Kiss Me I'm Cute

In going through all the cakes that I have uploaded pictures for to create blogs on I have realized.........uh I need to step my game up. There are lots of blog potentials that are sitting there, but you have seen some of the pictures on Facebook already. Ooops. You see in the Blog World in my head I have ALL DAY LONG to do whatever I want and type until my fingers drop off. In the Real World.......well I have 3 kids, a wonderful hubby, 2 cats, 2 hammies, a house and I am a confessed Volunteer-A-Holic. I don't know how to say "No" to a good cause - my kids, my committees or a person who is asking for a cake for someone they really love and want to surprise. Case in point - this cake. So week before this cake my wonderful sister, Bronwen, calls and says she wants to come visit. No thought needed - What Day? was my only response - well not only..... I might have said "Yea!". See we don't get much family up here visiting - so when someone offers I am so excited to have it. If we go visit them we have to visit ALL OF THEM - we have lots of family and very close friends so while it is fun to visit - it is not relaxing. If they come here we are just HERE - not off to the next spot. Although in this case Bronwen, baby and my step-mom, Janice, we in tow as we did the normal routine.....and it was ISAT week at school......and GS cookie pickup from the hub......which we then organized in my garage......and troop parent cookie pickup from my garage all night....and I knew ALL OF THIS was going to be happening when I got a call from a friend of a friend who wanted a simple Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Icing birthday cake for their daughter a few days before it was all to happen. Smart thing to do - just say no. But it was for her daughter. And she was very excited. And how hard is a chocolate cake with basic icing? You see where this is going right? Now everyone in unison - what did I say to the friend of a friend? Yes..........very good - you all are really getting to know me well!!

The phone conversation was easy enough - "we would love a chocolate chocolate chip cake with chocolate icing" ..... "nothing big deal"......"but it will have chocolate chips in it right?" "she loves chocolate chips so please include them"......and then the purple icing too.....that is when my radar went off......"purple icing? I am not sure I can make the chocolate icing purple" I was missing something. "oh the purple icing is for the lettering - no problem". "What you want it decorated like Sex and the City?" Dang. I walked right into that didn't I?

Paying more attention I was also thinking it through - she wanted just a few baubles that would be Girly and Sex in the City like. Easy enough - I had Saturday and Sunday to create things that I could pop on a cake. And the thought of making a lipstick case and a purse peaked my interest. So I did it.

Flash forward to the actual day. Train depot to pick up guests, home, sort thousands of boxes of cookies with my co and another mom and hubbies, school to make popcorn for 300, home to help parents count down and load up cookies to take home, bake dinner, bake a cake.........which went flawless.........until I realized I forgot those dang chocolate chips!! How could I forget the chocolate chips? She mentioned them about 7 times during the phone conversation and I have them written down and circled on the paper!! Perfect cake - not a single chocolate chip! Ugh. I had used up a few ingredients (ain't it the way?). Called Dave the Wonderful to pick them up at the store. After dinner I baked a second cake.......WITH chocolate chips.

So it took longer into the evening then expected - but a fun bonus was my sister and step-mom got to watch me ice and decorate the cake. A few of the steps I take - like leveling - were new to them and they seemed to genuinely enjoy it. The extra batter I had turned into cupcakes and it was fun to watch my step-mom teach herself to make an icing rose with a 1M tip. Honestly once the cake was baked and iced........dropping the finishing touches on were easy.

I had a moment of panic when I thought that putting an icing border at the top of the cake would be overdoing it........but then when I remembered I made white buttercream for the purple icing I decided to pipe on a pearl necklace for a type of top border.........and it turned out super cute! Totally I would do that again..........only maybe not on a day when all of the rest of my life was going in full speed.

Okay - who am I kidding - stop giggling - we all know I would totally overbook myself again if asked.

This cake was Chocolate Chocolate Chip (duh right? that was totally part of the story focus). Chocolate buttercream with a Vanilla buttercream for deco. Fondant used for lipstick and purse.