My little girl just turned 8 years old! She is really growing up and I can’t believe my eyes sometimes. Everyone tells you, “they grow up so fast.” I understand what they mean now!
My daughter is a huge fan of animals, especially wild animals. Last year she had a big cat themed cake and party, and this year it was animals again. We recently went to a safari zoo and she decided that would be her birthday theme. Although the zoo we went to didn’t have carnivores on the safari, she wanted to make sure they were represented on her cake 😀 She designed the entire cake herself, down to the colors, animals, and setting. She drew up a quick sketch and I was so proud of her. I was thrilled to try to recreate her vision for her party. I love letting my kids get creative and design their cakes, and it gives me a chance to challenge myself and try something new. I was a bit intimidated by her design, but was so happy with the way it turned out. She was thrilled with her cake, and it put a big smile on my face. We also made zoo maps and glued them to the gift bags. My kids are already coming up with their ideas for next year, believe it or not 😉 I hope you enjoy the cake and I have included some directions below.
The cake is a one bowl chocolate cake from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. I am a big fan of her cakes and this chocolate cake is just perfect for kids and adults. It is super easy to make and very moist. I doubled the recipe and made a dozen cupcakes as well (for tasting, which is important right?). The icing is also homemade, and it’s made with real butter. This type of buttercream is more difficult and temperamental to work with than the vegetable shortening variety, but I prefer it and am willing to live with a few icing cracks. I have included the icing recipe after the decoration directions.
The decorations are made out of fondant and gum paste and colored using food coloring, food-safe paint dust and markers. Gum paste glue adhesive was used to affix parts together and to the cake (made from water and gum paste).
- Because my daughter wanted 3 different colors on her cake, I used spray on food color after I iced the cake to achieve this. The ground was colored with a combination of gold and yellow, and I purposely cracked the icing a little extra, to mimic dry ground.
- The animals were made out of fondant, and toothpicks were used to attach the heads and legs to the bodies. I used gum paste for the rhino horns (I put a little food-safe wire inside, so it would dry properly). I used food safe color dust to color the animals after they were sculpted and then used food safe markers for details, such as the eyes or eye balls.
- The birthday letters were made out of gum paste and cut out with alphabet cutters. Part of them were painted with pink color dust, and the remaining had black zebra stripes drawn on with a food-safe marker.
- The sign was made out of gum paste, which I affixed to 2 small lollipop sticks and then allowed to dry. I used a food-safe marker to write and draw on the sign.
I will share more cakes that I have decorated and ideas for your next birthday party soon. I would love to hear from you. Let me know if you have any feedback or questions.
Notes
When frosting a cake, frost the top first and then the sides. Place a large amount of icing on top of the cake (you can remove excess later), to prevent crumbs from mixing with your icing.
After icing the top and sides, smooth out with a cake spatula and then place the cake under a stove fan and light for about 20 minutes to slightly harden the icing.
Smooth the cake by using a smooth paper towel (Viva works well). Place the paper towel on a section at a time, and gently smooth with your hand. Repeat until the cake is where you want it. I also used the paper towel to smooth the edges, by placing the paper towel on the edge, and smoothing gently from the side to the top. At this point, the cake is ready to decorate. I used a disposable cake box to store the cake in until it is ready to put the decorations on and time to put on display.
Ingredients
- 3 cups unsalted butter (softened)
- 8 cups pure cane confectioners sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp real vanilla extract
Instructions
- With the flat beater attachment, beat the butter until smooth (about 45 seconds).
- Add the sugar (sifted if possible or at least whisked well) and beat for about 30 seconds until combined.
- Add the vanilla and beat on high until very fluffy (around 2 minutes).
- Store in a sealed container and use within a day or 2.
I am also excited to bring this cake to Fiesta Friday #129 (this week’s lovely co-hosts are T Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook and Colleen @ Faith, Hope, Love & Luck ) and Throwback Thursday #48!
More of the cakes I have decorated for my little ones 😀
My daughter’s big cat birthday cake from last year
My son’s Kylo Ren cake from this year
Wow, what a special cake! The animals are fantastic. Truly a labor of love! Wonderful work Antonia!
