National Cake Decorating Day

Did you know today is National Cake Decorating Day? My mom did cake decorating on the side many years ago. I remember when she made a Barbie doll cake using a large stainless steel mixing bowl to bake it in! She would hollow out the center and put a Barbie doll in it and decorate the “skirt” with fancy ruffles made from frosting. She also made mine and my sister’s wedding cakes! So then along comes Lia and she’s been helping bake with me like what seems forever!

For those who may not know Lia, she is my 6 year old great granddaughter and she loves to cook and bake. When she started her Alzheimer’s Fundraiser at 2 1/2 years old she choose the baking category and that’s how Lia’s Sunshine Bakery came about. It was mostly cookies and brownies but she would make a few cake creations from her own recipes. She is now in her 4th year of fundraising for Alzheimer’s and she has added doggy biscuits to her bake sales.

The other day after the garage sale, Lia and our friend Judy were in the kitchen while I was in the garage. Lia comes out and says she’s going to bake a cake so I came in and helped get the mixer set up and pulled out a sheet cake baking pan. No that’s not the right pan she says, she wanted to make a tiered cake! So I got the tiered cake pans out and Lia and Judy started baking. She picked a package cake mix which was a white cake with cherry sprinkles.

A few years ago Lia was “teaching” Judy how to make brownies in this picture and she even added sprinkles!

I came in now and then to check progress and help take the three pans out of the oven. I went back to the garage where I was cleaning up from the sale. About an hour later I went inside and I was shocked at the cake Lia had made!

This is Lia’s cake that she baked and decorated. The chocolate is Hershey’s syrup that she drizzled over the top and down the sides. Judy told me when they moved the bottom layer it split so Lia used the chocolate to “glue” it back together. I got her a large cake platter and I helped her slide the cake on in.

Lia’s next step was to add her sunshine sprinkles and I love how she sprinkled them on the top and then down through the layers like it was a waterfall of sunshine.

Soon it was time for a taste test so Lia cut the top layer for her, Judy and me and then she broke up Oreo cookies and placed them along the edge of the cut cake. Her cake look so pretty and it was delicious. I love how Lia has such an imagination when it comes to baking.

Last April for the UBC challenge Lia did a cake decorating challenge to come up with ideas for her Easter cake a few weeks away. Of course they had sprinkles! Here’s the link if you want to take a see what she made. http://themarthareview.com/lias-cake-decorating-challenge/

And here is her decorated Easter cake last year. I love how Lia has such an imagination when it comes to baking and decorating. Do you have plans to make a creation on National Cake Decorating Day? I think I’ll make some chocolate tea cakes decorated with cream cheese filling.

Be sure to stop back tomorrow to read Friday Story Time by Lia when she shares more baking stories!