I made Gabriel a Minion birthday cake, which all the kids loved.
We managed to get the second half of his birthday song on video... and also him pouring hot wax on his finger. Haha!
Happy birthday, Gabriel!
Showing posts with label cake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cake. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Gabriel's 5th Birthday
Gabriel asked for a bowling party for his 5th birthday. You see, we tried to go bowling as a family when he turned 4, but for some reason the bowling alley in Italy wouldn't let our kids bowl. They were too young. So we tried again this year, and invited some friends to join us. It turned out a big success! For most of the kids, it was their first time bowling. The alley had a ramp for them to set their bowling balls on and help get the ball all the way down the lane to the pins. The kids loved it!
We managed to get the second half of his birthday song on video... and also him pouring hot wax on his finger. Haha!
Happy birthday, Gabriel!
We managed to get the second half of his birthday song on video... and also him pouring hot wax on his finger. Haha!
Happy birthday, Gabriel!
Friday, November 13, 2015
Sarah's 31st Birthday
I just had to document how awesome Richard was during my birthday. He knows I like birthdays to be special, and he worked really hard to make me feel special this year. In the weeks surrounding my birthday, Richard had to be in Germany for work. He was coming home on the weekends for a short time, then turning around to do another week in Germany. My birthday fell on a Friday, and he made sure he was home at a decent time on Friday night, just so he could get up Saturday morning and start doing things for my birthday.
We started with pancakes, then Richard invited some friends over to hang out for a few hours, and he made some pizza for everyone. After this, he got started on the long process of making my requested cake. A banana cake with white chocolate ganache and candied pecans! He spent all of the kids nap time working on it, then had them help when they woke up.
Just look at how pretty this cake is! And it tasted delicious.
He then proceeded to make a wonderful chicken dinner for the family. He must have spent at least 8 hours in the kitchen that day, while I spent time lounging on the couch and feeling pampered.
Thank you, to the best husband ever! I love you, sweetie!
We started with pancakes, then Richard invited some friends over to hang out for a few hours, and he made some pizza for everyone. After this, he got started on the long process of making my requested cake. A banana cake with white chocolate ganache and candied pecans! He spent all of the kids nap time working on it, then had them help when they woke up.
Just look at how pretty this cake is! And it tasted delicious.
He then proceeded to make a wonderful chicken dinner for the family. He must have spent at least 8 hours in the kitchen that day, while I spent time lounging on the couch and feeling pampered.
Thank you, to the best husband ever! I love you, sweetie!
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Gender Reveal for Baby Sanders
We love gender reveal parties, and so we decided to throw one last minute the day after we arrived back from a trip. I went to my Dr appointment prior to our trip and found out the gender, but no one else knew. The following weekend, I made a cake and had friends over for the big reveal. About half the people thought it would be a boy and the other half thought it would be a girl. Richard claims to have known the gender all along. To his credit, he told me what he thought it would be, and he was right. In fact, he's never been wrong! Not sure how he knows, but he just does.
Before the party I asked the kids if they knew what was going on and what gender they thought the baby was.
And here is the big reveal!
IT'S A GIRL!!
Before the party I asked the kids if they knew what was going on and what gender they thought the baby was.
And here is the big reveal!
IT'S A GIRL!!
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Hope's First Birthday Party - Winter One-derland
We had such a good time celebrating Hope's first birthday! Her party was themed "Winter One-derland".
I made a logo that was carried throughout the party. We had personalized water bottles,
a special sign above her chair
and sent everyone home with a home-made package of hot chocolate mix, some hand warmers and a note saying "Thank you! Stay Warm!"
We made this fun activity for the kids. They threw "snowballs" through the snowman. All the kids loved this one!
A quick family shot. Can you tell Gabriel is excited to dig into the cake?
Singing Happy Birthday.
And her Winter One-derland cake.
