When Lauren contacted me to order a rectangular cake with decoration based on a poster that really just had text on it, we never imagined how special it would turn out to be.

The cake was based on the poster for a documentary film called Helvetica.

Helvetica is an independent feature-length documentary about typography and graphic design, centered around this widely used sans-serif typeface of the same name. Directed by Gary Hustwit, it was released in 2007 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the typeface’s introduction. (Thank you Wikipedia.)

As Lauren’s husband is a graphic designer, she came up with the idea to replace some of the letters on the poster with letters spelling out HAPPY BIRTHDAY TANNER..

The only thing she asked was that the font (Helvetica style) be spot on, as typography is Tanner’s big thing. Gulp. It’s a daunting task to please an expert by imitating something within his field of expertise.

Happy ending: Berliosca received the following message in an e-mail: The cake was perfect! Thank you so much. I had no idea it would be exactly like the poster! You are a fabulous cake designer. Many thanks. My husband was thrilled.

I wish I could brag about having the cool idea for this very original cake, but all the credit goes to Lauren.

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Most baby showers I go to (or make cakes for) have baby cute themes in pastel colours. The request for this cake was slightly different since it was for a more fancy-fashion type of event.

I loved that the client’s first words when she saw the cake were: Wow, that’s classy!

I learn a lot when researching the cakes I make. For example, I’ve learned about everything from juvenile arthritis to 3-D animation techniques because of cake requests. I have also dissected a tiger lily in the name of cake-science. This summer, thanks to an 11-year-old Titanic aficionado, I learned that contrary to our image of fluorescent-orange life vests, the actual vests worn by Titanic passengers were a light salmon hue. I imagine that 11-year-old Evan and I were the only ones who cared about this detail on the Titanic cake, but these are the things that keep me up at night.

Who knew that cakes could be so educational?

It’s always nice to make a cake for a celebration, but getting involved with special projects can be extra special. This extra special feeling was evident with a recent cake for the CISV Vancouver Chapter Picnic.

CISV is a wonderful organization that promotes world peace by connecting kids from different countries and cultures through camps and other events. I really like this statement on their website: We are founded on our belief that peace is possible through friendship – and that the real difference can be made by starting with children.

The cake concept was suggested by Patricia, one of CISV’s most enthusiastic volunteers and a personal friend of mine.

The gentleman who commissioned this bikini cake, as well as the birthday boy, really appreciated the intricate details and, shall we say, textures of the buxom torso. Some customers are easier to please than others…

While we’re on the subject, clicking the pink button on this site gets you karma points in promoting breast cancer awareness.