Been keeping busy lately getting ready for the storm of birthday parties that is coming to our house. 4 out of 5 of our children have birthdays within an 8 week time frame, and I’ve been swarming around busy as a bee getting everything together!!
The first birthday party is this weekend for Tre’stin and Tayler, who both have April birthdays. And then smack dab in the middle of their birthdays is Easter Weekend! So I thought what better way to celebrate their birthdays than with an Easter Bunny themed party and Egg Hunt!
It’s been fun finding Bunny Decorations and neat candies to fill their basket with, but when it came to finding the right cake I wasn’t satisfied.
I went to the usual spots- Publix, Kroger, Sam’s Club, etc. trying to find the perfect cake to fit their party.
It hits me- the mainstream cake business is a REAL rip-off!!
They charge $35 for a sheet cake made with $5 of cake mix, covered with $5 of white icing, and then I presume a $25 “labor” charge for someone to write happy birthday in icing on top?? The real annoyance comes when the person who writes on the cake has horrible penmanship or can’t SPELL! I’m thinking that’s about $100 worth of cake I’m buying in the next few weeks and I don’t see the value in it.
I DO understand the value of a specialty cake from an actual bakery because the level of craftsmanship is well beyond what the average person can do. At the same time, you are also spending a lot more money (because you get what you pay for), but I wonder if the novelty of the expensive specialty cake is lost on young children who will spend about two seconds admiring it before it gets devoured with a spoon and a side of ice cream.
WHERE IS THE HAPPY MEDIUM?
That’s when I came up with my brilliant idea! (Heaven help us)
I will make the birthday cakes MYSELF! Haha
I know what you’re thinking, so THAT’S IT?!!
But let me clarify… I don’t just intend on making a plain cake covered with icing and a numbered candle stuck on top. I will attempt to make a bakery cake creation that is able to compete (and perhaps win) against a Publix cake!
So Latrail thinks I’m putting way too much pressure on myself to bring this together, but I don’t see it that way.
Children are only young for so long. They grow up and get over a lot of the simple things they enjoy as children. While they still have that amazement and wonder in their eye, why not cherish it? Why not do the best you can do? At least the memories will stick with them even when they become desensitized adults.
I also look at it as an investment to acquire such a skill. With five kids, can you imagine how many birthday cakes we will have to buy in a lifetime? LOL. I’m saving us like a MILLION dollars!
I started surfing the web for ideas and found some really cool blogs!
My favorites are listed below:
www.bakerella.blogspot.com
www.cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com
www.allthingscupcake.com
http://cupcakeswirl.com
www.bakeorbreak.com
www.bakelove.com
Could it be that baking has become hip and no one told me?
In my research I learned that there is a “silent war” going on between cakes and cupcakes. Apparently cake decorating is a hobby for mostly old school June Cleaver moms. Young hip moms are making cupcakes instead. It’s crazy, like pirates vs. Ninjas, but I LIKE IT!
There’s like this secret club of young cool mothers who bake as a hobby- but come up with these crafty designs and have modern printed flour aprons! Where can I sign up for membership!!?? LOL
The apron below is available for purchase at bakelove.com website for $18, along with cute tees as well! I want one...
Okay, so YES I had to invest in a base supply first to get this idea off the ground running!
OMG did I really spend $50 on cake supplies last night? I purchased my 3 round cake pans so I can make a 3 tier cake, then I got a giant tub of professional decorator cake icing (b/c it only came in wholesale size), not to mention other accessories such as the icing spatulas, decorative candies, food coloring, and a cake stand.
I expected Trail to snap on me when I came home with all of this, instead he just kind of shook his head then kissed me on the forehead. I’m starting to realize he understands me much better than I give him credit for. ;-)
So tonight is the big night! I don’t want to pressure myself Saturday morning into having to create a 3 layer cake right before the party. I have all my supplies laid out and ready to go when I get home.
The cake theme is going to be Marshmellow Peeps, though I plan on freestyling the design once the cakes are made. I’m not expecting my FIRST cake to be some culinary masterpiece, but hell- I KNOW I can top the old lady in the Ingles Bakery! LOL
I will take pictures and share with you guys.
If everything goes as planned, I feel a new weekend hobby coming on!! I want to experiment with cupcakes and these cool "cake pop" things I keep reading about too!!
