One of my favorite memories growing up was making our birthday cakes every year with my mom. She had a recipe book with the best chocolate cake recipe I’ve ever had, with various cut out cake diagrams and patterns. We made cakes out of the book for quite a while, but as we got older, we would branch out into more and more ambitious designs. One year my sister did a horse head & neck, I did a fighter jet. I can’t remember the majority of them - there were so many, and it’s been a while! But I knew I wanted to carry on the tradition with my boys.
Last year was James’s first birthday, and I was so ready to get started! I made a couple of “practice cakes,” so I could be sure that I could still work with the recipe, and so I could finalize my design plans. Ultimately, with my mom’s help, we made an anchor-shaped cake, and one 9x13 decorated like a beach. They were a huge hit, and so delicious!!
This year was a little trickier, because James is actually old enough to have interests of his own, so I wanted something that he would enjoy, too. I decided to make a farm-themed cake. James loves tractors, cows, and being outside, so it seemed only natural. My mom and I went to Walmart to some some cute, cheap farm animals…which we did. The only trouble was that the farm animals are in the same aisle as the monster truck. The farm idea never really stood a chance! I think mom was a little disappointed, buuuut…James loved it, and he gets to play with the truck now, too, so he’s still loving it.
In preparation for these cakes, I bought my first real piping tips, for frosting, with some nice piping bags and everything else. Up to now, I’ve just used a ziplock bag with the corner cut off. Turns out, real tips really make a difference!!
Have you ever made a cut out cake for yourself or your kiddo/family? It’s so much fun!!!!
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