Annual Cake Decorating Practice

Rosina's Comedy/Tragedy birthday cake 2013

When I moved back to Oregon in 2006 I needed something to entertain myself so I decided to take cake decorating classes.  My mom had decorated all of my cakes growing up and they were always amazing.  She had all of the cake decorating kits and I decided I wanted to officially learn.  So I took three courses at the local craft store and I can decorate a pretty decent cake, I just don't very often.

In fact I seem to really only decorate a cake once a year, for my friend Rosina's birthday.  It's so interesting that she is the only person that I really decorate a birthday cake for.  My other friends don't get one, my parents don't get one, my coworkers don't get one...  I think it's just kind of become tradition.

It started when Rosina moved back to Oregon after a few years away (there must be something in the coming back to Oregon that inspires cake.) and it was coming up on her first birthday back here.  We were going to have a party and I had recently had my cake decorating classes and I wanted to test my skills.  So I asked her what she wanted her birthday cake to be.  Her response: A shark.  So I devised a plan and created a shark cake.  The next year it was Cherry Blossoms cupcakes.  Then a whale's tale. And last year was a cake version of one of her paintings that she had just sold.

This year when I asked her what she wanted she said, "Well the year was had some really great moments and some really crappy moments, what about the comedy/tragedy masks.  That seems appropriate."  So I set out to make a comedy/tragedy cake.

While this year the initial aesthetics are not particularly stunning the cake ended up having a lot of symbolism.  I decided that since we were showing the light and the dark of the year that the cake should reflect it with more than just the design.  I decided that the cake it self would be both light and dark, chocolate and vanilla alternating.  Additionally, I chose to create the masks in yellow and blue and then create the border by mixing the two colors.

Like I said the cake is not as aesthetically impressive as some of my past cakes but it is steeped in  symbolism.  Maybe I should find some reason to practice more than once a year.  Anyone want cake?

The inside of the cake -
I was pretty pleased with the outcome of this aspect of the cake.

 

Action shot of the cake fulfilling it's destiny.