Cake-Ups are here!!!!!

Yep, we all have that memory of the ice cream truck coming down your street, playing that distinctive music and your mom or dad finally letting you get one of those delicious push-pops, sitting on the curb and trying to eat every last drop before it melted onto your swimsuit....ahhh summer. 




Now, you can relive those memories all year 'round with a little twist.  I now introduce you to Cake-Ups!  These treats are the latest and greatest in the individual treat craze.




Cake-Ups are layers of cake paired with layers of frosting.  Each Cake-Up provides a little more cake that a standard cupcake. 

We can have different colored frosting based on your event.  How cute would these be for your 4th of July event!  Because of their size, they are much easier to take to a fireworks show and because they don't require a plate or fork, there is less mess!!!

Enjoying a Cake-Up doesn't take much skill!  The stick is held firmly in the bottom of the tube and cannot be pulled out from the bottom, only pushed up to the top.  Each layer makes its way to your mouth by a gentle push of the stick.  All you have to do is enjoy it before someone else takes a bite!!

Cake-Ups aren't just for kids either!  Grown-ups enjoy them too, even if they make more of a mess than the kids!

You can also display the Cake-Ups in a variety of ways.  Here, we just used a simply metal pot, put in a little styrofoam to hold them in place, and voila!

Cake-Ups are sure to be a big hit at your next party.  These are also a great way to be sure that you've done something unique!

Call today for details and to place your order.

Random Act of Kindness

I have the most amazing clients. Let me share with you one couple’s love story. Elizabeth and Kris had been dating for several years. Kris had asked Elizabeth to marry him several times, but Elizabeth was hesitant because of their large age difference (about 10 years). Finally, Elizabeth agreed and they began joyfully planning a wedding for this coming May. They chose to give us the opportunity to make their wedding cake. I could tell during their tasting appointment that this couple was truly in love. We designed a cake, paid for the whole order and checked one more item off of their wedding to-do list.

Sadly, their wedding would not take place. Kris unexpectedly passed away last week. To say that our hearts go out to his family, friends and Elizabeth feels inadequate. To see their lives together cut short is so very tragic.

However, this is where the amazing part comes in. Elizabeth and Kris were both very giving people. Kris would donate monthly to a local mission and would help others whenever he could. In that spirit, Elizabeth has provided us with an amazing opportunity. Since their wedding cake was already paid for, rather than have us refund her money, she wants to donate that money to another couple who is struggling to pay for their wedding. She wants to make sure that another couple can enjoy the cake that she and Kris are not able to. She knows that this is something that Kris would want her to do. I can’t help but think that this is one of the most wonderful ways to turn something so full of grief into something so full of joy.

What I am asking for from you all, is to send me the story of some couples who need some help with their wedding, specifically the wedding cake. We will accept submissions until March 23rd, then Elizabeth and I will review them and choose a couple to receive a free wedding cake. The cake will be designed by the couple. All Elizabeth wants in return is a photo of the cake. Please send your submission story to Info@IndyCakes.com with the subject line “Submission” and be sure to include the following information:
* The couple’s name
* Wedding Date
* Wedding Venue
* Number of guests
* How they met
* How a free cake will help them out

Again, I have the most amazing clients and I am thrilled that I get to be a part of this wonderful act of kindness.

Cakes for ANY Occasion (and we do mean ANY!!)

Howdy faithful blog readers. Have you been anxiously awaiting another post? I hope so, and I'm also hoping that this post won't disappoint.

Our saying here at Indy Cakes is that we make "Cakes for any Occasion". Some people have really put that to the test lately.

Don't get me wrong, we love having a unique reason for making cakes, so we decided that this post would be dedicated to not only those cakes which make you wonder "What kind of party is THAT!?", but also a very, very special cake at the very end.

This first cake, is obviously for a Tea Party. Not anything political, but an actual tea party. Not too many people host tea parties nowadays, but it's nice to know that cake is still considered a staple for the occasion!

If you think this next cake is an air conditioner, then you're correct! This lucky cake recipient had just gotten certified as an HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) specialist. What better way to celebrate than with a cake that looks like an air conditioner that you don't have to fix!!!

This next cake had our "Most Unique" award up until last week. This particular cake was in celebration of a man being colon cancer free for 5 years. We thought a butt cake was the only appropriate way to mark this particular, if not peculiar, milestone.

Last, but certainly our best, we have the following cake:

Yes, that is a kidney. In cake form. This story brings a tear to my eye every time I tell it. Several years back, a solider was injured, but nothing life threatening. He told his sister (who was also away due to military service) that he was just fine. Well, several years later, she comes home to find out that his condition is worse than he let on and that he would benefit greatly from a kidney transplant. She decided to get tested to see if she was a match, and as you can tell from the photo, she was. She wanted to use the cake as a well to tell her brother that she was going to donate her kidney to him to allow him to life a better life.

I don't think we will ever find a better reason to create a cake, but I welcome the chance to find out.

What the heck is a cake plateau and do I need one??

