Nine Rocks!

Last week my girlfriend Susan asked me for some help. Megan and her son Blake have been in the same preschool classes for three years. And now Molly and I are in the same Mommy & Me class as Susan and her twin girls Ella and Sophia. Susan also has a daughter Alexa, who turned 9 today. Alexa had a Rock Climbing party at "Rockreation" for her birthday this afternoon and Susan was having a hard time thinking of what to do for the cake. So she asked if I would come up with something fun and make it. Susan has witnessed all the crazy snacks I have brought to school for the girls over the years and knows how I love to get creative with party themes and cakes. I told her I would love too and immediately began brainstorming.

After a quick search on the Internet and a few twists to make it more girly, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do. I asked Alexa what her favorite kind of cake was = SWIRL (vanilla & chocolate) and got to work baking.

Here's how it turned out. Alexa loved it! Which made me so happy. I was pretty pleased with it too!

There were about 30 people coming to the party, so I made a 16X9 sheet cake for the base and frosted it to look like dirt, grass and a lake. I used crunched up graham crackers and oreos for the dirt and coconut I colored green for the grass. I used my doll dress Wilton cake pan to make the mountain. With a little leftover batter I made some cupcakes. I used one for the peak, and broke up 3 more to use around the base of the mountain to give it a more realistic shape.

I made the candy lake by taking 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water and boiled it over high heat until it reached 295 degrees. Then I tinted the mixture blue with food coloring. I poured it out onto wax paper in a "lake" shape. When it cooled it was smooth and glossy and looked like water. It was great! Then I used brown jelly bellys to look like rocks and piped a few flowers in the grass.

I used two Polly Pockets and made them look like they were climbing the mountain. At the top I made a Summit Flag with "Alexa" on the front and "9" on the back.

I really had fun making this cake! I've thought before that I would love to open a bakery someday. But then I think about how EARLY you have to wake to run a bakery and realize I should just have fun making cute stuff for my kids and their friends instead! So if you're in need of cake ideas - let me know!

Alexa, I am so glad you had a fun birthday and you loved your cake! Happiest of Days to you. Nine Rocks! Enjoy your last year in single digits.