“A man in love mistakes a pimple for a dimple.”

What does the title have to do with this cake? Probably nothing except that it is a Japanese proverb and the wedding cake pictured has Kokeshi dolls. What are Kokeshi dolls? Well that is what we asked when Gregg and Ariane approached Cakes by the Pound (Mendy) for a wedding cake. 

Since our starting point for the design were the Kokeshi dolls, we had to find out what they were-Kokeshi dolls originate from the Tohoku region of Northern Japan, an area well-known for its onsen (hot spring) resorts. These handmade wooden dolls are thought to date back to the early 19th century when kijiya (woodworkers), accustomed to making bowls and trays, began using their woodworking skills and lathes to make simple dolls to sell as toys and souvenirs to the onsen visitors. The dolls may originally have had a spiritual significance with the kokeshi representing a wish for a healthy child-now you know.

The cake design was a collaboration between the couple and Mendy. The design was started out with just the characters or as we call it in Japan Kokeshi dolls. So we started from the top and worked our way down. Emails were exchanged and sketches were drawn. The result is what you see below. 

Mendy made the Kokeshi dolls from modeling chocolate and hand painted the expression on the dolls with coco paint. The cake also has carefully positioned hand painted sugar flowers. 

Besides making a decision on the cake design Gregg and Ariane also had to decide on the flavors. They ended up choosing wisely-Red Velvet with Godiva white chocolate buttercream and Chocolate Blackout with Valrhona crunchy pearls and Swiss Buttercream. 

The wedding was held at the Surf and Sand Resort in Laguna Beach. Which I thought was pretty cool for a wedding or just to have a drink near the beach.   

We would also like to thank our friends Fleuretica for making this happen. Thanks Euri and Kendra!                                                                                                                                                           

Thank you for reading and my apologies for the hiatus,

Gabriel Vidauri