My mistake was in asking Linus not "What flavor cake do you want for your birthday?" and instead asking, "What kind of cake do you want ?" It's a subtle difference but one that allows enough wiggle room for the request to go from the simple "Chocolate," to the so much more complicated, "Abby Cadabby".
During a recent visit to our neighborhood mall, Linus had spied a Cookie Monster giant cookie cake at one of cookie stores encircling the food court. As he began pleading for the freakishly blue glob of Crisco, I responded simply, "Mommy can make you one for your birthday." Never one to miss an opportunity for dessert, he jumped all over the idea moving in a mere minute's time from a Cookie Monster cake to an Elmo cake to the significantly more complicated oblong, alien-shaped head of Abby Cadabby. Once the name was out of his mouth, there was no going back. He had settled firmly upon his favorite Sesame Street character, and he was not to be swayed.
So began my humiliation. You see, as any internet-addicted, tech nerd, I early on turned to my friend Google to guide me in creating an Abby Cadabby cake. Of course, the image search turned up mainly screen-printed or dolls stuck atop cake creations. This should have been a clue. Abby Cadabby is NOT easy.
I scoffed at the cake disasters other people proudly displayed on their Flickr pages. Those cakes looked TERRIBLE. I could so do better. I sketched. I planned. I gathered supplies. All the time feeling absolutely confident in my abilities.
I am here today to state for the record that I was wrong... so very wrong. I couldn't do better. Despite my planning, sketching, mixed-media decorating solutions, the cake is a wreck. It only vaguely resembles Abby in a fluffy pink and purple way. It's so bad, I am absolutely NOT sharing a full photo of it. This is the closest you will come.
My only consolation is that it's gonna be the most delicious Abby Cadabby cake ever thanks to my from-scratch Devil's Food Cake and sinfully rich, yet airy buttercream frosting. It will be a pleasure to destroy the evidence of my baking failure.
Next year, remind me to ask not "What kind?" but "What flavor?" because I make quite a tasty zesty lemon glazed cake.
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10 comments:
from the little bit of picture I see it looks great. much better than could ever do.
All that matters is if Linus can tell it's Abby Caddaby.
You are right--that IS a dangerous question. Which is why I lead into that question with, "Do you want mommy to make your cake or should we order one from Mrs. Landreman?"
Well, either you got a really good camera angle on it or it's not as bad as you say, Abby! I can definitely tell it is Abby Caddaby. I just think baking your kids' birthday cakes is such a special thing. I hope I'm always able to find time to do it for both my kids, even if we end up at Chuck E Cheese (ugh) for the party itself.
The cake may have been a lot of work, but probably not as much work as it would have been to get bright blue frosting (Cookie Monster) or RED Elmo frosting out of your rug and couch, assuming there will be other little people consuming the cake!
P.S. I'm a bit disappointed that none of your "Devil's food cake," "buttercream" or "lemon glazed cake" were linkies to recipes!
Abby, I bet Linus loved it!!! And I am sure to him it looked "Just Right!" Meemaw
I love that! And from this angle, it looks like a GREAT cake-well done! Just to let you know, you are evil, because now I am craving icing SO BADLY... :)
All I have to say is presentation is NOT everything. I will HAPPILY eat from scratch devil's food cake and butter cream icing--REGARDLESS of what form it takes.
I give you credit for attempting such a feat! Props, mama!
Well, truly, you can't go wrong with Devil's Food and buttercream.
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