Saturday 10 September 2011

The Tinkers Birthday - brum, brum!!

Yesterday it was my little Tinkers birthday.  I can't believe he is three already... cliched I know, but time has flown!!  He really has turned into a little boy too, he loves all things mechanical and electrical.  He loves studying things to see how they work, and had lots of questions (I can't answer!!) about them.

I've always found it easy to to decide on the cakes to make for the Fairy, but I don't seem to be able to get my head around cakes for boys.  When we decided that we were going to get him a racing car bed (he spends a lot of time driving us around to beaches and to the shops with his pretend steering wheel!)  it ended up being a bit of a car themed birthday, and a 'car' cake was created.  I wasn't trying to create a racing car, but it did end up looking like a car that wouldn't have looked out of place in Wacky Races!


I made it using a banana loaf (click on the link for a recipe).  I find that banana loaf is a really good cake base to use, and have used it in most of the birthday cakes that I have made for the children.  It is easy to work with, can withstand being handled, and isn't too crumby... it is also very yummy, and doesn't need filling.


After making the cake, I left it until the following day before I 'sculpted' it using a bread knife.  I didn't have an image to work with, all the ones I had seen on line were too perfect, and often from Disney's Cars.  Not the look I was after, or one that I could achieve!! 


I then got to work with the palette knife and some rather delicious butter cream (I used double quantity).  


I used rice paper for the windows and liquorice Catherine Wheels for the wheels and the number 3.  For the lights I used some icing pens.

I know that it doesn't look professional, or perfect, but that it part of the beauty.  It made me smile once I had finished it, the Tinker loved it, and hopefully both of my children will look back on their childhood and think of the birthday cakes they had made for them, as I do now, and do the same for their children!

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