Paw Patrol Birthday Cakes

These cake were for twin girls last year. Their favourite show was Paw Patrol - much like very other toddler!! Kids just can't resist those cute puppies. My daughter just saw these pictures and now she is determined to have a Paw Patrol birthday cake! We will see how many more times she changes her mind before then!

I didn't want to make them exactly the same, so I reversed the colours and chose different puppies to make.

Marshall turned out a little better then Zuma, but I was happy with the end result!

Those streamers in the background were still up from my son's birthday party, which was weeks before. He didn't want them taken down! I haven't put his cake up yet, but will soon!

Make Up Cake

This was a fun cake to make. Bright colours and very girly! It was for my husband's niece. I was able to make all the pieces ahead of time so putting it together didn't take very long.

As you can see there is a 7 lying beside the cake. It got stuck in once the cake was delivered. I didn't actually make it to the birthday party - instead left the delivery and set up to my very capable husband. I just didn't get a picture of it completely finished!

Millennium Falcon Birthday Cake

Camron always has great ideas for birthday cakes! For his birthday last year he wanted this Millennium Falcon cake that has a LEGO feel. It was the first Star Wars cake I ever made. I'm a Star Wars fan so I was excited to make it for him!

Doc McStuffins Birthday Cake

So, it's been a while! I haven't done much crafting in the last year, but I have made a few cakes and I'm behind in posting them. I'll try to get caught up!

This is a cake I made for my daughters birthday. She wanted a Doc McStuffins cake so we went on Pinterest and she picked one out. I changed it a little bit to my liking and instead of making a Doc McStuffins I ordered her off Amazon.

I especially like the Lambie, the sheep!

Minnie Mouse Cake

Our daughter loves everything that is pink and girly, so it is no surprise that she loves Minnie Mouse! This is probably the last year I get to pick out her birthday cake so I decided I would take advantage of it and make her a Minnie Mouse cake.

I took a couple different ideas and put them together. Making Minnie out of a cookie was the easiest way I could think of making her, so that is what I did. After I finished Minnie's face, I couldn't figure out why she didn't look as cute as the picture I was copying. I stood there looking at it for a few minutes until it finally clicked...

I made her cross-eyed! Luckily it was a easy fix!

Once her bow was on she looked even better!

Minnie's Bowtiques is one of her favourite shows (or was until Paw Patrol recently took over!) so I made a big bow to wrap all the way around it. Some pink icing and sparkles and I called it done!

It turned out pretty cute and Victoria was delighted! Of course she wore her Minnie Mouse Halloween costume, complete with her Minnie Mouse ears, so she matched the cake!

The Backyardigans Cake

I made this cake back in September for my co-worker's granddaughter. She loves The Backyardigans. I on the other hand weren't too sure who they were so I had to do some research. I'm glad they weren't the coloured blobs I had originally thought they were - I'm not quite sure what I was thinking about; maybe Teletubbies? Is that even a show anymore? I watched part of an episode of The Backyardigans, and while it helped with what the characters looked like, it really just confused me. They weren't in a backyard, but in a city - one was driving a streetcar, I think one was being a doorman. The streetcar probably lost control going down a hill and had to be saved. By the doorman. I don't remember - 5 minutes was enough for me!

I originally decided to make the character out of colour flow, however when I went to use them I found hadn't dried properly and some of them ended up breaking. I couldn't figure out why because usually colour flow turns out so well. It wasn't until a day or two later I realized it was because I used one of my plastic cutting boards instead of the 2 arborite ones I usually uses. There was moisture trapped under the wax paper which prevented proper drying. Another lesson learned! My kids were delighted they broke because then they got to make a fancy dessert with cake scrapes and broken Backyardigans. Luckily the letters for the name, and the 2 were okay.

I got out the fondant, which is what I should have done in the beginning and made the 5 characters.

I'm actually glad the colour flow didn't work because they turn out pretty cute. The moose is my favourite.

