Growing up in our house, birthdays were a BIG deal. While my mom ran a home daycare, every birthday party was an opportunity for her to celebrate each child and make him/her feel special. The CAKE was the target attraction. In the days leading up to the celebration, she would let the birthday girl or boy choose whatever character they wanted to adorn their cake. The rest of us with bustle with anticipation as we waited for the reveal of the confectionery labor of love. Some of my favorites over the years included: Cookie Monster, Ghost
Busters, a 3-D Care Bear, and My Little Ponies.
Going over-the-top for birthday celebrations is still a tradition in our house (ah-hem, i.e. the purpose
of this blog) and the importance of the cake has not wavered. Now that
the next generation is rolling in for my sisters, it seems like a great
time to step up to the plate to carry on the family decorating
tradition. I signed up for the same Wilton
Cake Decorating class that my mom took almost 30 years ago. She took her
class at Sears; I took mine at Michael's.
Lesson
#1: Cake decorating is expensive. Tips. Pastry bags. Dye. Spatulas.
To be honest, did I NEED all of these supplies? Probably not...but now I
get giddy whenever I am in the cake decorating aisle to see what I can add to my decorating set.
Lesson #2: Cake decorating is harder than it looks. Decorating takes a lot of grip strength, patience, a steady hand, and consistency. I needed A LOT of practice.
Lesson #3: Cake is forgiving. When I mess up (which is often), there is usually a way to fix it.
Okay, so there wasn't a fix for this one. Lesson learned: Don't fall asleep while a Fun-Fetti cake is in the oven.
Lesson
#4: Mixing cake batter and frosting with my Grandma's Kitchen-Aid
mixer makes them taste better. I am pretty sure it is her love coming
through. It's the same Kitchen-Aid mixer that we used to make strawberry mousse when I was in elementary school. We think she bought in the late 80s or early 90s, but it works as good as new!
Lesson #5: Cake Decorating is an art-form. I have barely gotten started, but have enjoyed it so far. After practicing level 1 skills a bit more, I am looking forward to taking my Level 2 Wilton Class.
NB: We're still working on the handwriting...
