Berry Flower Birthday Cake

When friends gather for a birthday, my immediate response is, Can I make the cake? Sometimes they are happy to hand over the task, other times they have something perfect in mind, so they pass. See the thing is, I love*L O V E*love making cakes, well more like decorating cakes. Having frosting just oozing through your veins simply from handling it, what a joy.

This weekend the opportunity arose for me to offer...a cake. And the host accepted. Happy, happy, joy, joy!!! My first step was honing in on flavors and decor of the cake. I went with vanilla cake and frosting to compliment fresh berries to adorn the cake. It turned out splendidly, with a few little oozes from the juice coming out of the sliced berries. I learned making this cake why professional bakeries always coat fresh berries with that gel/shiny glaze, because if you don't they leak. The leaking berries held up.

Step 1, always place a little frosting on the top of the cake holder, in this case a cutting board, acting like a lovely sweet glue to hold that momma in place. Slipping layer cakes are a little frightening to their creator.

Step 2, create a crumb coat of frosting, which is just a thin base layer of frosting, I also added freshly sliced berries in between the two 9 x 13 layers, frosting was the key to hiding the HUGE gap in between layers. In the past I have trimmed cakes, but this time I didn't. When you trim them they seem to get awfully crumb filled, and I love a nice clean looking frosting job. After this step, off to the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up, for the final frosting layer.


Step 3, Decorations, created a fresh layer of frosting all over the cake. Didn't get overly hung up on it being a completely smooth surface. Added the pink writing with a Wilton #3 tip and the bottom trim, with a # 32 tip. Then came the berries, I spaced the center of the Berry Flowers with the inside blueberries first, then added the strawberry petals.


Step 4, Voile! Cross your fingers the transport across town will be a safe journey.


Step 5, Add candles, sing, and enjoy!


Happy Birthday KDV!

My other cake creations Hubby Surly Bicycle Cake, Under the Sea Cake, or One Big Cupcake Cake.