If You Build It, They will Demolish It

I ordered take out that week because I had no food in the fridge save for ingredients.  Laughably, I needed the space for the cake.  So note to me if I ever do this more than just a hobby/favor every once in a while- I’m going to need a dedicated fridge.

With the crumb coat on and hardened, I frost the finished cake.  I had icing sheets with designs on them that I was using and they needed to be applied after a fresh coat of frosting.  Per the design, I wanted the base decked out in mod circles.  Since I opted for the second tier to be only four inches instead of five or six, I let the cake board act as the stage floor.  It meant that the back of that cake layer would be decorated with the black striping.  Initially I was going to put on a stencil and stencil a raised frosted embossed design.  I band the top and bottom of the first teir with an edible sugar ribbon.  I didn’t realize it would be so thin, but I like that the circles peeked through.  For the top band, it looked better if only half of it was used.  I didn’t trust my hand to create a straight line, so folded it over the top.  I liked the way it bunched, hinting at bottom curtains on some stages.  I used sugar pearls to create a finished look after I did the curtains.  I also banded the second tier with the shimmer ribbon then  I cut enough of the music sugar sheet to affix to the exposed cake half.

Now..the stage curtains.  The plan was to do these with frosting.  But looking at the cake, it just didn’t seem like they would look good.  I had all these elements front and center that were popping.  So I decided to use the fondant I had, because I had fondant to spare to create the curtains.  I knew that I could get them to bunch and swag better.  At this point, I put the cake back in the fridge, then made some curtains.  I took a ball from my stash, added in red food coloring and caster sugar until the color was uniform.  Fondant was now primed.  I roll and cut out the pieces, tested them, painted them and let them set up enough to hold their shape, but still be malleable.  I also used the scraps to make two can lights for the stage deck.  I used toothpicks to help the curtains stay in place, letting the excess drape off to the cake base.

Working quickly, I arranged the stars on top, then the shimmer curling ribbons, placing the letters last.  I used the spiral spears and affixed the jewel drops on the ends.  I also placed a spray at each side so that there was some visual impact when seeing the back of the cake and I do the same for the stars on top, arranging them so that there was visual interest front and back.  I also had a spiral spear protrude from those star sprays to give some real 3D to it.  After all, I wanted some sass and pizazz bubbling out of this cake.  I settle the movie clapboard on one of the curtains, place the mask on the opposite and put the megaphone centerstage, finishing it with the framed picture.

Diploma and cap time.  I thought I could have the cap hanging slight off the top, but it turned out to be better placed on the cake board, behind the diploma as it was too big to be offside on top of the cake.  I left the diploma as one of the finishing touches for D-Day, mostly because I wanted to use the same shimmer ribbon on it as I did the cake, but wanted to be sure there was enough for the cake first; plan B was using a strip of fondant.  I used the white shimmer dust all over the diploma, then finished with the same ribbon band I used on the cake because I had enough left.  I give it a parchment look by dry dusting with my fingers loaded with bronze shimmer dust.  I place it on the cake board off to the side.  Using a small piping bag with a small tip I secure the mortarboard to the cap bottom.  I gingerly pick up and move the tassel, which by nature was extremely fragile.  It was why I wanted to do it the day of as well.  Some pieces broke, but I used the frosting to secure the tassel onto the mortarboard, letting the fringe drape over the diploma.  I affix the fondant button using frosting.  I made sure that it was placed towards the left, since this was the post ceremony celebration cake. I used a little water and caster sugar to affix some of the rogue tassel fringe that broke.

Second Star to the Right, Then Straight On ‘Til Morning

Driving the cake to its destination has been one of the most tense thrity-ish minutes of my life.  When the design went to a tiered cake instead of a flat sheet cake, I offered to hand deliver it at the celebration site instead of taking it to work and cordoning off a fridge so Mrs. NC could pick it up.  Just thinking about the elements, the weight of it, et cetera, made me anxious about it taking two trips to get to where it was going.  Nevermind having to explain to a building full of people why said fridge was off limits.  Made me feel better that it was agreed it was probably the best way to go.  The idea is for it to not look so pretty after cutting into it, not before it arrives.

I level out the passenger seat of my ride with a bunch of grocer’s paper bags that are slated to be taken to the recycle box at the grocers.  I use a box as the main means of transport, inserting another to rest the cake board upon.  This would allow for easy pick up out of the box to put on the table.  With it level, and my emergency kit (read, lunch cooler) packed with frosting, color, brushes and the piece d’resistance, I head out.

