Cupcake Cakes & a Happy Birthday Panda!

I've decided I'm a big fan of icing a bunch of individual cupcakes like it’s really one large cake. Quick to cool and no crumb coat required – that makes them a perfect option for a cake decorating adventure that fits into a single evening.

 

 

You can go for something straightforward like a circle of cupcakes that becomes a pizza or a truck tire. A few strategically placed Oreo cookies between the Cookies 'n' Cream cupcakes added structure in places where the gap between cupcakes was too wide to ice over. Who’s going to complain about icing on a cookie?  Nobody at my workplace apparently.

While my recent adventure that led to the truck tire reminded me of how much fun cupcake cakes can be, my favourite cupcake adventure is thanks to Grace, the younger of my two nieces, who turns 16 today. Most Julys, she comes to spend the month with us which means I still get to make her a birthday cake.  A couple of years back, she decided that we would make her birthday cake together using a new “toy” from Wilton – Animal Puzzle Cakes Silicone Build-A-Cake Set – that I hadn't been able to resist purchasing.

There was much discussion and planning about what we could create using the three-quarter moon, diamonds, triangles and round silicone cupcake forms. Yoshi was high on the list, but the winner was Rice, an adorable panda created by my friend Christine at Crumpled Paper. Grace's birthday present had included a hand-drawn card and an fabulous blue monster puff that Christine had graciously made.

The basic bear shape was carefully adapted to make a panda and the extras forms became a present.

Only problem, none of us really wanted to eat Rice.

It seemed a little mean ... definitely a potential hazard when a cake takes the shape of a favourite character!  Hmm, …I seem to recall a similar concern when I made a Winnie the Pooh character cake for Grace’s second birthday. =)

Happy Birthday Grace! I can't believe you're already 16 ... and I can't wait till you get here this summer so we can share another cake adventure creating this year's birthday cake.

HUGS =)