Sunday, November 28, 2010

Nothing but a (Birthday) Cake Walk

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! We did. And I discovered a few more things to be thankful for this year, like God's provisions of plenty of food and love to share with others, cheerful hearts in relatives that make the holidays truly meaningful and lessons in how not to make turkey gravy. The latter was perhaps most memorable, not because it ended with a gravy-colored paste that plopped audibly into the trash can, but because, as the adage for this blog goes, it's not the food that matters in the end, it's the journey to the table.

With that in mind, Elli and I turned to our next adventure in the kitchen. As part of our family Thanksgiving celebration, we were to commemorate the birthday of Cousin Remy. Her parents, my brother and his lovely wife, asked Elli and me to make the cake. (Apparently our reputation is a bit inflated with this blog.) I accepted, but in the back of my mind was thinking, "How do I not mess up a little girl's birthday?" With plenty of icing, I suppose.

Remy put in her request: white cake, vanilla frosting. And there was to be a theme: Missouri Tigers, because their family bleeds Tiger gold. I'm not a talented cake decorator, but I wanted to go beyond just the simple "Happy Birthday, Remy," and resorting to ordering one from the grocery store (although the thought never entirely left my mind).

Seeking ideas online of something Elli could potentially help with, I found an idea from Parents magazine that used fruit chews (Starburst, etc.). You heat them up in the microwave to create a pliable dough, then roll them out and carve the dough into shapes or letters using cookie cutters or, if you have a very steady hand, a knife. I was thinking Elli might enjoy helping roll out the candy, but I had to test it all first to get a handle of the science of it all. Twenty minutes into the test, I walked away from the idea entirely, leaving behind an "E," a "Y" and lots of leftover hardened fruit-chew dough, some of which came with a wax paper badge on one side.

While I was being confounded by the fruit chew challenge, Elli was being thoroughly entertained with my cookie cutter set. And the aha! moment struck. I could use a large and a small circle cookie cutter to make a tiger paw print. Simple, understated, and -- I was hoping -- resistant to lack of talent.

This is the same reason I decided to stick to a box mix instead of a from-scratch recipe. Hey, one full cup of pudding in the mix -- you can't go wrong.

"I pour it, I pour it!" Elli said, reaching for the bag of cake mix. I handed her the opened bag, and she did the rest.


Didn't spill a drop!
"Nice job, sweetheart. Okay. Let's follow what the Doughboy tells us." Whatever the social statement is being made by having pictures of all the ingredients on the box, it does make it a lot easier when working with a 2-year-old on learning to bake a cake. I pointed to the first picture. "What is he telling us we need here?"

She studied the picture. "Water." I measured out the water, and handed the cup to her. I needn't say a word; she knew exactly what to do.


Look at my independent girl go!

"Now what?" I asked, pointing to the next picture.

"Oh-wool!" she replied. I measured the oil and again she masterfully poured it in the bowl.

"Next?"

"Eggs!"

"How many?"

"Three."

We cracked the eggs together, only once doing so a little too hard and having to look carefully for any shell shrapnel. Right before we started the mixing phase, Daddy walked through the kitchen with a load of fresh laundry (one of many reasons I love him). Elli did not miss the opportunity to announce proudly, "We baking a cake for Remy!"

"You are doing great," he said.

She really was. I honestly got a little misty-eyed thinking of how well she handles herself now in the kitchen when just this time last year half the brownie mix would end up on the floor without a guiding hand. Between her developing cooking skills and her graduation out of training pants, I just can't believe she's such a big girl.

That said, she still has that ornery streak.


See what I mean? That's her, sneaking some batter when I turned my back for five seconds to find a scrapper. Can't really blame her, though. I did the same thing.

After the pinnacle of a taste of batter, she lost interest. By the time I was pouring the batter into the pan, she was off playing with her toys. Just as well. The hard part was about to begin. The only thing she could really help with when it came to decorating the cake was staying out of the room.

With the help of tubes of decorating icing and cookie cutters....


and the edge of a small, smooth utensil (like one of Elli's baby spoons) for spreading the icing....


I was able to create a paw print that looked pretty good. Of course, I'm not entirely sure how many toes a tiger actually has, but we went with four because Remy's name has four letters. 


The important thing was Remy liked the cake both in looks and taste. She also enjoyed having her little cousin there to help her blow out her candles. 


Happy birthday, Remy! And Happy Belated Thanksgiving to you all!

Overall Birthday Cake Ratings (5 being the best):
Elli-friendly cooking: 5 for the cake part, 0 for the icing

Elli-friendly eating: 1 for the cake part, 5 for the icing
Simple: 4
Fast: 2 (decorating takes time!)
Frugal: 5

Question for you:
What are your cake decorating tips/secrets?