Piece of cake

Inspired by Lucinda's not one, but two creative birthday cakes, my own children have been discussing what cake for this year. Their respective birthdays are 5 to 6 months off you understand but they go in for long term planning for their birthday celebrations. I sometimes wonder if wedding planners should be on their list of career choices. I have had my share of disasters - the year Miss S requested a cake that looked like a beautifully wrapped present I tinted the icing a delicate pale pink, unfortunately it was a cheap colour and by morning the cake looked more like something wrapped in cheap brown paper since the colour had gone off. Or the year she wanted the cakes like individual houses with chocolate roof tiles - it was 30 at 11pm the night before as her father and I tried to get the bloody tiles on without the chocolate melting all over our fingers. Then there was the year she chose the wildy ambitious "bush babies" cake from the Australian Women's Weekly Fantastic Cakes book and my pal, Karen, was co-opted to fashion possums, koalas, wombats and gum leaves from fondant icing. "It's easy to make an authentically Australian menagerie" trilled the instructions. Well, only when you ply your best friend with lots of wine and beg her to stay and assist. Actually, they were all delightful in the end but much effort went into their execution.

Comments

[Marsha]

My son has firmly established that this will be the year of the "space birthday". I have tracked down a rocket ship shaped cake mold which will make the cake part easier but I swear I am still kept up at night by the thought of actually turning it out. I mean, it's like the most important thing in his life - he visits the cake pan in the cupboard, talks about it, reminds me it's there every day. The pressure that a four year old can visit upon you is more intense than just about anything I have lived through.

[lucinda]

Now that's a gorgeous cake!!! I'm so impressed. Sounds like it was a huge effort, though. Thanks for posting the photo.