I always buy my kids' birthday cakes.
Every year.
I usually order them weeks in advance from the local grocery store bakery.
I have always carried a small amount of guilt that I am shirking my motherly duties by not making homemade birthday cakes.
Not anymore.
The guilt is gone.
Here's the story:
Our plan was to celebrate Tyson's birthday next Sunday night at my parents house. Due to circumstances outside of my control the plan changed and we bumped the party up a week. This left me scrambling for a cake on Saturday night.
Not a big deal, right?
It's just cake, right?
Wrong.
I figured I would just run over to Walmart and pick up a cake from their bakery. When I got there the bakery was closed and I was left to choose from the premade cakes. None of them met my two rules:
1. Was made with the "good" frosting.
2. Was decorated with an acceptable boy theme.
Plan B: Attempt to make a cake myself. It can't be that hard, right? My sister, who watches a lot more Food Network than I do, offered to help so I felt confident.
I purchased a cake mix, frosting, and a Spiderman Toy from Walmart and headed home.
Four hours and a headache later, this is what we came up with.
My sister affectionately calls it "Ghetto Fabulous"
We could not get the frosting to turn red to save our lives.* Spiderman refused to look good on top of the cake, so we had to settle for him climbing up the side. And lets not even talk about the lettering.
Thankfully Tyson was so thrilled to have a new Spiderman toy, he didn't care that it came on a flaming pink cake.
I have learned my lesson. I will continue to pay the professionals to handle my birthday cake needs, this time without any guilt.
*I have since been informed that to make pink frosting turn red I need to either use a little yellow food coloring with the red or buy red frosting to begin with. I didn't know this at the time.
12 comments. . . I Love Comments!:
I think the cake looks great!
I think the cake looks awesome!
I have to admit that I will be a mom that probably buys every cake because I've attempted the cake decorating (kind of) and it was not a success. :)
It didn't look as bad as you were saying it did. The only thing that was noticeably wrong with it was that the letters got all messed up, and that wasn't your fault.
You both were being way too harsh on yourselves.
I wouldn't say it's 'Ghetto fabulous'...but that is hilarious! Hey it's the memories that were made that are important right?! Tyson loved it so I'd say you were a success! I agree with Cheryl, you are being too hard on yourself. I should send you the picture of the 'butterfly' cake I made Mia one year. I ended up getting black frosting to outline the middle of it. It looked like a giant slug in the middle of some pink wings. TERRIBLE! Ghetto Fabulous...your spiderman cake would look professional compared to mine. HA HA HA HA
At least it was good for a few laughs. Do you want me to come help you with the cupcakes for his birthday?
It looks ten times better than the cake Tyson and I made for you on your birthday! Let us know if you want a professional cake next birthday otherwise we will keep doing what we do :)
Without knowing all the tricks, you did great. Remember kids don't see the cake as we do. All they see is fun, yum and the love that was put into it.
Hats off to you! I tried to make a cake one year and ended up throwing it away and running to smiths. That cake looks great!!
I have only ever bought one birthday cake. I specialize in Ghetto Fabulous. I must confess there are colors I won't try to turn frosting--red is one of them.
I think it's great. Tyson probably loved it, and cake mixes are easy. (Though I have an amazing chocolate cake adjusted to high altitude that I usually make and it's awesome. I'm glad to share the recipe if you want it.)
I think you did great.
That is one cool spiderman cake! Good job you guys. I am really impressed.
From someone who does do cakes, I thought it looked amazing. I wouldn't say it, if I didn't think it. From the picture it doesn't look too pink. I love spiderman going up the cake.
And P.S. if you ever do it again--- come borrow my stuff. It makes the writing a little easier.
It looks great and you know that is going to be one of the pictures that shows up in the wedding video when he gets married....Red Frosting... here is my trick go the the bakery and have them mix the color for you I don't mix any colors. I alway make them make it and bonus it always tastes so good!
Post a Comment