I haven't decided if the blue one is a penguin or just a bluebird, and I think the purple one is a kangaroo. I have no idea what the pink one is. No idea. Wikipedia doesn't know either.

I glad I made the flowers, it really brightened it up and made it more little girly.

There they are, hanging out in the backyard. Everyone getting along.

Kinley loved her cake and the characters were a hit. Although one of them fell victim to their dog - dogs get to celebrate too, right!?

Iron Man Cake

The first time I made a Iron Man cake was years ago, before the Avengers were really popular. I didn't really even know who he was - just that he was my husband's favourite comic book super hero. It didn't turn out so well. Now there are all sorts of Iron Man cakes ideas on Pintrest, which is exactly where I turned when I was asked to make this one. I put a few of the ideas together to come up with a cake that I thought little Joshua would like.

The best idea I came across was putting a LED light in the cake as Iron Man's arc reactor. I knew I'd seen them in the dollar stores, but wasn't sure if they came in red. As it turned out, luck was with me, they did! They also had blue and silver, in case you were wondering! I wasn't sure how long the batteries would last so I left putting it in until the morning of the party just to make sure it wouldn't burn out.

One of my favourite things to do on a birthday cake is to write their name out of cookies. I've done it a couple times, and it always goes over well - cookies and cake all in one! I had to squish Joshua's name together to make it fit, but in the end it was better then having the letters in a straight line. I also made Iron Man's helmet out of a cookie. The template I found on Pintrest, where else!

It was a fun cake to make, and I'm really glad the light idea worked out. My source told me Joshua was thrilled with Iron Man cake and knowing that one of my cakes brought a smile to someones face is the best part of it all!

A Castle Fit For a King

For my son's 7th birthday I was unable to make the cake he first picked out. I needed the dump truck cake pan to make a candy mold. I looked everywhere with no luck. A few days before his birthday I told him he was going to have to pick something else out. We started going through my cake pans, and I mentioned to him that I had a castle cake pan. He was pretty interested in finding that one, so I thought he might like to see the castle set I have. As soon as he saw that his mind was made up.

I think I've only used this set one other time... or maybe twice, so even though it was a little elaborate for amount of time I had, I was up for making it. Of course, he wanted it complete with a moat and drawbridge.

Each turret tower had to be wrapped in fondant, imprinted with a little square cookie cutter. It went a lot quicker then I thought it would, although by the end, had a stone layer guy in the mid-evil times laid the stones as unevenly as I was, he probably would have been executed. Never the less, I got it done, and it looked okay. Windows were cut out and stuck on. The castle was actually suppose to have several more windows on the side and back walls but it was getting really late so I skipped them.

Getting the top tower to stay was a little challenging. I ended up propping it up with empty paper towel rolls and left it dry until the morning. Luckily it stayed after that.

We had to move this cake around a bit since we were having the birthday party in the backyard and to my surprise the top tower stayed in place! One of the side ones fell off, but that was no big deal, it was just stuck back on. After Happy Birthday was sung they were all coming down anyway!

Transformer Cake

So, I'm a little behind on my posts! This is my son's birthday cake from a few weeks ago. He told me months ago he wanted a Transformer cake, more specifically a cake with Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. And then he rattled of his birthday cakes for the next 3 years. I hope he remembers them because I sure don't!

I kind of mess this cake up - all my cake pans except a couple are still in the garage (the basement is getting closer to being complete! We are at the painting stage!) so I used the one I had in the kitchen hoping it would be big enough for both of the Transformers. But it wasn't. Never underestimate the size of a Transformer. I should have just gone to the garage and found my big sheet cake pan. Instead I ended up have to make 2 cakes, one for each Transformer.

To make Optimus Prime and Bumblebee I used the frozen buttercream transfer method. It is super easy and they turned out really well. I might have to start doing this more often.

He wanted Optimus Prime in truck form,

and Bumblebee in...Bumblebee form?

And then I tried to put them together so it looked like one cake and that is how it was suppose to be.

