One of my school Mum’s had never made a cake, let alone a birthday cake. Her son was quite specific about he wanted too – A Lego style theme! So the heat was really on.
When she posted the cake of Facebook we were all rather surprised how great it really was. We asked her a few questions, and this may help you decide if this is something you would like to do?
Given that you’d never made a cake before, what made you decide to make your own cake instead of buying one?
I think there’s something about making things yourself which brings about a sense of achievement and satisfaction. I knew finding a cake with everything my son was currently into would be a challenge and so I decided to take on the challenge myself and add a Mummy’s personal touch! I did have a look at the price of cakes and felt I wasn’t able to justify the expense and so found it so much cheaper ordering what I needed from the internet. I took inspiration from google images and Pinterest and thought I’d give it a go.
What was the theme and why did you choose it?
It was a mix of Lego with a little touch of football and pirates! This was part of the reason why I decided to make it myself, as I wanted to incorporate all his favourite themes onto the cake and make it extra special.
How easy was it?
I did ask a friend to help with the sponge as I am no baker! I then iced the cakes and the cake board (after a couple of goes at it) and handmade the decorations. I wanted everything to be edible and so it was (except for the little Lego men). I know the way children love to pull bits off the cake and gobble them up! I made the decorations whilst in front of the TV a couple of nights before the actual party to make it more manageable
Would you do it again?
I would definitely do it again! Once you start a challenge like this, you’d be amazed at how rewarding it is and how creative you can actually be.
What was your son’s reaction to the cake?
I was up on the last night putting together all the final touches pretty late, but in the morning I showed my son and he hugged me and told me how much he loved it! To see his genuinely sincere reaction showed me he was impressed and I had passed! It was all definitely worth it just for that.
Making a birthday cake is of course a fair bit more work than buying it, but it can be a lot of fun, and as Sarah said herself, it’s a great way to involve your child in the party planning process. It’s always nice to have your own personal cake at the end of it for your child’s birthday party.
