Adventures in cake making

Along with birthday parties come birthday cakes. About 6 weeks ago Piper saw a Strawberry Birthday cake she loved at Publix. It was three layers tall at it's highest and had a Strawberry house, Strawberry herself, Ginger Snap and Orange Blossom on it. Being a dutiful mother I went to see about ordering the cake and about peed myself when they told me it would be $80! Now, there is no way we can afford an $80 cake right now, and really there is no way I would pay that for a child's birthday. SO off to ebay I went, where I found the exact same cake topper and put in a Best Offer price. One week later Strawberry and CO. were at my door and I was ready to begin.

Maybe I should have taken into consideration the fact that I would be out of town working all day Saturday (see my previous post about the car ride from hell), but I didn't. I got home around 10:30 and still had to start a cake. Got the cake in the oven, and out to cool, dropping in to bed around 12. At 6:30 the next morning I was up only to find a cake with a center that had dropped out of it. My heart dropped almost as low as that cake. Now what would I do? I still had 2 more layers to make as it was, I couldn't start over. SO off to Publix I sent Jeff for more cake mix. While he was gone I cooked the gluten free layers (weren't parties easier before our riends had food allergies?) and died the white frosting. I then turned to my practically ruined cake and inspiration hit. Out of the pantry I pulled a tiny loaf pan, that kind that come with toaster ovens. It was just the size of the flat center of the cake! So I cut out the flat part, and when Jeff got home I baked a white cake in that pan and gently slid it into the whole when it had finished baking. WhaLa! A whole cake again, sturdy enough to hold two more layers and a big freaking plastic Strawberry. Whew! Disaster averted, cake accomplished, and a happy 4 year old. It was beautiful if I do say so myself, and pretty darn tasty too. :)