Monday, August 11, 2008

Birthday Obsessions

This weekend we'll be having a birthday BBQ for our little ones since their birthdays are eight days apart. I'll be trying my hand at a Thomas the tank engine cake as well as making a bunch of butterfly carrot cake cupcakes.

My husband says that once I get something in my head I obsess over it until it happens. He's never going to let me forget my obsession with baby carriers during my last pregnancy, every time he would look at my computer I'd have another style that I was looking at. I did find all different kinds of styles that I wanted even though I already had two. Ahem, I think it's up to six now but who's counting anyway! (Yes, all of them are well used.)

Back to my point, I'm now obsessing over which cakes to make, what kinds and how to decorate. I'm obsessing and I need someone to share it with since my wonderful and loving husbands eyes glaze over the instant I begin sharing details of the entire thing. Since I can't see all your eyes glazing I thought of all my dearest friends in blog land. So my friends, here's what I've found.

If I were more like Martha Stewart I'd make my son his Thomas the Train cake to look more likethis one at Glads Passion. Isn't it just gorgeous? As it is I'll be lucky to make one that looks anywhere close to this one. Which I do think is very cute!

I really do enjoy the way fondant looks on a cake, but I just don't enjoy eating it. Since taste is at least half of reason to make the cake I'm just not motivated to even try to use it. It seems like it might be fun, like working with clay so who knows, maybe I'll have to try it once.

As for the butterfly cupcakes, there are a couple of different options I've found. I really like these with the chocolate wings. It just seems like a bunch more work having to make those delicate little wings. Especially, when these would be half as much work and still very cute.

I think it will depend on time. Especially since I need to do a total overhaul in every room of our house, cleaning wise. I should be obsessing about that! Not to mention that every evening this week is vacation bible school at church - late nights, busy chaotic days and early mornings = we might just be eating plainly iced cake and cupcakes not that my kids will really care.

I put a ton of importance on a home made birthday cake. It's something I remember feeling really great that my Mom usually did for us. Last year since I had a 12 day old baby at my sons party my hubby overruled and bought a cake. (My wonderful Mom still made my son one for his real birthday!) So for me it doesn't matter whether it looks like perfectly frosted perfection. It is a challenge and work from the heart that will in some small way show my love for them.

2 comments:

Linds said...

I remember cake creations well. I never used fondant, because we all preferred butter icing, and I made them all 3D. So I baked firm sponge cakes and chopped them up and built my creations, using icing to weld them together. Oh the fun! Thomas is a great idea. You can add carriages too, and pile M&Ms or raisins in to look like coal. If you want a sponge cake recipe which is firm enough for building, let me know!

Anonymous said...

I would always opt for the short cuts, because I would run out of time! Hmmm, we must be related!