I am joining in again with Thursday's My Creative Space at Kootoyoo. (As it is now Saturday, I'm not sure whether I am late or very early).
Clockwise from top left:
- Nordicware Castle bundt pan - a pan and magic trick all in one; produces a perfect castle shaped cake
- Wilton Thomas The Tank Engine pan - comes with an icing guide that helps you produce an edible blue engine. Toot! Toot!
- Commercial cake mixes - buttercake and mudcake (read on and you'll understand why, despite enjoying baking, I have resorted to these)
- Snow sugar - a non-dissolving, powdery white adornment
- Wilton colouring gels to produce lovely intense colours in icing (and make small children run around in circles)
- Solite - a white vegetable shortening (similar to Crisco) used as a stable foundation for fluffy buttercream icing
How's this for excess or insanity ... or both?
In the last 7 days I have made 5 birthday cakes for Argy. I never planned to do this. Honestly. But we needed one to share at kindergarten. And one for morning tea on his actual birthday. And another for the little party with the group of also-turning-four friends.
But of course, a quick count would put that at three cakes, right?
So I have to admit to two hideous cake wrecks. The sort that necessitated baking replacements. One of them was particularly spectacular. I was shattered ... and so was it. There were a lot of crumbs, foot stamping and tears.
On Monday I am making the absolute, definitely never-to-be-repeated, final birthday cake for a family gathering. The plan is for a beautiful blue Thomas The Tank Engine. I have hired the tin, so have no idea how easily it will turn out of the pan.
If this one breaks though, I already have all bases covered. I'm icing it regardless and jogging everyone's memory about the beauty of cubism (in the case of simple cracking or displacement) or pointillism (for crumbs). Wish me luck.
Thank you very much Kirsty for hosting My Creative Space. Its great fun seeing what everyone is doing. To see who else is showing their creative space (or to join in), head over here.
OMG good luck with Thomas! I'll email you a photo of Thomas from my nephews 1st birthday last year. I'm sure you'll get a laugh out of it.
ReplyDeletewhy do I have a feeling that your hideous disasters would be what I considered a baking triumph
ReplyDeleteoh this brought back scarey memories! When my eldest daughter was turning 2 (now 16) she adored Thomas and I was determined to make a Thomas cake for her (no Thomas tins back then) It was a disaster...twice! yes I had a 2nd go at it, both times ended in tears and exhaustion. The birthday cake ended up being a 3rd cake and it was just plain round with pink icing, a number 2 candle and a plastic train all around the edge!! I really should of had therapy over that cake!!
ReplyDeleteOh I just LOVE the fact that you can hire Thomas tins! I had no idea.
ReplyDeleteWow you get many 'good mummy' brownie points. I used to put many hours into the birthday cake for the birthday party but the one for playschool etc. was a bought one. Bad mummy! Where's the lovely pics of your cakes?
ReplyDeletebeing able to hire cake tins is a good idea :) good luck with the Thomas cake.
ReplyDelete5 cakes?!? I would have cheated and bought simple slab cakes and then decorated them lol
Mr Tacc says: "Say NO! to Thomas, over-rated ego of the train world! Go for RED engines, who know how to find trouble. Support James, a 'really useful engine' and avoid sanctimonious priss Thomas! RED icing - much more palatable.
ReplyDeleteAhem. There are other engines, your engine may vary. Engines in the mirror may seem more or less interesting depending on your own name."