He was delighted with his 2 cakes, and wasn't at all upset when he found out his dad had eaten the last piece of his Optimus Prime cake because as he said - "It's okay! I have a another cake, right Mom!"

Frozen Birthday Cake

When a friend asked me if I could make a Frozen cake for her niece's birthday the first thing that popped in to my mind was sparkly snowflakes. And Elsa, Anna and Olaf. But mostly sparkly snowflakes. I just thought they would look so pretty on a blue cake.

Making princesses out of colour flow is something I've only done once before, and since they turned out not too bad I thought I try it again. The trouble with making princesses is that they are so detailed and they have to big enough for the detail to show, but small enough to fit on the cake. It can be a bit of a challenge and sometimes the smallest icing tip isn't small enough. Anyway, I gave it a go (and I actually bought little plastic Frozen characters for back up in case of a disaster!) and in the end they looked like Elsa and Anna. With bad makeup. I need to work on that.

The snowflakes turned out beautifully! Although I did break a couple and had to repair them!

If I made this cake again, I think I'd do it a little differently, although I'm not too sure what I would change. Elizabeth liked it, and I guess that is all that matters!

Basketball Cake

This is the cake I made for my niece for her 14th birthday. She plays on the junior basketball team at her high school and just happens to be #14!

This is the third time I've used the ball cake pan. It always turns out good, but the getting it to stay in one place can be a little tricky! Even with a stick through it, it still wanted to shift. With some extra support underneath I got it to stay.

A little tricky to transport! I had to hold it on my lap and keep it balanced on the way to the birthday party. Luckily they only like a few blocks away!

Stampy Cat Cake

For his 9th birthday my husband's nephew decided to have a Stampy Cat themed birthday party. When they asked me to make the cake, I had no idea what a stampy cat was. Turns out it is a character in mine-craft.

The good thing about mine-craft is that everything is in cubes. The bad thing is that it ends up to be a lot of squares!

I made Stampy out of Rice Krispie Cake and covered him in 1/4" inch squares of fondant. For the cake I used 3/4" squares. When I was searching for pictures of Stampy Cake there were quite a few of him with a cake. I took that to mean he likes cake, so I also made a Rice Krispie fondant covered cake.

Carousel Cake

So, it's been a while since my last post! That doesn't mean I haven't been busy! My computer was down for a while and then I was working very hard on something for my sister-in-law, for which the deadline has now been removed, so I can take the time to write about the carousel cake!

A few weeks ago my little girl turned two, and I got to make her a cake that I've been waiting to make for a long time - ever since I bought the carousel horses and separator plate kit, which was years ago. Someone asked me where I got it and I can't even remember. I just know that it was 50% off!

The only problem with this set is that it doesn't come with a roof. (The carousel set Wilton sells now comes with a plastic one and you just have to decorate it.) The box had a couple of nice examples showing how to decorate the cake without a roof, but I really wanted it to have one. So a couple of days before Victoria's birthday I sat down and started cutting out triangles, trying to figure out how to make a carousel roof. After cutting triangles for a half hour with none of them lining up properly and getting no closer to getting it right, I decided there must be a more logical way to figure out the right measurements for the base and height. Now, I always was a pretty good math student, but that was mostly because I could follow a formula and use a calculator. However, I was never very good at geometry, once it got complicated, and all that sin/cos/tan stuff. And whatever Math C30 was all about (or was that trig too?!). I remember thinking, a time or two, that I would never use some of these math skills again, even though Mr. E insisted we would. I guess you were right, Mr. E! So for anyone sitting in a math class thinking they are never going to use math again - pay attention and learn it. You just might need it to make a cake.

So, basically, there was no way I was going to figure this out on my own. I send out a mass text with my math problem to my smart siblings. I knew someone would know the formula and tell me how to figure it out! It took about 4 seconds before a couple of my brothers answered, with the formula and then the answer. I should have went to them sooner! For future reference: For a 8 sided roof, being built out of triangles, on a round house that has a diameter of 10 inches, with the peak of the roof being 4 inches taller then the walls - your triangles should be 6.4 inches tall, and have a 3.9 inch base!

