Homemade Birthday Cakes (It's easier than you think!)
I'm pretty into birthdays. I start thinking of themes and decorations sort of ridiculously far in advance, and create a new Pinterest board every time I get an idea for a possibly party theme.
And usually, the idea starts with the cake. It's the centerpiece. I always have to decide on the cake first, and then everything else falls into place.
I admit, I make a big deal of the cake. It's what I spend the most time on, and it generally takes some overnight prep plus some time the following morning on the day of the party to finish. In case any of you have thought about doing your own homemade cakes but have no idea where to start, or think it's entirely too difficult, I thought I'd throw out a few tips I've learned along the way.
1. I use Cake Central and Pinterest to get ideas for cakes. Quick searches on either of these sites will turn up hundreds of different cake ideas.
2. Never use store-bought frosting to decorate cakes. It's not stiff enough and it won't hold its shape. I use Wilton's buttercream icing recipe, and add whatever coloring I want.
3. You will ALWAYS need more icing than you think. It takes me at least two batches to cover a cake. (Thank goodness the recipe is super easy to throw together.)
4. Invest in Viva paper towels. When you're finished frosting your cake, lay the paper towel over the icing and rub your hands over it. I never cover a cake in fondant--I think you have to be very talented to pull that off. This Viva method will give the icing a smooth, polished look without the fondant. (Other brands of paper towels WON'T work. They'll just stick to the icing. Don't bother trying. I made the mistake so you won't have to.)
5. I DO use fondant a lot to add little accents. I always use the store-bought kind. It tastes awful, but I just warn everyone not to eat it. I use a roller to flatten the fondant out (thin enough so it will harden quickly) then cut out whatever shapes I want. I usually do this the night before so the next day they will be hard enough to stick to the cake.
6. Be creative. When you see a cake you want to try to copy, you don't necessarily have to use all the same products and ingredients a professional would use. (I'll show you some substitutions I've made in the pictures below!)
The cakes are definitely time-consuming, but they're not difficult. If you like this sort of thing, it can be fun to find a cake you like and figure out an easy way to make it yourself. Below are some cakes I've made over the years, and quick explanations of how I put them together! Good luck! Feel free to leave questions in the comments!
You Are My Sunshine
Three 9-in round cakes make the bottom layer and two six-in round cakes for the middle layer. The sun was made using one of those "ball" cake pans you can find at Michaels.
Those sunbeams? The original called for triangles made from royal icing. I tried and failed. I cut a tortilla into triangles and baked them, then covered them with sugar and store-bought gel icing.
Candy Shop
The cake itself is the same as the sun, with two 6-in and two 9-in cakes making up the layers.
Flatten the fondant and cut it into strips, then roll them between your fingers to create long rounded pieces. Shape those into spirals for the lollipops, then stick lollipop sticks in them.
*The lollipops were REALLY heavy. To make them stay upright, I cut straws in half and slid them down into the cake, then slid the lollipops in the straws.
Stack two 9x13 cakes for the bottom layer. Cut another 9x13 cake in half and stack the halves for the middle layer. The top layer is a triangle cut from another 9x13 cake. (I MAY have eaten the rest of that cake while I iced this one. Maybe. Probably.)
The rest of the decorations are made from buttercream icing using a cake decorating tube set (similar to this).
Snowflake
This cake was super simple, because it's just the same basic cake as the Sunshine and Lollipop cakes. I made the snowflakes out of white chocolate. Melt the chocolate and pipe it onto wax paper in whatever shape you want, then let it dry. Stick it to the cake using icing as glue!
Superhero Party
Aside from my usual fondant accents, I branched out with this one and made star lollipops using a candy mold I found at Hobby Lobby. I'd always avoided candy molds because it just sounded like too much to get into, but this was ridiculously easy.
Melt the candy pieces (they sell them right next to the molds). Pour the melted candy into the mold. Add the lollipop sticks. Go eat spoonfuls of buttercream icing and marvel at your own brilliance while you wait for them to harden. (This would've been SO MUCH EASIER for that lollipop cake than the super heavy fondant.)
Finding Nemo
This was the easiest cake I've made yet. Stack two 9x13 cakes on top of each other, then cut off the corners to create an oval shape.
I bent craft sticks until they broke to give the jagged edges of the sign, and glued all that together. The "sand" around the bottom is brown sugar. All the decorations are made from fondant, aside from the figurines, which I found on Amazon.
And usually, the idea starts with the cake. It's the centerpiece. I always have to decide on the cake first, and then everything else falls into place.
I admit, I make a big deal of the cake. It's what I spend the most time on, and it generally takes some overnight prep plus some time the following morning on the day of the party to finish. In case any of you have thought about doing your own homemade cakes but have no idea where to start, or think it's entirely too difficult, I thought I'd throw out a few tips I've learned along the way.
1. I use Cake Central and Pinterest to get ideas for cakes. Quick searches on either of these sites will turn up hundreds of different cake ideas.
2. Never use store-bought frosting to decorate cakes. It's not stiff enough and it won't hold its shape. I use Wilton's buttercream icing recipe, and add whatever coloring I want.
