Birthday cakes and time well spent
I make birthday cakes for my grandkids, and it's worth the effort even when they don't eat them
Hi friends,
On Saturday my oldest grandson turned four, and on Sunday we celebrated with a little party at his family’s home. I made the cake. I almost always make the cake. I say “almost always” because he is the oldest of five (so far) grandkids, and so there’ve been a lot of birthdays to celebrate over the past four years!
I’ve written before about how I believe that everyone is creative and we should take advantage of (or actively seek out) opportunities to stretch our creative muscles in various ways. One of the ways I like to do that is to bake. And when the occasion calls for it, to decorate cakes!
When my kids were little, I enjoyed making themed cakes for them. For my oldest daughter’s first birthday, her cake was a pony. I used the Precious Pony Cake Pan from Wilton. Over the years there were so many different cakes—a Spiderman cake, a princess cake, a swimming pool cake, a cake that looked like a purple purse, and even a slightly lopsided two-tiered cake with buttercream roses!
When my sister got married I made a cake for her bridal shower, and it turned out so good that I considered making cake-decorating a side hustle. But I didn’t. That same little sister does now, though. Life is funny.
Anyway, now I’m kind of the official baker of birthday cakes for my grandkids. I’ve done some literary cakes…
and critter cakes…
and one hot-air balloon!
The most recent cake was movie-themed. My grandson Salem asked for a cake featuring Maximus, the horse from the movie Tangled. I was more than happy to oblige, and here is the result:
It was fun to make! Salem loved it. It was also very yummy. A little girl at his party said, “You made the best cake I’ve ever seen!”
Of course, it’s fun to hear such praise from a four-year-old. But that’s not why I do this. I do it because I enjoy the process, I enjoy the creative challenge, and I enjoy the satisfaction of seeing my vision come to life (when it actually works out that way).
My husband said to me, “They’re just gonna eat it.” Yes, they’re gonna eat it. Or maybe they won’t. You never know with a toddler! But, whether they eat it or not, it’s not just a cake. It’s a memory. I make these cakes because I love to bring smiles to the birthday kiddos’ faces and give them something to look back on fondly in the years to come.
That’s why I do a lot of the things I do. Why I will sit and read book after book after book (or sometimes the same book several times in a row) with a child or two on my lap, or make stove-popped popcorn for movie time, or set up the train set or the race track or the tent in the family room. It’s why I take the time to write books and create art, though those things are for a much wider audience!
I think these things and many others are more than worth the time and effort, even when I don’t get anything concrete and tangible in return. What’s more fulfilling than making happy memories with a child?
What about you? I’d love to hear about some of the ways you work to create happy memories for the children in your life.
Some books featuring cake worth making memories with!
Whopper Cake by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Will Hillenbrand
Oh Look, a Cake! by J.C. McKee
The Giant of Jum by Elli Woollard, illustrated by Benji Davies (I love, love, love to read this one aloud any chance I get)
Some fun from the iPad
Sometimes I like to use my iPad as a sketchbook to play and experiment. Here is the result of one such session:
Your cakes are amazing!! And I’m guessing they’re delish too.
I loved our Shabbat dinners every Friday night. I’d bake a challah and my daughter and I would light the candles and sing the prayer while my son blessed the Challah and hubby the wine/grape juice. As empty nesters we still celebrate Shabbat. It’s my favorite time of the week. 🥰
I love love love this. Your cakes are pure joy! And I think there’s something extra creatively fueling about creating something that’s simply for joy, not for profit – as someone who is creative for my day job, this is something I’ve been mulling on a lot these days.