DIY Birthday Cake Design
Yesterday was my sweet daughter’s 1st birthday. Since we couldn’t hold a party like we did for her older brother’s 1st birthday, I at least wanted her cake to be less run of the mill. I wanted a personalized cake.
Unfortunately, I decided this 2 days before her birthday. The baker said she needed a lead time of at least 1 week for custom cakes, so no deal.
I could have baked the cake myself, of course. But our old oven is temperamental, and I had to cook other things, too (i.e. I was pressed for time). So here’s what I did instead: I bought this cake from Red Platter and embellished it so it would look custom-made.
The cake
I knew from experience that this moist chocolate cake is delicious. This also has thick frosting that could serve as a glue for the toppings I planned to add. So this cake is great for my purpose. It would have been perfect if it was lighter (more milk chocolate) in color.
Chocolate toppings
For the toppings, I envisioned chocolates and candies. So I went to Choco Lit House and bought chocolates and candies. I had no specific chocolates and candies in mind, so I just picked whatever looked good: M&M’s, Hershey’s giant chocolate bar, Kit-kat chocolate wafers, Maltesers, chocolate truffles, chocolate almonds, Cadbury chocolate bar, Reese’s peanut butter cups, Hershey’s kisses, Toblerone Tiny white chocolate bars, Peppero chocolate pretzels, and White Rabbit candy.
To be honest, though, it seemed like I was shopping more for my pantry than for cake toppings. 😅 This was proven later on when, while decorating the cake, I realized that I had too much chocolate/candy for far too little cake (and I was pretty happy about it).
Toppers
Of course, I had to have a Happy Birthday topper and candles. So I hotfooted it to Baker’s Central Naga. There I bought candles, an acrylic happy birthday topper, and the number 1 (for Ava’s first birthday). I also bought calay sprinkles (gold and pink/lavender), dragees, and Nips colored candies; they were just too cute to resist.
Assembly
I realized when I started assembling the cake that I wasn’t very artistic. I piled on the chocolate candies (and oreo cookies) until the cake was truly overloaded. And I realized then I forgot to buy stenciled letters, so my husband had to write “Ava” on a piece of paper, put it on a stick, and stick it in somewhere.
Finally assembled, the cake looked like this.
Yes, a lot of chocolates/candies did not make it to the cake. 😆 Yes, one of the Hershey’s blocks (left side) was inverted. 😅 And yes, the cake could have looked better if I had been more artistic. But the cake was personalized and looked pretty good, too. So yes, I was and am happy with it. 🥰
