This cake was for a VERY special girl’s 21st birthday. She has overcome incredible challenges, including cerebral palsy & 2 brain surgeries this year, to be a straight-a 4.0 student in college. Her smile & laugh is infectious, she’s quick with a hug, & she’s so full of joy & life. Truly an inspiration to me. When they left after picking up the cake, I had tears in my eyes.

Her favorite flavors are chocolate & raspberry, so her mother requested my Oreo Black Velvet cake with White Chocolate Raspberry buttercream filling. She said her favorite colors are red & black & she wanted a ‘sexy’ cake. Well, my first though immediately went to cake lace & how awesome black lace would look over a red cake. We topped it off with a gumpaste fantasy peony, airbrushed with a brilliant red sheen, & tipped in black. Black pearls scattered throughout the lace complete the look.