Cake Update

With the help of my wonderful oldest child we actually produced this:

 

 I'm not ready for Food Network Challenge or anything, but it's definitely our best production yet.  It's passable!

A couple things I learned:

1.  When freezing a cake, do not put it on top of your recently frozen tubs of chicken broth.  It will leave a ROUND imprint in the bottom of your cake, causing you to have to cut off the wrong end.

2.  A butter knife is really NOT the proper tool for spreading icing.  Invest in an icing spatula.  

3.  If you choose to eat the chocolate frosting while you are icing it you will run into a few problems.  First, you may run out of icing for the cake, second you will get it all over your fingers and in turn get it on your cute little flowers.

4.  The words "extra cake" yelled in a house will bring six kids running into the kitchen faster than you have ever seen in your life.  You may want to try that if you ever have a fire in your home.

The WORST cake decorator ever

I consider myself to be pretty crafty and artsy, but there are two things I think I may just need to give up on. The first is sewing. I just have no patience for it. It's kinda like trying to learn to ride a bike when your sixty, with a lot of hard work and patience you could probably do it, but why would you want to?

The second is cake decorating. I go through 4 kids birthdays a year in my house, and you think after several failed attempts that I would just give up, but no, a few months pass, and I forget just how positively awful my last cake looked. I think that I've learned from my past mistakes and that I can actually make a cake look somewhat presentable.

I can't.

I'm awful.

Don't believe me? Take a look at the following:

 My first attempt.  Just pitiful.

 This one actually was not THAT bad.  Still, not great.

 Just sad....

I think Lucy could have done a better job at it.  Just sayin...

 Give me a little slack on this one, it was a flippin cookie cake.

 This years was so bad I didn't even get a photo of it.  This is the best shot I have of it. 

So, you would think after YEARS of miserably failed attempts, that I would give up.

Nope.  I went ahead and baked the cake.  One layer is all ready falling apart on me.  Somehow I'm going to have to take the frosting to "glue" it back together.  My plan this year is to freeze it so it ices easier.  My oldest daughter is supposed to be decorating it herself, but with her control freak of a mom, I can see myself quickly taking over the project.

I went to hobby lobby, picked out a sheet of stuff that you are able to "cut out".  I have little flower cookie cutters.  My goal is to have pink flowers on brown icing.  We will see how it turns out...

I almost attempted fondant.  It's laughable actually to think I could even pull that off...

Wish me luck.  I need it.