I made a logo that was carried throughout the party. We had personalized water bottles,
a special sign above her chair
and sent everyone home with a home-made package of hot chocolate mix, some hand warmers and a note saying "Thank you! Stay Warm!"
We made this fun activity for the kids. They threw "snowballs" through the snowman. All the kids loved this one!
A quick family shot. Can you tell Gabriel is excited to dig into the cake?
Singing Happy Birthday.
And her Winter One-derland cake.
Happy Birthday Hope!
Monday, March 4, 2013
Gabriel's 2nd Birthday - Construction Party
It's hard to believe Gabriel is 2 years old! We celebrated his birthday just three short weeks after Hope was born. With a newborn in the house, it seemed a good idea to keep things simple. I apologize for the lack of pictures, but I was having so much fun with the kids that I forgot to take more pictures!
We invited a few of Gabriel's friends over for a construction themed party.
It was the perfect theme, since there has been construction going on around our house. Gabriel loves to go for walks and watch the big trucks move around. He is now learning the names of all the different trucks (crane truck, excavator, dump truck...).
Each kid received a hard hat and apron with their name on it, as well as a plastic hammer. We had a couple different activities for the kids. First, we let them use their hammers to nail golf tees into floral foam. They loved this! Although they got smart and figured out it was easier to just push the tees in with their hands.
We also put out coloring pages of trucks and tools. Gabriel stayed at this station for most of the party. Hmmm, future artist maybe?
Baby Hope joined the party in between naps. She was dressed up in her classy party attire... pink camo with bows :)
Gabriel's cake was made to look like a construction site. Everyone loved it, and I think the kids believed me when I told them I got the rocks from outside. :) They were actually chocolate candies.
We love chocolate cake!
The party was a success, and my favorite part was watching Gabriel as we sang to him and he blew out his candles. Lots of fun!
Things to note for Gabriel at 2 years old:
- 75th percentile for height and weight, and is quickly outgrowing his size 2T shirts, but the pants are still big in the waist
- Loves puzzles, letters, numbers, and coloring
- Is now learning what sound each letter makes
- Favorite veggie is peas, and gets excited to eat them. Sometimes we have to say "you can have more peas after you eat your meat"
- Doesn't know the difference between "up" and "down", so when he wants to be held, he holds his hands out and says "up, please, down, please, up, please, down, please!"
- Loves his little sister and likes to hold her and kiss her head
- When he tries to jump, he squats, then stands up quickly and throws his arms in the air. The momentum doesn't quite get his feet off the ground, but it sure is cute :)
- Likes having family dance parties. We put on his favorite music (the Raffi children's music station on Pandora) and dance all around the room.
We invited a few of Gabriel's friends over for a construction themed party.
It was the perfect theme, since there has been construction going on around our house. Gabriel loves to go for walks and watch the big trucks move around. He is now learning the names of all the different trucks (crane truck, excavator, dump truck...).
Each kid received a hard hat and apron with their name on it, as well as a plastic hammer. We had a couple different activities for the kids. First, we let them use their hammers to nail golf tees into floral foam. They loved this! Although they got smart and figured out it was easier to just push the tees in with their hands.
We also put out coloring pages of trucks and tools. Gabriel stayed at this station for most of the party. Hmmm, future artist maybe?
Baby Hope joined the party in between naps. She was dressed up in her classy party attire... pink camo with bows :)
Gabriel's cake was made to look like a construction site. Everyone loved it, and I think the kids believed me when I told them I got the rocks from outside. :) They were actually chocolate candies.
We love chocolate cake!
Our gift to Gabriel was his very own bicycle! We gave him his helmet first, and took him for a ride later, when the weather warmed up. He walked around for a few days with his helmet on.
The party was a success, and my favorite part was watching Gabriel as we sang to him and he blew out his candles. Lots of fun!
