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Amazing Cakes
By Rebecca | July 1, 2008
A well decorated cake can turn any occasion into a special occasion. I always like to stroll by the bakery counter in the grocery store and look at the creative designs on cakes of all sizes and shapes. The problem is, I don’t like to pay the bakery prices for beautifully decorated cakes. I also have never learned the secrets of decorating like a pro.
Then my mother-in-law gave me a book: “Family Fun Birthday Cakes” by Deanna Cook. It shows you how to cut and decorate cakes for just about any theme using ordinary baking pans and various types of cookies, candy and, of course, icing.
Using it as a guide, my husband and I have made cakes for each of my kids’ 
birthdays, as well as for a church activity and an Arrow of Light ceremony.
Pictured here are the cakes we made for my son’s first, third and fourth birthdays. The frog was made using a round cake pan, 2 cupcakes, some fruit by the foot for the tongue and raisins for the eyeballs. The Dukes of Hazzard cars were modeled after the Safari Jeep in the book with the color scheme changed to resemble cars from my son’s favorite TV show. We used jelly beans for the lights on the police car. The hot dog and hamburger cupcakes were made following the directions in the book and then displayed in a picnic basket. (We had his party at the park that year.)
The real fun comes when you begin to combine ideas and mix in a little creativity of your own. For instance, cookie or cracker crumbs make good dirt–Oreos for dark, muddy dirt or graham cracker crumbs for beach sand. Blue icing is water, green icing can be grass. Pretzels make great logs, licorice and be used to outline designs. By combining these and other elements, I was able to make a cake with a trail through a grassy meadow that led to a bridge. (I used Kit-Kats to make the bridge, placing them upside down over a broken sandwich cookie covered in blue icing to create the look.) Along the trail I placed various Cub Scout emblems ending with the Arrow of Light closest to the bride. A Lego person of my son’s represented the Scout walking along the trail. This was the highlight of an Arrow of Light ceremony for our Pack. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a camera to take a picture.
You can also search the web to find fun candles or cake toppers to give your little one the perfect cake. Sites like www.birthdaydirect.com carry all types of themed toppers, many of them just like the cakes displayed in the grocery store and some of them better.
This year my daughter wants a princess cake and I was able to purchase a topper shaped like Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. Using tips from the book, I am confident I will be able to bake the cake for her dress and the topper will make the cake a dream come true for a bunch of little girls. While looking for the perfect topper, I found Strawberry Shortcake toppers, other Disney princess toppers, Spider-man toppers, Dinosaur toppers, and dozens of others for all different shaped cakes. Plus, you can get decorations, favors and gift wrapping to match your theme if you want. (This is the first time that I’ve purchased decorations and dishes to match the theme. My daughter is having a combined party this year, with her best friend who happens to share her birth date.)
A creative cake can make any occasion special and fun. Cook’s book has changed the way I see making a dessert–especially for children. Pictures in cooking magazines add to my store of ideas. (I sometimes leaf through them while I wait at the check out stand. If they have cakes inside and if my kids are behaving themselves.) And I was thrilled to see a 3-D dragon cake featured in a Wiki-How-To. (It was made by cutting up two 8 or 9″ round layer cakes.) Once you begin to realize the possibilites, you are limited only by your own imagination–and how much cake you are willing to eat.
Topics: Budget, Cooking, Food, Relief Society, Traditions, Uncategorized, Young Women |
July 4th, 2008 at 12:29 am
Rebecca - I love your cakes! They are SOOO adorable and it will mean MUCH more to your kiddos someday when they realize you made their cakes versus buying them. You are a great mom!