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!
