Mixed Up

I love cake. Baking them, decorating them, eating them... it's such fun. The house smells so good when there is fresh cake in the oven. Of course, the decorating is my favorite part, even when it takes weeks of prep and planning. Right now, i have two superfun cakes on the horizon, and a I daydream about them all the time, mulling over ideas and techniques in my head on how to make it come out right.

One of them is for a little girl's birthday party, where she wants everything Princess-ized. NO, really. They even get a limo (?!) to take them around in...

...although just where a 6 yr. old goes in a limo, i have no idea. McDonalds, maybe? http://girlthangparties.com/home.html
Anyway... i get to make the cake, and i'm pumped. This is not just "any customer" either, but the daughter of a good friend of mine who I met at my first job as a histotech, years ago. We haven't seen each other in years, and now she's pregnant with her second little one (about to pop), and i'm excited to hug her neck and catch up on what's new. Since we started working together, so much has happened... I've gotten married, stopped being a histotech to go back to school and become a PA, moved to Chicago and back to Tx again, ...and she's found love, moved cities, changed jobs though is still a histotech in a new lab, and has a new baby on the way.  Hurray for old friends! And cake makes it all possible.

Why cake is the food of choice for parties and celebrations, i'm not quite sure. I'm glad of it, don't get me wrong... because i'd make and eat it either way. But my hubby asked me recently: "Why cake? How is it that cake is elevated to 'superstar status' on birthdays and weddings instead of pie or pudding or cheesecake?" ...this coming from the man who loves cheesecake and chocolate above all other desserts. In fact, we had it at our wedding instead of cake. ...but in truth, i don't know, really...and I feel i should, so I'm going to look it up and post it here. (I'll ask Google. Google knows everything, you know.)


... ahhh... so here it is if you've ever wondered: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthday_cake  Leave it to the Germans! Wikipedia says, "In the 15th century, bakeries in Germany conceived the idea of marketing one-layer cakes for customers' birthdays as well as for only their weddings, and thus the modern birthday cake was born." Well, hot dang. I'm decended from some pretty brillant people, I have to say. It could have been any dessert, but cake....well, it "took the cake", so to speak. ;) Sorry. I'm feeling especially punny right now.

So, now i'm going back and forth between doing school work, and letting the creativity bubble up as I design the best princess cake ever. Delivery next week... and pics to follow.