Saturday, February 11, 2012

The Cake that Went Bad

My followers, all two of you, probably remember the cake competition I attempted last year. I thought my cake was ok, not awesome, but I wasn't unhappy with how it turned out. I didn't win, but the main thing for me to remember is that what I saw in my head came out, and close resembled what I thought it should. Exclude the people on top opening presents.
Last night I turned in a cake to the same competition. I thought I should just use this opportunity to practice the idea I have for Big Girl J's 5th birthday (yeah, I know 5 year old!) Her theme is Superhero Training Camp, and the title of the my cake is 'the Superheros Save the Cake.' It think it may look more like the mud people working out to the oldies are dancing around the cake. Before I get to that....
I am glad I tried this cake now, before I am 8 months pregnant and getting flustered that it isn't going the way I want it to. And well, guess what, at 6 month pregnant, it didn't go the way I wanted it to! I just need to give up on trying to make people. It is something I am not good at, I am not an artist. I can cover a cake and decorate it with fondant cut outs, but to free hand?! No, not me.
I tried to start with rice crispy treats molded into human form. That didn't work out. I got some wire from the garage and bent it into human form, and those, I felt, were a great base. I made three in action superheros and one bad guy (who should be getting tossed into the cake.) Then I went back to the crispy treats, that still didn't work. Next, I tried to wrap the wire with fondant, it wouldn't stay and I started to get flustered, so I gave up on that idea. Last resort, I made modeling chocolate, my first time playing with the stuff, and dipped the wire people into the still liquidity chocolate.
Right about now, I started thinking I should change the idea of my cake to 'attack of the mud people.' But no, I kept on trying my original idea. I molded the people, added some more chocolate in places. Then I thought, "With a cape, they will look cute." Or I tried to talk myself into believing that. 
That is when they started looking like people working out to the oldies. By the way, that is NOT a headband, it is an eye mask, there are holes!
So, it is time to turn in the cake, and I obviously don't give half a rat's anything at this point. My cake has not gone the way I wanted it to. I took it to Denver and started to assemble the pieces, that is when I realized I left the birthday candle at home that one of the superheros were supposed to be saving from falling off the cake. So now the guy on top, just looks like he is trying to do the worm or break dance on the cake. I wonder if I changed the title to 'mud people dancing on the cake' if there would be a chance of winning. But, there is not, the cakes I go up against, definitely are a step ahead. Is it sad, that I wish I could turn my cake into the high school age division so I would have a chance?
Yes, this picture is horrible. But trust me, it makes the cake look good. Maybe when we go down tomorrow for the award ceremony, I will try to snap a better picture. But I am about certain this is the best I can make this cake look.
Since my goal here was to practice my idea for Big Girl J's birthday, I must find what I learned from this. I learned, not to do this cake again. Find something else, something that doesn't require me to prove that I can't make people for cakes!

4 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing this! Your cakes are so lovely...it is nice to know that even The Best Cake Decorator in the Family has difficulties sometime! Eager to see her B'day cake...not that she can REALLY be five....

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  2. But man...you kept on trying! I will give it to for that...and you went ahead and entered. A's for stick-to-it-tiveness!!!

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  3. Even a fail is good for learning! I have whole quilt tops in my scrap bag because my "vision" was not realized... At least your cake still tastes good!

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