Locally Grown: Let them eat cake - and decorate it too By Loretta Haring
On a shelf in my storage area, packed away in a tightly sealed container, lurks a secret.
This covert canister whispers to me whenever I venture near, taunting: "You can do it. You know you want to."
I'm a closet cake decorator.
And if I can do it, so can you.
It all started 12 years ago, when my daughter was born. I strove to be the perfect mother, like June Cleaver or Bree Van de Kamp from the early days of "Desperate Housewives." I read every parenting book I could get my hands on, making notes, highlighting, planning.
When that all-important first birthday came along, I gritted my teeth when my mother-in-law told me what kind of cake she had ordered for the family party.
Ordered. As in not homemade.
Now don't get me wrong: I have the utmost respect for caterers and commercial food preparers. There are numerous things that should always be handled by a professional.
But not a birthday cake. A homemade cake is like another present from the heart.
So I made a cake for Rachel and her little friends at daycare. And an obsession was born.
You see, growing up in South Dakota, my grandmother made our birthday cakes, and they were always the same - three tiers, white frosting, and "Happy Birthday insert name here" in shaky block letters, in pink for the girls and blue for the boys.
But that wasn't good enough for "super mom," so on Rachel's second birthday I stressed over what I could do to be different. I ended up with a part swan, part number 2 cake that all her little friends raved over.
Obsessions aren't without a price, though. Every year the cake had to be better. I would pore over books and magazines in search of the perfect expression of love. Within my skill set, of course.
As Rachel got older, she started "suggesting" themes, like Harry Potter and Stitch from "Lilo & Stitch." She didn't take my limited skills into consideration.
But I slogged on. I had long ago given up on being remotely close to a perfect mom, but I couldn't give up that cake.
Last year, though, I came to a realization. It was time for mother and daughter to work on the cake together. After all, it's not really how the cake turns out, but how the love goes in.
With middle school comes the need to express independence, though, so Rachel wanted to take the lead this year.
I had to "step away from the birthday cake" to keep from adjusting a fish's scales, redoing a tail. I didn't even look when she used the food color spray.
And the end result is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
If you want a professional looking cake, hire a professional.
If family and fun are more important, all you need are a few decorator tips and a vivid imagination.
I've found that fondant is especially good when working with children, because it's almost like Play-Doh. It's easy to roll out, and you can use cutters for special shapes, or just free-form whatever you like.
And you can buy ready-made fondant, frosting in a tube and color in a can if you want to make things really easy.
Sure, you'll spend more money than you would grabbing a cake at the local grocery store, but the memories will be priceless.
The inspiration for Rachel's 12th birthday cake came from "Colette's Birthday Cakes" by Colette Peters, which is available at the Crofton and Mountain Road branches of the Anne Arundel County Public Library - or the local Borders and Barnes & Noble stores if you want to add it to your collection. The finished product is much simpler than its model, but every bit as special.
If you want to make your own fondant, here's a recipe. You can find cake decorating supplies at craft stores like Michaels, or at Annapolis Cake and Candy Supplies on Defense Highway.
ROLLED FONDANT
"Colette's Birthday Cakes"
By Colette Peters
2 pounds confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup glucose or white corn syrup
11/2 tablespoons glycerine
1 teaspoon flavoring such as almond extract
Sift the sugar into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the water into a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin on top to soften for about 5 minutes. Gently heat the gelatin and stir until it is dissolved and clear. Do not boil.
Remove from the heat and add the glucose or syrup and glycerine, stirring until well blended. Add the flavoring.
Pour the mixture into the well of sugar and mix until most of the sugar is blended, then knead with your hands until all of the sugar is incorporated and the mixture becomes stiff. Add confectioners' sugar as necessary.
Shape mixture into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature overnight in an airtight container.
To color fondant, add small amounts of paste food coloring and knead until the color is even. Use just a little coloring at a time so it doesn't become darker than desired.
To cover a cake with fondant, fill as desired and crumb-coat the layers. Dust a smooth surface with cornstarch or confectioners'sugar to prevent from sticking. Roll out the fondant with a rolling pin, until about 1/4-inch thick. Slide hands, palms up, under the fondant, lift, then center it over cake. Lay fondant on cake and smooth from top down. Cut off excess with pizza cutter.
For a guide, this recipe should yield 2 pounds of fondant, enough to cover a 9-inch cake that is 4 inches in height.
Mom's Day memories
Mother's Day is fast approaching, and I would love to share any special food stories and recipes that make Mother's Day special in your family. Please send them to food@capitalgazette.com.