They do grow up too, too fast. I’m still in shock I’m the parent of adults now! When did that happen? Cherish these moments, and years, and take lots of video of them! 🙂 We love watching ours.
Thank you so much Deborah! Yes, definitely a labor of love! I bet, it seems to happen so quickly! It is a wonderful gift to watch a child grow, and I am trying my hardest to cherish the moments. I need to do a better job of video taping!
We didn’t spring for a video camera when my oldest was born. They were so expensive then. The cheap one was $1,000.00.
I took lots, and lots of photographs of him. We bought a video camera sometime shortly before my second was born. Prices had dropped by half by then. (My kids are nearly 8 yrs. apart).
Both kids still enjoying the photo albums, and home movies tripping down memory lane, and seeing themselves as babies.
For many years now I’ve regretted not springing for the expensive video camera. The movies would be priceless!
It’s so hard to know. That was a lot of money, I can see why you wouldn’t have bought one. I don’t have one video of myself when I was little, and I really wish I did. We forget to video tape as often as we should, and we can do it right on our phones. This is a good reminder to video tape more. Thank you!
🙂 It’s amazing just fast and far we’ve come with video, electronic gadgets isn’t it! Yes, whip out that cell phone and take more video! 🙂 My computer is filling up with little videos of #1 Grandson. 🙂
It really is amazing! I think it is almost harder to keep track of the pictures though. We take so many, and with so many different devices. I have a goal to print all of my favorite pictures and put them in actual albums. I bet it is and you can’t take enough of him 😀
Ah printing! Something we do less and less of these days. I have the same goal. Print my favorites of home/family snaps, and my landscapes etc.
I do better some years than others, because I find I’m always waiting for a sale at the print lab, and I have to spend a bit of time getting the digital negative ready to print. It was so much easier to just had the roll of film over to the lab tech at the printers. 🙂
We really do. I want to have photo albums like my parent did, and I did when I was in my twenties. There is just something about flipping through an actual photo album. Wasn’t developing a roll of film exciting? I couldn’t wait to see how the pictures turned out, it was like opening a present 😀 Good luck to us both on getting it done ;D
What fun is that!!!
It was a lot of fun and I just love her design! 😀
So cute Antonia!!! 🙂
Thank you Linda!
Antonia, that cake is amazing, you are so talented!! Happy Birthday to your sweet little one.
Aww, thank you so much Suzanne! It was so fun to make her vision come to life 😀 Thank you, I can’t believe she is 8 years old!
This is so so beautiful…I loved it! Happy birthday to your little angel… 🙂
Thank you for the kind words Maniparna! She is growing up too fast 😀
True, kids grow up too fast. I feel the same with my son… 🙂
I am enjoying every stage, but I wish I could slow it down a bit 😀
You are such a good mom. Those cakes are wonderful – what a special day you create for your kids 🙂
Thank you so much Diana! I appreciate the kind words 😀 It is a lot of fun!
That is absolutely amazing! You did a fabulous job on all those cakes!!
Thank you so much Paula! Have a wonderful weekend!
Antonia you are a genius ! The cake is gorgeous. Well done for making those cup cakes to taste, tasting is soooo important , I would have done the same 🙂
Aww, you are so sweet Lynne, thank you! I agree, it is important and a great excuse to eat a little extra cake 😉 Have a great weekend!
I am speechless Antonia 🙂 The cake looks great and I can see how tough it would have been to make it 🙂 Love the details on the animals – they are looking awesome 🙂
Thank you so much! It was definitely a challenge, especially the rhino! Have a fantastic weekend 😀
What an absolutely adorable cake Antonia! Your daughter is quite lucky to have such a talented mom that can help make her visions a reality! Traditions like this are so much fun, I’m glad you both enjoyed yourselves 🙂
Aww, thank you Heather! You are so kind! I love traditions and creating memories, and it was so fun making this for her 😀 Have a great weekend 😀
So cute! I wish I had better skills…
Thank you so much Sadie! Have a wonderful weekend 😀
Happy Birthday to your little girl 🙂 Such a cute cake! You are very talented!
