Birthday Cakes & Traditions

My grandma was a caterer and I remember her making elaborate wedding cakes. My mom made awesome birthday cakes. I remember one where she made that doll princess cake one year. You know, the one where the cake is the dress of the princess. She also used the same cake mold to make an ice cream mountain for the same party. It was awesome! Anyway, I remember growing up and wanting to decorate cakes and use all the awesome cake tips and learn how to do it. I've since learned that it's a lot of work and since it's not my profession I don't have time to do it on a regular basis. But when it comes to my kids birthdays...I indulge. So, this is one of my fun mommy traditions--decorating beautiful cakes. It's fun for me! This year M specifically asked for a Christmas tree cake. Just so happens that I inherited a Christmas tree cake mold from either my mom or grandma. So it was, shall we say, "a piece of cake". It was fun to figure out how to make the texture of the trees needles. I ended up using the "hair" tip and swooping it in layers. It's looked awesome! I tried to make brown icing for the bark and kicked myself for not talking to "Kathy Cake" (a friend of mine) about borrowing her gel color dyes (she has brown...I used it for F's puppy cake). So after tossing some different colors in the trash I remembered the leftover cake from leveling the cake and packed that onto the base coat of frosting. Perfect! I decorated the cake the night before the party. All day M waited to see it. We've started a new tradition: You have to wait and be surprised to see your cake when we put the candles on. M's response was worth it all -- just a plain, awestruck, simple, "Wow!" while she tried to take it all in. M started a tradition of her own. She loves to lick the candles off. She pulls each one out and sucks off the icing. (I don't keep candles...not when you can get a box of 200 for $1!) Anyway, one of her friends tried to take one and I didn't have the heart to make her share. This is one of her favorite birthday things. So I explained it to the friend but then M did share of her own accord. That's my girl.

I love birthdays!

Birthdays -- celebrating the day you arrived on earth and got your turn to live the life you anticipated for eternities.
Make this the best year so far!