By Melissa Meehan
Both of my daughters are born in August.
Which meant for a number of years there, we celebrated their birthdays in lockdown – thanks Covid!
Thus, I had the time to get a little creative when it came to birthday cakes.
So much time.
It started out as a Barbie cake for my oldest, who was three at the time.
I quickly learned that icing melts pretty fast in the hot hands of a stressed mama – and let’s just say that by the time I had finished making rosettes for the dress, it was a weird mess of melted colours dripping into a puddle on the bench.
I mean, the three-year-old still thought it was the best cake she had seen in her life. But I vowed to do much better next time.
Another year, another birthday in lockdown and I got a little better at making the cakes.
This time I had a two-year-old and a four-year-old to bake for.
The two-year-old just wanted sprinkles and chocolate cake, which was a wonderful request.
But the four-year-old was desperate for something a little more fancy.
So we attempted a Bluey cake – and let me tell you, you need a little more preparation than mixing the flour, eggs, and butter and giving it a go.
It barely looked like Bluey – but my daughter loved it all the same.
When she turned five, I really hit my straps.
We were out of lockdown and were actually able to have a party.
She chose the theme ‘Disney princess’ and we went all out.
I made numerous practice cakes and was able to pull together a princess castle that I was kind of proud of.
I even enjoyed it.
This year my youngest turned four, and begged for a Super Mario cake – she even clarified that it should be half Princess Peach and half Mario.
It took some time, but somehow I managed to pull it off.
I may have cheated by buying some cakes from a local supermarket and just decorating them (now that lockdowns are over who has time for every step?), but it was a resounding success and I have to admit all the hard work is worth it.
The smiles on their faces are better than any cake you could buy from the store.
