This week all of my free time was spent building a sweet sixteen birthday cake. As per the girls' request (this was a 2-person joint event) my only requirement was that it be vanilla with raspberry filling. I also know, from previous experience, that at least one of the girls was not that fond of fondant. So a buttercream frosting it was!
Although I'm comfortable making cakes from scratch I decided to use a box mix for the cakes themselves. It saves a bit of time, I have a box mix I like very much, and that way I was able to focus my mental energies on the decorations.
Here some photos of the finished cake:
It was a three-layer cake on the inside. The raspberries are real, the roses are sugarpaste and the gold numbers and ribbon are fondant.
I really love making sugarpaste flowers, that they are pretty, and delicate, and yummy. It feels great taking a flower (which is already a fabulous thing) and then kicking it up a notch by making it sweet and edible candy. Plus my favorite memory of the birthday party was seeing the two birthday girls enjoying their flowers, one petal at a time.
I'm no professional or expert, I know that. When I look at the cake I see the flaws. I'm trying to get better, and every time I make a cake or a set of cupcakes I feel like I'm getting better. So part of the reason I made this cake was selfish - I would like to have practice, and this gave me a perfect opportunity.
However the big reason I made this cake and put everything I've got into it, is that I love these girls and I wanted them to have the best cake I could possibly make for them. They deserve it. Happy Birthday girls!
Have you made anything for someone you love? Did it come out how you hoped? Please tell me in the comments (feel free to comment anonymously).
Janet
P.S. I have to give extra props to the cake school that taught me how to attempt making smooth looking buttercream - thank you Melissa! And to Lisa, my excellent instructor in cake making and stacking, thank you!
5 comments:
Pretty! That top picture really highlights the intricacy/layers of the flowers.
I knit (er, used to knit much more than I have recently, though I do want to pick it up again) and have made some things for loved ones. I made a scarf and arm-warmers for my then-girlfriend, which turned out fine though I think she never really wore the arm-warmers/I ended up with them for myself. I also made her these shorts to wear as warm-up clothes for dance/acrobatics (I started making those when we were still dating/finished them after we'd stopped dating). I also made my mom a few scarves (one and two: same pattern but diferent weights of yarn so they're different looking, though I was pleased with them both). The shorts took much longer to finish than I hoped, but I thought they turned out well other than that, and making them was a pretty satisfying process.
Love is yummy.
wow, Heather I really like your style. I'm glad you posted a photo of the shorts because I was trying to picture what knitted shorts look like (and now I know). I love the button details on those.
Great job on the cake! Michele
Thanks! I was really happy to have made it. I'm working on another dessert right now, chocolate cake with raspberry filling and purple raspberry icing.
Janet
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