Cake Review 2011

Only four cakes this year.  One for each son and one for my Mom and Dad's 60th birthday party.  All three Astling boy birthday cakes this year were Harry Potter themed.  I tried some different things this year: making my own decorations out of fondant and a edible stained glass window.  I'm definitely not worthy to be on the "Ace of Cakes" show, because as I near the end of making a cake, I don't really care about the details that I thought would be so crucial and just end up glad that I make cakes for family members that will love me for trying.

My brothers and sister and I threw a surprise party for my parents who both turned 60 this year.  This cake is full of fondant representations of things they like or have accomplished.  They love four-wheeling, water-skiing, sewing, reading, cooking, music, exercising, working, using tools for wonderful creations, quilting, my Dad was quite the sportsman in high school (still is), my Mom worked at a bank for many years, they owned a video store called "Five Star Video" (each child one of the stars), and they were married in the Provo temple.

Here are my two favorite fondant creations:

D.J. wanted the graveyard fight scene between Harry and Voldemort, from the 4th Harry Potter book.  I made my own characters and as you will see, scrapped that idea in the next two cakes and went with Lego people.  Besides the fact that I have never been able to even draw people, my boys informed me that my cartoonish people, that are not even supposed to look real, do not quite cut it for a representative cake.  I have no problem with this.  Making people two days ahead of time so they can be dry enough to stand on their own is for cake makers who are paid to do it. Which is not me.

The idea to use non-edible glow sticks for the spells colliding came to me late in the process, but it worked well enough and we therefore had a glow in the dark cake! Mark helped me write the names of a bunch of dead people on the gravestones, with the exception of three stones which had the name of Spencer, Dallin and James.

Spencer requested a scene from the Battle of Hogwarts, which takes place at the end of the last book.  This is my attempt at a part of a castle that a troll is beginning to destroy. Notice the Lego people.

My favorite is the troll.  Rather than make him two days before and hope that he dries in time to hold up, I took a Rescue Hero from the toy box and surrounded him with fondant.

From this:

to this. . . . with a little black loin cloth.

James just read the part in Harry Potter #2 about the dueling club.  This is when Malfoy sets a snake spell on Harry in the middle of a table.  Mark helped me put together as many Harry Potter Lego guys we could find and also included a monkey in an orange suit under the invisibility cloak.  Can you see him?  Didn't think so.

Granna pointed out that when we lit the torches for blowing out, you could see the light making the stained glass window illuminate.  I didn't think about that. Cool effect!  The window I made out of broken Lifesaver candy, melted in the oven in a mold I made of tin foil.  After burning the first two windows and airing the smoke out of the house, the third window was a success!

I know this little hobby of mine seems crazy to many people and that it is a frivolous thing to do.  It is frivolous.  It's not necessary.  It is by no means something I do to show off or make myself look better than anyone else (I blog about it to keep a record).  I do it because I love the people I do it for and I do it a little for me too.  Doing things like this has always been a part of who I am.  I love creating and I love the challenge of creating something from not much.  I admit I get a little buzz, feeling like I'm an amateur Macgyver in cake decorating.  It's the closest I can get to making something successful out of toothpicks, sugar and wire, and feeling like I saved the world for one boy, one birthday morning.  Different people show their love in different ways.  One way I show mine is through food.

Who knew a little soul searching would come from a bunch of frosting?