With working Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, this week has been a busy one - my schedule was:
- Tuesday night - ice the cones for the castle cake
- Wednesday night - make banana muffins and loaf (frosted with pink icing) for her to take to daycare on Thursday
- Thursday night - bake the cake, coat it with a home-made syrup to maintain moisture, and put it in the freezer (a cake making website said it would be easier to work with and crumble less)
- Friday night - have some friends over for dinner - once they headed home (after we played cards for while), put the cake together.
When I first started cutting the pieces and putting it together (my inspiration was a cake website - www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/castle-cakes.html - 14 pages of castle cakes - and a photo of the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland), it did not look good, and I was a quite worried that Holly would end up with a horrible cake . . . but frosting does wonders! I love this frosting recipe I found - light and fluffy and very tasty (though quite sweet).
I was actually quite impressed with the end result - I can see the Sleeping Beauty Castle, even if no one else can!!! It took me about 1.5 to 2 hours to decorate - including brief periods in the fridge to harden the icing on the "crumb" layer. I used the in between times to chop veggies and fruit for the party. Nearing completion:
Finished product - complete with impromptu flags I decided to add:
We had the party at the Play Palace - in a community skating rink that turns into a bouncy castle/play arena for the summer - we definitely need to come here to meet friends for a playdate!
Cake time at the party - I think she likes it!
Outside with friends after the party - some of us moms (who were without husbands - Paul had to leave for work) started gabbing while the kids ran around.
We ran out of time at the party, so Holly only opened a couple of presents there and we took the rest to my mom's house where we were having dinner and she opened them all there. A super awesome guitar from Sarah and Charlotte - thank you!
Holly got a real Belle Princess tutu from Sarah and Danielle - my mom and I got her to put it on and pose for a picture. "Wait Mommy, I need my guitar" - my rock star ballerina!
Plie . . .
Yes, my (not so) little princess is now 4 years old!
