Birthday Cakes

The most important part of a birthday party that kids wait all year for!

I remember I loved choosing which cake I was going to have at my party and spent ages looking through my Mum’s recipe books. I guess most Mums just chose the cake for their child, but I was a rather fussy one! My Mum has always been very creative with making cakes and let me have fancy ones!

Here’s my 1^st birthday cake, (of course, I wouldn’t have had a say in this one!)

 My favourite book to choose my cake from was Cakes for Kids by Sarah Stacey. Sarah starts the book with an informal introduction using a friendly first person narration that makes you feel more comfortable with the idea of trying to make elaborate cakes as she speaks of having “little experience,” (5)  and no “formal training,” (5) in cake making herself before writing the book. She states that she hopes the “book makes it clear that producing wonderful cakes can be fun and fast,” (5) and appeals to the parent as a busy person that may not have time to make amazing cakes yet will be able to use this simple guide to do so. She also refers to children in her introduction stating that she talked to them and went to their parties where she found out “Having a better cake than you friend whose party was last week is very important” (5). Thus, she establishes the importance of birthday cakes yet makes them also sound not so daunting to make!

Further into the book Sarah provides all for the novice baker, stating detailed lists of what equipment to use and presenting basic recipes of how to make cake bases such as a Victoria sponge. She also says how to use each ingredient individually when icing cakes. She then provides the reader with recipes for the different cakes which are set out in sections ‘Quick and Easy,’ ‘Easy but not as quick,’ ‘Not to be rushed,’ and ‘Non-birthday,’ which makes it simple for the reader to identify what challenge with cake making they would like to try depending on their skill and how much time they have. Each recipe either comes with stencils on the page for the decorations used or they are included at the back, such as basic lettering to save time in drawing out your own. Also the recipes all start with a little anecdote about who she made the cake for and why which adds a personal tone and shows she has really made all the cakes and tried them out on real children. Overall, from my Mum’s experience of making cakes from this book she thinks the book is easy to use and the tone Sarah uses is also reassuring telling the reader that it “ doesn't matter,” if this or that happens as she is there guiding you along the way with detailed suggestions of how to do everything. However, it’s probably not the best recipe book to use with kids as the cakes are not ones you want any little fingers messing up!

 

(The computer cake shows the age of the book as it was printed in 1986 so computers are a lot more advanced then this now!)

These are 2 of my favourite cakes my Mum made from this book:

Marshmallow Garden – This is cake decorated with lots and lots of sweets which makes me think of the book The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett as it is like a special garden just for the birthday girl! I do have a photo of this but the non-existence of digital cameras at the time means the quality is shocking!

Top of the Pops – The “chocolatiest,” (24) of cakes! My Mum slightly adapted the recipe and used a real CD on top.

There is a story behind this cake too much like the stories you find in food memoirs which goes like this…

One party, One cake, One dog

It was my 7th birthday. My party for this year was at the Frontier Post; the only western themed restaurant in Bexleyheath. I don’t know why I chose that venue; I didn’t have a particular interest in cowboys and Indians. I was more the colour pink and Barbie’s little girl. But my special day couldn’t arrive sooner. I’d invited everyone in my class, as tradition at primary school but also family. My grandparents and auntie and uncle had come down from Chester especially for the party. Unfortunately, the only member of the family that would be missing out on some birthday cake was our sheepdog, Susie – we didn't think the restaurant would appreciate an animal guest!

        On the day of the party, full of beans, I got ready. My birthday outfit was a long, beige, camouflage, maxi dress with a split up the side from Debenhams. It was made from polyester that clung to my skin. I thought it was so fashionable. My signature hairstyle was wacky with plaits, twirls, twists, clips, grips, fluff and sparkle. Today was no exception. My long, auburn hair was scattered with lots of sparkly, flower shaped clips and tied back with one big hair band with red, blue, green and orange pom poms on it, holding the master piece together. In our flowery hallway I posed away for the Kodak disposable camera. My little monkey face beamed with joy at being the birthday girl.

        The cake was the real star of my party. My mum had slaved away in the kitchen making an extra chocolately birthday cake. I looked through her recipe book, ‘Cakes for Kids,’ for hours and chose a different one each year. A traditional Victoria sponge cake from Marks and Spencer would NOT be good enough. This year she made a music themed, round chocolate sponge, covered in thick chocolate butter cream icing and sprinkles, topped with a real CD in the middle and tiny silver balls around the outside. The chocolate obsessed monster inside me couldn't wait to eat it. So you would think I had the first bite of the oh so anticipated birthday cake… but no, I didn’t.

        Her super smelling doggy senses must not have been able to resist the rich, indulgent chocolate smell. She’d been waiting for the perfect chance to have her wicked way with it. Just her and the cake alone in the room. Would this dog have a very full belly?

Yes.

        My mum screamed and scolded Susie. The beautiful cake had a big chunk missing. It was now being digested by a naughty sheep dog. Susie was not invited to my next birthday party.

And if you wanted to know, my Mum did manage to save the rest of the cake and fix it!

Stacey, Sarah. Cakes for Kids. London: Elm Tree Books, 1986.