The cake only tried to plant itself in the seat back once, but I had it in the box just so that cake board kept it from doing just that.  So anyone on 526 on an early Saturday afternoon, sorry for the slowness, but I’m sure you can appreciate the protectation (Ogden Nash lets me make words) I was in the middle of.  Also, I kept in the slow lane. Making sure the cake stayed put, I pull up to the delivery destination.

I started baking because it intimidated me.  I wasn’t going to learn anything by being intimidated about its unforgiving nature if your measures are off, so I stared it in the eye and accepted its challenge.  I can say, that much like cooking, I do it because I enjoy it.  I always, always learn at least one thing each time I tackle something.  I learned something about myself this past year:  I like making things.  I knew I liked when my creative side rears up and wants some air time, but it didn’t really hit me that the whole ‘I like making things,’ involved, well, anything and everything.  I thought it was just regulated to the warm memories of family and friends gathered around good food and a fond affection for making a great story.  This donned on me after I made myself a TV stand. It may be a simple project, but it’s mine, I made it and it’s exactly what I wanted in a stand.  What’s more is I thoroughly enjoyed the hours spent designing it, making the cut list, building it and finishing it.  I loved the process of making that.  The whole ‘I like making things,’ was reinforced with follow on projects.  And then I had a mini megaphone that was completely edible staring up at me.  I did this.  I broke it down into pieces, put it together, colored it, and set it on a cake.  I took a picture in my head as a roadmap and made it reality.  It wasn’t a Herculean labor, but it was a challenge for me, but not one that had me trapped underneath it.  When it was finished and staring at me, I had to take a moment.  I made this.  I took two layered cakes and transformed it into an Ode of a young lady embarking on the next journey.

Delivering that cake never made me more proud of myself.  I challenged myself with new things, new techniques, keeping in mind someone was paying me for the ingredients to make it.  I had contingencies up the wazoo to make sure when I came through that door and set the cake where it was destined to go, it was Beautiful Tasty Deliciousness daring onlookers to have a bite.  And it’s not a brag or boast to say, I delivered.

I hit snags both unforeseen and foreseen- best laid plans and all that.  And the anxiousness I expected to haunt me going into D-Day never really came.  The only moment of true frustrated annoyance was ‘How hard is it to make a friggin no frills, delicious strawberry cake!’  And I conquered that. I made the actual cake in days, due to the nature of making it as fresh as possible and not taking the option away to have it frozen for later.  The plan took me over a week as I researched options and compiled what I was confident I could do with an idea.  It’s not an exaggeration to say that it was work.  I had to plan this well as most of my supplies had to be ordered- I couldn’t pick them up locally. I had to schedule my efforts to ensure I had the time I needed for drying, coloring, building, and finishing.  This was a project.  And you know what?  It was completely and unabashedly worth it.

When Mrs. NC saw the finished product, her smile said it all when she started with, ‘Oh my god, Chells..’  When the Grad saw it, she was speechless, her smile growing as her eyes darted about the various items on it, taking it in.  I had one last item to put on it and I saved it for when I got it to its destination.  I picked up some small led lights to actually light the stage.  Sadly, I should have tested them first, because they didn’t light.  I did have the cans I was going to insert them into, so not all was lost.  All things considered, that being the only thing that didn’t pan out for the finish, it was a minute detail.  Don’t get me wrong, thinking about it still irks me, but as I said, I learn something every time.  I’ll know to test them well in advance.

I had been invited to stay, but it still felt like crashing the party.  Didn’t feel right.  I know, by definition crashing a party’s not supposed to exactly feel like the right thing to do.  The thing to do, maybe, but not the right thing to do.  As the particular cosmic alignment would have it, my AC gave out that day.  I was up early in the morning, so I didn’t feel it until the day warmed.  Luckily it didn’t happen earlier in the week- I may be writing of a difference experience.  I had a repairman to meet up with and brace for the verdict.

I didn’t exactly deliver and run either.  I did stay for a wee bit, letting Mrs NC know I didn’t do the math on the ingredient cost, that I dove in head first into the ‘fun part.’  Math is fun kids, but at that juncture, making with the foodp0rn trumped it, easily.  We agreed when she was back in the office, I’d give her the cost and go from there.  A few more people arrived before I had to leave, and I was afforded the opportunity to see and hear reactions.  It was received well and then some.  I also took the opportunity to snap some pictures that didn’t have this on my island counter and since I had no AC, I wasn’t having that cake out of the fridge longer than necessary.