For the last MONTH, I've been asking J what kind of birthday cake he wanted. Since Alex requested an army tank and Ethen requested a baseball stadium, I thought for sure J would want something outlandish. Here's what he said:
"White cake with cream cheese icing."
Uhhhhh...
I told that story to the family on Saturday and J joked, "Well, I change hobbies about every week, so it was hard to decide what to ask for!" I said, "Right! I was going to make a drum set since he's playing with this new band, but then two days ago he bought a new bike, so then I had to change the cake!"
It IS a cool bike, though.
What were we talking about? Oh right, cake.
J didn't know I was doing anything special for the cake until he walked into the kitchen an hour before the party when he was supposed to be quarantined outside.
Photo compliments of J.
A few tips that Mom and I discovered while laughing so we don't cry:
- Get your mom to help you! Take turns saying, "How am I supposed to make a radiator/brake caliper/rear view mirror??"
- Don't use cream cheese icing! Even at room temperature, it melts and puddles! If your man requests it, try putting it in the fridge for a few hours before you work with it. I know fondant is the bakers' choice, but none of us want to eat it. We prefer taste over professionalism. Strictly amateur hour up in here. : )
- Silver bakers' spray paint works really well. I sprayed the whole bike and wheels after Mom iced the cake with white cream cheese icing and before I added any of the black icing and gel. But then don't touch it! It wipes off of your icing really easily.
- Spray silver paint over aluminum foil so that you can't see the excess paint.
- If you're STILL not sure that your motorcyle looks like a motorcycle, label it!
- I would be disappointed in this cake if I wasn't laughing at it. But J loved it. He told me that he really appreciated it which was evidenced by his infamous smile. Ethen even paid me a compliment with, "I can tell it's a motorcycle!" And everyone loved eating it. : ) So this tip is: It truly is the thought that counts, so go for it! But just in case, razzle dazzle them with silver spray paint!
