The main event of a birthday party is always the cake.  In my world that means it needs to be chocolate, but for my kids it means mom spent time to make it special.  I learned some cake-decorating tricks from my mother-in-law; she has made wedding cakes for years, and taught me tips as well as her secret frosting recipe.  I had to pinky-swear to never reveal her recipe, but I can share what she taught me about basic cake-decorating. 

Tip #1:  After baking your cake let it cool, then cover it with plastic wrap and freeze it for at least 2 hours, overnight if possible.  This makes it easier to handle for Tips 2 & 3.

Tip #2:  Trim the cake with a serrated knife so that the surfaces are level.  That means the mound in the middle and the raised (and kinda stiff) edges.  This is also the time to do any cutting if you want to make a specific shape.

Tip #3:  Using clean hands, smear frosting all over the cake to seal in the crumbs.  No knife or spatula, just your hands; and yes, this is a very messy step.  The cake will look terrible at this point because the frosting will be full of crumbs and there will be some areas that will take extra frosting to get it covered, but don’t skip this step!

Tip #4:  Spread another layer of frosting using a spatula or butter knife.  This layer will be crumb-free and as thick as you want it.  You can get it totally smooth by dipping your spatula or butter knife into a glass of warm water.  After you level off an area, scrape the excess frosting off and redip into the water.  The warm water softens the frosting enough so that you can erase any uneven or streaky spots.  Your cup will look as nasty as mine!

Tip #5:  Don’t be afraid to use inedible objects.  I have added toys like crowns, legos, race cars, and today: toy soldiers.  Well-cleaned toys can add whimsey and a 3-D effect as well as making the cake-decorating  process a lot easier.

Tip #6:  Remember that your child will love whatever cake you make.  I have had the same adoring and proud response from each of my kids for every cake I’ve made them; not just the really cool ones that I knew looked great, but also the pathetic cakes that I was embarassed to display.  “It’s the thought that counts” is so true in this situation!  Just knowing that Mom spent time and did her best just for him or her makes the birthday child feel special and loved– which is what the birthday celebration is all about!

Four days to go before our first ‘real’ birthday party.  You know, the kind with non-family guests; and they’ll be in the form of boys ages 6-11.  Since we live within 100 miles of both sets of grandparents, a great-grandma, an uncle, and 4 cousins we’ve always had ‘just family’ birthday parties, and it was plenty.  But now, after some begging and pleading polite requests I finally gave in and decided this year we’d let the kids invite a few friends to join our family party.  Now I’m trying to figure out how to make all things ARMY– decorations, a cake, and an activity that will keep a pack of energetic boys busy but not crazed.  I think I’ve got it pretty much figured out, so now I just have to put it all into action.

Josiah found a cake he likes on a Coolest Birthday Cakes website.  I’ve made almost all of the kids’ birthday cakes (thanks to Nate’s mom teaching me cake-decorating basics,) and while the cakes don’t look professional, the kids are always happy.  There’s just something about Mommy making the cake ‘just for you,’ even if it doesn’t look like the picture.  :)

I also use another website, birthdaypartyideas, that has a ton of great ideas IF you can stand to read through paragraphs of personal tidbits mixed in with over-explained ideas for invitations, games, decorations, and a billion other ways to totally overdo your kid’s birthday celebration.  It’s tiresome, but I have found some cute ideas on it.

We don’t have a major hoopla for birthdays, but we are big on traditions; these two are favorites: 

1. We usually celebrate on a Saturday so out-of-town family can attend, so we save a small gift to open at breakfast on the day of their actual birthday.   It starts out their day with a quiet recognition of the milestone, and adds a simple specialness to ‘their’ day.
2. We save the ‘big’ present (the one we know they really, really want) for the last thing to open at the party, but they have to find it first!  I write out clues (usually horribly-drawn pictures of furniture,)  and make sure to alternate the clues between opposite ends of the house so that all the kids end up running up, down, back and forth before ending up back where all the adults are.  It’s great fun and uses up some of the extra sugar-rush energy.

If I’m MIA on the blog this week, I’m probably strategizing… for the mission… it’s all classified.  Wish me luck!