Thank you very much Sarah 😀 Have a great weekend!
Wow amazing Antonia! xxx
Thank you Lynn! Have a great weekend 😀
You tooo
Thank you!
Your little girl is a lucky little girl to have such a talented mama. This cake is just adorable. I like playing with gum paste but haven’t done anything this cute.
Thank you very much Julie! It’s fun, isn’t it? It reminds me of playdough 😀 Have a wonderful Saturday!
May you all be happy and healthy to enjoy each other in every phase!
Btw, you’ve raised the bar… so, I think you are in big trouble for next year’s creation 😀
(So, your tagline food for life is-also- food for Ζωή! )
Thank you for the kind wishes Nick! Big trouble, although it will be cool to see what she thinks up 😉 Yes, I love that her name is in my tagline 😀 Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!
Super cakes!
Thank you! Have a wonderful day 😀
A fabulous cake, Antonia, and a wonderful and clever design by your daughter! The colourful cake is very eye-catching and the animals are terrific. Your step by step recipes are always great, although I always have to look up things like ‘sticks’ of butter. Butter is sold in 250g blocks here (approximately 8oz) and I can”t remember offhand how much a stick is, offhand. I’ve just about got used to the ‘cups’ idea for dried foods, and have the measures for them. I’m sure the birthday party was a big hit. 🙂
You are so sweet Mille, thank you! That’s a good point. I usually use cups, but completely forgot. I will have to try and remember to also use grams to make it easier. The six sticks of butter is equal to 3 cups and should be 681g. Thank you for mentioning that to me. It was a lot of fun, and the cake went so fast! Have a wonderful weekend 😀
Have a lovely weekend, too.
Thank You 😀
Happy Birthday to your little girl …Your cake is so perfect,you are immensely talented Antonia…
Thank you Swapna! You are so nice! Have a wonderful week 😀
I love that your daughter designed her own cake! Brilliant! I think you did a lovely job at making her vision come true. Happy Fiesta Friday and Happy Birthday to your daughter!
Thank you so much Colleen! I love that she chose pink for the sides of her safari cake 😀 Happy Fiesta Friday to you too and have a wonderful week!
Antonia, I knew your creative kids would come up with another fabulous design and you would out do yourself! Wow! what a spectacular cake! Love the colors, design and the execution! Happy Birthday to Zoe.
Hats off to you as a mom encouraging the kids’ creativity!
That is so kind of you to say Sandhya! Thank you! I can’t believe she is 8, and I am so proud of her design. Have a fantastic week!
Thanks Antonia! You too.
😀
Good job on the fondant animals – they require some skill to form Antonia. Going to the zoo was a regular activity with all of the kids (grandkids, nieces and nephews) and they all would have loved this special cake you made for your daughter. Happy, Happy Birthday 🙂
Thank you Judi! Aren’t zoos the best for kids…I enjoy them too ;D Thank you for the wishes! Have a wonderful week 😀
What a gorgeous cake! Real butter is the only way to go for frosting, I’m with you.
Thank you Gretchen! Have a wonderful weekend 😀
1st of all, the happiest of birthdays to your sweet girl!! I bet she really enjoyed this! The cake looks delish but the animals are so so darling!! Like claymation! 🙂 I hope everyone got one to eat, lol!!
Mollie
Thank you for the kind words Mollie! It was a lot of fun 😀 Have a wonderful day!
Wonderful cake! I love the fondant animals – especially the rhino. One of my favourite things about being a children’s entertainer is seeing all the fancy birthday cakes that people make. That this was designed by your little girl makes it even better. Your kids must love having such talented mum. 🙂
Thank you so much Louise! The rhino is my favorite too 😀 I bet you get to see some amazing cakes…children’s cakes are the best. Thank you again!
It’s so wonderful how you are facilitating your children’s creativity with their birthday cakes Antonia! This cake is a great collaboration of adorable design on your daughter’s part, and creative execution on your behalf! Happy birthday to your daughter (and can I send you a drawing of what I want my next birthday cake to look like too? Haha 🙂 )
Thank you so much! It was a wonderful experience! Send it on 😉 Have a wonderful weekend!