Matt & Lisa Make A SPOOK-TACULAR Cake!!

Finally!!! The results have been revealed - Matt Somers of It's a Matter of Cake and Lisa Bugeja of Flour Confections were the dream team on last night's episode of Cake Walk - Wedding Cake Edition "Fright Night"!

Funny thing was this dream team was only created a week prior to the filming! Originally Matt had another assistant, however circumstances lead him to needing a replacement and fast! He called me up to see if I was available. Quickly glancing at my calendar and knowing he was in a bind, we made it work. That week we phoned, emailed, and texted back and forth working out the details - but we had never yet worked together in the kitchen! Matt came to my shop a few days before the filming so that we could prep and make sure we were both on the same page. Prep was fun and relaxed and we knew then we would have no problem working together.

The day of filming we walked onto the beautiful set ready to go - we had our game plan set, our tasks laid out and our design rocked! The 7 hours really flew by fast, but in the end we didn't miss a single element on our design and it looked exactly like the sketch! The win was pretty "sweet"!

Besides the amazing gravity defying structure (which was as tall as I am!), we made our own moulds, did isomalt flames lit with LED lights, gumpaste roses, gumpaste figures and a massive tree! The cake weighed quite a bit - and all the weight was on one side of the small base - so I made sure that Matt took that side during the move! LOL!

Here are some detail shots from the show.

The judges were ever so curious about our structure - all will be revealed in time....

Stacking went just as planned and BOOM we have a cake!

Despite the small base, super tall cake and the weight - we made the cake walk no problem!

Details details details - from the long stem gumpaste roses, to the burning isomalt flames, to the twisted tree - we had it all!

Thank you Matt for letting me be a part of this - it was awesome!

For Immediate Release.....

photo credit: Hawks Photography

For Immediate Release

A Sweet Win for Pickering Entrepreneur and Cake Designer Flour Confections Wins Big at Leading North American Sugar Art Show

Toronto, ON – October 7, 2011 - It was a sweet win for Pickering’s Lisa Bugeja, owner of Flour Confections, when her decadently-creative wedding cake creation placed second runner-up in the Grand Wedding Cake Competition at the renowned Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show in Tulsa October 2, 2011.

With its striking Bridget Riley-inspired Op-Art design and vibrant pops of colour, it was no wonder the judges fell in love with Bugeja’s stunning five-tiered fondant wedding cake and inevitably beat out 80 others in North America’s largest cake competition.

“Every year for the past five years, I’ve been making the 20-hour drive to Tulsa to attend the show.” Says Bugeja, “This was the fourth year I entered in the Grand Wedding (cake competition) and I couldn’t be more thrilled that my cake came in third against the best of the best. This is an amazing accomplishment.”

While the Grand Wedding Cake competition was the star of the show, Bugeja’s name was called out several times for her talents in other divisions – she placed first (for the fifth year in a row) in Masters Confections for her cookies, second in Masters Special Techniques and third in Red Carpet Shoes.

It was a well-deserved triumphant event for Bugeja who first opened the doors to her progressively successful multifaceted cake supply business, Flour Confections, on April 1, 2009.

Based in Pickering Ontario, Flour Confections quickly made a name for itself through its divine creations that cater to celebrities and brides alike. The store is also the destination confection-enthusiasts flock to when they wish to create an indulgent dessert at home. From savoury fillings and topping decorations to celebrity-taught classes, Bugeja is more than happy to sugar-coat her services to meet all the needs of her clientele.

Bugeja’s talents are not only being recognized at celebrated State Fairs, but are being showcased on international television.

Watch her on Slice Network’s Cake Walk as she takes part in the October 26 episode of Cake Walk Wedding Cake Edition – Fright Night. She’ll be assisting Matt Somers of “It’s a Matter of Cake” compete for $5000 and the title of best cake designer.

Bugeja will also be featured on the US Food Network’s November 6 episode of LEGO Cake Challenge. She’ll be assisting Ashlee Perkins of Savannah Custom Cakes (http://www.savannahcustomcakes.com) compete for $10,000!

An extremely talented cake and confection designer, Bugeja doesn’t keep her award-winning know-how under wraps. She offers regular informative, interactive classes out of her Flour Confections store in addition to traveling across Canada and the United States to teach the art and skill of decadent design.

Bugeja will be travelling to Austin Texas February 25-26, 2012 to the That Takes the Cake Sugar Art Show and Cake Competition (http://thattakesthecake.org/index.php/main/) as well as to the Great Lakes Mini- Classes and Michigan Sugar Art Showcase Cake Competition March 23-25, 2012. Her classes will feature techniques used on her award-winning divisional entries from the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show 2011.

For additional information on the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show, please visit http://www.oklahomasugarartists.com/.

About Flour Confections

Since 2004, Lisa Bugeja, owner and founder of Flour Confections, has been creating custom cakes professionally, adding a unique touch to special occasions and turning dreams into sweet reality. Since April, 2009, the Pickering-based Flour Confections has been a prominent fixture on the confectionary design and supply scene. Serving Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area, Flour Confections evolved from a passion for dessert and a love for artistic expression. Providing an array of sweets, Flour Confections also provides cake decorating classes and sells an assortment of cake decorating supplies.