A cake plateau (fancy name for 'stand') can be a finishing touch to your cake. These are usually silver or gold stands that holds the cake up off of the table a little bit. This cake is using a square silver cake stand.

Not every cake needs to have a cake stand though. As you can see below, this cake doesn't use a cake stand, but rather takes advantage of the table decorations to highlight the cake.

Now, how do you decide if you NEED a cake stand. Well, one thing to consider is whether or not there are going to be a lot of children at the reception. If so, if might not be a bad idea to raise the cake up just a little bit to keep it away from frosting-hungry fingers.

Another thing to think about is how the linens will look on the cake table. Many venues will scrunch up a linen to dress up the cake table (see the pic below)

Additionally, some couples just want to make their cake look bigger.

And finally, some couples just want to complete their theme. This particular cake stand is especially popular during the fall months. Yep, it is a really tree trunk.

The last thing to consider when determining if you need a cake stand, is who you are going to have return the stand after the wedding. Many couples are on their honeymoon immediately following their wedding, and don't have the ability to return the cake stand right away. This duty usually falls to the Maid of Honor, or one of the parents. Just be sure that the stand gets back on time, as many plateaus are quite costly to replace.

As I said in the beginning, cake plateaus can be an elegant way to display your wedding cake, but they aren't a required part of the cake table.

Yep, it is an EARLY holiday post

While in the store the other day, I noticed that there are a large amount of Christmas decorations already out for sale. Now, I remember when those decorations didn't come out until after Thanksgiving, but those days are now long gone. In keeping with the times, I'm going to take a moment to share a great idea for the holidays: CAKE BITES!!!!

For those of you that don't know, Cake Bites are delicious little bites of cake covered in chocolate.

These little treats are the perfect present for so many people:

• office secret santa


• your children's teachers


• your teachers (certainly can't hurt your grade!)


• mailman


• FedEx or UPS person


• trash man (just make sure you have it clearly marked!)


• family/friends who live far away-yep, we can ship them


• someone on your list who has "everything"
  

Finally, if you are tasked with bringing something to that family gathering, how about a Cake Bite Tree?

The best part is that these trees can double as a table centerpiece!

Finally, Cake Bites are great for the small business owner. A box of Cake Bites are a great way to say Thank You to your clients or customers. We do offer volume discounts for orders over 50- 1 dozen boxes.

Does my cake have a back-side?

Ok, first let me apologize for having such a long time between posts, but we've been so very busy here at Indy Cakes.

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk some serious cake stuff. Today, I want to address the issue of whether or not your cake has a back-side. No, not a 'honky-tonk-ba-donk-a-donk', but a side that is clearly the front and a side that is clearly the back.

Some cakes, like the one below, are designed to be viewed from any angle.

This is especially important if your cake is going to be placed in the middle of the dance floor, or in a location that would require your guests to walk around the cake.

Other cakes, such as this design:

will very clearly have a front side. Some designs won't have the same look if you attempt to use them on both "sides" of the cake.

Many times, the cake is safely sitting on the side of the room, or in a strategically lit corner. This is usually a good idea as it prevents an accidental injury to the cake (picture your clumsy great-aunt swinging her purse into the cake as she walks past-eek!!).

Positioning the cake against a wall also creates a back-side of the cake. This may also reduce the cost of the cake if, such as on the cake below, a back-side means that not as many flowers need to be made, thereby saving you some $$$.

Finally, we have one more unique thing that we do here at Indy Cakes. Many of our brides opt for real ribbon as the border on their cakes. This works well until the happy couple goes to make their first cut as husband and wife and try to cut through the ribbon. Since that usually doesn't work too well, they have to take the ribbon off just enough to make their first slice, typically resulting in the ribbon starting to come off the entire cake, making the picture not as elegant as it should be. We, however create a secret panel to allow the happy couple to keep the ribbon on the cake for the photo but have just a big enough gap to get a slice of cake. We often place this panel just slightly to the side as most couples try to stand on the side of the cake for the first slice.

Please won't you be our neighbor?

Ok, if you follow us on Facebook, then you already know that we are all alone in our little strip mall and we need neighbors. The first place up for grabs is a little former pizza place (hence the sign!). It is approximately 1200 square feet, maybe a little more. It already has a kitchen built in the back, with a front counter built in. There is a small lobby/waiting area. This would be great for another pizza place, or even a little deli. If you don't want to use the kitchen, you could always retro-fit the place to suit your needs.


On the other side of us is a former convenience store. At one point, it was a village pantry. This space is BIG and the rent is amazingly reasonable at $1850 per month. Because this was a former convenience store, it already has a walk-in cooler with doors as well as two other smaller reach in coolers. There is a cash wrap area right in the middle of the store and there are already wall shelves and a few portable units. While I don't know if they work or not, there is also a camera system in place.

That's about all I know about the two spaces. I can tell you that our landlord is great and has always been quick to help us with any issues we may have. We are located right off of Epler Ave at the corner of SR135 and there is a TON of traffic.

If you'd like to get more info, and/or schedule a showing, contact Mo Harbert at 317-885-8858.

Did I mention we tend to give our neighbors free cake? :)