Tuesday, June 1, 2010

May Birthdays

Birthdays in our house come like a whirlwind. We have two in April, two in May, one each in October and November and two in December. Makes for some interesting planning.

One of the things we have always done in our family is allow our children to select all the yummy things they want to eat for their birthday. The pick out their own dinner, cake and ice cream. I think it is fun the way they look forward to it, and plan all year.

Some of them just know what they want. They pick their favorites, the things they wish they got to eat more during the year. Others scour cookbooks for new ideas, wanting to try something new and exciting.

Some selections surprise me (like Andrew wanting rhubarb soup last year with his dinner.) Other do not (like Libby requesting macaroni and cheese with hers.)

This May, Andrew turned twelve, and Aiden turned two. (And, being two, he couldn't clearly communicate hie preferences, so we went with some things we knew he liked.)

I thought I would have a picture-heavy post today sharing some of our birthday fun. Specifically, cake and presents!

This is Andrew. (With his new guitar!!!)

Here is the birthday cake he wanted. It is a cheesecake with chocolate chunks. It was amazing.
Here he is opening some of his gifts.


This is me with Aiden.
His cake gets a little complicated, because I decided to make his a cake that would wow him. I made him a six layer rainbow cake. Trever (my sweet husband) was kind enough to document the process.

For the layers, I made a wedding cake recipe, divided it into 6 (disposable) pans with about 2 cups of batter each, and used food coloring to dye each layer a different color. To make the colors really pop, I used baking strips (around the pan) that keep the cake from getting a brown crust on the outside, and also keep the tops flat so they stack nicely.




Then I had to assemble the cake, after cooling, by putting white chocolate icing in between each layer. This made the layers a little slippery, so I used skewers (really skinny ones) to help keep it sturdy.
Then, I refrigerated it for an hour or so, so let it set and get a little less slippery. After that, I finished icing it.
Now, I preferred the cake just like this, and if I had been making it for an adult party, this is the way I would have left it. But, since I was making it for a two year old, I decided to decorate it. We went Nemo gummies and swedish fish, because they are colorful and Aiden loves eating them. I also used edible glitter (blue, for water).



Aiden was already thrilled when he saw the cake like this, but everyone was even more impressed when we cut into it, revealing the beautiful layers.



Oh yeah, and it tasted good too.

Here are some pictures of Aiden, enjoying his birthday.



And in case you're wondering, yes, we do occasionally put clothes on him, but not for cake, and he opened presents directly afterward. :)

Overall, we had a couple of really nice birthdays.

6 comments:

  1. That cake is SO COOL! What's really neat is we celebrated birthdays exactly the same way. It's given my children many happy memories, which they still like to talk about, now that they're grown. We've had some interesting dinners and outlandish cakes! :D Happy birthday to your children!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow how cool was that cake,I think the only thing I will change if I make that would use Vanilla Icecream as the filler...You did a great job,and you are an awesome Mom...Love ya Veona

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a special way to celebrate family birthdays!! You creatively designed two lovely cakes for your birthday boys!! Thank you for sharing this 'slice' of family life. In joy...

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a cute idea for a cake with a suprise inside :-) Thanks for sharing the pics of how you baked all the layers. I may try this one. Glad your family had such a good time celebrating your boys birthdays!

    ReplyDelete
  5. OMG that cake is amazing!!!! I want one!!! lol
    And your kids are too cute!!
    Your blog is great! Just became a follower!

    Mine is www.nycislandgal.com
    Hope you like it and share the love by following me too! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. What beautiful children. The smile on your sons face with his new guitar is priceless.
    The pictures are so joy-filled! What great memories they'll have.
    And that rainbow layer cake is super fabulous :)

    ReplyDelete

Your kind thoughts...