3. You will ALWAYS need more icing than you think. It takes me at least two batches to cover a cake. (Thank goodness the recipe is super easy to throw together.)
4. Invest in Viva paper towels. When you're finished frosting your cake, lay the paper towel over the icing and rub your hands over it. I never cover a cake in fondant--I think you have to be very talented to pull that off. This Viva method will give the icing a smooth, polished look without the fondant. (Other brands of paper towels WON'T work. They'll just stick to the icing. Don't bother trying. I made the mistake so you won't have to.)
5. I DO use fondant a lot to add little accents. I always use the store-bought kind. It tastes awful, but I just warn everyone not to eat it. I use a roller to flatten the fondant out (thin enough so it will harden quickly) then cut out whatever shapes I want. I usually do this the night before so the next day they will be hard enough to stick to the cake.
6. Be creative. When you see a cake you want to try to copy, you don't necessarily have to use all the same products and ingredients a professional would use. (I'll show you some substitutions I've made in the pictures below!)
The cakes are definitely time-consuming, but they're not difficult. If you like this sort of thing, it can be fun to find a cake you like and figure out an easy way to make it yourself. Below are some cakes I've made over the years, and quick explanations of how I put them together! Good luck! Feel free to leave questions in the comments!
Three 9-in round cakes make the bottom layer and two six-in round cakes for the middle layer. The sun was made using one of those "ball" cake pans you can find at Michaels.
Those sunbeams? The original called for triangles made from royal icing. I tried and failed. I cut a tortilla into triangles and baked them, then covered them with sugar and store-bought gel icing.
The cake itself is the same as the sun, with two 6-in and two 9-in cakes making up the layers.
Flatten the fondant and cut it into strips, then roll them between your fingers to create long rounded pieces. Shape those into spirals for the lollipops, then stick lollipop sticks in them.
*The lollipops were REALLY heavy. To make them stay upright, I cut straws in half and slid them down into the cake, then slid the lollipops in the straws.
Fairies
I found the fairy figurines a Disney fairy cake kit on Amazon. See the cake in the advertisement? I decided to recreate it.
Stack two 9x13 cakes for the bottom layer. Cut another 9x13 cake in half and stack the halves for the middle layer. The top layer is a triangle cut from another 9x13 cake. (I MAY have eaten the rest of that cake while I iced this one. Maybe. Probably.)
The rest of the decorations are made from buttercream icing using a cake decorating tube set (similar to this).
This cake was super simple, because it's just the same basic cake as the Sunshine and Lollipop cakes. I made the snowflakes out of white chocolate. Melt the chocolate and pipe it onto wax paper in whatever shape you want, then let it dry. Stick it to the cake using icing as glue!
Aside from my usual fondant accents, I branched out with this one and made star lollipops using a candy mold I found at Hobby Lobby. I'd always avoided candy molds because it just sounded like too much to get into, but this was ridiculously easy.
Melt the candy pieces (they sell them right next to the molds). Pour the melted candy into the mold. Add the lollipop sticks. Go eat spoonfuls of buttercream icing and marvel at your own brilliance while you wait for them to harden. (This would've been SO MUCH EASIER for that lollipop cake than the super heavy fondant.)
This was the easiest cake I've made yet. Stack two 9x13 cakes on top of each other, then cut off the corners to create an oval shape.
I bent craft sticks until they broke to give the jagged edges of the sign, and glued all that together. The "sand" around the bottom is brown sugar. All the decorations are made from fondant, aside from the figurines, which I found on Amazon.
Celebrating Ten Years of Marriage
At 7pm, we walked out our front door with our two boys serenaded by my dear friend James Michael Bake rand stood beneath this beautiful tree crafted by Sara Falder of Flower + Furbish and said vows we'd written for one another.
Then we went to the backyard and ate pie and drank bourbon and danced under ANOTHER fantastic tree covered with photos of our own family's famous love stories.
In terms of celebrating life's big events, we couldn't have asked for a more perfect evening.
~ Sarah Stewart Holland
Home of the Innocents Big Ol' Backyard BBQ
This Saturday, Louisville's Home of the Innocents will host their 8th annual Big Ol’ Backyard BBQ. Proceeds from the event benefit the children and families served by Home of the Innocents.
Home of the Innocents has been helping kids in crisis since 1880. The Home offers 84 distinct residential and community-based services to 3,900 vulnerable children and their families from throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Home of the Innocents provides care to children who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected, medically fragile children, and children with autism and other behavioral disorders. The Home also operates Open Arms Children’s Health – a one-stop full service pediatric medical practice offering integrated care, including medical, dental, hearing, vision, radiology, pharmacy, and behavioral health services. Home of the Innocents is a private, nonprofit agency licensed in Kentucky and Indiana, accredited by the Council on Accreditation, and has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
If you ever have a chance to visit Home of the Innocents, you'll be simply amazed by the commitment this organize has to its residents. It is truly an amazing place, and this fundraising event sounds like an awesome way to lend support!
The menu will include barbecued ribs grilled by John Cliff and JBS/Swift, barbecued chicken and sides prepared by Chef Laurent Geroli (Brown Hotel) and other local chefs, ice cream from Comfy Cow, gelato by Proof and other desserts from Kern’s Kitchen.