Things to note for Gabriel at 2 years old:
- 75th percentile for height and weight, and is quickly outgrowing his size 2T shirts, but the pants are still big in the waist
- Loves puzzles, letters, numbers, and coloring
- Is now learning what sound each letter makes
- Favorite veggie is peas, and gets excited to eat them. Sometimes we have to say "you can have more peas after you eat your meat"
- Doesn't know the difference between "up" and "down", so when he wants to be held, he holds his hands out and says "up, please, down, please, up, please, down, please!"
- Loves his little sister and likes to hold her and kiss her head
- When he tries to jump, he squats, then stands up quickly and throws his arms in the air. The momentum doesn't quite get his feet off the ground, but it sure is cute :)
- Likes having family dance parties. We put on his favorite music (the Raffi children's music station on Pandora) and dance all around the room.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Making A Wedding Cake
When I started making my brother and sister-in-law's wedding cake, I was very nervous. I have done plenty of cakes, but I still consider myself an amateur. On top of that, I've never done a WEDDING cake before. There was no room for flaws. This cake had to be perfect. Fortunately, the design was very simple, and the bride and groom had faith in me, which made me feel a little better.
I am never alone when I make a cake. I always have my baking buddies with me. They are Danielle and Marlene. This time, they were with me via iPhone chats :) I flooded them with pictures and they encouraged me along the way. Thanks guys!
Here's a summary of how it went.
They wanted the cake to be a traditional white cake with white frosting. So I made them a sour cream cake (so it was very moist) with cream cheese frosting. It was a square cake with three tiers; 12", 9", 6". Each tier had three layers of cake with the frosting filling between each layer.
To bake the cakes, I always use these liners around the outside edge of the pan. You soak them with water right before attaching to the pan. This helps the whole cake to bake evenly, so you don't get a dry edge and an uncooked middle. It is a must for larger cakes.
After baking, they went straight into the freezer. This preserved the freshness, since I started so far in advance. They stayed in the freezer until closer to the wedding day when I could ice them.
Next, I stacked three layers of cake with the filling in between, and applied the "dirty icing". Dirty icing is the first coat of frosting around the cake. It usually gets crumbs from the cake in it, making it look dirty (get it?). After the dirty icing, you apply another layer of fresh icing that won't have any crumbs in it.
I always have to wear my cupcake apron that Marlene gave me whenever I make cakes. Boy toy I look tired in this picture. Maybe it has something to do with running after a 1 year old all day while trying to make a cake at the same time.
Now time for the fondant. In order to allow the fondant to drape off the sides and trip it up to look smooth, I place each cake (which is already on a cake board) on top of something that is smaller in diameter. Here I used a coffee can. I then roll out the fondant, and smooth it onto the cake.
At this point, the rehearsal dinner was about to start at the same location I was making the cake at, and I didn't want the bride an groom to see it yet. So I placed each tier in my parents bathroom on a card table. Don't worry, it was clean and no one used the bathroom until after the cakes were removed. I promise!
After the dinner, I had to decide which size ribbon to apply. The options were 1 1/2 "...
...or 7/8 "
Definitely glad I used 1 1/2". Next I applied sugar pearls. They are edible little pearls made of sugar. They were applied in a diamond pattern on the side of each tier.
Oh no! A mistake!! Well, I've never made a cake that didn't have some sort of "oops" moment. This little crater happened as I was applying the pearls.
The method I used to apply the pearls was this: I made a template on paper. I then held the paper up to the side of the cake and poked tiny holes with a toothpick to mark each spot. The toothpick is what made the little crater.
To fix this, I took a bit of extra fondant, and smoothed it into place, then placed the pearl on top. You can see the fixed version here, the spot was where the very left end pearl is. I did this with a few more dimples too.
The morning of the wedding, we drove the cake to the reception sight. My wonderful driver was none other than Richard himself. He's transported a few cakes for me, and he's pretty good at knowing how to drive with a cake in the car. Trust me, it's hard.
