When we were kids, my mom would make elaborate cakes for our birthdays. I remember one of my little brothers having a Batman cake and my sister getting a Barbie cake. They were the real deal. Over the years, the cakes became simpler and eventually became two layer cakes, iced and with candles.

Fast forward 30 years:

My quiet little niece loves pretty things. Back in 2021, my mother was asked to make the cake for my little niece’s birthday. Having heard about Grandma’s mad skills, my niece was SO excited. Lo and behold my mom brought a sheet cake in a disposable aluminum pan with vanilla icing. No sprinkles, no sparkles. My little niece, who had gone on and on to everybody for days about how excited she was about the cake, saw the sheet cake and you could see her heart break on her face.

Never again.

I told my sister I would absolutely be making the cake for my little niece’s birthday in 2022. (Now, I had never made a fancy cake. Heck, I only really made muffins.)

Anyway, the pressure was on. I started practicing.

Pre-Practice

I started with boxed cake mix and pre-made bakery buttercream just to become accustomed to how they behave while using icing and piping techniques.

When I first bought supplies to get started, there was this old lady cashier at the grocery store. She looked at the items in my basket and asked if I was making a cake. I happily admitted that I was just starting to practice. Before I could add that I wanted to hone a few skills before I commit time and energy to making cake components from scratch, the lady scowled and said, “That’s cheating.”

So, yeah. I shut my mouth, paid for my groceries, and left.

Crumbing Practice

Before decorating, there has to be practice applying the crumb coat. For non-cake-bakers, it’s the base coat over which the main icing and decorating go over it. Holy crap, I hate doing the crumb coat. I mangle it every time.

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Icing Practice

Once I started making icing from scratch, it took zero time for me to acknowledge that initial icing creations were hideous. It basically turned into arts-and-crafts time, starring me playing with sugar like a toddler in a sandbox. Dear God, they were bad. BUT! They tasted like childhood.

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Hideous Mini Cake Practice

Check out this horror. I tried that melting decoration thing. Yep, fail. It was funny though. The train wreck on top is the equivalent of scribbles (because it couldn’t be uglier at that point so why the heck not).

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The practice cakes become less ugly over time (slightly).

I decided I didn’t like decorating with chocolate icing (I think it looks like poop). Needless to say, this is when I gave up on the idea of doing any kind of rosette in chocolate.

The cross section was pretty, though.

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The icing for the cake below (with green icing/leaves) needed to be stiffer. It was waaaay too soft.

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The next cake was my favorite practice mini cake.

Once I was regularly making icing from scratch, I had to practice achieving the exact consistency I wanted for holding icing shapes but also not so firm that it’s impossible to pipe.

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The Big Day

Of course, day of, I didn’t give myself enough time or icing and was forced to improvise by not icing the sides. I was stressed out and mad at myself. But my little niece was happy (a massive relief; p.s. I did NOT cry) and she gave me a hug.

Me: (internal seething) I could’ve done better…

And thus, I vowed to make an even better cake for NEXT year (2023).

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NEXT Year

Nailed it.

It was massive and too much for our family to finish but, whatever, it was pink and gold and it SPARKLED. Hells yes.

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Coffee & Peanut Butter Cake

Two months later, I made a cake for my little niece’s younger brother and oldest sister (who share a birthday but aren’t twins; what are the odds, right?). My nephew likes Reeces/peanut butter and the UCF niece likes coffee.

The result:

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And a mini cake for the USF niece who’s living with us because she couldn’t go home for her birthday:

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All of these birthdays are autumn/winter events.

I’ve repeatedly asked if anybody needs/wants cakes this year and nobody has given me a straight answer (I have been neither practicing nor sketching up designs).

If this turns into a last minute challenge, you’ll be hearing about it.