Bucky Beaver Birthday

Some days I can't help but think I'm straddling the line between being well stocked and becoming a hoarder. I like to buy cute things. Things I very well may never need. Like this Animal Crackers Pan from Wilton.

I just needed to have it when I first started baking. I guess I thought it would come in handy [and, of course, I like bears]. It did come in handy when I surprised a friend at work with a piggy cake so I dug it out from under my pile of pans when I decided to surprise another friend at work... this time with a different animal. 

A Beaver. Yup, I said it, Beaver.

This is what it looks like when it comes out of the oven.

I cut off the cracked part to level it and flipped it over. Look! It's a bear... for now.

Delicious chocolate cake covered in chocolate icing and then covered in rich dark chocolate Satin Ice fondant.

Time to turn this bear into a beaver. I looked up some cartoon beavers and came up with this wide-eyed, bucky-toothed beaver pal.

Voila! Bear turned beaver.
I actually have another animal in mind for this pan [again, not a bear]. I'm going to try and work it into a Valentine's Day theme.

Baby's 1st Birthday Zoo

I'm glad I didn't pack in my apron after the flaming hot rod failure because I wouldn't have accomplished this! My most favorite cake yet - a colorful 3 tier Zoo for Brendan's 1st Birthday!

My sorority sister's baby was turning one and she threw him the cutest zoo animal birthday party complete with handmade Cricut accents that I was able to match the cake to.

I topped the cake with some bright flying stars, a whimsical number 1 and a cute, friendly alligator sitting on a bed of red fondant - the birthday boy's favorite color.

Also hanging out at lil' B's birthday is a smiley monkey.

This plump lil' hippo looks so pleasant.

My poor giraffe snapped in half in the commute. Luckily I was able to mend his neck upon arrival.

 The fluffy lion looks like he could never hurt a thing.

Last but not least, my favorite zoo animal... the zebra.

The cake matched the party accessories perfectly!! I just have to share some of the party details... These party hats were all hand made with colorful paper, pom poms, and ribbon. Amazing!

Let's just say she spent a lot of time with the Cricut cutting out these itsy-bitsy details. What a perfect accent to dress up the utensils!

There were even matching zoo cookies representing monkeys, zebras, and lions! I love the mixture of fondant and icing on these favors... I'll have to try that some time!

The birthday banner and center pieces on the outside tables were also adorable. Everything came together perfectly thanks to the master planner with an adorable baby boy who made the whole day worth while.

Happy Birthday Brendan!!

Hot Rod Flames Cake

I almost consider this hot rod cake a total bust. It actually made me rethink this whole cake baking thing I've got going on.

I borrowed my co-worker's brand new airbrush to get this black & white flame effect. I had to create a hand drawn flame pattern and set up a airbrush over spray catcher in my living room. The airbrush experience was actually quite fun. The customer feedback was the not so fun part...

I filled the cake with chocolate pudding as requested but because of the crazy heat it must have spoiled and tasted funny to the point that the birthday boy felt sick. I was heartbroken. That's the last thing I would ever want to happen to someone expecting to enjoy my creation. Lesson learned. I'll stick to my non-dairy buttercream as fillings.

On the positive side, I think the airbrush effect looked great. I even hand painted the silver flame outline on the cake. The cupcakes turned out nice as well... and they didn't make anyone sick! Bonus! They were topped with fondant 5-spoke rim, white wall hod rod tires.

I decided to come away with the experience of making this type of cake and to move onward in my journey... after all if it at first you don't succeed...

Animal Farm Birthday

This was one of those cakes that started off well, declined quickly, and then finished strong...

I started with some cute fondant farm animals for a little boy's 2nd birthday. A cow, a piggie, and a sheep... or is it a lamb? My roommate named them but I forgot what she called them. Feel free to give them your own.

 The day was really humid and I was trying to work on another cake at the same time so covering this cake in fondant was a nightmare. I almost cried. I sent a picture to my boyfriend claiming it looked like a 2 year old made the cake. The cake was supposed to be for a 2 year old, not made by one! He had faith in me. Luckily all the decorations covered most the flaws. Those barn doors did wonders!

The cow was happy with his new home.

 
A sheep head peeking through the fence to visit piggie.

Another piggie visiting the sheep and a duckie floating above.

Everything turned out alright at Peter's farm after all.