My Baby is a TEEN!

The years have flown and my baby boy has become a teenager!

Harry was 13 on Jan 24th and for his party this year wanted a sleepover with friends, go-karting followed by traditional party food.
Two friends from his junior school and two new friends from his new secondary school joined him along with his twin sisters Hannah and Laurice (both talented cake decorators who will be eleven on Valentine's Day).

We went to a brilliant indoor go-karting venue in Walsall called Ace Karting http://www.acekartingplusinfo.co.uk/. They looked after us all so well. The team were taken off for a briefing before going onto the track in the karts. They then had to follow the Marshall around the track until he was satisfied they could manage the karts (including stopping safely).



Harry in a hurry, for a change!




Timed laps followed in stages until the Grand Prix Final itself. The Stewards and Marshall kept a close eye on each driver throughout although I had trouble watching some of the faster ones going round some of the tighter bends.








Afterwards the results were announced and the boys were presented with medals on the winners rostrum.

The Winners!



Paddy was the winner with Harry second and Ben third. Lots of pictures were taken which the manager emailed to us later that evening.

We all had a great time and I gave Harry his Go-Karting chocolate mud birthday cake, a surprise,as he was expecting it to be an Xbox!

Does anyone know the answer to 3 down?

Charlie is 90 and doesn't he look great!

I think this is one of my favourite cakes so far.
Charlie doesn't get out too much now but loves to spend time sitting on his favourite chair with a crossword puzzle.

 

Getting behind with posts!

Jan 5th and I still haven't got round to posting pictures of any Christmas cakes, plus several more made around Christmas. I have one cake to get on with today and tomorrow then I will get down to posting more pics!

Once Upon A Time...........

 

Just One More Please Grandma!.......



This is ready to go on top of a surprise cake for a very glamorous Gran's 60th birthday. She has 3 beautiful grandsons who love her to read stories to them. Her son-in-law ordered it for her and despite moving around the country because of his job, insists on travelling back here for their cakes (He's a serious chocoholic!).

I have made several cakes for the boys individually

and I must get round to putting the pictures on here

now that the blog is now active.



        

 

          

Boing Boing! (Not on sale in a club shop near you!)

My first football shirt cake.

Boing Boing!

This was for the little boy of a football scout, maybe you can guess which team. This is the first of too many between now and Christmas. I'm not a fan of these pre-shaped tins but needs must and I think it turned out okay.
The badge is hand painted freehand and as I'm not great with a paintbrush (or a pencil), don't look too closely.

I think we will have to have the Hawaiian cake from Cake International for our Christmas cake this year.

Taking The Rays!



A Pint of Bathams in the Sun!



This cake is for a partner of my husbands who has reached the grand old age of 60!

As you might guess, his hobbies include sunbathing, sunbathing, sunbathing......oh and golf, Bathams bitter, West Brom football club, cricket and did I mention, SUNBATHING!!!!!

The cake was for a surprise party and boy was he surprised!

"Check & see if I've booked the next holiday please Sue!"

"While you're there, I'll have another pint thanks Sue!"

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?....SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!

Just finished this for a friend's little girl. Apparently she's mad about Spongebob Squarepants. To be honest in this house, with my children, I'm mad about Spongebob too. IT'S ON TOO MUCH!

I think I know most of the episodes off by heart (sound only though, as I hear it, not watch it ).

"Fancy a krabby Patty?"

Cakes in need...of eating! (For Children in Need)

On Friday it was year six (Laurice & Hannah) assembly at school and parents and children usually take refreshments together afterwards. Unfortunately the school have been unable to keep the kitchen open so shop bought cakes are the only available option. Laurice and Hannah decided that as a family we could make the cakes ourselves and donate the proceeds to Children in Need. As it was a non uniform day they wore Pudsey t-shirts and spotty neckerchiefs. Laurice made a couple of Mary Berry's lemon drizzle traybakes, a tray of all butter shortbread and I made 50 or so vanilla cupcakes. Between us we made Pudsey heads to sit on top of a mile high swirl of Italian meringue buttercream in vanilla or raspberry.
The first batch of cupcakes ended up at home uneaten as the lovely cupcake wrappers I had were useless. They tightened inwards around the middle of the cakes like a lace up corset (very odd) and as a result the cakes mushroomed out over the tops. I ended up using some very plain muffin cases from Asda. They are just the right size and never come away from the cupcakes. It's a shame they only come in white/dark brown.
Laurice covered a box for donations with spotty paper whilst Hannah and Millie cut out lots of small Pudseys to decorate it with. We covered the serving hatch of the kitchen with a large spotty cloth and despite squashing a few cakes in transit (they were too tall to put the lids on the boxes) we were ready to go.
Assembly was excellent with everyone in year 6 reading and singing beautifully. Laurice and Hannah both showed their winning cakes from Cake International to the rest of the school whilst others brought in swimming and dancing trophies for display.
The staff served the cakes and drinks and we made a decent bit of money to send in to Children in Need.
Kevin (hubby) got in on the act later that night by ringing the donation through on behalf of the school (St Mary's the Mount Primary in Walsall). He chatted to Sunita (Shobna Gulati) from Coronation Street's corner shop as we watched Take That on T.V.

As ever it was late and rushed and we hope to do better next year, a familiar theme maybe?

Cinderella,.....hurry...hurry....hurry!...(thats just me finishing the cake!)

This cake was yet another very last minute project.

The cake is my version of a Debbie Brown design from her wonderful book "Enchanting Magical Cakes".
My girls wanted Cinders to wear the more recent blue gown and have more modern hair. Who am I to argue.
I love the girly colours and the little little tiara don't you?
You can learn how to make the tiara by watching Lorraine Mckays free how-to tutorial on www.extra-icing.blogspot.com

Try...ing to make a rugby cake!

Just finished this for a young rugby player at our local rugby union team in Walsall. His mum wanted him kicking a ball over the posts, but with only 4 days notice there was no way I could have guaranteed he would have been standing by the end of the night (although that sounds about right for a rugby player!).



Well as he will be only 13 and I didn't think it would be good enough I went for a try instead.

 My son Harry has already told me that his hair is too light. He fancies himself as a bit of a cake critic. He could definitely critique the tasting of cakes!