The cakes looked so lonely in the back by themselves, so I decided to keep them company on the drive. Ok, maybe I was just scared something would happen, but hey, who wouldn't be?
We got to the hotel safe and sound. Thank the Lord! Now time to stack the cake. This is the exciting part when it all comes together! To support the tier above, I used very thick straws.
Middle tier, check!
Top tier, check!
Cake topper, check!
A happy bride and groom to make the first cut, Check!
Aaaahhhh my reward :) OK the real reward was actually seeing my brother and sister-in-law on their wedding day so happy. But the cake slice was nice too.
I am never alone when I make a cake. I always have my baking buddies with me. They are Danielle and Marlene. This time, they were with me via iPhone chats :) I flooded them with pictures and they encouraged me along the way. Thanks guys!
Here's a summary of how it went.
They wanted the cake to be a traditional white cake with white frosting. So I made them a sour cream cake (so it was very moist) with cream cheese frosting. It was a square cake with three tiers; 12", 9", 6". Each tier had three layers of cake with the frosting filling between each layer.
To bake the cakes, I always use these liners around the outside edge of the pan. You soak them with water right before attaching to the pan. This helps the whole cake to bake evenly, so you don't get a dry edge and an uncooked middle. It is a must for larger cakes.
After baking, they went straight into the freezer. This preserved the freshness, since I started so far in advance. They stayed in the freezer until closer to the wedding day when I could ice them.
Next, I stacked three layers of cake with the filling in between, and applied the "dirty icing". Dirty icing is the first coat of frosting around the cake. It usually gets crumbs from the cake in it, making it look dirty (get it?). After the dirty icing, you apply another layer of fresh icing that won't have any crumbs in it.
I always have to wear my cupcake apron that Marlene gave me whenever I make cakes. Boy toy I look tired in this picture. Maybe it has something to do with running after a 1 year old all day while trying to make a cake at the same time.
Now time for the fondant. In order to allow the fondant to drape off the sides and trip it up to look smooth, I place each cake (which is already on a cake board) on top of something that is smaller in diameter. Here I used a coffee can. I then roll out the fondant, and smooth it onto the cake.
At this point, the rehearsal dinner was about to start at the same location I was making the cake at, and I didn't want the bride an groom to see it yet. So I placed each tier in my parents bathroom on a card table. Don't worry, it was clean and no one used the bathroom until after the cakes were removed. I promise!
After the dinner, I had to decide which size ribbon to apply. The options were 1 1/2 "...
...or 7/8 "
Definitely glad I used 1 1/2". Next I applied sugar pearls. They are edible little pearls made of sugar. They were applied in a diamond pattern on the side of each tier.
Oh no! A mistake!! Well, I've never made a cake that didn't have some sort of "oops" moment. This little crater happened as I was applying the pearls.
The method I used to apply the pearls was this: I made a template on paper. I then held the paper up to the side of the cake and poked tiny holes with a toothpick to mark each spot. The toothpick is what made the little crater.
To fix this, I took a bit of extra fondant, and smoothed it into place, then placed the pearl on top. You can see the fixed version here, the spot was where the very left end pearl is. I did this with a few more dimples too.
The morning of the wedding, we drove the cake to the reception sight. My wonderful driver was none other than Richard himself. He's transported a few cakes for me, and he's pretty good at knowing how to drive with a cake in the car. Trust me, it's hard.
The cakes looked so lonely in the back by themselves, so I decided to keep them company on the drive. Ok, maybe I was just scared something would happen, but hey, who wouldn't be?
We got to the hotel safe and sound. Thank the Lord! Now time to stack the cake. This is the exciting part when it all comes together! To support the tier above, I used very thick straws.
Middle tier, check!
Top tier, check!
Cake topper, check!
A happy bride and groom to make the first cut, Check!
Aaaahhhh my reward :) OK the real reward was actually seeing my brother and sister-in-law on their wedding day so happy. But the cake slice was nice too.
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