Birthday cakes

Old hobbies get recycled when another generation enters the family. When my kids, nieces and nephews were little, I baked and decorated many character cakes. As they grew older, those cakes were made less frequently and then not at all. Now that our family has a new generation, the cake making supplies have come out of retirement. Thanks to two of my nieces, I have two three year old great-nephews (they are cousins) and one six year old great niece.


The first birthday this calendar year was one of the boys who wanted a football cake. Rather than cut the cake in the shape of a football, I made a half sheet cake (half yellow, half chocolate) and made and end zone on the cake surrounded by molded chocolate footballs and the birthday boy's name. It even had football shaped candles. They are standing up opposite his name.


Two months later was the second young man's birthday. His request was for a Tigger cake. Wilton makes many cake pans, but Wilton is no longer offered. One of the things that has changed since my previous days of baking character cakes is that one of the cake supply stores near me now rents pans!

<---- Here is Tigger A second cake had chocolate batter (Tigger was yellow) and was decorated with white, orange and black frosting, spelling out birthday wishes for Alex.



Recently, the princess of the new generation turned six. Her request was for a Barbie cake. Uh oh....Wilton doesn't make that pan any longer either, and the rental pan needed a plastic cake topper in the image of Barbie but that was missing.

I bought Disney's princess pan (Cinderella, in my opinion) and at a second shop found the plastic Barbie decoration on the second cake. I altered Cinderella's hair and clothing to resemble the Barbie on the second cake.

Barbie could use a cosmetic make over, but made a six year old smile and was pretty tasty with a side of ice cream. What more could you ask for?