And look at how perfect it all fit together!

And the rest of it!

This cake was a little tricky to decorate because I didn't want to move it around too much because I was a little worried about breaking the roof and I hadn't made any extra pieces. The side panels on the top part overhang a bit, so it had to be lifted up to put them on. I decorated most of the top with the cake all assembled, which probably wasn't the best idea because I was using a cake stand that wasn't very stable. I didn't want to risk knocking it over, so instead of turning it around I ended up reaching across the table at awkward angles trying to get at the back of it.

The best part about the cake, is the stand! Which is why I used it, despite it being tippy. It actually rotates - very slowly, has flashing lights around the plate, and it also sings 'Happy Birthday'! Perfect for a carousel cake! It is always a huge hit with the kids! And Happy Birthday gets sung about 15 times because everyone needs a turn pressing the button.

It was a fun cake to make and I'm glad I saved it to make for my baby girl!

Cute Pink Birthday Bear

This past weekend I made a cake for my coworker's granddaughter's 1st birthday. She brought a card to work of a cute little brown bear wearing a pink skirt and asked if I could make a bear like it. I said I would try!

Using the 3d teddy bear cake pan always is a little nerve racking. I'm never certain if it is going to turn out, but once it is in the oven there is nothing you can do but wait! I always put in a more cake batter then it says to a make sure it fills the whole pan. Luckily it turned out pretty good even though I had to bake it a little longer, because the cone inside was a bit crooked and it wasn't baking evenly. It is hard getting that cone in there! You have to put it in, and then twist it around to be able to get the tabs caught under the pan so that it doesn't rise out with the cake.

Despite the challenges it is one of my favourite cakes to make and I get to use my favourite tip #233 that makes the bears looks so fluffy! It takes a little time, but it is worth it when it turns out looking so real.

I had to recruit my husband to help with the skirt. He's such a good sport! I had this really long piece of fondant and I couldn't hold it with out it pulling apart and attach it to the bear at the same time. He held it for me while I stuck it on, trying to bunch it up to create a ruffled look. I was really happy with how it turned out, I was a little anxious about it!

Such a pretty pink cake for a pretty little birthday girl! Thanks for asking me to make it and I'm happy you liked it!

A Diego Birthday Cake

It is a nice compliment for someone to ask you to make a cake similar to one you've already done. Which is exactly what happened with the Diego cake I made for my son's birthday! A lady I work with told me a while ago she would probably get me to make her grandson's birthday cake since his mom had just had twin girls and would be busy with them. His favourite right now is Diego and so she asked if I could make one like Anthony's birthday cake. I starting thinking right away on how I could improve the cake. I did make a few changes, but I kept the same layout, just changed the bottom tier to a 10 inch round cake instead of square.

This time I decided to put the Bobo Brothers on; the mischievous monkeys that are always causing trouble for Diego. Luckily you just have to yell "Freeze, Bobo Brothers!" and they start behaving again. I wish that worked for my kids!

Paw prints around the back for Diego to follow to help the animals in trouble.

Rescue Pack and Baby Jaguar were a must since they are Deigo's faithful sidekicks. I was a little hesitant to put Diego on in case he broke in transport. So when it finally stopped raining long enough for my co-worker to come and pick the cake up, this is how it looked!

I told her she would have to send me a picture of the cake with Diego on top, and here it is!

Little Joshua was "absolutely thrilled!" with his cake. Apparently he dragged each new arrival over to see it! That is probably the best part of making a birthday cake for a little boy or girl - their reaction! It is an important day for them, so might as well make it extra special!

Go Diego Go!

