Monday, January 10, 2011

retro cake


Yesterday was my niece's 2nd birthday party.  For her birthday, I gave her some college-fund money, $2 fun money, a party dress and made her a cake.

Someone said that it looked straight out of 1986 and I totally agree.  I just said that it was retro - much better than saying that my cake decorating skills are limited.  Plus, who doesn't love those hard little candy decorations?  They were always my favorite part of birthday cakes so I had to include them on Emerson's!


The color is because Emerson's favorite color to say is purple.  The two Ps make it very fun.  Pur-ple.  Try saying it yourself - you'll love it. 

The cake itself was a semi-fail.  It tasted pretty good, but the layers didn't rise enough (the recipe had an option for a hand mixer, but I think I really needed a stand mixer to get enough air in there) so I ended up using three layers to make a decent-sized cake.  And then the cake itself was just a little too dry for my taste, but then I'm a hard judge of my own food.  If it was someone else's, I would have been praising it.  The icing was really nice - just a simple buttercream, but not very sweet.  It was a pain in the butt to make and even with the heat on full-blast, my kitchen was too cold and needed some heated towels to help it get smooth, but I liked the end result.  Both recipes are from America's Test Kitchen.

My sister prepared a great spread for the afternoon party.  Little heart-shaped sandwiches (PB&J, ham & cheese), macaroni and cheese, fruit and vegetables, Rice Krispy treats, chips and juice boxes.


It was a book-themed party with books stacked up on the buffet table and as a garland on the stairs.  Super cute.


Emerson had a great time playing with her cousins and friends.  She was great about sharing all of her toys and had a lot of fun opening her presents.  She loves books so would stop and "read" each one as she opened them.



And then it was time for cake!  This picture is a little blurry, but I love it because there are three generations of hands in it - my mom, my sister and Emerson.


I'm behind the camera, but am represented with the cake!

2 comments:

Alison at Wardrobe Oxygen said...

Debbie, you did a phenomenal job with the party, thank you so much! Emerson is so lucky to have such a wonderful Aunt and I am so lucky to have you as the best sister and friend ever!

The cake was delish and sooo cute, and so was the birthday girl - loved her outfit, and I think she did too, she couldn't stop playing with the ruffles & Mommy said when she dressed E she kept wanting to see the bear on the back of her tights! :)

Thank you again, I love you!!

Debbie said...

Awwww, thanks, Sister! I love you too and love being able to play a part in Emerson's life