This is actually less about the birthday and more about the cake!
The cake that I baked two days in advance
kneaded and rolled fondant for, one day in advance
The cake that took me hours to decorate
The first cake I have EVER decorated
The cake that I am so flipping proud of!
My sons second birthday Cars cake!
The cake is not perfect I will admit that. But seriously for a first timer, I think I beat some pro cake decorators out there. Want me to decorate a cake for you? Bring it on!
Okay I'm a little stuck to myself but I honestly was so surprised that it turned out as good as it did. I frequently have these ideas in my head, I can see how I want them to turn out and then when I get to the finished product I am utterly disappointed that it looks nothing like my vision! How sad, but this was not one of those times!
I am not a baker, in fact my husband told me last night I am a terrible baker. We were having a conversation about food. I told him I didn't want to make some friends food because I am a terrible cook. He turned to me and said "No you're a good cook, you're a terrible baker". Hurt? not really, I already knew I was bad.
I've tried countless times to make the perfect sugar cookies, pies and cakes and come up short. My project end up in the can! So this was a cake I was determined not to mess us. I made one from the box!
Here at the Johnson household we don't like the traditional white or choco, we like funfetti!
Super easy, a little extra oil in the mix for moistness and the cake was perfect.
I wasn't too sure how many rounds I was going to need. I ended up doing 3 6" and 3 8". Turns out 6 layers was really big, so I cut it down to 2 a piece and then made 2 other small cakes from the others.
Some things about frosting a cake are pretty easy... Level it off duh! I figured the cake wouldn't sit pretty if I didn't gut that bubbled up part off.
After my cakes were baked, as per box instructions, they cooled, were cut, layered and then frosted with buttercream for a crumb coat (a thin coat). I think I ended up letting this sit out for a good 4 or 5 hours to harden up a bit before I slathered them with another thicker layer of buttercream.
While the coat was drying and what I do have pictures of is the fondant process. I have big plans for cakes coming In March for my husbands birthday and a really big one in April for my daughters first birthday! I'll make sure to take pictures of everything then.
Anyhow. Fondant is easy, store bought is kind of weird. I've used it before for small circles on my sons first birthday cupcake cake. I wanted to be adventurous, since I wasn't on the cake baking itself and make my own.
I had seen on blogs how to make it, some require gelatin, some just use marshmallow, powdered sugar and water. Thats the route I went. Simple simple. I had a friend who decorates show me how to do it and I was shocked it was that easy.
1 large bag of mini marshmallows and 5 tsp (i think) of water melted in microwave until creamy smooth. Once melted, slather counter with crisco, dump melt on counter and start mixing in 1 bag powdered sugar until dough like consistency. Some add the color to the melted marshmallow some add to the dough form. I did dough and let me tell you, black is RIDICULOUS. My hands were purple all day and all the next day for the party!
I will make a tutorial on this I swear, but for now... go
here to Make it and Love it. Seriously it's that easy!
So I got everything done, cakes prepped, fondant made and I got to work creating this masterpiece.
I really had no idea what I was doing I just kind of went with it. I find thats how I am with most things. I will see a tutorial online and I wont read through it all. I just think, "oh I can do that" and I go and do. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Thats when I think "I should have read the whole thing". But this worked!
Below is one of the rounds I didn't use that I made into a smaller cake. One I let him use to blow out his candles. I am sure everyone at the party appreciated that he didn't spit all over their slice of cake and the other, this one, I used on the actual day of his birthday.
I will throw in a few details about the party, it was Cars themed, obviously.
There were plenty of toy cars, lots of candy dishes full of red and yellow goodies, a delish slushy punch (I will post recipe for this). I also made some pendant banners with checkers on them to hang about, as well as some lightening bolts.
And if people didn't want the best cake ever, they could have a cake pop. I have tried my hand at these multiple times and failed every time. No, not the baking or rolling part. The dipping part. Mine just kept falling off or breaking apart. Anger! I got smart this time and bought a Wiltons Chocolate Melter. Saved some serious heartache! I love it! Go buy one!
I'm thinking right now why I post things... Why post this?
Well, I love looking at other blogs, for ideas, inspiration, tutorials. Sometimes I just get in this rut. I can't create anything fantastic (everything I create has already been created anyway) and I'm stuck. Every morning I get on the computer and head on over to the craft world. I could spend hours on end looking at craft blogs. So why do I post?
Because maybe what I am posting will give you an idea. Had I not searched the internet for Cars cake ideas, I wouldn't have come up with this, a collaboration of multiple cake designs I was in love with. Had I not been browsing on
Make it and Love it, I wouldn't have been inspired to make a cake in the first place.
So hopefully, I inspire someone somewhere and if not. That's totally fine too, I like documenting!
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