Birthday

Lots of birthdays in July around here—our country’s birthday, my dad’s, Meredith’s, and Clara’s (she opened some presents early while my parents were in town).

This year Meredith asked for a "Belle" cake. I think this is the last year I am going to make a princess doll cake. Last year my Cinderella cake turned out quite well and I think it was because I was nervous about it. I read lots of articles online and looked at lots of pictures and tutorials. This year I was like, "Yeah, I've done it before and it's easy." So I plowed ahead and it turned out a flop. I made a from-scratch recipe and it only came up to the doll's knees. Then I wrote "Happy Birthday Meredith," and the icing slid down the dress. So, basically, it looked like a Haunted House birthday cake. That was it--this birthday cake simply could not be used. As I surveyed the ugly mess of a cake, it was midnight on the eve of Meredith's birthday.

The next morning at 6:30 a.m., I called the local bakery to see if I could just buy one. But they said, "It takes us two hours to make a doll cake, so you need to give more notice." I was like, "Yeah, you're telling ME how long these stupid cakes take to make." So then I headed to the grocery store to buy a box mix and more icing to attempt round two. The second cake turned out okay, except for the fact that the doll was tilting backwards a little.

Next year, should either of my girls request this cake (which I'm sure they will, because they love them), I am going to call the bakery.