It has always been a family tradition that the birthday boy or girl gets to choose their favorite birthday dinner and their custom birthday cake; everything from the flavor to the birthday cake’s decorations and theme. Because my son’s birthday is around Halloween, he always comes up with something crazy like a zombie cake or a farm cake. Where can you find those cake decorations without spending an arm and a leg? If you are anything like me, you don’t mind baking a cake but the problem comes in when trying to ice it. I can’t ever seem to get it smooth and perfect without having to buy the really expensive icings or fondant. Allow me to share with you the solution I came up with, it is really quite simple…
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Go to your local bakery or grocery store and buy a cake that is pre-iced, with no decorations, in the icing flavor and color of your choice. Yes, it is less expensive to bake your own cake but sometimes keeping your sanity is worth more than the money you will spend to buy one.
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Now, what about those custom cake decorations that you can’t find anywhere? Just about every toy and theme has now been miniaturized in the toy isle of your local super store; everything from animals to babies, from tractors to semi trucks, even houses and construction sights. The options are now endless when it comes to theme selections. Think outside of the box, it doesn’t have to be designed as a cake topper. As long as it will fit on your cake, it will work.
Now comes the creative side. The best form of cake dirt is crumbled-up Oreo cookies. The best rocks are Whoppers or black Jellybeans. Sand; crushed peanuts. Boards; Graham Crackers. You can even create guts, gore and shattered bones by chopping up cherries and white chocolate. You will probably be amazed at where your imagination will take you. And perhaps the bonus… The birthday boy or girl gets to keep the toys that decorate the cake.
Note: Many of the miniature toys and items can be a choking hazard. I recommend removing all non eatable items before serving any part of the cake.
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