Activities include a Bounce Town with inflatables and a Wild Wild Activity Zone which features arts and crafts, activities provided by the Kentucky Science Center, petting zoo and face painting. There's also a Family Face-Off with corn hole, ladder golf, basketball and other games for the whole family as well as live music by The Remedy, a BBQ Cook-off for professional and amateur teams.( Please contact 502-596-1025 for more information, and a Western wear costume contest for all ages.
Admission cost is:
Adults: $50
Seniors, first responders, military, college students: $30
Students (11-18): $20
Youngins’ 10 & under: Free
Reserved table of 8: $500
You can purchase tickets online at www.homeoftheinnocents.org/bbq or by calling 502.596.1025.
The Belle of Louisville
The other day, we took a ride on the Belle of Louisville as part of my beau's office event.
I hadn't taken the Belle cruise since high school, and it turned out to be way more fun than I remembered. (Perhaps the enhanced beverage selection played a role in this determination...) Nonetheless, it was a beautiful night for the trip.
The Kentucky flag.
Now, I'm not exactly sure what makes a boat a "Mississippi River-style steamboat", but the Belle is the oldest operating one in the world.
Designed in 1914 as a ferry, the Belle is a distinctive feature of Louisville's riverfront.
After stops in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, the Belle was purchased at auction by the Louisville Metro Government in 1962, then underwent a massive rebuilding process.
Louisville's skyline
In addition to the events, tours, and cruises that the Belle offers, the boat also takes part in Steamboat races, especially around Derby.
If you haven't been on the Belle in a while, it really is more fun than you recall. The views of Louisville are absolutely stunning, and it's just a fun little glimpse of the past!
The Belle of Louisville celebrates her 100th birthday next October. Visit Belle's 100 for information about the special birthday events!
Story Magazine Website Release Party
I recently had the opportunity to attend the most delightful party!
As my beau and I left the party, we caught a glimpse of the most gorgeous sunset. It was a great end to a fun day!
Our friends at Story Magazine unveiled their new website at the Green Building in Louisville's trendy NuLu District. It was great to catch up with Story's publisher, Julie Wilson. I even saw our very first HerKentucky Business interviewee, Carolyn Hannan of Bourbon and Beans!
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| Gorgeous table at the Story party |
Are y'all reading Story Magazine? You certainly should be. They always have a unique perspective on Kentucky life. I love any media that doesn't reduce us to dichotomies like hillbillies vs. debutantes, or coal miners vs. thoroughbred owners. Julie has done a fantastic job of breaking down those stereotypes and showing some great glimpses into Kentucky life.
2013 Rallies to Improve Birth
A series of rallies are taking place across the Commonwealth today as part of an international movement to improve the childbirth process for women and children. The 2013 Rally to Improve Birth will take place at10 a.m. local time in Lexington, Louisville, Pikeville and Bowling Green. The rallies' purpose is to call for safer, evidence-based birth practices.
The average American birth is billed at $30,000 (that's roughly twice the cost of birth in the hospital where Duchess Catherine delivered Prince George...) and the average Caesarean delivery is billed at $50,000. Says Dawn Thompson, president of ImprovingBirth.org, the mothers’ advocacy group organizing the rallies, “We’re in a true crisis, with the highest costs in the world and some of the worst health outcomes related to childbirth. “Nine out of 10 American women receive care that increases the risks of harm to them and their babies. We must do better.” (Kentucky’s C-section rate of 35.4% ranks it seventh highest in the nation for Cesarean rates,and more than double the 15% suggested by the World Health Organization as a highest recommended rate.)
Ms. Thompson notes that: "This movement isn't about natural birth vs. medicated birth. It's not about hospital birth vs. home birth or birth center birth. It's about women being capable of making safer, more informed decisions about their care and that of babies when they are given full and accurate information about their care options, including the potential harms, benefits, and alternatives."
To learn more about the Rallies to Improve Birth, check out the Improving Birth Facebook page.
To read about HerKentucky writer Sarah Stewart Holland's experiences with home birth, please visit her blog, bluegrass redhead.
Football Season is Here!!
Football starts tonight, y'all.
Real, live SEC football.
I have to admit that, when planning to attend an event tonight, a little part of me thought "Well, I can get back in plenty of time to watch Vandy-Ole Miss." But, you know, we can't put our Thursdays and Saturdays on hold from now through the end of the year, right? Well, of course we can. It's football season!
Now, my beau and I are HUGE Kentucky football fans. We've followed the team through ups and downs, and are interested to see what the Stoops era brings.
Tomorrow is College Colors Day. I love the idea that, all across the country, people are gearing up to cheer on their own favorite teams. For me, college colors will always mean Kentucky blue, but there are so many schools across the Commonwealth who are gearing up for big seasons. Personally, I never miss a chance to cheer for my parents' alma maters of Morehead and EKU. There's talk that Louisville is going to have a pretty good team as well. And who can ignore the fact that WKU has a colorful new coach?
Are y'all as excited for football season as I am? What colors are you wearing tomorrow?