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panda cakes, oh my!
2006-03-20 at 10:13 p.m.

Birthday's are great...1st birthdays even better. Friday marked the official 1st anniversary of my niece J.J.'s entry into this world. I of course drove the 6 hours to San Diego to visit the cute little dumpling. She is, if possible, even cuter than when I last saw her at new years. I spent most of the weekend playing with her and baking her the Hamil-Whea-Mar traditional 1st birthday panda bear cake...ah what an adventure.

I'd like to preface the following with the disclaimer that this was, after all, my first attempt at such cake.

In our family, it is a tradition (starting with my little sister, and working through all my cousins) that 1st birthdays are marked by a panda bear cake. This cake is pretty cute by most standards. It is made in a specialty pan so that it sits up, and then frosted in stars of brown and white to give the panda-ish coloring.

My mother had a fibromyalgia conference in L.A. to attend this last week, and wouldn't be able to be in San Diego until late Saturday night. She was worried that she wouldn't have enough time to bake the cake, let it cool completely, and then frost it before the party. I of course stepped in and said (in my best super hero sort of way), "It's ok now...I'm here!" (cue great music from the Yahoo! IM character I love so much).

So, my mother posted the pan to my brother's house (after scouring town for a new one as my cousin hadn't returned it after using it for her son's 4 years ago...*sigh*), and Saturday afternoon I set to work. If you've never tried to clamp new clamps on a double sided cake pan, I recommend pliers...my finger still hurt, but it was finally accomplished. The pan was filled with batter, and placed in the oven. After the smoke alarm went off, we removed the pan, scrapped the leaked batter off the oven floor, put the pan on a cookie sheet, and replaced it in the oven. When it came out a bit, shall we say, short in the tushy, we thought it was because so much had leaked out, not so apparently, as the second attempt can attest to (not to self, actually measure the batter as the instructions suggest...*sigh*). Luckily we had the other cake to canabalize.

At this point, my parents arrived, sans decorating set...set off to find one at Wal-mart, and returned since Wal-mart apparently closes in some odd parts of the world. So...next morning, decorating kit finally in hand after trip to said odd-Wal-mart, my mum and I partnered up for the decoration (and canabalization of the previous cake for extra tushy parts...and ears).

The result you ask? Fabulously cute. J.J. wasn't quite sure what to think of it at first, but as soon as mom put her on her lap (much to the subsequent dismay of her cashmere sweater), she dove right in...by the fistful. Absolutely priceless.

And picture you ask? Well, I forgot my camera, but my sis has tons, and I'll email/post when she sends them my way.

Hope this all came out clear as mud...I drove back to Vegas late after the party y estoy muy cansada.

cheers.

last 5 entries
it's been a while... - 2007-04-01

Here comes the bride... - 2007-01-15

it's been a looooong time! - 2006-11-05

"I Am" - 2006-09-17

the first week of school - 2006-09-02

past lives // reincarnate

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