I asked my son about a month ago what he wanted for a birthday cake. He was pretty set on a pirate cake with Captain Hook and Jake, the Neverland Pirate. When I asked again last week he was going back and forth between the pirate cake and a Diego cake. In the end Diego won and he requested his cake have Diego, looking through his spotting scope, Alicia, Rescue Pack, Click, Baby Jaguar, and a red-eyed tree frog on it. It amuses me a bit that they think I can recreate scenes from whatever show they choose. Thank goodness Diego doesn't have any more regular characters on it!

So, here it is - Diego, with his spotting scope, (I call it a telescope all the time and I always get corrected!) about to rescue the red-eyed tree frog, who is stuck on a log in a river, about to go over a waterfall. Rescue pack is there, about to transform into a kayak to help save the frog. Click (the camera, Baby Jaguar and Alicia are just standing around, unaware of the danger the poor red-eyed tree frog is in.

The cake was a hit, and of course the first thing to get eaten were the characters!

Minecraft Cake

My husband's nephew loves Minecraft! I have tried to play it once or twice and just don't understand it. It has blocks and somehow you stack them to build things, is what I think you are supposed to do, but it is too confusing for me! My sister-in-law was planning on making his birthday cake, but ran out of time so she sent me a picture of what she wanted and asked it I could do it for her.

I've never made a cake that had cake, jello and rice crispy cake all together. But when you think about it, what a perfect combination for a kid's birthday party! I didn't have time to make the characters out of fondant, and I really wanted them to look minecrafty so I made them out of paper. I found this site which has all the printouts for all the Minecraft characters.

It was a fun cake to do, and so different then anything I've done in the past. The best part is that Camron loved it! He was so excited about it that he was jumping up and down!

A Cheer Bear Cake For Our Birthday Girl

This past year has flew by so fast, it is still hard for me to believe our little girl is one. I was having hard time deciding what kind of cake to make her when my husband suggested a Care Bear cake, using my 3D teddy cake pan. The decision was made! I loved Care Bears growing up and Cheer Bear was my favourite. You can't get any more girly then Care Bears!

It was so cute, and prefect for the little girl who bring so much cheer into our lives.

This is the second time I've used that cake pan. The first time was for my son's 1st birthday.

These teddy bear cakes take a while to do, but they turn out so great!

A Pink Zebra?

My husband's niece's birthday was last week. Months ago she asked me if I would make her a cake. This is about the 3 year in a row that she has asked. It never worked out in the past, either they were on holidays or we were. This year I was determined to make it work! We were gone the week before her birthday and they were going to be up at the lake for her birthday so I needed a fairly simple cake that needed no prep work! I've wanted to do zebra strips for a while, and decided this would be the perfect occasion. Pink is one of her favourite colours so that is what I went with. It is a little wild maybe, but great for a 9 year old!

When we packed up the car for the lake, I made sure there was a safe spot for the cake - on the floor, under Victoria's car seat! It actually made it there safe and sound! We dropped it off at their camper as soon as we got there. Avery had quite the surprise when she got back from the beach! She loved it! She came running and gave me a big hug! I was so glad it worked out and I was finally able to make her a cake.

This Little Piggy

I was asked to make some cupcakes for a little girl's first birthday. When I first talked to her dad over the phone the connection was a little fuzzy and I heard "cupcakes with pigs". I was sure I heard wrong! It would have never occurred to me to put pigs on cupcakes. I thought maybe he said pink. Turns out I heard right the first time and they did want piggies on cupcakes! After I googled some images I discovered some very cute piggy cupcakes!

I came up with a version that worked for me and using an assortment of cookie cutters made 45 cute piggy faces out of fondant. The bow added the perfect girly touch.



I iced the cupcakes with chocolate icing to make it look like the piggies were in mud.







And placed them in my cupcake boxes, that I got from the IT Department at work (I think they probably held computer monitors at one time!), with my trusty non-slip shelf liner to keep them from sliding around.



When all was said and done I was very happy with how they turned out. Really a cute idea for a little girl's birthday.

It will be exciting when my little gal turns one! I have so many cake ideas for her I'm going to have a hard time picking one!