Birthdays...is there really anything more fun than celebrating birthdays with friends and family? In my short year of making cakes on a professional level I have realized that, while there is fun in making the cake, the reaction and joy that the cake brings is the real fun. It makes me feel like I have added a little bit of magic and surprise to someones day. I decided that my gift to my friend Shay for her birthday would be a cake made to look like a gift. I bought all the ingredients for a double layer Devils Food cake with chocolate and honey butter cream frosting. I told myself that I had 5 hours to finish the cake from start to finish...and at 8:00pm I was off! I whipped up those cakes and got them into the oven as quickly as I could, next came mixing up the buttercream frosting, and finally I got to start the decorations. First came the pink fondant that I rolled out and cut strips to make the ribbon that would act as the bow on top of the gift. After that I laid them over rolled up computer paper sheets to get the shape. I then dove into my moms 5 jars of cookie cutters to find just the right flowers for the 'wrapping paper'. Thankfully I found what I was looking for after only 2 jars. With powdered sugar in my hair and chocolate dribbles on my feet from making the ganache in the buttercream, I pulled the cakes out of the oven to let cool. I then assembled the cake and decorated it as quickly as I could, because the fondant was drying very quickly. I was so proud of the end result I emailed a picture of it to just about everyone. I could not wait for the reveal of the cake the next day...I felt like an anxious kid on Christmas Eve night waiting for Santa. The cake was a success and most importantly I made it in 4 hours...hopefully a good sign that this hobby could actually become a side career. At midnight I headed off to bed with a very calming sense of accomplishment. Shay loved the cake which made the whole process special. It wasn't just a cake, it was a symbol of celebration for a very special friend.
