Themed Cakes

When I first started making cakes and doing some frosting designs, I thought piping cupcakes was the hardest thing but as soon as I do them on a regular basis, I found it rather very rewarding if I get to accomplish a cake design that I first thought would be impossible for me to do.

Considering that I am using frosting as opposed to fondant with which has a lot of molders available in any baking supplies company, designing a cake using butter cream is a lot like sculpting, you really have to start from scratch. It will require your time and your patience so you better make sure that prior to making your themed cake, you have thought about the design first and how you are going to maneuver your way into creating your cake design.

Tinkerbell Cake

My youngest daughter had asked for a tinker bell cake for her third birthday so I started searching for a design which I believe I can achieve or at least find a way to achieve. My engineering and drafting skills were tested here, after all this would be my first layered cake and my first ever garden cake. Once I found a perfect design (you've got to love Google here) I set off to find my fairies luckily, Disney character toys are all over the metro so I was able to find them. I was also able to find chocolate stones in a local supermarket so I set off with doing my design. The mushrooms are hard to find but, luckily, I found some colorful mushroom erasers in a local school supplies shop so rather than waste more days hoping to find edible mushroom gum paste, I opted on using these instead. Having not made a layered cake before did became a minor setback as covering the entire cake with green frosting is not easy as it looks, the smoothing part of it is a bit of a challenge but I did it and was so proud of myself not to mention that my daughter loves her cake very much.

Adventure Time Cake

My cousin, after seeing what I did with the Tinkerbell cake, then asked me to make a cake for her son.  The theme she wanted was cartoon network's adventure time. I used my thinking cap to make this cake and I must say, boy! was I glad that I listened during when our drafting teacher thought us about dimension analysis.

For this cake though, rather than using my ever reliable red velvet or carrot cake recipe, I decided on making a chocolate cake.  Now, I have been experimenting on different chocolate cake recipes and I was not sure how this new chocolate cake recipe, I recently found, would turn out.  At first, I was a bit afraid that the cake would fail as the batter is very runny but by luck, it turned out to be perfect.  The taste was divine that I am already using the same recipe for my chocolate cakes.  I found some adventure time cupcake toppers in the shop where I get my baking supplies from and I used a licorice candy for my letters. I had the idea of making a checkered design from our checkered cake and there you go, Finn and the adventure time candy people.

I have made other designs as well without the aid of a cake topper (or at least the cake topper is not really the main reason for the cake to become a themed cake, ha ha ha!!!).  Here are a few cakes that became a rewarding challenge for me.

So Zoe Themed Cakes

Guitar Chocolate Cake

Super Girl Red Velvet Cake

Superman Choco Velvet cake

Doll Cakes

Chocolate Cake with Buttercream frosting

My eldest daughter wanted a spectacular cake for her birthday and it is a great challenge on my part. Before I prepare for it, I asked her what theme she wanted and automatically she said "Frozen".

I scoured the internet for inspirations.  I checked if there are any cake designs that is feasible for a non professional cake baker like me. The layered cakes available in google often display fondant cakes, which I do not have the necessary equipment to make it a realization. The frosting layered cakes was rather to much for my meager skills, like I said in my previous articles, I never had any professional proper education when it comes to baking, Google was my teacher apart from my little exposure to baking when I was still in Ireland, so hmm.. not a good idea....

Then, I stumbled upon an Elsa doll cake during one of my Google searches and I wondered if it is actually possible for me to make it. I studied the structure of some doll cakes and also checked some of my cake molds if I have the necessary equipment or if I needed to buy some new ones.

Chocolate with cream cheese

I thought, I should practice before I would actually make it and luckily one of the employees of the company I am working is having her birthday and the team wanted to surprise her. My colleagues paid me to bake a cake for her so since she is also special to our team I decided that this is my chance to actually make a doll cake and gain confidence in forming my doll.  The cake was well received so I am very happy and my confidence level in making doll cakes are increased.  Now I have another cake decorating technique to add on my list! Weeee....

Carrot Cupcakes, cream cheese and
cinnamon sugar snowflakes cookies

My daughter wanted a chocolate cake for the Elsa doll and carrot cupcakes to bring to her school so she can also celebrate with her classmates so I thought why not top the cupcakes with cinnamon sugar snowflakes cookies for a real "Frozen" theme.  Her classmates loved it and are asking for some more. Until next birthday then....