Thursday 16 June 2011

Plants vs. Zombies Cake


I feel like I'm the Masterchef Kitchen and George is shouting"Boom Boom Shake the Room!"

Why oh why did I schedule Daniel's birthday party for the Friday before Launches at work...  Fortunately I have learnt my new Pump but the RPM is a bit sketchy.  I have until Sunday at least before I have to present the new RPM which does give me all day Saturday to polish it up shiny and faultless.

I am in the midst of creating a Plants vs. Zombies (a crazy Video Game) cake in all its 3D technicolour glory.  I have fashioned Cherry Bombs, Zombies, Chompers, SnowPeas, Chillis and Sunflowers from all manner of lurid shades of fondant icing.  Trust me there's enough food colouring in the cake and figures alone to send twenty kids into orbit!


I know you're waiting for me to say I created the most awesome Gluten Free cake for the occasion - Uh No.  Lets face it, he's turning seven.  Seven year old boys don't eat cake.  They eat the icing and toss the cake.  I used my faithful standby Basco Gluten Free Butter Cake Mix.  I have spent 2 days hunched over my counter creating crazy alien creatures out of fondant - why would I spend any more time than absolutely necessary on a cake thats going to get tossed in the bin.  Don't get me wrong the cake will taste great, but in the scheme of all things birthday- its trivial.

These big cakes really are a labour of love and there's no way I would ever consider doing this to make money - I could never charge enough  money to compensate for the amount of time or effort I pour into these creations.  I do it for love and money would just ruin it.  The look on the kids faces - and lets be honest now - the parents faces too, is priceless.  But here's the caveat - I would do this even if it was just for Dan and us at home - thats how much pleasure I get from it.  I look forward each year to the challenge of whatever creation he asks me to make and I dread the year he tells me he doesn't want a cake - you know I'll probably bake one anyway.

OK - here's the creation itself.  Its one Butter Cake, covered in White Chocolate Ganache and Fondant at the top tier, surrounded by 13 individual Vanilla Cupcakes (Everything Gluten Free) each with their own handmade Plants vs. Zombies topper.  Everything is edible and handmade by me.

I am loving my new Wilton "Grass" icing tip I got yesterday which makes all the groovy squiggly green grass and the Flower Press tool as well which allowed me to make all the tiny flowers.  I use Wilton Gel Colours to achieve the colours in the tinted fondant and buttercream icing.

The cake stand is a collapsable one from Cakes Around Town in Brisbane - it is made out of dense cardboard with a black high-gloss finish, perfect if you need to have a stand that breaks down for display  in another destination like we do today for the party.

Hope you like the design and the little critters.  No gluten in sight in this birthday cake creation - do you think the kids will miss it ?  In the words of Hairy McLary... "No, not a bit!"

Enjoy,
L x

2 comments:

  1. Forgot to make mention that I credit the original design of this cake to the wonderful work of Mommavanj cakes. You can find them on Facebook if you want to see the original. Lx

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