Monday, October 26, 2009

Happy Birthday Alice!


It is my baby girls birthday today. She turned three. She is a typical girl in many ways, she loves pink, barbies, Dora the Explorer, pink, playing babies, fairies, and pink. And a not so typical girl in that she refuses to wear a dress or skirt or have her hair put up.


Either way she is gorgeous, spirited, funny and I love her and her big brother.


I thought I would make life easy on myself and do a simple round cake, ice it pink and stick fairies, butterflies and flowers on it. Sound good? Yes.

At the last moment, I discovered, yet again, that if you look hard enough our small town can provide anything. This time I stumbled across a stay at home mum who has just started a business hiring out novelty cake tins. What a great idea. Rather than having to buy a cake tin for $40 and only use it once, you can now hire for a measley $10, any cake tin you desire.

I took this as a sign to do the Dora the Explorer cake my little girl had mentioned occasionally. Next time I will take it as a "wrong way, go back" sign!

I picked up the tin on Friday night, fresh out of the pool from the kids swimming lessons. Had great ideas of baking it that night before my parents arrived the next day from interstate. Alas, I was just too tired.

The next day brought 40 plus degree heat (summer is here!), a really leaky shower, a broken pool pump (both of which translate into a cranky Workaholic) and a house full of people trying to cool off in our pool - which was excellent fun. So no cake.

The Sunday brought more 40 degrees heat but I managed to bake the cake in the morning and after a day of swimming and playing with the kids and my parents, an hour and a half in the kitchen at night decorating Dora.

I have discovered a couple of things:

  • I am really woeful at doing faces

  • Dora now has missing fingers! Who knew?

  • the "easy to use" novelty tins aren't that easy to use

  • I am a bit of a perfectionist and I want to throw out the cake and start again, however, my kids took one look at the cake and recognised "Dora" and loved it - isn't that the main thing??

So I will post it here, just take it at face value, but know I am much better at cupcakes!!! I am very frustrated with the Blog at the moment. I can't get the paragraph breaks to stay in, nor can I get the photo to be the right way!! You'll need to turn your head sideways!

I hope you had a great day, Alice.






6 comments:

  1. Dora looks delightful! Happy Birthday to Alice -Wow the time just flies. THink I will have to plan a visit to sample the merchandise myself!! I am a connoisuer (whatever!!) of good food of course! yum

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  2. Thanks Kirsten.

    You are welcome anytime - gives me a great excuse to bake up a storm!

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  3. hi kate the cakes look great!!! You are doing an excellent job, way better than I could do!! I am enjoying reading your blog, Grandma passed it on. Susan

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  4. Hi Susan

    I am glad you like it - bit of therapy for the mind. Baking sooths the soul! Grandma has been keeping it her little secret - well no longer, I am obsessed.

    Hope you are enjoying your trip. Pop into the Alice and say hello if you are ever in the area.

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  5. Life has stopped for a moment in time - ye gads I've left my chocolate mudcake cupcakes at home...imagine them sitting there, in distress they didn't make it with me today...in their fabulous shining silver patty pans that makes just looking at them an experience...the icing swirled around on top and bless me pet,look at the icing...thank my lucky stars this woman has a generous hand!! The little matching butterfly, frangipani & teeny love heart perched delicately on top of a generous hand of icing....underneath which peaks a tease of chocolate..peeling off part of the patty pan and there lay deep chocolate colours...so moist, so inviting that I can no longer admire & imagine sooo a bite is taken...you can only dream girls, the taste & texture is oh so soho perfect...with 10 of these sitting in front of you what dilema can strike, should I, can I, eat all 10!!!!!

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  6. You are so kind Catherine. You also have a great way with words. I am glad you like the flourless chocolate cakes and you finally got the comments bit worked out - and you didn't even have to revert to a 17 year old!

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