Buddy's Sketchbook
Paul Sapienza with??the Retail Bakers Association of America (RBA) requested a cake for the annual American Retail Bakery Exposition in Charlotte, N.C.
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out and how they made it.
Race Car CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of vanilla??pound??cake??(2,400??half-sheets which equals approximately 20,000 pounds of cake!), cereal treats, butter cream, fondant (50??yards!), edible paper (logos on the cake).
What's memorable about the cake?
Buddy has called many cakes "The largest cake I've ever made." But, this cake is truly THE largest cake he's ever made. ??The pound cake was baked at Carlo's Bakery and driven down to Charlotte in their box truck because, due to the massive amount of cake needed, there never would have been enough time, space or people to bake it all down in Charlotte. ??This cake was hands down a marvel for Buddy and Carlo's Bakery. ??
Buddy's Sketchbook
Buddy visits Disney World as part of the Epcot Food & Wine Festival and brought his family with him. It was his daughter Sofia's birthday too so he decided to make her a Disney castle and princess-themed cake.
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out.
Disney World CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of vanilla sponge cake, chocolate fudge filling, buttercream icing, modeling chocolate (sculpted princess decorations) and fondant (covers the cake and base).
What's memorable about the cake?
Buddy and Mauro were thrown out of their element since they had to create this cake from scratch in a new and unfamiliar kitchen. They had trouble using the convection oven, couldn't find the fondant (which was locked up in a cage) and there were only the two of them working on the cake rather than the usual 12+ decorating team. Regardless, the cake came out stunning and Buddy's daughter Sofia was thrilled!
Buddy's Sketchbook
The Adventure Aquarium in Camden, N.J., requested a cake for their fifth birthday celebration.
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out and how they made it.
Aquarium CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of vanilla sponge, fudge filling, Isomalt (coral), modeling chocolate and fondant (fish and sea creatures), blue butter cream icing, live fish. ??The turtle cake was literally a turtle cake made of chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, chopped pecans, homemade caramel, buttercream and covered in fondant. ??
What's memorable about the cake?
This is the second cake Buddy has made on the show that has contained live animals (Season 1, Ep. 107 - Birdcage Cake: contained live doves). ??The details on this cake made it difficult to see which animals were real and which were edible and once the fish tanks were filled and fish were swimming behind the Isomalt coral, it really looked like fish were swimming through the cake! ??
Buddy's Sketchbook
The Bronx Zoo requested a cake for their 110th birthday celebration.
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out and how they made it.
Bronx Zoo CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of vanilla sponge cake, chocolate icing, cereal treats (zoo building), modeling chocolate (animals), fondant, rock candy (stones), piping gel (lake), royal icing (grass) and brown sugar (beach sand).
What's memorable about the cake?
This cake almost didn't make it to the delivery when it got stuck in the bakery elevator with Joey on board. ??The cake was loaded into the elevator with Joey, it started to descend and then the elevator just stopped between the first and second floors. ??Luckily, it was only a fuse so Joey and the cake didn't have to stay trapped in there for too long. ????
Buddy's Sketchbook
Carol-Lynn Parente & Rosemarie Truglio from Sesame Workshop requested a cake for a party for the cast and crew to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street.
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out and how they made it.
Sesame Street CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache, fresh strawberries, cereal treats (buildings), cereal treats & modeling chocolate (characters) and fondant & modeling chocolate (the buildings were covered in this).
What's memorable about the cake?
The entire Carlo's team was SO excited to make a cake for Sesame Street. ??The show has been on for 40 years and everyone watched it growing up. ??They really wanted to impress the Sesame Street cast and crew with this cake and put out all the stops. ??The attention to detail on this cake was precise. ??
Buddy's Sketchbook
Kurt Alstede at Alstede Farms requested a cake for an end of the season thanks to the orchard employees.
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out and how they made it.
Apple Orchard CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of apple sponge cake (vanilla sponge cake w/ walnuts and chopped and pureed apples in the batter), apple buttercream (contained chopped apples, maple syrup and walnuts), white fondant, cereal treats (tree trunks), modeling chocolate (tree bark, little apples) and food coloring paint.
What's memorable about the cake?
Carlo's Bakery had to create a new flavor of cake and buttercream for this cake. They'd never made either in apple flavor but hopefully this new recipe will catch on and become Carlo's newest flavor.
Buddy's Sketchbook
Buddy's cousin Vinnie and sister-in-law Daniela requested a cake for their wedding.
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out and how they made it.
Wedding CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of six tiers of red velvet cake filled with chocolate ganache, covered in white fondant, dirty iced in buttercream and piping work in royal icing, gum paste (the Black Magic roses).
What's memorable about the cake?
Buddy introduced his cousin Vinnie and his wife's sister Daniela to one another and takes credit for them getting married. He also made the cake for their wedding shower in Ep. 111 of Season One.
Buddy's Sketchbook
Rod and Chesty from the Long Island Hells Angels requested a cake for their 11th annual poker run and motorcycle ride.
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out and how they made it.
Hells Angels CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of vanilla sponge cake filled with chocolate fudge, dirty iced with vanilla buttercream, cereal treats (main motorcycle body, gas tank, tires), modeling chocolate (covered the gas tank and tire tread), fondant and modeling chocolate (nuts and bolts), food coloring on edible paper (speedometer details).
