The Next Great Baker

or just little ol' me trying to make a cute birthday cake.

Step 1 - gather all the supplies.  Check!
I have the pan, all the ingredients, the necessary tools, and a picture of what I'm trying to accomplish.

Step 2 - try to make your own icing.  Check!
I made buttercream icing a few weeks ago.  Tasted delicious.  At one point I was unsure that it would actually turn out but its amazing what a tablespoon of milk can do, its like magic.

Step 3 - practice your technique. Check!
Me and a cookie sheet had date night and I practiced my stars, my shells, my dots.  Shells kicked my butt the other two I mastered.

Step 4 - make the cake.  Check! - well sort of
Since we had a snow day today and I had a son who isn't sleeping at night but napping a ton during the day, I had some extra time on my hands so I decided to do a test run.  Baking the cake was easy but after that I was completely thrown off.  I apparently picked an 'easy' design and an 'easy' cake shape....or not. 

I made a new batch of icing, even better than last time I think and the perfect consistency to work with.  Just icing the base layer on the cake was nuts.  The #1 had too many curves, dips, and the bottom wasn't completely flat.  At that point I decided to change my design.  There was no way I was getting the definition they had in the picture.  Covering the edges with big stars would fix that problem though.  So anyway, this was my goal at first

After about an hour this is what I came up with.

I didn't mess with coloring the icing tonight but everything that I had to do with a decorating tip will be blue - not sure that I'm going to use the dots at all and it obviously won't say snow. 

I always watch those cake decorating shows on TV and think, I could do that.  Tonight I was put in my place.  

I hope my co-workers are hungry tomorrow...actually I just hope we have school.