Democracy is nothing without participation, so I was delighted that 35 people chose to cast a vote for the shape of Austin’s first ever birthday cake.
Despite a late flurry of support for the rocket ship, it was the Texas cake that prevailed. Its 14 votes (40%) were five more than the rocket ship could muster, with the number one (5), 20cm round (4) and goalkeeping jersey (3) all lagging far behind.
And then it was time to bake.
Experienced parents know how to simplify and de-risk their children’s birthday cakes. The best example I’ve seen came from our Napier friend Teenica, who created a sandcastle ice cream cake in less than three minutes using two round tubs, biscuit crumbs, flags and chocolate shells.
Teenica is a pro. I am an obsessive, anally-retentive amateur.
I also love intensifying risk. It adds pressure and makes things more fun.
Firstly I had opened up the selection to a public vote. Then I took a shape that required me to fuse together four pieces cut from two cakes and went for chocolate to suit our adult guests rather than the challenge of creating Texas.
Sponges are ideal for this sort of thing. Chocolate cakes are dense and flat, so that meant two layers and four cakes.
Next I decided to use a recipe and icing (both from Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess), which I had never used before. What I quickly discovered was that hand beating four eggs into a mousse is a pain in the ass, so I turned to my trusty Edmonds Cookbook for the others, replacing the cocoa and water approach favoured by my mother with melted dark chocolate.
Another unnecessary risk, sure, but it paid off in the end and fused with fresh raspberry icing the two halves complemented each other perfectly. Most importantly, no one noticed they were different.
The cake, like the party, was just what I’d hoped for. From what our guests had to say, it both looked and tasted great.
The task, although overly-elaborate, was also everything I’d hoped for. It was great to have a day dedicated to this tribute to our son, and it was rewarding to overcome all of the obstacles I threw in my path.
Making a big cake is like playing golf – all of your good plays can be undone by a subsequent bad one. I thought of this when I switched recipes and invented my raspberry icing. It also came to mind when I started to ice a cake which, because its pieces had been cut from a greater mass, was generally lacking a side crust, and when I rejected Kate’s idea of a stuck-on message and decided to pipe one on myself.
Tremendously rewarding, and I’d do it all again if I had the chance. I won’t, though, be forgetting Teenica’s sandcastle.
Despite a late flurry of support for the rocket ship, it was the Texas cake that prevailed. Its 14 votes (40%) were five more than the rocket ship could muster, with the number one (5), 20cm round (4) and goalkeeping jersey (3) all lagging far behind.
And then it was time to bake.
Experienced parents know how to simplify and de-risk their children’s birthday cakes. The best example I’ve seen came from our Napier friend Teenica, who created a sandcastle ice cream cake in less than three minutes using two round tubs, biscuit crumbs, flags and chocolate shells.
Teenica is a pro. I am an obsessive, anally-retentive amateur.
I also love intensifying risk. It adds pressure and makes things more fun.
Firstly I had opened up the selection to a public vote. Then I took a shape that required me to fuse together four pieces cut from two cakes and went for chocolate to suit our adult guests rather than the challenge of creating Texas.
Sponges are ideal for this sort of thing. Chocolate cakes are dense and flat, so that meant two layers and four cakes.
Next I decided to use a recipe and icing (both from Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess), which I had never used before. What I quickly discovered was that hand beating four eggs into a mousse is a pain in the ass, so I turned to my trusty Edmonds Cookbook for the others, replacing the cocoa and water approach favoured by my mother with melted dark chocolate.
Another unnecessary risk, sure, but it paid off in the end and fused with fresh raspberry icing the two halves complemented each other perfectly. Most importantly, no one noticed they were different.
The cake, like the party, was just what I’d hoped for. From what our guests had to say, it both looked and tasted great.
The task, although overly-elaborate, was also everything I’d hoped for. It was great to have a day dedicated to this tribute to our son, and it was rewarding to overcome all of the obstacles I threw in my path.
Making a big cake is like playing golf – all of your good plays can be undone by a subsequent bad one. I thought of this when I switched recipes and invented my raspberry icing. It also came to mind when I started to ice a cake which, because its pieces had been cut from a greater mass, was generally lacking a side crust, and when I rejected Kate’s idea of a stuck-on message and decided to pipe one on myself.
Tremendously rewarding, and I’d do it all again if I had the chance. I won’t, though, be forgetting Teenica’s sandcastle.
Click here to view photos of the big day.
Very impressed Phil, hope you had a fabulous day. Big first birthday cuddle for Austin!!x
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