Two "Groom's" Cakes for Two Cowboys

I made two groom's cakes last week.  Sort of.  The cakes weren't actually for a wedding, but a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Unicon, the company my husband works for.  The two founders, Blake and Franz, are technologists and engineers, yes, but cowboys at heart.  We wanted to do something special for them at the anniversary party, something playful, and Patience, my friend and the HR director at the company, came up with the idea of a "groom's" cake for each of them.

The owners might not come around to programmers' cubicles and spit tobacco any more, but they still have a serious Arizona cowboy streak.  

Blake's cake reflects the beautiful Sonoran desert in this area, and the classic white button down shirt that he wears.  Every Single Day.  Seriously, I have NEVER, in the 13 years Drew has worked for Unicon, seen Blake wear anything else.

The other cake was designed for Franz.  It's a nod to the fact that early employment agreements between these friends included promises to keep beer stocked in the company fridge.  

This was the first time I've ever attempted to cover any sort of rectangular or square cake, and boy, was it a challenge!  The bottom looked awful!  I asked Drew for advice as to what I could put around the base to hide my miserable fondant work, and he instantly said, "peanuts."  It turns out, Blake and Franz, who are notoriously frugal, at one point turned to each other and said, "I want peanuts.  We're doing well enough that we can afford peanuts."  

Their frugality was undoubtedly instrumental in turning Unicon into the thriving company it is today, but yes, guys, you deserve peanuts.  And cake.  Congratulations on 20 years.