the PERFECT cake

A birthday party is not complete without a cake....and, for my sweet children, the cake has to be special.  I'm sure this isn't the case for all families and I realize it is just a cake....and a simple, plain cake with a candle will surely work just fine....but, my mother and grandmother always made sure that my birthdays were celebrated with an extra special cake.  Luckily, we had Shirley's Bakery to whip up our sweet treats - they matched our specific decorations and they were delicious!  Shirley made so many of our cakes that she eventually started adding extra icing just for my me and my mom.

I'm sure there is a "Shirley" somewhere around here....but, I haven't found her yet.  I've tried out a few different bakers but none of them really knock it out of the park - cute design, not so tasty cake or really tasty cake, not so great with the design.  Like I said, I'm sure they are around here....I just can't find them! Most of our friends use the local grocery store bakery and we use them as well - their cakes are especially good - but, I had something very specific in mind for Payton's cake and once I had it in my head, I knew I would have to make it myself.

When we asked Payton what kind of cake he wanted, he would respond with "A Harrison Barnes Rock Star Cake."  Clearly, the child doesn't understand that his favorite basketball player and his favorite band (The Fresh Beat Band!) are not exactly the same.  A few quick searches on the internet lead me straight to a Rock Star cake that was actually used for a baby shower....and, much to my surprise, the bottom layer was Carolina Blue.  Once I saw the cake, I was in love and knew that was what he would have for his Rock Star party.

I worked long and hard.  I gathered supplies here and there and even had a practice round the weekend before his party.  The final product included:

• 2 - 9 inch chocolate layers on the bottom with 1 yellow cake layer in between, chocolate icing between the layers
• 2 - 6 inch yellow cake layers on the top with chocolate icing in between
• Carolina blue icing covering the bottom 3 layers
• White icing covering the top 2 layers
• Marshmallow Fondant - used to make the top of the drum, the stars and guitars on the bottom layers
• Marshmallows to make the drum 
• Black icing to make the side of the drum
• Silver "dust" used to paint the top of the drum and the stars and guitars
• 2 pretzel sticks with large marshmallows to make the drum sticks

Seeing that I "used" to be artistic but never really a baker, I'm really proud of my cake....I hate to brag on myself...but, I had fully prepared to be disappointed with my cake....instead, I was shocked to see how awesome it turned out.  The best part of all, when I showed the cake to Payton and asked him what he thought, he said "Mommy, it's beautiful!"  Melt my heart!  

The final product: