Cake Fun

"You can't have a birthday without a cake, Mom!" So said my four year old when she learned that my birthday might pass without a cake.  She insisted that we make a cake together but informed me that I shouldn't look at it while we made it or while I put it in the oven or while I put the icing on.  Why?  Because birthday cakes are supposed to be a surprise for the birthday person.

This tradition was started by my dad who did the cake decorating while we grew up.  We would wake up and run for the cold cellar in the basement to check out our cake, always a fun design; sometimes an animal shape or perhaps covered with little toy people playing in a park.  At some point my dad allowed me to help him with the cakes for the other kids and so my enjoyment of decorating birthday cakes began.

In our family the tradition has a little twist in that the birthday kid gets to pick out a cake from one of our books or give me an idea of what they would like.  We have had elephants, frogs, puppies, a beach, a carrot cake (not carrot-cake but a giant cake shaped like a carrot!), a castle, a couple of dolls and of course a tractor and even a manure spreader!  A couple of years ago I decided to try my hand at homemade fondant and have really enjoyed playing with it (Play-doh for adults!).

Here are some pics of cakes from over the years.....

The Carrot Cake

Tractor Cake

Beach Fun

Giant Cupcake

Doll, the dress matched a dress of Summer's

Train cake

Manure Spreader!

First attempt at fondant

Cupcake Racecar

Second attempt at fondant

Cupcake Owl

Running Shoe Cake

Kate and Jordyn's shared Ladybug Cake

Pregnant belly cake for my sister's baby shower

I am looking forward to making future cakes, lots of girly ones with four daughters!  But also some more farm vehicles and quite likely a train cake in August!!!  :-)