Emma is very into crafting. The entire summer has been filled with her craft projects all over the house. There are scraps of fabric, string, foam sheets (a new obsession), ribbon, paper, glue, glitter and soooo much tape ev-ery-where in our house. She can spend hours making things. She's a creator. The best part is that she is convinced she can make absolutely anything and everything.
She's had a vision for this cake decorating idea she had come across. Brightly colored layers topped with donuts and "ice cream." A 6-year-old girl's dream.
I really let her take charge of this project. She wanted my help to smooth the buttercream when she got frustrated, so that was my only real contribution. She made the cakes (I lined the pans with parchment and put them in the oven). We made the
buttercream together and helped with mixing the colors.
She insisted we use candy melt to make the icing for the donuts - a tip she's come across. We purchased the plain cake donuts from the grocery store and she did the dipping and decorating. I think they turned out so cute. We used skewers to hold them in place.
Emma's Donut & Ice Cream Cake Supplies
I love that she gets it - we can make beautiful things with our hands and very simple ingredients and supplies.
Note : If I was in charge this cake I probably would've stopped here ; ) But she's a more sprinkles is more girl - I get it!
I used to take photos like these close up of her eyelashes on a weekly basis, but I don't get my big camera out as often anymore for our projects. I typically like them to be just the two of us. But, she wanted to do so much of this project all by herself - it was fun for me to silently watch and document. Also, I think she felt a little bit like a YouTube star (ugh).
We used a White Cake Mix and my
Homemade Swiss Buttercream (soooo good!). A boxed cake + homemade frosting is our go-to combination for cakes and cupcakes.
I line my cake pans with
Parchment Paper by cutting a round for the bottoms (by tracing) then strips for the sides. They come out of the pans perfectly. I bake them on a
Large Baking Sheet.
We baked the cakes, let them cool, and made the buttercream. Then, we layered with white buttercream and did a skim coat on the entire cake. We put it in the refrigerator to harden for about 30 minutes before we decorated.
We made 4 colors - Purple, Aqua, Coral & Mint Green
We put each in a large disposable pastry bag and cut the tip off so that there was a large opening. She piped a big circle of the purple on first then we smoothed it around with a knife. Next she did the aqua and we smoothed it all the way around blending it/overlapping it with the purple a little.
She did the pink around the edge then pushed it over the sides as she blended around. This is the part I helped her with a little.
If a color got blended over too much, we went back and added over, then smoothed again.
She did the mint green layer on top, blending with the coral a little for a marbled effect.
I LOVE how this technique looks. I can't wait to experiment with other colors, too.
She microwaved the candy melt, then tinted with food coloring. She dipped the plain donut in and put it on a skewer. I trimmed off the skewers for her once they were in place.
Then she sprinkled! She also added the ice cream cone and filled it with "melting ice cream."
She also added some texturing details and got out her icing gel she picked up from the hobby store ; )
But how cute is this cake?! It was so much fun to make and really very simple.
Best of all, she's learning the value of making vs. buying and she's discovering that she is capable of creating real, beautiful things that seem challenging or difficult. Skills that she'll use for a lifetime - and not just in the kitchen!
Emma's Donut & Ice Cream Cake Supplies
I've also added a new Party! and Kid's Parties! sections to my online store with lots or pretty ribbons, birthday candles and party supplies (like clear cups with lids and clear cello bags for favors).