see more pics of Alyssa’s cake and party here AND here…

Baby Ally’s Personal 1-year-old Birthday Cake

A chocolate butterfly cut-out, approximately 11″ x 13″  (hand cut from a 12″ x 16″ pan) decorated to compliment her butterfly balloon set (the color and inspiration for the whole party).  There are butterfly-shaped pans out there.  Why did I not use one?  I thought I’d be clever, I guess, and create my own.

Alyssa’s grandma (Pearl) says the birthday girl liked her cake.

The guest cake

Two-tier, 3-layer cakes (approx. 6″ height each tier).  The bottom square: my rather infamous lemon-poppyseed filled with lemon curd cream.  The top tier, chocolate-fudge pudding cake with milk chocolate filling.  Buttercream over all.

All together

About 3 dozen eggs, 4 pounds of butter, 7+ pounds of cake flour, some canola oil, less than 5 pounds of sugar, 6+ pounds confectioner’s sugar, the juice and zest of a dozen large lemons (smells soooo good), chocolate moistening syrup.

Alyssa will be one this week!  Just a little over a year ago we were having a baby shower for her mommy (and daddy), Audrey and Ben.  A quick look back at the shower and then a glance at this cake and you’ll know Audrey-the-artist-and-mommy is not afraid of color!  Nothing pastel about her!  Aaaah… Time flies and life is a celebration!

Until next time…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF: cookie decorating with the grand-bebes to use up the rest of the icing.

pictured:  the cake, of course….the final pic is Ally’s cake after she’d had a chance to dig in.  I am still having photo-posting problems here at the blog and my silly camera flash was not usable (boooooo).  What you can’t see is that the butterflies were also glittery.  It was a happy cake!