What's memorable about the cake?
This cake enabled Buddy to rekindle his love affair with motorcycles and even got to take a break from the bakery to go for a ride ... much to Mama's dismay.
Buddy's Sketchbook
Performer Miss Richfield 1981 requested a cake for her annual holiday show in New York City.
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out and how they made it.
Miss Richfield 1981 CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of vanilla and strawberry sponge cake, chocolate truffle fudge filling, dirty iced in buttercream, cereal treats (second tier), white fondant, green buttercream (trees), sprinkles, candy canes ... and, Miss Richfield!
What's memorable about the cake?
This is the first cake Buddy has ever made that has had a person popping out of it. Hopefully, not the last.
Buddy's Sketchbook
Richard Shea, the president of Major League Eating, requested a cake for a dinner celebration kicking off the new season of competitive eating.
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out and how they made it.
Major League Eating CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of vanilla cake filled with French cream (the main table), fondant and modeling chocolate (tablecloths). The pickles were cereal treats covered in modeling chocolate; pasta, modeling chocolate; cow brains were fondant; sauce on the chicken wings was piping gel and water; all the food items were airbrushed and/or painted with petal dust.
What's memorable about the cake?
This cake was one of the most impressive and realistic that the Carlo's team has ever produced. ??It was difficult to tell the fake food from the real thing! ??And, Mauro and Frankie got to eat a good portion of the cake! ??
Buddy's Sketchbook
The Children's Museum of Manhattan requested a cake for Alphie the Dragon's third birthday. ??Alphie is a talking dragon exhibit who helps kids learn the alphabet.
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out and how they made it.
Alphie (Children???s Museum of Manhattan) CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of Marble pound cake (body), cereal treats (tail, snout), buttercream, modeling chocolate and fondant.
What's memorable about the cake?
This cake was so true to the real Alphie, it's hard to tell side by side which is which. ??The cake got it's sheen by Buddy gently applying steam to the fondant. ??The cake even talks like Alphie! ??Buddy and crew recorded their voices to be used in the cake. ??
Buddy's Sketchbook
Col. O'Conner for McGuire Air Force Base requested a cake for a dinner event aboard the Battleship New Jersey.
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out and how they made it.
Air Force CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of chocolate and vanilla cake (the main cake consisted of 25 full sheets of sponge cake!), chocolate filling, cereal treats covered in fondant and/or modeling chocolate (the Jeep, communication equipment, freight, plane), royal icing (over cereal treats on the plane), buttercream (covers the main cake) and modeling chocolate (soldiers).
What's memorable about the cake?
This cake was a huge undertaking and almost everyone in the decorating and baking room worked on at least one element of it. ??It also became a labor of love for Joey who himself served in the Air Force during Desert Storm.
Buddy's Sketchbook
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden requested a cake for a book signing at the garden by author Amy Stewart for her new book, "Wicked Plants."
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out and how they made it.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of vanilla and chocolate cake with mocha filling, buttercream, fondant, and gum paste (flowers). Cereal treats were used to make the head of the Venus Flytrap. Pedal dust was used on the lips of the Venus Flytrap and for the flower color.
What's memorable about the cake?
The edible sugar flowers that Buddy adorned the cake with are all somewhat poisonous in real life. He wanted to keep to the "Wicked Plants" theme.
Image Credit: DCL
Buddy's Sketchbook
Dylan Lauren from Dylan's Candy Bar requested a cake for a party at the store commemorating her new Dylan's Candy Bar board game.
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out and how they made it.
Dylan's Candy Bar CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of vanilla sponge cake, French cream and peanut butter cup filling, fondant and various types of candy. Modeling chocolate was used for the characters.
What's memorable about the cake?
This cake ran into some construction during the delivery and suffered some major damage. The cake had to be reconstructed in less than two hours from when it was supposed to be delivered. The good news is that the client loved it!
Image Credit: DCL
Buddy's Sketchbook
NYC Resistor, a NYC robotics and hacker collective, requested a cake for a robotics party.
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out and how they made it.
Robot CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of Italian sponge cake, cereal treats, whipped cream filling and icing (to keep the cake light-weight), fondant, silver pedal dust, LED lights, wheels and a motor from a remote-controlled truck.
What's memorable about the cake?
Buddy assured the client that the cake would move or have moving parts though he had no idea how he was going to make it happen. He was finally able to make it move but it wasn't easy to get the 80-pound cake to move.
Image Credit: DCL
Buddy's Sketchbook
Justin and Lauran Tuck requested a cake for Tuck's R.U.S.H. For Literacy Celebrity Billiards Tournament.
Here's Buddy's sketch of the cake.
Click "Next" to see how the cake turned out and how they made it.
Billiards CakeHow was the cake made?
The cake was made of red velvet cake, cream cheese filling, buttercream, fondant (pool balls, green "felt"), cereal treats (pool table bumper). Piping gel was used to achieve the wood grain look.
What's memorable about the cake?
This cake looked so much like a real billiards table complete with balls, cues and even chalk...and everything was edible. Buddy put letters on the balls instead of numbers as a nod to the literacy theme of the event.
Image Credit: DCL
