the basic white, but now there are tons of fun options that can incorporate your wedding theme.
  
• Consider your cupcake flavors. How will your guests know what they are getting? Ask your stationer to create a menu card to frame for the table or small tags that will identify each flavor. Ask your baker for suggestions too. White cake with strawberry buttercream? Add a fresh berry to the top. Chocolate cake filled with raspberry jam? A fresh raspberry would be the perfect garnish.
  

About Sugar and Spice and...
Sugar and Spice and... creates desserts as unique and special as you and your event. They believe you CAN have you cake and eat it too, but you can also have mousse, pies and tarts, crème brûlée, or éclairs! Special events are just that, SPECIAL and nothing says PARTY like those sweet little bites at the end of the party.

Be sure to check out Sugar and Spice and...'s Web site: http://www.sugarandspice.me/ and Carissa's blog: http://sugarandspiceand.blogspot.com/

Photos courtesy of Sugar and Spice and...

Invitation Inspiration

Recently, we asked pastry chef, baker and dessert-maker extraordinaire Carissa Jones of Sugar and Spice and... to be a guest blogger on our site and to share some of her knowledge and ideas with our brides. Her first guest blogged was about Mini Indulgences. Here, she blogs about "Invitation Inspiration:"

"The wedding checklist can be overwhelming. So many decisions can contribute to the look and feel of your wedding day, but once you choose a beautiful invitation it can be used to help you make others. Below are a few tips on creative ways to use your invitation selection to ease the decision making process.

• An invitation not only serves as an announcement of your big day, it is the first glimpse your guests will have of the mood or style of your event. Is it going to be casual, formal, traditional or modern?
  
• Incorporate a graphic or font into your menu cards, table numbers, place cards and programs -- and then to your cake. Work with your stationer to create something unique that will allow you to share your vision with your guests.
  
• Use a specific graphic on your invite to decorate the cake. Choosing a wedding cake design can be overwhelming, but if you use your invitation as inspiration you will not only get a unique centerpiece for your wedding, your baker will easily be able to suggest decoration options.
  

About Sugar and Spice and...
Sugar and Spice and... creates desserts as unique and special as you and your event. They believe you CAN have you cake and eat it too, but you can also have mousse, pies and tarts, crème brûlée, or éclairs! Special events are just that, SPECIAL and nothing says PARTY like those sweet little bites at the end of the party.

Be sure to check out Sugar and Spice and...'s Web site: http://www.sugarandspice.me/ and Carissa's blog: http://sugarandspiceand.blogspot.com/


Photos courtesy of Sugar and Spice and...

Mini Indulgences

Photo by Diana Kay Photography

We recently asked pastry chef, baker and dessert-maker extraordinaire Carissa Jones of Sugar and Spice and... to be a guest blogger on our site and to share some of her knowledge and ideas with our brides. She graciously agreed and here's her first entry...yum!

According to Paula Frank, editor of Baking Management, there is a growing trend toward “mini indulgences” and traditional flavors with an “innovative twist”.

This is a great trend to consider as you plan your wedding desserts. Work with your baker to develop a menu that will work for you and your guests. Below are a few points to discuss and consider as you develop the perfect ending for your special day.

• Consider a small “cutting cake.” It’s a beautiful nod to tradition and will not only be a sweet focal point to a dessert bar, but it will also allow your photographer the chance to capture that sweet tradition of cutting the cake together as a couple.
  
• Small bites can offer a little something for everyone.
  
• I usually recommend 3-4 small bites per person, but depending on the dessert selections you may be able to scale this down to 2-3. (A chocolate mousse shot glass is going to be more satisfying than a single cookie or tartlet.)
  
• This is a great opportunity to have dessert options for anyone in your wedding party who may have allergies to specific foods.
  
• Think about your family’s traditions. Does Grandma make an amazing pecan pie, does Mom make yellow cake with chocolate frosting for everyone’s birthday, does your sweetie LOVE peanut butter? All of these are possible sources of inspiration for your wedding desserts. Nostalgia is never underrated!
  
• Incorporate your wedding colors! Depending on your wedding colors, nature offers a great variety of fruits that can be used to add pops of your wedding colors to your desserts. In the absence of a specific color, talk to your baker about using colored chocolate decorations to achieve the impact of color with an edible garnish.

Photo by Jordan’s Photographic Designs.

About Sugar and Spice and...
Sugar and Spice and... creates desserts as unique and special as you and your event. They believe you CAN have you cake and eat it too, but you can also have mousse, pies and tarts, crème brûlée, or éclairs! Special events are just that, SPECIAL and nothing says PARTY like those sweet little bites at the end of the party.

Be sure to check out Sugar and Spice and...'s Web site: http://www.sugarandspice.me/ and Carissa's blog: http://sugarandspiceand.blogspot.com/

Cool Trend: Dessert Bars!

Another very cool trend I'm seeing more and more of is the dessert bar!

To tell you more, I went right to an expert...Carissa Jones from Sugar and Spice and...

Here's what she had to say about this trend:

"Dessert bars are gaining in popularity! A small wedding cake surrounded by bite sized desserts is not only dramatic, but is a wonderful surprise for your guests.

There are so many fun approaches to this dessert option: desserts can be tied in with the colors of the wedding or they can be eclectic where they are a beautiful assembly of the couple's favorite desserts or they can focus on one favorite ingredient... say, chocolate!

Dessert bars also can provide your guests with little nibbles throughout the evening of dancing and, when paired up with pretty take home boxes, can double as favors. My favorite dessert bar features fruit desserts and then finishes off with cookies or truffles, perfect for filling pretty glycine bags or pairing with ice cold glasses of milk as a midnight snack!

As a general rule, I encourage my couples to, at least, have a 6" cake (I call it a cutting cake) for the cake cutting and feeding each other part of the evening. It's tradition, it's charming, and it's super photographic!

Another trend I'm seeing is some of my clients are still ordering the full on monster wedding cake, and they are also having 2-4 individual desserts, enough for one or two pieces per guest. And, they are also pairing these desserts with their coffee stations or port and cigar stations."

Very cool lady -- thank you for giving our readers the 411 on this trend!

To find out more about Carissa and Sugar and Spice and... visit her Web site: http://www.sugarandspice.me/w/

Photo of a Sugar and Spice and...dessert bar by The Memory Journalists, www.memoryjournalists.com.

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Real Weddings Sacramento to the Sierra Magazine, produced by Sierrastyle Weddings, LLC - a division of Style Media Group (formerly Sierrastyle Publishing) - is the premier wedding planning resource for today's brides and grooms! We're dedicated to offering brides and grooms a world class publication that presents the very best in the wedding industry - from real Sacramento weddings featuring local Sacramento-area resources, our cover model contest featuring beautiful wedding dresses from area boutiques to unique honeymoon ideas and our inspirational style files wedding planning resource guide with sumptuous wedding cakes, gorgeous bridal gowns, exquisite wedding flowers, fabulous favors and interesting invitations, along with our comprehensive wedding vendor lists (from Sacramento wedding venues, Sacramento wedding photographers, Sacramento entertainment/djs, floral designers to officiants, bridal gown boutiques, and wedding planners), Real Weddings Sacramento Magazine has it all - from Sacramento to the Sierra (yep, that means Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom, Lake Tahoe, Placerville, El Dorado Hills, Granite Bay, Rocklin and everything in between and beyond)! Let the wedding planning begin!