Alright my peeps, let’s talk cakes. (And yes, I did just call you my peeps.) For many years, it seemed like you had two options when it came to birthday party cakes. Fondant cakes or cupcakes. Well, and there is always the option of your cake looking like your toddler made it, which I am afraid, also may be the case if you tried to DIY a fondant cake, like I did. I may or may not have used too much corn syrup to stick the layers of fondant together, resulting in a very sticky mess.
But my experience is neither here nor there, since what we are discussing today is the amazing new trend popping up all over the cake world – cakes that are decorating with icing that is actually edible – and palatable! Imagine that!
Top: Martha Stewart / The Cake Blog
Bottom: Sweetapolita / Thrifty & Chic
These cakes are so beautiful and whimsical and elegant all at the same time, without the pretentiousness of fondant. Admit it, when you see a kid with a fondant cake, you think its pretentious right? It’s okay, I’ve done many a fondant cake and you aren’t hurting my feelings. Inside, I always felt a little pretentious when I was making them, to be honest. (If you love a good fondant birthday cake, please don’t be offended!)
So when birthday season rolled around in our house this year, I was determined to make one of these cakes with icing that tastes good. My mother in law actually volunteered to make her cream cheese icing (which pretty much tastes like a more liquid version of cheesecake). My daughter asked for sprinkles. Those were my only constraints. (That is if you don’t count the fact that the cake didn’t get decorated until one hour before the party, and was done by her uncle who showed up early thankfully to lend a hand!)
Seriously, ANYONE can make a cake like this and it takes NO time at all – we’re talking 15-20 minutes. It was the quickest cake I’ve he’s ever decorated, and you would not believe the number of compliments I received. It ended up being my favorite part of the party and I didn’t really want them to cut into it!
Here’s what I did… Be careful you don’t miss a step now…
- Bake a cake in a bundt pan. This shape is one of my new favorites – it adds a little element of unexpected to the cake, and adds shape to the cake all on its own.
- Cover with icing. I did two coats, letting it set in the fridge for a few minutes between each coat.
- Shake a bottle of color coordinating sprinkles over the top edge of the bundt cake. As you shake, some will spill down the side, creating a “ombre sprinkle” effect, if that exists.
- Add a cake topper or some little toys to the top. I used some mini lalaloopsy dolls, but you could easily use any k ind of small toy or figurine. I also added this mini banner that I created (which also took about 10 minutes!) with her name on it. The tutorial for the banner will be up tomorrow!
Did you get all that? I know it’s complicated, but I think you can do it! And trust me, it will taste so much better then gummy ol’ fondant! (Sorry guys, I’m really on a fondant-bashing spree today.)
And now it’s your turn: What’s your favorite kind of cake? Favourite icing? Do you have a method for easy cake decorating? Mmmm… I’m getting hungry with all this cake talk!
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