Football Birthday Cake

Football Birthday Cake

Soooo since my son has started playing football....and since he had a birthday....I decided to combine the two into a cake for him....not as manly as his 14 years, but still fun none-the-less.



I think the hardest part of this cake was getting the icing the right color.  It took the entire time the cake baked and then some to get right.  I started off with a chocolate cake.  After it had cooled for a little bit I stuck in in the freezer while I finished making the icing.  The red kept looking pink, then darker pink, then even darker pink.  Even using the no-taste red Wilton food coloring I was surprised that for just two tablespoons of white icing I had to use almost 1/2 the container of coloring!  Then when it came time for the blue I was prepared and just stuck a ton in from the beginning.


All of this was done in between going to various different doctors visits.  I was amazed that everything managed to get done.  I had planned on using the red and blue to create jerseys on the Teddy Grahams, but decided that numbers was easier and just as effective.  I was going to use the leftover white from making the field lines to make pants and I had made some black to make helmets.  I decided that was a lot more work than was necessary, so we used the black to make stripes for the referees.



 After a lot of contemplation of what edible treat could be used a football I decided to go with almonds.  I happen to have some snacking almonds in the cupboard.  I had originally thought of chocolate covered, but cha-ching those things are PRICEY!!  So I just added the stitching and voila.  Since he's 14 I put 14 almonds around the edge of the cake and one in the "game".

Below you can see a pic of the finished product...complete with scoreboard and uprights(goal posts).  The scoreboard is just a graham cracker and all the posts are Piroette cookies (mint flavored...yum-mee)

Paradise Island Birthday Cake

Two years ago I decided to go out on a limb and this is what appeared.  I have a magazine rack in my bathroom...and since I don't subscribe to any magazines the only ones that are there have been "gifted" by friends/family and will stay in place basically until the fall apart.  (by gifted I mean either hand me down mags or stolen from their coffee tables ;-) )  Any whoooo....I digress.

This one magazine I kept around because the cover was a super cute cake in the form of an island.  It looked so fun, but I thought it was WAY out of my league.  Well when my oldest daughter turned 8 she wanted a luau party so out came the mag and I used it for my inspiration.  With some help from my SIL Serena I was able to finish the cake which if I do say so my self came out super cute!

This is acutally bigger than the cake in the mag, but oh well.  I used TWO yellow cake mixes in rectangle pans to get it deep enough on the sides.  The frosting is tinted tan on the top and blue for the sides.  The "sand" is just crushed up Nilla cookies.  The sides have green fruit roll up sea weed and goldfish crackers.  I added white frosting bubbles on the sides for cuteness...and black frosting dots for the eyes, there might be some gummy fish on there too.  There are some Teddy graham beach combers (with frosting bathing suits)  The pool is jello (a highly concentrated mixture).  The palm trees are my FAVORITE part!  The mag used pretzels, but I decided it would be yummier to use piroutte cookies.  Plus the cookies have a cool wrap around detail that adds authenticity.  The leaves on the trees are made with green melting candy put in a baggy.  Cut the corner of the baggy off and squeeze and draw a leafy shape on some wax paper.  Let harden and attach with more melting chocolate.  The palm trees have a variety of things attached...cocopuffs for coconuts, then little fruits like bananas and oranges that are candy.

My birthday girl looks pretty pleased with her own personal island...the luau was a success even for my littlest luau girl...

The smiles say it all!