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Contact: Lisa Bugeja, Founder & Owner

Address: 1084 Salk Road Unit 5, Pickering Ontario

Phone: (905) 492-2692

Website: www.flourconfections.ca

Blog: www.flourconfections.blogspot.com

Email: lisa@flourconfections.ca

Cake Walk - Wedding Cake Edition Premiers THIS WEEK!

Hello all you Canadian Cake Fans!!! It's time to UNITE and CELEBRATE all things CANADIAN CAKE!

This week the Canadian Cake World is all a buzz as the premier episode of Cake Walk nears. What is Cake Walk you ask? Cake Walk will be making it's debut this Wednesday September 7th at 9pm on Slice Network - it is a timed cake competition in which 3 Canadian cake designers compete to create the winning cake for a one couple's dream wedding. Each week will feature a new couple, new designers and a new theme.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Be sure to TUNE IN Wednesday October 26th at 9pm to see ME assist Matt Somers as we make a "Spook-Tacular" cake! Will we win? Tune in to find out!

To view more about Cake Walk - you can watch the trailer on YouTube HERE

For more information about the show go to www.slice.ca HERE including video clips HERE

This One Time ... At Cake Camp ....

Well I'm back from Las Vegas and Cake Camp 2011 - what a blast! It's been 3 years since the last Cake Camp so I jumped at the chance to go back!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words - so let's go with that!

Get this plane going - Vegas is waiting!

Woot! Woot! We are here!

View from our room at the Green Valley Ranch Resort

As the sun sets ...

Time to take in the sites ...

Vegas has something for everyone!

It was a great weekend of spending time with friends .....

Me & Ruth Rickey

Me & Lauren Kitchens

Me & Ashleigh Phillips Foster

Oh ya and I took some classes too!

Beyond The Bridge with Ruth Rickey

Cocoa Painting with Marsha Winbeckler

Airbrushing with Roland Winbeckler

Sitting Dog Stand with Mike McCarey

Debbie Brown is Crossing the Pond!

photo courtesy of Debbie Brown Cakes

We are thrilled to announce that Debbie Brown will be joining Flour Confections next year for 3 wonderful classes!

2 of the classes feature cakes from Debbie's newest book "Baby Cakes". Debbie has authored over 20 books and is the UK's #1 sugarcraft author! Her novelty cakes and figures are adored by people around the world.

Debbie will be teaching the following master classes:

Kittens MasterClass with Debbie Brown

Friday March 2nd 2012 9am-5:30pm $375 CAD

Beetle Love MasterClass with Debbie Brown

Saturday March 3rd 2012 9am-5:30pm $375 CAD

Noah's Ark MasterClass with Debbie Brown

Sunday March 4th 2012 9am-5:30pm $375 CAD

As with all our classes, all supplies are included and a fabulous lunch and our signature cookies will be served!

Spaces are already filling after our initial announcement last week - you don't want to miss out on this chance to learn from Debbie!

Being Tranquil with Toba

I know most of you will probably say "piping? tranquil? not possible!" But it really is and was!!!

We were so honoured to have hosted master chef instructor Toba Garrett for 2 full days of advanced piping techniques. Toba is so down to earth and made everyone feel very relaxed - it was one of the most calming and zen like classes I've ever had! Soft music was playing while students patiently piped away.

Our days were split between the Lambeth Ring Design in the morning and Australian Stringwork in the afternoon. After the rather hectic week I had just had, I needed a break and this class was it! It's sad to say, but I feel like piping is a dying art these days and it's truly a shame. It was such a pleasure to see students come out to learn this fine art and to appreciate the skill involved. I hope now we will see a come back to piping!

Summer's Here - But come Fall we Cheer!

Yes Summer is here and the kids are out for break - BUT - I cannot wait for Back To School, because this Fall, a bunch of new cake shows will be hitting the Canadian airways!

SLICE™

Cake Walk: Wedding Cake Edition (World Premiere) SEPTEMBER 7

Cake Walk: Wedding Cake Edition is a cake competition series hosted by Canadian actress and comedian Caroline Rhea. Each one-hour episode features three Canadian cake designers as they compete for the chance to have their work showcased on the most important day in a couple’s life. The designers must create the couple’s dream wedding cake in a matter of hours. The stakes are high as they race against the clock to design and complete a uniquely beautiful cake. In the end, it’s up to the couple – and a panel of three expert judges – to decide who will take home the $5,000 prize and the chance to have their cake design featured at the couple’s wedding.

FOOD NETWORK

Were you missing Duff? No fears....

Sugar High (Canadian Premiere) AUGUST 31
In this brand new series, famed cake ‘Ace’ Duff Goldman leaves his bakery behind and takes a sweet road trip on a mission to find the best desserts in America, from baked Alaska to Boston cream pie. Duff goes to the locals of each city to find out where they eat when they’ve got a sugar craving and then meets the people behind the nation’s best desserts, getting the scoop on the history of the recipe and the behind-the-scenes magic of how it is made.

Tough Cookies (Canadian Premiere) AUGUST 31
The only thing more popular than the Jersey Shore beach in New Jersey are the cookies at Crazy Susan’s Cookie Company. There’s never a dull moment with this loving, squabbling, multi-generational family. Sisters Susan and Linda try to keep everything running smoothly – but with lines out the door, phones ringing off the hook, and family members who create more problems than solutions, they’ll need to work their tails off to keep these cookies from crumbling.

I'll be tuning in.....will you?